Fly spray is intended to “protect” your horse from flies, but does it pose health risks? Depending on the ingredients, it can be harmful to you and your horse with potential long term adverse side effects. Unsafe ingredients have the potential to enter the bloodstream via skin absorption and/or inhalation. Natural ingredients are not necessarily safe either!
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Read on to learn more about how fly spray enters the bloodstream, three common ingredients that may not be safe and some suggested - and safer - options.

Congratulations to Rachel-RCHoofcare, Shauna Byelick-HETRA and Lind H . Please call 888.489.0022 or email us at info@thehaypillow.com to claim your Hay Pillow!     

Gastric ulcers are erosions of the stomach lining caused by gastric acid. It is estimated that 50 to 90 percent of domestic horses have ulcers. They can develop in as little as 24 hours and recur in 24 hours respectively. The pain is stressful which can further exacerbate ulcers. The most common causes of gastric ulcers are lack of forage and stress. Thankfully, as owners, we have some control over both causes.

Read on to learn how and why gastric acid causes ulcers - and what you can do to help prevent ulcers from occurring.

​Congratulations to Mini Miracles Equine Team, Michelle.Missy.B and Theresa Bailey . Please call 888.489.0022 or email us at info@thehaypillow.com to claim your Hay Pillow!         

My quest to offer slow fed free choice forage resulted in a 4 year experimental journey of creating a slow feeder that met my needs. During that time I bought, designed, built and prototyped a variety of slow feeders and slow feed hay bags for my own use. Once the Hay Pillow® design was complete, it was too good not to share with others!

Following are the pros and cons I discovered while experimenting with my own version of each slow feeder type: hard-sided, webbing mesh, and netting.

Are your activities scheduled around - and limited by - your feeding schedule? Are you feeding multiple times throughout the day and night? If so, consider yourself a POF! 

Is there a way to free yourself? Absolutely! You will be happier and your herd will love you for it. More relaxed herd = more relaxed guardians and vice versa. 

For most of us, we become a POF because we don't want our beloved equines to be overweight or without forage for an extended period of time. And so the multiple feedings begin! I too was a POF: getting up early to feed in the morning, making sure I was home to feed lunch, and feeding late in the evening hours (horses only sleep 3-4 hours throughout a 24 hour period). 
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Miniature horses and donkeys - also known as minis - are some of the cutest creatures you will ever see.  But don't let that special stature fool you - whether your mini is for showing,  therapy, or a pasture ornament and best friend - they are essentially a scaled-down version of their full-sized counterparts.

And when it comes to nutritional needs and feeding protocols - that means a slow fed, forage-based diet is key.  Read on to learn more about why a slow feed strategy is best for your mini and to find answers to common miniature horse diet questions.

Following are 7 helpful tips and realistic expectations to consider when using any brand of slow feeder or small mesh hay net. This is valuable information whether you currently use slow feeders or are debating to try them!

Proper identification during an emergency/evacuation can help reunite you with your equine companion(s) as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, we're all being reminded of the power of natural disasters – and how devastating the impacts can be. Post Hurricanes Irma and Harvey, and the wildfires in the west, should remind us we never know when the next fire, flood, hurricane, or earthquake can leave us with only moments to act.

Is a horse mentally comfortable in a cozy stall with shavings or a shelter with sides? Probably not.

Horses are prey animals; their main form of defense is flight which requires sight and sound to detect predators in conjunction with other herd members standing guard and alerting each other. A horse may experience psychological tension if by themselves and/or sight and sound are impaired.

Read on to learn more about why a horse's mental comfort often times takes priority over physical comfort!

Chewing is essentially self-medication for the horse. Chewing, or self-medicating, is most likely due to discomfort - stemming from physical and/or mental stress from lack of forage.

Chewing activates saliva production, which buffers gastric acid. The stomach produces acid 24/7 to prepare for constant uptake of food. Approximately 75% of foodstuff passes through the stomach within 30 minutes of consumption. Once feed stuff travels to the small intestine, the stomach ​continues to produce acid with or without food present. Chewing effectively buffers gastric acid - and can give some relief even without food.

​Colic is responsible for more deaths in horses than any disease group except for old age. In the domestic population, horse mortality from all types of colic was 0.7 deaths per 100 horses per year [i]. Despite its common occurrence, the cause is rarely diagnosed. 

Following are 7 easily implemented measures to decrease the risk of colic:

Learn about the physical, mental and emotional benefits of eating in a natural grazing position & more when you feed your horse from the ground.

The vicious cycle of meal fed, hungry hoovers can be remedied. In this post, we’ll focus on some of the physical (including obesity) and mental effects of stress and cortisol levels you may not be aware of. We'll also discuss alternative approaches to feeding that can lead to happier, healthier horses and less stress at feeding time.

If you are feeding alfalfa and grass hay; feed them separately! Alfalfa is very palatable and highly digestible (more concentrated source of calories per pound). For most horses if grass hay has ANY alfalfa they will be more inclined to eat faster.​

Provide your equine with forage prior to and during prolonged exercise. While trail riding, offer the opportunity to graze along the way. Why? Fiber creates a mat of sorts which prevents acid splashing in the stomach.The equine stomach produces acid 24 hours a day (16 gallons!) in preparation for constant uptake and can empty in as little as 15-20 minutes. Chewing activates saliva production (an alkaline substance rich in bicarbonate) , which buffers gastric acid. An empty stomach allows unbuffered gastric acid to slosh and bathe its lining causing discomfort and may induce ulcers. (Learn more about how forage helps buffer gastric acid and prevent ulcers.)
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Slow feeding requires the horse to eat smaller amounts over a longer period of time. This concept simulates natural free-choice foraging.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are meals consumed by humans but are not natural for a horse. Equines are grazing herbivores with a digestive system designed for constant uptake. If your equine does not have forage available 24/7, consider implementing a slow-feeding program. Mentally and physically, horses require free-choice forage.

​February 10, 2012 was the day a very sad realization occurred to me. One of the large contributing factors to our economic decline is that jobs are outsourced to other countries; white and blue collar.

Having completed the prototype process for my new product, I was excited to find wholesale suppliers to start production.

Some horses paw or are aggressive at feeding time. This is more than likely due to frustration and/or pain. They are anxious to self-medicate; their stomach does not feel well due to the build-up of acid and/or painful gastric ulcers. Once they start chewing and eating they experience relief.

If your horse attacks their hay or herd mates for food, this is not "normal". They may be Insulin Resistant - a voracious appetite is one of the many signs of IR. Or they are stressed due to waiting for and receiving meals - instead of always having forage available.
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If your current "slow feeder" is not slow enough, it will take time and experimentation to supply your equine with a limited amount of hay AND have it available 24/7.

​The purpose of this article is to inform equine guardians of the potential for unhealthy levels of nitrates in hay to increase awareness that will lead to change. You can’t see smell or taste nitrates. They can lurk in the prettiest, greenest best smelling bale of hay. The only way to know the levels you are feeding is to test your forage. It is optimum to test prior to purchase. ​
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