We have all seen the behaviors that are commonly associated with “hot” horses: the endless energy they have running and playing out in pastures, the overexcitability they have under saddle and even the jittery anxiousness they maintain in cross-ties and stalls. One of the first things to take the blame are individual feed ingredients that are thought to influence a horse’s get up and go. Nutritionist Anna Pesta, Ph.D., explains that what could be making a horse tense or “hot” is often related or tied into a variety of other factors than just nutrition, such as gastric discomfort, saddle fit, rider skill set, training and countless other possibilities. Let’s take a look at what ingredients and supplements can help in calming a “hot” horse.

Bad Reputations

“Ingredients like oats, barley, corn, alfalfa hay and molasses have been blamed for causing high-strung horses mostly due to their high starch, sugar and caloric elements,” Pesta says.

“These generalizations aren’t necessary backed by any specific testing or science, but it’s true that some horses may have more focus or calmer tendencies when fed different fuel sources. However, energy level often has a lot more to do with the total calorie intake than the nutritional makeup of those calories.”

Equine nutritionist Natalie Sullivan, M.S., PAS, owner of On Course Equine Nutrition, states that calming ingredients fall into the behavior-modifying category, which comes with a high dose of skepticism.

“The placebo effect inside the horse-human connection is incredibly strong,” she says, meaning that owners see a difference because they want to and have spent money on a product. She recently researched calming nutrition and the connection between ingredients and their behavior-modifying aspects.

“I had to infer much from human use of these ingredients, as there is very little to no research data on these common calming ingredients in horses,” says Sullivan.

Calming Ingredients in Supplements for Your Horse

The following is a look at the most common ingredients found in horse supplements that claim calming properties.

Tryptophan: An amino acid commonly found in meat and dairy that is a precursor to serotonin, a neurotransmitter found in the body that is related to mood. A paper published in the Equine Veterinary Journal in 2008 showed no behavior changes caused by high levels of tryptophan through a blood test. Another review by Applied Animal Behavior Science in 2017 showed no effect on a startle test, and found an increase in excitability for some horses.

Valerian: An herb used for insomnia and anxiety in humans. Not recommended to take for more than four weeks (WebMD, June 2022).

Raspberry leaf: Found in mare supplements claiming to help control female hormones. Very little was found about its efficacy.

Magnesium: The most popular ingredient in today’s calming supplements. Sources and quantity of magnesium vary greatly, from 200 mg to 10,000 mg per serving. A study done in 2017 in Australia concluded that there could be some reaction speed decrease in horses fed supplemental magnesium over the National Research Council’s Nutrient Requirements of Horses recommendations.

“As long as it isn’t detrimental to the overall nutrient balance, I generally tell owners they can experiment with various supplements if they like, since it is more a matter of trial and error to find something that seems to work for an individual horse,” says Pesta. “Most owners would be better served to spend their money on seeking help from a veterinarian or professional trainer rather than reaching for a supplement to quiet their horse, or spend their time trying to pin down a certain ingredient that has made their horse excitable and set out on a quest to find a feed without it.”

The Bigger Picture

It’s important to step back and look at the bigger picture if your horse seems too hot, anxious, or over-excitable.

Invest in safe pasture turnout for your horse, clear expectations for his training and performance, clean water, a salt block, quality hay and feed, and top-notch medical care. With those in place, you may just be pleasantly surprised with how well your horse can retain a healthy body, positive mindset and settled demeanor.

This article about nutrition for calming a horse, including supplements and ingredients, appeared in the September 2022 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Calming Your Horse: Are Supplements the Answer? appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

As winter months creep up on us, shorter days and cooler temperatures signal plants to slow and eventually stop their growth. The lush green of your pasture begins to turn to brown. This means less forage is available for grazing horses during the winter, and what is present lacks the nutrition found in warmer months. So how do you transition a horse from moist green grass to dry hay?

Where to Start

Roughage is an essential ingredient for healthy digestion. Spring and summer bring great opportunities for horses to indulge in green pasture, as they graze periodically throughout the day during turnout. But as grass stops growing and browns, a horse likely needs other forage sources, and possibly a complete feed or grain-type supplement.

Besides pasture, typical roughage sources include hay or complete feed pellets. Alternative fiber sources are available, such as soybean hulls, beet pulp, rice hulls, corn cobs, chaff, and straw, but these don’t allow horses to “graze” on something all day long.

