What laminitis means for horse nutrition Laminitis reshapes the whole feeding plan because the goal is no longer just to provide enough calories. The key focus is to lower the chance of an insulin spike, support hoof health, and keep the horse at a proper body condition score without overloading the digestive system. In a lot of horses, laminitis is closely connected to insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome , which means the wrong horse feed can aggravate the pr
Excessive horse feed can show up in the horse's body, the belly, and even the temperament before a major health issue shows up. The difficulty is that overfeeding does not always look dramatic at first. A horse may simply start adding weight, leaving grain uneaten, acting unusually energetic, or showing subtle stomach discomfort. Because horse feed is tied closely to diet balance, caloric density, and grain intake, the signs often accumulate over time until the feeding sche
What Horse Feed Is Best for Horses Prone to Colic?
What contributes to a horse prone to colic? Colic often is a broad term for abdominal pain, and it can have many causes, but diet is often a major factor. For horses with sensitive digestive health, the aim is to maintain gut motility, reduce digestive upset, and keep the gut functioning smoothly. A horse prone to colic may be affected by rapid diet changes, poor water intake, limited forage, or feed that is too rich in starch and sugar. Dehydration can also increase the
What Horse Feed for Replacing Forage Refers To Horse feed for forage replacement is formulated to deliver some of the nourishment a horse would normally receive from hay or pasture. Practically speaking, this means using a feed strategy that helps meet equine nutrition needs when roughage is scarce, low quality, or unavailable. The goal is not to eliminate forage entirely unless a veterinarian suggests that approach, but to use the right horse feed to bridge the
Which Horse Feed Is the Best for Horses with Cushing's Disease?
What Cushing's Disease Means for Feeding Horses Cushing's disease, also called PPID, is an endocrine disorder that affects how a horse’s body controls hormones, energy use, and metabolic health. For feeding purposes, the biggest concern is often insulin resistance, which can affect how the horse handles blood glucose after meals. That means the best horse feed choices are usually not about providing more calories as fast as possible; they are about supporting stable bloo
Guide to Horse Feed Grain: Varieties, Labels, and Basic Feeding
What Horse Feed Grain Is and When Horses Benefit From It Horse feed grain is a concentrated source of energy and nutrients that supports a horse’s primary diet of forage . In practical horse nutrition, grain is not the whole answer; it is one part of a balanced diet built around hay, pasture, water, and the right level of concentrate feed . The best feeding plan depends on the horse’s workload, age, size, body condition score, and digestive needs. Most horse
The ideal horse feed for laminitic horses is usually a low sugar feed that is also a low starch feed , rich in fibre, and suited to the horse’s body condition score . In practice, that often means a forage first strategy built around high-quality hay , well-controlled grazing, and a balanced diet that keeps digestible energy under control without sacrificing gut health or hoof support . If you want the shortest possible answer: choose feeds t
Horse Feed for breeding mares: What to Feed, Timing and Reasons
Why Is Broodmare Nutrition Special? Broodmares have got a very different nutritional role from competition horses, leisure horses or young stock. Their horse feed needs must support not only their own body condition and gut health , but also the unborn foal during pregnancy and the mare’s own recovery and lactation after foaling . This means broodmare nutrition is less about loading calories and more about matching nutrient requirements to life stage.