This concise handbook provides evidence-based, practical horse nutrition accessible to all readers. Standing out from very dense theoretical horse nutrition books, it arms equine students, veterinary students and horse owners with practically applicable information, bringing theory and practice together. At the end of each chapter, veterinarian and equine nutrition experts Dr Gulsah Kaya Karasu and Dr Peter Huntington provide guidance on practical applications, calculations and the real-life use of information. For example, how is gastric ulcer formation triggered by traditional horse feeding? How can the risk of gastric ulcer formation be reduced with evidence-based feeding?

Divided into four parts, the book covers the horse’s digestive system, types of feeds, formulating rations, and nutrition-related health disorders. Its scientifically validated, practical information will be invaluable for horse owners, students and trainers, equine nutritionists and practitioners within the equine industry.

Chapter 1: Understanding the Equine Digestive System

1.1 Foregut Anatomy & Digestion

1.2 Hindgut Anatomy & Digestion

Chapter 2: Feed Sources for Horses

2.1 Forage

2.2 Concentrate Feed

2.3 Feed Processing

2.4 Fats

2.5 Supplements

2.6 Feeding Frequency

2.7. Feed Storage Guidelines

Chapter 3: Formulating Rations for Horses

3.1 Reading the Feed Tag

3.2 Diet Evaluation and Formulation for Horses

Chapter 4: Nutrition-Related Health Disorders in Horses

4.1 The Role of Nutrition in Developmental Orthopedic Diseases (DOD)

4.2 The Role of Nutrition in Colic

4.3 The Role of Nutrition in Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS)

4.4 The Role of Nutrition in Obesity

4.5 The Role of Nutrition in Laminitis

4.6 The Role of Nutrition in Endocrine Diseases

4.7 The Role of Nutrition in Myopathies

4.8 The Role of Nutrition in Asthma

Gulsah Kaya Karasu began her veterinary medicine career at Istanbul University Veterinary Medicine, where her passion for horses was sparked during an internship at Liverpool University Leahurst Equine Hospital in the United Kingdom, from which she graduated in 2004. Driven by this early dedication, she earned her Doctorate Degree in 2009 from Vienna Veterinary University in Austria, focusing on "colic risk factors in horses." Her outstanding thesis earned her the prestigious Von Firks Stipendium at the university, which opened up new opportunities in her career. Gulsah's career then took her around the world, including fellowships at Blueridge Equine Hospital in the United States. In 2011, she was appointed as an Associate Professor at Istanbul Aydin University and pursued further education in equine medicine at Liverpool University. Her commitment to equine health took her to follow the ECVCN-European College Veterinary Comparative Nutrition Residency program. She has done technical consulting for major horse feed companies, farms and her insightful articles have appeared in a number of equine magazines. She currently lives in the Netherlands and works as a senior lecturer and researcher at Van Hall Larenstein University's Equine Department. She also founded AGG Equine Nutrition Consultancy, which offers international consulting services.

 

Peter Huntington's interest in horses was sparked by spending school holidays with his uncle John Williams. He then graduated from the University of Melbourne Veterinary faculty with Honors in 1981, before spending time working in private practice and as an equine specialist for the Victorian Department of Agriculture gaining a Membership of the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists. He has worked in Equine Nutrition since 1993 and has been Director of Nutrition for Kentucky Equine Research Australasia since 1998. In that time he has consulted to horse owners, breeders and trainers, feed companies and veterinarians in many countries, as well as lecturing and writing on equine nutrition and feeding to many audiences. He is the author of the best seller Horse Sense – The Australian and New Zealand Guide to Horse Husbandry.