Instead of being fed two to three relatively large meals in a 24-hour period, it is better for a horse to have the opportunity to nibble periodically throughout the day and night. In general, horses fed large amounts in two meals a day tend to bolt the food in a short time—an hour or two at most. This results in long fasting periods until the next meal arrives, possibly leading to ulcers or behavioral vices. This is not at all how the equine digestive system is supposed to work.

To keep your horse healthy and thriving, it’s best to feed him a minimum of 1½ to 2 percent of his body weight in roughage (hay or pasture) each day. Active equine athletes may need at least that much hay plus a grain-type supplement and/or a high-fat supplement, like vegetable oil or rice bran.

Horse Dental Care

Dry hay is considerably more difficult to chew than fresh grass. This means that attention to details, like dental care, becomes important, not only so horses can extract the most nutrients from their diet, but also to minimize the risk of impaction colic or irritant diarrhea from food that isn’t chewed well.

Have your veterinarian perform a thorough dental exam at least once a year, especially heading into the winter months. Sharp points can be removed through floating procedures, so your horse is more comfortable chewing and can break down hay stems. This improves digestibility of the forage.

Senior horses often need especially diligent dental care to be able to extract the most from their hay. Some are missing so many teeth that it may be necessary to offer a gruel of soaked complete-feed pellets.

Additional calories can also be added by way of soaked beet pulp pellets, which are high in fiber and provide added safe calories for a more difficult keeper.

Slow that Gluttonous Horse Down During Winter

Ideally, a horse offered free-choice hay would control his intake, eating only as much as he needs to maintain the perfect body condition. But some individuals won’t stop eating, and—like with people—excesses calorie intake results in obesity.

Feed intake by voracious eaters and easy keepers can be slowed by using a slow feeder. These feeding systems are made of either a container that is hung on the wall or a box or frame feeding system on the ground. Close-knit grids or small holes in the feeder forces a horse to work at getting hay out. Many commercial small-hole hay nets are also available with 1½- to 2-inch holes, but some crafty ponies may need 1¼-inch or even 1-inch holes.

Read More: Nutrition for the Easy Keeper

Compared to throwing loose flakes of hay on the ground or in a stall, it takes a bit more effort and time for a horse to pull out hay from a slow feeder. This more closely approximates grazing, and it shortens the fasting periods between refills, keeping your horse’s stomach and intestines in a healthier state. To add to the benefits, there is less wastage caused by a horse trampling or soiling his hay, which then keeps feed expenses down.

For horses in a large dry lot turnout, an alternative is to use a mesh sleeve that fits around a large bale of hay. (Horses should be barefoot if using these to avoid getting a shoe tangled up.) “Double bagging” the hay bale in a net feeder further reduces the mesh size and makes it more challenging to extract hay.

Some horses figure out how to maximize how much they can pull from the holes, and will need the slow feeder bag hung from stall rafters on a breakaway rope to prevent the horse from bracing it against a firm surface and speeding up his eating.

Supplemental Nutrients During Winter

A ration balancer is a good supplement to provide for horses transitioning from pasture to hay. These are vitamin/mineral pellets fed from a large bag generally at 1 to 2 pounds per day and are great if your horse doesn’t need extra calories from grain. Consult with your veterinarian about the ration balancer most appropriate to your area.

Vitamin E is a key nutritional ingredient for all horses. Inadequate intake of vitamin E can cause muscle, neurologic, or immune system problems, and at the very least may affect performance. This vitamin may be deficient for horses that have no access to green grass, as it tends to dissipate as hay is dried after cutting and baling.

A Canadian study demonstrated that horses with pasture access in summer months had vitamin E plasma concentrations that were 63 percent higher than non-pastured horses that consumed only hay or pelleted feed. This is a particular concern for young, growing horses as well as adult and athletic horses.

In addition, horses that are supplemented with high-fat diets to improve calorie intake may be deficient in vitamin E if it is not supplemented as an antioxidant along with the fat. The best vitamin E supplement to use is d-alpha-tocopherol, a natural vitamin E that is readily absorbed.

Vitamin A or carotene may not be present in adequate amounts if horses are fed older batches of hay or hay that has lost its green color. Most commercial feeds contain ample vitamin A, so feeding small amounts of pelleted feed is likely to provide a sufficient supply of vitamin A.

