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.
Guest blog
Pasture
# Guest blog Horse & Habitat: everything about sowing your pasture
Spring is a good time to start sowing. Sowing has several advantages. You can fill in bare spots with plants you want to have there, which inhibits the growth of unwanted plants such as ragwort. You can also improve the composition of your pasture by sowing grass species that are lower in sugar than English ryegrass.. When sowing, you naturally want the germination of your seed mixture to be as good as possible. You have invested money and time in the seed mixture and sowing. The success of the germination of a seeded grass mixture depends not only on the quality of the seeds. In fact, seeds must meet certain quality requirements and actually only deteriorate if stored for a long time (longer than a year). The success of the germination of a seed mixture mainly depends on the type and conditions of your soil....
Guest blog
Feeding
Guest blog Bart van Heesbeen: Prevailing beliefs about nutrition in equestrian sports
In my previous article for HELTIE horse® I wrote about natural nutrition in sports. In this sequel, I would like to discuss prevailing beliefs in the equestrian world and whether they are accurate. In equestrian sports, there are often many different beliefs regarding nutrition. 'He needs a lot of energy' or 'he will gain weight from too much concentrate.' Maybe you can think of more. What's interesting for me is that I can understand these opinions very well, as I also come from the world of sports. Therefore, I want to start with my own belief; 'Everyone always does it with good intentions.' Within his/her knowledge, everyone has the best interest of their horse in mind. As long as we hold on to this belief, we can have a respectful conversation with each other.. To get a good context, we need to understand where certain beliefs come from. In the past, horses were used for work in the fields. Initially, they were fed generous amounts of grain. Primarily oats were used for this, and sometimes barley as well. These are the two grains that were originally the easiest for horses to digest. The horses had to work all day in the fields, which naturally had a huge impact. Concentrate feed was needed to endure this. Due to the work, the negative effects of grain...
Behaviour
Guest blog
Guest blog Miranda Hoogenberg from HOPE for Horses: from HARD to HEART
Having and training a (young) horse can be so much fun, if you have the right horse... or the right help with training..... but..... having a (young) horse can be hard work...... I see them all pass by in my work and yet I agree with: “Having a (young) horse is Fun!!!” A perfect match! The road to riding is truly one of the most beautiful moments for building a bond with your horse and it doesn't always require (a lot of) stress. We bought a young horse for my daughter last summer, they fell for each other instantly, so it was a clear case. As a mother, I would have preferred to see a slightly older horse for my daughter (almost 15), but well, I know better than anyone t...
Behaviour
Guest blog
Guest blog Growth Factory: Using a horse as a therapy horse? Is that weird?
Using a horse for the learning goals of your client? Is that strange, airy-fairy, or actually just day-care instead of working concretely on learning goals? Almost everyone has heard at some point that working with animals, horses in particular, could have a healing effect. 'Very nice' I always thought, 'but that's all in your head'.. Written for Marjolein from @Dutch_Draft_Astor (@groeifabriek) Horse coaching not the suitable term Yet it did trigger something in me, I have been crazy about horses for years myself, and how cool would it be if I could combine my care work with my passion? But, being critical as I am, if I were to use horses for my clients, it had to make a very concrete contribution to their learning process. After a lot of searching on the internet, visiting open days, and gathering information from training...
Guest blog
Digestion
Guest blog Janneke from Worm & Co: To deworm preventively in winter or not?
Janneke van der Wal from Worm&Co advocates for customized worm management for each horse. Many people give a heavier deworming treatment with Moxidectine at the beginning of winter each year – against redworms, tapeworms, and bots among others. We asked Janneke if this is actually necessary and how you can know.. "Routine deworming every few months throughout the year is really unnecessary," Janneke explains. "About 74% of horses in the Netherlands are dewormed unnecessarily. And every unnecessary deworming treatment leads to resistance in worms." That's why Worm&Co uses fecal egg counts and a detailed questionnaire, so that each individual horse can be dewormed accordingly. Only deworm when it is truly necessary. Janneke says, "Every horse carries gastrointestinal worms. Tha...
Guest blog
Stress
Guest blog Miranda Hoogenberg from HOPE for Horses: Mental well-being of horses
Not a small topic, but often overlooked! The number of times I see a horse looking unhappy is too many to count. It can be quite difficult for an owner to spot. Your horse eats, drinks, poops, and pees. Done.... right? Or is it?. There are so many factors that play a role in the mental health of your horse. At least 85% of all health issues in horses stem from mental well-being, or rather, the absence of a happy and stable horse. Stress from a young age Last summer, we expanded our herd with two young boys, one a Groninger and the other a very well-bred (on paper at least) KWPN. One just turned five and the other just turned four. I heard about the history of the Groninger. Castrated at one year old, put into a group for...
Guest blog
Feeding
Vitalbix guest blog: Does your horse still have energy when you feed grain-free?
