Back to school
Q
I’m looking to learn a little more about equine nutrition. What’s the best way to go about this? Karen Hills, Windsor
A
It’s great that you want to learn more about equine nutrition. Nutrition plays a pivotal role in your horse’s mental and physical wellbeing and the more you know about it, the better your horse care and management will be. One of the best ways to increase your knowledge is to buy or borrow a good standard text on equine nutrition such as Equine Nutrition and Feeding (fourth Edition), by David Frape, or Feed Your Horse like a Horse by Juliet Getty. This will enable you to read up on various aspects relating to nutrition, including the
digestive system, different feed types, and the main nutrients provided in the diet to begin to build your understanding, so you can apply it when feeding your horse. While social media often seems to contain a wealth of knowledge, be cautious. Most of the ‘advice’ there is unlikely to be from those who have spent time studying the topic in detail, and formed a deeper understanding of the underlying science and physiology that’s essential to good nutrition.
Sign up for a course
You could also consider signing up to do a basic equine nutrition course from home. There are various free online courses out there that have the backing of established universities. The University of Edinburgh, for example, runs a nutrition course through the Coursera website, which is an online open course. These courses normally run annually and provide an excellent grounding for horse owners or anyone who wants to learn a little more. They cover all the basics of equine nutritional care and management. Find out more at bit.ly/2LjGt9K.