Horses have an interesting digestive tract; they have a large hindgut where fermentation takes place. They rely heavily on this process for optimal digestion as well as energy production. Compared to other animals, horses have a lower enzyme activity at the beginning of their digestive tract. This simple difference indicates that horses are not meant […]
This season has been a tough one for metabolic horses. In my practice, I have had an influx of new clients with laminitic horses and ponies. Through my own hay sampling and chatting with other nutritionists it is consensus that this year has had on average higher sugar content in the forage. Sugar content in […]
This week’s Friday with Finn blog post will focus on a case study. As many of you who follow Balanced Bay are aware, I work with a lot of easy keepers. This case study follows two ponies: Romeo and Chou-Chou. Equine obesity is a prevalent issue that can be very difficult to manage. I have […]
Part of the reason I wanted to work in equine nutrition was my keen interest in equine metabolic syndrome (EMS). Through some of the educational content creation that I do I have the absolute honour and pleasure to talk about these topics with world-leading experts in the field. Recently I met with Dr. Andy Durham […]
What is a ration balancer? It is well known that a horse consuming just hay or pasture will almost always be missing some key vitamins and minerals in their diet. A ration balancer is a concentrated source of the necessary vitamins and minerals that a horse requires. These feeds are typically low in caloric value […]
As we enter into the warmer months here in Ontario, many horse owners will begin to use electrolyte supplementation products for their horse. This blog post is going to provide a brief overview of electrolyte supplementation and what recent research is telling us! Electrolytes Electrolytes are involved in many physiological processes. They play a role […]
Most horse owners know that feed changes should be made slowly, and do implement this well. However, I often come across people switching forage sources abruptly. This article is going to delve into the science behind why feed changes should be made slowly and highlight the importance of gradual changes not just for pelleted feeds […]
Sodium chloride (salt) is an essential aspect of the equine diet. Sodium plays a crucial role in many body processes such as the maintenance of body temperature, nerve function, chemical transport, regulation of pH and regulation of osmotic pressure. When sodium is deficient in the diet there can be a plethora of negative health consequences […]
As an independent equine nutritionist, I come across many horse owners that supplement their horses with some type of gut support product. This article is going to dive into some of the science behind probiotics! Let’s start today’s blog post with some definitions -> Probiotics: microbials that deliver live bacteria to the horse’s gastrointestinal tract and […]
Proper pasture management can make a significant difference in yield and allow your horse to graze more, in turn, consuming less supplemental hay. As a general rule, horses will graze 0.26 lbs of dry matter per 220 lbs of body weight per hour. If your horse is 1000 lbs and grazes for ~16 hours this […]
