Mares and Reproductive Health

Optim-Equine-Feed-formulation-and-broodmares

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

Mares and Reproductive Health, Foals, General Nutrition, Metabolic Health, Musculoskeletal Health, Yearlings / By / 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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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 / 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?

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 / 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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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 / 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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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 / 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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Soy-The-Good-The-Bad-The-Confusing-Optim-Equine

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 / 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 …

Soy: The Good, Bad and Confusing! Read More »

Optim-Equne-Iodine-and-Horses

Iodine & Horses

Mares and Reproductive Health, Foals, General Nutrition, Immune Health, Metabolic Health, Performance Horses, Racehorses, Stallion Fertility & Libido, Therapeutic Nutrition/Nutritional Supplements / By / 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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Ulcers in Horses: The importance of understanding how medications work

Ulcers in Horses: The importance of understanding how medications work

Mares and Reproductive Health, Behavioural Issues, Gastrointestinal (Gut) Health, Hoof Health, Immune Health, Metabolic Health, Musculoskeletal Health, Performance Horses, Pharmaceutical Medications, Racehorses, Stallion Fertility & Libido, Yearlings / By / September 15, 2021

There’s much interest in ulcers in horses and for very good reason. Equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) affects 60-90% of adult horses and 25-50% of foals and weanlings. The condition collectively refers to sores or erosions that develop in portions of the horse’s sensitive stomach lining. EGUS is largely a man-made disease: common feeding practices,  …

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Foals-And-Colostrum-Optim-Equine

Foals & Colostrum

Foals, Gastrointestinal (Gut) Health, Immune Health, Mares and Reproductive Health / By / August 21, 2021

With foaling season now upon us in the Southern Hemisphere, it’s worth taking a moment to appreciate the importance of good quality colostrum. Colostrum provides antibodies (immunoglobulins), which are concentrated in a mare’s milk during the 10-14 days prior to foaling. These immunoglobulins are essential in helping to provide immunity against common diseases in a …

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An-Holistic-Approach-to-Mare-Behaviour--Optim-Equine

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 / 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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Bisphosphonates (Tildren & Osphos): Time to talk about the Skeleton in the closet

Mares and Reproductive Health, Musculoskeletal Health, Pharmaceutical Medications, Racehorses / By / August 21, 2021

A question regarding the use of one of the above mentioned drugs circulated in my Facebook feed recently. It sparked much interest, confusion and curiosity by different readers…prompting me to write this post. Bisphosphonates are a class of drug which includes both tildronate and clodronate. They were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration …

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Placentitis: Think about it

Immune Health, Mares and Reproductive Health, Pharmaceutical Medications / By / August 21, 2021

Placentitis. It is the most common cause of late pregnancy loss in mares. It causes many a stud manager and breeder a lot of grief. It costs a lot of money and time. And it goes without saying that it has non-favourable effects on both mare and foal. Yet current routine approaches aren’t necessarily addressing all contributing …

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Mare Body Condition: Osteochondrosis Risk in Offspring

General Nutrition, Mares and Reproductive Health, Metabolic Health, Musculoskeletal Health, Yearlings / By / 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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Selenium: Deficiency (& Toxicity) in the Equine

Mares and Reproductive Health, Musculoskeletal Health, Skin Health, Stallion Fertility & Libido, Therapeutic Nutrition/Nutritional Supplements / By / August 21, 2021

An adequate intake (and absorption and metabolism) of selenium is essential for maintaining the overall health of your horse. This mineral plays many essential roles: it acts as an antioxidant; reduces inflammation; has critical implications in the fertility of both mares and stallions; is needed for proper cartilage and hoof formation; and promotes skin health. …

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Nutrient Requirements for Horses: Fortified Feeds and the need for Supplementation-Optim-Equine

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 / 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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Regumate / Altrenogest and Difficult Mares & Fillies: What Are The Alternatives?

Behavioural Issues, Mares and Reproductive Health, Performance Horses, Racehorses, Therapeutic Nutrition/Nutritional Supplements / By / August 21, 2021

With the rulings of Regumate/Altrenogest use in racing coming under the spotlight around the globe, now is an opportune time to address nutritional and management factors which can contribute to undesirable behaviour in mares and fillies. Whilst no nutritional supplement will prevent estrus in the mare/filly: signs, symptoms and behaviour may be able to be …

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When-Supplements-actually-make-the-problem-worse

When Supplements actually make the problem worse

Immune Health, Laminitis, Mares and Reproductive Health, Musculoskeletal Health, Performance Horses, Racehorses, Respiratory Health, Therapeutic Nutrition/Nutritional Supplements / By / August 21, 2021

Something I see commonly in practice is well meaning owners prescribing supplements to help with a particular health or performance issue in their horse. One of the most commonly misused classes of supplements in the horse are ‘blood builders’. Whilst iron deficiency in humans is an all too common problem, in our horses it is …

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Foal Heat Scours and Diarrhoea

Foals, Gastrointestinal (Gut) Health, Mares and Reproductive Health / By / August 21, 2021

‘Foaling Heat Scours’ is one of the most common types of scours to affect foals. Yet the name is a bit of a misnomer, and often leads to confusion as to the actual cause of this form of diarrhoea. This yellowish, greenish, watery scour generally occurs in foals around 7-14 days of age, hence often …

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Horse Dental Health and Systemic Inflammation-Optim-Equine

Horse Dental Health and Systemic Inflammation

General Health/Other, Immune Health, Mares and Reproductive Health, Metabolic Health, Musculoskeletal Health, Stallion Fertility & Libido / By / August 21, 2021

Periodontal disease (inflammation of the structures that support the tooth -including the gum, periodontal ligaments and the bone within which the tooth sits), is believed to effect at least one third of all horses, with statistics much higher in older horses. Human research has clearly linked periodontal disease with systemic inflammatory conditions and illnesses such …

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Bacterial Endometritis: Bacteria and Biofilms

Herbal Medicine, Immune Health, Mares and Reproductive Health, Pharmaceutical Medications, Therapeutic Nutrition/Nutritional Supplements / By / August 21, 2021

Bacteria in biofilms can readily become resistant to both pharmaceuticals and the host immune system, developing a tolerance to antimicrobial agents, biocides and antiseptics. In fact, research has demonstrated that bacteria residing in a biofilm can be up to 1,000 times more refractive to treatment with antibiotics as compared to free-living (planktonic) bacteria. Administering more …

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Fillies, Mares, Hormones and Performance

Mares and Reproductive Health, Musculoskeletal Health, Performance Horses, Pharmaceutical Medications, Racehorses / By / August 21, 2021

Do you train, own or ride fillies or mares? Have you previously, or do you use altrenogest/Regumate or other synthetic progestin products to ‘control’ their cycles or regulate their behaviour? Would you still give them such substances if you knew that it significantly decreased muscle mass, strength and performance, and impaired recovery? Animal research has …

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