Posts tagged “diet”

Calories 101 – Part 3: The Brown, Brown Grass of Home

Now that we’ve examined the caloric impacts of forage and processed feeds on the horse’s diet in Part 1 and Part 2, respectively, let’s take a look at what happens when grass pasture is added to the mix. According to Dairy One‘s data, “pure” grass pasture has a Digestible Energy of 911 calories per pound […]

An Interview with…Me!

Well, I guess turnabout’s fair play, so when Dr. Bruce Nock said he’d like to turn the tables and interview me, I could hardly refuse! The only thing Bruce has mentioned so far is that he wants to question me about what hooves can reveal about not only the feet themselves, but about the rest […]

Calories 101 – Part 2: How Much Should I Feed?

UPDATE: I happened across some new information on approximating current and ideal (target) body weight based on research done at the University of Minnesota. Because they use different formulae for different body types, their method appears to yield more precise approximations than previous methods, so my advice would now be to use their method to […]

Calories 101 – Part 1: How Many are Too Many?

Thanks to COVID-19, most of us probably aren’t spending much time in restaurants these days. But many of our horses, on the other hand, may nevertheless be spending more time eating higher-calorie food than they should be! Yes, I realize I’m not an equine nutritionist, and I don’t pretend to be one. But I have […]

You’re Killing Your Horse!

“You’re killing your horse!” I exclaimed. The woman had just related how her geriatric Morgan was on constant grass pasture, with continuous access to hay, and now also being fed what she described as “just over twelve pounds of feed a day.” “But the vet told me I need to put weight on him!” she […]

An Introduction to Hoof Care

Yes, I’m fully aware that it’s been way too long since I’ve posted anything, and I apologize for it. But life has been, well, crazy these past few months, so I do have something of an excuse for my apparent neglect. But I assure you I have a variety of interesting articles under way,  several […]

“The Lesson”

I had to laugh. One of my clients was recently recounting the resistance she faced from other boarders after making the decision to pursue natural hoof care with me. “And I hope you’re not paying extra for that ‘mustang roll,’” one woman said. “Any farrier can do that!” Her story ended up coinciding rather nicely […]

Laminitis Risk Update

As I’ve acknowledged before, one of the best things about my life has always been the opportunity to both teach and learn, and our recent Liberated Horsemanship clinic in La Llacuna, Spain was no exception. With people gathered from Spain, France, Austria, Russia, England, Scotland, and, of course, the United States, we all had a […]

Spring is Here?!

I know just how my horse felt when I took this photo many years ago. Following some surgery, he’d been stuck inside for a couple of weeks, so I carried a camera with me (pre-digital days, I might add!) as I turned him loose again for the first time. He was ecstatic! The weather here […]

It’s Here!

Last December I told you I had some big news to share with you, and the time has finally arrived. But first, a little background information… As you may have read elsewhere on this site, I have a particular interest in helping horse owners understand, and hopefully prevent, equine laminitis. The most common form of […]