An insatiable desire for fiber may cause horses with limited pasture or forage access to consume the dirt or bedding around them. This has the potential to lead to sand colic or impaction colic. Use of psyllium fiber fed for six or seven consecutive days each month helps clear the intestines of ingested sand and dirt.

Intake of sand and dirt can be prevented in the first place with feeding systems that limit access to dirt, such as rubber mats, or by using the slow-feeder method.

Salt is an important dietary ingredient for any horse. Provide a salt block that your horse can access voluntarily. This is safer than adding salt to the feed, as any excess salt is simply urinated away, making more work for the kidneys.

In some areas of the country, the soil may be low in selenium, leading to a deficiency in the hay. Check with your veterinarian before supplementing with selenium, as over-supplementation can cause serious problems from toxicity.

And finally, don’t forget to provide plenty of clean, unfrozen water to your horse in the winter. Water is considered an important nutrient for digestion, preventing the dry, fibrous feeds from becoming impacted in the intestines and keeping all metabolic processes running as they should. If your water tends to freeze, plug-in buckets or tank heaters designed to safely warm the water are your best bet.

Boosting Your Horse’s Nutrition During Winter

With some common sense and creativity, you can find ways for horses in winter months to acquire their feed more in keeping with natural trickle-feeding tendencies to optimize gut health. The ability to eat small, intermittent meals throughout the day also works wonders on a horse’s mental health and behavior.

This article about winter nutrition for your horse appeared in the November/December 2020 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Munching Through the Snow: A Vet Talks Winter Nutrition for Your Horse appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

While for most horses, insects are just a nuisance, but some are incredibly sensitive to insect bites, have chronic inflammation from Lyme disease, or have allergic reactions and cannot use commonly used chemical sprays. So what are some natural, but effective alternatives to use as insect repellents for horses? See below for some great options.

Natural Insect Sprays for Horses

◆ Ecovet Fly Repellent uses naturally occurring fatty acids to confuse an insect’s natural GPS so they cannot locate your horse. They actually get confused and fly in circles!
◆ Nature’s Defense by Farnam is a water-based spray that uses common essential oils meant to deter flies, mosquitos, and gnats.
◆ Nature’s Force Natural Fly Repellent uses essential oils that bugs avoid, such as clove, thyme, cinnamon, and lemongrass.
◆ BugPellent Cylinder is a solid insect repellent meant to hang in the barn to naturally deter flying insects.
◆ Essentials Insect Repellent by Animal Bodywork & Aromatherapy is a handmade, custom blend of essential oils to gently repel common insects and cling to the hair for 24 hours.
◆ Catnip? Studies have shown that catnip is more effective at repelling flies and mosquitos than DEET. Add some to your favorite DIY blend with a carrier oil and your horse will thank you.

Supplements

Supplements containing garlic are intended to be ingested and protect your horse from nasty insects from the inside out, all while helping to balance a healthy immune system. These products include garlic.

◆ SmartPak’s Smart Bug Off supports healthy skin and a normal inflammatory response in a tasty pellet form with no added sugar.
◆ Springtime Supplements Bug-Off Garlic provides a 24-hour shield against flies, ticks, mosquitoes, gnats, no-see-ums, and other flying pests as a supplement you add to your horse’s feed.
◆ Redmond Rock Crushed with Garlic is added to your horse’s feed, which encourages hydration as well for those horses that don’t drink enough and who are sensitive to insect bites.
◆ Manna Pro Nature’s Force Bug Clear includes garlic, turmeric (200 mg), grape seed extract, Brewer’s dried yeast, diatomaceous earth and more.

Mineral Powder

◆ Tick Natural Terminator (TNT) is a small business dedicated to toxin and chemical-free prevention. According to the brand’s patent application: “The present invention is unique because of the presence of dried ground mint, which repels aphids; white flies, and others; dried ground oregano, which repels most insects; food-grade silicon dioxide, which adheres to insect and tick exoskeletons as they crawl through it, dehydrating their exoskeletons, which kills them mechanically instead of chemically.”

Sonic Repellent

The effectiveness of ultrasound to repel ticks and other insects has not been clinically proven, but there are a number of them on the market to plug into your barn sockets or even attach to your animal. While primarily geared to dogs and cats, the Only Natural’s Pet Tick Tag and the SonicGaurd Horse Ultrasonic Tick and Flea Repeller emit a frequency that is meant to naturally repel insects when worn on the body. Braid it into your horse’s mane or attach it to their halter if worn regularly during turnout.

