Hello everyone

Apologies for my delay in posting a new blog but I have been completing my book "Introduction to Horse Nutrition" which has taken ages (60,000 words!) and the deadline was looming.

I thought I would mention for horses with Insulin Resistance, Cushings or Equine Metabolic Syndrome there is some new information in humans suggesting that glucosamine may cause an increase in Insulin Resistance by causing a traffic jam in one of the paths that glucose takes when it's being used in cells. This was when glucosamine was injected but there hasn't been much human evidence on oral glucosamine and Insulin Resistance.

It is possible that the horse has a different mechanism. Studies involving participants with already high blood sugar states showed negative effects of glucosamine on IR, while normal blood sugar participants showed no effects on insulin resistance . Since most horses do not appear to suffer from high blood sugar, glucosamine may not have this negative effect on IR. Glucosamine has been used orally for many years without insulin resistance being reported as a side effect and has been considered safe.
So, at present, it would seem wise to simply keep an eye on the horse and only stop glucosamine if there are any adverse effects or if there is no improvement in the movement/arthritis.
If any further information comes to light I will let you know

Zoe

Hi everyone
The weather has turned very cold so just beware that horses and ponies can and do drop condition very quickly, For horses that are out and rugged, check the condition under the rug daily! The best way to keep horses warm from inside is to feed plent of fibre such as hay or haylage. this should also stop horses eating frosty grass as they should eat the hay in preference. If they don't it could be the hay is not so good! For horses that are losing weight, a concentrate feed may also be required so try and choose a low starch conditioning feed that supplies calories via fat and fibre instead of starch, there are a few on the market. Don't be fooled by cool feeds that can actually be really high in starch! Ask the supplier what the starch level is. This will help keep horses sane and sensible!
For horses that maintain condition well on forage alone do make sure you feed a low calorie balancer or a good vitamin and mineral supplement over the winter months.
Make sure water is de-iced. Horses will drink more warmer water, although this is difficult in the field!! If water is frozen horses are more likely to get impacted colic when eating dry forage so it is really important that they have access to water.
In future if you know a cold spell is on the horizon, up the forage a couple of days before.
Thanks
Zoe

Hi everyone

The end of summer is fast approaching and we may be looking forward to buying hay or haylage for the winter ahead. Most horseowners have quite fixed ideas about which to choose or the yard where horses are kept may only have one or the other available. I am not going to discuss which is best here but there will be an article in Horse Magazine next month if you wish to know the advantages and disadvantages!
I just want to talk about how much haylage you should feed! There are so many ridiculous ideas about this. Haylage is and should be wetter than hay. (Hay 10% moisture, Haylage 35-45% moisture). Take the water out and we are left with the Dry Matter or DM which contains the fibre and nutrients. So you must feed more haylage than you would hay to get the equivalent DM into the horse.! Early versions of haylage were much more potent as they tended to be cut earlier in the year similar to silage.
You should ask your supplier when the haylage was cut and later is best for most horses and ponies providing more fibre, less protein and less calories. It is therefore easier to feed more when it is later cut.
Even better ask your supplier for a basic analysis!
Hope this helps
Zoe

Hello again





Back from holidays and a few e mails awaiting on the subject of tying up or rhabdomyolysis, to give it its technical name. This actually encompasses a wide range of muscle related disorders. Horses and ponies with this condition should be fed a low starch, high fibre diet with added oil for extra calories. Unmolassed beet pulp is useful to mix with oil to improve palatability. In addition there are proprietary cubes now for this condition that are low starch however they can sometimes be a little unpalatable and very expensive. . Alternatively, feed an ordinary low starch "cool" horse and pony cube with extra oil and unmolassed beet pulp and and a performance level vitamin/mineral supplement (only if the cube is being fed in small amounts (i.e less than 6lbs) per day). This will help to maintain intake of important vitamins and minerals such as selenium and vitamin E. Do not assume that all cool cubes are low starch, if starch levels are not on the bag then ask the manufacturer! Choose a cube that is 10% starch or less


Calcium gluconate supplements may also be helpful, calcium gluconate can be found in some electrolyte supplements for horses. Electrolyte supplementation is vital for horses prone to this condition that are working/sweating





Zoe

Hi everyone.
Laminitis.. again!
As more information comes to light regarding the causes of laminitis, insulin sensitivity (or lack of it) appears to be an important predisposing factor for this horrible disease. It seems there are very significant differences in individual horses and ponies with regard to insulin sensitivity. Overweight horses and ponies seem more prone to the problem but this could be due to genetic factors and/or from a high sugar/starch diet. For example, the high sugar diet from free access to good pasture has a significant effect on the development of insulin insensitivity i.e. insulin becomes sluggish in its response to blood sugar in these horses, probably due to chronic glucose overload.
Glucose is essential for integrity of the hoof lamellae and if the body is unable to properly maintain blood glucose levels due to insulin insensitivity then this may be a trigger for laminitis. So what can be done about it?
Well exercise if at all possible helps to not only maintain bodyweight but also has a great effect on insulin and glucose metabolism. Making sure access to lots of sugar/starch is limited is vital, so no cereal based feeds and limited pasture intake only during high sugar periods! Soak hay to remove any soluble carbohydrates.
Feeding a vitamin supplement or a good pasture balancer for horses and ponies in good condition will maintain intake of important minerals and antioxidants such as vitamin E, A and C and selenium, magnesium, zinc and copper.

Hi everyone,

I thought this would be a good time of year to mention weight loss diets for all those overweight horses and ponies that have simply eaten too much grass!
These horses and ponies must have their pasture intake restricted and this can be done by reducing the time allowed out to graze to 2-4 hours per 24 hours. This does not mean the horse or pony should be starved the rest of the time, but should be given a limited amount of low nutritional quality hay (late cut!) and a vitamin/mineral supplement or low calorie balancer. Balancers are often preferred as they contain quality amino acids in addition to vitamins and minerals.
Do not feed any cereal feeds/cool cubes at all. Only energy or calories should be restricted!
If this is not possible then a grazing muzzle is one option, or strip grazing which allows only a small amount of new grass per day (achieved by moving the electric fence a little).
In addition, be aware that at certain times grass will "flush" such as when it rains following a long dry period. So ration pasture at these times.
Don't forget to let the horse or pony have free access to a salt block and water obviously.
Finally do not starve, as this can result in the horse mobilising fatty acids very quickly, causing a potentially fatal condition known as hyperlipidaemia.

Zoe

The grass is now growing with a vengeance and care should be taken with any horse or pony prone to laminitis. Rain and sunshine are the worst combination. Many horse owners tell me that their pony or horse is on a bare patch, its only bare because the horse has eaten all the grass! Look at the grass growth on your lawn or in the rested field to get a feel of the rate the grass is growing and of course monitor condition by measuring at least once per week. I am a great believer in keeping horses outside as much as possible and if the grass is simply too much, then find another large space such as an arena or even an enclosed yard and feed late cut hay instead and a vitamin/mineral supplement, limiting turn out on the grass to a maximum 4 hours in 24.
Be vigilant but don't panic!
Please respond to this blog is you have any comments at all!

Zoe