Resource Library - Whole Foods

What does "Whole" mean? There are two ways to think about it. One way is to think of a whole food, perhaps a whole grain like whole wheat, for example. The second way of defining a whole food is to think of it as one that is unadulterated or in its natural state; in other words, it has nothing added. There are no preservatives or other chemicals, or fillers in it, so it’s whole in the sense that it is in the state nature intended.

The foundation of your horse’s diet should be a particular whole food, and that is grass—all day and all night, all the time. The horse needs to have forage, grass, flowing through his digestive tract all the time with no gaps, because that’s the way the horse’s digestive system is designed. Grass, then, is the most important whole food. Grass can be a perfect food, as well, especially if it’s from a healthy “whole food” pasture that contains a variety of forages, rather than an  “improved” pasture of, for example, all timothy or all orchard grass.

Hay, on the other hand is NOT a whole food because it is missing much of it originally contained. To overcome these deficiencies, other foods can be added to the diet to round it out, filling in the gaps. The resources below will help you to do that.

Spotlight on Nutrition Books ($14.95)

Articles (Free)

Tips (Free)

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). Recordings are each 30 minutes in length.

Forage for Thought Newsletter (Free)

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