It’s a beautiful hot summer day when you notice that your horse seems to be losing weight. This makes no sense to you. There’s no reason they shouldn’t be able to keep on weight when they have plenty of access to forage as well as their standard feed, right?
To figure out what is happening to your horse, it is important to understand how a horse’s temperature is regulated. Horses normally maintain a body temperature of 99 to 101 degrees Fahrenheit. Horses burn calories, otherwise known as digestible energy, to heat AND cool themselves.
Explained in scientific terms:
The Thermal Neutral Zone (TNZ), is the range of temperatures that a horse requires to maintain their internal temperature through metabolic regulation. The TNZ ranges from 40 degrees Fahrenheit to 77 degrees Fahrenheit. When temperatures spike above the high end of the TNZ, a horse’s body will use evaporative cooling measures to lower their internal temperatures. This requires digestible energy. The issue is that just like us humans, horse’s tend to lose their appetites in high heat. So, right at the time that your horse needs more calories in their diet, they stop wanting to eat as much.
In simple terms:
By keeping a horse’s caloric intake the same during periods of high heat, a horse will naturally lose weight due to its metabolic system burning more energy in the evaporative cooling process. While you may assume that increasing forage would be a great answer to this issue, the exact opposite is true.
Because:
Horses ferment forage in their guts and the fermentation process produces even more heat, causing the horse to expend more calories on cooling themselves. The best option is to add natural plant-based fats to a horse’s diet. Fat will reduce the heat load on your horse and keep them nice and cool while giving a caloric boost to help them maintain weight.
A solution:
How do you get your low-appetite horse to get enough calories in them to cool themselves efficiently? You add a high-fat, plant-sourced supplement to their diet. CareMore Nutrition’s RevolutionEQ, Sales Prep™ & Prime4Life formulas are safe sources of natural plant-based fats and oils that will keep your horse extra calories it needs to effectively cool themselves without weight loss. And without making them hot or unmanageable. Fed once daily, our formulas contain 36.4% crude fat and more!
And of course, don’t forget to give your horse plenty of clean, fresh water.
]]>Most of us can relate to fad diets. We are constantly bombarded with advertisements for the newest and purportedly best diet for weight loss and healthy living. The same can be true for our equine friends.
To determine whether a diet is just a fad or here to stay we need to look at the basics of equine nutrition. A diet high in unsaturated fats can have many health benefits for horses. Fats from oils are 100% digestible as opposed to fats found in forage which are only 55% digestible. Fats are also necessary for vitamin absorption. Fat soluble vitamins need fat to be transported around the body. Low-fat diets therefore reduce vitamin absorption. Additionally, Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids play vital roles in the Central Nervous and Immune Systems of horses.
Types of Fat
There are two types of fat: saturated and unsaturated. Saturated fats are typically made of animal tallow and unsaturated fats are typically vegetable-based. Being herbivores, horses require unsaturated fats in their diets. So where do these fats come from? Vegetable oils, soybeans, flaxseed, rice bran and sunflower seeds are all excellent sources of unsaturated fats.
Benefits of Fats in Equine Diets
A high-fat diet has many benefits to an equine diet. Diets high in fat can:
Introducing additional fats to an equine diet is not merely a fad, it is a tried and true way to keep your horses healthy and at their peak. When looking at the research done on adding fats to an equine diet, it is obvious that there is much to gain by adding fat into your horses daily routine.
Our flagship product, RevolutionEQ, has 36% fat from natural oils. It is specially formulated by Veterinarians to fill the nutritional gap left by commercial bagged feed and contains several forms of unsaturated fats such as ground flax, soybean meal, canola oil, coconut oil, flaxseed oil and wheat germ oil. Used daily as a top-dress, in addition to a balanced diet, we guarantee that you will see results in 30 days.
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Did you know that Essential Fatty Acids are important to your horse’s diet? Most people will recognize Essential Fatty Acids by the terms Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats. Not only are these two Essential Fatty Acids important in a human diet, horses reap the benefit of a diet supplemented with these as well. Typical equine diets lack Essential Fatty Acids because most grains are highly processed, which destroys or damages the natural fatty acid content.
While most of the fats they need can be synthesized in the body, a horse cannot synthesize Essential Fatty Acids and must obtain them through food. The two types of fatty acids that are not synthesized in the body are Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats. Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats are necessary for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins such as A,D,E and K. A deficiency in these two Essential Fatty Acids can lead to problems with the liver and kidneys, decreased immune system, and dryness of the skin. There are many health benefits to Essential Fatty Acids which support the brain, joints, digestive, reproductive and pulmonary systems as well as contributing to healthy skin and hooves. As an added bonus, fats generate less internal heat during digestion which keeps horse’s cooler.
