Flourish Equine Nutrition

11/18/2024

🌾This may not be your go to feed, but I think it can be a valuable option for some horses!

As a feed, straw is not highly nutritious and lacks essential vitamins, minerals, and proteins. It's mainly valued for its fiber content, which aids digestion and can help prevent boredom-related behaviors like wood chewing, especially when used as roughage in the diet. However, because it’s low in nutrients, straw should never replace high-quality forage (like grass or hay) and should be used in moderation as part of a balanced diet.

A 2021 study showed a diet with 50% wheat straw had no adverse gastric issues with potential benefits to overweight horses such as weight loss. This study only looked at 6 horses for 3 weeks, so additional research is needed to confirm any benefits of straw. and that there are not any long term feeding concerns at high levels.

I typically like to stay at 25% or less straw for most horses if you do decide to add it in to the diet. And, if you do choose to add straw, test it too! Straw can be variable for nutritional content just like hay and may not be suitable for your horse, especially if you have a metabolic horse. Do not assume the sugar and starch content is low!

Let me know in the comments if you add straw into your horses diet.

11/07/2024

Do you use Beet pulp in your feed program?

Whether it's a carrier for your supplements, a way to increase your horses water intake, or to extend your winter hay when it's been a rough year, this is a versatile feed ingredient that can be a great addition to a feed program.

Scroll through to learn a bit more about Beet pulp.

11/01/2024

What an incredible year at Flourish Equine Nutrition!

To celebrate, I'm offering 15% off consults booked in November! The actual consult can be at a later date, I just need you on the books.

Let's connect in a free discovery call and see if a nutrition consult is the right fit for you and your horse: www.calendly.com/flourishequinenutrition

10/25/2024

So you want to add protein to your horses diet.... Let's talk about it.

While we typically look at adding protein to the diet, what we actually need is amino acids for biological function.

Methionine, threonine, and lysine are considered the limiting amino acids in equine diets. If there are insufficient amounts of these amino acids in the diet, your horse will not be able to produce others.

So providing good quality protein in the diet, such as alfalfa, soy, h**p, or even some Timothy hays, is important!

While protein deficiencies in horses are rare, you may not be feeding a good quality protein source, which means poor utilization or improper amino acid intake.

So before you go adding a bunch of protein (which can result in some expensive, smelly p*e), let's make sure you're feeding the right kind of protein!

10/15/2024

A great resource to know when to stop grazing your pastures!

❄🐴🌾 Is it safe to graze horses after a hard freeze? What do I need to consider before turning them back out on pasture? Also, what defines a hard freeze?

🌡 A hard freeze refers to a frost that is severe enough to end the growing season. The National Weather Service defines a hard freeze when temperatures fall below 28ºF for a few hours. Cool-season grasses commonly found in Midwest horse pastures go into dormancy for winter and conserve their energy stores (starches and sugars) following a hard freeze.

❄️ We recommend keeping horses off pastures for at least 7 days after a hard freeze. Frost-damaged pastures are higher in nonstructural carbohydrates (starches and sugars) because plants can not use up their energy stores as efficiently. It can take plants 7 days to return to more normal nonstructural carbohydrate levels. Higher levels of nonstructural carbohydrates can lead to an increase risk for laminitis, especially in horses diagnosed with or prone to obesity, laminitis, Cushings, and Equine Metabolic Syndrome.

The decision to graze again after a hard freeze depends on the condition of your pasture. After a hard freeze, no additional regrowth of the pasture will occur, even though the pasture might appear green in color. If your cool-season grass pasture is

✅ taller than 3 to 4 inches, then grazing can resume 7 days after a hard freeze and can continue until the pasture is grazed down to 3 to 4 inches.
❌ shorter than 3 to 4 inches, then no grazing should occur after a hard freeze. Grazing below 3 inches can harm the plant and may be a health concern for horses sensitive to nonstructural carbohydrates.

🌾 Plants rely on stored nonstructural carbohydrates in the lower 3 inches for energy. Therefore, the 3- to 4-inch minimum height recommendation is necessary to help maximize winter survival and can help predict a vigorous and healthy pasture come spring. We do recognize horses rarely graze uniformly and pastures tend to have areas of both over and under grazing. You will need to base decisions on the average appearance of your pasture

10/15/2024

Flourish is turning 1! Thank you to all of the amazing clients I have met this year. I have loved working with each of you. In honor of turning 1 in November, I'm doing a giveaway!

