34/ DECEMBER 2018 THE RIDER


Equine Wellness: Health and Nutrition with Jean Klosowicz, Superior Equine Health and Nutrition Inc.


Surviving Or Thriving? Good Nutrition Can Make The Difference


Jean Klosowicz Equine Nutrition Consultant & Educator


Often times when I work


with clients, I see a shift from taking their horses from “sur- vival” mode to one of better contentment and health, to a “thriving” condition. The shift is never an easy journey, as the awareness between the two often comes as a result of an injury or illness to the horse. Or, if I am lucky, the owner has made a commitment to learn more about horse nutrition and continues forward in this jour- ney.


Many horses can be seen


in survival mode across the country, often left to live their lives as a pasture pet, or in many cases expected to per- form without a good nutritional foundation. Surviving is basi- cally providing the essentials: forage (pasture and/or hay), some salt, water and shelter, and hopefully companionship


plementing (which happens all too frequently) is neither sur- viving or thriving ... it lies somewhere in between (off course, if that is possible) where the owner blindly chooses sup- plements without true facts or knowledge of what the conse- quences could be. This of course, could cause a whole myriad of conditions, perform- ance and behaviour issues to which more supplements are added to falsely correct (or the horse is inappropriately disci- plined) and the cycle continues. The “problem” horse is often a result of the “problem” owner. Taking the step to having a


too. While some would argue that this is all a horse requires, nutritionally it falls below the essential nutrient requirements


that horses need to stay strong and healthy. If you take a look at the


graph, the left side shows just


hay being fed. Hay and pas- tures always have some vitamin or mineral missing, or not in good balance. This is because


trients are being met and cells/systems are functioning correctly if not optimally. Lack luster coats, poor hoof quality,


“thriving” horse takes a little work, but the results are very re- warding! For horse owners it means less stress, less costs overall, less vet visits, a sense of pride and accomplishment, a sense of control that comes from a knowledge based foun- dation, more fun and the list goes on. For the horse it means being healthy and being at his/her optimal best - physi- cally, mentally and in behav- iour. The horse is in a state of calm, relaxed and content. The horse is able to handle stresses better, vitality returns, and per- formance excels. In the end ... the horse is healthy, owners are happy and superior results are achieved! Interested in taking the


next step in your horse’s nutri- tion? Feel free to contact me or visit my website for more infor- mation. Cheers!


grass species, soil types and conditions, weather, fertiliza- tion, etc. influence the content. If owners took the initiative to compliment this hay with ap- propriate nutrients (the ones the hay lack), we could then see the horse’s state moving forward into a “thriving” condition (right graph). The essential nu-


performance and behaviour is- sues begin to improve consider- ably, sometimes in a matter of weeks. The choice of feeding


habits, management and selec- tion lies completely with the horse owner. Horse owners ul- timately decide the state (and fate) of their horses. Over-sup-


Superior Equine Health & Nu- trition Inc. 338 Hwy 638, Bruce Mines, ON P0R 1C0 cell: 705.260.0293, email: su- periorequine@gmail.com facebook: @SuperiorEquine All articles are for general


information purposes only and are not intended to replace the advice of a veterinarian, or pro- vide a diagnosis for your horse.


Fit is Everything.


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