Essential Equine Nutrition by Nia Cooke MSc Animal Nutrition

02/02/2024

A little video about the goodness of grass chaff

https://fb.watch/pY-5ufgifc/

24/11/2023

Grab 20% off my nutrition course today!!

Understanding nutrition is an essential part of keeping any horse happy, healthy and sound.

Right now you can get a 20% discount on the Essential Equine Nutrition course!

Created by renowned equine nutritionist Nia Cooke to for equestrian professionals and keen horse owners. Don’t miss this chance to take your horse care knowledge to the next level!

Click the link below to claim your discount and learn more
👉 https://areion.co.uk/een-bf/?coupon=nov20

28/10/2023

Great day at BFBO today with the Areion Academy team. Lots of farriers very keen to sign up to the Essential Equine Nutrition course 😀 I love connecting with like minded people, it's wonderful when Equine professionals work together for the good of the horse 🐎

08/10/2023

06/10/2023

A species appropriate diet is absolutely crucial for optimum health of the horse. Did you know that most horse feeds on the market contain waste products from the human food industry? 🍫🍞🥖🍺

These waste product ingredients are often very nutritionally imbalanced, and often contaminated with residues from the extraction and other processes. For example, sugarbeet is high in calcium because of the methods used to extract the sugar from the beet. It's also often quite high in sand content (14g/kg) because of the growing methods used (some cereals are also often very high in sand).

Other waste products you'll commonly see in horse feeds include:

🗑Wheatfeed 🥖 (milling/baking industry)
🗑Oatfeed 🍪 (milling/baking industry)
🗑Distillers grains🍺 (brewing industry)
🗑Sugarbeet pulp 🍫 (confectionery industry)
🗑Coprameal 🥥 (coconut milk byproduct)
🗑Soya hulls 🫘 (tofu/soyamilk etc byproduct)
🗑Rice bran 🍚 (outer husk of rice grain)
🗑Molasses 🍭 (confectionery industry)

Whilst feeding waste products is maybe a sustainable thing to do, it is not a diet on which our horses have evolved to thrive.

We're in a world where many potentially fatal diseases of the horse species are epidemic:

💀Laminitis
☠️Equine Metabolic Syndrome
💀PPID/Cushings
☠️Gastric ulcers
☠️Colic
💀PSSM/Myopathies
☠️Chronic Progressive Lymphoedema (CPL)

Is it a coincidence that metabolic and inflammatory diseases of all kinds are afflicting the domesticated equine, at the same time that we are complicating horses' diets with complex combinations of waste products from highly processed human foods!? At FFHQ, we don't believe in coincidences...

ALL of these diseases can be improved, or even prevented in some cases, by correct diet and feeding.

At Finer Forage, we believe a species appropriate diet is crucial to support the wellbeing of our equine friends. Thats why our feeds will only ever contain dried plants:

🌱Grasses
🌸Flowers
🫐Berries
🫘Seeds
☘️Herbs
🫛Legumes

We do not chemically process, and absolutely no waste products, ever.

Nutrition by Nature, Supported by Science

https://www.finerforage.co.uk/shop?store-page=Feed-c151598010

24/09/2023

As the nights start drawing in and the chill is detectable in the air, we start thinking about what extras we might need to feed our horses to keep them in tip top shape throughout the winter months. Do they need a bucket? Of what?! Do they need hay, and should you soak it? Or what about haylage? Balancers? So many considerations and choices to make!
Now is the PERFECT time to learn more about equine nutrition, so that you're equipped with all the knowledge to make the correct choices for your horses. My course is available NOW at Areion Academy, consisting of around 10 hours of bite-sized video lessons, plus added bonus fact sheets. With flexible payment options, lifetime access, monthly Zoom sessions where you can ask anything at all, and accreditation by Highfield Qualifications, you can be confident of the high quality of this equine nutrition qualification. Aimed at equine professionals and curious owners www.areion.co.uk/een

You know a good understanding of equine nutrition will greatly improve your results and allow you to better support and advise your clients but…

OMG! Why does it have to be so complicated!

Much of the available nutrition information is:
🙄 Complex and contradictory
🙄 Opinion based or biased
🙄 Unrealistic for practical application
🙄 Sooo dry, boring and long winded (yeah, I said it)

We thought so too but it doesn’t have to be that way.

