42. Horse Nutrition Q&A: Straw, Diarrhoea, Feed Safety & Muscle Building

42. Horse Nutrition Q&A: Straw, Diarrhoea, Feed Safety & Muscle Building

What happens when your horses live on mostly straw for 10 days… and one of them decides to protest with full-blown diarrhoea? 😅 In this Q&A-style catch-up, Dr Nerida and Orla unpack a very relatable “whoops” moment and use it to teach one of the most overlooked fundamentals in horse gut health: fibre diversity.

They break down why straw is a very different beast to hay (hello, lignin), why some horses cope while others fall apart, and why “just add a product” isn’t always the smartest first move. From there, the conversation goes behind the scenes of the feed industry, mixed-species feed mills, the very real risk of ionophore contamination, and how to ask the right questions of manufacturers. Then it gets nerdy (in the best way) with least-cost vs set recipes, why crude protein can be misleading, and the lysine + leucine muscle-building “bricklayer and bricks” analogy you’ll love.

In this episode you’ll learn:

  • Why restricting forage to one source can trigger loose manure/free faecal water in some horses
  • Why gut “fixes in 3 hours” are usually not how physiology works (and when electrolytes can confuse the picture)
  • How to read a feed label to spot vague “least-cost” ingredient wording
  • Why protein quality matters (especially for young horses, broodmares, and performance horses)

🐴💛 Want help making sense of your horse’s diet? Download MyHappy.Horse on the Apple App Store (link below) and take the guesswork out of balancing protein, lysine, and the bigger nutrition picture.

And if this episode made you go and check the back of a feed bag… we’d love you to leave us a quick rating and review. It helps other horse owners find science-based feeding help. 🧪❤️

Download MyHappy.Horse here: https://apps.apple.com/app/myhappy-horse/id6633422324

Episoder(49)

41. OTT Horse Nutrition: The First 12 Months Off The Track

41. OTT Horse Nutrition: The First 12 Months Off The Track

Feeding an Off The Track (OTT) in the first 12 months can be a worry inducing juggle… appetite, behaviour, ulcers and those classic “why won’t you hold weight?” situations. In this episode of the Happ...

23 Feb 59min

40. What is NSC? And is it bad for my horse?

40. What is NSC? And is it bad for my horse?

NSC is one of those three-letter acronyms that pops up on feed bags and hay reports… and consistently manages to confuse even the most dedicated horse owners. In this episode of the Happy Horse Nutrit...

16 Feb 52min

39. Horse not eating? Learn the 4 most common causes of loss of appetite

39. Horse not eating? Learn the 4 most common causes of loss of appetite

A horse that won’t eat isn’t being “fussy”… it’s a red flag. In this episode of the Happy Horse Nutrition Podcast, Dr Nerida, PhD equine nutritionist and founder of the MyHappy.Horse app, breaks down ...

9 Feb 48min

38. Danger in the Grass: High-Oxalate Pastures, Calcium Deficiency & Bighead Disease in Horses

38. Danger in the Grass: High-Oxalate Pastures, Calcium Deficiency & Bighead Disease in Horses

In this episode of the Happy Horse Nutrition Podcast, Dr Nerida tackles a pasture risk that catches many good horse owners out: high-oxalate warm-season grasses that can block calcium absorption, slow...

2 Feb 44min

37. Natural Disaster Horse Nutrition: What to Feed When Everything Changes

37. Natural Disaster Horse Nutrition: What to Feed When Everything Changes

Feeding horses during emergencies (bushfires, floods, storms, evacuations) can quickly become a “take what you can get” situation, but the choices you make in your makeshift feed room can determine wh...

26 Jan 50min

36. Horse Nutrition Q&A: Feeding Before Riding, Hydration Myths & Trail Snacks

36. Horse Nutrition Q&A: Feeding Before Riding, Hydration Myths & Trail Snacks

Should you feed before you ride? After? Or let your horse graze along the trail? 🐴In this myth-busting Q&A, Dr Nerida and Orla tackle some feeding folklore that just won’t die. Learn why lucerne befo...

19 Jan 43min

35. Understanding Hay & Pasture Analysis Results for Horses

35. Understanding Hay & Pasture Analysis Results for Horses

Forage sits at the very heart of equine nutrition, yet for most horse owners, the numbers on a hay or pasture analysis can feel like a foreign language. In this deep-dive episode of the Happy Horse Nu...

12 Jan 1h 7min

Replay: Feed your horse like a horse

Replay: Feed your horse like a horse

To kick off Season 2 (2026), we’re re-sharing our most listened-to Season 1 episode of the Happy Horse Nutrition Podcast, and it’s a classic for a reason.In this practical, science-backed episode, PhD...

5 Jan 42min

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