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Eventually every horse gets to the point where it is time to retire, but when and how depends on the individual. A horse’s health and soundness dictate retirement more so than age. Most horses do better when retirement happens gradually, through a slow decrease in activity level based on the horse’s physical abilities and mental attitude. When is the right time? Assessing your horse’s physical and mental status isn’t always easy. Horses tend to... Read More »
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Fifty to 75 percent of the horses that contract tetanus will die, no matter what treatment is administered. Luckily, due to the availability of effective vaccines, horse owners can easily protect themselves and their companions from this deadly disease. Tetanus, commonly called lockjaw, attacks a horse’s central nervous system. It is not a contagious disease, so it is not passed from animal to animal. Instead, the disease is caused by a bacterium... Read More »
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People, cats and dogs often suffer from hearing loss due to injury, illness or old age, but what about horses? While complete deafness is easy to diagnose, partial hearing loss in horses is harder to pinpoint. Typically, hearing loss occurs in the higher frequencies first and progresses to the lower ones. Horses are notoriously bad at homing in on where sounds come from by using their ears. Normally they turn in the general direction of a sound and use... Read More »
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Let’s take a look at the importance of expiration dates, lot numbers, and manufacturers’ information. Expiration dates: Freshness is important to horse owners. No one wants to feed his or her horse an old, stale bag of feed. Checking the expiration or “best used by” date on your feed tag or feedbag tells you just how fresh the feed really is. It is a good idea to locate these numbers and check them each time you get a new supply of feed. If... Read More »
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Feeding directions are a good place to start. It is very important to understand that feeds are formulated by nutritionists to be fed at specific rates. When the correct amount of feed is provided, the horse consumes the appropriate amount of energy and nutrients. The feeding directions included on the feed tag are specific to a particular feed and should be followed. When you feed less than the recommended amount, your horse is not getting the full... Read More »
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Click here, for 10 ways to protect your horse from infectious diseases Article re-posted with kind permission by Equine Guelph: http://equineguelph.ca/index.php About Kentucky Performance Products, LLC: Since 1998, Kentucky Performance Products has simplified a horse owner’s search for research-proven nutritional horse supplements that meet the challenges facing modern horses. KPP horse supplements target specific nutritional needs and are... Read More »
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Horse people agree: one of the best parts of owning a horse is taking care of it. Who doesn’t love looking out the kitchen window and seeing their horse grazing contently in the pasture? Most horse folks would rather spend the day cleaning the barn then cleaning the house. Along with being great for your mind, horse keeping is great for your body. Who needs a gym membership when you have horses to take care of! Use the chart below to calculate how... Read More »
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What can you learn from a list of ingredients? All of the ingredients in a feed will be listed on the feed tag under the ingredients list. Ingredients are listed in descending order from the greatest amount to least amount. Typically you will find grains and/or fiber sources listed first, because they are included in larger amounts, followed by minerals and vitamins that are added in small quantities. Look for ingredients that meet your horse’s... Read More »
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Be sure your horse is clean and dry before putting on a blanket. If there is “skin yuck,” try to clear it up first or talk to your veterinarian about treatments, as blanketing can aggravate skin conditions. Don't share blankets among horses. Use the right blanket at the right time. When it’s 40 or 50 degrees outside, use a lightweight blanket. If it’s 20° or below, use a heavyweight blanket or a combination of blankets. Be sure to use only... Read More »
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Guaranteed analysis of minerals and vitamins Macrominerals (calcium and phosphorus), microminerals (copper, zinc, and selenium), and vitamin A are required to be listed in the GA. They are all important to your horse’s wellbeing. Minerals and vitamins are added to commercial feeds because their content varies considerably between different types of forages (hay and pasture). Seasonal and geographical differences also affect the forage’s nutrient... Read More »
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In the wet winter months when snow and rain turn dirt to mud, make it a daily habit to remove manure and uneaten hay from feeding areas in pastures and dry lots. If left on the ground, these materials mix with the wet soil and cause boggy areas to develop. Decaying organic matter also increases the amount of bacteria and fungus in the soil, which can lead to thrush and other hoof problems. Article written by KPP staff. Copyright (C) 2013... Read More »
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What does the guaranteed analysis really tell you? If you have looked at a feed tag you have seen a guaranteed analysis (GA) of nutrients. It is full of minimums and maximums, crude this and that, and lots of numbers. But what does the GA really tell you about the feed you are considering for your horse? A lot! The GA gives you a tremendous amount of information about the nutrients in the feed. Once you understand how to decipher the GA, it will be... Read More »
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When the temperatures drop below freezing, opt out of strenuous work and choose other activities for your four-legged partner. Research showed horses that galloped in temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit presented with lung inflammation. Horses exposed to the same temperatures and not exercised presented with no evidence of inflammation. Horses suffering from heaves are at greater risk of lung inflammation in cold weather. Article... Read More »
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The Purpose Statement Long gone are the days of feeding every horse in the barn a scoop of oats and a flake of hay. Decades of equine nutrition research have shown us that not all horses can or should be fed in the same manner. Life stages, workload, and overall health dictate the nutrients required by each individual horse. Modern commercial feed manufacturers invest a lot of research and technical expertise into developing feeds that meet the unique... Read More »
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What’s in a name? Feed manufacturers are required by law to put the name of a feed on each feed tag. The name should describe the type of feed contained in the bag. In many cases you may find a brand name and a descriptive name, for example, LovingCare™ complete pellets. The creative brand name is a marketing tool meant to convey a message to the horse owner and make it easier for you to identify a specific brand of feed, while the descriptor... Read More »
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