General Nutrition - Optim Equine

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Coco Pops, Feeding Broodmares and Skeletal Development…What’s the Link?

Mares and Reproductive Health, Foals, General Nutrition, Metabolic Health, Musculoskeletal Health, Yearlings / By Optim Equine / July 20, 2022 July 21, 2022

When it comes to feeding our broodmares, we are inundated with choices in terms of commercial feed mixes and concentrates. It’s common for our feed selections to be largely influenced by those marketed as ‘scientifically formulated’ or containing ‘essential nutrients’ for broodmares and healthy foetal development. Whilst we know that sufficient quantities and ratios of …

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Hay, Stomach (Gastric) & Hindgut (Colonic) Ulcers

General Nutrition, Gastrointestinal (Gut) Health / By Optim Equine / June 29, 2022 June 30, 2022

SHORT MESSAGE: Adequate hay intake is essential to help prevent both gastric (stomach) and colonic (hindgut) ulcers. THE HOW:The importance of fibre (particularly long-stem fibre, such as that found in hay), cannot be underrated in the prevention of not only stomach (gastric) ulcers but also hindgut (colonic) ulcers. One of the main mechanisms by which …

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Bad Behaviour & Exclusion Diets

Behavioural Issues, General Nutrition, Hoof Health, Immune Health, Musculoskeletal Health / By Optim Equine / May 6, 2022 May 6, 2022

When we have a horse who starts to exhibit nervy, spooky or irritable behaviour then one of the first things we commonly do is look at their diet. This is a terrific starting point, as nutrition plays a key role in our horse’s health and behaviour. But sometimes the way we look at their feed …

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Bad Breath in Horses

Mares and Reproductive Health, Gastrointestinal (Gut) Health, General Health/Other, General Nutrition, Immune Health, Pharmaceutical Medications, Respiratory Health, Stallion Fertility & Libido / By Optim Equine / April 2, 2022 April 4, 2022

Bad Breath in Horses The smell of our horse’s breath isn’t something we generally give much thought to. Yet if you’ve ever smelt the breath of a horse or pony with halitosis (bad breath)- then it becomes something hard to ignore. So why do some horses and ponies have bad breath and is it something …

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Selenium- Is your horse actually using the amount on the feed or supplement label?

Therapeutic Nutrition/Nutritional Supplements, Foals, General Nutrition, Immune Health, Mares and Reproductive Health, Metabolic Health, Musculoskeletal Health, Performance Horses, Racehorses, Stallion Fertility & Libido, Yearlings / By Optim Equine / March 24, 2022 March 24, 2022

Selenium is a crucial trace-mineral in the diets of our horses and ponies. It plays many key roles in the body and is particularly important in reproductive health (both mares and stallions), recovery from exercise, healthy immune function, normal growth and development of young horses and healthy thyroid function. Selenium is a nutrient which has …

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Why Basics Matter: The Importance of Chewing

General Nutrition, Gastrointestinal (Gut) Health, General Health/Other / By Optim Equine / February 1, 2022 February 1, 2022

When we think of digestive health (and overall health) in our horses- we’re quick to think of the gut. Whilst some may interpret this as the stomach alone, it really encompasses the digestive system at large- including both the small and large intestines. Digestion and the effects of digestive health however, aren’t limited to the …

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The Importance of Protein

Mares and Reproductive Health, Behavioural Issues, Gastrointestinal (Gut) Health, General Nutrition, Hoof Health, Immune Health, Metabolic Health, Musculoskeletal Health, Performance Horses, Racehorses, Respiratory Health, Skin Health, Stallion Fertility & Libido, Yearlings / By Optim Equine / January 24, 2022 January 24, 2022

Protein- it’s a most crucial component of a horse’s diet, yet is commonly blamed for causing a whole host of problems in horses: Everything from ‘hot behaviour’, to joint problems, swollen legs, liver and kidney issues. Yet are these issues actually caused by protein? And what happens when we don’t feed our horses enough quality …

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Horses are meant to MOVE. A LOT…

Performance Horses, Gastrointestinal (Gut) Health, General Nutrition, Hoof Health, Laminitis, Metabolic Health, Musculoskeletal Health, Racehorses / By Optim Equine / January 13, 2022 January 13, 2022

One of the most significant impacts of modern domestication of horses is the profound reduction in daily physical activity. Even horses who are worked regularly and are in peak fitness are likely to do far less exercise than their wild counterparts. Many horses spend the majority of their days in small paddocks, yards and stables. …

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Overweight horses and ponies: there’s more to the equation than just feed…

Mares and Reproductive Health, Gastrointestinal (Gut) Health, General Nutrition, Laminitis, Metabolic Health, Musculoskeletal Health, Pharmaceutical Medications, Stallion Fertility & Libido, Yearlings / By Optim Equine / November 29, 2021 November 29, 2021

Overweight horses and ponies can pose a real challenge for owners to manage. Particularly at times of the year where there is an abundance of lush feed. It is well known that higher levels of body fat in horses and ponies is associated with fertility complications, insulin resistance, equine metabolic syndrome and increased risk and …

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Stress in Horses: Why it isn’t always obvious

Behavioural Issues, Gastrointestinal (Gut) Health, General Health/Other, General Nutrition, Immune Health, Metabolic Health, Performance Horses, Racehorses, Yearlings / By Optim Equine / November 25, 2021 November 25, 2021

When we think of the term ‘stress’, we often think of horses that pace the fence line, shy at non-existent monsters (!), call out incessantly when their paddock mate leaves and seem to poo cow pat like manure as soon as we saddle them. Whilst all these behaviours are clear outward signs of stress, it …

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Soy: The Good, Bad and Confusing!