Enter to win a hay bag and a hay analysis with a 30 minute call to ask all of your burning nutrition questions.

To enter:
1. like and share this post to your storied (tag me so I can see!)
2. for an extra entry, tag someone in the comments who would love to have their hay tested this year.

Contest ends October 31. Open to Canadian residents, mileage may apply. Not associated with Instagram or Meta.

10/09/2024

🌾🐴 Feeding Our Senior Horses 🐴🌾

As our equine friends age, their nutritional needs change. It's essential to provide them with a balanced diet that supports their health.

However, senior isn't the same for every horse. One horse may need a senior feed at 15, and another at 30. So it's important to monitor how your individual horse is doing on their current feed program.

Here are a few tips for feeding senior horses:

High-Quality Forage: Ensure they have access to good hay or pasture.

Specialized Feed: Consider senior feeds designed to meet their unique needs, , typically with highly digestible sources of protein and fiber.

Regular Check-Ups: Work with your vet to monitor their health and adjust their diet as needed.

What’s your favorite way to spoil your older equine companions?

10/02/2024

Have a horse with a metabolic condition and been told to "monitor the NSC's" in the diet?

Testing forages is the only way to know the sugar and starch content of your hay. Why? Because plants adapt to the current environment and store their nutrients accordingly.

Take a read through and learn how the NSC content of grasses changes and why we emphasize hay testing for those sensitive groups of horses.

09/29/2024

Need your hay sampled and sent off for testing? Want to book a consult for your horse coming into winter?

I'll be in Parkland County October 9th and have room for an extra stop. Send me a message to discuss your needs!

09/25/2024

If I had an overweight, easy keeper, here are the 4 things I would do to kick start my horses weight loss.

As always, check in with your vet to rule out any potential health issues before starting any new diet plans.

1. Forage! Slowly reduce your total intake to 1.5% of your horses body weight. Go slow, especially if your horse is used to free choice and make sure to weigh it out.

2. Make sure the hay you have is the best fit. A lower calorie, more mature hay is going to be your friend.

3. Hay nets are going to help keep your horse eating throughout the day. We don't want your horse going more than 4 hours without feed.

4. As always, make sure you're providing vitamins and minerals to support normal body function.

Send to a friend that may need some tips!

09/19/2024

Like every horse owner, you're probably purchasing your winter hay about now. No one wants to be in the Alberta -50 without it!

But how do you estimate your hay needs for the year? Well, you'll need a few tools, but the estimation is pretty simple!

I always recommend having 1 or 2 extra round bales (or a few extra squares) just in case, but this estimate can save you from over or under purchasing for the year.

09/06/2024

I'm booking consults for September and October! I am also available for hay sampling and testing.

Virtual and in person options available as well as a free discovery call for us to discuss your horse and your nutrition goals!

Send me a message or book using the link in my tagged posts for more information about the process.

08/29/2024

You may have seen this devastating news down in the USA.

Ionophores are a class of antibiotic medications for cattle, other small ruminants such as sheep and poultry that are often added to feeds. In horses, these medications can lead to heart failure and sudden death if consumed.

Ensuring your feed is manufactured in an ionophore free facility is paramount as cross contamination is a risk if produced in the same facility. If you're unsure, reach out to your feed company for clarification.

If your horse is regularly out with cattle or poultry ensuring they do not have access to their feed can mitigate this risk as well.

Our hearts break to hear about this tragedy so feed smart and make learning about your horses feed a priority.

>Updated 9-1-24 with a glimpse of happiness.<
The level of catastrophic loss that’s still unfolding at the Beutler Ranch in Elk City, Oklahoma right now is beyond comprehension. The horror of so many dead horses—the death toll is now approaching 70 and counting, I’m told—is devastating a family-dynasty breeding program that’s a 95-year-old cowboy empire. What Elra, Jake and Lynn Beutler started in 1929, and Elra’s grandson Bennie and his son Rhett built onto with Beutler & Son Rodeo Company today can’t be replicated or replaced.

