Nutrition

Get Ready for Hay Season: Forage Course Helps You Feed Smarter

Story by Nicole Weidner Hay season is just around the corner, making this the perfect time for horse owners to cultivate their forage knowledge. Equine Guelph is offering it’s popular Introduction to Forage short course from May 5–16, 2025, and this two-week, fully online course is a must for anyone looking to understand how to…

horse eating from feed bucket

Can Spirulina Help Horses Recover Faster from Intense Exercise?

Elevating performance and seeking the competitive edge is what makes equine supplements a billion-dollar industry, but what makes the difference between a supplement that creates expensive urine and a nutritional supplement that could actually have an impact? Associate professor at the University of Guelph, Wendy Pearson and Ph.D. candidate Dr. Nadia Golestani, answer this question…

bay horse laying in snow

Equine Guelph’s “Colic Prevention Month” Serves Easy-to-Digest Tips

February is Colic Prevention Month at Equine Guelph, when all horse owners are encouraged to raise their awareness about colic, the number one killer of horses.   Take 10 minutes and visit the FREE interactive Colic Risk Rater (TheHorsePortal.ca/ColicTool).  Valuable feedback is provided on the risk of colic to your horse(s) based on your current management practices.  Horse owners that…

Equine Guelph 20th anniversary logo

20th Anniversary Special Feature with Alumni Monica Laane-Fralick

20th Anniversary Alumni, Monica Laane-Fralick has a real appreciation for welfare-based management strategies thanks to Equine Guelph’s 12-week online courses. Of great interest was learning about the myths in some traditional stable management practices and dispelling them with evidence-based sources such as those provided by Equine Guelph courses. Anthropomorphism (attribution of human characteristics/behaviours to animals) can create misunderstandings…

20th Anniversary Special Feature with Alumni Robin Vanheeswyk

20th Anniversary Alumni, Robin Vanheeswyk has a growing interest in equine nutrition thanks to Equine Guelph’s online 12-week online courses. Of great interest was learning about the issues in equine nutrition pertaining to overfeeding horses which in turn can cause health problems, behavioural issues and also hit the rider in the pocketbook.

Anatomy of Horse illustration by Ruth Benns

The Impact of Antibiotics on the Equine Gut

The thinking on how we use antibiotics is changing in the world of medicine especially as we learn more about their impact on the inhabitants of the gut.  Ontario Veterinary College researcher, Dr. Diego Gomez, took part in a collaborative study with researchers across North America to study the effects of intravenous antimicrobials on the…

Pasture with growth of 8 to 11 inches

Introduction to Forage Latest Addition to Online Courses for Horse People

With forage recommended as approximately 80% of your equine’s diet, a caretaker with straight A’s in selection and management of hay and pasture is a horse’s best friend.  Join expert in the field, Dr. Paul Sharpe, for the inaugural offering of the Introduction to Forage online course this Mar 21 – Apr 1, 2022.  Whether…

Equine Robo-Gut Helps OVC Researchers Study Gastrointestinal Diseases In Horses

Originally published by Ontario Veterinary College – June 14, 2021 A University of Guelph researcher is advancing knowledge into prevention and early detection of gastrointestinal diseases in horses using a mechanical replica of a horse’s GI system to mimic equine digestion and disease. Dr. Luis Arroyo, professor in the Department of Clinical Studies at the…

Free Equine Webinar Series: Taking Science to the Stable

Starts June 16 with Broodmare Management and Nutrition with Don Kapper Equine Guelph is pleased to announce that our partnership program, Taking Science to the Stable, FREE summer webinar series begins June 16 and will run every two weeks until August 18. Hosted by Open Learning and Educational Support at the University of Guelph, this…

Diagram of a horse digestive tract

The Healthy Horse: Understanding the Role of Equine Digestion & Nutrition Webinar

Take a journey through the horse’s digestive system in a free webinar April 14, 7pm-8:15pm EST.  Equine Guelph’s life size model of the digestive system will be featured so participants can identify what the entire tract looks like, how it works, and what this means for feeding horses. This  interactive webinar will help viewers understand strategies and…

First Limiting Amino Acid determines how much of all the other amino acids can be absorbed

Hay Belly – No Topline, What Does This Mean and How to Manage

Story by: Don Kapper. (first published January 2018) The mainstay of all diets for horses, over four months of age, is the forage they consume. Understanding how the equine digestive tract functions optimally and how forage quality and quantity can help maintain the health of the horse, reduce the incidence of colic, and keep horses…

Davina - horse in Wisconsin

Nutrient Replacement for Optimum Performance

Feeding a balanced diet then taking care of nutrient replacement after exercise is imperative to keep horses performing well at an upper level of performance. Don Kapper, shared his wealth of knowledge in equine nutrition and management in a recent visit to Canada. His talk at the University of Guelph discussed the importance of understanding…