The latest equine articles from Poulin Grain and Performance Horse Nutrition.
Equine
Q: What are the benefits and drawbacks of feeding wheat bran mash to horses? A: A wheat bran mash can consist of several ingredients. The ingredients most often included are wheat bran and water. Many people provide wheat bran to their horse for its supposed laxative effect. Unfortunately, wheat bran
Equine
The shape of a horse's back can vary greatly from horse to horse. The topline of the horse includes the muscles over the withers, back, loin (or coupling), and croup. Strength of topline and loin muscles also influences soundness and athletic ability. The topline will vary in length
Equine
Minerals are vital to health. They are the building blocks that make up muscles, tissues, and bones. They also are important components of many life-supporting systems and activities, and they are important to hormones, oxygen transport, and enzyme systems. Minerals participate in the chemical reactions that occur inside the body.
Equine
Have you ever been to a restaurant and choked on your food? This experience causes panic since you are unable to talk or breathe. Food has become trapped in your trachea (windpipe) preventing you from breathing. Lucky for you the burly gentleman that has been making eye contact with you
Equine
Advertisements for both human and animal health focus on the use of Omega-3 supplements, usually containing flaxseed meal, vegetable oil, or fish oil. Studies in humans have found many health benefits with supplementation of Omega-3 fatty acids in the diet. While research benefits for horses have not been as numerous,
Equine
Forage (fiber) from pasture and/or hay is the predominant ingredient in the diet for most horses. The digestive system of a horse requires forage to function properly. Horses that have access to abundant pasture will satisfy their need for forage by grazing. Horses kept in stables, horses kept in
Equine
Q: Does hay lose its nutritional value while in storage? A: Hay begins to lose its nutritional value at the time of cutting and continues to lose nutrients both while drying in the field and while in storage. The nutrients most affected by harvesting and storing are vitamins. Conversely, the
Nutrients & Ingredients
Vitamin E (tocopherol) is an important fat-soluble vitamin that plays several roles in the body. Its most important role is as an antioxidant that works closely with its partners Selenium and Vitamin C to protect the body from the oxidative stress of exercise, illness and certain medical conditions. Through this
Nutrients & Ingredients
It is widely known that forage is the most important part of any horse's diet. Many of the nutrients in forages must be released from the plant material via digestion before they can be absorbed and utilized. Digestibility is used to describe how easily a feedstuff is digested
Weight Management
Weight loss is simply a result of more calories being used by the body than are being consumed. There are several potential causes of chronic weight loss in horses. These causes include poor quality or limited feed supply, health and disease problems, as well as social interaction and competition between
Nutrients & Ingredients
We often compare feeds by percent protein, but what does this mean in the diet?
Equine
The liver is an organ that performs numerous functions, including metabolizing carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. It also breaks down and excretes many potentially toxic compounds. The liver has a large storage capacity and functional reserve and is capable of regenerating, which provides some protection against permanent damage. When liver cells