A comprehensive nutrition course was top of our list when we founded Areion Academy.

We wanted something that:
🙂 Is easy to complete and understand
🙂 Has engaging bite sized lessons that fit around your schedule
🙂 Makes it simple to apply in the real world
🙂 Is health based, species appropriate and well researched
🙂 Offers ongoing support to all students

We are so proud of this brilliant course from Nia. She’s ploughed through all the detail and dug out the essential nuggets of information that will most benefit equine professionals.

Don’t be fooled though… There's 9.5 hours of nuggets here!

Even if you don’t want to be a nutritionist, you still need to understand the basics of good equine nutrition if you want to get the best results for your clients.

*** Essential Equine Nutrition ***
Science Based - Species Appropriate

The NEW accredited certification from equine nutritionist Nia A Cooke BSc (Hons), ProDip EqNu, DEP aims to make expanding your knowledge as painless and productive as possible.

This course is self paced, well structured and gives ongoing coaching and support so you can never get left behind and it’s only £297 (payment plans are available).

Click here to learn more https://areion.co.uk/een

07/09/2023

I am very excited to be presenting at the Horses to Humans 2023 event, where I'll be talking about Species Appropriate Feeding, and Feeding Herbs for Health, including the findings of my recently completed Masters degree dissertation, looking at evidence for using herbs for gastric ulcers. I really hope to see you there!

To celebrate the inaugural event, there is a fantastic giveaway over on their page, where you can get your hands on over £250 of wonderful prizes from an array of equestrian brands, so head on over to their page and enter now for your chance to win all of these goodies 😍🦄🐴

27/08/2023

19/08/2023

I'm very excited to be presenting at this wonderful event, taking place here in North Wales

05/06/2023

Boswellia Serrata

Aka Frankincense, Boswellia has been used as ceremonial incense and as a medicine since time immemorial. Boswellia is a gum resin taken from the tree sap, which contains 5-10% essential oils, where the lovely aroma and all the phytochemical power lies.

Boswellia is an important herb in Ayerverdic medicine, documented in Charaka's Charaka Samhita (c.B.C. 700). Traditionally used for arthritis, diarrhoea, dysentery, ringworm, boils, fevers (antipyretic), skin and blood diseases, cardiovascular diseases, mouth sores, bad throat, bronchitis, asthma, cough, vaginal discharges, hair-loss, jaundice, hemorrhoids, syphilitic diseases, irregular me**es, stimulation of liver, with diaphoretic, astringent, diuretic properties and acts both as internal and external stimulants too.

Pharmacological actions that have been observed via more modern scientific examination include; antiarthritic, antiinflammatory, antihyperlipidemic (controls blood lipids), antiatherosclerotic (anticoronary plaque), analgesic (pain-reliever) and hepatoprotective (protects the liver).

This magical antiinflammatory herb is superior to non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) however, because NSAIDs are known to disrupt glycosaminoglycan synthesis, thus accelerating articular damage in arthritic conditions, whereas Boswellic acids have been shown to significantly reduce glycosaminoglycan degradation and thus support healing of articular damage, as well as providing pain relief. A real super herb 🌿

Available in several of our blends, such as Echo's CushTy and Dulci's Smooth Moves, and as a straight herb in 1kg packs. https://www.finerforage.com/bosweillia-serrata

26/05/2023

SUPERHERB FOCUS - TURMERIC

Turmeric (Curcuma Longa/Curcuma Zedoaria/Curcuma Xanthorrhiza)

Plant history & traditional uses
Turmeric is a rhizomatous herb of the Zingiberaceae family, with a long history of culinary and traditional medicinal uses including stimulant, carminative, expectorant, demulcent, dyspepsia, diuretic, antipyretic, flatulence, acne, psoriasis, dermatitis, jaundice, liver and urinary disease, and coughs and colds (Lobo et al 2009, Gilani 2005, Gupta et al 2013).

Phytochemical and pharmacological properties
Turmeric is rich in biologically active compounds, such as terpenes and polyphenols, with more than 100 clinical trials in humans being carried out to explore the potential of turmeric against a vast array of conditions, with numerous proven pharmacological characteristics identified including: antimicrobial, anticancer, pulmonary health, antidiabetic, metabolic support, antiallergic and analgesic activity (Lobo et al 2009, Gilani 2005, Gupta et al 2013). Safety and efficacy of turmeric is well proven, with trials in various species concluding it to be a safe and effective treatment option for a variety of diseases (Gupta et al 2013).

