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Inside Out Equine Health, Benalla (2026)

28/04/2026

If you’re new to horses and feel completely confused… this is for you.

You start out knowing you don’t know much.
Which is actually a really good place to be.

So you do the logical thing.
You listen to people.

The lady at the agistment.
The one at pony club.
The farrier.
The feed store.
Facebook.
Your friend who’s “had horses for years.”

And before long, you’ve got ten different opinions… all confident, all slightly different, and all sounding like they must be right.

Add a bit of Googling or a quick chat with ChatGPT… and now you’ve got twenty.

And suddenly something that should be simple feels impossible.

So you do what most people do at that point.

You put it in the “too hard” basket and just hope what you’re doing is okay.

That’s not because you don’t care.
It’s because you care enough to realise you might be getting it wrong.

Here’s the thing.

Horses are simple… until people make them complicated.

At the foundation, most horses need:
– enough fibre
- the right kind of protein
– balanced minerals and vitamins
– energy appropriate for their condition and workload
– consistent management

That’s it.

Everything else gets layered on top of that.

The problem is, when you’re new, you don’t yet know:
– which advice applies to your horse
– which advice is situational
– and which advice can be ignored (most of it 🤭🤫)

So everything feels equally important… and equally overwhelming.

That’s where having one clear, experienced voice matters.

Not ten opinions.
Not bits and pieces from everywhere.

Just one plan, designed for your horse, that you understand and can follow.

Because the goal isn’t to know everything.

It’s to know enough to do the right things, consistently.

And to feel confident that you’re not just guessing.

If you’re feeling confuddled, you’re not alone.

You’re just at the start of the learning curve.

*Photo of me and Lilah from AAAAGES ago when I was at the start of my own learning curve of having my own equine nutrition business. Of course, I look pretty much the same now 😉😜

27/04/2026

There’s a lot of chatter at the moment, and honestly… it’s not hard to see why.

People are comparing bags, reading labels, doing the maths — and coming to the same conclusion:

Things HAVE changed.

And yet, the messaging says it hasn’t.

We’re being told it’s the same trusted formula, just in new packaging.

But that doesn’t hold up under even a basic look.

The ingredients are different.
Not a tweak — a shift. From clearly defined protein sources to vague, catch-all terms, with more cereals and by-products coming through.

The starch profile? Different.
The feeding rate? Higher.
The cost per day? Also higher once you feed to new recommendations.

Those aren’t minor details.

And this is where it becomes a problem.

Because saying “nothing has changed” — or implying it — when the ingredients, nutritional emphasis, and feeding rates tell a different story… isn’t just clever marketing.

It’s misleading.

People make decisions based on that reassurance.
They keep feeding the same product, expecting the same outcome.

And for some horses, especially the sensitive ones, that matters.
Ingredient changes aren’t neutral — they can affect digestion, behaviour, metabolic stability.

If those changes aren’t communicated, owners are left troubleshooting issues without even knowing why there is a problem.

That’s not a small oversight. That’s an ethical one.

Then there’s the narrative around sustainability.

Less plastic? Great.
But let’s not blur the lines.

Cost pressures are real. Ingredient swaps happen. Big companies optimise — that’s what they do. Margins matter.

Again, that's not wrong. That’s just business.

What is wrong is dressing it up as “nothing has changed” and leaning on words like ‘trusted’ to carry that message through.

Trust isn’t built on branding.
It’s built on transparency.

And right now, a lot of people are noticing that those two things aren’t lining up.

Feeds evolve. That’s normal.
But if something important has changed — say it.

Clearly. Up front.

Because once people start figuring it out for themselves, the word ‘trusted’ starts to lose its meaning.

20/04/2026

The “pony club nutritionist” strikes again.

You know the one.

“The lady at pony club said her horse did really well on XYZ, you should try it.”

And look, sometimes it does work.
That’s how these things spread.

But here’s the problem:

Horses are individuals.

What worked brilliantly for one horse can be completely irrelevant, ineffective, or even inappropriate for another.

Because that horse might be:
– a different age
– a different workload
– a different metabolic type
– on different pasture
– eating completely different hay
– dealing with underlying issues you can’t see

Same product.
Different horse.
Different outcome.

And the tricky part is… when something works for one horse, it feels like a universal truth.

But it’s not.

It’s just one horse, in one environment, at one point in time.

I see this a lot when I’m reviewing diets. People aren’t doing the wrong thing because they don’t care, they’re doing what they’ve been told works.

