Diets By Design

18/04/2025

🐎Muscle of the Month🐎

The Trapezius Muscle

Has 2 portions - Cervical and Thoracic sections work together to rotate the shoulder blade forwards and backwards, lifting the forelimb off the floor.

14/04/2025

Today's custom mixes in the line up to be made and some already made waiting to be packed for shipping..
Ang is integral to Back 2 Basics and is making all these supps today.

10/04/2025

28/03/2025

🌱 𝐕𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐄 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬 🐴

Vitamin E is an important antioxidant that works to maintain healthy muscles and nerves. While vitamin E is plentiful in fresh forage, it quickly becomes depleted when forage is cut and preserved as hay. As a result, horses lacking access to at least six hours of quality pasture a day (often due to dry lot confinement or seasonal changes) may become deficient in this critical vitamin.

🔬 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐚𝐲𝐬

Previous research has found between 13 and 20% of horses are deficient in vitamin E (Muirhead et al., 2010; Pitel et al., 2020). However, when we tested horses at the local University who received hay and a free choice vitamin and mineral mix, up to 74% of horses were deficient in vitamin E. While grazing in the summer helped increase average plasma vitamin E concentrations, 59% of horses were still deficient after grazing for 3.5 months (hoping to publish this data soon if I can find time to write!). This data emphasizes the importance of evaluating vitamin E in the horse’s diet and verifying the efficacy through blood testing.

🔴 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬

While not all deficient horses demonstrate clinical signs of the deficiency, weight loss, muscle atrophy and weakness, as well as increased lying down, may be observed. More severe cases may result in neurological impairment. Thankfully, we continue to learn more about this deficiency which allows us to prevent and manage it more effectively.

🌱 𝐅𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬

When I balance a ration, I like to ensure horses receive the recommended levels of vitamin E in their feed – I consider any additional vitamin E provided in forage as an added benefit. This is because our management practices, including dry lot confinement and poor pasture management, often necessitate the addition of vitamin E in the diet, at least during part of the year. To do this, you can simply provide a fortified commercial feed based on the manufacturer’s recommendations. However, if you are feeding less than the recommendations on the feed tag, the horse will be lacking in critical vitamins and minerals, not just vitamin E.

However, it is important to note that horses may still be deficient even if they technically meet requirements according to the feed label. But why?

1️⃣ Well first off, horses can metabolize vitamin E differently. So while a horse may meet their requirements based on the label, they may remain deficient due to individual differences in how they utilize the nutrient.

2️⃣ Vitamin E is not very stable and can be compromised if not stored or handled properly. If this is the case, the horse may not actually receive what is promised on the label. While I am not worried about this when I am handling a product from a reputable company, it highlights the importance of using a tested product from a reputable brand and ensuring you store it according to their directions.

⚖️ 𝐒𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧 𝐄?

The most accurate way to determine if your horse is meeting requirements is through a blood test. I prefer to evaluate plasma or serum vitamin E moving into spring, before my horse has had access to fresh grass (you can have your vet pull blood when they are pulling a coggins). I find the spring to be one of the most beneficial times of year, as this is when horses are most likely to be deficient. However, a lot of horses will show a deficiency within a few months after they are removed from fresh grass. So if you test in the winter and catch a deficiency sooner, you can correct it quicker. Either winter or spring timing also allows you to determine if your feeding plan over the winter is effective. Once you receive the results, you can tailor your diet accordingly to meet requirements!

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐮𝐩?

If your horse is not deficient on the blood test, keep on doing what you are doing! At this point, more vitamin E has not been proven to be better and it is pretty expensive to feed! If your horse is deficient, you may want to consider switching feeds or adding in a supplement depending on the situation.

This nutrient is always on the forefront of my mind when balancing a diet and I am glad it is receiving the recognition it deserves.

✅ 𝐌𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞:

1️⃣ Make sure you feed a product based on their recommended feeding rate to meet requirements

2️⃣ Blood test to evaluate how your current feed program is working

3️⃣ Don’t just supplement blindly unless you enjoy spending money. Supplementing above requirements is only needed if your horse is deficient.

Cheers!
Dr. DeBoer

Muirhead, TL, Wichtel, JJ, Stryhn, H, McClure, JT. 2010. The selenium and vitamin E status of horses in Prince Edward Island. Can Vet J. 51(9):979-985.

