The New Superfoods in Equine Nutrition
Nature’s basket offers a rich source of beneficial nutrients, including phytonutrients. Horse owners and trainers have always been interested in what these sometimes relatively un-researched ingredients can offer for the health and performance of horses in training. In this article, I explore three ingredients that have become popular components of supplements and also as stand-alone products.
Succulents and treats for the horses - secret weapons or folklore?
Training racehorses could be described as being the epitome of art and science coming together. Whilst the latest research and recommendations are important where racehorse nutrition is concerned, there has always been a strong belief in tradition and folklore in the racing community.
Food for thought - feeding fillies - does diet make a difference in their performance
Are fillies 'dynamic divas' or the weaker sex? Should we treat them differently to colts when it comes to feeding and management? And are these differences real, or just perceived?
How eating aids the skeletal structure
It has been said that 'equine conformation evaluates the degree of correctness of a horse's bone structure, musculature and its body proportions in relation to each other.' This is undeniable, but there is remarkably little information in published literature regarding the importance of the position of the head, despite the fact that this has a direct effect on balance, posture and subsequent performance.
The horse is documented as a prey species and as such retains, despite domestication, ares of hyper-sensitivity in loins, abdominal tunic, and poll; pain experienced in any of these areas, no matter the cause, gives you a rise to an immediate fright, flight and/or flight response.