Expert Horse Health & Wellbeing Advice

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Why choose powders as a supplement for your horse?

by Valerie De Clerck on Apr 22 2025

Powders let you choose the most bioavailable nutrient forms, pack more active ingredient into every dose, and stay stable longer without preservatives, which makes them a strong format for horse supplements compared to liquids or pellets.

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Expert Horse Health & Wellbeing Advice

Is Your Horse’s Muscle Growth Stuck in First Gear?

by Valerie De Clerck on Mar 06 2025

Struggling to build your horse’s topline despite consistent training and proper nutrition? Discover why simply adding more protein isn’t enough and how targeted amino acids, recovery support, and nutrient balance can unlock true muscle growth.

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The Fertility Formula: Clinically proven supplement improves your mare's chances of conceiving this season

by Valerie De Clerck on Feb 07 2025

A methylation gap in the weeks before breeding can quietly impair egg quality and early embryo development, even when the reproductive tract itself checks out fine. Fresh&Fertile supplies active folate, choline, betaine and B vitamins to help close that gap, starting three months before breeding and continuing through pregnancy and lactation.

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Is Your Horse Too Skinny?

by Valerie De Clerck on Nov 27 2024

If your horse stays thin despite deworming, dental care and vet checks, the real issue is often gut health and absorption rather than how much you feed. This article covers forage basics, protein and amino acids, low-starch oil sources, and gut support for helping a hard keeper actually gain condition.

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The Hidden Sugar Danger Threatening Your Horse's Health

by Valerie De Clerck on Oct 23 2024

Excess sugar in feed and pasture drives much of the obesity, insulin resistance, and laminitis seen in horses today. Here is where it actually hides, and the sugar-smart changes that make the biggest difference.

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Milk Thistle for Horses and Ponies: Natural Support for Your Horse's Liver

by Valerie De Clerck on Sep 19 2024

Milk thistle is a well-known liver herb for horses, and its antioxidant effects have solid backing. The anti-inflammatory mechanisms are still borrowed from other species, but a small equine trial shows real gains in energy metabolism and recovery.

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The Dangers of St. Jacob's Ragwort and How to Remove It from Horse Fields

by Valerie De Clerck on Aug 22 2024

Ragwort is highly toxic to horses even in small, repeated doses, and the liver damage it causes often goes unnoticed until it's irreversible. Here's how to recognize it, understand the risks, and clear it from your pasture.

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Arthritis in Horses: causes, symptoms and treatments.

by Valerie De Clerck on Aug 22 2024

Osteoarthritis breaks down joint cartilage gradually and cannot be cured, but early signs like stiffness after rest are easy to catch and the condition can be managed well for years.

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Laminitis in horses: treatment and support.

by Valerie De Clerck on Sep 21 2023

Laminitis is a breakdown of the tissue connecting the coffin bone to the hoof wall, and how you respond in the first hours matters. This article walks through the emergency steps, from calling the vet for an x-ray to diet changes, hoof care and controlled movement during recovery.

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Laminitis in horses: symptoms and signals

by Valerie De Clerck on Sep 21 2023

Laminitis often signals itself before a horse goes visibly lame, through warm hooves, a bounding digital pulse, and a guarded stride. This article explains the early signs to check for, when it becomes an emergency, and how to manage horses long-term.

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How to treat osteoarthritis in horses: exercise, medication and management

by Valerie De Clerck on Sep 21 2023

Resting a horse completely after an osteoarthritis diagnosis usually does more harm than good, since joints need movement to stay healthy. This article covers getting the diagnosis right, controlling inflammation without overusing NSAIDs, and the exercise, weight, and environment changes that protect a horse's remaining cartilage long term.

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Why can't I get my mare to go in foal?

by Valerie De Clerck on Sep 21 2023

Getting a mare in foal fails more often than most owners expect, and the reason can lie anywhere from fertilisation to early pregnancy loss. This article breaks down the main causes at each stage, from timing and semen quality to endometrial fibrosis and infection.

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This is how your vet examines an infertile mare

by Valerie De Clerck on Sep 21 2023

A structured veterinary exam is the fastest way to find out why a mare isn't conceiving. This article walks through the 5-step protocol vets use, from history and clinical exam through ultrasound, stable management, and targeted diagnostics.

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Does my horse have colic and what should I do?

by Valerie De Clerck on Sep 21 2023

Colic is a symptom, not a diagnosis, and knowing which signs to watch for can change the outcome. This article covers the five types of colic, what to do while you wait for the vet, and the management changes that actually lower risk.

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Gastric Ulcers in Horses: Recognizing and Preventing

by Valerie De Clerck on Sep 21 2023

More than 60% of sport horses have gastric ulcers, and many show no obvious signs beyond poor performance or a dull coat. This article explains why ulcers develop, how to recognise them, and the feeding and management changes that help prevent them.

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This is how you treat an underweight horse

by Valerie De Clerck on Sep 21 2023

Feeding more is often the last thing an underweight horse needs, not the first. This article explains how to confirm a horse is underweight using body condition scoring, find the underlying cause, and build a feeding plan around it.

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Why is my horse too skinny?

by Valerie De Clerck on Sep 21 2023

Weight loss in horses is rarely random. Here's how to check your horse's body condition and work through the most common medical and dietary reasons behind it, from dental pain to parasites.

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Equine laminitis: definition and causes

by Valerie De Clerck on Sep 21 2023

Laminitis is a painful, often preventable hoof condition with several distinct triggers, from metabolic disease and pasture fructan to excess weight and long-term corticosteroids. Here is what actually drives it and how vets assess the risk.

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The infertile mare: solutions

by Valerie De Clerck on Sep 21 2023

Why mares become infertile, and the health checks, environment changes, and nutrition adjustments that actually improve the odds of a successful pregnancy.

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How to prevent laminitis in horses: diet, pasture and grazing

by Valerie De Clerck on Sep 21 2023

Laminitis is far easier to prevent than treat, and diet is the biggest lever an owner controls. This guide covers feeding changes, hay soaking, pasture and grazing timing, and stricter management for horses that have foundered before.