Mares and Reproductive Health, Behavioural Issues, Gastrointestinal (Gut) Health, General Nutrition, Immune Health, Laminitis, Metabolic Health, Musculoskeletal Health, Performance Horses, Racehorses, Respiratory Health, Skin Health, Stallion Fertility & Libido / By Optim Equine / November 15, 2021 November 15, 2021

If there’s any horse feed that can cause heated debate about whether or not it is suitable and even valuable for horses- then soy may well take the cake. For the purpose of this article, we will focus on soy bean meal and feeds containing processed soy- not soy oil or soy bean hulls- as …

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Feeding The Injured Horse

General Nutrition, Gastrointestinal (Gut) Health, General Health/Other, Immune Health, Musculoskeletal Health, Performance Horses, Pharmaceutical Medications, Racehorses, Therapeutic Nutrition/Nutritional Supplements / By Optim Equine / November 5, 2021 November 5, 2021

Injuries in our horses can be frustrating and upsetting occurrences- and more often than not, they tend to occur when our horses are coming along really well. Ironically, although we may seem to have more time with missing planned races, events and competitions, rehabilitating a horse properly often takes more time and effort than riding …

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Iodine & Horses

Mares and Reproductive Health, Foals, General Nutrition, Immune Health, Metabolic Health, Performance Horses, Racehorses, Stallion Fertility & Libido, Therapeutic Nutrition/Nutritional Supplements / By Optim Equine / September 24, 2021 September 24, 2021

Iodine. It’s an essential trace mineral in our horse’s diets which plays many crucial roles. It is vital as a constituent of the thyroid hormones thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). Every cell in the body depends upon thyroid hormones for regulation of their metabolism, hence its crucial role in not only metabolic rate and body …

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An Holistic Approach to Mare Behaviour

Behavioural Issues, General Nutrition, Herbal Medicine, Mares and Reproductive Health, Metabolic Health, Performance Horses, Therapeutic Nutrition/Nutritional Supplements / By Optim Equine / August 13, 2021 August 24, 2021

For those of you who ride mares and/or fillies you may have noticed somewhat erratic changes in her mood and behaviour during spring. The mare who was steadfast and easy going over the winter months may have at times started to become irritable, anxious, ‘girthy’, aggressive and painful or sensitive around her flanks. Gait abnormalities …

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Tying Up

General Nutrition, Herbal Medicine, Metabolic Health, Musculoskeletal Health, Performance Horses, Racehorses, Therapeutic Nutrition/Nutritional Supplements / By Optim Equine / August 13, 2021 August 21, 2021

Tying up is a broad term used to classify a wide variety of muscle disorders which result in the dissolution of muscle cells during exercise. Technically known as ‘exertional rhabdomylosis’ (ER), this syndrome is the most common muscle disorder which affects exercising horses. Clinical signs of ER vary, depending on the severity of the condition. …

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Laminitis: How Naturopathy Can Help

Gastrointestinal (Gut) Health, General Nutrition, Hoof Health, Laminitis, Metabolic Health, Musculoskeletal Health / By Optim Equine / August 13, 2021 August 21, 2021

What is laminitis? Laminitis is a painful, often devastating inflammatory condition affecting the lamellar tissue of the foot. Each hoof contains 550-600 primary laminae, and each of those consists of 150-200 secondary laminae. The laminae connect the hoof wall to the coffin bone and function to provide shock absorption during locomotion, holding the coffin bone …

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Why Do Some Yearlings Become Overly Upright/Topple Forward During Sales Prep?

General Nutrition, Yearlings / By Optim Equine / August 10, 2021 August 21, 2021

It’s a relatively common yet unfortunate occurrence, the yearling that becomes ‘very upright’ and in the latter stages ‘topples over at the knee’

Are we creating resilient racehorses or superficial sales horses?

