Author: David Marlin

A common type of supplement is a respiratory or “breathing” or “airway” supplement. Most do not rely on evidence for which compounds/ingredients have been shown to have efficacy in horses.

Dr. David Marlin gives us a little run-down on what to expect for Thursday evening’s webinar. NEXT Webinar – Early season winter training by Dr David MarlinThursday 27th January 2022 – 8pm (UK time) Q. Is roadwork beneficial or detrimental? Q. Is there a need for a longer warm-up in cold weather? Q. Do horses suffer lung damage from cold air? Q. What’s the best way to manage training in frozen arenas? Q. Does leg support reduce the risk of injury? Q. How can you train smarter to get greater benefits with less risk of injury? Q. How long should…

It’s hard to imagine that perhaps 25 years ago virtually no one had heard of gastric (stomach) ulcers in horses. Today it would be hard to find a horse owner who is not aware

A close friend was thrown from her horse on Boxing Day whilst out with a friend on a “gentle hack”. For no apparent reason the horse, totally out of character, reared, spun and bucked. She was thrown off landing on her head, neck and upper back. The good news is that she was wearing a less than one-year-old hat from a very good manufacturer that had been expertly fitted. She was also wearing a body protector. And the ground was fairly soft. She didn’t lose consciousness and a CT scan and examination in A&E showed no signs of serious injury.…

Can you really increase your horse’s muscle mass by feeding it the right nutrients? Yes, to an extent. The one key requirement more than what you feed is that a horse won’t develop more muscle unless it is in regular training. Even anabolic steroids work best when used in people or animals that are exercising. Of course, anabolic steroids are banned from being used in horses except in rare cases where they are used for specific medical reasons. Interestingly, a study in horses showed that the use of anabolic steroids in yearlings did increase muscle mass but by the time they were two years olds there was no clear difference between those that had and those that had not had anabolic steroids.

Dr David Marlin’s top winter feeding tips.

Dr David Marlin took us through the common ingredients found in horse supplements and feed and how UK law dictates what should be presented clearly for customers. We also discussed ‘best practice’ and ‘red flags’ to spot when looking at feed or supplement labels.

Following a recent bedding survey, we conducted and following the extensive testing we conducted this horse owner switched from their small shavings to Bedmax which scored as one of the highest-rated in our independent tests.

Iron in supplements – Who’s high, who’s low, who’s listing iron levels? In the past 10 years a number of companies such as Spillers, Science Supplements and Forageplus have stopped adding iron to their products as new knowledge about the problems of excess iron in horses has appeared. For example, iron can interfere with the uptake of essential trace elements and may play a role in insulin dysregulation. Of even greater concern are findings of pathologists or iron deposits and lesions in the liver of many horses during post mortem examination. It was therefore great to see Forageplus carrying out…

Winter is almost upon us and we’re all starting to prepare ourselves for the extra chores winter brings horse ownership. In this quick round-up, we help you through the struggles of winter horse care. Rugs Now is a good time to get those rugs out and check for holes and broken straps. It’s also a good time to get them cleaned before everyone else has the same idea. Remember to try and avoid over-rugging. Your horse may actually be more comfortable and active in a lighter rug. If you need new rugs, we advise looking sooner rather than later as…