EQUUS - the balanced equation at hoovesandhorses.com

DID YOU KNOW- what does Protein (Essential, and non-essential amino acids) do for your horse?
Excellent article! APPLIES TO HORSES TOO!
Some main take-home points:
AMINO ACIDS (Full protein-intake profile) ARE ESSENTIAL FOR:
. Muscle maintenance and repair. Turnover- about 3 months
. Tendon/ ligament maintenance and repair. Turnover- 1.5 years
. Cartilage maintenance and repair. Turnover- 1.5 years
. Bone maintenance and repair. Turnover- about 2 years
. Older humans and horses- need MORE protein due to less sensitivity to utilize amino acids.
. Amino Acid requirements are long term, over the life of the animal, not a sudden short term supplementation of protein.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
A note from EPC Solutions:
The horse's VAST Gastro-intestinal tract (compared to humans) can drastically change GI health and nutrient absorption when it evenly slightly goes off-kilter.

Since protein is absorbed in the Small intestine, it is important the fore-gut is healthy and producing good quantities of digestive enzymes to breakdown the protein for absorption before escaping to the hind gut where protein is nolonger utilized for systemic use.

Horses, unlike cows, can ONLY utilize amino acids as a protein source. This is why hay analysis that reports "crude protein" is so misleading- it contains other than amino acids which cows can convert to protein, but horses cannot!

Protein sources should always come from plant based sources as much as possible- "off-the shelf, protein supplements" are chemical compounds- synthetic and are not well established in research for full absorption qualities.

We recommend covering all bases by providing a quality ration balancer (like Tribute Essential K, or Buckeye Grow N Win, to provide all the necessary nutrients in amino acids and vitamin/mineral to supply the correct daily intake for your horse, fed by weight.

We further ensure quality digestion of protein in the small intestine and good mineral/vitamin absorption across the intestinal mucosa in the large intestine, by feeding:
EQUINE CHOICE PRE-PROBIOTIC, B-VIT, DIGESTIVE ENZYME SUPPLEMENT
- to meet all those demands both in the fore-gut and hind-gut so your horse is properly utilizing the feed that goes into their body. This is an all-Canadian product and superior with its patented encapsulated pre-probiotic that survives stomach acid and reaches the hind gut intact.

And remember, our aged horses, especially those with PPID, need much greater levels of amino acid consumption daily. Given the needed daily intake, protein allows optimal tissue turnover, always replacing older tissue with new, healthier tissue. And every hormonal-chemical signalling and reaction in the body is driven by enzymes and co-enzymes- catalysts for optimal cellular regulation and health- and they are all made of proteins!
Happy feeding!

Full article here:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BKBCMj52S/

IMPORTANT! Please read!
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Du2aabYzu/

What “The Toe Is Not a Lever” Isn’t Telling You About Your Horse A viral post is telling owners that toe length doesn’t matter for laminitic horses, and that the vets and farriers recommending you take the toe back are wrong. The published research, the r…

DID YOU KNOW... Why Thiamine (B1) and all the B vitamins are so important to a horse's gut function.

For folks who are diabetic, or high-carb intakers, thiamine (B1) is crucial for ATP to function optimally. B1 deficiency causes metabolic/cardiac issues to name a few.

For Horses- soybeans and "GOOD" quality forage are a good choice for access to thiamine, good to know! Read on!
If you want more specific info about all the B vitamins for horses, this is an excellent article, see link. Just another reason I personally promote Equine Choice pre-probiotic, B1, Enzyme Supplements to fortify the gut to enhance the beneficial microbial population and produce a robust immune system and hormonal function.
https://tributeequinenutrition.com/blogs/news/the-importance-of-b-vitamins-for-horses

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1ArdQfM5Wp/

The Importance of B Vitamins for Horses While there are multiple vitamins horses need each day, B vitamins are a focus because of their importance. Learn more!

All about ECVM...

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1LAVeUevjV/

All about ECVM...

Send a message to learn more

DID YOU KNOW....
Walking after meals (this applies to Equine metabolic horses too, not just humans!) will offer a second pathway to reduce blood glucose levels/reduce pancreatic insulin production. This is why you will hear the addage: just 30 minutes of walking your horse significantly reduces insulin levels, a pro-active tool to reduce laminitic events in ID/IR horses.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1By9Vpynxi/

Your muscles clear glucose in two different ways after a meal.
Most people only use one.

When you sit after eating, glucose disposal depends almost entirely on insulin signaling from the pancreas. That pathway works, but it has limited capacity, which is why post-meal glucose spikes are higher and longer.

When you move after eating, even lightly, a second pathway turns on in parallel.

Muscle contraction independently activates glucose transporters (GLUT4), allowing glucose to enter muscle without waiting for insulin. The result is faster clearance, lower peaks, and less strain on the pancreas.

What’s happening under the hood:
• Muscle contraction triggers GLUT4 translocation
• Glucose enters muscle directly
• Blood glucose falls more quickly
• Insulin demand is reduced, not replaced

This isn’t about burning calories or “earning” food. It’s about using the physiology you already have. Walking after meals doesn’t override insulin. It adds another clearance pathway.

That’s why timing matters.

DID YOU KNOW...
Gut dysbiosis can lead/contribute to laminitis
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DQXPMUc5e/

Send a message to learn more

How to balance the equine Digit...
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1ZtKRGqiZA/

Send a message to learn more

DID YOU KNOW
Fascinating developments in the Equine Foot, Fetal to Maturity
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17yzSYyYVF/

Send a message to learn more

DID YOU KNOW
Sleeping cycles change as foals develop.
Music affects sleeping patterns in horses.
Two interesting studies.

Of note, young growing foals SLEEP A LOT. The first link goes into detail how much, and how it changes as they grow. Interesting thesis is that they require copious amounts of REM Sleep (Recumbant sleep) to assimilate the days activities to register into their long-term memory trace.

SLEEP PATTERNS IN GROWING FOALS
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/54694fa6e4b0eaec4530f99d/t/61032e2d4f4ad62e42f2c369/1627598381479/Belling+%281990%29+Sleep+patterns+in+the+horse.pdf?fbclid=IwY2xjawO8_tdleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETExcWtBaE1yeDkwVFYyWkF5c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHgS9hrfDdSXMOpLulm_T4A1PttC3R8IxQKVhdba6P8OflCpLQUEHo2lY2NgV_aem_V2hM9Ji2hYQ84Ey1NQX2fA
The second link points to the effects of classical music played during stabling at night, 8pm- 6:30am. Apparently it encouraged more relaxation, more ingestion of food, and less stress behaviour. It "may" be linked to increased episodes of REM recumbant sleep cylces. Also this was a short term study, unknown if effectiveness would decrease over long term accustomed exposure.

SLEEP PATTERNS IN STABLES HORSES WITH CLASSICAL MUSIC
https://www.sciencedirect.com/.../abs/pii/S0737080619303934