Insect Eaters and Traps

Removing pests from the barn is easier said than done, but less bugs mean less insects biting you and your animals.

◆ Chickens or Guinea Hens! While they may not help the flies, they do eat ticks and other small insects as well as scratch at the manure and disperse it among the paddock to prevent large manure piles that attract flies.
◆ Fly Predators by Spalding Labs is used in a natural environment as a natural enemy that serves as a major check of pest fly populations by destroying the next generation of flies in their immature pupa (cocoon) stage, which breaks the gestation and multiplication cycle naturally.
◆ EZ Trap Fly Trap is an adhesive fly trap with a large surface for trapping flies.
◆ RESCUE! Disposable Hanging Fly Trap is hung outdoors and will easily catch up to 20,000 flies.

And while not technically an insect repellent, the Shoofly Leggins do a wonderful job keeping creeping crawlers from climbing up your horse’s legs and keep the stomping and resulting cracked hooves to a minimum.

Prevention is always the best option when it comes to pests. While no insect repellent is 100% effective, combine some natural alternatives that prevent and repel without adding toxic chemicals to your sensitive horse.

The post Natural Insect Repellents for Horses appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Thumbs Up: Evaluating Your Horse’s Supplement Program During Changing Seasons

The weather is cooling down, and the leaves are turning colors, which means there’s something else that may be changing: your horse’s needs. If your horse’s workload, diet or living environment is changing with the seasons, he may benefit from different areas of support than he does during the summer. This is the perfect time of year to evaluate your horse’s workload, diet and living environment for the upcoming seasons and determine whether he may need different support now than he did over the summer. To learn more about why your horse’s supplement program may need to change if you’re taking it easy this winter, working harder this winter, or maintaining your regular workload this winter, check out SmartPak’s blog, “The Seasons are Changing. Are Your Horse’s Needs?”

Thumbs Down: Stopping Supplements Just Because the Seasons Have Changed

Even though the weather is cooling off, that doesn’t necessarily mean your horse’s supplement program should, too. While there are some types of supplements that you don’t need all year, many of the most popular supplements are critical even in your horse’s “off-season.” There are four areas of support that are key to your horse’s health no matter what season it is, including joint, hoof, digestion, and skin and coat. To learn why supporting your horse with these key categories is a smart investment in his health, visit SmartPak’s blog, “There is No Off Season for Your Horse’s Health.”

View more SmartPak SmartTips of the Month

The post November 2019 SmartPak SmartTip of the Month: With Changing Seasons, Should Supplements Change? appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Your horse means everything to you, and you want him to be healthy and perform his best. If you feel your horse has a physical issue that could be improved through a dietary supplement, a little research can mean the difference between helping your horse and spending money needlessly.

Base Diet

The first step in feeding your horse to good health is examining his baseline diet (forage and grain). If he grazes on beautiful green pasture all day, he is most likely getting all the fiber, vitamins and fatty acids he needs.

If your horse does not get to graze on pasture, think about his hay. Does he eat a high-quality grass hay, or alfalfa? Is it young and leafy, or mature and stemmy? These factors will affect the calories and nutrients he’s getting.

For most horses, feeding hay at 2 percent of body weight (assuming it is good quality) will meet forage needs. Horses in particularly heavy work or hard-keeping types may need grain to supplement calories. It’s always best to feed a commercial bagged concentrate so the protein, vitamins and minerals are already balanced for you if you feed per label directions. (If you feed pure/straight grains, your horse is likely to be deficient in some of the micronutrients.)

Concentrate should never make up more than 50 percent of daily calories, or fed at more than 5 pounds per meal for the average-sized horse.

If your forage and concentrate sounds like it’s on par, read on to find out what types of supplements are lining the shelves at your feed store and which ones are most likely to provide the benefit you’re looking for.

Vitamins and Minerals

If your horse eats only hay, he may be lacking in some vitamins that diminish after baling. Both hay and pasture can be deficient in minerals depending on the soil in which they’re grown.

If you add supplements containing vitamins or minerals to your horse’s diet, you’ll want to make sure they don’t contain excess amounts on top of those he’s already getting through his feed. Certain vitamins and minerals can create an unhealthy imbalance or even toxicity if given in high doses.

