Happy Horse Nutrition

MyHappy.Horse
  • 5.0 (5)
  • 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. 6d ago

    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

    1h 4m

  2. Jun 2

    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

  3. May 26

    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

  4. May 19

    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

  5. May 12

    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

  6. May 5

    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

    1h 40m

  7. Apr 28

    50. Feeding Weanlings: The Art and Science of Getting Growing Horse Nutrition Right

    There is no time in horse nutrition where you need both art AND science more than when you are feeding a weanling. These funny, curious, chaotic little creatures are walking a tightrope every single day... growing fast enough to reach their genetic potential, but not so fast that they end up with bone or joint disease. Get it wrong, and you are looking at OCD, contracted tendons, physitis, stunted growth, and a horse that never becomes what it was born to be. Get it right, and you lay the foundation for a lifetime of health and soundness. In this episode, professional equine nutritionist Dr. Nerida draws on 25 years of experience and thousands of weanlings from Australian thoroughbred studs to Japan’s biggest breeding farms, to walk you through exactly what your weanling needs and why. You’ll learn: How to manage weanling growth rate and body condition score to reduce developmental orthopaedic disease riskWhy energy intake is one of the most important factors in weanling joint healthHow pasture quality, climate, and compensatory growth affect your weanling’s diet... and how to stay two steps aheadWhy protein quality (not just quantity) is critical for muscle and bone development in young horsesThe fine details about calcium, phosphorus, and trace minerals and why almost every pasture Nerida has tested falls shortThree practical feeding strategies for weanlings depending on your situation; andWhy a balanced diet... NOT a restricted one... gives your weanling the best shot at lifetime soundnessWhether you have one very special homebred foal or paddocks full of youngsters, this episode gives you the knowledge and the confidence to feed your weanlings well. 📱 If you’d like help balancing your  weanlings' diet, download the MyHappy.Horse app on the Apple App Store and start building a diet you can feel confident about. https://apps.apple.com/au/app/myhappy-horse/id6633422324   💖 And if this episode helped you, please share it with a horsey friend (especially the one currently with a pregnant mare 😅)

    1h 11m

  8. Apr 21

    49. Replay: Bone health and horses with Dr Brian Nielsen

    In this replay episode, we are bringing back Dr Nerida’s chat with Professor Brian Nielsen on bone health in horses, because the ideas in this conversation have huge implications for soundness, durability, performance and long-term welfare. If you have ever been told that long, slow work builds strong bone, or that the safest path is always to wait until horses are skeletally mature before exposing them to speed, this episode may really make you stop and think. Dr Brian explains how bone actually adapts to exercise, why turnout and even very small amounts of high-speed work matter so much, how confinement can reduce bone mass, and why this is such an important issue for young horses in particular. It is a fascinating conversation that challenges some deeply held beliefs in horse management and racing, while also being incredibly practical. This was one of the standout episodes from the early days of the podcast, and now that many more of you are listening, it feels like the right time to bring it back. If you care about raising, training or managing horses for long-term soundness, this episode is well worth your time 🌟   🧪Find the full scientific review here: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/5/789   💛 If you’re looking for more practical help with nutrition and managing your horse, have a look at MyHappy.Horse, our app designed to help horse owners make more confident feeding decisions. https://www.myhappy.horse

    1h 23m
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5
out of 5
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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
    56
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © MyHappy.Horse
  • Show Website
    Happy Horse Nutrition

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