Diets By Design

14/10/2026

Hoof trimming is what first got me interested in nutrition, and over the years I've worked with many trimmers to help improve hoof health.

There are many factors involved in growing a healthy hoof, but nutrition and regular, appropriate trimming are two of the most important factors we have control over.

Experience has taught me getting both right can make a significant difference to overall hoof health.

Healthy hooves start from the inside out!

12/10/2026

🌿 DOES YOUR HORSE STRUGGLE TO MAINTAIN CONDITION?

Sometimes the problem isn't how much your horse is eating — it's how well they are using what they are eating.

Stress, poor-quality forage and an unbalanced diet can all affect the health and function of the digestive system. Over time, this can contribute to poor utilisation of nutrients and difficulty maintaining weight and condition.

🐴 If you know your horse is receiving enough good-quality forage and a well-balanced diet, but they are still struggling to maintain condition, it may be time to look beyond simply adding more feed.

But before blaming the gut, there are a few basics that need to be checked:

🦷 Have the teeth been checked recently?

🪱 Is your deworming program up to date?

And remember — a f***l egg count does not detect every type of worm, so a “negative” result doesn't necessarily mean your horse is completely free of parasites.

Once these basics have been addressed, it's time to start asking whether the gut is actually functioning as well as it should.

Are the nutrients in the diet being properly digested and utilised?

Could the hindgut microbiome be out of balance?

Is the gut lining healthy?

Could the liver also need support?

This is where I believe there is no “one size fits all” answer.

🌿 Not every gut problem is the same — so why treat them all the same way?

Sometimes your horse may simply need a little microbiome support to help restore balance.

Other times, there may be more going on, and support for the gut lining, microbiome and liver may all need to be considered.

This is why Back 2 Basics has developed a range of custom gut-support options rather than taking a one-product-fits-all approach.

If your horse is eating enough but still isn't maintaining condition, let's look at the whole picture and work out what may be going wrong.

🐴 Your horse may not need more feed.

They may need to be better able to use the feed they're already getting.

Speak to us about your horse and we can help you decide on a supplement may be appropriate for their particular needs. 🌿

09/10/2026

Eragrostis curvula – Weeping Love Grass

Eragrostis is probably one of the hays I know best. It is the hay I grew up with — we produce it on the farm and feed it to our own horses through winter. So, this is one forage I have plenty of practical experience with, as well as experience looking at its nutritional value through forage analysis.

Eragrostis curvula, commonly known as Weeping Love Grass or Oulandsgras, is a perennial, tufted grass and an important hay grass in South Africa. It can provide grazing when managed correctly, but it is generally better suited to hay production. If it is grazed, it needs to be carefully managed and should not be grazed too short.

Eragrostis responds well to appropriate fertilisation, which can significantly increase production. Under good growing conditions, it can be cut 2–3 times a year.
Production and nutritional value will, however, depend on rainfall, soil fertility, fertilisation, growing conditions and, importantly, the stage at which it is harvested.

Eragrostis is a more fibrous forage than Teff, with more lignin and less digestible fibre. As the plant matures, fibre increases while protein, energy and digestibility decrease. This means that the maturity of the hay at harvest can make a significant difference to its nutritional value.

From my analyses, I find Eragrostis generally provides around 4–7% crude protein, although individual batches can vary. Very young, well-fertilised hays can reach 12–14% protein, although these are very rare.

Eragrostis provides around 1.8 Mcal/kg of energy. Calcium generally falls around 0.15–0.24%, while phosphorus is around 0.12–0.17%.

Mineral levels can vary depending on the soil, fertilisation and growing conditions. In my experience, Eragrostis generally provides more minerals than some veld and Red Grass hays, but tends to be lower in mineral content than Teff.

SO WHO IS ERAGROSTIS GOOD FOR?

This is where I really like Eragrostis - Because it is a more fibrous forage with a lower energy density, it can be a very useful forage for easy keepers and horses needing to lose weight. For horses with higher energy or protein requirements, however, Eragrostis may not provide enough on its own — particularly when the hay is mature.

And this is where my own experience with Eragrostis becomes important. I have found that horses eating Eragrostis often need additional protein and essential amino acids, followed by careful balancing of the rest of the minerals.

But - and this is important - not every horse eating Eragrostis needs exactly the same supplementation. The quality, maturity and amount of hay the horse eats will determine what the rest of the diet needs to provide.

WHAT ABOUT GRAZING?

