Food is Only One Part of the Equation
Mind you, it's an important part but getting the right food into your horse's tummy only gets us so far.
Through the Lips and Over the Gums
The next thing to consider is the quality of the foods you're providing.
Are they easily utilized by the body? Do they cause systemic inflammation or digestive upset?
Nutrient Absorption - It's All About the Gut
No matter how super duper those precious nutrients are that you're horse is eating, they aren't doing your horse any good if they aren't broken down properly and can't make it into the blood stream.
Gut dysfunction is commonly experienced by horses. It can be the reason why your horse can't gain weight or like too fat. When your equine can't utilize food, and the nutrients within, your horse will have a physiologic deficit. That results in tissue compromise - a breakdown on a cellular level the limits the body's ability to maintain and repair itself.
The Enemies of Nutrient Availability
A number of things can affect your horse's gut and limit is ability to properly process food.
Travel Stress
Physical Pain
Emotional Distress
Sleep Deprivation
Non-Bioavailable Nutrients
Inflammatory Feeds
Food Deprivation
The Big Picture
There's no doubt that creating a great diet is essential for overall health, but other factors have an impact too. That why Dale asks horse owners a broad range of questions that don't seem to have anything to do with their horses diet at all during her nutrition consultations.
The entirety of a horse's life affects how his or her body responds to food. The more information we have, the better equipped we are to make choices that will benefit your horse.
Dale Rudin - Certified Equine Nutritionist
Reach out to Dale at dalerudin@gmail.com to ask questions and schedule your horse's nutrition consult.