Feed & Nutrition

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The thinking on how we use antibiotics is changing in the world of medicine, especially as we learn more about their impact on the inhabitants of the gut. Ontario Veterinary College researcher Dr. Diego Gomez took part in a collaborative study with researchers across North America to study the effects of intravenous antimicrobials on the equine gut.

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When Pasture is Too Much of a Good Thing - The horse has evolved as a grazing animal, hence, pasture plays a pivotal role in equine nutrition. Reported intakes of fresh pasture by horses can range from 1.5 to 5.2 percent of body weight per day. With such a large intake of pasture possible, can horses overconsume? What components of pasture grass can cause problems if taken in at excessive levels?

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ThinLine introduces the Flexible Filly Grazing Muzzle with adjustable grazing hole size to customize the muzzle to your horse’s dietary needs. The muzzle is manufactured with food grade resins that provide a durable yet lightweight, flexible alternative to traditional muzzles. Veterinarian recommendations for safe grazing in a muzzle are a 3.5 to 4 cm grazing hole for full-time grazing, and 2 to 2.5 cm for restricted grazing often required for horses with metabolic issues. The industry standard is 3 cm and grazing holes are not adjustable.

Care & Feeding of Overgrazed Horse Pastures, overgrazing horses, Horse Pasture Maintenance, ferris fencing, fencing for horse grazing

Good pastures depend on good soil. That’s why professional contractors see your pastures literally from the ground up. The quality of the growth above ground will tell them the state of the root growth and the soil.

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Obesity has a significant impact on the structural changes in cardiovascular tissue in horses, a recent study has found. Obesity is known to have significant adverse effects on horse health with laminitis an obvious example, but it can also contribute to other problems such as those affecting soundness or fertility.

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Today it is critically important to understand the basics of parasite resistance and develop a deworming program that will work for your farm. That program will need to be reevaluated and modified as environmental conditions change from year to year, and farm management and the number of horses fluctuates.

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Buying hay for your horse can be a challenge whether you buy it a few bales at a time or purchase a year’s supply when it becomes available in the summer. Supply, price, and quality have always been important parameters to consider when buying hay for horses, but now, more than ever before, horse owners are becoming aware of the importance of the nutritional components of the hay they feed.

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Everybody loves to see a donkey! With their large fuzzy ears and soulful eyes, they naturally tug at the heartstrings of horse lovers everywhere. Donkeys were first domesticated in Africa around 3000 BC. They evolved in desert areas and, consequently, developed as browsers that can adapt to poor quality feed and irregular water supplies. Their easygoing nature and hardiness made them ideal as beasts of burden in the hotter, drier parts of the world. Coming in a variety of sizes, donkeys and their hybrid offspring, mules and hinnies, range anywhere from Miniature donkeys of less than 35 inches in height all the way up to Mammoth Jack donkeys that can exceed 15 hands.

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Sooner or later, most horse owners have the unfortunate experience of dealing with an injured horse. It’s common sense to have a veterinarian assess what’s wrong as soon as your horse becomes injured, but a vet will also help create a rehabilitation plan, advise how long the recovery period will be, and provide post-recovery expectations.

Hoof Care Equine Guelph, nutrition for horse hooves, dry weather horse hooves, hoof abscess, sean elliott, how often farrier

The importance of a good farrier is well understood by knowledgeable horse owners who reap the benefits of diligent, routine care. In this article, Certified Journeyman Farrier Sean Elliott provides some great tips for promoting hoof health and explains some pitfalls to avoid.

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