Although Eragrostis can be grazed, it needs careful management. It is a tufted grass and can be damaged by overgrazing or grazing too short for prolonged periods. Good grazing management is important to maintain the stand and allow the grass to recover.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Eragrostis can be an excellent forage when matched to the right horse and fed with the right feeds and appropriate supplementation.

Its higher fibre content and lower energy density can make it particularly useful for easy keepers and horses in lighter work. Horses with higher nutritional requirements may, however, need additional energy, protein, amino acids and minerals to balance what the hay provides.

As always, don't just ask:

“What hay is my horse eating?”

Ask:

“What is this particular batch of hay actually providing?”

Know your forage. Know what it provides. Then feed the horse in front of you.

08/10/2026

05/10/2026

🌿 FEEDING TIP 🌿

Does your horse really need more feed?

Sometimes more feed is NOT the answer!

Your horse’s stomach is relatively small and inelastic, so it is designed to handle small, frequent meals rather than large buckets of feed.

When we feed large meals, we can overwhelm the stomach’s capacity and cause feed to move through the digestive tract too quickly, which can reduce how efficiently nutrients are digested and absorbed.

Often, the answer isn’t to feed more, but to feed smaller meals of more nutrient-dense feed.

By providing the nutrients the horse needs in a smaller, more concentrated meal, we can slow the rate at which feed passes through the gut, allowing more time for proper digestion and more efficient absorption of nutrients — and sometimes improve nutrition and condition while actually feeding less.

🐴 So before simply adding more feed, look at the meal size and the feed you are using.

As a general guide, keep hard-feed meals to under about 1.25 kg at a time. If your horse needs more nutrients, consider using a balancer or a higher-protein feed rather than simply increasing the volume in the bucket.

Remember:

More feed ≠ more nutrition.

Sometimes the answer isn’t a bigger bucket — it’s a better-balanced, more nutrient-dense diet.

02/10/2026

Teff (Eragrostis tef)
Teff is a warm-season annual grass originating from Ethiopia and northern Kenya. It is widely grown as a grain crop in Ethiopia and as a hay and forage crop in many parts of the world. Teff can grow in regions that are too cool for crops such as sorghum and maize and can tolerate relatively dry conditions. However, it does not tolerate prolonged periods of frost or grow well in low temperatures.

It is a fast-growing grass and can be harvested or grazed within a few weeks of sowing. In colder areas of South Africa, growth generally stops during winter, while in warmer regions it can potentially be grown for longer periods of the year.
With Teff, the stage of maturity at harvest is particularly important. When harvested before the plant reaches maturity and forms seed, Teff can have relatively high protein and energy levels. As the plant matures and sets seed, protein and energy concentrations decline. This means that two samples of Teff hay can have quite different nutritional values depending on when the crop was harvested.

For higher-protein and higher-energy hay, you generally want less seed heads and more leaf in the hay.

Based on my forage analyses, average Teff hay tends to contain around 5–8% crude protein, although I also find samples with lower protein content. Energy is approximately 2.1 Mcal/kg, although this will also vary with maturity and harvest conditions. Fertilisation will also affect nutrient content especially protein levels which rely on nitrogen and sulphur levels in the soil.

Mineral concentrations are influenced by soil and growing conditions. In my analyses, Teff generally contains more calcium and phosphorus than Eragrostis and veld hay, but I do find that in the Western Cape there can be more phosphorus than calcium which needs careful balancing. For this reason, analysis is the only way to know for sure what you are getting. Potassium levels can vary considerably depending on fertilisation.

Teff is often considered a lower-sugar hay, which makes it attractive to some horse owners. However, sugar levels are influenced by growing conditions and the conditions under which the crop is harvested. Stress during the growing period can increase sugar concentrations. Teff should therefore not automatically be assumed to be low in sugar simply because it is Teff.

One of my favourite uses for Teff is establishing a bit of grazing quickly in bare or poorly covered paddocks. Under suitable growing conditions, Teff can establish rapidly and provide a fresh area of grazing within approximately 3–4 weeks of sowing. If allowed, it will produce seed and reseed itself, potentially allowing it to return for a few grazing periods from a single seeding. Teff can also compete effectively with a number of w**d species, making it useful for establishing ground cover in areas where pasture is sparse.

Being an annual grass, its fibre characteristics differ from those of many perennial grasses, as it contains less lignin and indigestible fibre. This makes Teff relatively digestible and useful, especially for horses that struggle to chew effectively or need a softer grass to eat. However, as with most forages, maturity remains important.

