Equine Wellness
Weekend Wellness: Winter Care for Arthritic Horses, by Kentucky Performance Products
Winter can be rough on those of us with tired bones — this also is true for our horses. Here are eight tips to help support your arthritic horse in the colder months. (more…)
Healthy, Shiny…Bored
In this excerpt from her book No Bored Horses, zookeeper, animal trainer, and horsewoman Amanda Goble explains how the “nice lives” we have given our horses can contribute to their development of physical and behavioral problems.
6 Tips for Keeping Your Horse in Work Over the Winter
Between the cold, the wet, and those long dark evenings, even the most dedicated rider can feel their motivation slipping in winter. But your horse still needs exercise and attention. Here are six ways you can keep your equine pal in work during the colder months. (more…)
Thoroughbred Logic, Presented by Kentucky Performance Products: The Need for More Support During Their Second Careers
“Sometimes a Thoroughbred’s hardest time and greatest need lies smack in the middle of its second career.” (more…)
Why Do Horses Get Frisky in Cold Weather? Presented by Kentucky Performance Products
Why do horses seem to get frisky when temperatures drop? And how can you mitigate the performance and handling problems that can come with that extra energy? (more…)
Horse Nation How To: Feeling Your Horse’s Digital Pulse
As horse owners, there are a number of skills that we need to have in order to be informed and to help our vets determine how urgently a horse needs to be seen. Being able to check your horse’s digital pulse is one of those skills. (more…)
Adjusting Your Horse’s Diet for Seasonal Changes, Presented by Kentucky Performance Products
As the seasons shift, a horse’s dietary needs also change. Whether you’re preparing a horse for the colder months or transitioning them back into spring, you can take several practical steps to manage your horse’s diet—and keep your horse healthy—during these seasonal turning points. (more…)
SmartPak Monday Morning Feed: Eat Dirt!
Just kidding. Please don’t… (more…)
What Are Electrolytes? By Kentucky Performance Products
You may have heard people talk about giving their horses electrolytes to encourage drinking or to help with recovery. But what are electrolytes? (more…)
Skin Problems in Horses, Presented by Kentucky Performance Products
Did you know horses can break out in hives from pesky fly bites? 
Discover more quick and dirty facts about skin problems in horses here:
SmartPak Monday Morning Feed: Colic Surgery
As horse owners, colic is almost always on our minds. But what happens if the supports offered at the farm don’t work? Is it time for surgery? Here is a rundown on colic surgery in horses — from when to do it to what to expect. (more…)
Knowing Your Horse’s Weight, by Kentucky Performance Products
Knowing your horse’s weight can have a number of advantages. From adjusting diet for optimal performance to ensuring safe dosing of medication, this is one of these facts about your horse you should know. Read on for more: (more…)
Can Slobbers Hurt Your Horse? Presented by Kentucky Performance Products
Horses that have clover in their field often will develop slobbers, or excessive salivation. But is it dangerous? Read on for more. (more…)
Buttercup Toxicity in Horses, Presented by Kentucky Performance Products
Many of us love when the pastures start to fill in. It can mean less hay consumption and shiny horses. But it also can spell trouble if the wrong kind of plants grow in your pasture. Beautiful though those yellow flowers may be, they can cause problems for our equine pals. (more…)
Spring Turnout Tips for Sugar-Sensitive Horses, by Kentucky Performance Products
Spring is here! Although the warmer temperatures may be welcome milestones for equestrians, spring grass can pose problems for sugar sensitive horses. Here are some tips for keeping those horses healthy while the grass is at its greenest. (more…)
SmartPak Monday Morning Feed: Three Reasons Your Horse Colics
As horse owners, colic is one of our worst nightmares. The causes vary and horses often present differently depending on their age and temperament. The resolution can range from minimal intervention to major surgery. (more…)
Mythbuster Monday: Dewormers Lose Their Effectiveness if Given Too Often
On Mythbuster Monday, we tackle a variety of equestrian myths to either bust or confirm. Today’s discussion: Do dewormers lose their efficiency when given to horses too often?