The issue is, it wasn’t designed for their horse.

Feeding horses isn’t about copying what worked down the aisle at pony club.

It’s about asking:
– what does this horse need?
– what is it actually getting right now?
– what is it missing, or getting too much of?
– and what is the environment doing around it?

Because there is no one-size-fits-all.

If there was, my job would be very easy.

Instead, every horse is its own little puzzle.
Same species… wildly different answers.

So by all means, listen to what’s worked for others.
Just don’t assume it’s the right answer for yours.

20/04/2026

I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you...

Supporting a small business right now really does mean a lot. Times are a tricky across the board, and I just want you to know that every order genuinely makes a difference.

You may have noticed courier prices have increased recently. This is predominantly due to the current fuel situation, and I’ve been assured that these costs should come back down once things settle.

I also want to be transparent — my product prices haven’t increased at all. While my own costs (manufacturing, raw materials, etc.) have gone up, I haven’t passed those increases on. The changes you’re seeing are purely courier-related.

I know it’s frustrating, I get it — especially when it feels like everything is going up at once — so I really appreciate your understanding.

One way to make it a bit easier is that ordering multiple boxes works out significantly cheaper per box in terms of freight, so if you’re able to stock up, it will help offset the increase.

Small businesses rely heavily on ongoing support, and I don’t take that lightly.

Small businesses rely heavily on ongoing support, and I don’t take that lightly. Every order, every diet plan, every bit of trust — it all counts.

It matters to me personally, but it also plays a part in keeping small businesses alive in Australia, rather than everything becoming uniform and driven by a handful of large companies.

Large companies who care more about profit and spreadsheets than they do about quality, outcomes for the horse, and whether what they’re selling actually works.

Thank you for being part of it ❤❤❤

18/04/2026

Feeding a horse isn’t just what goes in the bucket.

That’s the easy part.

What people don’t see is that every “diet” I do isn’t just a list of feeds and amounts. It’s a full write-up, often 10+ pages, going through the current diet in detail and explaining why it’s not working.

Not just “change this to that”… but:
– what’s actually happening nutritionally
– where things are overlapping or lacking
– what risks are building
– and why those changes matter for that specific horse

Because if you don’t understand the “why,” you’re far more likely to drift back to what you were doing before.

But even that’s only part of it.

A diet isn’t just calculations.
It’s management.

It’s:
– how much pasture the horse is actually getting (not what we think it’s getting)
– how grass length changes intake
– how weather shifts sugar levels
– how hay is fed (and how fast it disappears)
– how many hours the horse stands around doing nothing
– how often it’s being handled, moved, stressed, or worked
– whether you need a track system
– how to actually set that track system up
– how far your water is from your hay
– how big the paddock is
– whether your grass is overgrazed (people get this wrong all the time)
– where in Australia you live
– what species your grass is likely to be if you don’t know
– how different hays change the overall diet
– and a lot more besides

You can have the most perfectly balanced feed plan on paper…
and completely undo it with poor management.

That’s the bit that doesn’t fit neatly into numbers.

It’s also the bit that’s hardest to get right.

Because horses don’t live in spreadsheets. They live in paddocks, with changing grass, changing weather, and humans making decisions around them every day.

That’s why two horses on the “same diet” can have completely different outcomes.

And it’s why a good diet isn’t just about what you add…
it’s about what you change in the bigger picture.

The tricky part of feeding horses isn’t the bucket.

It’s everything else.

*picture of my gelding and c**t who INSIST on sharing despite each having their own feed 🤦😂

17/04/2026

🤖 ChatGPT: why I’m not worried about my job… but I am worried about your horses 🤖

I had a conversation with an agistment owner last week that stuck with me.

One of her agistees had asked ChatGPT for advice on her horse’s diet, and she wanted to double-check the answer.

The problem was, I didn’t have the full picture.
And I don’t guess.

If I’m going to give advice, I want the full diet, the hay, the pasture, the workload, the history.

So we went back and forth. I asked questions, filled in gaps, and eventually got to a point where I was comfortable giving an answer.

I answered the question because I’m a nice person who actually cares.

AI doesn’t. It can’t. It’s not a person.

What surprised me wasn’t the question, though.
It was the outcome.

Despite having the chance to get advice from a qualified human who will ask questions, look for gaps, and tailor things properly… she chose to follow the answer from something that can’t see the horse, can’t assess nuance, and didn’t ask a single clarifying question.

And that’s the bit that worries me.

Because AI only works with what it’s given.