The amount of Essential Fatty Acids that should be in an equine diet will depend on the horse itself. Horses with higher energy requirements such as those pregnant or lactating, growing horses, performance horses and those recovering from surgery or injury will require more Essential Fatty Acids in their diet than an Easy Keeper.
Now that you understand the importance of Essential Fatty Acids, you need to know where to find them. Omega-6’s are found in leafy greens, seeds, nuts, grains and vegetable oils (corn, safflower, soybean, cottonseed, sesame, and sunflower). Omega-3’s can be found in flaxseed, walnuts, and oils (flaxseed, canola, soybean, walnut, and wheat germ). Many people will recognize fish oils as a source of Omega-3’s but they are not a good choice in an equine diet as they are high in other types of fats and have none of the fiber necessary for digestion. Omega-3’s derived from plants are the best version for an equine diet. One of the best sources of Essential Fatty Acid Omega-3’s is flaxseed oil which contains 53-62% of Omega-3’s.
Is your horse getting enough Essential Fatty Acids in their diet? If not, you may need to consider accompanying their feed with a high fat supplement. Our flagship product, RevolutionEQ, has over 36% fat from natural, plant-based oils, making it a perfect top dress to use daily. In addition to a balanced diet, we guarantee that you will see results in 30 days or send your money back.
]]>Horses do not always have outward symptoms when they have gastric ulcers, and the only way to know for sure that they have them is to have a veterinarian do a gastric endoscopy. There are several signs that you can look out for if you think your horse might have a gastric ulcer: poor appetite, attitude changes or dullness, decreased performance, reluctance to train or exercise, poor body or coat condition, weight loss, colic, or increased laying. While there are several medications that your veterinarian can prescribe to heal ulcers, there have also been tests on whether the use of Aloe Vera can help with gastric ulcers.
Researchers from the University of Adelaide in Australia conducted a random, blind study comparing the efficacy of aloe vera to omeprazole in treating equine gastric ulcers. The study of 40 horses with grade 2 ulcers or higher was split into two groups: one group received aloe vera to treat the ulcers and the other received omeprazole. After four weeks, both groups showed improvement. The group on omeprazole showed a slightly higher improvement than those on aloe vera alone. However, the study did not rule out that higher doses of aloe vera could yield higher rates of improvement. More studies also need to be done to test the use of aloe vera for preventative treatment of ulcers. While both aloe vera and omeprazole are proven to help ulcers, aloe vera is a much more cost-effective option.
The aloe vera plant grows prolifically in tropical climates. For many centuries it has been known for its medicinal properties. The aloe vera plant flesh can be juiced to produce a healthy elixir. The juice of the aloe vera plant has a mild flavor which makes it an ideal supplement. Aloe vera has a compound present it its juice which helps control stomach acid. For this reason, it is ideal for combating gastric ulcers.
CareMore Nutrition’s RevolutionGI is organic, USA grown Aloe Vera. It is safe for all classes and ages of horses, ponies, and minis, including pregnant or nursing mares and breeding stallions for the treatment of the symptoms of gastric ulcers. It has a highly palatable sweet taste which indicated purity. Using aloe vera for horses can increase appetite and reduce irritability and nervousness. Aloe vera is said to detoxify the body and increase circulation. It boosts immunity and is also a natural source of vitamin E.
Coming January 2019 to CareMore Nutrition: NEW GI+, a powdered alternative to liquid aloe vera gel. Contains three powerful ingredients for symptom relief of gastric ulcer upset in horses. Will not require refrigeration!
]]>It's the honor all master horsemen are dreaming of. Not only for the financial gain but for the status, the marketing and the future clients that come when industry professionals earn top awards.
Today we are celebrating one of our Clients, Concord Stud Farm of Cream Ridge, NJ for earning this prestigious award.
Congratulations to the Meir Family! And thank you for trusting CareMore Nutrition to prepare your yearlings for the Harrisburg Sale.
In case you're wondering which of our formulas Concord Stud Farm used to prepare their 40+ yearlings (with combined sale prices totaling almost 5 Million Dollars including the $500,000.00 Sale Topper Hip #144 Fifty Cent Piece)... it was RevolutionEQ Original. The same formula available on our site!
