In addition to providing honest advice, we at AskHELTIE believe it's important to have a wealth of information available for horse owners. This way, you can expand your knowledge and help your horse to the best of your ability. Together, we ensure that horses come a little closer to nature.
Behaviour
Others
Feeding
Natural horse keeping is the goal, but look at your horse!
Our goal is to bring horses closer to nature. Therefore, our aim is that horses are kept as naturally as possible. Of course, it is important to consider your horse and its specific needs. Not all horses thrive on being outside 24/7, just like not all horses can handle being in a stall for a few hours. So, don't focus solely on the idea that your horse must live naturally, but pay close attention to your horse. Here are some tips to keep your horse natural. Tip 1: Thin/poor quality roughage to a...
Cannabinoids
Skin
Clove
Mites
Mites in horses, start treatment as soon as possible!
Stamping in the winter. A well-known phenomenon in horses, especially in horses with a lot of hair on their legs. Especially when the weather is damp and muggy, and horses stand in the mud more often, it is often a recurring problem. Mites! How do you treat it and especially how do you get rid of it as soon as possible? Mites occur in all types of horses Customers often think that their horse cannot have mites because it is a warmblood and does not have socks. This is perhaps the biggest misconc...
Nettle
Weight
Insulin resistance
Triphala
Feeding
Supporting Your Horse in Losing or Gaining Weight
Naturally, a horse's weight fluctuates with the seasons. At the end of summer, they tend to be a bit thicker, and at the end of winter, when the reserves have been used to keep their body warm, a bit thinner. Our domesticated horses usually have enough food all year round and ideally should not fluctuate too much in weight. They should not be too thin or too fat. How do you regulate your horse's weight? A horse that receives enough high-quality roughage and is provided with its daily vitamin and...
Minerals
Silicon
Feeding
Does your horse eat sand? And do you know why?
In winter, horses can sometimes have problems with sand in their intestines. This can lead to diarrhea or even painful sand colic. Of course, it is important to treat a horse that has sand in its belly, but it is even better to address the cause. Do you know why your horse eats sand? Eating sand and sand colic seem to occur particularly in autumn and winter. One reason for this is that horses sometimes graze on short or bare pastures, bringing a lot of sand with the grass roots. The transition f...
First Aid
Others
Feeding
What are the basic values of your horse?
How well do you know your horse? Every horse has its own 'normal' values. For example, how much he eats and how much he defecates, but also what his body temperature, resting heart rate, and respiration rate are. As an owner, it is useful to know these basic values. This way, you can more easily determine if something is wrong. Because horses cannot speak, as owners, we sometimes have to guess if something is wrong with them, if they are sick or experiencing discomfort. It is important not to di...
Others
Feeding
Am I giving my horse too many supplements?
Am I not giving my horse too many supplements? If I add this or that, is that okay, or will it be too much? These are questions that we regularly receive from horse owners, and understandably so! We have customers who give only 1 product, but sometimes we also hear that a large number of products are being given. Sometimes the question is indeed; are you perhaps giving your horse too many supplements? In this blog, we will explain what you need to consider. If it's not beneficial? Then it can be...
Skin
Mites
Did you know that the socks of the horse keep the legs dry?
Autumn, winter, mud and rain... The perfect combination for dirty, wet horse legs. Often, we have the tendency to shave off all the hair of horses. Trim the legs neatly, tidy up the beard, make the ears look nice, and so on. A sleek horse, looking neat without much hair, standing like a real model. But is it really wise to shave everything off? Hair has a purpose! By now, it's (hopefully) common knowledge not to touch or shave off the whiskers of a horse. These whiskers are extremely important a...
Skin
Others
Why we are not anti-blanket with horses
Rain blankets and winter blankets for horses are a much-discussed topic in the horse world. There are people staunchly against blankets because they believe that every horse should be able to be in the Netherlands without a blanket. That every horse naturally grows enough coat and that the winters in the Netherlands are not so extremely cold that a blanket is not necessary. To some extent, that is true, but it is a bit more nuanced. Here is our view on blankets! Point 1: every horse is different...
Cannabinoids
Behaviour
Clove
Stress
Fireworks! Nine tips for a stress-free New Year's Eve for your horse
The end of the year is approaching and in many places in the country that means: fireworks! This can cause stress, for horses and their owners. Can a horse get used to fireworks? And how can you make the New Year's Eve and the days leading up to it as stress-free as possible for your horse? Horses are flight animals, who naturally prefer to run first before they look to see what is going on. It is therefore to be expected that horses are afraid of fireworks. Also carbide shooting will not be ver...
Behaviour
Stress
Can a horse unlearn a stable vice?
Stable vices arise from stress. A stressed horse will exhibit stereotypic behavior more often than a horse that is comfortable in its own skin. Behaviors such as weaving and crib biting are soothing and addictive for a horse. But as an owner, if your horse has a stable vice, you naturally want your horse to stop this behavior. Unlearning is actually not possible, due to the addictive nature of these behaviors. What can you do instead? Address the underlying reasons for the stress. A stable vice,...
Cannabinoids
Clove
Magnesium
Stress
Is magnesium the miracle cure for horses with stress?
Horses can experience stress for various reasons. This can be due to moving, incorrect (feeding) management or a traumatic experience, for example. Some horses are more sensitive to stress than others. There are also horses who are a bit spooky during work and often struggle with the so-called "arena ghosts". Many horse owners then turn to a magnesium supplement, as this is believed to be the solution. But is it really? Is magnesium the miracle cure for stress? Different types of stres...
Stress
Preventing and managing stable vices in horses
‘Stable vice’ may sound harmless, but the associated behavior certainly is not. Cribbing, weaving, box-walking are all the result of significant stress and arise when a horse is restricted in its natural behavior for too long. Usually because they are kept alone in a box for too long. How do you prevent stable vices? And what if your horse already exhibits this kind of behavior? A stable vice is a form of repetitive behavior that was originally developed to relieve stress. By performing the repe...