Hay and forage management is a key topic for horse owners, especially when supplies are limited. Proper handling and feeding of hay, haylage, and other forage can help maintain gut health, reduce stress, and support the horse's overall wellbeing.
Digestion starts in the mouth. In order to eat efficiently, everything needs to line up correctly - the grinding surfaces need to align in order to chew and break down their feed and forage.
As another year draws to a close, we are able to catch our breath following the Christmas rush and reflect on 2025.
Management, including feeding, can be very helpful in giving your horse the best chance of a comfortable life. Whatever the root cause, it will be exacerbated by inhaling any small particles, such as dust or spores.
Protein is essential for maintaining health and sustaining life, however, pretty useless to the horse. It is the amino acids or the “building blocks” of protein that are the important part.
In the wild, with unrestricted access to pasture, horses would spend the summer “stocking up” by eating nutritious grass - and plenty of it - to aid them in building a thick coat and laying down excess weight, even fat pads, to sustain them through the winter.
Horses are amazing – they have sleek summer coats and, in the winter, can grow a coat a bear would be proud of, but what is behind this incredible change?
What do we mean by the term ‘equine microbiome’? Our horse’s digestive tract is home to a vast ecosystem made up of trillions of microorganisms; bacteria, fungi, viruses, archaea and protozoa which we collectively refer to as the microbiome.
Fibre — and a good variety of it — is essential for all equines, especially donkeys, who have evolved in harsh, arid conditions with little lush vegetation.