Happy Horse Nutrition

56. Do Calming Supplements for Horses Actually Work?

Do calming supplements for horses actually work? Or are we sometimes asking them to do a job they were never going to be able to do? In this episode, Dr Nerida takes a practical, science-based look at horse behaviour, diet and calming supplements. Before diving into ingredients like magnesium, vitamin B1 and tryptophan, Nerida starts with the bigger question every horse owner should ask first: Why is my horse behaving this way? Spookiness, tension, anxiety, reactivity, unpredictability and “too much energy” can all be signs that something deeper is going on. Too much concentrated feed, grain-based diets, raw or poorly digested grain, not enough forage, hindgut dysbiosis, gastric pain, riding on an empty stomach, mycotoxins, pain, lack of movement, lack of socialisation and unbalanced diets can all influence behaviour. Nerida also explains why forage is one of the most powerful “calmers” we have for horses, why the hindgut and brain are so closely connected, and why behaviour should always be treated as information. Then she looks at the evidence behind common calming supplement ingredients. Magnesium may help in specific situations, especially where magnesium intake or metabolism is compromised. Vitamin B1 may have a role, particularly when hindgut health is poor. But tryptophan? The research in horses does not support it as an effective calmer. If you have ever reached for a calming supplement hoping it would fix a spooky, anxious or explosive horse, this episode will help you step back, look at the whole horse, and understand what may really be driving the behaviour. Because calm does not start in the supplement aisle.  💛 Download the MyHappy.Horse app to check whether your horse’s diet is supporting calm, healthy behaviour. https://apps.apple.com/app/myhappy-horse/id6633422324 [https://apps.apple.com/app/myhappy-horse/id6633422324] 🎧 Follow the Happy Horse Nutrition Podcast for more practical, science-based feeding advice

55. Horse Nutrition Q&A: Feeding horses with dental issues

What do you feed a horse that can’t chew properly? In this episode, Dr Nerida McGilchrist is joined by Jess, an equine science student from Charles Sturt University, for a practical Q&A on dental issues in horses and how they affect nutrition. Using Jess’s own horse as a real-life example, they explore how to feed horses with unusual or compromised teeth, why forage still matters, when soaked hay may help, and how to balance dental comfort with laminitis risk. Nerida also explains why old horses with worn teeth are so often underfed, how to think about chaff, hay cubes, beet pulp, copra and other fibre sources, and why a balanced diet is still essential when forage intake becomes complicated. A useful episode for anyone feeding an older horse, a horse with missing or worn teeth, or a horse that needs a more creative nutrition plan. 📲 Download the MyHappy.Horse nutrition app: https://apps.apple.com/app/myhappy-horse/id6633422324 [https://apps.apple.com/app/myhappy-horse/id6633422324] 🧮 Monitor closely for laminitis with Lami-tag, as early detection is critical - https://www.lami-tag.com [https://www.lami-tag.com/] 🐎 Queensland Off The Track’s Feeding the senior OTT - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxXOm7_7biM [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxXOm7_7biM] 🌾 Here is the key paper behind the discussion about oaten/cereal hay, water-soluble carbohydrates and equine peripheral dental caries. This study surveyed 500 Western Australian horses and found peripheral caries in 58.8% of surveyed horses, with oaten hay identified as a dietary risk factor.  Jackson, K., Kelty, E. & Tennant, M. 2018. Equine peripheral dental caries: An epidemiological survey assessing prevalence and possible risk factors in Western Australian horses. Equine Veterinary Journal, 50(1), 79–84. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28707363/ [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28707363/?utm_source=chatgpt.com]

