Clare MacLeod MSc RNutr Independent Equine Nutritionist

14/11/2025

If you're thinking sugar first, you're missing something even more important 🐴🍏😵

14/11/2025

A MAGIC WAND?! 🪄🦄

If you're a horse owner, and you could have a magic wand, what would you want to have or change?

Get creative!

All comments welcomed.

I'm intrigued....

Thank you!
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14/11/2025

Firstly, well done to all the teams from the charities involved in this rescue operation. World Horse Welfare do amazing work - please support them!

70 feral Icelandic horses, left for years to fend for themselves, and breed freely but without the space and resources that horses in nature need.

A most awful situation and thank goodness members of the public raised the issue, and didn't just think 'I won't get involved'.

To me, this is abject cruelty. Proper willful neglect. Some of the horses had serious injuries and had to be euthanized, and their parasite burden was extreme, according to the report.

This is 'natural' gone very bad indeed. It is not natural for horses to be left feral in restricted areas.

(If you're interested in horses left feral in an appropriate environment with good care, look up the Wicken Fen Konik herd)..

Whilst I know we don't have the full details, I am inclined to take issue with the fact there was no prosecution.

Surely there should be some accountability for the owner, even to ensure that other animal owners who cause cruelty realise there will be consequences?

I am not an advocate for punishment BUT I am an advocate for us taking full responsibility for out actions (or lack of), regardless of our personal circumstances.

It worries me deeply that we confuse acceptance and empathy with an attitude of anything goes and 'it wasn't my fault because...".

I'd be interested to hear what you think...

(Plese remember to keep your comments respectful to myself and all other parties. We can disagree or be opinionated without being cruel, nasty or vindictive).

We catch up with Deputy Chief Field Officer Jon Phipps, to find out why World Horse Welfare rescues like this are lifesaving.

14/11/2025

If you're in the area and want help and advice with spooky horses, this is a must-do!

I have read and agree to the Terms & Conditions of the instructor as well as the Terms & Conditions of the venue, and the Cancellation Policy

13/11/2025

FEEDING HORSES AROUND THE WORLD 🌏

With my virtual services, I've helped owners of horses all around the world, for many years now.

Right now I am working with a horse owner in the UAE, one in Canada, one in France, one in New Zealand, and one in Poland (as well as a bunch in the UK!). These are both in my 1 to 1 Packages and also in my Confident Horse Feeding Course.

Fascinating past cases I remember included polo horses in Africa and a riding horse in Indonesia.

You see, the principles of good nutrition are the same the world over.

The forage including the pasture grass can be different, the feed and supplement products different. But we are always simply ensuring the horse receives a correctly balanced diet.

This morning I've been researching products in New Zealand.

I'm wondering if my lists of product recommendations would be of interest for enough horse owners in non-UK countries?

Please comment below. I'd love to hear your thoughts and what challenges you face in horse nutrition as a non-UK owner!

Thank you,
🐴🍏🌎
ps its an AI-generated image. I like the way the people seem to be sharing ideas 😊

13/11/2025

CLARIFICATION FOR EVERYONE

> Be rude.

> Make statements that are your opinion without stating so i.e mislead my readers

> Give out advice instead of sharing what worked for you

> Have no respect for me

= Get your comment deleted and/or get blocked

Alternatively:

+ Explain your beliefs, experiences, opinions in a respectful way?

= you're welcome

If in any doubt, please read my pinned post.

My page, my rules. I'm not a government information portal.

It's my life's mission to share the truth about feeding and caring for horses.

If you're not open minded and don't wish to learn, you're not going to like my page so best to unfollow now.

If I can be any clearer please let me know.
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12/11/2025

LAMINITIS TRUTHS

Here's the letter I wrote to Horse & Hound magazine, which they published last week as part of an article to raise awareness about the incorrect, misleading and irresponsible social media post that was published recently.

I went to the other independent nutritionists I keep in touch with, to share the idea of going public with them, in order to ensure that readers did not think (in error) it was one person's opinion. Four of us who have no affiliation to a company or academic institution put our names to the piece:

"As registered independent equine nutritionists, we wanted to share a warning about some potentially disastrous misinformation online stating that laminitis isn’t caused by diet.

