HSF Equine Nutrition

03/24/2026

If you have a horse that is

🥕 Metabolic
🥕 Senior
🥕 Over or under-conditioned
🥕 Living in a new environment (barn, field etc)
🥕 Taking time off for rest or rehab
🥕 Getting ready for warm weather riding
🥕 Young & Growing
🥕 Presenting with a "hay belly", or GI upset
🥕 Suffering from free f***l water syndrome (ffws) with grass changes
🥕 On a long list of supplements

Plus so much more!

Now is a great time to set up a consultation with me, either virtually or in person! We can evaluate your horse's current feeding plan, see where they may or may not need changes as we head into warmer weather so they can be set up for success this summer!

03/24/2026

One of the most misunderstood behaviours in horses is aggression.

It can be very shocking and frightening when an animal that typically responds with flight instead opts for fight.

Where do aggressive behaviours stem from and what are the safest and most effective means of addressing them?

In this webinar, hosted by Certified Horse Behaviour Consultant, Shelby Dennis, we will go over the following:

🟢 What is aggressive behaviour?

🟢 Common causes of aggression

🟢 Aggression in training

🟢 Herd aggression

🟢 How to de-escalate aggressive responses

🟢 Training to avoid aggression

🟢 Altering the behaviour of already aggressive horses

🟢 Troubleshooting aggression

🟢 Environmental factors

🟢 Trauma

🟢 and more…

if you have been looking for guidance on how to approach aggressive behaviour and horses this webinar will provide you with skill sets to start troubleshooting behaviour and de-escalate aggressive response responses.


Sliding scale ticket pricing to allow accessibility for all budgets.

Comment “Aggression Webinar” to get sent the link to sign up and more information!

Patreon subscribers of the Milestone Student tier get to attend free.

Facebook subscribers get 50% off!

03/21/2026

I wish I could say that the only risk that this career comes with is the inherent risk of being around horses, but that isn’t reality. Reality is that harassment, stalking, sexual harassment and assault are also a risk. From clients, their spouses, their parents or friends.

When you’re used to normal business, trimming normal horses, at a normal barn, having a normal conversation… the sudden comment of insinuation or flirtation is strange or uncomfortable.

They’re married and/or twice my age, why are they speaking to me like that? Why do they keep trying to hug me? They’re touching me all the sudden? Why are they doing this? They were a normal client a minute ago?

In the moment, it’s shocking and you freeze initially- that’s what movies and books always get wrong. You don’t immediately draw a boundary, smack their hand away, or shout at them. You’re frozen for a moment or longer, your brain trying to rationalize this unthinkable scenario. Then afterwards you’re running it through your head “I should’ve done this, I should’ve said this, should I have called the police”.

It’s not your fault, you didn’t do anything wrong. THEY are the perpetrator, THEY should’ve kept their uncomfortable comments and/or hands to themselves.

A few years ago I was trimming a clients horses. Their father was present and was talking to me about trimming and the modern approaches. The client went into the house for a few minutes, the father stayed to chat. Normal conversation. He said that my hoof stand was fancy. I said “yeah, I think the horses appreciate the fabric cradle”. To which he replied “well right now I’m looking at YOUR cradle” and smacked my buttocks.

I froze for a moment. Did that REALLY just happen??? My stomach felt like a pit and I felt violated. Disgusted. Angry. The client came back outside, the father tried to resume conversation but I stayed silent the rest of the appointment. Accepted payment and left. I didn’t reply back to the client for a few texts but eventually did and asked if we could schedule a day when her father wasn’t there. When I went out there she asked me if everything was okay and if she’d done anything to offend me. I told her what happened. Her jaw dropped. We sat in silence for a minute. Eventually she said “I don’t know what to say. I’m so sorry. I can’t believe he did that. I’m shocked. I’m so sorry.”
We agreed it would be better to no longer do business, and she would only hire male farriers from then on.
I spent the next few days running it all through my head. Should I have yelled at him? Hit him? Called the police? Should I have immediately packed my tools and left?

No, I shouldn’t have had to do any of that, because he should’ve been a decent person and treated me like a human being and not an object, and kept his damn rotten hands to himself.

