Learn More About Horses

Can feed ingredients make your horse more hot, hyper, or excitable? Can some ingredients actually change your horse’s emotions? Most horse owners have experienced the “elevated emotional state” that certain feeds can have on horses. We say the feed makes the horse hot, or hyper, or excitable, but can feed ingredients really change the attitude of a horse? The answer is yes; feedstuffs can alter the way a horse acts. “Emotional” Horse Feed Ingredients Horse feed ingredients can give horses needed energy. If that energy isn’t used in a positive pursuit, such as exercise, that energy can be expressed in...

Do you know the difference in those colored blocks at the feed store and what they can and can’t do for your horses? As busy horse owners, we want to take the best care of our animals with a minimal amount of time wasted. The salt and mineral blocks in the feed store seem like a great way to give our horses, donkeys, and mules the salt and nutrients they need in a convenient package. We might be tempted to just get a block of every color and let the horses decide, but that’s not a great idea. Some blocks are meant...

Summertime heat and humidity can be dangerous to horses. Horses can and do survive in hot environments primarily through sweating, as well as other thermoregulatory mechanisms. However, if their body temperatures get too high, horses can suffer heat exhaustion or heat stroke. If the heat stroke is severe enough, it can lead to death. Therefore, it is important for any horse owner to understand how best to manage their animals during the hottest times of the year. The primary way horses reduce body heat is through sweating. Horses can produce over 3 gallons of sweat an hour. Thus, water is...

The source of energy (or calories) provided in a horse’s diet has a direct impact on how well a horse competes in any discipline. Focused research in the past decade has vastly improved our understanding of energy utilization in horses. In fact, it has been a major driver in changing how we formulate our feeds and what ingredients we now include in our horse feeds. Where Do Horses Get Energy in Their Diets? Energy comes from multiple sources in a horse’s diet. This can be in the form of fiber (structural carbohydrates), sugar/starch (non-structural carbohydrates), fats, and protein. As a...

Spring is an incredibly busy time of year for many horse owners. The cold and short days of winter give way to the warm embrace of spring. Then, the long dormant grasses of pastures begin to waken, and the green sprigs begin to emerge. It is an exciting time of year for many, but horse owners need to be cautious with allowing their horses to graze on their spring pastures. Changes in Horse Pastures in the Spring During the winter months, most grass and legume plants lie dormant. In some parts of the country, pastures may even remain covered in...