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Calm Healthy Horses, Rangiora (2025)

02/07/2025

Balancing your horse’s Diet

The best way to balance your horse’s diet is to REMOVE the things that UNBALANCE it.

That’s what we did with Lochie when he arrived as a head-shaker/flicker back in 2015

Look at him now aged 25 and he has had ZERO green grass for 10 years!

The yellow bucket is the amount of feed he gets daily and this is split into am & pm.

It fulfills his nutrient requirements to keep him healthy and WELL (not ‘just out of deficiency’). His metabolism isn’t under any stress at all.

When owners whose horses have developed various issues come to us for help, we inevitably recommend REMOVING items from the forage and feed.

The purpose being to LOWER Potassium and Nitrogen intake. This takes the stress OFF the horse’s metabolism.

Lowering potassium and nitrogen intake means
- LESS green grass (100% grass free for serious issues) and MORE daily consumption of hay. Just cutting down grass intake without increasing hay is not fulfilling the horse’s daily requirement for fibre
- Eliminating all lucerne/alfalfa/clover (high in potassium & nitrogen, low in magnesium)
- Swapping high potassium soy-bean meal for flaxseed meal, reducing copra to just enough for taste
Ensure salt intake is close to 10g per 100kgs BW

Magnesium is the ‘go to’ calmer when horses get ‘up there’ and spooky.

Horses do actually ingest enough magnesium even from lush green grass but potassium competes for absorption with magnesium and ‘wins’!

Hence lowering potassium intake has the same calming effect.

Photo: Lochie - happy and WELL at 25 years old

For help with how to lower potassium intake in your horse’s feed contact us via our Enquiry Form.
Here is the Link: https://forms.wix.com/70c7cae9-bec0-444a-b26e-7da5ba4e6762:9c61e4d3-2e6b-4825-9b94-bf9c0e57e82c

26/06/2025

Further to our Last Two Posts

We understand it comes as a surprise to many people that diet plays such an important role in how the horse moves and how he carries himself when unfettered.

It's not surprising at all when you understand how the chemistry of nerve and muscle function is very much controlled by the horse’s diet.

Just as horse owners know to check tack fit, dentistry, hooves, horsemanship/equitation skills to make sure you have ‘all your ducks in a row’ before proceeding with training/riding, we have learned over many years, that having the horse’s nerves and muscles relaxed and functioning as they should BEFOREHAND, is a very important ‘duck’; one that is frequently over-looked and easily mistaken for other issues.

Such posture and movement issues are easily observed when the horse is moving freely or on the lunge without any influencing tack on.

You probably won’t believe it until you see/experience it for yourself - and we get that.

Over the years CHH has taken on horses and helped owners when at their ‘wits end’ having already been down every other avenue of ‘treatment’; sometimes for years.

These are horses with multiple issues including tight muscles, hollow posture, ‘sacro-iliac’ issues, bunny-hopping, short-stepping, disuniting and we have purposely done nothing else except change their diet - no ‘training’, no body-work, no therapies, no gadgets.

What we observed consistently were progressive improvements over the following 1-12 weeks. Time frames vary with the individual horse.

These horses had not been on appropriate forage and there were (to us), obvious items in their diet which were getting in the way of normal nerve and muscle function. As was the case with Ollie in the video

This is a strategy which is potentially much more pleasant for the horse, saves a lot of time unnecessarily ‘working through’ issues and in many cases is much less stressful all round.

It is part of getting the horse READY to proceed with his education and training, or whatever you would like to do with him.
It is about having him at ‘Square One’ so he is ready to proceed.

Today’s illustration is of Ollie: Skye in Victoria, Australia had been at her wit’s end with her beautiful horse Ollie who, as you can see in the ‘Before’ video, was hollow, tight behind and un-coordinated.

Interestingly in this case the main culprit was white clover - lots of green, white clover! He had also been exhibiting extreme 'Stallion-like' behaviours which also resolved.
There was a month between videos.

