Happy Horse Nutrition

MyHappy.Horse
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Nutrition
  • Updated Weekly

The Happy Horse Nutrition Podcast with Dr Nerida McGilchrist makes horse nutrition make sense. A PhD equine nutritionist with more than 25 years of experience, Dr Nerida shares practical feeding advice, explains the science in plain English, and interviews leading experts in horse health, welfare and nutrition. From gut health and supplements to performance feeding and common mistakes, each episode helps horse owners, breeders and trainers feed with more confidence.

  1. 3 days ago

    58. Feeding horses for Weight Loss and Why “Just Feed Less” is Not the Answer

    Is your horse an “air fern” who seems to gain weight just by looking at grass? In this episode of the Happy Horse Nutrition Podcast, Dr Nerida walks you through how to feed overweight horses and good doers for safe, sustainable weight loss, without leaving them hungry, stressed, nutritionally deficient or at higher risk of problems like gastric ulcers. Weight loss for good doers is not as simple as “feed less”. In fact, restricting forage too harshly will create serious gut health, welfare and behaviour problems. Instead, Nerida explains how to reduce calorie intake while still keeping your horse chewing, happy and with all of their nutrient requirements met. You’ll learn the five key steps to feeding horses for weight loss, including remove high-energy feeds, manage access to pasture and high quality hay, use low-calorie forages like mature grass hay and straw, balance vitamins and minerals correctly, and how exercise and winter can make such a difference. This episode also covers practical tools for managing laminitis-prone , insulin-dysregulated , cresty-necked and easy keeper horses, including use of forage testing, slow feeders, track systems, controlled grazing and the importance of measuring body condition, body weight and cresty neck score over time. If you have agood doer or an overweight horse that needs to lose weight safely, this episode will help you understand how to create a weight loss diet that protects gut health, supports the hindgut microbiome and keeps your horse (and you!) as happy as possible.  📲 Download the MyHappy.Horse nutrition app to check your horse’s calorie intake and make sure your weight loss diet is properly balanced https://apps.apple.com/au/app/myhappy-horse/id6633422324 ⁠    💖 If you found this episode helpful, please follow the Happy Horse Nutrition Podcast and  share it with a horse owning friend who is struggling with getting their air fern to lose some weight!.   🌾 And here is Sammy Julliand’s work on hay assessment using the human senses https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1751731118003725

    1hr 11min

  2. 16 June

    57. Feeding Horses for Weight Gain and Why “Just Feed More” Is Not the Answer

    Is your horse underweight, a classic hard keeper, or one of those horses who seems to need a ridiculous amount of feed just to hold condition? In this episode of the Happy Horse Nutrition Podcast, Dr Nerida takes a practical, gut-first look at feeding horses for safe, effective and sustainable weight gain. Because weight gain is not simply a matter of “just feed more”. Yes, a horse needs to eat more energy than they use in order to gain weight, but they also need to be able to digest and use that energy. And that is where so many weight gain diets go wrong. If the cause of weight loss has not been identified, the hindgut is struggling, the diet is unbalanced, or the horse is being pushed too hard with high-starch feeds, owners can end up feeding more and more, while the horse still fails to thrive. In this episode, Nerida walks through the five key steps to feeding for weight gain, starting with identifying why the horse is underweight in the first place. From there, she explains why the hindgut must become a fibre-fermenting powerhouse, why forage variety and fibre diversity matter, how to balance the diet properly, why high-quality protein is essential for building muscle and topline, and how to add high-energy ingredients like super fibres, oils and well-cooked grains safely. Nerida also talks about something every owner needs to understand before starting a weight gain diet: higher-energy diets can affect behaviour. The aim is not to create a fire-breathing dragon under saddle. The aim is to build a healthier horse who can gain condition, support muscle development, maintain better gut health and eventually hold weight without relying on huge amounts of supplementary feed forever.   📲 For help assessing your horse’s diet and building a balanced feeding plan, download the MyHappy.Horse app and let it help you feed with more confidence. https://apps.apple.com/au/app/myhappy-horse/id6633422324   💖 If you find this episode helpful, please follow the Happy Horse Nutrition Podcast and  share it with a horse owning friend who is struggling with weight gain.🌟And we'd love you to leave us a review so more horse owners can find practical, science-based nutrition advice.