We had a bit of a party in the office yesterday including publishing our first ever Facebook Live from the office. We are just so excited here when we see our Clients succeed. Because we hand make each order everyone here in the office knows your name.
It's so exciting to see our efforts here paying off for our Clients and we are lucky we are able to live vicariously though you. Your success really is OUR business.
Keep your eyes open for our new Sales Prep Formula coming in late 2018.
]]>The Kelpies the world’s largest equine sculptures and are in Helix Park in Falkirk, Scotland. Sculptor Andy Scott created these giant horse-heads entirely out of steel. Modeled on Clydesdale horses, the two sculptures sit on either side of lock and canal basin and are viewed as an entry-way to the Scottish countryside.
Kelpies are mythological transforming beasts with the strength of 10 horses. Andy Scott, took the idea of the kelpies and merged it with a more contemporary equine sensibility to make sculptures that have both a nod to the mythological and a reference to the horse’s role in industry and agriculture.
If you have a change to visit Scotland, make sure to take a trip to Helix Park and visit these stunning equine sculptures.
This message is brought to you by CareMore Nutrition makers of the most effective weight gain formula for Hard Keepers. www.CareMoreNutrition.com]]>Several types of leaves are toxic to horses and should be avoided at all costs. Horses like the taste and smell of recently fallen leaves so it is important to ensure that your pastures are free of the following types of trees and leaves that can prove toxic to horses:
Red Maple: Highly toxic to horses, ingestion of 1.5 pounds can be toxic and 3 pounds or more fatal. Symptoms include difficulty breathing, dark brown urine, increased heart and respiratory rates, lethargy and progressive weakness.
Cherry and Plum Trees: The leaves, twigs, bark and pit of this plant are all toxic to horses. Symptoms may include: Anxiety, weakness, convulsions and can lead to death.
Oak: Wilted Oak leaves and acorns can be toxic to horses in large quantities due to the toxin tannic acid. Symptoms of poisoning include lack of appetite, blood in urine, diarrhea, and colic.
Black Walnut: Toxic to horses. Symptoms of toxicity include laminitis, reluctance to move, difficulty breathing, increased temperature and heart rate, difficulty breathing, limb edema and increased gut sounds.
In order to keep your horses safe from the dangers of toxic leaves keep in mind the following:
Contact a veterinarian immediately if you believe that your horse may have ingested any of these leaves and is showing symptoms of toxicity.
Brought to you by CareMore Nutrition, the makers of RevolutionEQ and Prime4Life. www.CareMoreNutrition.com
]]>Flaxseed is produced by the flax plant. It is sometimes also called linseed and is grown in cool, northern climates. Flaxseed comes in two varieties: brown and golden. Both varieties have roughly the same nutritional makeup. On average, flaxseed contains 40% fat and is one of the only vegetable forms of Omega-3 fatty acids. It also contains around 30% highly digestible fiber and 20% protein.
You can purchase flaxseed in two forms: whole or ground. Flaxseed has a hard-outer shell which is not easily digestible by horses, so the ground form is generally preferred. It is important to get freshly ground flaxseed or use a stabilized product whenever possible as fresh flax can go rancid quickly.
Flaxseed has many benefits to a horse’s diet. When supplemented along with a regular diet, flaxseed can improve skin and coat as well as increase body condition. Flaxseed can also reduce inflammation, helping horses with arthritis or joint pain and stiffness. The amount of fiber in flax helps aid digestion by adding mucins that are great for the gastrointestinal tract. Flax is also known to boost the immune system. Flaxseed can help regulate thyroid function, which makes it a great supplement for metabolic and aging horses.
Flaxseed should be added gradually to a horse’s diet over the course of several days to allow their digestive system to adjust to the additional fat in their diet. It can be consumed in several forms including ground, whole and oil. (See our exciting Blog Post article about Oils!)
CareMore Nutrition’s RevolutionEQ and Prime4Life lines all contain golden flax as their primary ingredient. See what a difference flax can make in your horses’ diet today.
]]>Why is he doing this?
]]>Q: My horse has chewed the bark off of the trees in his field and now he’s destroying the wood in his stall!
Why is he doing this?
A:
As the days get shorter and the temperatures drop, some horses may be more prone to chewing on wood. Studies have shown that horses are more likely to chew on wood during wet, cold weather. Veterinarians speculate wood chewing may be due to an instinctive urge for more roughage to, “bulk-up”, before winter as preparation for upcoming cold temperatures and a reduction in food sources.