24/06/2025

The Road to ‘Kissing Spines’?

Further to our last post “The Influence of Diet on Posture”

Kissing Spines is polar opposite to a relaxed top-line. Being aware of contributing factors is key to not inadvertently starting down the road! Imbalances in the diet which affect nerve and muscle function are an over-looked cause!

Muscles convert chemical energy into mechanical energy, therefore any bio-chemistry disturbance which affects the contraction and release of muscles will show up in the horses posture and movement.

“Grass-affected” horses often manifest these imbalances in how they carry themselves. Unless addressed this becomes their ‘default posture’ and they are ‘upside-down’ both on the lunge and under saddle, despite meticulous care with saddle-fit, body-work, quality riding and hours of ‘correct work’.

When it goes on for years it is not hard to see how it can lead to back problems and kissing spines.

Performing even simple exercises is more difficult and takes more time than would be expected of a ‘green’ horse. It causes many a horse owner to wonder what is going on because this same horse was not ‘travelling hollow’ a few months ago.

Lunging (without any influencing gear) is a good way to check your horse’s ‘default’ posture.

When there are no problems he will soon settle (if fresh) and offer to extend his neck out and look where he is going. Strides will be fluid and long, transitions up and down will be smooth. (See the photo of the dark bay horse, Axel).

When the long top-line muscles repeatedly hold the ‘hollow’ posture over time, the tips of dorsal processes of the spinal vertebrae come closer together and eventually can impinge on each other – “Kissing Spines”.

Because this biochemistry aspect of nerve and muscle function is not recognised, the advice given to remedy is to use the pessoa, draw reins, leverage bits or martingales, trotting poles and cavaletti.

But if you look at the problem through a different lens you would address the horse’s diet FIRST.

This is because use of any physical apparatus to encourage the horse to engage the muscles located below the spine (abdominal & ileo-psoas, ie his core muscles) WHILE the muscles located above the spine (top-line) are ALREADY, albeit involuntarily, engaged, puts the horse in an impossible situation.

The horse simply CANNOT volunteer to release his top-line muscles - a necessary prerequisite to engaging his core muscles.

In other words both sets of muscles cannot be used at once. It is an indication something ‘isn’t right’ if you need to resort to gadgets.

Far better to correct the diet, give him TIME to recover so he is ABLE to offer a relaxed posture on the lunge, a really good indication that you have the diet right and can proceed. Time frames vary from 1-3 months.

It is especially critical to address diet BEFORE you go down the road of corticosteroid injections into the spaces between the vertebrae or into the SIJ. In the vast majority of cases, they turn out to be completely unnecessary and meanwhile use of steroids puts the horse at risk of laminitis.

Read up on the subject here: https://www.calmhealthyhorses.com/musculo-skeletal

Photo: Classic posture of the 'grass-affected' horse
For help with feeding for a relaxed top-line fill out the Enquiry Form:
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22/06/2025

The Influence of Diet on Posture

Lochie, an exceptionally delightful and well-mannered horse, is one of our ‘ex Head-Shakers’.

As do the majority of head-shakers Lochie had developed other ‘issues’ too. These included a propensity to actually fall over, plus his back muscles were tight causing him to travel ‘hollow’ (see first part of video).

When these were corrected by appropriate changes to his forage and feed, the result was that ALL these ‘symptoms’ reduced significantly over the next 3 months and completely within 12 months.

Note the difference in his posture – from travelling with a hollow back and head in the air to a very relaxed topline where his ears are level with his wither.

In our experience, because they resolve with dietary changes, all these ‘symptoms’ are due to a systemic (body wide) disturbance to the horse’s biochemistry which AFFECTS various parts of the nervous system INCLUDING the trigeminal nerve and often other major nerves such as those that operate the back muscles.

Of course body-work and other therapies can also be helpful but the point of this post is to illustrate how the dietary component is fundamental.

