what does "wholistic"
really mean? general approach feeding
& nutritional therapy exercise physiology
& sports medicine internal medicine physical therapy
& rehabilitation "prehab" manual & movement
therapies osteopathic care
of the spine homeopathy
& homotoxicology medical intuitive evaluation energy medicine Anima Herbal Solutions |  | FEEDING & NUTRITIONAL THERAPY Basic Nutrition
Good nutrition is essential for good health. As that yoghurt commercial states, "You've gotta put good things into your body to get great things out of it!" That's true for horses as well as humans. You simply cannot restore or maintain good health unless you're providing the body with the right building blocks. A horse's nutritional needs depend on several factors, including these: - life stage - growth (foal, weanling, yearling), adult, or senior
- size and body type - largely dependent on age and breed
- body condition - underweight, ideal, or overweight; and gaining, losing, or holding steady
- type and level of activity - inactive, pleasure riding, athletic activity (light, moderate, intense), pregnancy (early, mid, late), and lactation (early, mid, late)
- health status - healthy, ill/injured, or recovery/rehabilitation
- season and geographic location - temperature and humidity, pasture quality and quantity, etc.
- management - housing (pastured, stabled, or both), deworming program, etc.
Each of these factors must be taken into consideration when devising a feeding plan (type and amount of particular foods) for an individual horse. The "one size fits all" approach to feeding horses falls well short of the mark, and sooner or later it will fail. |
