61. Horse Nutrition Q&A: Gravel in the Gut, Lucerne Myths and Haynets

61. Horse Nutrition Q&A: Gravel in the Gut, Lucerne Myths and Haynets

Orla is back on the Happy Horse Nutrition Podcast, and this time she and Dr Nerida are answering listener questions, sharing stories from the behind the gastroscope, and chat themselves down a number of rabbit holes. In this (very 😂) relaxed Q&A episode, Nerida and Orla talk about sand, gravel and soil in the gut, when psyllium may be useful, and why forage and fibre are so important for helping horses move dirt through the digestive tract. They also discuss the tricky balance between using haynets to slow intake, while still keeping horses comfortable, chewing and ulcer-free. They answer a listener question about lucerne/alfalfa and whether it is actually too high in sugar for metabolic horses (spoiler alert, it's not but there are so many misconceptions!). Nerida explains why lucerne can be a useful low-NSC forage, and how it can help add protein, calcium and fibre diversity to the diet. The conversation also wanders into fasting horses for gastroscopy, soaking hay, muscle cramping, potassium, PSSM and HYPP, because one good horse nutrition question always seems to lead to five more 🙈😄. This is a fun episode with some useful info and interesting stories 💖 💛 If you enjoyed this episode, please follow the Happy Horse Nutrition Podcast and share it with a horse-loving friend 🙏🏼 📲 For help assessing your horse’s diet, download the MyHappy.Horse app ⁠https://apps.apple.com/au/app/myhappy-horse/id6633422324⁠ [https://apps.apple.com/au/app/myhappy-horse/id6633422324]. 🩺 And if you’d like to get in touch with Orla, Orla.lyons@randlab.com.au [Orla.lyons@randlab.com.au]

60. Rebuilding a Horse’s Gut After Racing - Allay's Story

What really happens inside an off-the-track’s gut when you take away the racing diet and start to rebuild the horse from the hindgut up? In this episode of the Happy Horse Nutrition Podcast, Dr Nerida is joined again by Dr Belinda to talk all about Allay, Nerida’s daughter's beautiful off-the-track Thoroughbred mare, and what happened inside her gut as she transitioned from racehorse life into life after racing. Allay’s story gives us a rare look at the hindgut microbiome in real life. Over her first 12 months with Nerida, her diet, behaviour, condition and microbiome were tracked, showing what can happen when an off-the-track horse is given time, fibre, forage diversity and the right nutritional support. Nerida and Belinda unpack how Allay’s microbiome changed over time, why fibre comes first when rebuilding the hindgut, how forage diversity helps support microbial diversity, and why microbiome recovery does not always happen in a perfectly straight line. They also talk about behaviour, manure, ryegrass curveballs, microbial resilience, and why feeding the microbes in the hindgut is such an important part of supporting the whole horse. If you own an off-the-track, work with them, or simply want to better understand how the gut can influence condition, health, behaviour and long-term resilience  🐎 To watch Allay's full story, see Allay: The First 12 Months [https://youtu.be/KttwjBii2HY?si=JcqNFeoAaAa5_0Mr]    📲 For help assessing your horse’s diet and building a balanced feeding plan, download the MyHappy.Horse App and let it help you feed with more confidence https://apps.apple.com/au/app/myhappy-horse/id6633422324 💖 If you find this episode helpful, please follow the Happy Horse Nutrition Podcast and  share it with a horse owning friend who is struggling with feeding their OTT. 🌟 And we'd love you to leave us a rating and review so more horse owners can find practical, science-based nutrition advice.

59. Feeding Pregnant Mares & Why Balanced Nutrition Matters From Day One

How much does broodmare nutrition really matter? In this episode, Dr Nerida is joined again by Jess, an equine science student from Charles Sturt University, for a practical Q&A on feeding pregnant (and lactating) broodmares. They unpack the idea of “feeding for two”, and why pregnant mares do not need large amounts of extra energy and protein from day one, but absolutely do need a balanced diet from the very beginning. Nerida explains how nutrients such as copper, iodine, calcium, phosphorus, protein and lysine can influence foal development, joint health, milk production and mare condition. The discussion also explores lactation, foal growth rates, the importance of the mare’s microbiome, and why nutrition during pregnancy may have long-term effects on the foal’s health and future performance. A must-listen episode for breeders, stud staff and horse owners wanting to give mares and foals the best possible start. 📲 Download MyHappy.Horse to help you keep broodmare diets balanced: https://apps.apple.com/app/myhappy-horse/id6633422324 [https://apps.apple.com/app/myhappy-horse/id6633422324] 🦠 And if you want to look into your broodmare’s microbiome, get in touch with EquiGI - https://www.equigi.com [https://www.equigi.com/]