For help with feeding your horse to overcome similar issues contact us via the Enquiry Form:
https://forms.wix.com/70c7cae9-bec0-444a-b26e-7da5ba4e6762:9c61e4d3-2e6b-4825-9b94-bf9c0e57e82c

11/06/2025

Misread, Misjudged and Misdiagnosed...

Horses are so often, misread, misjudged and therefore misdiagnosed and then, mistreated - meaning inappropriately treated..

Even horses who have been abused or neglected come around very quickly - so long as their nervous system is functioning normally (when they are not Grass Affected) - of course there will always be a few on the end of the spectrum who pose more of a challenge than others.

When there is insufficient fibre in the diet - as per our recent posts, there is insufficient fermentation in the hind gut to produce enough of the critical vitamins required to run the nervous system.

This often first shows up in the horse's skin which is densely populated in nerve endings. When these nerve endings are all 'on' the horse is hyper-sensitive to touch to varying degrees and will not want to be touched or brushed.

Such issues are outward signs of internal disturbances to the horses bio-chemistry and are therefore ‘metabolic disorders’.

Resolving these issues is principally about correcting the horses environment and nutrition BEFORE any training, riding or breeding begins. Of course a person also has to have a good approach.

When thus ‘Affected’ it is a waste of time, unpleasant for the horse and potentially very risky, to be trying to 'work through' any of these issues because they are not training issues.

Rather they are bio-chemistry issues affecting the horse's nervous system including all his senses: his eyesight, his hearing and his proprioception, his co-ordination and ability to properly operate his muscles.

Hence not only his perception is altered, but also his awareness and his sensitivity. When he is thus affected he will be having a whole different experience to what he should be having!

He will tend to ‘react’ instead of ‘respond’, which makes him appear to be 'shut down' when really it is a chemistry issue. He just needs to be put somewhere safe on suitable forage/feed for the time it takes for his metabolism to return to normal again which can take anywhere from weeks to months.

For over-reactive, hyper-sensitive horses, body-work and other therapies are best postponed until the chemistry of the horse’s nervous system is back to normal. Some horses cannot stand to be touched and will be aggressive towards people; they are best untouched apart from basic care over this time, usually 7-10 days.

Some people say they tried taking their horse off the grass 'but it didn't work' however, on investigation, there are three things that stand out to us.
1. There is still grass, albeit short or just around the edges
2. They have only taken them off it for a short time - just as it took a while for these issues to appear, it takes time (weeks to months depending on the issues) to resolve.
3. The hard feed or hay is still contributing to the issues (ie the hay contains lucerne or clover or the hard feed isn't properly balanced).

Most people don't realise how meticulous you have to be when the horse's metabolism is compromised - it can take 6 months to a year on the right forage and feed to really see the true horse.

Take Ben for example, who was going 'on the meat truck on Tuesday' if we didn't pick him up beforehand.

This was because he couldn't be caught or touched, he would front-foot people and was overall, a 'difficult' standardbred. He had been through the standardbred rehoming program twice (under a different name)

It did take several months for him to become the lovely, calm horse he is today - in fact he became so easy going, he was used for years as an Equine Assisted Therapy horse with Salta Horses!

For help sorting your horse's diet feel free to contact us via our Enquiry Form at calmhealthyhorses.com

09/06/2025

Glen – ex Head-Shaker, 22 years young, and absolutely thriving!

Sue (UK) first contacted us over 10 years ago when she was really struggling with Glen.

Despite being on a grass-free track and hay diet, he just wasn’t doing well.

He still had several issues such as ‘footiness’, recurring abscesses, ‘sacroiliac’ problems, tight muscles (which meant he always ‘travelled hollow’), he suffered from breathing problems during exercise, had runny eyes and was highly sensitive to insects and flies. But his most distressing issue was seasonal Head-Shaking.

Fast forward to today, and you’d never know it. While for a few years Sue would notice a few ‘ticks’ at times of coat change, Glen has been completely Head-Shaking-free for the last six years.

