Most healthy horses have body condition scores between 4 and 6. Healthy horses can be thinner or heavier, and certain life stages may prompt scores outside this range. As researchers study metabolic issues that influence body weight, it is becoming obvious that maintaining horses in moderate body condition may be much healthier than keeping them […]

Horses require both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in their diets. Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are intermediate in the formation of eicosanoids that have been shown to reduce inflammatory responses, support immune function, and enhance fertility. This study was conducted to compare the effect of supplementation with oil […]

Brown-Douglas CG, Huntington PJ, Pagan JD (2011). Growth of Horses. Chapter 29. Equine Reproduction 2nd Ed. Ed: AO McKinnon, EL Squires, WE Vaala, DD Varner. Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2011. Pp: 280-291 Find online.

Borgia Lisa A; Valberg Stephanie J; McCue Molly E; Pagan JD; Roe Charles R (2010) Effect of dietary fats with odd or even numbers of carbon atoms on metabolic response and muscle damage with exercise in Quarter Horse-type horses with type 1 polysaccharide storage myopathy. American journal of veterinary research 2010;71(3):326-36.

Horses have evolved over millions of years as grazers, with specialized digestive tracts adapted to digest and utilize diets containing high levels of plant fiber.

Laminitis is a major disease of horses because of the associated pain and debilitating nature that make it a life-threatening condition.

To compare effects of corn oil or a 7-carbon fat (triheptanoin) on acylcarnitine, lipid, and carbohydrate metabolism in plasma or muscle of exercising horses. Fatigue was not associated with depletion of citric acid cycle intermediates for either oil. Triheptanoin induced a significantly higher insulin secretion and did not appear to enhance muscle glycogen repletion.

Lawrence, L. A. 2009. Nutrition of the mare influences growth and development of the foal. Washington Thoroughbred. 63,1:34-35.

The purpose of this study was to obtain growth data from populations of Thoroughbreds born and raised in various countries and compare body weight, daily weight gain, and wither height growth curves. Information was collected for the years 1996 to 2006. A linear regression model with foal age as the explanatory variable and country as […]

The success of a Thoroughbred racehorse is determined by a multitude of factors, many of which are impossible to evaluate.