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
Minerals
Silicon
Digestion
Feeding
Help, my horse is eating sand! What should I do now?
Two times a year we see a peak in questions about horses eating sand. Typically around February/March and usually around September/October. This is quite logical, as these are periods when the molting process is in full swing and the nutritional needs of horses are changing due to a seasonal shift. But what should you do if your horse starts eating sand? Should you just let it happen or should you intervene? Sand-eating is a natural phenomenon All horses eat sand, this is a natural phenomenon an...
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...
Electrolytes
Minerals
How do you support your horse in warm weather?
The warm months are approaching and some horses really thrive in that weather! They soak up the sun's warmth and truly enjoy it. But there are also horses that don't handle the heat as well, sweating and panting at the first ray of sunshine. How can you best support these horses during the warm periods?. Shade!! ALL horses need to have access to shade during the summer months. Whether your horse can handle the heat well or not, there should always be shade available. This can be provided by trees, a shelter, or by hanging a shade cloth. Horses should have the choice to escape the sun if they want to. A horse can also overheat or suffer from heatstroke (resulting in death). Always make sure your horse has a place to stand in the shade. Does your stable not provide this option? Then put your horse...
Electrolytes
Minerals
Feeding
Replenishing Minerals: Balancer, Electrolytes, or Mineral Supplement?
When it's hot, your horse loses a lot of salts and minerals through sweat. But how do you best replenish them? Aren't minerals also present in hay, grass, concentrate feed, and balancer pellets? Is an electrolyte supplement really necessary? What about horses that need to eat a low-sugar diet, for example, due to laminitis, sweet itch, or EMS?. Horses need a wide range of minerals to function properly. Some of these minerals are required in larger quantities (macro-elements), while others are needed in very small amounts (trace elements). Minerals cannot be stored as reserves in the horse's body for long periods. This means that these important substances must be supplied through food. Whether it is through grass, hay, concentrate feed, balancer pellets, or supplements. What are the most important minerals? The most important minerals,...
Electrolytes
Skin
Minerals
Feeding
Why are electrolytes important for horses?
If you train in the summer months, your horse can sweat a lot. You often hear that you should give electrolytes. Why is that? What are electrolytes actually? When should you give them and what is the most absorbable form?. The official description of electrolytes in chemistry is as follows: they are ions of salts, acids, and bases that are in liquid form in the body. Sounds complicated, but what it comes down to is: they are soluble salts. The most important electrolytes for mammals are sodium, chlorine, and potassium. Sodium chloride is also known as table salt. In addition, magnesium and calcium are also important electrolytes for the functioning of the nervous system and muscles of both horses and humans. Elect...
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...
Cannabinoids
Joints
Clove
Minerals
Silicon
Black cumin
Can you prevent/reduce injuries in your horse?
Unfortunately, there is no miracle cure that can prevent injuries. Sometimes horses seem to be born to make things as difficult as possible for themselves or to damage themselves. Every horse can have a little accident, stumble, or just be plain unlucky. Preventing an injury is therefore not possible. However, you can reduce the chances of injuries by providing the right guidance and support!. Provide enough building materials from a young age. For a strong physique, horses need building materials in the form of minerals ( silicon, calcium, magnesium etc). This starts in the womb. During pregnancy, the mare must receive enough building materials so that the unborn foal can absorb and use them. If pregnant mares have insufficient building materials, the foal will already start with a disadvantage. As a result, the entire physique will be weaker and more prone to injuries. It is therefo...
Weight
Insulin resistance
Minerals
Feeding
# How can you keep your horse at a healthy weight in the summer
Many horse owners find themselves in a dilemma every summer. How do you keep your horse or pony at a healthy weight during the grazing season? How can you allow your horse to enjoy a bit of grass without it having adverse effects on its health? Read on in this blog, we are happy to give you some tips!. Depending on the stable Not everyone has their horse/pony at home and the ability to take various measures regarding grazing. Most horses are kept at a boarding stable where there is a certain policy in place. This makes it difficult for many horse owners to make the right adjustments for their horse. We understand that as a horse owner, you may sometimes feel frustrated because the stable's policy does not benefit the health of your pony/horse. In some cases, you are unfortunately dependent on...
Minerals
Silicon
Feeding
Does giving silicon have any benefit if I am not with my yearling every day?
Silicon is an important mineral for building bones, tendons, cartilage, ligaments, and muscles. Especially in winter, when horses have limited access to fresh grass, it is advisable to give your horse a supplement of liquid silicon. This is especially important when your horse is still growing. However, many people do not visit their young horse in the rearing facility every day. Does giving silicon still make sense?. A young horse needs good nutrition and plenty of exercise to grow big and strong. Silicon is essential for this. This important mineral contributes to collagen formation and bone formation. Often, young horses in the rearing facility receive additional foal feed or other supplementary feed in winter, but giving liquid silicon is not yet a common practice everywhere. Giving silicon a few times a week is also useful Many young horses are in the rearing facility and it is not always close to their...
Joints
Magnesium
Minerals
Silicon
Feeding
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How can you strengthen the physique of your young horse?
Horse owners are always looking for what is best for their horse. Often this concerns adult horses or even seniors. The young horse is often "forgotten", while with the right guidance it can make an extra good start. Therefore, read in this blog how you can support the physique of your young horse.. What is a young horse? Actually, horses are late bloomers, all growth plates are only fully closed around the age of 6/8 years. Therefore, you can say that up to the age of 7 years, the horse can be considered young. Especially the first 5 years are important for the development of the physique. The horse then goes through many growth spurts, which challenges the skeleton. But even after this age, horses continue to grow. Many horses are only fully grown around their 7th year. Movement, movement...
Nettle
Skin
Minerals
Stubborn mud fever? Happy bacteria can help!
Many horses deal with mud fever, especially when it is wet outside, the paddock remains muddy, or if they spend more time indoors. The term 'pastern dermatitis' refers to a variety of problems. A comprehensive approach is important, supporting the horse from the outside and from the inside. Unfortunately, there are sometimes stubborn spots where the skin remains irritated. What should you do?. Mud fever is a collective term for skin problems, scabs, and wounds on the lower legs of horses. Mud fever can be caused by fungi, bacteria, and even sunburn (on white legs). Often, complaints caused by parasites such as mites are also referred to as 'Mud fever.' But in reality, this is something different. Mud fever often presents with flakes, scabs, redness, and cracks in the pastern. The pastern, especially in horses with white legs or long socks, is a lovely spot for pathogens. Your horse ge...
Behaviour
Minerals
Silicon
Do horses lick sand because of the mineral silicon it contains?
Especially in the autumn and winter, you see it regularly: horses licking sand and sometimes even digging pits in the paddock. Often this is a sign of a mineral deficiency, especially the mineral silicon. Could it be that horses lick sand because of the mineral silicon in it? Why is silicon so important for horses? And what can you do to stop the sand licking?. The main cause of sand eating in horses is a mineral deficiency. Sand consists largely of silicon, a mineral that plays a major role in the building of tendons, ligaments, cartilage, collagen, joint fluid, and even in bone formation. Silicon is an essential mineral for horses and other mammals. Horses try to intake this important substance by licking sand. Eating sand is dangerous But… eating sand is of course not good for your horse. The sand can accumulate in the cecum and colon and cause coli...