THRIVE FEED BLOGS

If you ask people what a horse needs for health, you will hear about feed, supplements, minerals, protein, and calories. But the most important nutrient in a horse’s life is rarely discussed with the seriousness it deserves. Water. Not as an accessory. As the foundation. Water Is Not Optional, It Is Biology A horse is not fuelled by feed alone. Every biological process in the body depends on water: Digestion Fermentation Circulation Temperature regulation Joint lubrication To

The modern horse world is full of opinions about feeding. Balanced diets. Performance mixes. Senior formulas. Supplements. Energy feeds. But underneath all the noise is one simple question: What was the horse actually built to eat? Because the horse is not a modern invention. The horse is an evolutionary grazing animal. And that truth has not changed. The Horse Was Designed for Forage For millions of years, horses survived on one primary thing: Fibre. Grass. Sparse plants. Ro

Horse owners often separate two things in their minds: Digestion, and behaviour. They think the gut is one system, and temperament is another. But the horse does not work that way. In horses, the gut is not just a digestive organ. The gut is a nervous system influence. In many ways, it is the horse’s second brain. The Hindgut Is the Centre of the Horse A horse is a hindgut fermenter. That means the horse’s entire biology depends on microbial fermentation of fibre. Most of the

Most horse owners feed their horse/horses every day. It becomes routine. A scoop. A bucket. A quiet moment in the paddock. But feeding is never just calories. Feeding is communication. Feeding is trust. The Feed Bucket Is a Daily Relationship To a horse, food is not a product. It is security. It is rhythm. It is one of the most consistent interactions a horse has with the human world. When you feed a horse, you are telling it something: You are safe. Your needs will be met. L

If you want one of the most reliable windows into a horse’s health, it is not found in a supplement bucket or a marketing label. It is found on the ground. Horse manure is not glamorous, but it is one of the clearest diagnostic signals a horse produces every day. A good horse owner, and certainly a good horseman, becomes something of a poopologist. Because what comes out tells you a great deal about what is happening inside. Manure Is the Final Report of the Digestive System

Few issues in the modern horse world are as widespread, as misunderstood, or as quietly devastating as metabolic dysfunction. Terms like “easy keeper,” “fat pony syndrome,” “insulin resistance,” and “laminitis-prone” have become almost normalised in equine life. But the truth is far more confronting: The horse did not create this crisis. Humans did. The Horse Was Not Designed for Modern Feeding Systems The horse is an evolutionary grazing animal. For millions of years, horses

If there is one issue quietly shaping the health and behaviour of modern horses, it is not a lack of calories or a shortage of supplements. It is inflammation. Chronic, low-grade, systemic inflammation has become one of the most overlooked drivers of digestive disruption, metabolic instability, behavioural change, and declining resilience in today’s domesticated horse. And in most cases, it is not the horse’s fault. It is the result of modern living. Horses Were Not Designed