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.
Electrolytes
Minerals
Electrolytes and minerals: what do you give to your horse and when?
You often hear that your horse needs to get enough minerals in its diet. Also, electrolytes are a good idea during strenuous exercise or high temperatures. But what is the difference? Is there an overlap between these two things? And when do you actually give what?. The five most important minerals that horses need are: Sodium Chloride Potassium Magnesium Calcium In addition, there are a number of so-called 'trace elements', which horses need only in very small quantities. All these minerals are important for regulating fluid balance, muscle function, nervous system, and energy provision. Therefore, it is essential that a horse receives sufficient minerals in its diet every day. Preferably through a mineral pellet, without grains. What is the difference bet...
Electrolytes
Insulin resistance
Minerals
Sweet itch
Which electrolytes are ideal for sugar-sensitive horses?
Warm weather and more sweating, a typical summer for both humans and horses. Horses that are sensitive to sugars also sweat and lose electrolytes in that way. It is therefore important to provide horses with insulin resistance with extra sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and chloride. These minerals, known as electrolytes, are often only available with the addition of a form of sugar. In this blog, you can read how to provide electrolytes to sugar-sensitive horses without sugar.. What are electrolytes and what do they do? Electrolytes are necessary for the functioning of the nervous system, for smooth muscles, and for recovery after exercise. They prevent the "cramping" feeling and acidosis after training. Electrolytes are a number of minerals: Sodium, chloride, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. Each of these minerals has its own function in the body. But in hot weather, a horse can lose about 10-15 liters of sweat and therefore a large amount of electrolytes....
Others
# Why do mushrooms grow on the manure heap of horses?
Have you ever spotted mushrooms on the manure heap of your horses? This is not a problem at all and very normal. It means that your manure heap is full of nutrients for growth. Horse manure is not for nothing a popular fertilizer used by mushroom growers. Did you know that there are mushroom species that only grow in manure? These species mainly or exclusively grow on manure and do not occur in other places. But how is this possible and why do mushrooms like to grow on the manure heap? Read more about that in this blog.. Mushrooms are fungi A mushroom is a fruiting body of a fungus. And did you know that they contribute to the decomposition of organic residues? With their fungal threads they clean up organic material. For every type of waste, there is a mushroom. They are very picky, so there are mushrooms that only grow on a specific tree species but also mushrooms that grow on the manure heap. But why mushrooms on the manure pile? In the forest, you often come across mushrooms on moist, warm ground. On the dec...
Others
Pasture
Less flies and odor at the manure heap
Where there are horses, there is manure. And where there is manure, you almost always have a manure heap. The disadvantage of this is that such a heap can smell and cause flies. Do you need a manure heap? What are the rules? And how can you prevent a fly outbreak or odor nuisance?. If you only have a few horses that are not in stables, you can make a compost heap with the dry manure from your pasture and paddocks. This involves some trial and error, you also use, for example, garden waste, and you have to turn over the compost. The advantage is that you can eventually use this compost for your (vegetable) garden and you do not have to dispose of the manure. Permit required for the manure heap? When cleaning your stables, there is bedding and urine in your manure. In that c...
Behaviour
Hormones
Stress
Stress and hormones in your horse: What can chaste tree do?
Chaste tree is well known among many horse lovers. It is mainly used as a supplement for mares who suffer greatly from their heat. However, this herb, and its extracts, can be used more broadly. Chaste tree acts on the hormonal balance and the regulation of stress in *all* horses. It can make your horse more stable and ensure that he or she has enough energy to work properly.. Chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus), also known as chaste tree, originates from the Mediterranean region. Chaste tree is a medicinal plant. It has traditionally been used to regulate women's menstrual cycles and alleviate symptoms. Mares that become very heated and also show signs of pain, behavioral changes, or even lameness often benefit from chaste tree. But this herb can also help geldings and stallions manage (extreme) hormonal reactions. Hormones and stress An imbalanced hormonal system cause...
Guest blog
Feeding
7 top tips for enriching your horse paddock
In the wild, horses cover long distances daily, eat a variety of plants, and move through diverse terrain. Naturally, you also want to offer your horse(s) as much variety and challenge as possible. This can be achieved by 'enriching' your pasture or paddock (paradise). Marloes Vogel from Ukie's Paddock Paradise gives us her six top tips and we added one more ourselves.. "By enrichment, we mean: improving the quality of life for animals that do not live in the wild. Enrichment helps stimulate natural behavior," explains Marloes. By making your horse's living environment as natural and interesting as possible, you prevent boredom and encourage movement. Enrichment can also be done if you don't have a paddock paradise, but another form of housing. Tip 1 - Hide treats "One way to keep your horse busy and get them moving in the paddock is by hiding he...
