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.
Digestion
Feeding
Why you should always give roughage before concentrate
Traditionally, it has always been said: first give roughage and then concentrate to a horse. But why is this actually the case? What is the effect if you give your horse concentrate first? We are happy to tell you in this blog!. Ideal horse never without roughage In the ideal scenario, this issue would not even be a concern, because we prefer to see horses have roughage available 24/7 and never have an empty stomach. However, this is not possible for all horses and on all farms. In many boarding stables, there are still separate times for roughage and concentrate feeding. In this case, it is important to give the roughage first. Roughage stimulates saliva production While we humans produce saliva continuously, it works...
Guest blog
Guest blog Finecto+: Is keeping chickens with horses dangerous?
People who have animals at home usually don't just keep one type of animal. Often, it becomes a whole stack of animals that run around and live together. With chickens, there are often problems with mites, especially red mites can be a huge nuisance. Is it dangerous to keep chickens and horses together? Finecto+, specialist in the control of red mites, explains!. What are red mites? Red mites is actually the wrong name, they are actually mites, but generally the name red mites is used. These mites occur on birds, poultry, and also on reptiles. But especially with chickens, red mites are a huge nuisance. Infection usually occurs by adding a new chicken, but wild birds often bring an infestation of red mites as well. Red mites are extremely persistent, a real nuisance, they reproduce very fast, so within a week a few red mites can become 10,000 red mites....
Organs
Triphala
Translate from Dutch to English: What does triphala do for stomach problems?
Triphala is an herbal mixture from the Aryuvedic tradition. It is particularly suitable for horses with symptoms of stomach problems. This is because the herbs not only support digestion, but also help reduce chronic stress. You can read about how this works in this article.. Triphala is a mixture of three types of fruits, namely: Amalaki (Indian gooseberry - Emblica officinalis), Bibhitaki (Terminalia bellirica), and Haritaki (Terminalia chebula). There has been quite a bit of scientific research done on the effects of the fruits in Triphala. For example, Indian gooseberry stimulates digestion and has laxative and anti-inflammatory properties. Bibhitaki is useful in bacterial and viral infections and is good for intestines and lungs, among other things. Haritaki pro...
Organs
Digestion
Function and anatomy of the horse's stomach
Horses have a unique and sensitive digestive system. The whole process 'from mouth to butt' is quite complicated. The stomach of a horse is an essential and sensitive part of this digestive process. What does that stomach actually look like and how does a healthy horse stomach function?. A horse has a very long digestive system, but the horse's stomach is relatively small. However... due to this small stomach, huge amounts of food and water must be ingested daily. An adult horse needs about 1 percent of its body weight in dry matter every day. This is a whopping 30 to 45 kilograms of fresh grass or 7.5 to 12 kilograms of hay. In addition, a horse drinks about 25 liters of water per day. If the horse has to work or if it's hot, even more water is needed! No stretch A horse's stom...
Joints
Magnesium
Silicon
Supporting Joints: continuous supplementation or as a short course?
When your horse comes out of a heavy competition season or has just been broken in, you may want to provide some extra support for his joints. Even if your horse is a bit older and sometimes stiffer, it can be a good idea. When do you use which supplement and do you continue to give it or opt for a short course? We will explain it to you!. To combat stiffness and joint pain in a horse, there are various supplements available. It depends on the horse and the situation what you can give and how to best use these supplements. Magnesium: important ingredient A sport horse needs magnesium. This mineral is essential for the nervous system, bones, and muscles. A horse that performs a lot of work and experiences above-average stress needs extra magnesium. Because Dutch roughage contains relatively little magnesium, it is good for most hor...
Cannabinoids
Joints
Clove
Which herbs are suitable for the joints of horses?
Is your horse a bit stiff when starting out, or is he stiff after training? The cause for this may lie in the joints. For example, when your horse is a bit older and has developed some arthritis. Or because you have trained heavily and uric acid crystals have accumulated in the joints. Herbs can help to make your horse more supple and relieve joint pain.. As a horse ages, changes in the cartilage can occur. This falls under the umbrella of arthritis. Also, wear and tear of the joints, a lower production of joint fluid (lubricant), or local inflammation in the joints can cause pain and reduced mobility. Herbs for arthritis and joint inflammation There are several herbs that can be used for conditions such as arthritis and arthritis. A well-known one is devil's claw, for example. This herb should not be used in pregnant horses and horses in competi...
Nettle
Detox
Dandelion
Dandelion, nettle or a detox?