I have intentionally sat quiet on this story, knowing the Beutlers can’t even breathe right now. They have no words, or tears left. They also have their hometown rodeo to produce this weekend, and with so much of their horse herd and generations-deep legacy wiped out without warning.

I’ve had many off-the-record conversations with cowboy people about this tragic turn of events in the last few days. I just had my first one on the record with the friend and veterinarian the Beutlers have entrusted with their four-legged family, Dr. Gregg VeneKlasen. Because of what may lie ahead legally, we will stick to only the facts that can be appropriately shared publicly at this time. More to come later, when the time is right for the Beutler family.

Early reporting that many of the Beutlers’ horses were accidentally fed cattle feed is false, according to VeneKlasen.

“What these horses got was actually a horse feed mix with a huge amount of the cattle drug monensin (brand name Rumensin) in it,” VeneKlasen said. “This was a tragic case of human error somewhere along the line, because tiny amounts of monensin is poison to horses. It kills them. Monensin is used in some cattle feed, but this amount in this horse feed delivered to the Beutlers would have killed cattle, too.

“Much is known about what has happened here that cannot yet be told. But the bottom line on this story is that it’s an important one to tell, so this never happens to anyone else. I will say this: Never buy horse feed from a mill that makes cattle feed. Period. Please quote me on that. Every horse that ate this feed is dead. The only bucking mare still alive is (NFR bucker) Black Kat, because she was at my place (Timber Creek Veterinary Hospital in Canyon, Texas; that’s her in this picture) when this feed was delivered. The only Killer Bee baby that is still alive refused to eat the feed.

“I cried. We all cried. These bloodlines were five generations in the making. Many of the stars of this breeding program are gone. To see what’s happened here to these horses will make you puke.”

I stopped using the word “tragedy” a long time ago for situations that did not warrant it. “It’s not a tragedy if nobody died” has become a famous line of mine when perspective is lost and drama is overblown. This, my friends, is a tragedy in our rodeo family.

The one silver lining I’ve seen so far is the heartwarming generosity of other stock contractors stepping up and offering their stock to the Beutlers. That’s how our rodeo family rolls in the toughest of times, and it’s something special to behold and be very proud of.

This story continues to unfold. More when we can. Until then, God Bless every horse who has died. And prayers for the Beutler family as they try to find a path forward with so many family members missing.

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8-31-24 Update 1:
To help prevent further public panic over feed safety, Dr. VeneKlasen today made the following statement on this subject:

“Many brands of feed—Purina, Nutrena and Bluebonnet, to name a few off the top of my head—are made in equine-only mills, and are safe. I suggest people stay with the big commercial companies with strict regulations in place. Because bucking-horse genetics are prone to metabolic syndrome, I feed Triple Crown Senior to everything here at Timber Creek (Veterinary Hospital), even the babies, because it’s beet-pulp based with low sugar and high fat content.

“If you’re going to get custom feed from a mill that makes feed for multiple species, including horses, cattle, goats, pigs and whatever else, make sure before it leaves the mill that it’s been tested for ionophores. It’s not an expensive test, but it’s a critically important one. You can’t have even trace amounts of ionophores, which can happen in unintentionally cross-contaminated feed, because the smallest dose impacts horses’ hearts. If they eat even a tiny amount of it and don’t die today, it might kill them in three weeks, three months or three years.”

More details will be released as is appropriate from Team Beutler. Thank you all for your patience, understanding and prayers.

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8-31-24 Update 2:
Livestock Nutrition Center, who delivered the load of feed to the Beutlers, issued a statement today. Team Beutler wanted it shared with you all.

~

From Ronnie Castlebury, Ph.D
President of Livestock Nutrition Center

“We are truly sorry for what the Beutler family is going through.

Our preliminary tests show a load of feed delivered to Beutler and Son Rodeo Company in Elk City contained monensin, which can be toxic to horses. This likely occurred due to a combination of a failed cleanout procedure and a sensor malfunction. We have confirmed this is an isolated incident to this single load of feed from a single facility and no other feed has been impacted and is safe for animal consumption.

We take this seriously and are working with the State Departments of Agriculture in Oklahoma and Kansas and the FDA to get to the root cause of the problem and will take any and all corrective actions needed.