As long as your veterinarian has ruled out a physical cause such a as nutritional deficiency, here are a few ideas to discourage this destructive behavior:
Provide more long-stem forage. Horses that have free choice access to hay are less likely to chew on wood. If you’re worried about waste consider a hay feeder. Keeping hay up off the ground prevents spoilage from moisture. It also prevents horses from urinating or defecating in their food. If your horses are over-weight ask your vet if it’s okay to fill hay nets or feeders with a low nutrient feed stuff such as straw or the previous year’s hay.
Block access to wood structures. Damage to stalls and fencing is expensive. Even mature trees will die if de-barked. Consider stringing an electrical wire just on the inside of the fence to keep horses away from fence lines and exterior barn walls and buildings. Tractor Supply sells a D battery-operated fence charger. Aluminum wire is relatively safe because it’s soft and breaks easily if the horses get hung up. Protect trees with fencing placed beyond a horse’s reach of tree’s trunk.
Make the wood distasteful. There are many commercial products on the market to discourage wood chewing. We’ve also heard from CareMore Nutrition Clients that Dawn Dish Soap applied to wood surfaces keeps horses away.
Eliminate boredom. Regular exercise, training programs, field rotation or pasture mate changes may keep some horses from chewing out of boredom. Keep him busy.
Take a look at more that CareMore has to offer for your horse here.
]]>"The great barometric changes, especially in storms like Irma, from my experience, seems to greatly increase colic problems. I can attest after not being able to travel in Andrew, so your veterinarian may not be able to get to you. I recommend withholding grain for at least 36 hours before and 48-72 hours after a hurricane BUT give the plenty of hay to help maintain good GI function and to browse on as a pacifier."
Please share and save a life.
]]>"The great barometric changes, especially in storms like Irma, from my experience, seems to greatly increase colic problems. I can attest after not being able to travel in Andrew, so your veterinarian may not be able to get to you. I recommend withholding grain for at least 36 hours before and 48-72 hours after a hurricane BUT give the plenty of hay to help maintain good GI function and to browse on as a pacifier."
Please share and save a life.
Additionally: From Dave Thaler, Farm Manager, Ontario, Canada
"Add a little apple juice to their water pails too...beet pulp also aids in keeping water intake up...soak properly couple hours before feeding...moist as possible".
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Kelly Smith, Director of Omega Horse Rescue pictured above with one of the horses in her Rescue Program.
“CareMore has the best weight-gain supplements ever made.”
That quote comes from Kelly Smith, Founder and Director of Omega Horse Rescue, who has developed a nutrition plan with the CareMore team. Kelly runs Omega Horse Rescue in Airville, Pennsylvania, where she has been working to contain the fallout from over breeding since her childhood.
“There's a problem in the fact that we have so many young horses being born every year and over breeding leads to horse slaughter. People don't take the time to train them, and a lot of them end up going to slaughter. For instance, a breeder might have a two-year-old stud horse that they've never handled or gelded or broke. That in itself is pretty much a death sentence, because not many people want to take on an unhandled stud horse.”
The majority of the work Kelly does is with horses rescued from slaughter, but Kelly will try to find a home for any equine, including a mule who currently lives at the rescue.
“CareMore Nutrition has really, really benefited the types of horses that we get through the rescue program. In the sense that we get a lot of horses in need of gaining weight and to get their health and vitality back. And the products that Wendi puts out just compliment, like I said, the work that we do. And they really help our animals getting to looking well and healthy again.”
“With RevolutionEQ, we don't have to feed as much grain, and I know that when we feed CareMore Products. They go hand in hand with the nutrition program that we have set up for each horse, and we have never had any issues of colic, or any other health concerns that sometimes you can find when you change a horse's diet, that's been starved or neglected. The aloe supplement that she has is a very stomach soothing product and it just works very well for our horses.”
Kelly’s endorsement of CareMore’s RevolutionEQ makes us especially proud because she has tried so many other products.
“I can say that bar none, CareMore Nutrition has done an amazing job in putting weight on our horses. And we've, like I said, tried a lot of different ones, but really, there aren't any that have come close to this.”
-Wendi Schenkel, Chief Operating Officer at CareMore Nutrition
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ROCHESTER, New York, April 28, 2017:
CareMore Nutrition, LLC has announced its sponsorship of distinguished Grand Prix rider and trainer Candice King for the 2017 United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) season.