His hooves and top-line are strong and his muscles are soft and relaxed plus all those niggling issues such as runny eyes and hyper-sensitivity to flies have totally cleared up.

Sue now describes him as a well-managed PPID and trigeminal Head-Shaker. Thanks to the CHH approach, he’s symptom-free and loving life.

Sue has learned so much through Glen’s journey that she became our UK representative.

Now the two of them enjoy regular hacks out and about, just doing what they love.

Glen's experience goes to show what thoughtful management which includes the right nutrition can achieve.

Years of experience have taught us how to manage these horses, which nutrients help them over their issues and keep them WELL going forward.

Having horses thrive and able to enjoy their older years can be a challenge but not so much when you understand the impact that providing appropriate nutrition and movement will bring.

Photo: Sue on 22 year old Glen

For help to keep your horse young please contact us via the Enquiry Form so we have all the info needed: Here is the Link:
https://forms.wix.com/70c7cae9-bec0-444a-b26e-7da5ba4e6762:9c61e4d3-2e6b-4825-9b94-bf9c0e57e82c

04/06/2025

GRASS LENGTH - SHORT, MEDIUM or LONG

These all represent different ‘stages of growth’ of the grass. Each stage being quite different in its nutrient composition.

Because many people don’t have control over the stage of growth of the grass their horse is grazing the following information will help to know why and what you need to feed to help your horse .

SHORT GRASS
Fibre: Horses on short grass ingest less quantity of grass per mouthful. On the surface this would appear to be desirable for ‘good doers’ but not so, as the equine gastrointestinal tract has evolved to process LARGE AMOUNTS of ﬁbre.

Horses on short grass won’t meet their daily requirement for fibre. This is why grazing muzzles are not advised for more than 2-3 hours/day

Short grass is lower in sugars but high in potassium & nitrogen which cause disturbances to nerve and muscle function and all the various manifestations of being ‘grass-affected’, prompting the need for supplements to target these issues.

Daily Essential Nutrients: If short grass is the only source of forage/feed horses can suffer from inadequate overall nutrition because intake of quality protein, vitamins, minerals & salt are insufficient.

This is where the size and age of the horse matters. Kaitoa (in the photo 26/10/19) was a Kaimanawa whom we rescued when he was 4 years old – his ONLY food was short grass because he lived on the same paddock all that time, no supplementary hay or feed for the previous 2 years.

Daily supplementation of plenty of hay and a bucket feed covering ALL these aspects can make up for the shortfalls. Kaitoa After 8/12/19
Kaitoa went on to fabulous people who carried on his education and career as a jumper.

MEDIUM/LUSH GRASS
Horses on lush grass are ingesting larger quantities per mouthful

Fibre: As per previous post, lush grass has a high water content BUT because it is mainly leaves and not much stem it still lacks fibre and won’t fulfill daily fibre requirements.

It is higher in nutrients than either short or long stalky grass which works for pregnant and lactating mares and growing or elderly horses.

High Sugars, Potassium and Crude Protein (Nitrogen) are excesses that cannot be removed from fresh grass. While the equine metabolism is adapted to handle temporary spikes, relentless excesses inevitably take their toll, causing a variety of issues.

They can only be reduced by limiting quantities the horse consumes necessitating restricting access to lush grass.

This is when a Dry Lot is a real advantage as you have somewhere safe to keep the horses until the grass reaches a more mature stage of growth.

LONG MATURE (STALKY) GRASS
Allowing grass to grow to maturity is the natural way to both increase fibre content and lower soluble sugars, potassium and crude protein/ nitrogen.

Grass that has more stem than leaf is overall the better option for the equine digestive system.

You will still need to add a daily feed to augment quality protein, a broad spectrum multi vitamin with high levels of Vit E and salt.

*Contact us via our Enquiry Form on www.calmhealthyhorses.com for more specific help with feeding your horse in your situation

30/05/2025

Forage vs Fibre – for the Healthy Microbiome

For many horse owners, a better understanding of their horse’s FORAGE (usually their grass) would save them a lot of trouble.