Many horse enthusiasts believe that a sport horse always needs grain-based concentrate feed for sufficient energy. That a horse becomes sluggish or unable to perform without the grains and sugars from concentrate feed. That's not true. Horses don't naturally derive their energy from grains, which form the main component of many types of concentrate feed. We discussed this with Madelief Jambroes from Vitalbix. What's the exact situation with energy, vitamins, and minerals in horse feed?. Madelief is the "Manager Nutrition & Education" at Vitalbix. She provides daily nutritional advice to horse owners and is jointly responsible for product development and knowledge dissemination. Madelief says, "I have a degree in nutrition and initially worked in human nutrition. Horse nutrition has always been of interest to me, and partly thanks to my own horse, I got involved in this field." What is a balancer? Often, you hear that it's best to provide a horse with suf...
Guest blog
Minerals
Feeding
Guest Blog Femke Dölle: Mineral buffet: choice menu for your horse
Femke Dölle is a holistic instructor and welfare advisor for horses. She always gives her horses a choice of different minerals, like a buffet. Femke: "I started doing this because in nature, horses eat a variety of plants in addition to grass. This is necessary to get all the necessary minerals and trace elements. Since I couldn't provide my horses with such a diverse diet, but still wanted to meet that need, I came up with this idea.. Femke explains: "I started offering minerals in water. First with two buckets and then I would switch them out. At my new stable, there are now six buckets hanging on the wall, like a buffet. Each bucket contains different minerals." As needed "I believe that horses in nature can choose for themselves, they know what they need and engage in self-medication. This is called zoopharmacognosy. You can see with horses that have the choice, that they eat specific plants in certain perio...
Guest blog
Femke Dölle: "Natural housing is healthy and can also be done on a smaller plot of land"
Femke Dölle is a holistic instructor and horse welfare consultant. She designs Browsing Paddocks®. This is a form of naturally domesticated housing for horses, which can also be realised on smaller plots of land. Femke also gives advice on passive physio for horses. This involves challenging the horse to use many different muscles even in its 'free time'. This mimics the way of life of wild horses, keeping them healthier and fitter. We asked Femke about her tips for natural housing.. Femke: "My concept of the Browsing Paddock® arose from the idea that I wanted horses to experience less stress, especially in terms of housing and feeding. As an instructor, I found that I could keep giving endless lessons, but if the housing and feeding management are not in order, then progress is limited. When we optimize the diet and housing, I already see half of the mental and physical problems disappear on average. Good management and the right way of feeding ensure that the horse fe...
Guest blog
Feeding
Guest Blog Bart van Heesbeen: 'Horses perform better when you feed them naturally'
Bart van Heesbeen is a show jumper, trainer, instructor, and nutrition expert. He knows exactly what good nutrition does for a sport horse and what does and does not work. He regularly advises owners of sport horses and has a holistic view on horses, feeding, health, and performance.. “When I worked as a professional competition rider, I often felt something was off with my horses. I frequently asked myself, 'Why aren't they performing as well as I think they can? What is holding them back, what is causing them to knock down five poles even though they feel careful enough?'" That's why I went looking for solutions. In that search, I found good forage and started focusing on forage products that can further help horses." Knowledge about forage "For me, it's all...
Guest blog
Digestion
Feeding
Guest Blog Ellen Wijnands - Manure Water in Horses: from Nutritional Advice to Supplements
Ellen Wijnands is a natural nutritionist and uses bioresonance to measure and treat energetic disturbances and blockages, even in horses. In this way, she can offer support for various ailments and issues through a holistic approach. We asked Ellen what issues she encounters in her practice and how she proceeds. Manure water turns out to be a common problem. Ellen: "Manure water is not normal, it is not something that 'belongs to your horse'. A multi-faceted approach gives the highest chance of success. Keep in mind: every horse is different.". Ellen explains: "Especially at the beginning of winter, I often see digestive problems. I also frequently encounter horses with manure water. Manure water arises from changes in the diet. Especially when horses transition from pasture to a diet of only dried roughage." Cause of manure water With manure water, your horse has relatively firm to quite soft manure balls, but a significant amount of liquid is also expelled. This manure water indicates that the digestive juices are not prope...
Guest blog
Digestion
Guest blog Janneke from Worm&Co: 'A horse's body is never completely free of worms'
Proper worm management is important for keeping your horse healthy. But what does that involve and how can you use fecal testing to monitor your horse as effectively as possible? And why can a horse never actually be completely free of worms? We discuss this with Janneke van der Wal from Worm&Co: "It's not a problem if you occasionally see a worm in your horse's manure.. Janneke van der Wal founded Worm & Co in 2016. "I noticed that many horse owners were still choosing to deworm their horses routinely. This was often not out of ignorance, but due to a lack of information." Why fecal testing? "Until 13 years ago, you could simply get a dewormer for your horse anywhere. The legislation changed because research showed that gastrointestinal worms were starting to become resistant to the existing active ingredients in those dewormers. Since no new...