Hailing from a family steeped in the equestrian tradition, Candice is a tried-and-true performer who has earned her way up the competition ladder through discipline, determination, and a love of the sport.
According to CareMore Nutrition’s Chief Operating Officer Wendi Schenkel:
What inspired us about Candice is that she is the epitome of CareMore Nutrition’s ethos. She worked her way up, made the best of what she had, and really has an intuitive understanding of the needs of her horses—physical needs, mental needs, emotional needs—and she motivates them to be the best possible performers they can be.
Candice’s partnership with CareMore Nutrition is a natural fit. After having rehabilitated one of her best horses with CareMore Nutrition products, Candice has seen first hand the positive impact that proper nutrition can have on a horse’s prospects.
Equipped with CareMore Nutrition’s RevolutionEQ, Candice and her team are looking forward to a busy season of victories on the the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) circuit, including the series of prestigious three-week, Horse shows In The Sun (HITS) series in Saugerties, New York.
Based in Ocala, Florida (winter) and Saugerties, NY (summer), Candice prepares for competitions at her own stable, Alamar Equine. According to CareMore’s Wendi Schenkel, running her own stable is typical of Candice’s characteristic can-do attitude:
She is resourceful, she is a fantastic horsewoman in the sense that she can crack the code of—and find the needs and well-being of—any animal that she touches, making the best of them, and that's what we at CareMore stand for.
Media inquiries should be directed to:
“If you wake up in the morning and you are energized by the idea of what you’re doing, then that is your passion and you should always pursue it. And if it drains on you, and you are exhausted by the idea of what you’re doing everyday, then that is work.”
These wise words come from Olivia Dodd, CareMore Nutrition’s newest addition to the select group of trainers it sponsors. At 24 years old and hailing from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Olivia’s positive outlook and results-driven pragmatism are going to come in handy as she embarks on a mission to tame a wild mustang.
The Extreme Mustang Makeover Challenge is an effort by the Bureau of Land Management to prevent the wild horses on federal lands from exhausting their food supply and falling victim to starvation. Participants have 100 days to transform their horses “from wild to mild” for a prize of $25,000.
As soon as she learned of the contest, Olivia was sold. “I loved the idea that these horses are truly wild and that they're the same kind of wild horses that were around a hundred years ago, and I just really like the idea of repurposing them.”
The thing with the makeover is that the participants don’t actually get to pick their mustangs—each one is assigned a random mustang. This particular makeover had been advertised as geldings, but because they had more trainers apply than they had geldings, they had to add mares to the pool.
Olivia is confident that she can win the Challenge with the help of CareMore Nutrition’s RevolutionEQ. When asked about other products she has used previously, Olivia drew on her past experience to make her point.
“What I really like about RevolutionEQ is that it does the job of several products all in one. And I feel like it is more effective than most—the fact that I saw a horse that had never been known to dapple and and he developed such a beautiful, glossy coat and looked amazing. His feet were in the best condition of his life. His trainer had tried various other supplements before RevolutionEQ and just nothing else seemed to really work.”
While Olivia says the horses in the Challenge will probably not be malnourished, she does expect substantial improvement with RevolutionEQ.
“Within the first 100 days I expect it to fill out quite a bit, put on all the proper muscling and just kind of blossom into the extremely athletic-looking, highly attractive horses they really are. And mentally it's going to go from not ever having been touched by a person to ideally being able to ride it around and explore new things.”
Olivia's mustang, Flynn, on Day 1 of the challenge.
Olivia’s love of horses goes back to her childhood. Her mother began exposing her to them when she was five years old—and her love for the animal only increased as she grew into adulthood. After having become an accomplished hunter and jumper, Olivia met CareMore Nutrition’s founder Wendi Schenkel while she was stabling on a circuit.
“I met Wendi last year at Ocala. The barn I was working for stabled next to her, across from the horse show during all of the circuit. One of the girls in our barn ended up getting RevolutionEQ and putting her horse on it. This is a horse that was notorious for his digestive problems and bad feet. As he progressed on his regimen of RevolutionEQ, I witnessed his feet improve and he was getting dappled. He just seemed to be improving overall, and I was really impressed. I looked into it more and really liked all the ingredients, everything it's made from. It's a product that I very much am impressed with and I like how it's made and what it does. I've always wanted to use it on another horse and now I have the chance.”
We are looking forward to watching Olivia's success with Flynn!
To learn more about RevolutionEQ or the talented trainers CareMore Nutrition is proud to sponsor, contact us!
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