Nutrition

With an array of upcoming and recorded teleseminars, equine nutrition expert Dr. Juliet Getty offers straight information delivered directly to horse owners in an easy and convenient format. Participate in a teleseminar directly, or register for it and then download the teleseminar later to replay as many times as you’d like. Missed a teleseminar? Dr. Getty offers recordings of every teleseminar, which equates to a valuable library of information available at a reasonable price and with a few clicks of the computer mouse.

Read more: Dr. Getty's Teleseminars Make it Easy to Keep Your Horse Healthy

HOW OLD IS A SENIOR HORSE? The answer is different for each equine. Some horses seem old and feeble at 15; others are still going strong well into their 20s. As with human beings, many things—health history, use, care, conformation and other genetic factors—influence the condition and overall well-being of aged horses.

Read more: Nutrition Program for Senior Horses

Omega 3 fatty acids keep your horse healthy in a variety of ways. They balance immune function, protect joints and ligaments, diminish airway inflammation, support gastrointestinal function, reduce skin allergies, and decrease nervousness. Keep in mind that there are several fatty acids that can be classified as “omega 3” based on their chemical structure, but there is only one omega 3 fatty acid that your horse cannot produce on his own and which, therefore, must be in his diet: Alpha Linolenic Acid (or ALA). Given this, however, your horse can manufacture two other omega 3s, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).

Read more: Nutrition Tip: The Best Sources for Omega 3 Fatty Acids

When winter weather hits. our natural human tendency is to do what we can to protect our horses from the cold, damp, and wind. This is a wonderful nurturing and protective instinct, and at the same time I frequently see people overdoing that protection, often at the expense of their horse's health.

Read more: Natural Horse Health in Winter