ASKHQ: SMUTSFINGER

Q: Is smutsfinger a good option for horses? A: Smutsfinger grass (Digitaria eriantha), also known as digit grass, is a warm-season perennial grass native to southern Africa. It is commonly grown as pasture or hay and is valued for its drought resistance, palatability, and high forage production. It’s particularly suited for horses in regions with…

BylizzieJanuary 12, 20250Comments

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ASKHQ: SQUAMOUS GASTRIC ULCER

Q: My horse has just been diagnosed with gastric ulcers in the squamous part of his stomach. He is in light work and has been fed a balancer. Do I need to change this? First and foremost, it is important to note that your treatment and management plan should be arranged in consultation with your vet.…

BylizzieNovember 30, 20240Comments

Ask HQ Horse Health

FIBRE CAN CHANGE ABNORMAL BEHAVIOUR

By Hannah Botha, MSc Equine Nutriiton Stereotypic behaviours are actions that are repeated without any apparent or obvious purpose or function. These behaviours involve a need-related drive that develops if an environment has inadequate opportunities for satisfying the need the horse is trying to fill. Once established, these behaviours may become a need in and of…

BylizzieMay 7, 20230Comments

Horse Channel Horse Health Know How Lifestyle

BIG OPEN SPACES

By Kim Dimevski, SA Horse Trails Growing up learning about horses in the typical stable yard environment can give one a fairly limited education. Within these fixed confines we often only know what is taught to us by our instructors, and especially when young we tend to hang onto every word they say. We know what…

BylizzieFebruary 27, 20210Comments

Ask HQ Horse Channel Horse Health

ASKHQ: MOULDY HAY

Q: How can I tell if my horse’s hay has gone off? A: The consequences for your horse’s gastrointestinal and respiratory health can be severe if forage quality, especially hygiene is poor. Changes in forage have a much bigger impact on gastrointestinal health than that of concentrate feeds. In particular the impact of forage on the…

BylizzieFebruary 16, 20210Comments

Horse Channel Horse Health

HQ FOCUS NUTRITION GUIDE CONTENTS

As this Nutrition Guide is a bit of a marathon production, we thought it wise to give you the option of diving in and out according to your needs and interests. Here's a breakdown of the contents with the relevant links so that you can rummage around and find the bits that interest you, or…

BylizzieDecember 6, 20200Comments

Ask HQ Horse Channel Horse Health

ASKHQ: ARE STEREOTYPIC BEHAVIOURS CONTAGIOUS?

Q: The horse standing in the stable next to mine has a habit of crib-biting and wind-sucking. My horse has started a funny habit of opening his mouth and crossing his jaw when standing in his stable. I have only noticed it recently and I am worried he is picking up on the other horse’s…

BylizzieAugust 15, 20200Comments

Ask HQ Horse Channel Horse Health Horse Training

ASKHQ: RACING DIET

Q: What is the typical racing diet? Answered by Jassy MacKenzie A: In order to meet the extreme physical demands of racing, racehorses are usually fed a scientifically calculated diet which includes high quantities of concentrates. “Your average three-year-old is on 14% protein concentrate, with a very high energy content,” explains racehorse trainer Ashleigh Hughes, who is…

BylizzieJune 14, 20200Comments

Horse Channel Horse Health

THE HORSE’S DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

When chewing on hay or any other paddock vegetation, the horse chews with long jaw sweeps [dropcap]H[/dropcap]orses are trickle feeders and non-ruminant herbivores, meaning that they are designed to graze for most of the day on vegetation, and process their feed through one stomach chamber. The equine digestive system is unique in the way in which…

BylizzieMarch 14, 20180Comments

Horse Channel Horse Health Know How Lifestyle

Paddock Paradise

Our horses today live truly domestic lives, and often they are deprived of a natural environment that can impact the small things – like hoof care. Paddock Paradise is a management concept that was first adopted in the United States as a means of providing domestic horses with an environment that is similar to their…

BylizzieAugust 11, 20170Comments

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