Nutrition

Learn about colic in horses, including early signs, causes, types, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. This comprehensive guide explains gas colic, impactions, intestinal twists, sand colic, and more, with practical advice on when to call a veterinarian, what to expect from colic surgery, and how daily management can reduce risk.

Learn how maternal nutrition and fetal programming in horses can influence foal health, skeletal development, metabolism, immunity, and future performance. This science-based guide explains broodmare body condition, energy, protein, mineral balance, placental health, obesity, stress, and colostrum, with practical feeding and management advice for every stage of pregnancy.

Body condition scoring (BCS) is one of the simplest and most valuable tools available to horse owners. It allows you to objectively evaluate whether a horse is underweight, overweight, or maintaining an appropriate amount of body fat. Learn how to assess your horse's weight and fat cover in this article.

Orchard grass hay can be an excellent forage choice for many horses. It is often soft, palatable, and easy to build a ration around. But it is not automatically the “best hay for horses,” and it is not automatically low sugar. The right answer depends on the horse in front of you: body condition, workload, metabolic risk, dental comfort, and what the hay test actually says. This guide is meant to help owners make practical decisions. We will look at when orchard grass hay is

Barn life is busy. When a horse feels “a bit off,” most owners do the same thing: they try to remember what changed, scroll through photos, search old texts, or piece together a timeline from scattered notes. That works until it does not. A stressful vet call is not the moment you want to guess whether the fever started this morning or last night, or whether you gave the last dose at 6 pm or 9 pm. A horse health log fixes that. It is a simple, repeatable way to record vitals

Timothy hay is one of the most common hays fed to horses in the US because it is usually consistent, easy to manage, and works well as a baseline forage for many adult horses. But “best hay” depends on the horse in front of you. A hay that keeps one horse perfectly fit can cause weight gain in an easy keeper, or fall short for a hard keeper. Your horse’s weight, workload, and metabolic risk matter as much as the hay label. If you are choosing between hay types, start with thi

Rice bran is a calorie-dense feed ingredient that can help some horses maintain or gain weight. Its suitability depends on the product and the whole ration. It is not starch-free, and stabilization does not by itself establish that a feed is low in sugar and starch or balanced for minerals. Two label questions matter before adding it: has the product been stabilized to reduce rancidity, and has calcium been added to address rice bran's naturally high phosphorus content? These

Credit: equimanagement Beet pulp is a high-fiber feed that can support calories, gut fill, and hydration when used correctly. It is popular because it adds digestible fiber without the starch load many owners want to avoid. It is not a magic weight-gain shortcut and it is not right for every horse. The “best” beet pulp plan depends on dentition, eating speed, water access, and how carefully you introduce it. For a quick foundation on how fiber, protein, and energy fit togethe

Winter water problems are rarely about one thing. Horses drink less when water is icy, smells off, feels “tingly” from electrical issues, or is hard to access because of ice, mud, or herd dynamics. The goal with heated water buckets and trough de-icers is not to make water hot. It is to keep it comfortably drinkable, consistently available, and safe, so your horse maintains normal hydration and gut motility through cold snaps. TLDR Most horses drink best when winter water is

Choosing between orchard, timothy, and alfalfa is really about matching nutrients to the horse, not picking a plant name. This guide to Orchard vs Timothy vs Alfalfa shows how NSC, protein, and the calcium to phosphorus balance shape weight control, performance fuel, and metabolic safety. Use a hay lab on a dry matter basis, then tailor intake with your veterinarian and keep basic biosecurity in mind. If you need a refresher on energy, protein, minerals, and dry matter, skim

Electrolytes for horses: Sodium, chloride, and potassium are essential for hydration and nerve/muscle function. For most horses, plain salt covers daily needs; electrolyte mixes are useful during heat, travel, or sweat-loss from work or illness. Always provide free-choice water and consult your vet for medical conditions. Salt is the cheapest, safest hydration tool you can use—and most horses don’t get enough. Sodium drives thirst and helps nerves and muscles fire; chloride p

Alfalfa pellets for horses can be useful when you need a measured way to add quality protein, calories, calcium, and soaked forage to the diet. They are often used for hard keepers, performance horses, seniors, travel mashes, and small pre ride meals for horses that may benefit from alfalfa’s buffering effect. They are not a full replacement for hay in most feeding programs. Pellets are short fiber, so they do not provide the same chew time, gut motility support, or natural f

When it comes to the weight of a horse, there is not one goal number you should strive toward: horse weight is a range shaped by type, frame, height, age, and body condition. For owners, the real job is getting an accurate enough estimate to feed correctly, dose safely, respect trailer limits, and track conditioning. This guide gives you fast reference ranges by type and two owner-safe, two-minute methods (scale if available; tape + formula if not) so you can measure your hor

Glucosamine is a common ingredient in oral joint supplements for horses. Its presence in joint tissues gives researchers a reason to study it, but that does not establish that feeding a supplement prevents arthritis, rebuilds cartilage or relieves lameness. Equine studies have produced inconsistent results, and findings for one formulation cannot be applied to every product. What is glucosamine? Glucosamine is an amino sugar involved in the formation of compounds found in car

Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) is a prevalent, complex metabolic disorder affecting horses, ponies, and donkeys, characterized by insulin resistance, obesity, and an increased risk of laminitis. With growing attention on animal health, understanding EMS thoroughly—particularly its diagnosis, preventive measures, and early warning signs—is essential for responsible horse ownership. Understanding Equine Metabolic Syndrome EMS is closely tied to an animal's metabolism, particul

Capillary strength powder is a marketing description used for some horse supplements, not a standardized medicine or a diagnosis. Formulations vary and may contain vitamins, plant extracts or bioflavonoids. The name does not establish that a product prevents nosebleeds, strengthens lung vessels or treats exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage. What is EIPH? Exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage, or EIPH, refers to bleeding within the lungs associated with strenuous exercise. V

Learn the basics of equine nutrition in this easy-to-understand breakdown.