54. Rethinking Yearling Horse Sales Prep: Less Grain, Better Gut Health

What happens when a thoroughbred breeding farm reduces grain, increases forage diversity, and prepares yearlings with gut health in mind? In this episode, Dr Nerida is joined by Zac Harris, a thoroughbred breeding farm manager preparing yearlings for sale, to talk about a very different approach to traditional yearling prep. For years, many sales yearlings have been fed high-grain diets, often with limited forage diversity, in an effort to maximise growth, muscle and sale-ring presentation. But what if there is a better way? Zac shares what happened when he changed the feeding program, focused more on forage and fibre, and paid closer attention to the horses’ appetite, manure, behaviour and overall wellbeing. This is a hands-on conversation for anyone feeding young horses, preparing yearlings for sale, managing thoroughbreds, or simply wanting to better understand the link between diet, gut health and behaviour.   🌟 If this conversation made you think differently about feeding young horses, we’d love you to follow the Happy Horse Nutrition Podcast   🙏🏼 Please share this episode with someone who works with yearlings, thoroughbreds, or any horses that could benefit from a happier, healthier gut.   💛 And for more information about what we do here at MyHappy.Horse, go to https://www.myhappy.horse/ [https://www.myhappy.horse/]

53. Feeding Horses in Winter

Winter can be one of the biggest challenges when feeding horses. So in this episode, Dr Nerida talks all things winter feeding. You’ll learn why preparation matters, that forage is your horse’s internal heater and why body condition scoring with your hands is so important during the colder months. Nerida also covers winter weight loss, feeding good doers, choosing forage quality, fibre diversity for hindgut health, water and salt intake, balanced diets, vitamin and mineral support, protein quality, and why laminitis-prone horses still need careful management in winter. Whether your horse is an older horse, an off-the-track Thoroughbred, a hard keeper, a broodmare, a growing horse, a good doer, or a horse prone to laminitis, this episode will help you stay one step ahead before winter feeding problems show up. 📲 Download the MyHappy.Horse app to check whether your horse’s diet is meeting their energy, protein, lysine, vitamin and mineral needs this winter: https://apps.apple.com/app/myhappy-horse/id6633422324 [https://apps.apple.com/app/myhappy-horse/id6633422324] 💖 If this episode helps you, we’d love you to follow the podcast and share it with a horse-loving friend that has a horse who struggles through winter.

52. Protein Is Not Just Protein: Protein Quality in Horse Nutrition Explained

We talk a lot about protein in horse nutrition, especially for topline, growth, milk production and gut health, but the number on the feed bag is only the starting point. Two feeds can both say 16% protein on the bag, but they may not support your horse’s body in the same way. In this episode of the Happy Horse Nutrition Podcast, Dr Nerida explains protein quality in horses and why the crude protein percentage on a feed bag only tells part of the story. You’ll learn how amino acids work, why essential amino acids matter, and why lysine, methionine, threonine and the branched-chain amino acids are so important for muscle, topline, bone development, milk production, tissue repair and gut health. Nerida also explains why protein source matters, using examples like soybean meal, whey protein, cottonseed meal, sunflower meal and forage quality, and shows how two feeds with similar crude protein levels can provide very different amino acid value to your horse. Whether you have a growing horse, broodmare, performance horse, off-the-track Thoroughbred, senior horse, or a horse needing more topline or gut support, this episode will help you ask a better question: not just “how much protein is in this feed?”, but “is this protein good enough for the job I’m asking my horse’s body to do?”   📲 Download the MyHappy.Horse nutrition app to check your horse’s crude protein and lysine intake and build better, more balanced diets with confidence https://apps.apple.com/au/app/myhappy-horse/id6633422324 [https://apps.apple.com/au/app/myhappy-horse/id6633422324]   🐎 Queensland Off The Track Nutrition Hub is here https://www.racingqueensland.com.au/animal-welfare/off-the-track/nutrition-education-hub 💖 And you can find the story of Allay's first 12 months here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KttwjBii2HY ⁉️ If you'd like help with interpreting your feed label's list of ingredients, email it to us, hello@myhappy.horse or ask Dr Nerida AI https://www.myhappy.horse/nerida-ai 💛 Follow the Happy Horse Nutrition podcast for more practical, science-based horse nutrition, and we’d love you to share this episode with a horse-loving friend who wants to feed their horse with more clarity and confidence.