A healthy horse depends on a healthy microbiome which is reliant on the FIBRE content of the FORAGE

The statement ‘Horses need to consume around 2.5% of their BW daily in FORAGE can be misleading because All FORAGE is not equal when it comes to FIBRE content.

Forage that lacks FIBRE cannot feed the ‘good bacteria’ of the gut flora.

Some of the first signs of a lack of FIBRE in the Forage are digestive disturbances: extra loud gut noises and soft/sloppy manure or various neurological, muscular and metabolic issues.

(It is also FIBRE that forms the ‘mat’ on top of the stomach acid preventing it splashing onto the lining of the upper stomach).

Both fresh pasture and hay are forms of FORAGE but when it comes to FIBRE content they are completely different.

Most of the FIBRE is found in the stems of the grass rather than the leaves.

The equine digestive system is adapted to forage with a relatively high 85% or more fibre content – achieved with mature, stalky GRASS and/or HAY.

Green, leafier hay has a slightly lower FIBRE but a higher nutritional content so is suited to higher performing, breeding, growing or elderly horses

Lush green grass is very low FIBRE only 10-25% fibre (75-90% water).
This means a 500kg horse would need to consume over 60kgs of lush, green grass in order to ingest sufficient FIBRE.

As this is not physically possible, the best course of action is to replace at least some, if not all of the lush green forage with high fibre alternatives like Hay and Chaff.

What about fermented forages like Haylage/Baleage?

Haylage - when made at a fairly mature stage of growth lies around 60-80%

‘Fermented’ forages, made at a less mature stage of growth, have a fibre content of only 45-50% despite their names containing the word ‘fibre’.....

If your horse is out on fresh pasture of any sort, whether short and green or lush and green then where possible, supplement more fibre into his daily diet with hay, chaff, beet, hulls.

Feel free to Contact us via the Enquiry Form at calmhealthyhorses.com 😊

26/05/2025

Confidence is Precious!

Fundamental to feeling good about riding your horse is having his nervous system functioning normally so he can RESPOND and listen to you despite feeling unsure, rather than REACT.

Reactions are instinctive and lightning fast. Nothing dents a rider’s confidence more than the thought of being unseated by a violent spook!

The key is to understand what causes the horse to do these uncalled for manoeuvres.

Just as there’s no point having a saddle fitted when the horse’s skin is twitchy/hypersensitive to touch and the back muscles are not relaxed, there’s no point going to lessons, or sending the horse for re-education when mineral imbalances are causing him to ‘malfunction’.

It is not the horse who is at fault and some adjustments to his diet /management can make all the difference.

A ‘Grass-Affected’ horse cannot process information so is not able to be in a 'learning frame of mind'.

His perception is altered, and also his awareness and his sensitivity. When he is thus affected he will be having a whole different experience to what he should be having!

Here's what to do:

- Feed more FIBRE – the more hay the horse eats and the less grass, the better for the horse’s digestive system – and for you. Even if there is plenty of grass, if it is short or lush green they need to be supplemented with hay.

- Avoid the following because they add to excesses, particularly of potassium: Lucerne, clover, kelp, soy-bean or rapeseed meal and sometimes herbs.
- If you are feeding any of the following: rice-bran, copra, linseed, sunflower, lupins or grains make sure to add a properly formulated calcium supplement to balance the low phosphorous
- Ditto for horses grazing oxalate grasses or consuming warm season hays like Teff
- Feed GrazeEzy when the grass is green to counter balance the high Potassium & Nitrogen in the grass

- Make sure you are adding salt to feeds - 10gms per 100kg BW

No-one should have to ‘pluck up courage’ to ride their horse. With some adjustments to diet, riding will again become an enjoyable experience.

We can help you to check your horse’s diet in case it is contributing to his ‘behaviour’ as Erin found out when it happened to her.