Pitel, MO, EC McKenzie, JL Johns, and RL Stuart. 2020. Influence of specific management practices on blood selenium, vitamin E, and beta-carotene concentrations in horses and risk of nutritional deficiency. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 34:2132-2141.

13/03/2025

Exciting news for Western Cape clients – Halotherapy is now available with EquiToneETT

Salt is one of my favourite products to work with in horses and I find it can make a profound difference when added to your horse’s diet and now we have more exciting news as salt can now be used to help your horse with lung and sinus issues using halotherapy.

During a halotherapy session, dry salt is inhaled and reaches the deepest recesses of the airways where it is anti-inflammatory, anti-septic and mucolytic so will give your horse relief from COPD, coughing, asthma, heaves and other airway issues or can generally be used as a pick me up before or after competition.

Halotherapy is totally natural and drug free, so competition legal.

Hayley is available for treatments in the Western Cape – contact her on 083 969 7089 for more details.

11/03/2025

Mycosorb A+ is my binder of choice for helping horses suffering from the effects of mycotoxins (toxins produced by fungi in the feed, hay or pasture). Symptoms such as mud fever, rain scald, sun burn on white patches, sudden behaviour changes, skin problems and itching can all be caused by mycotoxins.

I have tried a few different binders in my herd when mycotoxins are at their worst and Mycosorb A+ so far has been the best and most cost effective I’ve found. MMiS was the closest alternate but it was needed in higher doses and costs more so is not my first choice.

There is no substitute for it and while other binders may be cheaper there are a good few reasons why Mycosorb A+ is still the best in my opinion. I have seen and heard of other binders and even brewer’s yeast being passed off as Mycosorb A+ so have included a picture of it so you can make sure you have the right product.
Mycosorb A+ is -
• Active against a wide range of mycotoxins not just feed-based ones
• Good for pasture & hay based mycotoxins
• Prevents mycotoxins being absorbed so reduces damage to the liver and other organs
• It is safe at high doses so dose can be adjusted to meet the environmental challenge
• Contains no clays or charcoal which can bind minerals and other nutrients

Mycosorb A+ has stood the test of time and is used around the world by horse owners.

Find it at dietsbydesign.co.za
For best effect use together with ImmunoHoof for the extra zinc which the liver needs when affected by mycotoxins

25/02/2025

Back2Basics will be closed from 28 Feb - 3 March for financial year end. There is a price increase for March 2025 so get your orders in to [email protected] or on the webshop - dietsbydesign.co.za

08/02/2025

We have no signal at home so comms are down. I will answer emails when we are back online.

02/12/2024

ImmunoHoof has changed to the white magnesium oxide product and it seems there are a few horses who are reluctant to eat the new batch.

If this does happen please cut the dose right back to between 1/4 and 1/2 a teaspoon and slowly start to introduce it again.

It is a seasonal occurrence with the more granular product that seems to be produced in spring / summer each year.

Should your horses still not be happy to eat it after a re-introduction period please get hold of me and we can see what steps to take.

27/11/2024

The natural cycle of weight gain and loss through the seasons is something we need to think about in terms of our horses health.

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DIET DOES NOT 'CURE' OBESITY - ONLY FAT LOSS DOES!!

Feeding an anti-inflammatory diet and ad lib forage can NOT reset the hormones (including leptin) involved in fat regulation (obesity and weight loss/gain).

This is plain incorrect.

Fat tissue does not dissolve if you increase antioxidant intake or give anti-inflammatories. The ONLY way fat stores decrease is by use of the stored energy by the body due to energy (calorie) deficit that day. Fat (adipose tissue) is the body’s store of energy from the diet that is not needed that day.

Your horse or pony's appetite will not simply regulate itself by anti-inflammatory 'diets’, meds or ad lib forage.

You can see where the theory comes from, but if you open your mind and think deeply about evolution and horses in the wild (before we got involved) then the answer is clear.

Horses and ponies evolved to get fat when food is plentiful so that they survive when food is scarce (and/or low energy).

Forage scarcity / low energy diets are a NORMAL and NATURAL process!

