Happy Horse Nutrition
Join Dr. Nerida McGilchrist, a world-renowned PhD equine nutritionist with over 25 years of experience, as she simplifies the science of horse nutrition into actionable insights.
- Indexed episodes, last 90 days
- 13
- Latest publication
- Sep 29, 2026
- Audience
- Checking…
- Earliest in this view
- Jul 7, 2026
Latest episodes
72. When a Horse’s Gut Health Goes Wrong: Bentley’s Story (opens the original)
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Bentley had been a healthy horse for years, until an injury, prolonged antibiotic treatment and a cascade of gut problems changed everything. Persistent colic, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, gastric ulcers and gas eventually led us to look more closely at his hindgut microbiome. In this episode, Dr Nerida shares Bentley’s roller-coaster ride case study, from microbiome testing and low microbial diversity, through increasing dietary fibre diversity and two faecal microbiota transplants (FMT), to the
71. Rethinking Performance Horse Nutrition: Forage, Grain and the Dual Fuel Tanks (opens the original)
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When it comes to fuelling performance, muscle glycogen and grain feeding get most of the attention, but that’s only half of the story. In this episode, Dr Nerida breaks down the dual fuel tank theory of performance horse nutrition: the finite store of muscle glycogen used for speed and high-intensity work, and the continuous supply of energy in the form of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) produced via fibre fermentation in the hindgut. We explore how these two fuel systems work together, how forage i
70. Is Perennial Ryegrass Changing Your Horse’s Behaviour? (opens the original)
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Has your horse suddenly become anxious, spooky, reactive or unpredictable... despite being normally calm and sensible? In this episode, Dr Nerida explores how perennial ryegrass mycotoxins can affect horse behaviour, coordination and performance. Learn about lolitrem B and ergovaline, the toxins associated with ryegrass staggers, tremors, hypersensitivity, exaggerated startle responses, heat intolerance and dramatic behavioural changes. We also look at when perennial ryegrass pasture and hay pos
69. Horse Nutrition Q&A: Starch in Clover, Protein, Gut Health & Fibre Diversity (opens the original)
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How high can the starch content of clover really get? Can lupins be too high in protein? And does adding lots of different fibre sources actually help your horse’s hindgut microbiome? In this Q&A episode, Dr Nerida and Orla unpack a mix of practical horse nutrition questions, including clover and insulin dysregulation, faba beans and resistant starch, high-protein diets, gastric ulcers, and why even a skinny horse can still be metabolically at risk. They also explore one of the biggest emerging
68. Gut Health: How Your Horse’s Hindgut Microbes Affect Performance (opens the original)
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Did you know the microbes living in your horse’s hindgut may be influencing how well they perform? In this episode, Dr Nerida explores research linking hindgut microbiome diversity, fibre fermentation and performance in horses. We look at studies in Thoroughbreds and trotters showing that higher microbial diversity and greater fibre-fermenting capacity are associated with better racing performance, while greater starch fermentation is linked with poorer performance. You’ll also learn practical w
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