Considering horses are grazing herbivores and their digestive tract is designed for almost continual trickle feeding (16-18 hours a day) of fibrous feeds, what best suits the equine physically and mentally as a primary source of forage?

​Read on to learn the pros and cons of the various forms of grass hay.

By Monique Warren

To date, it has become common knowledge to never exercise your horse on an empty stomach. Yet, to the best of my knowledge, little has been published about transporting on an empty stomach.

Considering a horse's natural instincts, transport is inherently stressful.  Add to that lack of forage - or lack of access to forage if your hay ends up on the floor - and you've combined three common causes of gastric ulcers. Very alarming - considering ulcers can occur in as little as 24 hours.

Thankfully, you can be proactive by providing forage (hay, pasture or soaked hay pellets) 1) prior to departing, 2) during transport and 3) once you arrive at your destination. Read on to learn why forage (not grain or sweet feed) is crucial for all three scenarios.
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Important Exception - if you’ve been instructed to withhold feed due to a medical condition, by all means do so!

By Monique Warren

Gastric acid is produced continuously by horses, donkeys and mules, whether there is food in the stomach or not.  Following are 12 facts about gastric acid - short and to the point. These have been compiled and condensed to provide a better understanding of the physiology, volume, benefits and conditions that occur from the production of gastric acid. 

By Monique Warren

The #1 concern and source of stress for customers I have had the pleasure of speaking with is they worry about their horse “standing around with nothing to eat” or their horses are eating dirt, manure or shavings. This article focuses on the plight to choose the safest, always have hay source to slow feed if you can't test your hay. If you do test, the palatability factors described can still be used to your advantage!

By Monique Warren

​Pawing is an indication something is not okay in the horse’s world. It's body language expressing either 1) mental stress or 2) physical discomfort ranging from anticipation of a treat to painful ulcers. Pain, boredom, frustration, impatience, anxiety, hunger, excess energy and isolation can all be causes of pawing. If the source of mental stress and/or physical pain is not identified and remedied, pawing can eventually become a stereotypy/habit - presenting a whole new set of challenges for both horse and guardian.      

 
​​Horses rarely do anything that doesn’t have a purpose. They don’t have the mental capacity to ponder and carry out acts intended to be annoying.

Read on to learn more about why horses paw, possible solutions, and how the source of pawing can be misconstrued.

By Monique Warren

I’m an err on the side of caution horse guardian; therefore I avoid administering vaccines, sedatives or dewormers at the same time and document information ranging from an individual’s “normal” vital signs to what type and how much of a sedative/tranquilizer produces successful results with no adverse reactions (i.e. sweating or looking like they might fall over!). My records help me determine optimal baselines and doses for each horse, which makes routine care easier on my horses – and me.

​Read on to learn about critical information to keep on hand and what to consider if a combination of tasks/treatments are scheduled in the same visit from your vet - or administered by yourself. 
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By Monique Warren

Sand colic is digestive upset resulting from the accumulation of ingested sand and dirt. It occurs when particles sink to the bottom of the intestines where abrasion irritates the intestinal lining and causes discomfort. Sand Colic is estimated to be responsible for approximately 30% of colic cases.
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Read on to learn the most effective means for removal and the best way to prevent the accumulation of sand.

By Monique Warren

Winter can be challenging for equines and their guardians. Keeping warm is often a valid concern - yet there are differences in how horses and people cope with lower temperatures.
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Read on to learn common misconceptions about the cold and how to stoke internal body heat while providing a healthier, natural lifestyle for your herd.

By Monique Warren

The most common causes of gastric (stomach) ulcers are lack of forage and stress. Gastric ulcers can develop in as little as 24 hours - and recur in 24 hours respectively. Given the short period of time for recurrence, administering medication (Omeprazole, Ranitidine or Cimetidine) without addressing the cause(s) can be counterproductive. If your horse does not have ulcers, this article may bring to light stress factors you may not be aware of. 

What inspired me to write this article? Speaking to countless customers whose beloved companions have ulcers - yet who were unaware of how the horse’s current lifestyle and/or feeding schedules were adding to the stress factors that may have caused the ulcers.

Read on to learn about important lifestyle and feeding practices that can minimize the chance of occurrence and/or recurrence of ulcers. Causes are truly multi dimensional - encompassing both mental and physical factors.

By Monique Warren
Last Updated December 30, 2019. Originally published June 15, 2016.

Slow feeding requires the horse to eat smaller amounts over a longer period of time. This concept simulates natural free-choice foraging - and provides a host of benefits you might not be aware of.

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 - and benefiting from - constant uptake.

If your equine does not have forage available 24/7 - and is fed traditional "meals" -  consider implementing a slow-feeding program to keep them nibbling longer. Read on to learn about slow feeder options and the nine ways your horse can benefit from a slow-feed program.

By Monique Warren

Let’s face it, in a 24-hour period most of our beloved equines get only one to four hours of mental and/or physical engagement with a human. What they do for the remaining 20-23 hours a day is up to them to figure out (if not provided with opportunities to engage their natural instincts) – and so the boredom and vices set in.
 
Luckily, we've rounded up 11 tips and toys to help beat the boredom blues and provide natural enrichment for horses during their down time - whether they are on stall rest or in a pasture, pen, or paddock.

By Monique Warren

Fecal egg counts derived from fecal flotation tests - are a common method for determining parasite levels in horses, which can then influence how often a particular horse is wormed and what class of wormer to administer. As helpful as this information is - it unfortunately doesn't tell us the whole story. Fecal tests will not identify Pin Worms, Bots or Neck Threadworms. These parasites either do not reside in and/or lay eggs in the digestive tract making it impossible to detect their presence from a fecal sample.

Adult Tapeworms and Ascarids, despite residing in the digestive tract,  can go undetected if adult worms present are not actively shedding eggs at that point in their reproductive cycle. In addition, a fecal egg count cannot reveal evidence of an existing population of Encysted Small Strongyles or Ascarid and Large Strongyle migrating larvae or immature adults within the horse.

Read on to learn about some common equine parasites not revealed by fecal tests, including where they reside and/or reproduce, their life cycle, and why a fecal flotation test is not a be-all end-all detector of potential parasite burdens.
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By Monique Warren

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.

By Monique Warren

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.

By Monique Warren

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.

By Monique Warren

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 prisoner of feeding (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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By Monique Warren

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!

By Monique Warren

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.

By Monique Warren

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 perceived physical comfort!

By Monique Warren

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.

By Monique Warren

​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:

By Monique Warren

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