Horse Hippie Cristy

I was personally affected by this in July when a forest fire that reached close to 65,000 acres came within 5 miles of my ranch. The fire was the scariest part. The the smoke was a close second. The thick, yellow atmosphere that settled every morning. The stinging eyes, running nose and dry cough. It… Read more: How to Naturally Support Your Horse Through Wildfire Smoke

Chances are, thrush is not what you think it is. Because it has surprised me time and again. I live in an extremely dry, high desert climate. I thought thrush was not a problem I would ever be dealing with. Thrush only happens in muddy conditions. Right? I was wrong! These are signs that your… Read more: How to Treat Horse Thrush Naturally

Lots of owners (and vets) see a pattern in their horses that struggle with being overweight, sluggish, and lumpy-looking with chronically sore feet. Equine Metabolic Syndrome is the term these horses get grouped into. Insulin Resistance (IR) is a specific metabolic dysfunction where the body’s cells have a reduced ability to respond to insulin. So,… Read more: Why Are Some Horses Insulin Resitant?

Your Horse’s Diet is Probably High in Iron Because of poor soil quality and overuse of superphosphate fertilizers, most hay is very high in iron today. The averages from all hay samples taken by Equi-Analytical in the last 18 years showed: Iron: 1796 mg Copper: 77 mg Zinc: 275 mg The ratio of iron:copper:zinc should… Read more: Could Iron Overload be the Reason for Insulin Resistance?

Restricting Feed As soon as your horse is diagnosed as insulin resistant, many people panic and put them on a diet. But restricting feed is a major cause of stress in horses, and stress spikes insulin levels! What do do instead? -Invest in slow feed haynets. Use more than the amount of horses that you… Read more: 3 Mistakes People Make with Insulin Resistant Horses