Much like their human counterparts, many of today's horses are working less and eating more (both in quantity and type of food), and as a result they are becoming fat. Obesity is a serious emerging problem in the domestic horse. Obesity involves serious disease implications as well as the more obvious problem of reduced athletic... Read more »
The combination of the right diet and correct workload should keep your horse in good condition. A horse's condition will vary depending on it's breed, age and workload. Before you can begin to decide what to feed your horse, you need to check if he is already in good condition or if he needs to... Read more »
Feeding the foal or young horse can be tricky and will depend on individual circumstances, compliance of the mare and quality of the mare's milk. Nutrient requirements of young horses are extremely high, compared to those of adult horses, owing to their very fast growth rate. Protein requirements are high as a result of the... Read more »
Horses are living longer mainly due to their evolution from working animals to pleasure animals and advances in equine medicine. As the horse gets older various physiological changes occur that require careful management. When is a horse considered to be old or 'geriatric'? When a horse reaches 20 years of age, it is considered to... Read more »
This condition describes horses that are obese, have insulin resistance due to increased tissue production of cortisol, and have recurrent laminitis. The disease has received different names in the past, particularly Peripheral Cushings Syndrome, but the most appropriate term is Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS). Equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) This condition describes horses that are obese,... Read more »
Grass sickness affects the horse's nervous system and is often fatal. The disease occurs almost exclusively in horses with access to grass but the cause is unknown. Until the cause is known, it is difficult to give sound advice regarding prevention, however, the more you know about the disease, the better your chances of preventing... Read more »
Body condition scoring is used to evaluate a horse's general condition or fat cover. Body condition scoring enables you to keep an eye on your horse's weight over the changing annual seasons and can alert you to any change in condition which may indicate the need for a change in diet or an indication of... Read more »