Integral Equine Nutrition

10/07/2025

Which of these do you find most confusing when it comes to feeding?

Comment with the one that stands out most:

❔ Forage amounts/type
❔ Energy feeds
❔ Protein
❔ Minerals/balancing
❔ Supplements
❔ Something else entirely?

I'm working on something to help :)

09/07/2025

Whether your're worried (or glad!) that your horse is losing weight over winter, or seeing no change at all and worried about the spring to come, it's always useful to have an accurate weight measurement and condition assessment from someone who is a) trained and b) doesn't see your horse every day.

Luckily - I'm just that person!

My mobile scales are accurate and easy to use - and best of all they can come to you!

Only 3 horses needed for Northern beaches area locals 🙂 Contact for other areas OR get your club/agistment centre together for a group weigh in.

Not only do you get an exact weight for your horse on the day, I also provide some guidance as to whether your horse needs to gain, lose or maintain condition.

Even experienced horse owners and professionals can struggle to correctly estimate horses' weights, and in many cases can be wildly underestimating. Aside from knowing whether your horse is too fat, too thin or just right, this can lead to

❗️Underfeeding forage
❗️Underdosing wormers and meds like omeprazole for ulcers
❗️Illegal and dangerous towing
❗️Not being sure if your horse is losing, gaining or maintaing weight (this is harder than you think to keep tracking of visually when you see the horse often)

Weigh ins cost $40 per horse.

08/07/2025

Opening up a fresh grazing section, the old one well trampled!

03/07/2025

Last minute appointment available

11:45am Saturday 5th July - roughly between Cook and Lynehem areas.

PM or email [email protected] ASAP to book in!

01/07/2025

It's wild and wooly out there! 🌪🌧❄️

Horses tolerate dry cold weather really well, but rain + wind + cold means an early bedtime here to get in from the elements and some extra hay to keep the fire lit from the inside!

The old saying "a feed is as good as a rug" is not wrong (although the reverse is not true) - fibre fermentation creates heat!

30/06/2025

Sophie's Seven Steps for Forage First Feeding! 🤓

Is the cheesy alliteration too much? 🤣

Well, the cold has well and truly kicked in, feed is low and we’re helping a lot of customers daily with what to prioritise in your horse’s diet (always, but especially through winter).

Did you know that grass needs to be an average of 10cm long in your horse's paddock to provide sufficient forage to sustain them? I think just about every paddock around Canberra is under the 10cm rule right now. Some of you may shake your heads and say "no my paddock has some grasses longer than that so it's fine" - but if that's long, dead grass that your horses aren't touching surrounded by short overgrazed sections this is short grass and those horses need hay.

Remember Sophie’s 7 steps to building your horse's diet? With the foundations being the most important. Here’s a recap:

1. Forage first! The non-negotiable. Horses graze 16-18 hours per day. They require a minimum of 2% of their body weight (for a 500kg horse that's 10kg per day!). This -should make up 70-100% of their diet. *If horses don't have sufficient forage, you may as well forget about the rest of the steps as their digestive system will have continuous issues you're trying to fix with supplements and the gut needs to be healthy to make the most of the other aspects of their diet.

2. Energy sources (as needed!). This is only required IF the forage doesn't quite give enough energy for the work/situation of your horse. Super fibres are best for the gut and highly digestible - they have a prebiotic. Think lupins, beet pulp, soy hulls. Oils are pure fat and help with weight and less fizzy energy (Coprice R, Equi-Jewel). Grains should be an absolute last resort.

3. Protein! Good quality pasture often has enough protein for horses but can be lacking in amino acids. When forage is lacking or horses are on a particular work or feeding regime, protein may need to be supplemented. Best quality protein sources: Lucerne, Lupins, Soy and H**p.

4. Macrominerals. Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Phosphurus and salt! Most of the macrominerals are covered by good quality forage/hay. But almost always, salt is lacking. Salt is not found in hay and not enough in pasture - you must supplement!

5. Microminerals. Trace minerals are often lacking in a horse's diet. As Iron is always in excess, Copper and Zinc need supplementing - look for supplements with no added Iron.

6. Vitamins - often don't need supplementing but some might! Additional Vitamin E is needed when horses are on heavy hay diets - it's important for allergies and muscle function. Vitamin A & D are plentiful in forage so don't worry about them. Vitamin C - horses produce their own, so don't get in the way! (that being said in extreme cases of illness they may need supplementation).

7. Joint, digestive, allergy support. This is a bit trial and error, there is no magic bullet. See what works for you and experiment.

Key take away - Forage First, your horse needs enough for everything inside to work and to be a healthy happy horse! If your horse has this need met keep building on your steps, but remember add the energy as required - it doesn’t have to be an always.

Need a hand working through this? Come in and see us ❤️

29/06/2025

Due to a cancellation I have one or two spots on my way in to Canberra (from Sydney) this Friday - PM or email [email protected] ASAP to book in!

You asked, I've answered - Canberrans I'm coming back Friday 4th and Saturday 5th JULY!

(why is it always in the middle of winter...)

Only a few spots left so jump in quick before they're all booked up.

🐴 Nutrition consultations (including mobile scales) - $270
🌱 Pasture management consultations - $220
⚖ Weigh ins for groups - $40/horse (minimum bookings apply)

26/06/2025

Don't judge a hay by it's colour!

These are both rhodes grass hay, and guess which the horses currently prefer?

The yellow bleached one!

New green batch sent for testing.

26/06/2025

Want to try Golden Joint Complex but your horse hates turmeric?

No problem - I'll take it out 👍

Gotta love the flexibility of custom, individual products 😍

25/06/2025

Heads up CENTRAL COAST - I will now be in the area regularly (approx monthly) and can see individual horses instead of having to gather several to make the trip worthwhile - woot!

Visit dates will be flexible, so if you have limited availability jump in quickly to have your pick.

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Did you know?

My services are so much more than just giving feed advice (although that's still pretty important!) - I also offer

🌿Pasture management advice

⚖Mobile weight measurement

🌾Forage analysis

💯Custom supplements

This range ensures that I can meet your horse's needs from all angles.

I offer these services both in person, online and over the phone where possible to best suit your needs.

www.integralequine.com.au/services

24/06/2025

Ooooh look who's arrived!

Meet Soltero 🥰🐴 I have decided against bringing him straight home as I believe he will do better in bit more of a herd environment in a larger space that I can provide on 5 acres until he's a bit more grown up - so the lovely folk at GT Park Spelling Farm will be taking care of him - today he's just settling in with his nanny gelding and getting the lay of the land!

Might look a little out of place amongst the baby TBs though :P

We're working together to find a way to feed him in a group of horses that have slightly higher energy needs than the metabolically efficient PRE! This is super important to me obviously, as growing horses have increased and more precise nutritional needs than mature adults, and it's at this young age that they are set up for future health and soundness.

Energy and protein need to carefully matched to the individual horse to support steady but not excessive growth and long term metabolic health, while macro minerals such as calcium, phosphorus and magnesium need to be correctly balanced for good bone development. Trace minerals are equally important - copper deficiencies are known to contribute to developmental orthopaedic disease.

Stud/breeder pellets promise to provide these needs, but in my experience often fall short, and are all high in sugars and starch, making them unsuitable for the vast majority of breeds (and especially the good doer types) - babies simply don't need high levels of grain to grow well!