The confusion comes from the complicated and paradoxical function of hormones involved in weight gain and loss, fat deposition (ie energy storage) and appetite. All of these perfectly natural functions will misfire and fail when an unnatural diet (ad lib, moderate to high energy forage) is available, long term.

The fact is that the body (yours and your horse) is NOT ADAPTED to long term free choice moderate to high energy food!

And the inflammation that occurs is the body’s response as it tries to cram in more fat stores wherever it can e.g. in the internal organs, muscle and arteries – the only way to reverse that is to reduce the excess energy intake!

The answer to the challenge of an obese horse or pony with a dysfunctional appetite who seems to be ravenously hungry despite unnaturally high, harmful fat levels is to:

SIMULATE WINTER i.e. to provide slightly restricted, very low calorie forage. Soak hay. Mix in straw (if appropriate). Use slow feeders and increase exercise (simulates searching for food). Whatever it takes to get the body to use the stores of fat energy.

This is the one and only answer to crack the vicious cycle of chronic obesity and the associated dysfunctional appetite.

Please share to help me spread this message - thank you! 🐴🍏

27/11/2024

The importance of adding salt to your horses feed cannot be emphasized enough. As we get into the hotter month's of summer please make sure to add salt to your horses diet.

Not just a grain of salt – why is it so important to add salt to your horse’s diet?

By now, I am sure many of you are aware that it is important to provide adequate salt to your horse or herd. But why is this specific nutrient so vital to their health? First, I want to cover the physiological role of salt and what it does in the body, and then we will discuss the best ways to add it to the diet!

When I was teaching Anatomy and Physiology to pre-vet students, we talked a lot about ions in the body including sodium, chloride, calcium, and potassium. These ions are present in bodily fluids and need to be available in appropriate amounts to maintain proper neuronal signaling, muscle contractions, transport, and digestion, among other important physiological processes. Additionally, these ions play a critical role in the fluid balance of the body specifically related to thirst, sweat, and urination. Considering salt is 40% sodium and 60% chloride, it provides two of these important ions that allow these functions to take place.

One of the most helpful ways I have found to explain the physiological role of salt is with the saying, “Water follows salt.” Let's simplify the physiological process that accompany this relationship:

💧 Increased salt consumption in the diet increases the thirst response and thus we drink more water and can become more hydrated.

💧 When we sweat, we not only lose water but other electrolytes, with sodium and chloride being the main culprits that contribute to the composition of sweat. This is because sodium is needed to facilitate the loss of water when we sweat and thus needs to be replenished in addition to water during exercise.

💧 Decreased salt intake encourages our bodies to retain the salt we already have. To do this, our kidneys decrease salt in the urine which subsequently decreases the amount of the water in the urine. This is because our body needs to tightly regulate the balance between ions (such as sodium) and the bodily fluids they reside in for many physiological processes to occur The result is a much more concentrated urine which is why you may hear yellow urine (which is more concentrated) is a sign of dehydration while a more clear urine suggests we are more hydrated.

So how is this connected to supplying salt in the diet? Unfortunately, salt will not be found in adequate amounts in most forages or horse feeds. While many commercially manufactured feeds provide adequate vitamins and minerals for horses when fed at the appropriate feeding rate, the exception here is sodium. This decision is intentional as sodium in a feed has been shown to reduce palatability. As a result, we as horse owners must add salt to the diet to ensure our horses meet their requirements.

This is an important feeding habit because when salt is consumed, the water will follow due to an increased thirst response. A hydrated state is critical in maintaining gut motility, which is the movement of feedstuff throughout the GI tract. Gut motility is very important to prevent digestive upset including conditions such as colic. Additionally, salt, water, and other electrolytes, are lost in the sweat of a hot or exercising animal. Providing salt in their diet encourages them to drink and replenish water and electrolytes lost during this process.

So how can we provide adequate salt to the horse? When I am in the field, I most frequently see salt blocks placed in the living areas of the horse. Unfortunately, these blocks were designed for other livestock and horses’ tongues are typically not rough enough to consume adequate amounts of salt from a block on a daily basis. While I still provide these blocks for my horses to allow voluntary intake, I also choose to top dress salt on their daily feed at a rate of 2 tablespoons (~30 grams) per 1,000-lb horse per day. This is often enough to meet sodium requirements of an average horse that is not in intense work.

