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.
Joints
Magnesium
Silicon
Supporting Joints: continuous supplementation or as a short course?
Supporting Joints: continuous supplementation or 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 depen...
Hooves
Minerals
Silicon
No hoof, no horse! What to do in cases of hoof cancer, thrush, and crumbling hooves?
No horse without a hoof! What to do with hoof cancer, thrush and crumbling hooves? The expression 'No foot, no horse' is old. And a cliché. But yes, healthy and strong hooves are indeed vital for your horse. We list the most important ailments and give you tips to keep your horse's hooves healthy. The most common 'problem' with horse hooves is crumbling. Especially in dry conditions, many horses have crumbling hooves. Pieces of hoof break off and it doesn't look very nice. Fortunately, it's usua...
Skin
Silicon
Salmon oil
What to do with a horse with a dull coat?
A beautiful shiny coat with little apples... that's what we all want for our horse! But the reality is sometimes a lot duller. What can you do about it? In spring, horses shed their old winter coat and a shiny, soft summer coat emerges. At least, in the ideal case. Sometimes horses come out of their coat poorly or the new coat is not as beautiful and shiny as hoped. Shampoos? Although it can be handy to wash your horse or use an anti-tangle product in the mane or tail, shampoos and gloss sprays...
Behaviour
Magnesium
Others
Silicon
Is rearing the best place for foals to grow up?
Is the rearing the best place for foals to grow up? Most foals go to a special place for rearing after weaning. Here they usually spend about two to two and a half years. But does a foal actually have to be in rearing? What does good rearing look like? And what are the alternatives? Because we don't have a lot of space everywhere in the Netherlands, you often find affordable rearing locations for foals in the more rural provinces, or even abroad. As the owner of a young horse, you usually don't...
Cannabinoids
Joints
Clove
Silicon
How do I help my horse with joint problems?
There are many horses with joint problems. This can be due to wear and tear, injuries, their build, or less than optimal conditions when they were young. Whatever the cause, as a horse owner, you have to deal with it! And so does your horse. What can you do for your horse with joint problems, such as arthritis, OCD, and kissing spines? Joint problems come in different shapes and sizes. An older horse that is a bit slow to get going may have a mild form of arthritis in some areas of its legs. The...
Magnesium
Silicon
Vitamin E
Which supplement is suitable for muscle building in horses?
Which supplement is suitable for horse muscle building? Many horse owners would like to help their horse build muscle. For example, with young horses or animals that have been out of training for a while. Others are mainly looking to prevent muscle breakdown. This is more common with older horses or horses that have a condition or injury. How do you support your horse's muscles? Muscles consist of muscle fibers, which are fed and maintained by the body. You can build and grow muscles through tar...
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...
Magnesium
Silicon
Vitamin E
How do you support a horse with muscle binding?
How to support a muscle-bound horse? Muscle binding, also called 'tying up' or Monday disease, is a disease. It is not just a bit of stiffness. The muscle metabolism of the horse is out of control with muscle binding. You must treat muscle binding immediately. How do you recognize muscle binding, what can you do about it, and how do you prevent this serious condition? Muscle binding usually occurs about ten to fifteen minutes after a horse has been in motion. It is a total acidification of the m...
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...
Joints
Clove
Silicon
Salmon oil
Smooth joints? Combination of housing, nutrition, and exercise!
Smooth joints? Combination of housing, nutrition and exercise! Older horses often experience muscle stiffness or rigidity due to early osteoarthritis. It is important for horses to keep moving in order to remain flexible. But are there also nutrients that help keep your horse more supple? How do you feed your horse to keep his joints healthy for as long as possible? Stiffness in (older) horses is often caused by osteoarthritis. This is a condition where (chronic) inflammation occurs in the joint...
Cannabinoids
Joints
Clove
Silicon
Vitamin E
Black cumin
Osteoarthritis and dental problems: support your horse as it ages
The age at which a horse becomes a "senior" can vary depending on the breed and the individual horse. In general, we are talking about horses around 18 to 20 years old. This is when the first signs of aging start to appear. Joints: Stiffness and Osteoarthritis Older horses often experience joint wear and tear. The production of cartilage slows down in older horses, leading to the gradual thinning of the 'cushioning' cartilage between joints. Cartilage and synovial fluid work together t...
Tendons
Silicon
What does silicon do for the tendons of a horse?
Silicon! That is usually our first answer when customers contact us about their horse with a tendon problem. But why do we insist on silicon, because it is not a supplement that works directly? We are happy to explain it to you in this blog.. What is silicon? Silicon is a trace element that has always been very underrated. However, we have known better for a number of years now. It is a mineral that is involved in a huge number of processes in the body and has a much greater influence than was thought. Silicon is found in very limited quantities in the feed of horses, and often in a form that is not easily absorbed. That is the extremely tricky thing about silicon, almost no form is easily absorbable for horses. Sand, for example, is...