To get anything close to useful advice, you’d need AT LEAST this input:

– Hay details (and ideally an analysis, but even then…)
– Pasture type, length, and current seasonal conditions
– Horse’s weight, age, condition score, workload, metabolic status
– Full supplement list (including doses)
– Clinical history (laminitis, ulcers, EMS, PPID, etc.)

And even then, there are gaps.

You might know the grass species in the hay.
But AI doesn’t understand how hay analysis shifts over seasons, years, and weather patterns.

After 10+ years of looking at forage, reviewing lab analyses, and watching how horses respond, you build a mental database.

So even without a lab analysis in front of me, I’m not guessing.
I’m making an informed estimate based on patterns I’ve seen play out over years.

AI might produce an answer in seconds.
But I can see the whole picture in seconds too… once I have the right information.

But it’s not just data.

I’m also picking things up from my gut.
From experience, from feel, from the horse in front of me, and from the owner and their attitude to that horse.

That combination of thought, feeling, and experience matters more than people realise.

AI can’t do that unless you explicitly feed it that context.
And most people can’t.

You can’t ask a question you don’t know exists.

That’s where experience comes in. It’s not just knowledge, it’s pattern recognition. It’s seeing the horse behind the numbers.

I’m not worried about my job.

Because feeding a horse properly isn’t just maths.

It’s judgement.
It’s context.
It’s experience built over years of watching what actually happens in real horses.

AI is a tool. It’s useful for education, for understanding concepts, even for asking better questions.

But it’s not a replacement for experience.

And your horse is the one that wears the difference.

14/04/2026

There’s a quiet comfort in adding “just one more supplement.”

A scoop for hooves.
A scoop for joints.
A scoop for gut.
A splash for coat.
Something for calm.
Something for “just in case.”

And before long, the feed room looks impressive…
but the horse’s diet hasn’t actually improved.
Maybe it's actually worse?

Because most of the time, these extras:

• Don’t address a real deficiency
• Aren’t fed at effective doses
• Overlap with each other
• Can't be properly absorbed
• Or simply don’t do much at all

And here’s the part we don’t talk about enough:

A lot of these products exist predominantly because they sell well,
not because they’re necessary.

It’s far easier to market a “support” powder than it is to explain mineral ratios, protein quality, or forage analysis.

So the shelves fill up and your wallet simultaneously empties

In the past few weeks alone, I’ve put together five diets for horses were on two or more supplements doing the same job…
stacking nutrients on top of each other…
and pushing levels into ranges that were potentially unsafe.

Not because anyone was careless—
but because it’s very easy to accidentally overlap products when each one promises a benefit.

But they do something else very well.

They make us feel like we’re doing more.

And that’s the trap.

Good nutrition isn’t built on layers of add-ons.
It’s built on getting the basics right:

• Enough quality forage
• Balanced minerals
• Adequate protein
• Consistent feeding

After that, supplementation should be targeted, not decorative.

More products doesn’t necessarily mean a better-fed horse.
Sometimes they add value. Sometimes they add risk. Sometimes they just add cost.

Feed what’s needed.
Question what isn’t.

13/04/2026

To rug, or not to rug, that is the question...

Whether ’tis kinder in the winter’s bite
To swaddle well thy horse in rugs and wraps,
Or let him stand, with coat grown thick and wise,
As nature long intended.

For lo, the horse is not so poorly made
That he should shiver at the slightest chill.
His coat, a clever thing, traps warmth within,
If left unpressed by layers piled above.

Yet many a well-meaning soul doth rush
At first cold wind to cast the rugs about,
And in such haste, undo what nature built,
A coat unfluffed, a system left confused.

Consider this: a horse well-fed and sound,
With forage deep to fuel his inner fire,
Will warm himself far better than thy rug,
So long as wind and rain be kept at bay.

But mark this well, for not all horses thrive
Beneath the same indifferent winter sky:
The old, the thin, the sick, the newly clipped—
These souls may need the kindness of a rug.

So here lies truth, not wrapped in wool but thought:
To rug is not the rule, but just a choice.
And often best, to simply leave them be,
And trust the coat they grew for just this task.

So ask thyself, before thou reach for straps—
Doth this horse need it… or dost thou feel cold?

12/04/2026

9 MONTHS LATER...

I got these two photos with the following message from one of my lovely clients yesterday...

"Well here is a testament to your care in my horses diet.
Top photo 9 months ago. Bottom two days ago !"