Evidence for use in the treatment of Gastric Ulceration
Turmeric has been demonstrated to be an effective treatment and preventative of gastric ulceration in rodent trials for over 30 years, against many different inducement methods; reserpine, ligation and indomethacin, via anti-secretary, mucogenic, antioxidant and cytoprotective mechanisms (Rafatullah 1990). More recent research also found turmeric to provide effective gastroprotection against NSAID induced ulceration in rodents, via antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms (Chattopadhyay et al 2006). In human trials, turmeric was found to be an effective curative compound against peptic ulcers, with 20 of 25 patients showing complete healing under gastroscopic examination (Prucksunand et al 2001). In vitro trials have also uncovered anti-secretary properties, blocking H+K+-ATPase activity, the same mode of action as omeprazole, in addition to antioxidant and cytoprotective activity (Harsha et al 2016.)
Some concern has been raised regarding the irritant effect of turmeric on the gastrointestinal mucosa of horses, being as it is a very commonly used herb in horse feed and supplements, but trials have found this concern to be unfounded (Blanc et al 2022). It has been demonstrated that turmeric has a gastroprotective effect and can prevent ulcer development in horses who are stabled for extended periods, and horses who are deprived of feed for extended periods – both known risk factors in gastric ulcer development in horses (Andrews et al 2014, Fletcher and Gough 2019).

21/05/2023

I had a most enjoyable day yesterday teaching the Areion Academy podiatry students all about equine nutrition. As future Hoof Care Practitioners, understanding how nutrition affects the horse's hoof and overall health is really important. They were a lovely bunch, who really engaged with the material, and I'm certain they will all make super EPs 👌 🦓🐎🫏🦄

25/03/2023

13/12/2022

I'm so incredibly privileged to have been invited to join this inspiring selection of presenters, to bring you a Winter Webinar from the The Equine Documentalist exploring 'How The Equine Industry Can Maintain Its Social License To Operate'. The series brings you a scientific exploration of a wide range of topics concerning the management of the domestic horse, and how understanding their true nature, from ethology to physiology, can help us to improve equine welfare, and maintain the social licence to operate.

There are a series of lectures by ethologists and behaviourists such as Touching Wild with Bonny Mealand , Jenni Nellist - Equine Behaviour , which explore foalhood, human-horse relationships and more.

My lecture will look at the importance of species appropriate feeding, with regards to the health and welfare of the horse. I'll discuss the ways in which we feed our domesticated horses, and what we feed them, as well as how this compares to the ways their free-living counterparts eat and what is found in their diets. We'll delve into some common health issues of the domestic equine and explore the ways that feeding can impact on these issues, and the ethical implications of our feeding choices.

Individual webinars can be purchased separately or as a full series. I honestly can't wait for this!

04/12/2022

Posted on behalf of my fellow MSc student Alison Rogers

Hello everyone, I am an MSc Animal Nutrition Student at the University of Glasgow. I am conducting a study collecting information about equine caregivers knowledge of recommended feeding practices for equines with Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) and to assess if these are being implemented by caregivers in the UK and Ireland. Respondents must be over 18 years old and own or care for a horse with EMS. The duration of the data collection for this study will be from December 2022 until January 2023. Participation is voluntary and anonymous; participants may exit the questionnaire at any time. It is anticipated the questionnaire will take a maximum of 10 minutes to complete. Data will be stored in password protected files for a period of up to ten years. If you have any queries or wish to have your data removed from the study, please contact me at [email protected]
The study is available at

Qualtrics sophisticated online survey software solutions make creating online surveys easy. Learn more about Research Suite and get a free account today.

21/10/2022

As the nights draw in and the chill is in the air, we start thinking about what extras we'll need to give our horses to keep them in tip top shape throughout the winter months. Now is the PERFECT time to learn more about equine nutrition, so that you're equipped with all the knowledge to make the correct choices for your horses. My course is available NOW at Areion Academy, with flexible payment options, lifetime access, monthly Zoom sessions and around 10 hours of bite-sized lessons, plus added bonus fact sheets. With accreditation by Highfield qualifications, you can be confident of the quality of this brand new equine nutrition qualification

You know a good understanding of equine nutrition will greatly improve your results and allow you to better support and advise your clients but…

OMG! Why does it have to be so complicated!

