What does an Equine Nutritionist really DO?
I am fortunate enough to have the answer! I spent a great weekend with Dr. Clair, Equine Nutritionist, and part of our weekend was spent helping some great horse owners and horses with their diets. In a nutshell, Dr. Clair spends her time finding out about you and your horse. Then, there is some calculating, goal setting, Ph.D. magic, and wah-lah!! A new and improved diet recommendation for your horse.
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What goes into a diet recommendation:
- Your horse’s weight (which is calculated by Dr. Clair), exercise routine, how he lives, his forage consumption and access to fresh grass, and other extenuating circumstances. What? Extenuating circumstances? How about skin conditions, metabolic issues, hoof conditions, allergies, temperament, you name it. Dr. Clair believes in being hands-on and keeps her eyes peeled for things that owners may not know. For example, how does your horse like his neighbor? Does she see stressors that are not so obvious? Lots of information to process.
- Then there is some crunching of numbers, and creation of charts and graphs, and some heavy-duty computing by Dr. Clair on her computer. And the result is, well, amazing. Not only do you get a chart of your horse’s current nutritional status, but you also get a proposed diet that corrects deficiencies and excessive nutrients. This proposed diet may be a tweaking of grain amounts or the addition/deletion of supplements. Those “extenuating circumstances” are also addressed!
This chart shows some missing pieces – those nutrients with red are deficient. Whoops!
In a nutshell, Dr. Clair takes a very large volume of information in order to provide the best diet for your horse! It’s a fun process, and the results are amazing. You can learn more by visiting Clarity Equine Nutrition.
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A great manual about horse nutrition
Equine digestion book from an equine nutritionist
Thank you!