General Nutrition, Musculoskeletal Health, Pharmaceutical Medications, Racehorses, Yearlings / By Optim Equine / August 10, 2021 August 21, 2021

It’s now that time of year in the Southern Hemisphere where the yearling sales season is gearing up. Understandably, much emphasis is placed on the vendor’s side in realising maximal monetary value for their yearlings. From a purchaser’s point of view, finding a top class racehorse is prime priority. This poses the question…are we creating …

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Fibre, Chewing and Gastrointestinal Health

Gastrointestinal (Gut) Health, General Nutrition, Pharmaceutical Medications / By Optim Equine / August 10, 2021 August 21, 2021

Forages and fibre rich foods which require much chewing, comprise the base starting point for a diet which promotes health in the horse. Chewing results in the production of saliva. Forages and fibrous feeds require more chewing than grains and processed feeds. On a dry matter basis, twice as much saliva is produced when horses …

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Mare Body Condition: Osteochondrosis Risk in Offspring

General Nutrition, Mares and Reproductive Health, Metabolic Health, Musculoskeletal Health, Yearlings / By Optim Equine / August 9, 2021 August 21, 2021

Recent research has clearly demonstrated that foals born from obese mares are at much greater risk of developing osteochondrotic lesions. This is a very important consideration, given that many people like their mares in ‘very good’ condition leading into breeding season, and that horses can often be more overweight than we perceive them to be. …

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Skeletal Injuries: Considering the Role of Bone Density in the Horse

Leave a Comment / General Nutrition, Musculoskeletal Health, Performance Horses, Pharmaceutical Medications, Racehorses, Therapeutic Nutrition/Nutritional Supplements, Yearlings / By Optim Equine / August 9, 2021 August 18, 2021

One of the most significant injury concerns for all athletic horses is that involving the bones and joints. Musculoskeletal injuries are the most common cause of poor performance and wastage (wastage refers to a loss of training days, either temporary or permanent) in the equine industry. A vital consideration in bone and joint health is …

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Clenbuterol: More Than a Bronchodilator

General Nutrition, Musculoskeletal Health, Pharmaceutical Medications, Racehorses, Respiratory Health, Stallion Fertility & Libido / By Optim Equine / August 9, 2021 August 21, 2021

Clenbuterol is a beta-2-adrenoceptor agonist, therapeutically prescribed to horses with inflammatory airway disease (IAD) and recurrent airway obstruction (RAO, commonly known as heaves). It is widely known that the use of this drug has been exploited due to its ability to burn fat whilst preserving lean muscle tissue. Sadly, this practice can severely compromise the …

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Equine Hospital Nutritional Practices

General Nutrition, Immune Health, Laminitis, Pharmaceutical Medications / By Optim Equine / August 9, 2021 August 21, 2021

Nutrition plays a paramount role in keeping horses healthy, with the ability to help prevent or manage specific health conditions. The need for appropriate feeding and nutrition practices becomes even more critical in cases of compromised health, such as during serious illness or post surgery. The equine patient has increased requirements of specific nutrients to …

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Nutrient Requirements for Horses: Fortified Feeds and the need for Supplementation

Gastrointestinal (Gut) Health, General Nutrition, Mares and Reproductive Health, Pharmaceutical Medications, Stallion Fertility & Libido, Therapeutic Nutrition/Nutritional Supplements / By Optim Equine / August 9, 2021 August 21, 2021

The vast majority of racehorses, performance horses and breeding stock are fed fortified feeds or balancer rations, which are designed to meet the daily nutrient requirements of horses. These nutrient requirements were established by the National Research Council (NRC) and last updated in 2007. The NRC provides the known nutrient requirements for horses by weight, …

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Lignophagia: Why Do Some Horses Chew Wood?

Behavioural Issues, Gastrointestinal (Gut) Health, General Nutrition / By Optim Equine / August 9, 2021 August 21, 2021

Lignophagia (or chewing wood) is an all-too common behaviour observed in horses. Whilst it can be both practical and tempting to lather stable boards and fence posts with products to discourage this, it is wise to also consider and address the possible reason(s) for this undesirable chewing in the first place… From a dietary perspective, …

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Vitamin K: The role of Gut Health and the Effect on Bone Health and Insulin Resistance

Gastrointestinal (Gut) Health, General Nutrition, Metabolic Health, Musculoskeletal Health, Pharmaceutical Medications, Therapeutic Nutrition/Nutritional Supplements / By Optim Equine / August 8, 2021 August 21, 2021

Vitamin K is a most important nutrient, which is derived from bacterial synthesis in the horse’s large intestine. For optimal levels of vitamin K to be produced, the horse must have sufficient fibre/roughage in the diet and a healthy microbial population and composition in their GIT. Keep in mind that many of the most frequently …

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Salt: An Essential Component of the Horse’s Diet

General Nutrition, Metabolic Health, Musculoskeletal Health, Therapeutic Nutrition/Nutritional Supplements / By Optim Equine / August 8, 2021 August 21, 2021

Salt is made up of the minerals sodium and chloride and is an essential yet often overlooked/forgotten component of the horse’s diet. If you aren’t providing supplemental salt to your horse or pony’s diet, they are most likely falling short of their needs. Although many processed feeds and balancers contain sodium and chloride, they are …

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Hoof Rings and Ridges

General Nutrition, Hoof Health, Immune Health, Laminitis, Therapeutic Nutrition/Nutritional Supplements / By Optim Equine / August 7, 2021 August 21, 2021

When observing a horse’s hoof it is common to see minor lines or ridges on the hoof wall. Hoof rings, also called growth rings, occur in healthy hooves and are typically the result of variations in diet and environmental factors from season to season and sometimes changes in work/exercise levels. More obvious ridges, grooves, or …

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