I must preface this article by stating that I am not a veterinarian or any kind of equine clinician. It is not my intent to give veterinary advice other than to suggest you reach out to your veterinarian if you suspect EMS in your horse. This article is based on my own experience with EMS as well as the dozens of horses I’ve worked with Read more…
Over the years I have been engaged in a number of discussions regarding claims of efficacy by feed and supplement companies. Most consumers assume that what we feed our horses is subject to the same regulation as our food. Many feed and supplement companies use this belief to market products that are largely ineffective and sometimes harmful to our horses without fear of action from Read more…
In another FB group a member posed the question to the group, “Which aloe is more effective juice or gel?” My answer, as usual, was the question, “Effective for what?” The immediate reply was “Prevent colic and treat ulcers.” To which I immediately responded, “Neither form of aloe is more effective because aloe will neither prevent colic nor treat ulcers.” Naturally this resulted in a Read more…
Based on a few recent conversations with members of some other horse groups regarding feeding advice I thought this would be a good topic for our weekly post. One of the biggest mistakes horse owners make when it comes to feeding their horses is assuming that if it’s good for us it’s good for them. Considering that the digestive system and metabolism of a horse Read more…
“Critical Thinking” is a term that sums up a process of asking questions, doing research, comparing results and considering sources. The end result of this process should be a decision or opinion based on the data obtained. Every marketing department of every company on the planet builds its marketing plan depending on the fact that the average consumer will not use many critical thinking skills Read more…
The following information is provided to horse owners making decisions for feeding their horses. The horse feed industry is worth an estimated $9 billion in annual revenue and there are many companies attempting to tap into this market and the competition is fierce. Because horses are considered livestock there are very few regulatory protections against frivolous claims of efficacy in feeds and supplements. There are Read more…
Like all mammals, horses require carbohydrates for a ready source of energy to get through their day. Just like humans too many carbs have consequences for horses but those consequences are far more debilitating to horses. It is becoming more common knowledge that non structural carbohydrates (NSC) are worth watching in horses dealing with metabolic or genetic muscular conditions like EMS, PPID and PSSM. There Read more…
This will be a “part deux” to the “Feed Tag Bingo” post. We’ll be looking at an actual feed tag and pointing out the games feed producers play with feed tags. The tag in question is from a rather popular local mill in my area and is for their “12% Performance Horse Feed”. Based on the guaranteed analysis the name is fitting. It is indeed Read more…
There are currently hundreds of commercial horse feed formulations offered by just the major feed companies. If we include the smaller companies and local mills the number increases into the thousands. Owners use different criteria for making these decisions but the one I see most frequently is the feed tag. Why not? The feed tag lists nutrients and ingredients in a convenient presentation so why Read more…
There is much misinformation surrounding the primary commodities used in producing commercial horse feeds. Some of this misinformation comes from competitors within the industry trying to raise doubts in their competitor’s quality. Other sources flow from a conflation of consequences of feeding these commodities to species other than horses. Cats, dogs and humans share very little common ground when it comes to equine metabolism and Read more…