It's time to start picking out the purple horseshoes! Creative Commons photo
Every morning, I find myself heading down to the barn for the morning feeding and turnout. With a stack of grain buckets in my arms, I’m greeted by a row of bobbing heads and a chorus of excited nickers. And the boys sure do love their meals … even though breakfast (and dinner) both just consist of a bucket of pelleted feed and supplements.
With the pastures being eaten down this time of the year, I also throw out a bunch of hay for my geldings to munch on in between their meals. I like to try to keep them constantly munching and nibbling, since that is the way that their bodies are designed as grazing animals. Plus, if there is hay to munch on, hopefully it keeps them from pulling down fence boards.
If someone would suggest feeding horses cereal for breakfast, I’d probably find myself laughing. Probably because in my mind’s eye, I’d picture my gelding Roo digging into some Lucky Charms (he would probably like the purple horseshoes). Researchers have found that horses on a diet of hay silage can benefit from the addition of cereal to their diets. Head over to Horsetalk to read the full article and learn more here.
And then make sure to check out some of the other headlines from this week in horse health news, presented by Absorbine:
The Horse’s Top Infographics of 2014: Are you a visual person … I know I am! Which means that I always look forward to checking out The Horse’s educational infographics. Head on over to check out their top posts from 2014 on topics ranging on everything from feeding and conditioning to allergies and navicular. [The Horse]
Why Winter Alters “Mareish” Behavior: Does your mare sometimes have slight mood swings (though don’t we all at some point?)? If you notice a slight decrease in cranky “marish” behaviors during the cold season, there is a very simply reason behind it — less sunlight from shorter days. [Equus]
Do Horses Need Biotin for Healthy Feet & Coats? Have you ever wondered about the role of biotin in improving the health of your horse’s coat and hooves? Listen in as equine nutritionist Dr. Clair Thunes answers questions submitted by horse owners. [The Horse]
Record Gift to University Aims to Develop Regenerative Medicine: Colorado State University is the recipient of a generous $42.5 million grant, which has been gifted by philanthropists John and Leslie Malone. The purpose of their donation? To develop regenerative medicine, a concept which has been inspired by the stem-cell treatment of the Malone’s dressage horses to heal injured joints. [Horsetalk]
A Love-Hate Relationship? Have you ever noticed a horse that calls and call for a buddy only to chase and bite the horse once they are reunited in the pasture? It doesn’t really seem to make a whole lot of sense, and the only thing that comes to mind is that the missing buddy is being punished for being absent. Check out what Dr. Sue McDonnell has to say about the topic over at [The Horse]
