The Well Fed Horse

24/11/2025

🌟Nellie’s transformation has been one of my favourites to witness.
 
Laminitic ponies can be incredibly tricky to feed safely — but when we support their biology with the right fibre-first foundation, the changes can be huge.
 
Huge credit to Reneé, Helen, and Hannah for their consistency and care. 💛

Nellie is thriving, comfortable, and moving with so much more confidence.
 
If your pony is a picky eater, struggles to hold condition, or you’re unsure whether their diet is meeting their needs, I’d love to help.
 

20/11/2025

Vitamins: Small But Mighty Nutrients.

They’re organic compounds — carbon-based substances found in natural, living things — required in tiny amounts for vital functions like immunity, metabolism, nerve signalling, recovery, and more.

They’re needed in far smaller amounts than other nutrients such as energy, protein, or water — and while they don’t directly provide energy or build tissue, they’re deeply involved in keeping every system running.

Their function, and their relationship with minerals and each other, means a consistent daily supply is essential.

The word ‘vitamin’ is often misused to mean ‘nutrient’ — but it’s actually just one class of nutrients. It doesn’t include other essential nutrients such as minerals, protein, fats, water etc.

Some vitamins can be made by the horse — like Vitamin C in the liver or Vitamin D in the skin from sunlight. Others are made by gut microbes — like the B-complex and Vitamin K — though how much is actually absorbed and used by the horse isn’t fully understood.

💡 While the horse’s hindgut has huge potential for vitamin synthesis, factors like stress, gut
health, and modern feeding practices may disrupt this balance.

📉 Vitamin status can be influenced by: -
• Forage quality and freshness
• Sunlight exposure (Vitamin D)
• Gut health and microflora
• Feed processing or storage
• Stress and illness
• Exercise and workload
• Age or life stage
• Medications (like antibiotics)
• Individual metabolic variation

🧠 Some vitamins are stored, some are made by gut microbes, some are synthesised by the body, and some must come from the diet.

Vitamins don’t work in isolation — they work in synergy with each other, with minerals, and within every major system of the body.

✨ Synergy is the biochemical version of mateship — a group of nutrients supporting each other to help the horse thrive.

More isn’t always better. But neither is guessing.

05/11/2025

We stable them.
Rug them.
Ride them.
Supplement them.
 
But the modern-day horse still has the same digestive system as their wild ancestors.
 
🟤 Still designed to graze up to 18+ hours a day.
🟤 Still reliant on slow, continuous, high-fibre digestion.
🟤 Still vulnerable to modern feeding mistakes.
 
👉 When we feed horses based on convenience — not biology — we create imbalance.
 
💚 Feed the horse in front of you — but never forget the horse within.
 
Good nutrition starts with understanding the horse as nature designed it.
 
💬 Does your horse’s feeding plan reflect their biology?
 
Save this post as a gentle reminder next time you’re adjusting their diet.
 

25/09/2025

Feeling lost when it comes to feeding your horse? 🐴🌱

👉🏼 You’re not alone.

Many horse owners want to do their best by their horse - but navigating feed choices, supplements, pasture variations, and conflicting advice can leave you second-guessing everything.

It can feel like a puzzle you’re trying to solve alone:
❓ What feed is right for my horse?
❓ Are they getting too much of one thing, not enough of another?
❓ Is this really supporting them or making things worse?

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

✨ Imagine having clarity and confidence in your horse’s diet - knowing it is designed specifically for their unique needs.

✨ Imagine seeing positive changes in their health, performance and wellbeing.

✨ Imagine having someone in your corner to take the guesswork out of it for you.

That’s exactly what my services are designed to do: -

✅ Remote Nutritional Analysis - an in depth review of your horse’s current diet and a clear report identifying nutritional gaps, and where adjustments are needed.

✅ Premium Nutrition Consultation - A fully designed diet and feeding plan tailored to your horse’s unique needs, taking the guesswork out and giving you total confidence moving forward.

I work with horse owners across Australia. You don’t need to leave the paddock!

No brand bias. No generic advice. Just balanced, clean, species-appropriate nutrition designed to support your horse - and your peace of mind.

📩 If you’re ready to stop guessing and start feeding with clarity and confidence, send me a DM or an email. I’m happy to help.

Your horse deserves to be well fed - and you deserve to feel supported.

05/09/2025

TEST BEFORE YOU WORM YOUR HORSE THIS SPRING 🪱🐴

Spring has sprung and are you thinking about worming your horse this weekend?? STOP, put the wormer down and read on ....
Did you know that not all horses need to be wormed in Spring but every horse should have a FEC test??
Only those horses that return an FEC of 200 EPG (Eggs Per Gram). How do you know if you horse is shedding over 200 EPG? A FEC test will help to determine which shedding category your horse falls in and if it needs to be wormed. Horses that fall below 200 EPG do not need to be wormed, unless they are below the age of 5 or under veterinary advice.
If you just worm without testing because you always do in spring, then you are contributing to the wormer drug resistance problem by over worming and worming horses that don't need to be done. Drop off locations for testing by FECC is available Horseland Canberra , EQ Saddlery - Canberra and by appointment in Belconnen or Tuggeranong town centers.
Our take home message is TEST BEFORE YOU WORM YOUR HORSE THIS SPRING.

22/08/2025

15/08/2025

Are you making one of these feeding mistakes?

Many feeding mistakes start with good intentions.
But good intentions aren’t always good nutrition.

Here are 3 habits I see often — small, well-meaning choices that don’t align with how horses are designed to function.

Because feeding horses isn’t about guesswork, habit, or convenience — It’s about biology.
And when we feed with that in mind, everything shifts.

📥 Save this post now, rethink your feed choices — it matters more to your horse than you might realise.

Want help building a species-appropriate diet? I’d love to help.

18/07/2025

🏇 Feeding for Recovery: Muscle Glycogen in Performance Horses
 
Like all mammals, horses store energy in several forms — including glycogen in the liver and muscles, and fat (triglycerides) in both body fat and muscle tissue. These energy reserves fuel ATP production, powering muscle contraction during exercise.
 
Of these, muscle glycogen is the primary and fastest burning fuel during high-intensity exercise — which makes replenishing it a priority post-performance.
 
🔄 Why Glycogen Replenishment Matters:
After high-intensity work, muscle glycogen stores are reduced or depleted. Low glycogen levels can lead to:
 
·      Reduce performance
·      Increased fatigue
·      Delayed recovery
 
But here’s the catch:
🕒 Horses replenish glycogen much more slowly than other species. Full recovery can take up to 48–72 hours, not immediately post-exercise.
 
⚠️Horses also have lower insulin sensitivity, which means high-starch or sugar-based “recovery feeds” won’t accelerate muscle glycogen restoration. In fact, they have the potential to disrupt gut health and increase the risk of issues like EGUS, colic, laminitis, or hindgut acidosis.
 
👉 In this carousel, I break down what muscle glycogen is, why it matters, and how to feed for recovery in a way that supports your horse’s biology — not the latest fad.

🔹 Want to fine-tune your horse’s diet? 
📩 Send me an email or pop into my DMs —