A lot of people ask me how their feeding should change when they’re bringing their horse back into light work. This really depends a lot on the condition of the horse at the time you’re planning to bring it back into work. Obviously a horse needs enough calories and protein to maintain/gain condition and muscle, but a lot of us end up overdoing it and end up with a horse that’s ‘too hot to handle’, too over conditioned and therefore lacks energy to work properly, or worse. I

All horse owners know that pelleted feed can be a quick and convenient way to feed a horse, but could pelleted feed actually be harming your horse? Erika Gough, equine nutritionist from Inside Out Equine Health discusses the pros and the cons of pelleted/‘complete’ feeds, how to make better pelleted feed choices and also some alternatives for those looking for a change. Let’s start with a little test... honesty required! Can you name the first four ingredients of your pellete

Given it’s getting cooler and winter is approaching, I’m going to write a mini-article each day this week about feeding and rugging your horses over the winter months. Today I will talk about thermoneutral zones and lower critical temperatures. Tomorrow’s article will be about winter and the easy keeper, Wednesday’s will focus on normal keepers, Thursday, hard keepers and Friday what the best feed options are for winter. First let’s talk about winter… Winter in Australia is m

Should I be worried that my horse is overweight? Equine obesity is not something that can be taken lightly. Excess body fat has the possibility to severely affect your horse’s physical health and performance. Unhealthy fat deposits are a serious health concern are is linked to myriad health issues such as laminitis, insulin resistance, joint and skeletal issues, osteoarthritis, reproductive issues, inflammation and so on. Science has shown that excess fat is more than just un

As an equine nutritionist, I am often called when the you-know-what has already well and truly hit the fan. Whether it be anxiety, excess/lack of energy, obesity, or lack of muscle and conditioning, most of these issues can be easily avoided by following the following five steps to good equine nutrition… Water - This is a no-brainer. Horses must have plentiful access to clean, fresh water. Without it there’s almost no point in getting anything else right. Roughage - Not the s