Forageplus

01/06/2026

Great job 👏 the dream of riding a horse so in tune with your body that the restriction of reins is no longer needed is a life time ambition. I was up on my local moor last night daring myself to believe I didn’t need to pick up the reins. How about you?

01/06/2026

If you haven’t found this podcast then check it out. It tackles the difficult subjects of horse welfare and what it looks like in the real world time and time again. This is a particularly good episode. Thanks Changing Rein always a great listen 💓

What would make a five-star eventer say that being named an Olympic alternate was the lowest point of his career?

That's where our latest conversation begins.

Matt Brown and Cecily Clark are a husband-and-wife team from Pennsylvania - he's a five-star eventer, she rides FEI dressage. Last December they wrote an open letter to the equestrian world, and thousands responded. Not with outrage. With recognition.

When Meta and I sat down with them, what unfolded was a conversation between four people with very different vantage points on the horse world - a five-star eventer, an FEI dressage rider, an equine vet and an equine welfare scientist - realising they've all been asking the same questions.

Questions like: why does chasing the top so often mean leaving your values at the gate? How much of what we do is shaped by never really being taught how horses experience the world? And what would the sport look like if we measured success differently?

Matt and Cecily don't claim to have the answers. They talk openly about their own mistakes, about coaching that prioritised results over the relationship, and about what it took to find their way back to why they started.

"I live for eventing," Matt told us. "But I live for the horses more."

🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts - link in comments.

What does success look like for you and your horse? We'd love to hear :)

01/06/2026

Clever marketing names and colours on a bag can make you forget that ‘balanced’ means the whole diet.

Most horse feeds, including balancers take no account of the fact that grass is high in calcium, iron and manganese and low in magnesium, copper and zinc.

They add more of what’s in the grass and that’s crazy because it blocks the minerals that are too much even more.

Don’t you think feeding a horse feed should always be done by targeting to match to grass and hay?

31/05/2026

👇Question 3 - simply ….

Is your horse’s feed plan based on actual forage data… or guesswork?

When someone recommends a balancer or feed for your horse, do they know what’s in the 40–60kg of grass your horse eats every day?

Or are they guessing?

Most horse feed plans start with a bag of feed.

Ours start with the grass and hay your horse actually eats 🌱🐴

Why would you ignore the largest part of your horse’s diet and base nutrition decisions on assumptions?

The reality is that most horse feed and balancers are formulated to be balanced to themselves. They are not matched to the grass and hay your horse consumes every day because the data simply doesn’t exist.

At Forageplus, we’ve spent more than two decades building a forage analysis database of over 12,500 grass, hay and haylage samples.

That means we can see what horses are actually eating and identify what is already present in the diet and what is missing.

Instead of generic feeding advice, we focus on:

• Targeted mineral balancing
• Nutrition matched to real forage data
• Correct mineral ratios
• Identifying common deficiencies
• Avoiding unnecessary fillers, cereals, molasses and straw

The nutrients you add should depend on the forage your horse eats.

Because feeding based on evidence will always be more accurate than feeding based on assumptions.

So ask yourself:

Is your horse’s feed plan built around the bag of feed…

…or the forage that makes up the vast majority of their diet?

28/05/2026

Splashing is the answer 💕

Happy hacking in North Wales with Ronnie and Jenny 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

27/05/2026

Great post as ever from Gareth ….. this is what I believe is the answer …

All you have to do is read the science and be honest with yourself that the precautionary principle means you can never, inadvertently, cause pain and you can’t ever look yourself in the mirror if you ever put another bit in a horses mouth. It creates huge problems for what we want to do with horses in terms of training them to cope with the demands of competition but if we are to truly honour them as sentient beings then we have to live in 2026 and accept the science is telling us bits work because of pain and using them is just, quite frankly, wrong. It’s taken me a couple of years to arrive here as it’s stopped me be able to do a lot of the ‘fun’ for me stuff I used to do while I retrain the enormous amount of anxiety out of my horse. Anxiety I never really acknowledged before I read the science - but - now I understand that no matter which bit I bought, not matter which expert told me this one will do the trick it was ALL Emperors New Clothes until I read the science. Time to change that world everyone - what do you think?

Why do you choose to ride without a bit?

This is a question for those that choose to never use bits.

I have been having a hard time answering this. Not because I don't know my reasons, but because I have a hard time expressing those reasons in a way that doesn't make people feel judged.

Yes, this matters to me.

I know we are supposed to speak our truth, but ride a fast horse. The trouble is you run the risk of alienating people hungry for change, by answering this in a way that triggers guilt and cognitive dissonance.

Help me out here.. Please

27/05/2026

HEATWAVE HELP FOR HORSES ☀️

Hot weather management is about far more than simply hosing horses down ☀️🐴

1. Replace electrolytes lost in sweat
Horses lose large amounts of sodium and chloride when sweating, not just water. Moderate to heavy sweating may require around 30–50g salt per hour of sweating alongside normal intake. Many UK grass and hay samples are naturally low in sodium, so make sure your balancer is properly matched to grass and hay and contains meaningful magnesium, copper and zinc levels.

2. Keep water constantly available
Check troughs far more often in hot weather, clean them regularly and consider extra water points if horses may run out or be bullied away from access.

3. Ride during cooler hours
Plan exercise for early morning or later evening where possible. Avoid fast work during peak heat and allow more breaks for drinking and recovery.

4. Support recovery properly
Recovery is not just about calories. Horses still need fibre, essential amino acids and minerals for muscle recovery and hydration. A simple rehydration feed after work can help support recovery:
• 100g Speedi-Beet
• 100g oats
• Amino acid blend
• Salt for electrolyte replacement

Provide shade and airflow after exercise and avoid shutting horses straight into hot stables.

5. Use overnight turnout where possible
Overnight turnout helps horses avoid peak daytime heat and may also reduce exposure to higher daytime grass sugar levels during sunny conditions.

6. Take extra care when travelling
Horseboxes and trailers can become dangerously hot very quickly. Ensure good ventilation, travel outside peak heat where possible and offer water regularly on longer journeys.

Never travel with the top front door of a trailer open while driving, debris can seriously injure horses’ eyes.

26/05/2026

Hot weather tip for horse owners ☀️🐴

If your horse is sweating, they are not just losing water, they are losing essential electrolytes, especially sodium and chloride. Even one hour of moderate to heavy sweating can create significant losses that need replacing.

Low electrolytes can contribute to:

• Lethargy
• Muscle cramps
• Poor recovery
• Tying up
• Reduced performance
• Dehydration
• Loss of appetite
• Gut slow downs
• Increased heart rate
• Irritability
• Fatigue
• Weakness
• Reduced drinking
• Poor thermoregulation

A simple guide is:

• Around 5–10g salt daily for maintenance if forage hasn’t been tested (that’s the amount in our balancers)
• Around 30–50g salt per hour of heavy sweating to help replace sweat losses

Many UK grass and hay samples are naturally low in sodium, which means some horses may already be short before exercise even begins.

The good news? Plain table salt, sea salt or rock salt from the supermarket is usually all you need for most horses.

It’s probably the cheapest and most important thing you will ever feed your horse during hot weather.

Always provide unlimited fresh water and don’t rely on salt licks alone, many horses simply won’t consume enough to replace sweat losses.

Forage-focused nutrition means matching electrolytes to the forage eaten and the amount your horse actually sweats, not guessing.