Photo: Mac on Clover pasture.
He had become incredibly reactive and spooky.
Transitions from trot to canter were rushed and sometimes explosive.
There was an occasional head twitch (had he stayed on this pasture any longer he would most certainly have become a full-blown head shaker).
He had ongoing muscle soreness and ‘sacro-iliac’ issues.
Erin described him as "disconnected from me entirely".
Finally he bucked her off in spectacular fashion as seen in the picture above! (Fortunately, although very sore, there was nothing broken!)
Photo 3 - Two weeks on his new diet and he is back to his calm healthy self (see photos)
Contact us via our Enquiry Form on the Home Page at calmhealthyhorses.com

21/05/2025

Sudden changes in the grass.......

When horses are out at pasture, seasonal and weather-related changes in the grass happen anyway but unplanned sudden changes also occur when there is a flush of growth after a drought-breaking rain or when ‘rotational grazing’ dictates all the horses are moved to a ‘fresh paddock’.

This sudden change from shorter grass to lusher grass is just like someone put petrol into their diesel motor!

Depending on the resilience of the individual horse - their metabolism malfunctions - they become a ‘bit fresh’ or spooky, develop various swellings or digestive upsets (eg extra loud gut noises or loose manure), start head-flicking, get ‘footy’, or become explosive and unsafe to ride.

Horses whose metabolism has already been compromised in the past will be more susceptible than others.

Both the change in nutrient composition (LOWER Dry Matter(fibre), higher potassium/CP/sugars) along with the simultaneous increase in QUANTITY per mouthful consumed affect the entire metabolism including the internal environment of the intestinal tract.

When mineral imbalances cause the contractions of the smooth muscle of the digestive tract (peristalsis) to become weak/sluggish, there is a **‘loss of intestinal tone’ - the delicate chemistry of the ‘soup’ in which the flora of the microbiome reside, is altered.

When peristalsis slows down the contents sit there for too long and the resulting over-fermentation causes a build-up of gas, the common manifestation of which is ‘extra loud gut noises’.

This change to the environment of the gut flora populations causes some to die off and some (that normally wouldn't) now multiply.

The lining of the intestinal tract can become inflamed (colitis) hampering absorption of nutrients. Manure becomes soft to sloppy and can result in diarrhoea.

Priority is to address the workings of the intestinal tract in order to promote proper gut motility which in turn restores the more favourable environment (the ‘soup’) in which the flora reside.

It stands to reason that giving the horse pre & pro-biotics is much more effective when the ‘soup’ is right.

Best not to expose horses to lush grass if you can help it, even break-feeding – wait until it is more mature and stalky.

The MOST beneficial course of action is to feed as much hay as possible every day. Because it is ‘coarse, fibrous material’ it provides food for the flora populations without upsetting the environment in which they live.

Contact us via our Enquiry Form on the website if your horse has developed any digestive upsets or issues from consuming less than ideal grass.

**Ref: Veterinary Medicine - E-BOOK, A textbook of the diseases of cattle, horses, sheep, pigs and goats – Peter D. Constable, Kenneth W Hinchcliff, Stanley H. Done, Walter Gruenberg

15/05/2025

Logan had Faecal Water Syndrome, Head-Bobbing & ‘Lip Swizzling’……

All of these issues are related and in Logan’s case his hay turned out to be the problem as where he lives in Oregon ‘Badlands’ there is no grass!

Thanks to Anne for documenting his recovery for us because there are numerous owners struggling with similar issues.

There are multiple clues in Logan’s story for those who are interested 😊

From Anne: “I’ll try to keep this short but anyone who’s dealt with headshaking knows it’s complicated.

Logan had been headshaking last year, and it was resolved by working with Jenny and nailing down that it was the potassium/sodium ratio in his hay. We changed his hay to another batch and got rid of the one causing the problem.

He started headshaking again early this year and we could not figure out why, because we had done everything to resolve it and had been successful. So we again contacted Jenny.