03/21/2026

03/20/2026

A quick reminder to all of my clients & future clients because I've unfortunately caught another bug -

Please be respectful & conscious and reschedule appointments if you, anyone in your family or anyone who is going to be near us around the barn is sick 🤒🤧

With norovirus going around, surges of covid and the flu, holiday colds and so much more, it's important we keep each other safe and healthy by keeping our distance when we're sick.

And being sick is not subjective- if you have a cough, congestion, runny nose, fever, stomach ache, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, sore throat, red/runny eyes, rash, new onset fatigue, chills, etc. these are ALL symptoms of illness and should be taken seriously for up to 48 hours after symptoms disappear.

In return, I will also always reschedule appointments or offer a virtual appointment instead anytime I'm sick. As an immunocompromised person, I'd always rather reschedule that pass around illnesses!

There is a note about this in my intake forms as well as a reminder ☺️

03/20/2026

03/19/2026

Don't let this sweet innocent face fool you, this little boy showed me his best Hi Ho Silver moves today! Spicy!

Just a reminder that ponies and minis need yearly dental care just like the big horses! They have a lot of teeth crammed in those tiny mouths and can often have issues that stem from overcrowding.

03/19/2026

If more Horse people actually had to observe the reality of the lives, their horses live in the way that they do with house pets, like dogs or cats, we would see a whole lot less people justifying stabling horses for lengthy periods of time.

I don’t mean this in a mean way at all:

When you are far removed from the day to care of your horse, it is easy to glorify it.

This is the reality for many people who have horses on full board.

I had my horses on full board from 2004-2018.

So, for most of the time I have had horses.

For about half of that time, I had my Horse at a show Barn where he was stabled for a lot of of his time and otherwise in a small paddock.

I thought that this was acceptable care.

He was always happy to see me, he would nicker when he saw me. 

But, the reality was that his day was incredibly boring and I was a predictor of escape from that boredom.

If I had to witness the reality of what his life looked like being in a stall for 16 to 20 hours per day, I very likely would not have viewed it as acceptable care.

The lack of proximity that the average horse person has to witnessing the reality of the life that their horse is living, makes it a lot easier to prioritize their own comfort by rewriting reality.

I used to do this often because I wasn’t ready to come to terms of the fact that it wasn’t adequate care to confine a flight animal for such a long period of time.

On the flipside, when you are living in the same home as your animal, it is a lot harder to deny the reality of their life.

It is in your face in a big way.

So, what I would encourage people to consider is honestly reflecting on what your horse is like likely doing in all of the hours that you are not at the barn.

Because when we are on full board, we typically have our Barn visits isolated to a couple of hours throughout the week, even if we go every day.

Which leaves about 22 hours of the horses daily life unwitnessed by their owner.

So, what do the “other 23 hours” honestly look like for most horses?

Reflecting on this and also changing our speech to state the number of hours spent stabled vs number of hours spent out paints a much different picture.

For example, 8 hours turnout is 16 hours spent stalled.

03/18/2026

Spring is practically here, which means it's time to schedule a dentist visit for your horse!

Consistent maintenance is key to making sure our horses are chewing both comfortably AND efficiently.

Our wonderful dentist Jordan from Excell Equine came out yesterday and today to complete 11 dental visits, and now we know our horses will be able to happily eat through the summer!🐴🦷

03/17/2026

Myth: Wheat middlings are filler ingredients. 😖

Fact: While wheat middlings do come from wheat, they are not considered a cereal grain. They are actually the fiber-rich parts of the plant, like bran, germ, and endosperm, not the grain itself! These components are specifically collected for their high nutritional value, not as an afterthought or leftover waste.

Wheat middlings are packed with nutrition, according to the National Research Council for Horses, the nutrient content of wheat middlings is 18.5% protein, 0.67% lysine, 4.5% fat, and 1545 calories/lb (dry matter). In fact, their nutrient profile can be closely compared to that of alfalfa. They also are a natural source of B vitamins such as niacin, thiamine, and riboflavin, and minerals including iron, zinc, and manganese. This makes them an excellent choice for adding energy and nutrition to your horse’s diet, not just filler ( despite what some fear mongering marketing efforts may suggest).