Feed & Nutrition

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Dr. Scott Weese, Professor in Pathobiology at Ontario Veterinary College, discusses his research into infection control and bacterial infections in animals and humans.

Masterfeeds, horse nutrition, equine digestive system, free-choice forage, equine ulcers, equine hindgut, horse colic, masterfeeds

Horses have an extraordinarily large digestive system — compared to humans they have more than double the length if you were to place them side-by-side, start to finish! This long path for food digestion is packed with twists and turns (and the inability to vomit), so it’s easy to see how digestive upsets can occur in our equine partners. Below is a quick overview to give you a better understanding of how we can feed to our horses’ needs while keeping in mind how they evolved.

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Each horse is an individual and will have their own specific nutritional needs. With that in mind, there are several categories into which seniors can be divided based on their nutritional needs.

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The best way to evaluate a horse’s weight and condition is with this universally recognized Body Condition Scoring (BCS) system based on the Henneke Body Condition Scale. Since it can be hard to recognize if your horse is over- or underweight, it is often helpful to have two or three friends who don’t see your horse every day use the BCS system to objectively score your horse.

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“The stable environment invariably presents challenges of dust, mould and proper ventilation,” says Susan Raymond, instructor of Equine Guelph’s Management of the Equine Environment online course. “Most horses are well equipped for living outdoors and thrive, provided certain provisions are met.” Dr. Raymond completed her PhD in investigating the effects of exposure of horses to mycotoxins. She has also been involved in air quality research, which provided practical recommendations to the horse industry on stable design and management.

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Nothing can drain the colour from a horse owner’s face quicker than hearing the word COLIC! Winter is an important season to focus on colic prevention and ward off water woes that can lead to impaction in the equine gut.

wild horse nutrition, helping wild horses, feeding wild horses, hwac, horse welfare alliance of canada

What makes a deed good? Is it good intentions or is it good results? Or are both elements required for a deed to qualify as good? When it comes to the “wildies” (loose, wild, and feral horses), some people turned their good intentions into action by putting out feed for the horses wintering on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains.

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One of our core beliefs is that good nutrition starts in utero for a long, healthy life for our equine friends. Starting with balanced nutrition in the womb, through development and maturity, our horses are living longer, healthier lives. But even with enhanced management, age begins to take a toll on digestive health. Read on to learn about the signs to watch for in your aging horse and when it may be time to switch to a senior diet.

 Feeding Horse’s Body Condition Dr. Wendy Pearson my horse is too fat my horse is too thin equine obesity equine malnutrition

There are few things we humans are more sensitive about than our body weight. Where the rest of the world sees our gentle curves and happy smiles, we see lumps and wobbles and wrinkles. We generally have a far worse opinion of our own body condition than do any of the people around us. I would hazard that this is because our friends and family care about us and see the best in us, and recognize that while we may have a few extra curves we are healthy and happy, and that’s what counts. And if anyone ever said things about our friends that resemble what we have said about ourselves, most of us would likely get pretty vocal about defending our friends.

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An Evolutionary Success Story - Horses have evolved very successfully as consumers of forage and other plant material. Many of their physical characteristics such as body size and capacity have evolved around accommodating their large hindgut where populations of beneficial microbes are maintained, allowing the utilization of complex carbohydrates like cellulose as a source of energy. The teeth of horses have also evolved to allow horses to consume a steady diet of plant material.

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