    1hr 9min

  3. 9 June

    56. Do Calming Supplements for Horses Actually Work?

    Do calming supplements for horses actually work? Or are we sometimes asking them to do a job they were never going to be able to do? In this episode, Dr Nerida takes a practical, science-based look at horse behaviour, diet and calming supplements. Before diving into ingredients like magnesium, vitamin B1 and tryptophan, Nerida starts with the bigger question every horse owner should ask first: Why is my horse behaving this way? Spookiness, tension, anxiety, reactivity, unpredictability and “too much energy” can all be signs that something deeper is going on. Too much concentrated feed, grain-based diets, raw or poorly digested grain, not enough forage, hindgut dysbiosis, gastric pain, riding on an empty stomach, mycotoxins, pain, lack of movement, lack of socialisation and unbalanced diets can all influence behaviour. Nerida also explains why forage is one of the most powerful “calmers” we have for horses, why the hindgut and brain are so closely connected, and why behaviour should always be treated as information. Then she looks at the evidence behind common calming supplement ingredients. Magnesium may help in specific situations, especially where magnesium intake or metabolism is compromised. Vitamin B1 may have a role, particularly when hindgut health is poor. But tryptophan? The research in horses does not support it as an effective calmer. If you have ever reached for a calming supplement hoping it would fix a spooky, anxious or explosive horse, this episode will help you step back, look at the whole horse, and understand what may really be driving the behaviour. Because calm does not start in the supplement aisle.  💛 Download the MyHappy.Horse app to check whether your horse’s diet is supporting calm, healthy behaviour. https://apps.apple.com/app/myhappy-horse/id6633422324 🎧 Follow the Happy Horse Nutrition Podcast for more practical, science-based feeding advice

    1hr 4min

  4. 2 June

    55. Horse Nutrition Q&A: Feeding horses with dental issues

    What do you feed a horse that can’t chew properly? In this episode, Dr Nerida McGilchrist is joined by Jess, an equine science student from Charles Sturt University, for a practical Q&A on dental issues in horses and how they affect nutrition. Using Jess’s own horse as a real-life example, they explore how to feed horses with unusual or compromised teeth, why forage still matters, when soaked hay may help, and how to balance dental comfort with laminitis risk. Nerida also explains why old horses with worn teeth are so often underfed, how to think about chaff, hay cubes, beet pulp, copra and other fibre sources, and why a balanced diet is still essential when forage intake becomes complicated. A useful episode for anyone feeding an older horse, a horse with missing or worn teeth, or a horse that needs a more creative nutrition plan. 📲 Download the MyHappy.Horse nutrition app: https://apps.apple.com/app/myhappy-horse/id6633422324 🧮 Monitor closely for laminitis with Lami-tag, as early detection is critical - https://www.lami-tag.com 🐎 Queensland Off The Track’s Feeding the senior OTT - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxXOm7_7biM 🌾 Here is the key paper behind the discussion about oaten/cereal hay, water-soluble carbohydrates and equine peripheral dental caries. This study surveyed 500 Western Australian horses and found peripheral caries in 58.8% of surveyed horses, with oaten hay identified as a dietary risk factor.  Jackson, K., Kelty, E. & Tennant, M. 2018. Equine peripheral dental caries: An epidemiological survey assessing prevalence and possible risk factors in Western Australian horses. Equine Veterinary Journal, 50(1), 79–84.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28707363/

    42 min

  5. 26 May

    54. Rethinking Yearling Horse Sales Prep: Less Grain, Better Gut Health

    What happens when a thoroughbred breeding farm reduces grain, increases forage diversity, and prepares yearlings with gut health in mind? In this episode, Dr Nerida is joined by Zac Harris, a thoroughbred breeding farm manager preparing yearlings for sale, to talk about a very different approach to traditional yearling prep. For years, many sales yearlings have been fed high-grain diets, often with limited forage diversity, in an effort to maximise growth, muscle and sale-ring presentation. But what if there is a better way? Zac shares what happened when he changed the feeding program, focused more on forage and fibre, and paid closer attention to the horses’ appetite, manure, behaviour and overall wellbeing. This is a hands-on conversation for anyone feeding young horses, preparing yearlings for sale, managing thoroughbreds, or simply wanting to better understand the link between diet, gut health and behaviour.   🌟 If this conversation made you think differently about feeding young horses, we’d love you to follow the Happy Horse Nutrition Podcast   🙏🏼 Please share this episode with someone who works with yearlings, thoroughbreds, or any horses that could benefit from a happier, healthier gut.   💛 And for more information about what we do here at MyHappy.Horse, go to https://www.myhappy.horse/

    45 min

  6. 19 May

    53. Feeding Horses in Winter

    Winter can be one of the biggest challenges when feeding horses. So in this episode, Dr Nerida talks all things winter feeding. You’ll learn why preparation matters, that forage is your horse’s internal heater and why body condition scoring with your hands is so important during the colder months. Nerida also covers winter weight loss, feeding good doers, choosing forage quality, fibre diversity for hindgut health, water and salt intake, balanced diets, vitamin and mineral support, protein quality, and why laminitis-prone horses still need careful management in winter. Whether your horse is an older horse, an off-the-track Thoroughbred, a hard keeper, a broodmare, a growing horse, a good doer, or a horse prone to laminitis, this episode will help you stay one step ahead before winter feeding problems show up. 📲 Download the MyHappy.Horse app to check whether your horse’s diet is meeting their energy, protein, lysine, vitamin and mineral needs this winter:https://apps.apple.com/app/myhappy-horse/id6633422324 💖 If this episode helps you, we’d love you to follow the podcast and share it with a horse-loving friend that has a horse who struggles through winter.