Much of the available nutrition information is:
🙄 Complex and contradictory
🙄 Opinion based or biased
🙄 Unrealistic for practical application
🙄 Sooo dry, boring and long winded (yeah, I said it)

We thought so too but it doesn’t have to be that way.

A comprehensive nutrition course was top of our list when we founded Areion Academy.

We wanted something that:
🙂 Is easy to complete and understand
🙂 Has engaging bite sized lessons that fit around your schedule
🙂 Makes it simple to apply in the real world
🙂 Is health based, species appropriate and well researched
🙂 Offers ongoing support to all students

We are so proud of this brilliant course from Nia. She’s ploughed through all the detail and dug out the essential nuggets of information that will most benefit equine professionals.

Don’t be fooled though… There's 9.5 hours of nuggets here!

Even if you don’t want to be a nutritionist, you still need to understand the basics of good equine nutrition if you want to get the best results for your clients.

*** Essential Equine Nutrition ***
Science Based - Species Appropriate

The NEW accredited certification from equine nutritionist Nia A Cooke BSc (Hons), ProDip EqNu, DEP aims to make expanding your knowledge as painless and productive as possible.

This course is self paced, well structured and gives ongoing coaching and support so you can never get left behind and it’s only £297 (payment plans are available).

Click here to learn more https://areion.co.uk/een

03/09/2022

Im really excited and rather proud to get the opportunity to present my undergraduate project from 2019 as part of the International Farriery Research Symposium hosted by The Equine Documentalist . Whilst my career has moved in the direction of Nutrition since I carried out this project, I'm still very passionate about hoof health, and getting the best hoof possible under our horses 🐎 if you're interested in hooves at all, be sure to check out the symposium, there's a great mix of speakers, from farriers to EPs and equine scientists. See you there!

Does steel affect the hoof wall on a molecular level?

Studies have shown us that steel open heel shoes affect the natural deformation of the hoof, the haemodynamic and shock dispersion mechanisms and increase shock vibrations. This in turn affects morphology, leads to the hoof exceeding its elastic limit and failing, and prolapse in the weaker foot. We have discussed these in depth in multiple webinars. Links...

Haemodynamic system webinar..
https://equineeducationhub.thinkific.com/courses/haemodissection

Barefoot versus shod webinar...
https://equineeducationhub.thinkific.com/courses/barefoot-vs-shod

But an interesting question was posed by Nia Cooke in her research. Do these unintended but traumatic effects, change the hoof wall protein matrix?

This study aimed to ascertain whether differences exist between the protein profiles of shod hooves compared to unshod hooves.
Hoof samples were analysed for protein composition to ascertain whether any proteomic differences exist between shod hooves and unshod hooves.

Join us at the symposium for this fascinating webinar!!

Event page..

https://fb.me/e/1MmdtShfL

Ticket sales…

https://equineeducationhub.thinkific.com/courses/international-farriery-symposium

Tickets for this talk alone https://equineeducationhub.thinkific.com/courses/A-proteomic-analysis-of-the-shod-and-unshod-equine-hoof

24/08/2022

It's that time of year again!! I have seen a bit of ergot around again this year, so I'm resharing this old post so you can keep your eyes out for it

13/08/2022

I am sooooo excited to announce that after hundreds of hours of blood, swear, tears, IT and other issues, my nutrition course is FINALLY available to purchase!! Accredited by Highfield qualifications, this course is perfect for interested owners and equine professionals to build their knowledge on nutrition. We will also have a monthly Zoom meeting where you can ask any questions that you might have.
ON SALE NOW 🥳🥳🥳

https://www.facebook.com/104102925063204/posts/449600053846821/

The wait is finally over!!

We are absolutely delighted to announce that the long awaited Areion Essential Equine Nutrition course is now available and we want to give a huge congratulations to Nia Cooke for her super human efforts in creating it. Check out the details here! https://areion.co.uk/een/

There is so much information and misinformation available out there on equine nutrition that it can become a mine field knowing what horses really need and what’s really in that bag of feed.