The Importance of a Proper Cool-Down Period, Presented by Kentucky Performance Products
Horses work hard. And when they do, they produce heat and sweat. Cooling down your horse appropriate is hugely important to their health and well being. Read on for more. (more…)
Mythbuster Monday: Vaccination and EHV-1
On Mythbuster Monday, we tackle a variety of equestrian myths to either bust or confirm. Today’s discussion: Does the EHV vaccine fight against the neurological form of the virus?
Managing Your Horse’s Bugs, by Kentucky Performance Products
Bugs? What bugs?
Horses are hindgut fermenters. In other words, the hindgut portion of your horse’s digestive tract contains millions of beneficial bacteria and yeast, often referred to as microbes or “bugs.” These bugs have the ability to break down otherwise indigestible fiber into digestible compounds through a process called symbiotic microbial fermentation. Both the horse and the bugs benefit from this process. By joining forces, the bugs and the horse have evolved to utilize the complex carbohydrates found in grass and hay as a source of energy.
Good and bad bugs
Your horse’s cecum and colon, which make up the hindgut, contain both good and bad bugs. Your goal is to maximize the number of good bugs, while limiting the bad ones. Having a large number of good bugs ensures a healthy gut, which can effectively digest fiber, absorb nutrients, and regulate fluids. The good bugs keep the bad bacteria in check so they can’t overwhelm and damage the delicate hindgut. A proliferation of bad bugs can lead to many problems, including colic, diarrhea, and laminitis.
It’s a balancing act
The bug population living in your horse’s gut is complex and easily disrupted. These bugs have evolved to convert a continual supply of moist grass into energy. Wild horses graze up to 17 hours a day, ingesting a variety of plants that slowly change in composition with the seasons.
The demands made on today’s horses often make it hard for us to mimic this natural state in our management programs. Confinement, high-energy demands, abrupt feed changes, shipping, illnesses, and other stressful situations can throw the delicately balanced system out of whack and make your horse sick.
Keeping the good bugs happy and healthy is one of the major challenges facing today’s horse owners.
Eight Easy Steps to Happy Bugs:
- Provide an unlimited source of clean water at all times.
- Feed a consistent diet and make all changes in concentrates, hay and supplements slowly — over a week to 10 days — to allow the bug population enough time to adapt to new compounds.
- Feed high-quality fiber and offer it ad lib whenever possible.
- Feed concentrates as small, frequent meals. Do not feed more than 4 pounds of concentrate per meal.
- Maintain a consistent feeding schedule. Bugs become accustomed to “eating” at certain times of the day, so not feeding your horse on time can cause the beneficial bugs to die off. If too many bugs die off at once, the hindgut will become unbalanced.
- Keep all feeds and supplements in a horse-proof container or feed room to avoid accidental overeating.
- Never feed tainted or moldy concentrates, hay or supplements.
- Supplement your horse with high-quality probiotics during times of stress or after antibiotic use. Probiotics can help repopulate the hindgut with “good” bugs.
About Kentucky Performance Products, LLC:
Choose Neigh-Lox® Advanced when digestive health is a top priority for your equine athlete.
Neigh-Lox Advanced provides a scientifically advanced blend of ingredients that work synergistically to maintain your horse’s digestive tract in peak condition by supporting both the gastrointestinal tissues and the beneficial bacteria that populate the gut. Maintaining a healthy digestive tract reduces the risk of colonic and gastric ulcers, colic, laminitis related to hindgut acidosis, and oxidative stress that damages digestive tract tissues themselves. Horses with a well-balanced GI tract have good appetites, absorb more nutrients from their diets, maintain a strong immune system, and stay healthier.
The horse that matters to you matters to us®. KPPusa.com
Transitioning Your Horse From Winter Hay To Spring Pasture, Presented by Kentucky Performance Products
Spring is well on its way, which means plenty of lush green grass for our horses. But that can also cause problems. Here are tips for making a seamless transition. (more…)
Weekend Wellness: Staying On Guard Against Equine Colitis
Horses have delicate and complex gastrointestinal systems compared to many other animals, leaving them susceptible to digestive disorders, such as colitis. (more…)
Mythbuster Monday: Clipping a Horse’s Whiskers Creates Problems
On Mythbuster Monday, we tackle a variety of equestrian myths to either bust or confirm. Today’s discussion: Does clipping your horse’s whiskers create problems?