    55 min

  7. 12 May

    52. Protein Is Not Just Protein: Protein Quality in Horse Nutrition Explained

    We talk a lot about protein in horse nutrition, especially for topline, growth, milk production and gut health, but the number on the feed bag is only the starting point. Two feeds can both say 16% protein on the bag, but they may not support your horse’s body in the same way. In this episode of the Happy Horse Nutrition Podcast, Dr Nerida explains protein quality in horses and why the crude protein percentage on a feed bag only tells part of the story. You’ll learn how amino acids work, why essential amino acids matter, and why lysine, methionine, threonine and the branched-chain amino acids are so important for muscle, topline, bone development, milk production, tissue repair and gut health. Nerida also explains why protein source matters, using examples like soybean meal, whey protein, cottonseed meal, sunflower meal and forage quality, and shows how two feeds with similar crude protein levels can provide very different amino acid value to your horse. Whether you have a growing horse, broodmare, performance horse, off-the-track Thoroughbred, senior horse, or a horse needing more topline or gut support, this episode will help you ask a better question: not just “how much protein is in this feed?”, but “is this protein good enough for the job I’m asking my horse’s body to do?”   📲 Download the MyHappy.Horse nutrition app to check your horse’s crude protein and lysine intake and build better, more balanced diets with confidence https://apps.apple.com/au/app/myhappy-horse/id6633422324   🐎 Queensland Off The Track Nutrition Hub is here https://www.racingqueensland.com.au/animal-welfare/off-the-track/nutrition-education-hub 💖 And you can find the story of Allay's first 12 months here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KttwjBii2HY ⁉️ If you'd like help with interpreting your feed label's list of ingredients, email it to us, hello@myhappy.horse or ask Dr Nerida AI https://www.myhappy.horse/nerida-ai 💛 Follow the Happy Horse Nutrition podcast for more practical, science-based horse nutrition, and we’d love you to share this episode with a horse-loving friend who wants to feed their horse with more clarity and confidence.

    50 min

  8. 5 May

    51. Equine Joint Health: What Works and What Doesn’t

    If you are spending money on joint supplements for your horse, or wondering whether that corticosteroid injection is really helping, this episode is essential listening. Dr. Nerida is joined by Renee Harbowy and Dr. Brian Nielsen from Michigan State University, two of the leading researchers in equine joint and bone health, for an honest, science-based conversation about what actually keeps horses sound for life. Renee shares the findings from her recently published research study examining whether glucosamine and chondroitin supplements improve lameness in horses with osteoarthritis, and what the results mean for every horse owner standing in front of a wall of joint supplements at the feed store. From there, the conversation covers equine joint health from the ground up. In this episode you’ll learn: What osteoarthritis actually does to joint tissue and why understanding this changes how you manage itWhy movement is non-negotiable for cartilage health, and what happens to joints when horses are stalledThe research on pastured versus stalled horses and what it means for how you manage your horse day to dayWhy nutrition from conception onwards is the foundation of lifetime joint soundnessThe trace minerals most commonly deficient in horse diets and why deficiencies during development cause problems that show up years laterDr Brian’s research on bone strength and the surprisingly small amount of exercise needed to maintain itThe five things Renee considers most important for long-term joint healthThe truth about corticosteroid injections; what they actually do, and the risk of masking pain in performance horsesEarly warning signs that your horse’s joints may be struggling before obvious lameness appearsPractical, actionable strategies for joint health regardless of your horse’s age, breed, or living situationWhether you have a young horse you are bringing up right, a performance horse in hard work, or an older horse starting to show their age, this conversation will change how you think about joint health and what you can actually do to help your horses have a long, sound, happy life! 🧪 Renee's full research paper can be found here (and it is well worth the read, beautifully written and a brilliant piece of science!): https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13113781/ 🌟 If this episode helps you look at joint health a little differently, please follow the podcast so you don’t miss what’s coming next. 💛 And we'd love you to share it with a horse friend, especially someone with a young horse, an older horse, or a horse already struggling with joint issues. These are the conversations that can genuinely change how we manage horses for the better. 📲 And if you want help getting the nutrition side right, download the MyHappy.Horse app. It’s like having a practical, science-based equine nutritionist in your pocket, helping you feed with more confidence and less second-guessing. ⁠https://apps.apple.com/au/app/myhappy-horse/id6633422324⁠

    1hr 40min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

The Happy Horse Nutrition Podcast with Dr Nerida McGilchrist makes horse nutrition make sense. A PhD equine nutritionist with more than 25 years of experience, Dr Nerida shares practical feeding advice, explains the science in plain English, and interviews leading experts in horse health, welfare and nutrition. From gut health and supplements to performance feeding and common mistakes, each episode helps horse owners, breeders and trainers feed with more confidence.

Information

  • Creator
    MyHappy.Horse
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    58
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © MyHappy.Horse
  • Show Website
    Happy Horse Nutrition

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