Cannabinoids
Clove
Organs
Stress
What do cannabinoids actually do at the cellular level?
We always advise that cannabinoids help the body return to balance and improve signal transmission. But how exactly does this work? In this article, we want to provide more explanation on how cannabinoids work at the cellular level. Did you know that there are more than 125 different types of cannabinoids? And that the body also produces them itself? Read on to learn more!. What are cannabinoids? Cannabinoids are a group of chemical substances with many properties. Plants naturally contain chemical compounds, the cannabinoids, but these are also found in the human body and most animals. There are actually 3 types of cannabinoids to distinguish: Phytocannabinoids (plant-based) Endocannabinoids (endogenous) Synthetic cannabinoids (manufactured in a laboratory) In total, there are over 125 different cannabinoids, each with its own function. CBD may be the most well-kn...
Feeding
Go on a snack walk with your horse and stimulate his natural instinct
From their genes, horses know very well which foods are good for them and which plants are toxic. Each season, there are certain plants available, each with their own healing properties. However, the monotonous diet that horses receive nowadays no longer allows horses to truly follow this instinct. Natural detoxing therefore occurs much less. But there is a solution! Go on a fun snack walk with your horse!. Why go on a snack walk with your horse? Many plants, herbs, and trees are incredibly healthy for horses. In nature, horses don't just eat grass, they also eat herbs, leaves, twigs, bushes, and even a bit of soil from time to time. And from their genes, a horse still knows all of this, but as humans, we have pressed the pause button by bringing the food to the horse. Often, a very monotonous diet of mainly English ryegrass and sometimes a bit of other grasses. But did you know that eating differe...
Hormones
Stress
Feeding
Horse isolates itself: stress at the cellular level?
Stress at the cellular level is not a well-known phenomenon, but all horses (and humans) actually deal with it. It is a natural defense mechanism. The cells in the body respond to threats from the environment, with the goal of restoring balance as quickly as possible. However, if the cause of stress persists, these biological reactions can become chronic. A horse will often withdraw into itself and isolate itself from people and stimuli. It may seem like a bombproof animal, very calm, but often it is a sign of discomfort.. The balance in the body can be disrupted by factors such as nutrition, contaminants, or molds, but also by danger, improper training, or stable management that does not suit a horse's nature. The cells of a horse respond to such disruptions, often with a general response that is the same for any type of disturbance, and also a specific response to each type of disruption. This 'cellular stress' is a universal defense mechanism that is very important for the psychological and physical health of a...
First Aid
Hooves
Frogshoe horse? Use frog gel with EM (effective microorganisms)!
Frogshoe is a well-known problem for many horse owners. In frogshoe, the frog grooves in the soft part of the hoof rot. This smells immensely. Frogshoe is caused by fungi and anaerobic bacteria. A gel with effective microorganisms helps strengthen and maintain the hoof microflora healthy by 'happy bacteria'. The rotting process is then stopped by the good bacteria that become dominant over the unfavorable bacteria.. Although frogshoe occurs quite often, you should not underestimate it. The infection can penetrate deep into the hoof and cause temporary or even permanent lameness. You need to treat frogshoe both externally and internally. Good hygiene and prevention are important to keep the condition at bay. But what can you do if your horse already has frogshoe? Effective microorganisms or 'happy bacteria' Microorganisms are everywhere and play an important role in many biological processes. There are favor...
Others
Feeding
How to prevent algae growth in your horse's drinking water
Temperatures are rising, the sun is shining more often. Lovely! But.. the algae are also growing rapidly, causing your horse's water troughs to turn green in no time. Even if you change the water daily, sometimes green residue still appears. Read in this blog how you can prevent this.. Why does the drinking trough turn green? Algae thrive best in stagnant water. Algae naturally occur in water, but especially when using rainwater/groundwater, the quantity is higher. Due to the relatively small surface area of a drinking trough, the water heats up quickly and receives a large amount of sunlight, allowing the algae to grow well. But how do you prevent algae? There are a few things you can do to prevent your horse's water trough from getting covered in algae residue in a day or pr...
Nettle
Minerals
Feeding
Healthy horse? Don't forget water quality!
We all want the best for our horses. That's why most horse owners ensure that their horses are kept in good conditions, have plenty of exercise, and are fed well with enough fiber, minerals, and vitamins. Sometimes we forget that water quality is also important. It needs to be safe, tasty, clean, and sufficient to keep your horse healthy and fit.. Horses drink an average of about 30 liters of water per day, and in warm periods this can even increase to 50 liters per day. Water therefore makes up a large part of the horse's total nutrition. Be critical about the water you provide to your horse. If a horse drinks too little, various problems can arise. It can develop stomach problems, dry manure, or even eat too little. If a horse doesn't consume enough water, it also has a negative impact on its athletic performance. Therefore, your horse...