We gave her his current profile: Light head bobbing but significant and frequent “lip swizzling” (see Video) or lip twitching.

Fed Low Sugar, tested hay, 22 lbs/day with Free-fed Bluegrass straw at night to keep their bellies working during the cold winter.

We were still working to knock some weight off this big boy. To that end, we had stopped free-feeding straw and had been combining half hay/half straw, chopped, 22 lbs per horse/per day.

As part of the attempt to determine the cause of this second round of HS, we shot a pic of the hay and sent that to Jenny.

She replied almost immediately, stating “THAT HAY IS WAY TOO GREEN!” and asking us to change the ratio of straw to hay, providing 75% straw to 25% hay.

He was also on supplements to help restore normal nerve function.

Once we changed the straw to hay ratio, his FWS began to resolve and we saw almost immediate results in the resolution of the headshaking and “lip swizzling”.

Now he is doing beautifully, and we’re riding a few times a week now.

Of note, although the lip ‘swizzling’ is completely gone now, and the head “bobbing” is 98% resolved (sometimes we see him with a very slight bob, almost like he’s humming to himself…) he is ALWAYS, “quiet-eyed” and comfortable. Except when it rains - he does not like the rain drops hitting his face, so we put his UV mask on when it rains. Thankfully, rain is infrequent here so it’s a very small issue.

We don’t doubt for a moment that the headshaking is because of dietary imbalances which result in “activation” of the Trigeminal nerve.

The strong message here is that we have never had a vet look at the nutrient composition of the hay as a potential cause, whereas that’s the thing CHH considers first – grasses/hay/chemistry. (At the outset of his HS, we had teeth checked, head/sinuses x-rayed/scoped; we tried the anti-histamines, the nerve calming meds, nose nets, etc. etc. etc. etc.).

All of our hay met the parameters of “good horse hay”, and still…. Each incident was triggered by the hay, we are convinced (as they have no grass).

Fortunately for us, mixing the hay with straw has worked beautifully, and Jenny has since had us add in daily rations of Flax Seed/Black Oil Sunflower Seeds to ensure protein requirements are met while our horses are on this higher straw to hay ration….

Their coats are beautiful, heads are calm, minds are relaxed and we have a happy, healthy beloved horse again. (And they LOVE the added flax/sunflower seed!)”

07/05/2025

Get Grass Smart – Histamines & Gastric Ulcers

Mystery question:
Why do so many horses develop gastric ulcers when they do not tick any of the boxes for the usual causes?

Owners who contact us, whose horses have developed gastric ulcers, are out 24/7 on pasture, are not ‘performance’ horses, are not doing any extensive travel or high-intensity exercise, never go long periods without food nor do they have high grain diets.

The answer could well lie with factors that increase histamine release. We normally think of histamines in association with immune response, allergic reactions, defence against pathogens and inflammation.

It turns out that another role of histamines is stimulating stomach acid secretion.

What are Histamines?
Histamines are organic compounds primarily stored in mast cells and basophils, (which are types of white blood cells).

Laboratory studies have demonstrated that mast cells in the skin, lungs, nose, mouth, digestive tract, and blood are stimulated to release histamines when exposed to elevated potassium levels.

Hence when companies are developing ‘Anti-Histamines’ they use potassium to stimulate Histamine release in rats (☹) so they can test their products.

Excessive histamine production can lead to the overproduction of stomach acid and precipitate the development of gastric ulcers.

Another good reason for being mindful of your horse’s potassium intake.

It is the sum total of the entire diet you need to be aware of. The NRC Mineral Tolerance of Animals book states “Conservatively safe maximum tolerable levels for non-ruminants would be 10,000mg/kg” - that is 1% potassium.

Forage analyses consistently reveal short or lush green grass and legumes like clover/lucerne are at least 2% potassium as are other items like soy-bean meal, kelp, and molasses.

It is the sum total of all these items that can inadvertently become excessive and potentially affect your horse.

More on what you can do to help coming up.

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