Laminitis is a complex condition which is not yet fully understood, but the role of the diet is well established in research, clinical and practical experience. To claim otherwise is to ignore decades of scientific evidence and the daily experience of veterinary, nutrition and hoofcare professionals alike.

Regular, good hoofcare/farriery is – of course - vital in both prevention and recovery, but it cannot completely protect horses from the effects of inappropriate feeding.

We urge owners to be cautious about online opinions, especially those that reject established science. We encourage them to seek guidance from qualified professionals who base their advice and practice on evidence, not unproven ideology.

We know that extreme views attract followers, but we also know that a balanced approach is what helps our horses thrive".

There is so much more I could write about this subject, and expect to see blogs and articles in the future - since it is clear that many are not up to date with modern knowledge and understanding of this complex condition.

If you're a horse owner who wants to know how to help your affected horse or pony on a practical nutrition level, then I'm running an evening webinar about this next week. This one was already on my list because I get asked so often about feeding and nutrition of EMS, obese and/or laminitic / laminitis-prone horses and ponies.

This is an affordable option for everyone, if you want to get the truth about feeding affected horses and ponies.

Comment webinars below to get all the details.

Feel free to share
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11/11/2025

THIS ISN'T JUST MISLEADING, IT'S ILLEGAL!

Feed supplement companies are not permitted - by law - to present their products as medicinal.

If they do, they need to get a medicines license for that product.

This claim by Hestevard about their joint supplement is NOT legal:

"Say goodbye to joint pain"

"Hestevard the difference.
“He needs time to loosen up...” – Not anymore. *&$^B supports your horse...."

The rules are clear on feed supplements.

They should not be presented as having a medicinal function, e.g. getting rid of joint pain.

It makes me cross that a company who sells into vets and sells to horse owners gets away with this,

Also, stating your horse no longer needs time to loosen up is detrimental to horse comfort and welfare because it might lead to owners thinking their horse does not need warm up time during an exercise session.

I commented on their ad 9 weeks ago that they need a medicinal license if they are to state their product gets rid of joint pain, yet nothing has been done.

Stay vigilant and do not believe everything you read and I would encourage you not to buy from companies who are blatantly ignoring the regulations.

Please share!
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10/11/2025

HAY AND HAYLAGE ARE DEFICIENT

Hay and haylage do not supply enough vitamins or minerals for all horses and ponies.

Just in case you read somewhere that they do.(remember that anyone can say anything they like and that doesn't mean it is true!.

This is particularly important if your horse or pony is moving onto a diet of less grass and more conserved forage (hay, haylage) as winter sets in.

You can claim a list of the vitamin and mineral supplements I recommend by commenting 'vitamins' because not all of these supplements are any good!

It's completely free.

Feel free to share
Thank you
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08/11/2025

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐩 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐚𝐭? ✂️🐴

There are a number of reasons why we clip horses, but the main one is keep them more comfortable and able to regulate body heat during and after exercise.

An unclipped horse may overheat on a mild autumn day during exercise. They may also struggle to thermoregulate in winter if they can't be dried easily after exercising.

Depending on your horse's exercise regime and their response to it, you may not need to clip for this reason.

I know exactly when to clip my mare, and it isn't a set date in the autumn, it isn't necessarily when I notice her getting woolly - it's when I notice her respiratory rate is higher than normal at a set exercise intensity (because she is having to work harder to maintain her body temperature).

Other reasons for clipping include:
✂️ help the horse dry off faster after exercise, which will avoid chilling (from struggling to thermoregulate efficiently)
✂️ makes the horse easier to clean in preparation for tacking up; it is unhealthy for the skin to have the saddle and girth put on top of a dirty and/or wet coat
✂️ the horse is prone to rain scald without a rug, but has too thick a coat to rug
✂️ the horse has PPID (Cushing's syndrome) and grows an abnormally thick coat, and is prone to sweating and/or skin conditions
✂️ the horse or pony is a native and grows a thicker coat than required for their current environment - and overheats as a result
✂️ to reduce insulation on a horse that needs to lose weight (but please do this with care, to avoid a cold, shivering horse e.g. do it early in the season, ensure adequate shelter in fields, take off the minimum to ensure they do not get cold)

Consider each horse individually with their needs in mind.

Like I say about rugs...
"If they need clipped, clip them"
"If they don't need clipped, don't clip them"

Do you clip your horse or pony in winter??

Feel free to share 🐴🍏