OUCH, MY STOMACH HURTS! May, 2013 – By Walt Friedrich Horses are grazers. We all know that. They would spend 24 hours out of every day, doing just that if they could. It’s quite natural, and the wild ones actually do that because their lifestyles allow it. Domestics – not so much. Oh, they would if they could, but only the lucky ones get to spend much time on pasture. A large percentage of domestics are routinely stalled overnight as well as part of the day, effectively removing them from graze for more than half of their lives! And that’s unfortunate for a number of reasons. Here’s a big one: ulcers. Read More

Vitamin C by Dr. Kris Hiney Previously, we have discussed two important fat soluble vitamins which serve an important anti-oxidant function in the horse, vitamin A and E. We will continue to discuss anti-oxidants as we transition to the water soluble vitamins essential to the health and well-being of the horse. As humans, we are probably very familiar with vitamin C or ascorbic acid/ascorbate, as it is a commonly supplemented vitamin. After all, who hasn’t reached for an orange in order to get their share of this important vitamin (Despite the fact there are many more nutrionally dense sources of vitamin C!)? People often turn to vitamin C during times of stress or illness, especially the common cold, to try and fight off pathogens. But what does vitamin C do in the horse, and should you be supplementing it? Read More

Vitamin K - By Dr. Kris Hiney This month we will wrap up our discussion of the fat soluble vitamins with a vitamin that is not discussed all that often in regards to horses, vitamin K. Vitamin K is actually a family of fat soluble vitamins from both plant and animal origins. Vitamin K in the diet occurs in the form of phylloquinone, which is found in plants. Phylloquinone can be converted to menaquinone via intestinal bacteria, or by other tissues within the animal. Menaquinone is the active form of the vitamin for animals. Most people recognize vitamin K’s role in blood clotting, but it is also a part of bone metabolism, vascular health, and even brain metabolism. Read More

Vitamin E by Dr. Kris Hiney We have already discussed two of the fat soluble vitamins in a horse’s diet. This month we continue with a closer look at vitamin E, a vitamin which is commonly supplemented to horses for a variety of reasons. It is often used for aging horses, horses which have muscle disorders and horses which undergo strenuous exercise. But how do you know if your own horse needs more vitamin E in its diet? Read More

Vitamin D by Dr. Kris Hiney Last month we began a discussion of what we currently know about the vitamin requirements in horses. Unfortunately, the actual vitamin requirements for a particular horse are often hard to define. Most vitamin requirements represent the amount needed in the horse’s diet to prevent the classic deficiency symptoms. However, as stated previously, that may not be the same as the amount required for optimum health, well-being, or even performance. It is certainly possible that the vitamin requirements for the horse might also alter with their stage of life, work load and management. With this in mind, we will continue our vitamin discussion with the fat soluble vitamin D and what we currently know. Read More

Find Cash In Your Tack Box: Get Ready For A Spring Tack Sale by Editor and publisher of www.good-horsekeeping.com ; Laurie Cerny Nearly every 4-H horse club and many breed and show organizations now sponsor spring tack sales or swaps. “For horse owners these tack sales can bring in some extra cash and they’re also an incentive to clean out tack boxes and tack rooms,” says Laurie Cerny, editor and publisher of www.good-horsekeeping.com. “If you’re not using it, or if it doesn’t fit – whether it’s tack or show clothing, it should go.” Read More

Vitamins in Horses - Vitamin A by Dr. Kris Hiney This month we will begin a series examining the function of vitamins in the health and well-being of horses. We will also discuss natural sources of vitamins which occur in the horse’s normal feed, as well as different forms which are offered in supplements. Finally, we will look at the latest research on vitamins in equine nutrition. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of information regarding vitamin requirements in the equine. While recommended intakes have been established for vitamins A, D, E, thiamin and riboflavin, all others essentially fall into the category of educated guesses. Often equine nutritionists must rely on published information in other species, and extrapolate that to the equine. These suppositions may or may not be valid, but often allow the only approach available. Read More

by Dr. Kris Hiney In previous articles we have discussed some of the key strategies in preventing laminitis in the equine. Many of these have centered on grazing strategies which limit the horse’s access to pastures high in fructan content. Remember that fructans are carbohydrates which are enzymatically unable to be digested in the small intestine of the horse. These fructans pass into the hindgut of the horse where they are fermented by the microbial population, specifically gram positive bacteria. The production of certain organic acids and amines enhance the permeability of the gut wall allowing these and other endotoxins to enter the bloodstream of the horse and ultimately effect the circulation to the digit. However, it is not practical to simply right off all horses’ ability to graze. Rather, we should try and identify those individuals which may have a susceptibility to fructan content in the grass. With this month’s article, we will try to identify which individuals may be at risk, and other strategies that may be employed to reduce your horse’s risk. Read More

Marketing Your Horse Business through Social Media, Part 4 How to Sell through Your Posts on Social Media By Randi Thompson, Founder of the Award-Winning “How to Market Your Horse Business” website Welcome to the fourth and final article in my series, “Marketing Your Horse Business through Social Media.” Here’s a quick recap of Parts 1-3: In Part 1 we explored how having a presence on social media can benefit your offline, “real world” horse business. Part 2 focused on developing a content strategy that becomes the foundation for all your online marketing. And in part 3, I covered my magic “Rule of Three” and introduced how to use your comments to create relationships and attract those who are looking for what you have to offer. Now in Part 4, we’ll go even deeper into how to use your posts to promote what you have to offer as you continue to build your network. Read More