Nutrition is the fundamental building block that underpins almost all aspects of our horses’ physical and mental well-being, so it’s really important to have an understanding of it, particularly as an equine professional.

Qualified Nutritionist Nia Cooke is an expert in the field of equine nutrition and in this online course she walks you through everything you need to know on the subject.

The EEN course has been designed to suit the needs of equine professionals and enthusiastic owners. Although the content is in-depth and comprehensive, each lesson has been carefully constructed to build your knowledge a step at a time without being overwhelming.

The course has been approved by Highfield Qualifications and as such meets their rigorous standards – upon successful completion you will receive a certificate from Highfield Qualifications to evidence your new knowledge (and for CPD).

Want to know more about equine nutrition, look no further! Check out all the details here!
https://areion.co.uk/een/

Know other people who would be interested? Give this a share :-)

Amy and Debs

12/08/2022

Looking forward to day 2 of the EPA conference in Bristol today. Yesterday was fab, I was honoured to share a podium with Gillian from Horses Inside Out, The Osteopathic Vet and Richard. All our presentations, though on very different topics, were singing from the same hymn sheet, which was brilliant. It was great to have so many interesting questions from the delegates and to meet some fabulous people. Day 2 we have Touching Wild with Bonny Mealand talking about her work with zebra, and Yogi The Equine Documentalist , looking to be another fascinating day.

30/07/2022

If you're considering coming to the EPA Conference 2022 but you've not got your ticket yet, get a wriggle on, sales end tomorrow at midnight!!

I'll be talking about equine nutrition for a bit, but don't let that put you off 😁 there are a host of other fantastic speakers, including Gillian Higgins from Horses Inside Out, Tom Beech The Osteopathic Vet , Yogi Sharp The Equine Documentalist and more....

See you there 👀

The Equine Podiatry Association UK- Promoting responsible hoofcare www.epauk.org

27/06/2022

What a wonderful weekend spent with the Areion Academy team, learning from Tomas G. Teskey Veterinary Insights. My mind is still whirring with all the cool stuff we learnt. Just fantastic!

21/05/2022

I absolutely cannot wait to be tutoring the equine podiatry students on their nutrition module. The nutrition course will also be available as a stand alone course, for equine professionals and interested owners. I can't tell you how excited I am!

Really looking forward to our Integrated Equine Podiatry workshop this Saturday. Students are currently working on module 3 which is all about anatomy and function via distal limb dissection. We have been really lucky to be able to share farrier Mark Johnson's superb dissection video series with the students which will make an excellent ongoing resource for them as they continue to build knowledge throughout the course.

Bringing in other experts to give a fully rounded education is really important to us. Our IEP students will have the good fortune to learn from some of the best!

Mark Johnson Farrier - Mark works with barefoot horses and glue on Duplo shoes, he is highly experienced and knowledgeable and as well as the dissection series we are planning to get him I to talk about farriery later on in the course.

Donna Blinman is a vet, acupuncturist and life coach amongst other things, she will be running our mental health and confidence workshops.

Nia Cooke is an independent nutritionist and qualified podiatrist. She is teaching the nutrition modules and we will soon be launching her online (Soon to be Highfield approved) nutrition course available to all.

We are also extremely lucky that Tomas Teskey D.V.M is presenting an incredible 2 day clinic at Heavenly Hooves Track and we are bringing Areion IEP students along as its too good a learning opportunity to miss.

Along with the combined Equine Podiatry and business experience of both myself and Debs Crosoer, these students are really getting the best possible exposure to knowledge!

So proud of this course and our students!

21/05/2022

This is such an exciting progression. With gastric ulcers in horses being between 60% and 95% frequency, this simple saliva test will mean more horses are diagnosed and treated. It will hopefully also mean we'll get a better understanding of what the risk factors of developing ulcers are, so we can prevent more horses from getting them in the first place

27/04/2022

I am so excited to be providing the nutrition course for Areion Academy! Nutrition is such an important factor in growing a healthy hoof, I cannot wait to work with their Equine Podiatry students to add some more tools to their kit

A great example of how nutrition effects hoof health.

The hoof above the arrow is new healthy horn after feeding Equimins Hoof Mender, below the arrow is the old weak cracked horn. You can see the cracks all stop in line with the change in diet.

Strong hooves come from within.