Expert Horse Health & Wellbeing Advice

Body Condition Score in Horses: How to Use It and Why Most Owners Get It Wrong

by Dr. Valerie De Clerck on Aug 04 2026

How to score your horse's body condition, why most owners get the number wrong, and what to do when it starts dropping in late summer.

Expert Horse Health & Wellbeing Advice

Faecal Water Syndrome in Horses: Causes, Symptoms and Solutions

by Valerie De Clerck on Aug 03 2026

Faecal water syndrome leaves horses stained and sore, and most of the standard advice about it is out of date. Here is what the newest equine research says about the cause, and which feeding changes make a difference.

Expert Horse Health & Wellbeing Advice

Pregnant and Prone to Laminitis: How to Feed a Sugar-Sensitive Mare

by Valerie De Clerck on Jul 16 2026

A pregnant mare who is sugar sensitive or prone to laminitis needs a different feeding plan than a standard mare mix. Here's what the research says, and how the numbers work out.

Expert Horse Health & Wellbeing Advice

Horse Liver Health: Why Detox Matters More Than You Think

by Dr. Valerie De Clerck on Jul 13 2026

A slightly high liver enzyme on routine bloodwork is common and rarely an emergency, but tracking the full pattern over time with your vet, not just one number, is what actually catches hepatic stress early. Supportive herbs like milk thistle and dandelion, alongside good hay and pasture management, can help horses carrying extra liver load.

Expert Horse Health & Wellbeing Advice

What to Feed Your Mare Before, During and After Pregnancy 

by Valerie De Clerck on Jan 23 2026

A mare's nutritional needs change by stage: body condition before breeding, steady feeding through early pregnancy, then more protein, minerals and calories in the last trimester and during lactation, when demand peaks. Getting this timing right supports fertility, foetal growth and milk production.

Expert Horse Health & Wellbeing Advice

How do I create a good feeding plan for my skinny horse? Step-by-step guide toward a suitable ration

by Valerie De Clerck on Dec 18 2025

A horse loses weight for a reason, and finding it comes before changing what is in the bucket. This article builds a feeding plan from the ground up, covering how much forage a horse needs, when concentrates make sense, and how to adjust the ration for common causes of weight loss.