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Horses were first domesticated by humans about 5500 years ago, during the Stone Age. They were utilised for their strength in a number of industries including agriculture.

Horses are natural ‘flight’ animals. If something scares or concerns them, they turn and run. This is part of what makes them such natural athletes. But as riders, we also need to help calm them to keep them focused and ready to do what we ask of them. Checking for any physical issues, such as back and teeth problems, together with good management and training will help, but some horses will also benefit from the targeted nutritional support of a calmer.

Slugs can be a pain in your garden. Battling them from eating your vegetables is a continuous effort. Now you have started planting this seasons plants, you’ll be thinking about slug control. But there are a few things that you probably don’t know about slugs.

As well as ensuring your horse has general good health it is important to maintaining hoof health, but external applications are also important. Follow top five tips to maintaining healthy moisture levels, to aid hoof integrity and strength.

1. Introducing a regular trimming routine will help avoid excessive drying around the bottom of hoof wall.

2. It’s recommended to maintain natural hoof moisture levels to use hoof dressings that contain pine tar. Where the dressing covers the coronary band it is recommended to massage the area regularly to stimulate hoof growth.

3. When the weather has been dry over a prolonged period use a water based moisturizer and apply daily to the hooves.

4. Apply a regular application containing zinc and sulphate, for bacterial conditions of the sole and frog. A liquid application is easy to work into grooves and cracks for maximum efficacy.

5. If you are looking for a more natural choice, essential oil of eucalyptus contains antibacterial properties. This will help maintain clean, healthy hooves and soles, whatever the weather.

Source: Kate Hore RNutr(Animal) . Snr Nutritionist at NAF - 'Healthy Hooves' 2018

Ruminants are fascinating creatures. What sets them apart from monogastric organisms with one simple stomach, is that they possess a huge fermentation chamber - the rumen. The rumen is full of a microbial population made up of bacteria, protozoa and fungi. This microbial population is able to break down forage and raw materials, that aren’t edible for humans into essential nutrients that can be used for body function and performance.

We are facing unprecedented times, and farming along with other industries are having to ensure their businesses are as well positioned as they can be to manage the impact our withdrawal from the EU in whatever form that might be, will have.
The engine room and lifeblood of any farm is the soil, an element that has the potential to impact greatly on farm profitability. Knowing the fertility of your soils is key in determining the most efficient and cost-effective choices that should be made when using both fertilisers and manures.

A key factor in producing quality forage is a carefully planned reseeding programme revolving around the core principle that you should aim to reseed 15% of the farm each year.
It is estimated that reseeding costs £250/ acre, making it a major investment, which requires attention to detail throughout the process. The starting point to this is selecting the right grass seed mixture which will suit your end requirements.

An annual pattern of milk composition has been well recognized on dairy farms across the world for years, with the highest milk fat and protein concentration in milk observed during the winter and lowest occurring in the summer. This trend is manipulated solely by season, and impacts housed and grazing cows similarly. So, when we get to spring, and then turnout for some, and milk butterfats start to decline- how do we know if this is real milk fat depression or not?

Feed conversion is much higher in the first weeks of life than at any other point in the growth cycle. So kilogram for kilogram the animal gets more benefit in the first two months than later in life. This is one reason why it is beneficial to set high growth targets in the first eight weeks.

During late pregnancy a ewe’s immune system becomes weakened, therefore the worm burden that is usually kept subdued can flourish and an increased number of worm eggs can be released onto the pasture.