Agribrands Purina Canada

The concept of a balanced ration in equine nutrition is similar to humans eating the daily portion of the four food groups.

The first step is to balance water intake. Here the balance is very much like money, you cannot have too much. Water is the most important nutrient in your horse’s diet and needs to be closely monitored.

The second nutrient to balance is long stemmed-fibre. However, much needed research is necessary to substantiate what long stemmed-fibre implies in equine nutrition. In r… Continue

Winter is coming… Cooler temperatures are already here. This is typically when horses tend to decrease their water intake, which can mean trouble if nothing is done to ‘’force’’ them to drink. As explained in one of our previous post, adding pure salt (100% NaCl) to the ration is a must to prevent dehydration. Wetting the feed, especially if it’s high in super fibers (beet pulp, soya hulls) is another great way to increase water intake. Serving buckets of warm water (18 -20O C) or using water he… Continue

Do you know what is in your hay? Do you know what is lacking in your hay?

As winter approaches and pasture sources are no longer available, the selection and purchase of hay or other roughage sources becomes an important decision for horse owners. Owners that have horses on confinement face the same decision all year. The quality and nutrient content of the hay or roughage source is critical because it is the foundation of the horse's diet and provides 50%- 100% of the total nutrient intake for… Continue

Provide free access to clean fresh water at all times” is the advice given by most horse management or equine nutrition books. The simplicity and brevity of this statement fails to reveal the complexity and importance of water in equine nutrition. Water is the most important nutrient and it is too often overlooked in a horse’s diet. Deprived of all nutrients except for water, horses can survive for 20 to 25 days. Deprived of water but not feed, horses will only survive 5 to 6 days at best. More… Continue