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The Smart Way to Feed Horses

This webinar fulfills the advanced nutrition requirement for PHCP students.

This two part webinar series is a great introduction to equine nutrition in practical terms and compliments Dr.Kellon’s NRC Plus course.

Part 1 – Growing the best possible hoof

This session will focus on the digestive system, the best feeds for horses and the key nutrients that influence hoof health.

The hoof is required to withstand impact, abrasion, mechanical injury, noxious substances and pathogens but be flexible enough to absorb and divert the shock sustained on it. Hooves have to be rigid as well as elastic and protect the soft, more sensitive tissues inside.

To achieve optimal hoof quality, three aspects can be influenced by our management; hoof care, nutrition and movement. Poor hoof growth, horn brittleness, inflammation, prevalence of infections like seedy toe, and a weak immune system can all have a nutritional component.

Part 2 – Laminitis and myths

Some horses have a life threatening, metabolic condition that causes insulin to rise, triggering the chain of events that result in laminitis. Laminitis will be explained along with causes including the most common dietary cause, insulin resistance.

The aim of the presentation is to educate hoof practitioners so that they can support the owners of these horses and ponies by first explaining what the best and safest feeds are and what the key nutrients are to aid in rehabilitation plus horse management practices. The presentation will cover some related health issues including PPID and look at a number of common myths that confuse horse owners.

Carol Layton B.Sc M.Ed of Balanced Equine is an independent equine nutritionist with a science background and a passion for the optimal feeding of horses based on scientific research. In 2008, Carol enrolled in equine nutrition courses provided by Dr Eleanor Kellon VMD and has been a tutor for students in NRC Plus since 2009. Carol is currently a lecturer in Equine Nutrition for the nationally recognised Certificate of Equine Hoof Care Practitioner course (ACEHP) in Australia.

Carol is passionate about teaching and sharing her knowledge of equine nutrition to make it easier and simpler for horse owners. So far she has been a speaker at a number of conferences in Australia, the Functional Hoof conferences in 2011 and 2014 and more recently the 2018 Bowker Conference in Australia. In 2012 Carol presented at the World Hoof Care Conference in Prague, Czech Republic and the Pacific Hoof Care Practitioners Conference in San Diego in 2016, and the 2017 NO Laminitis Conference in Tucson, Arizona USA.

Carol has had horses most of her life and in the last 19 years has been a keen competitor in endurance riding. Her own endurance horse, Omani Mr Sqiggle was a 2009 Australian National Points and Distance horse. Together they have completed at top levels, including the 400 km marathon, Shahzada, NSW State Championship rides and the national championship, the 160 km Tom Quilty.