Educational Blogs

Let’s get something straight. Horses are not carbohydrate managers. They are not calorie counters. They are not protein seekers. Horses are bacteriologists. Every mouthful a horse takes is not about feeding the horse first. It is about feeding the microbial population that lives inside the horse. That population, the hindgut bacteria, is the real engine. The Real Horse Lives in the Hindgut Inside every horse is a living ecosystem. Billions of bacteria, constantly working, con

When horse owners think about nutrition, they usually think about feed, protein, and calories. Those nutrients are important, but they are not always where the real problems begin. In many cases the limiting factor in a horse’s health is not energy, but minerals. Minerals regulate the biological machinery of the body. They control enzyme systems, nerve signaling, tissue repair, hoof growth, immune response, and metabolic stability. When minerals fall out of balance, the horse

We have been talking about weight, about obesity in horses, about rider responsibility, and about metabolic strain. The next logical step is to look at something most people never question. Horses live on carbohydrate. Humans do not, at least not in the way modern society consumes it. This is not my opinion. This is comparative biology. The Horse Is Built to Run on Structural Carbohydrate A horse is a hindgut fermenting herbivore. Its entire digestive architecture is designed

This is a sensitive topic, but it is an important one. The goal here is not judgment. It is understanding. When we understand biomechanics and physiology, we can make better decisions for the horses we love. An overweight horse is already working harder than it should be before a rider even gets on. When additional weight is added, even unintentionally, the strain on the body increases significantly. That cumulative effect is where the real issue lies. 1. The Cumulative Load

For more than twenty years I have observed a pattern that almost no one discusses openly. It is not a pasture problem. It is not a feed shortage problem. It is a human behaviour pattern that develops quietly and with the very best intentions. I call it feeding for emotional gratification. That phrase is not an accusation. It is an observation. Most horse owners love their horses deeply. Feeding feels nurturing. It feels responsible. It feels like care in action. The daily rit

In the horse world, training is often discussed in terms of technique, pressure, release, timing, and equipment. Yet one foundational variable is frequently overlooked. Before a horse can learn well, its physiology must be stable. A horse that is metabolically compromised is not cognitively available. This is not philosophy. It is biology. When a horse is underfed, imbalanced, or metabolically stressed, several physiological changes occur simultaneously. Blood glucose fluctua

Laminitis is one of the most feared words in the horse world, and rightly so. It is painful, it is devastating, and in many cases it is preventable. Before we talk about grass, feed, or management, we need to understand one simple truth. Laminitis is not a hoof problem. It is a systemic event that shows up in the hoof. Inside the foot, the laminae are microscopic interlocking structures that suspend the pedal bone within the hoof capsule. They rely on stable blood flow, balan

It Is Biomechanics Choke in horses is common. Far more common than it should be. And in most cases, it is not random. It is man made. For decades I have taught one simple principle. If you feed a horse in a way that contradicts its design, you will eventually create problems that nature never intended. Choke is one of those problems. What Choke Actually Is First, let us be clear. Choke in a horse is not the same as choking in a human. The airway is not blocked. What is blocke

There is a horse that worries me more than the cribber. More than the weaver. More than the stall walker. It is the quiet one. The horse that stands still in the back of the stall. The horse that does not paw, does not call out, does not move much at all. The horse that is described as easy, quiet, uncomplicated, no trouble. We often praise that horse. But sometimes we should not. There is a difference between relaxation and resignation. There is a difference between a calm n

Some horses chew the rail. Some horses move. If cribbing and wind sucking are internal regulation responses, weaving and stall walking are external ones. They are the body expressing what the environment does not allow. Stand at the end of a stable aisle and watch a horse that weaves. The head shifts left. Then right. Weight transfers rhythmically from one forelimb to the other. It can look almost mechanical. Some people call it boredom. Others call it a bad habit. It is neit

There are behaviours in domestic horses that have been labelled for decades as vices. Crib biting. Wind sucking. Stable habits. Unwanted behaviours. The language itself reveals the mindset. When a horse fixes his teeth onto a fence rail, arches his neck, and pulls back with that familiar grunt, most people do not ask why. They ask how to stop it. Collars are fitted. Surfaces are electrified. In extreme cases, surgery is performed. The behaviour is treated as a defect. But wha