A year in review – how your horse's needs changed

The end of the year is the ideal moment to pause and look back over the past months. Horses, like us, respond to the changing seasons, the weather, the intensity of work and even to stress. All of this affects what they need from their feed and their overall condition. It is worth summing up how your horse's requirements changed over the year, and what you can take from that into the next season.

Feeding horses with laminitis and insulin resistance

Laminitis and insulin resistance are increasingly common, especially in horses that tend to gain weight or do little work. The cause may be feeding mistakes, genetics or lack of movement, but the way a horse is fed is most often what matters most. The diet of a horse with metabolic problems has to be carefully thought through – any excess of sugar or starch can deepen the disorder and bring the disease back.

What is in the feed? Where selected ingredients come from

Many owners use all sorts of feed materials – from bran and beet pulp to oil cakes and fruit pomace – without always asking where those ingredients actually come from. Most of them come from the processing of food for people. What goes into horse feed is often a “second life” for valuable plant materials. So let us see where the most popular feed materials come from, and what they do.

How to read a feed label – 5 useful tricks

When buying feed, many owners go by a friend's recommendation, by advertising or by price. Yet the label is where you will find the most about the quality of a product and what it is for. The trouble is that the language of feed declarations is often difficult, and not always obvious. In this post we show you how to read a label so that you choose a feed matched to your horse.

How to prepare a horse for winter, including the diet

Winter is a demanding time for horses and for the people who look after them. Frost, wind and shorter days affect not only how they feel, but also the physical condition of our four-hooved charges. That is why it matters so much to prepare a horse for this season – not only through care, but above all through feeding that has been properly thought through.

Seasonal coat change – supporting the horse from the inside

Changing coat is a natural process horses go through twice a year – in spring and in autumn. For the body, though, it is a real strain, asking a lot of the skin, the immune system and protein metabolism. At this time many owners notice that their horses become more lethargic, grow a dull coat or cope less well with work. Shedding is physiological, but the right feeding can help a horse through it as gently as possible.

Hoof thrush – feeding to help prevent it

Thrush is a common problem in horses. It is often played down, yet it can have serious consequences. It affects the hooves, specifically the frog, which softens, separates and starts to rot. In extreme cases, untreated thrush leads to inflammation, lameness and even damage to the internal structures of the hoof. It is worth understanding properly where the problem comes from and how to prevent it, so the horse can have healthy hooves and move in full comfort.

Feed to your own recipe – on your terms

Owners face all sorts of challenges in feeding their horses, because every horse has its own needs. One needs more energy, another gains weight more quickly, and another has a sensitive stomach or an allergy to something in the diet. Standard feeds often do not solve all of this – which is why, at Grassland, we decided to go a step further and let you build a feed matched to your horse.

How the gut microbiome affects condition and immunity

The gut microbiome is a subject that comes up more and more often among owners and carers. We often link it only with digestion, but it actually affects the whole horse – immunity, condition and behaviour. That is why it is worth understanding how it works, and what to do so that your horse's microbiome supports its health every day.

Knowledge zone

Hello, my name is Anna Porożyńska and I am Grassland's equine nutrition specialist.