This is a client who got me to do an online diet analysis for her 20 year old mare nine months ago and has been following the advice ever since. What a glow up!

I could not be happier for my client or her mare who clearly looks and feels much better!

PM me to arrange a diet analysis for your horse :)

11/04/2026

That moment when you know something's not right...

You go out to feed and your horse doesn't come over to eat. Uh oh...

My first thought is usually lameness as that's what it usually is. An abscess, a tendon, an 'I got a deep puncture wound on my tricep when there's literally nothing in the paddock for me to stab myself with' (obviously a true story). 🤦

She was dull, not hungry, but also, not lame...

Then I noticed her breathing was a bit more laboured, I couldn't hear gut sounds. Then when I thought back to earlier in the day, I assumed she was standing behind the shed to get out of the rain, but I now realise she was standing there with a sore gut 😟

She’s on a round bale, gets lucerne hay, and soaked lucerne cubes with salt, minerals and flaxseed oil daily.

Nothing has changed… except we’ve had some autumn rain.

Thankfully my vet came out and gave her some meds and tubed her and a few hours later we got a poo. A long night later and we got a couple more.

So what caused it?

Most likely (I say 'most likely', cos horses don't make sense), but *most likely* the culprit is that recent bit of rain that we've all been hoping and praying for.

Why?

• It’s different to what the gut is used to
• It ferments differently
• It can produce gas more quickly

And that’s all it takes.

Gas builds up → gut stretches → horse gets uncomfortable → gut slows down → and suddenly you’ve got colic.

Nothing inside the feed room changed.
But the big feed room on the ground did.

Seemingly small shifts in pasture can have a significant effect
Even when everything else is consistent
Even when they’re still mostly eating the same hay

But the equine gut is like me watching Westworld… it takes a bit of time to catch up*.

✅ Keep an eye on your horse's appetite
✅ Know what’s normal for your horse
✅ And trust yourself when something feels off

Catching it early makes all the difference.

*I lie, I never caught up, I gave up on Westworld, ain't nobody got time for that 🫠😵

11/04/2026

That moment when you know something's not right...

You go out to feed and your horse doesn't come over to eat. Uh oh...

My first thought is usually lameness as that's what it usually is. An abscess, a tendon, an 'I got a deep puncture wound on my tricep when there's literally noting in the paddock for me to stab myself with' (obviously a true story). 🤦

She was dull, not hungry, but also not lame...

Then I noticed her breathing was a bit more laboured, I couldn't hear gut sounds. Then when I thought back to earlier in the day, I assumed she was standing behind the shed to get out of the rain, but I now realise she was standing there with a sore gut 😟

She’s on a round bale, gets lucerne hay, and soaked lucerne cubes with salt, minerals and flaxseed oil daily.

Nothing has changed… except we’ve had some autumn rain.

Thankfully my vet came out and gave her some meds and tubed her and a few hours later we got a poo. A long night later and we got a couple more.

So what caused it?

Most likely (I say 'most likely', cos horses don't make sense), but *most likely* the culprit is that recent bit of rain that we've all been hoping and praying for.

Why?

• It’s different to what the gut is used to
• It ferments differently
• It can produce gas more quickly

And that’s all it takes.

Gas builds up → gut stretches → horse gets uncomfortable → gut slows down → and suddenly you’ve got colic.

Nothing inside the feed room changed.
But the big feed room on the ground did.

Seemingly small shifts in pasture can have a significant effect
Even when everything else looks consistent
Even when they’re still mostly eating the same hay

But the equine gut is like me watching Westworld… it takes a bit of time to catch up*.

✅ Keep an eye on your horse's appetite
✅ Know what’s normal for your horse
✅ Trust yourself when something feels off

Catching it early makes all the difference.

*I lie, I never caught up, I gave up on Westworld, ain't nobody got time for that 🫠😵‍💫

28/02/2026

28th FEBRUARY

Random people on the internet do not know what to feed your horse! Everyone has an opinion, but that doesn’t mean they’re right.

Chopping and changing your horse’s diet based on what someone on Facebook says isn’t the answer. If you want your diet to be specifically tailored, or you have a problem that can’t be solved by the above, contact a qualified and independent nutritionist.

Getting a diet made up by a feed company for free is great, but do you think they are going to recommend products other than their own?

Inside Out Equine Health

28/04/2026

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20/04/2026

20/04/2026

18/04/2026

17/04/2026

14/04/2026

13/04/2026

12/04/2026

11/04/2026

11/04/2026

28/02/2026

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