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Happy Horse Nutrition: Daily Summaries Delivered
by MyHappy.Horse
Join Dr. Nerida McGilchrist, a world-renowned PhD equine nutritionist with over 25 years of experience, as she simplifies the science of horse nutrition into actionable insights. Trusted by top trainers and breeders, Nerida combines her passion for data with engaging interviews of leading experts in the field. With her warm, humorous style, she uncovers the latest research and practical tips to optimise your horse's health and performance. Tune in for expert advice that you can apply today!
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- 6 days ago43 min
70. Is Perennial Ryegrass Changing Your Horse’s Behaviour?
Has your horse suddenly become anxious, spooky, reactive or unpredictable... despite being normally calm and sensible?In this episode, Dr Nerida explores how perennial ryegrass mycotoxins can affect horse behaviour, coordination and performance. Learn about lolitrem B and ergovaline, the toxins associated with ryegrass staggers, tremors, hypersensitivity, exaggerated startle responses, heat intolerance and dramatic behavioural changes.We also look at when perennial ryegrass pasture and hay pose the greatest risk, how quickly horses may improve once exposure stops, and whether mycotoxin binders can actually help.If your horse seems to have had a sudden “personality transplant”, their pasture or hay may be worth a closer look and this episode is definitely worth a listen!Testing pasture or hay for perennial ryegrass toxinsAustralia: Southern Scientific Services, Hamilton VIC – pasture toxin testing including lolitrem B and ergovaline. Phone 0408 363 061. Contact the laboratory before collecting/sending samples for current sampling instructions.USA: Oregon State University Endophyte Service Laboratory – quantitative testing for lolitrem B and ergovaline in pasture, hay and feed. https://emt.oregonstate.edu/endophyte-lab 📲 For help balancing your horse's diet, download the MyHappy.Horse App https://apps.apple.com/au/app/myhappy-horse/id6633422324 💖 If you found this episode helpful, please follow the Happy Horse Nutrition Podcast and share it with a horse owning friend who is struggling with their horse's behaviour.🌟 And we'd love you to leave us a rating and review, it helps us help more horse owners to find practical, science-based nutrition advice.
- 1 weeks ago50 min
69. Horse Nutrition Q&A: Starch in Clover, Protein, Gut Health & Fibre Diversity
How high can the starch content of clover really get? Can lupins be too high in protein? And does adding lots of different fibre sources actually help your horse’s hindgut microbiome?In this Q&A episode, Dr Nerida and Orla unpack a mix of practical horse nutrition questions, including clover and insulin dysregulation, faba beans and resistant starch, high-protein diets, gastric ulcers, and why even a skinny horse can still be metabolically at risk.They also explore one of the biggest emerging areas in equine nutrition: forage diversity and the gut microbiome and how much ingredient variety may be enough to make a meaningful difference to the microbiome.Plenty of practical feeding advice, a few fun rabbit holes on human and ruminant nutrition, and one genuinely scary clover statistic! 📲 To check your horse’s diet and KNOW you are feeding right, download the MyHappy.Horse app https://apps.apple.com/au/app/myhappy-horse/id6633422324💛 We’d love if you would leave us a rating, follow the show and share this episode with a friend, it truly helps us get this information in front of more horse owners.🩺 And if you’d like to get in touch with Orla, Orla.lyons@randlab.com.au
- 2 weeks ago48 min
68. Gut Health: How Your Horse’s Hindgut Microbes Affect Performance
Did you know the microbes living in your horse’s hindgut may be influencing how well they perform?In this episode, Dr Nerida explores research linking hindgut microbiome diversity, fibre fermentation and performance in horses. We look at studies in Thoroughbreds and trotters showing that higher microbial diversity and greater fibre-fermenting capacity are associated with better racing performance, while greater starch fermentation is linked with poorer performance.You’ll also learn practical ways to support a healthier, more diverse microbiome through forage, fibre diversity and smarter grain feeding.Whether you own a racehorse, performance horse or simply want to support better gut health, this episode may leave you in a state of mind-bogglement… which will make perfect sense once you listen. 😂💛Research mentioned in this episodeLeng et al. (2024)Early-life gut bacterial community structure predicts disease risk and athletic performance in horses bred for racingScientific Reports, 14:17124https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-64657-6Park et al. (2024)Comparison of the fecal microbiota with high- and low performance race horsesJournal of Animal Science and Technology, 66(2):425–437https://doi.org/10.5187/jast.2023.e45Vasseur et al. (2024)Fibrolytic efficiency of the large intestine microbiota may benefit running speed in French trotters: A pilot studyPhysiological Reports, 12(21)https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.70110Hansen et al. (2015)High nutrient availability reduces the diversity and stability of the equine caecal microbiotaMicrobial Ecology in Health and Disease, 26:27216https://doi.org/10.3402/mehd.v26.27216Grimm et al. (2020)Dietary composition and yeast/microalgae combination supplementation modulate the microbial ecosystem in the caecum, colon and faeces of horsesBritish Journal of Nutrition, 123(4):372–382https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114519002824
- 3 weeks ago42 min
67. Laminitis & Spring Grass: How to Keep Your Horse Safe
