Tag Archives: Hay

The Three Things Every Hay-Based Diet Needs

Posted on October 3, 2022 by Dr. Kellon

All hays require some protein/amino acid and/or mineral balancing but this is highly variable even within a geographical region and is best done by analyzing the hay to see what the starting point truly is. The first is also lacking … Continue reading →

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Nitrate – A Hidden Danger Lurking In Hay

Posted on February 7, 2022 by Dr. Kellon

You can’t see it or smell it but hay can harbor toxic levels of nitrate. Nitrate is a simple molecule – one nitrogen and three oxygen. It is present naturally in soil minerals, is produced by bacterial breakdown of protein … Continue reading →

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NSC, Fructans and EMS – Again

Posted on September 10, 2021 by Dr. Kellon

It’s like the movie Groundhog Day. The same (incorrect) information keeps surfacing again and again. This time I’m told there is a self-proclaimed expert on forage for horses and forage carbohydrate fractions doing podcasts, etc. that say NSC is the … Continue reading →

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Topping Off Hay Diets

Posted on November 27, 2020 by Dr. Kellon

Hay is just dried grass and grass is the horse’s natural food so it shouldn’t need any supplementation – right? Wrong. Variety is a major difference between the diet of feral horses and that of  domesticated horses fed hay.  The … Continue reading →

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Digestive Issues in Horses on Dry Diets

Posted on March 7, 2020 by Dr. Kellon

When horses can’t have fresh pasture, either because of stall confinement or the season, the logical next best thing is hay. After all, hay is just dried grass. All the major nutrients – fiber, protein, carbohydrate – are basically the … Continue reading →

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Mid-Pregnancy Nutrition

Posted on November 3, 2019 by Dr. Kellon

When an average size mare delivers she will have produced a 100+ lb foal, an 11 pound placenta, and as much as 16 pounds of fluid. She has also greatly increased the size and thickness of her uterus and blood … Continue reading →

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Insulin Problems – Forget about NSC

Posted on October 2, 2019 by Dr. Kellon

Hay or pasture is a major component of any horse’s diet, and is likely to be virtually the complete diet in animals that are obese.  Since insulin resistance is often part of the reason why a horse or pony becomes … Continue reading →

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Struggling Lungs

Posted on August 12, 2019 by Dr. Kellon

Most of your horse’s body is heavily oriented to minimizing contact with the rest of the world but the lungs rely on it to function.  This makes their job of extracting oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide and other wastes very … Continue reading →

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Cold Weather Feeding

Posted on November 11, 2018 by Dr. Kellon

As the country rapidly slips into winter, questions on cold weather feeding increase.  People want to know what to feed and how much more in winter. The short answer is, it depends. If you have done any reading on this … Continue reading →

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Hard Keepers

Posted on November 4, 2018 by Dr. Kellon

Overweight horses are grabbing all the headlines but horses that tend to be very thin can also be a major headache for their owners.  While obesity is clearly to be avoided, there is such a thing as too thin. Photo:  … Continue reading →

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