It is no secret that dietary supplements are immensely popular in the equine industry. Let’s do better by our horses and critically investigate dietary supplements. This week’s Friday with Finn blog post is going to be all about seaweed. Seaweed, also commonly referred to as kelp, is a dietary supplement that I occasionally see supplemented […]
Loss of topline is a common nutritional concern amongst horse owners. The topline is composed of a group of muscles that run down the vertebral column of the horse’s spine. Ideally, you do not want this area to appear concave, it should be adequately covered in muscle without any sunken-in areas or areas of fat […]
Broodmare nutrition is an important topic as nutritional requirements change throughout gestation and lactation. Most mares are bred in the spring here in Ontario; however, it is recommended that a mare is on a balanced diet to support her in achieving an optimal body condition prior to breeding. When I receive inquiries in the spring […]
Believe it or not, as an independent equine nutritionist, I have a lot of donkey clients too!! Oftentimes these guys may get overlooked when it comes to nutrition, but they need balanced diets too. Most of the donkeys I see are extremely overweight due to being fed in a similar fashion to horses. Even though […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Why Feed Omega 3s? In equine nutrition, there is a big push for feeding omega-3s with all sorts of fancy oils on the market. The main underlying metabolic mechanism is that omega 3s are an anti-inflammatory fatty acid. These are required for basic physiological functions and are key components of many tissues and organs. In […]
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