Note: There are quite a few 50-cent words in here which you may feel free to skip past in search of Dr. Tulin's point about feed and supplementation. Science geeks, enjoy! -MG
 |
| humans, horses, dog, and gazillions of microbes... |
Showing posts with label hay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hay. Show all posts
Monday, April 4, 2016
A Horse, a Human, and a Microbe walk into a Barn…..
by Kip Tulin
Note: There are quite a few 50-cent words in here which you may feel free to skip past in search of Dr. Tulin's point about feed and supplementation. Science geeks, enjoy! -MG
….and while hanging out around the treat bin, they decide to find out if they have anything at all in common. Horse and human, sure. But a microbe?? Turns out all three (human, horse, microbe) have more in common than you might think: they—and I might as well say ‘we’— all have DNA made up of the same four ‘letters’ (called nucleotides) and they all use groups of three of these letters (triplets) to code for the the same twenty ‘building blocks’ (amino acids). It is truly amazing to think that all of the immensely diverse living things on earth, whether single celled, plant, insect, or animal use the same basic code of life.
Note: There are quite a few 50-cent words in here which you may feel free to skip past in search of Dr. Tulin's point about feed and supplementation. Science geeks, enjoy! -MG
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Signs of Spring: Thoughts on Supplementation, Hay Analysis, and Laminitis
by Barbara Noble
When Barbara Noble sent us this article, I appreciated the reminder that springtime brings new growth of all kinds, including the prospect of new hay, rich new grass, and definitely, a few seasonal concerns. A timely post! - Mary Gallagher
Not long ago I took a course in Equine Touch. One of my fellow participants was a veterinarian from the area where the clinic was held. Other participants were eager for the opportunity to access her expertise during free time and kept asking her questions, mostly, ‘should I give my horse a supplement? What supplement should I use? Does my horse need a different type of supplement? I heard many supplement questions and only one answer: It depends upon what is in your hay. You have to get a hay analysis.
When Barbara Noble sent us this article, I appreciated the reminder that springtime brings new growth of all kinds, including the prospect of new hay, rich new grass, and definitely, a few seasonal concerns. A timely post! - Mary Gallagher
Not long ago I took a course in Equine Touch. One of my fellow participants was a veterinarian from the area where the clinic was held. Other participants were eager for the opportunity to access her expertise during free time and kept asking her questions, mostly, ‘should I give my horse a supplement? What supplement should I use? Does my horse need a different type of supplement? I heard many supplement questions and only one answer: It depends upon what is in your hay. You have to get a hay analysis.
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Zinc for Equine Health: a matter of balance
By Barbara Noble
In my last article, I briefly discussed copper. Today I'd like to explore the role of zinc. Zinc's indispensible contribution in your horse's body is to be a part of many enzymes. For example, enzyme activity is included in insulin production, blood clotting and wound healing. Zinc deficiency can also be seen in horse's coats, their hoof quality, immunity, persistent skin infections and ongoing thrush.
In my last article, I briefly discussed copper. Today I'd like to explore the role of zinc. Zinc's indispensible contribution in your horse's body is to be a part of many enzymes. For example, enzyme activity is included in insulin production, blood clotting and wound healing. Zinc deficiency can also be seen in horse's coats, their hoof quality, immunity, persistent skin infections and ongoing thrush.
Nutrition Supplement Awareness
By Barbara Noble, BS, CRNA
While others are thinking of holidays, my mind is on copper and zinc. The other trace minerals, iron and manganese are generally readily available. In our area (Pacific Northwest) iron is so available as to be an excess problem. Manganese is usually plentiful, and deficiency not a problem. However, copper and zinc are barely present in our soils and consequently are barely present in our pastures and hay.
While others are thinking of holidays, my mind is on copper and zinc. The other trace minerals, iron and manganese are generally readily available. In our area (Pacific Northwest) iron is so available as to be an excess problem. Manganese is usually plentiful, and deficiency not a problem. However, copper and zinc are barely present in our soils and consequently are barely present in our pastures and hay.
Feeding Our Easy Keepers
By Mary Gallagher and Barbara Noble, BS, CRNA
When I was growing up, overweight horses were called "easy keepers", but now you hardly ever hear that term; instead, we call them fat, or in some cases, insulin-resistant. It's this group I'm going to discuss here.
When I was growing up, overweight horses were called "easy keepers", but now you hardly ever hear that term; instead, we call them fat, or in some cases, insulin-resistant. It's this group I'm going to discuss here.
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
What We Feed Our Horses
By Barbara Noble, BS, CRNA
Barbara Noble is a longtime horse owner and student of equine nutrition who has become a go-to advisor hereabouts on horse feed issues. She advised us on our recent hay analysis (see my article last month), which I found very helpful and clarifying. I hope Barbara will continue to contribute articles on various aspects of horse nutrition as she continues her studies with Dr. Eleanor Kellon, DVM. - MG
Writing for the Freedom Farm newsletter is a new adventure for me, and I plan to share information on horse feeding - and have it be interesting to read! My hope is that you will be able to incorporate some of this information for your horse's benefit.
Barbara Noble is a longtime horse owner and student of equine nutrition who has become a go-to advisor hereabouts on horse feed issues. She advised us on our recent hay analysis (see my article last month), which I found very helpful and clarifying. I hope Barbara will continue to contribute articles on various aspects of horse nutrition as she continues her studies with Dr. Eleanor Kellon, DVM. - MG
Writing for the Freedom Farm newsletter is a new adventure for me, and I plan to share information on horse feeding - and have it be interesting to read! My hope is that you will be able to incorporate some of this information for your horse's benefit.
What the Hay! An Ongoing Look at What We Feed Our Horses
By Mary Gallagher
You may recall that last month I sent a sample of Freedom Farm hay for analysis, and promised to follow up in this newsletter. Well, the analysis is back, and I feel like we are on the threshold of a wonderful process of learning about and fine-tuning our horses' feed! To better understand the hay analysis document, I met with our local friend and equine nutrition expert Barb Noble, who shared some interesting insights.
You may recall that last month I sent a sample of Freedom Farm hay for analysis, and promised to follow up in this newsletter. Well, the analysis is back, and I feel like we are on the threshold of a wonderful process of learning about and fine-tuning our horses' feed! To better understand the hay analysis document, I met with our local friend and equine nutrition expert Barb Noble, who shared some interesting insights.
Feet and Feed: Insights from a Pete Ramey Clinic
by Mary Gallagher
I had the pleasure of attending Pete Ramey's clinic at Scott Roger's place in Port Townsend last week, at which he emphasized the relationship between our horses' diets and their feet. I came away with a few insights to share with you possible improvements we can all make at home and here at Freedom Farm.
I had the pleasure of attending Pete Ramey's clinic at Scott Roger's place in Port Townsend last week, at which he emphasized the relationship between our horses' diets and their feet. I came away with a few insights to share with you possible improvements we can all make at home and here at Freedom Farm.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)