How’s everyone coping with the grass growth lately?
Oreos still in his small paddock and checks the perimeter every night to see where I’ve opened any fresh grass for him 😂
Don’t forget any horse or pony can be affected by laminitis so please keep an eye out for the subtle signs;
📍reluctance to turn
📍being careful or pottery on stony ground
📍A strong digital pulse
📍Change in temperament
📍Shifting weight from foot to foot
📍Abnormal heat in the hoof wall or coronet
A reminder that we all make mistakes! Last week I made a massive error in judgement!
Thinking my hay was probably a bit too good I decided to add some late cut very dusty hay into Oreos ration to reduce the overall calorie amount.
The next day my poor horse had the most horrendous cough, I took him for a hack and we had to turn around and come home it was that bad, I genuinely thought he couldn’t breathe!
A phone call from the vet later and I was less worried, he was fine in the field.
Now we are back to soaking hay, which is what I should have done in the first place 🤦🏻♀️
Oreo had the weekend off and is now back to himself and enjoying our hacks.
Don’t cut corners, it doesn’t work!
Ruby and Ulee ☺️
Such a lovely day yesterday after I’d been out weighing.
Travelled down to Oasby to watch Ruby and Ulee in their second 90 of the season ☺️
They absolutely smashed it and I can’t wait for the next one!
Well done Ruby and Ulee 🥰
Have you booked in yet??
Weekday appointments through April and weekend appointments from May ☺️
Message me to book!
#equinenutrition #horseweighbridge #equineweighbridge #derbyshireequinenitrition #horseweighbridgederbyshire
My horse had laminitis in 2022 and is now back to full health. These are the daily checks I do for him as a laminitis risk.
🐴 Look at him overall, is he standing ok, does he look comfortable, does he seem himself?
🐴 Feel his crest, is it soft and spongy? Has it changed since yesterday?
🐴 Feel his hoof temperature, is it normal for him?
🐴 Check for pulses
🐴 Watch him walk on hard ground
I do this twice a day, every day! Laminitis can happen in an instant so it is important to know your horse and monitor them closely for any changes ☺️
🌱 When it comes to grazing restriction you want to do it now!
🌱 Reducing the grass intake of your horse could be the difference between a laminitis episode or not.
🌱 Even winter grazing can provide a surplus of energy requirements of the horse, leading to weight gain if that energy is not used.
🌱 You’d be surprised on how little grass horses need!
#equinenutrition #derbyshireequinenutrition #equineweighbridge #horseweighbridgederbyshire #equine #horses
Most leisure horses in the Uk are in light work. Even if you compete on a weekend chances are your horse is still in light work.
To fall into the medium work category your horse needs to being ridden 3-5 times a week for an hour each time.
When workload increases so do energy, vitamin and mineral requirements.
However, if your horse is overweight, they do not need the extra feed.
The increase in workload will help them shed some fat and all the extra riding will help them get fit 🏇💪🏻
You cannot feed fitness! 💪🏻
A horse will not get fitter just from feeding alone. Exercise is what they need.
Nutrition can provide the energy they need to fuel this work, however if this energy/calories are not used through exercise/expenditure they will be stored in the body, often as excess weight or fat and can lead to unwanted behaviours.
#equinenutrition #equinenutritionist #derbyshireequinenutrition
💧💧Water for horses 💧💧
🪣 On average horses can drink between 20-55 litres per day!
💧Body weight and body condition can influence the amount of water they consume.
🪣 Knowing how much your horse usually drinks can help you when monitoring their overall health.
💧Water is an essential nutrient which aids digestion, helps maintain body temperature and skin elasticity.
🪣 Always provide horses with free access to fresh clean water, and lots of it!
#equinenutrition #equinenutritionist #derbyshireequinenutrition