What about the other forms of salt? I choose to feed my horses a loose iodized salt and you can often get a big bag of livestock salt at your local feed store! I choose iodized salt as iodine is an important nutrient that is not included on common forage analyses and can often be deficient in the diet (for humans as well which is why it was added to salt in the first place). The amount of iodine present in the salt is not enough to cause a toxicity but can help ensure your horse has adequate amounts of the nutrient.

Another common option I get asked about is Himalayan salt. While there may be some great claims on the label, this product is still 98% salt (with a few extra minerals) and often much more expensive. So if your horse is bougie or you want to create a certain ‘vibe’ in their stall, go for it! But it is by no means better or necessary to use Himalayan salts when compared to your average salt product. This is similar to the colored mineral blocks at many feed stores, which are essentially just pretty salt blocks. While they are not harmful, they can be misleading as they will not supply adequate minerals to the horse, such as zinc and copper, and therefore cannot replace certain feeds in the diet.

But while we may have favorites, feeding horses is just as much of an art as it is a science, and the main goal is to ensure the horse is consuming adequate amounts of sodium. As Dr. Rachel Mottet says, “The best kind of salt is the one your horse will eat!” If that means you have to provide Himalayan salt, go for it! But as always, consult with your equine nutritionist or veterinarian if you have any questions about your specific situation.

Happy Holidays!
Dr. DeBoer

06/11/2024

How to Make a Horse Spooky😫

This photo was taken 10 years ago. While it’s easy to pick apart what I clearly didn’t know at the time, one thing I can tell you is that I was very confident💪.

If you’d asked me to train that horse in any behaviour, I could. If I needed to get that horse to do something, I could. In that photo, I was skilled in training behaviours. I could get horses to do things, and I felt the power of that.

But this horse, Saxon, was spooky, and it took me a while to realise that, despite my confidence and skill, I had accidentally made him this way.

It was almost comical—going from a nervous, inexperienced rider who was making her horse spooky, to a super-confident, skilled rider who was doing the same thing with a different horse😱!

By then, I was working with many horses who weren’t spooky, so why was this one?

How was this happening? What was I doing wrong?

There were a number of reasons, but the biggest one was that I was only seeing everything as behaviour. I didn’t realise that while I was riding him, I was also influencing how he felt…and I was making him feel pretty terrible.😔

Why? Because I wanted perfect behaviour, and I was relentless. I was micromanaging him, flooding him with constant pressure, overworking both his mind and body.

From his perspective, I was making him feel threatened. When I was on his back, he felt alarmed. If something in the environment added to that sense of alarm, it would result in reactivity, as he couldn’t process his surroundings with an overloaded sensory system. So he would spook—or, at the very least, move with tension.

There were other things I was doing wrong. But this story shows how sensitive, spooky, nervous, tense, reactive horses are created in a variety of ways—and being confident or skilled doesn’t stop you from making mistakes.

Being skilled doesn’t mean you’re immune to ignorance💡.

It also says something about me. In both extremes—the nervous rider creeping around, trying to protect my horse from the world, versus the confident, hard-taskmaster micromanager—I was trying to control uncertainty. Nervous-rider me was trying to control the environment, while confident me was trying to control the horse.

Now, I realise it’s not control I’m seeking but influence, and it’s more than just training. It’s about the decisions I make on what and how to train, where and how I do it, and basing each of those decisions on how the horse is feeling—all to build their trust and confidence.

This journey requires creativity, grounding, and humility to keep ego in check.

I released The Sensitive, Spooky, Nervous Horse Resource a few days ago. Its purpose is to raise awareness of the creative, strategic approach we need to build a partnership with a horse❤️.

This process requires an understanding of the horse as a species. Saxon was just being a horse, and his responses are completely predictable to me today. It also requires self-awareness—understanding that, regardless of what you think you’re doing, the horse’s reactions may show it feels threatened, and you need to figure out why. Along the way, you’re bound to make mistakes that might seem logical at the time but aren’t.

But can it be worked out? Absolutely. It’s about understanding, awareness, and strategy so you can make the best decisions for your horse’s welfare🤓.

Details are in the usual place⬇️.

‼If you found this helpful, please hit the share button to spread the idea...however, DO NOT copy & paste‼

➡️If anyone wants to find out more about me go to calmwillingconfidenthorses dot com dot au