If you want to boost your horse's immune system or stimulate its body to expel accumulated waste more quickly, you can give your horse a special treatment. You have the choice between a detox with a herbal mixture, a treatment with nettle, or a treatment with dandelion. When do you use which plants?. One of the major differences between a detox, nettle, or dandelion is the intensity of the treatments. Dandelion and nettle are mild herbs that are suitable for all horses. This means that even horses with underlying conditions such as laminitis, muscle stiffness, and obesity can use dandelion or nettle. These herbs are also suitable for pregnant mares. You can give them several times a year when you want to give your horse a boost. A herbal detox is only intended for healthy horses. A detox tre...
Dandelion
What is the healing effect of dandelion?
In the spring, many meadows are full of dandelions. A cheerful sight, but did you know that this plant also has powerful medicinal properties? The leaves and roots of dandelions contain tannins and other 'bitter substances' that are beneficial for digestion and liver function, in both humans and horses.. The dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) may seem like such a common plant and is often seen as a weed, but it is actually a very special flower. Both the leaves and the root have been used for centuries for their medicinal properties. Dandelion for digestion Dandelion gives your horse's digestion a real boost. An adult horse's digestive system is about 40 meters long and can hold up to 200 liters! This huge organ is crucial for a horse's health. Dandelion supports the functioning of the stomach and...
Detox
When do you give your horse a detox?
Wild horses eat everything: grasses, herbs, branches, and shrubs. They choose their food according to the season and their needs. A natural diet contains plants that provide detoxification, so that waste products are removed and the body is cleansed. Our domesticated horses have fewer choices. When is it time to give your horse an herbal detox? And when is it not a good idea?. For some horses, a detox is a good idea, but for others, it is actually a very bad idea. The timing of the detox also matters, you preferably give a detox at a time of the year when the horse would naturally detox as well. Twice a year In general, the advice is to give healthy (non-pregnant) horses a detox twice a year. This can improve their skin and coat, give them more energy, and boost the immune system and metabolism. Early spring and the end of summer are suitable times for this. For horse...
Guest blog
Feeding
Guest blog Vitalbix: How to choose a good balancer?
A balancer is meant to restore the balance in your horse's diet. This means: replenishing the vitamins and minerals that are not present in the roughage or grass, tailored to your horse's needs. Madelief from Vitalbix tells AskHeltie how to make a good choice for your horse.. “If you feed your horse exclusively roughage, there's a high chance of deficiencies,” says Madelief. “The soil is poor in minerals such as copper, zinc, and selenium. Horses that don’t graze often don't get enough vitamins A, D, and E either. These mineral and vitamin deficiencies are often not immediately apparent but can surface in the long term. This leads to various problems, such as a weakened immune system, poor hooves or coat, and weaker muscles, tendons, and bones. It can take years for...
Guest blog
Stress
Guest blog HOPE for Horses: Stress in horses
The science has discovered that when a body is experiencing stress, cell division occurs differently than when there is no stress. This is the reason why a body becomes "sick". The stress remains in your cell, so every cell that divides afterwards carries the information of the stress again. Only when this stress is released can the next cell division take place without the information from the stress! It's pretty cool how something like this works, right?! But then, the question may arise: How do you relieve the stress?. Learning to release stress I think we all know that being exposed to stress for a long time or frequently is not beneficial for health. Unfortunately, you cannot escape stress, it is a given that you will have to deal with stress in your life. The good news is that you can learn how to deal with it and how to release stress. This varies from person to person and certainly also from horse to horse! Knowing that avoiding stress is impossible, how can we help release the stress? From well-behaved t...
Dandelion
Feeding
Dandelion as an addition to a mineral buffet
The mineral buffet is becoming more and more popular in the horse world, and it's no wonder. It's ideal to provide your horse with an extra choice in the nutrients it wants/can take in, and it stimulates their self-selection ability. Of course, it's important that we help our horses a bit and not continuously give them the same options, but vary them. This way, we can ensure that we continue to stimulate the intuition of the horse, as not every plant is available all year round.. Dandelion is one of those plants that is mainly seen in spring, but has many benefits. A tincture of it is ideal to add to your mineral buffet. Not only in spring, but also in autumn. What is dandelion? We all know the little yellow flower that takes over the meadows in spring. After a while, the yellow flower turns into a puffball. It is a rich plant that contains a lot of minerals, but also a lot of vitamin A. Vitamin A is important for the quality of eyes, embryo development, skin protection,...