Words are cheap but we are dedicated to assist and support the Beutler family and make this right because our customers and employees expect and deserve it.

Our deepest sympathies go out to Mr.’s Bennie and Rhett Beutler and family and everyone affected by the recent tragic event at their ranch. The loss of so many valued animals is devastating.”

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8-31-24 Update 3:
After speaking with Dr. Mottet, Dr. VeneKlasen asked that she write this statement, and that I include it as today’s third important update. “This is information everybody needs to know,” Dr. VeneKlasen said. “It’s a simple way for horse owners to check on the safety of their feed. There are so many feeds I’ve never even heard of. This is an easy way for people to check on the feed they’re using.”

~

From Rachel Mottet, MS, PhD, Equine Nutritionist:

Most U.S. feed companies are extremely safe and reliable, even those with multi-species mills. The greatest safety risk comes from mills that produce ionophore-containing feeds in the same mill and production lines as their equine feeds. This becomes fewer mills each year, yet there are still some that do this, often for logistical reasons. The most important thing you should find out is what your feed company’s policy is regarding ionophores (the toxic compound involved in this situation) in their equine feed manufacturing mills.

My team has been compiling a list of company statements to give owners assurance about the safety of their feed. You can find this list here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/17IVu88GVlLU04C3uitCTPHQ5Q2cB-khka_-eMJaMSCY/edit?usp=drivesdk. There are some blanks as we are awaiting the response from a number of companies. A blank does not mean that your feed company is not safe, but for legal reasons, these statements can take time and we will populate them as they become available.

In our list, Ionophore Free refers to a mill where there are no ionophores present. Ionophore Safe refers to a company that has production policies to keep equine feed separate from feed with ionophores. If your company is ionophore safe vs. free, please connect with them directly to ensure they have completely separate equipment for equine feed production and ionophore free trucks to haul bulk feed. If they do not, please make a decision about how to best reduce your horse’s risk of exposure.

The major U.S. feed companies tend to be extremely safe and have many checks and balances in place due to the volume of feed they produce. If your feed is Ionophore Safe vs. Free, do no panic, yet I advise that you follow-up with your company to get clarification on their production practices.

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9-1-24 Update:
As fate, God and all those brand new Beutler bucking horses in Heaven would have it, the lone bucking-mare survivor of the recent Beutler-horse-herd tragedy, Black Kat, just won the Elk City Rodeo of Champions…held in Beutler and Son Rodeo Company’s hometown…in Beutler Bros. Arena, which was named after founding brothers Jake, Lynn and Elra…for the second-straight year. Roedy Farrell of Thermopolis, Wyoming went 88.5 on the big black beauty for the win. Bonus points for it be a Cowboy State cowboy with all the 400,000-plus wildfire hell going on in his home country right now. We all needed something to smile about. And we got it tonight.

08/25/2024

Ah, weeds. Everyone's least favourite thing to deal with.

Unfortunately, there are some that really need to be dealt with for the health of our horses. Scroll through to read about a few common noxious weeds you might find in your Alberta pasture.

08/18/2024

So you've tested your hay... what next?

For this Sundays post, we're looking at something more practical, the RFV value of your hay.

You've probably seen it, and maybe you aren't sure what it even means. Your hay can be a huge factor in how your horse maintains, gains or loses weight as it is the primary food source for your horse. RFV is a great way to quickly gage if a hay might be unsuitable for your specific horse.

Scroll through to read more about RFV values and why they are used.

08/11/2024

Did you know it's estimated that 50-90% of horses suffer from equine gastric ulcers?

No wonder gastric supplements are high on the list of horse owner interest! However, many lack the research to support their use.

Aloe is a popular natural supplement that has been used by many horse owners. Let's dive into a recent research paper!

Let me know in the comments if you've ever tried aloe for your own horse.

08/04/2024

Did you know that I also have a passion for sustainability?

While the topic can be a bit controversial, horse ownership is not immune to its contribution to green house gas emissions.

When we think nutrition, feeding appropriately and managing our pastures are key areas that can be utilized to reduce your environmental footprint and optimize your horses health.

Making small meaningful changes can make a big difference! Hop into the comments; what's something small you like to do to help then planet?