Managing a laminitis-prone horse through spring can feel like a full-time job! Especially when pasture non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) levels can change dramatically with the weather.In this episode, Dr Nerida and Orla talk through the practical realities of managing horses with laminitis and insulin dysregulation, including why frosty nights and sunny days can make spring pasture particularly risky, when grass is likely to be safest to graze, and how grazing muzzles, strip grazing and low-NSC hay can help.They also discuss clover, forage testing, nitrate risk, exercise and insulin sensitivity, and the challenge of keeping horses eating enough fibre while still controlling calorie and sugar intake.A useful follow-up to our conversation with Dr Luke Wells-Smith, for anyone navigating laminitis and spring pasture with a metabolic horse or pony.🤖 If you have questions about laminitis, or any other feeding and nutrition related question, give Dr Nerida AI a go: https://www.myhappy.horse/nerida-ai 💛 And to really look in detail at your horse’s diet, download the MyHappy.Horse nutrition app: https://apps.apple.com/au/app/myhappy-horse/id6633422324
- Aug 18, 20261h 23m
66. Horses, Laminitis & Hoof Health with Dr Luke Wells-Smith
In this episode, Dr Nerida is joined by Dr Luke Wells-Smith, dual qualified equine veterinarian and farrier, for a unique perspective on laminitis.Dr Luke unpacks what’s happening inside the hoof during laminitis, the early warning signs horse owners can watch for, insulin dysregulation, digital pulses and hoof growth rings. Nerida and Luke also get into nutrition, misleading “grain-free” feed labels, beet pulp, the microbiome, and why identifying and controlling the underlying cause of laminitis is so critical.A fun and practical conversation for anyone wanting to better understand laminitis and protect their horse’s hooves.You can find Dr Luke Wells-Smith at the Motion Equine Centre:https://www.motion-equine.com.au/Telehealth consultations with Dr Luke Wells-Smith:https://motion-equine.com.au/telehealth
- Aug 11, 202643 min
65. My Favourite 5 Weight Gain Ingredients for Horses
What are the best ingredients for helping a horse gain weight safely?In this episode, PhD equine nutritionist Dr Nerida explains why lucerne (alfalfa), full-fat soybean, lupins, sugar beet pulp and copra meal are five of her favourite horse weight-gain ingredients. Discover how each ingredient supplies energy, fermentable fibre or quality protein, and how the right combination can help horses build body condition and muscle without simply relying on more grain.You’ll also learn why hindgut health matters, when high-protein feeds can become problematic, how to use these ingredients safely and why every weight-gain diet still needs to be properly balanced.Soycheck test kit for checking whether soybean products contain active trypsin inhibitor: https://cbsbioplatforms.com/Store
- Aug 4, 202646 min
64. Horse Nutrition Q&A: Insulin Sensitivity, Muscle Building and Misleading Feed Labels
Join Dr Nerida and Orla as they discuss how exercise can improve insulin sensitivity. Plus they talk feeding for muscle development, and how whey protein, soybean and leucine play a role.They also dive into digestive enzymes, why they are being added to more feeds, and how enzymes may help some horses digest starch more efficiently when grain-based feeds are used. This leads into a bigger discussion about diet analysis, nutrient deficiencies, toxicities, misleading “grain-free” labels, and why horse owners need a way to check whether a diet is genuinely safe and balanced.The episode finishes with musings on raw grain, stomach pH, hindgut pH, gastroscopy, omeprazole, acid rebound, and has a few classic Orla and Nerida side tracks along the way.📲 To check your horse’s diet and KNOW you are feeding right, download the MyHappy.Horse app https://apps.apple.com/au/app/myhappy-horse/id6633422324💛 We’d love if you would leave us a rating, follow the show and share this episode with a friend, it truly helps us get this information in front of more horse owners.🩺 And if you’d like to get in touch with Orla, Orla.lyons@randlab.com.au
- Jul 28, 202642 min
63. Preventing Gastric Ulcers in Horses: Nutrition Strategies Beyond Forage
Preventing squamous gastric ulcers takes more than just feeding enough forage. In this episode, Dr Nerida explains four additional nutrition strategies: feeding a balanced diet, controlling grain and starch intake, supplying high-quality protein, and using lucerne or alfalfa strategically. Plus she covers why grain is not automatically the problem, how key nutrients support stomach repair, and why lucerne is so valuable for gut health. Here are some of the papers referenced:Effects of feeding alfalfa hay in comparison to meadow hay on the gastric mucosa in adult Warmblood horses https://pferdeheilkunde.de/files/20200105.pdf Evaluation of diet as a cause of gastric ulcers in horses https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10895901/Risk factors associated with equine gastric ulceration syndrome (EGUS) in 201 horses in Denmark https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19927579/📲 For help assessing your horse’s diet and making sure you are feeding a balanced diet to prevent gastric ulcers, download the MyHappy.Horse App https://apps.apple.com/au/app/myhappy-horse/id6633422324 💖 If you found this episode helpful we'd be so grateful if you would follow the Happy Horse Nutrition Podcast and share it with a horse owning friend who is struggling with gastric ulcers.🌟 And please leave us a rating and review, it helps us help more horse owners to find practical, science-based nutrition advice.
About Happy Horse Nutrition
Join Dr. Nerida McGilchrist, a world-renowned PhD equine nutritionist with over 25 years of experience, as she simplifies the science of horse nutrition into actionable insights. Trusted by top trainers and breeders, Nerida combines her passion for data with engaging interviews of leading experts in the field. With her warm, humorous style, she uncovers the latest research and practical tips to optimise your horse's health and performance. Tune in for expert advice that you can apply today!
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