Resource Library - Digestive Health
The Gastro-Intestinal Tract is the epicenter of your horse's health. Proper digestion is absolutely critical to providing your horse with the nutrients needed to repair tissues and maintain health.
What makes the horse so unusual is the way the digestive system is divided into a foregut and hindgut. The foregut (stomach and small intestine) is where sugars, starches, proteins and fats are broken down (digested) into smaller components to be absorbed into the bloodstream. The hind gut (cecum, large colon, and small colon) provides billions of microbes to aid in fiber digestion and keep the immune system working properly.
Disruption of digestion anywhere along the tract can impact your horse's health in a variety of ways. Ulcers and colic are the most common disorders, and can easily be avoided when the horse is fed in sync with the way he is designed. And that is where the focal point lies - respecting and honoring the way our horses are meant to be fed -- allowing them to be a horse.
Spotlight on Nutrition Books ($14.95)
Articles (Free)
- Don't Let Your Horse Develop an Ulcer
- Free-Choice Forage Feeding: Beyond the Basics
- Preventing Colic as Horses Transition to Hay
- Three Not-So-Common Myths
- The Secret to Healthy Horses? Keep it Simple!
- The Correct Way to Use Slow Feeders
- Empty Fields Everywhere - Why Movement is So Important
- Every Horse Needs These Five Things
- Colostrum - An Exceptional Superfood!
- Gas Colic - Common, but Preventable!
- Is Your Horse on Bute? Consider Something Other than Omeprazole to Prevent Ulcers
- Recovering from Colic Surgery
- Whole Food Options to Boost Protein Quality
- Chia Seeds - Nature's Tiny Miracle
- CBD for Horses - What You Can Expect
- Q&A with Dr. Juliet Getty about several important nutrition topics, including Leaky Gut, CBD, and Supplements
- Fecal Liquid - Solved!
- Veterinarians are Considering Lecithin for Treating and Preventing Ulcers
- NEW!! Is Your Horse Happy - Five Considerations that Impact Your Horse's Mental Health
Tips (Free)
- Weekly Bran Mashes are Asking for Trouble
- Measures to Reduce Cribbing
- Hay Before Grain, or Vice Versa?
- Cecum Exit Defies Gravity
- Why Don't Horses Need a Gall Bladder?
- Does that Hay Belly Really Mean Your Horse is Fat?
- Avoid Long Term Use of Ulcer Medications
- Use Your Stethoscope Before You Need It!
- Piles of Grass Clippings is No Treat for Your Horse!
- Snow Will Not Meet Your Horse's Water Needs
Research Reflections (Free)
Dr. Getty provides insights on relevant nutrition research and how it impacts your horses' health.
- Social Stress Plays a Role in the Development of Fecal Liquid
- Prebiotics May Reduce Inflammation in Aging Horses
Recorded Seminars ($9.95 each)
Interview Podcasts (Free)
Listen to Dr. Juliet Getty, special guest on Jim Swanner's, "All About Horses" radio program or Monty Roberts' Horsemanship radio as she discusses the following topic(s).
- "Why Free-Choice Forage Feeding Should be the Only Choice for Your Horse" - Interview with Jim Swanner
"Feed Your Horse Like A Horse" (starting at $57.95)
- Dr. Getty's comprehensive reference offering you information on a vast variety of topics. See "Chapter 14 - Digestive Problems."
Forage for Thought Newsletter (Free)
To receive free bi-monthly articles and news to help meet your horse's nutritional needs, consider subscribing to Forage for Thought - Dr. Getty's email newsletter. You may opt-in here - and may unsubscribe at any time.