58. Feeding horses for Weight Loss and Why “Just Feed Less” is Not the Answer

Is your horse an “air fern” who seems to gain weight just by looking at grass? In this episode of the Happy Horse Nutrition Podcast, Dr Nerida walks you through how to feed overweight horses and good doers for safe, sustainable weight loss, without leaving them hungry, stressed, nutritionally deficient or at higher risk of problems like gastric ulcers. Weight loss for good doers is not as simple as “feed less”. In fact, restricting forage too harshly will create serious gut health, welfare and behaviour problems. Instead, Nerida explains how to reduce calorie intake while still keeping your horse chewing, happy and with all of their nutrient requirements met. You’ll learn the five key steps to feeding horses for weight loss, including remove high-energy feeds, manage access to pasture and high quality hay, use low-calorie forages like mature grass hay and straw, balance vitamins and minerals correctly, and how exercise and winter can make such a difference. This episode also covers practical tools for managing laminitis-prone , insulin-dysregulated , cresty-necked and easy keeper horses, including use of forage testing, slow feeders, track systems, controlled grazing and the importance of measuring body condition, body weight and cresty neck score over time. If you have agood doer or an overweight horse that needs to lose weight safely, this episode will help you understand how to create a weight loss diet that protects gut health, supports the hindgut microbiome and keeps your horse (and you!) as happy as possible.  📲 Download the MyHappy.Horse nutrition app to check your horse’s calorie intake and make sure your weight loss diet is properly balanced https://apps.apple.com/au/app/myhappy-horse/id6633422324 [https://apps.apple.com/au/app/myhappy-horse/id6633422324] ⁠    💖 If you found this episode helpful, please follow the Happy Horse Nutrition Podcast and  share it with a horse owning friend who is struggling with getting their air fern to lose some weight!.   🌾 And here is Sammy Julliand’s work on hay assessment using the human senses https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1751731118003725 [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1751731118003725]

57. Feeding Horses for Weight Gain and Why “Just Feed More” Is Not the Answer

Is your horse underweight, a classic hard keeper, or one of those horses who seems to need a ridiculous amount of feed just to hold condition? In this episode of the Happy Horse Nutrition Podcast, Dr Nerida takes a practical, gut-first look at feeding horses for safe, effective and sustainable weight gain. Because weight gain is not simply a matter of “just feed more”. Yes, a horse needs to eat more energy than they use in order to gain weight, but they also need to be able to digest and use that energy. And that is where so many weight gain diets go wrong. If the cause of weight loss has not been identified, the hindgut is struggling, the diet is unbalanced, or the horse is being pushed too hard with high-starch feeds, owners can end up feeding more and more, while the horse still fails to thrive. In this episode, Nerida walks through the five key steps to feeding for weight gain, starting with identifying why the horse is underweight in the first place. From there, she explains why the hindgut must become a fibre-fermenting powerhouse, why forage variety and fibre diversity matter, how to balance the diet properly, why high-quality protein is essential for building muscle and topline, and how to add high-energy ingredients like super fibres, oils and well-cooked grains safely. Nerida also talks about something every owner needs to understand before starting a weight gain diet: higher-energy diets can affect behaviour. The aim is not to create a fire-breathing dragon under saddle. The aim is to build a healthier horse who can gain condition, support muscle development, maintain better gut health and eventually hold weight without relying on huge amounts of supplementary feed forever.   📲 For help assessing your horse’s diet and building a balanced feeding plan, download the MyHappy.Horse app and let it help you feed with more confidence. https://apps.apple.com/au/app/myhappy-horse/id6633422324 [https://apps.apple.com/au/app/myhappy-horse/id6633422324]   💖 If you find this episode helpful, please follow the Happy Horse Nutrition Podcast and  share it with a horse owning friend who is struggling with weight gain. 🌟And we'd love you to leave us a review so more horse owners can find practical, science-based nutrition advice.