Horse Nutrition Handbook (10 Edition)

Proper nutrition is the most important contributor to equine health and well-being. Responsible horsekeepers feed their animals a healthful, nutritionally balanced diet portioned out in quantities that suit the age, size, and activity level of each horse. Thriving horses that stay healthy and strong into old age are those whose nutritional needs are being met.

Leading equine nutritionist Melyni Worth explains the many ways in which diet affects a horses health, temperament, and performance, and then goes on to provide a detailed study of equine nutritional requirements. Horse owners will understand the roles played by fats, proteins, minerals, electrolytes, and vitamins and will learn how to evaluate weight and overall well-being and plan a corresponding diet. Year-by-year concerns are addressed here, as well as the specific needs of brood mares, performance horses, and other working animals. Worth also stresses the importance of giving horses plenty of access to pasture and explains the benefits of additives and herbal supplements.

Common health problems such as colic, cribbing, and ulcers can often be corrected through a change in diet. Worth discusses possible solutions and also helps owners of horses with more complicated health needs. Challenges such as insulin resistance, Cushings disease, metabolic bone disorder, and tying-up syndrome can all be managed or improved by carefully monitoring the horses feed.

Comprehensive and authoritative, yet easy to understand, The Horse Nutrition Handbook is the essential reference for everyone who owns or cares for a horse. 

Worth, who teaches equine nutrition and physiology, and breeds, trains, and rides horses, offers a guide to horse nutrition for owners that covers the basics of equine digestion, nutrients, what to feed and why, designing a balanced feeding program, life-stage requirements, feed storage and feeding tips, pasture management, and diets for common disorders. The book is an updated edition of Storey's Guide to Feeding Horses, with information on low-glycemic feeds to help horses avoid conditions like tying-up syndrome, grass founder, metabolic bone disease, and others. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Includes bibliographical references (p. 234-236) and index.

Based in Roanoke, Virginia, Melyni Worth, Ph.D., is a consultant and writer in equine nutrition and exercise physiology. She has trained horses and riders for 28 years. Her company, Foxden Equine, specializes in products that assist horses and riders to attain and maintain athletic performance.