Joint Health

One of the most popular categories of supplements to feed is joint health.

To take protective measures against osteoarthritis, which can occur even in younger performance horses, or to help an older horse that has some creaky days, a joint supplement may be worthwhile. Try it for 30 days to see if you notice a positive change; if so, you may want to continue feeding it.

There are a wide range of brands and types of joint supplements available. Active ingredients can include glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, hyaluronic acid, methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), avocado/soybean unsaponifiables (ASU), yucca, devil’s claw, vitamin C, ester C, collagen and silica.

Gastric Support

Gastric ulcers are extremely common among horses that are stabled, heavily exercised and/or trailered frequently. Once ulcers appear, the only FDA-approved treatment for horses is GastroGard (omeprazole paste), which must be prescribed by your vet.

Of course, prevention is the best medicine. In addition to management changes such as increased grazing or hay feedings, many supplements are intended to help prevent ulcers. Antacids, soluble fiber, L-glutamine, collagen, aloe, sea buckthorn and licorice are some of the ingredients fed to horses prone to ulcers.

Metabolic Disease

Horses with metabolic diseases (insulin resistance, Cushing’s, equine metabolic syndrome) require very careful dietary control, and sometimes prescribed medication. Talk to your vet about the best way to feed your metabolic horse to keep him healthy, and ask what type of supplements he might benefit from.

Ingredients in metabolic supplements are designed to help regulate blood sugar, boost the immune system, and strengthen tissues. These can include chromium, magnesium, vitamin E and herbs.

Hoof Health

Many horse owners struggle with weak, brittle hooves that chip, crack and lose shoes. If hoof quality is due to a dietary deficiency, a supplement may help make a noticeable improvement. Since the hoof category of supplements is one of the largest in the horse world, ingredients vary dramatically.

Some of the most common are biotin, lysine, methionine, threonine, zinc, copper, cobalt, MSM, and omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. It takes nearly a year after the supplement is started for the foot to grow out completely, so be patient when waiting for results.

Digestive Support

If you have a senior horse, or one that is prone to colicking or other gastrointestinal disturbances, a digestive-support supplement might be right for him.

These typically include prebiotics (live, beneficial bacteria that live in the gut), probiotics (yeast or oligosaccharides), and digestive enzymes.

Immune System/Antioxidants

Horses under stress (a heavy work or competition schedule) may be more susceptible to disease or damage from free radicals.

Look for ingredients such as vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, antioxidants, grapeseed extract, bioflavonoids and herbs.

Skin and Coat

Fatty acids from oils and other high-fat sources help promote skin health and a shiny coat.
Coat supplements can contain flaxseed, rice bran and fish oil as sources of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids.

Electrolytes

If your horse is in heavy exercise, particularly if you live in a hot and/or humid climate, he may benefit from electrolyte supplementation. Unlike regular salt, electrolytes are designed to replace the minerals in the proportions lost in a horse’s sweat.

Electrolytes can be combined with feed, fed as an oral paste, or dissolved in water. Always make sure your horse has plenty of plain water to hydrate himself if you use electrolytes.

Calming

For horses that are extremely nervous, spooky or tense, a calming supplement may be helpful.

These often contain ingredients that target the nervous system and/or herbal remedies. Ingredients can include vitamin B1, magnesium, L-tryptophan, valerian, chamomile and hops.

Senior Care

Senior horses can have a variety of health concerns, including joint support, immune health, losing weight and colic, so senior supplements are usually an all-in-one formulation with multiple ingredients.

Check labels to compare ingredients to make sure you choose one that addresses your particular senior’s concerns without overlapping anything else you’re already giving him.

Final Notes

Always feed supplements from a reputable manufacturer, such as those that have applied for the seal of approval from the National Animal Supplement Council (NASC). This symbol provides quality assurance that your horse will be getting the active ingredients specified on the label.

Be sure to check with your show association for prohibited substances, as sometimes even herbal formulas can show up as a positive test that will disqualify you from competition.
Before diving headlong into a complex routine of supplements, consult with your vet to make sure you’re on the right track.

Managing Editor HOLLY CACCAMISE has an M.S. in animal science with a specialization in equine nutrition and exercise physiology.

This article originally appeared in the October 2017 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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