Teff's relatively good digestibility, fast growth and usefulness as both hay and grazing make it a valuable forage option. However, an average protein level of around 7–8% means that Teff hay will not necessarily provide all of the protein requirements of every horse. Mineral and amino acid supplementation also needs to be considered as part of the complete diet.

Teff can be a useful forage for working horses and horses that need to gain or maintain weight, as it is relatively digestible and can provide a good source of energy. For easy-keeping horses, however, the amount of Teff may need to be restricted. Where necessary, it can be diluted with a more fibrous forage, such as Eragrostis in the eastern parts of the country or straw in the Western Cape and more arid regions, to help reduce the overall energy density of the ration while still providing sufficient fibre.

In summary: Although Teff is often described as a low-sugar forage, actual sugar levels should not be assumed without considering the growing and harvesting conditions. Forage analysis is the only way to know for sure.

Teff is a useful and versatile forage that can provide relatively digestible fibre and can be established quickly for grazing or hay production.

Know your forage. Know what it provides. Then feed the horse in front of you.

27/09/2026

🌿 DOES YOUR HORSE NEED MORE PROTEIN?

As we come out of winter, this is often the time when we start noticing that our horses have lost a bit of weight or muscle.

The first reaction is often: “Add more feed.”

But is more feed really what your horse needs?

During winter, horses may not be getting enough protein — or enough of the essential amino acids needed to maintain muscle. Sometimes this nutritional shortfall only becomes obvious towards the end of winter or early spring, when we suddenly notice a loss of topline or muscle.

But before simply adding more feed, look at the whole diet.

🐴 How much forage is your horse eating?

How much protein is the forage actually providing?

How much protein is coming from the hard feed?

And, importantly, is the diet providing enough of the essential amino acids your horse needs?

Protein isn't just about the percentage printed on the feed bag or shown on a forage analysis. What really matters is how many grams of protein your horse is actually receiving each day, based on the amount of forage and feed they consume.

But even if the total protein intake looks adequate, the quality of that protein still matters. A horse can be getting enough crude protein overall but still have an inadequate supply of one or more essential amino acids.

And that's where things get interesting…

Sometimes your horse doesn't need a bigger bucket of feed.

They may simply need the right amino acids.

Back 2 Basics Muscle Up provides concentrated essential amino acids — lysine, methionine and threonine — without adding unnecessary bulk to the feed.

🌿 So before you simply increase the amount of feed, ask yourself:

Is my horse getting enough protein?

And is that protein supplying the amino acids my horse actually needs?

Because feeding more isn't always the answer.

Sometimes it's about feeding smarter. 🐴

26/09/2026

New one for me. Herd are snoozing peacefully on the lawn..... And someone has hiccups

26/09/2026

THESE ALONE WILL NOT PREVENT LAMINITIS

I'm hearing of more and more owners testing grass and hay for simple sugars, using devices which are not giving them the full picture.

Along with apps and other interventions like supplements, the biggest issue is that using these things can cause owners to take their eye off the really important factor - the horse or pony in front of them.

Just because grass is lower in sugar at a specific time point does NOT mean that it is automatically safe for your laminitis-prone horse or pony, because you have not measured their total intake, AND grass sugar levels can change throughout the day.

Their body f4t covering, any symptoms, their insulin (speak to your vet about testing this), their breed and their level of exercise are more important factors to consider.

Researchers have shown that divergent hoof rings and specific insulin levels do have a strong association with the risk of laminitis, so these are the things we need to use, if we want to do our best to prevent laminitis.

These things will not prevent laminitis (and why):
> a laminitis app - does not reflect the total amount of carbs and calories your horse gets from their pasture
> refractometer - shows only sugar in grass, is not accurate for hay, and you miss out on the other important carbs and most importantly, the calories (digestible energy)
- herbal supplements - may have a small positive effect but absolutely do not mitigate all the other factors involved

All of the above factors are being heavily promoted and are easy to purchase and use, hence their popularity.

Whilst I wouldn't say they are inherently bad, my issue is that owners can make decisions based on something that is either not accurate, does not give the full picture, and/or is not evidence based - unlike other factors (see below).

If you're concerned about laminitis risk the best interventions are:

1. keep them slim - less than body condition score 3 on the 0-5 scale, ribs you can feel, no fat pads and a soft, small neck crest
2. feed a correctly balanced diet (includes No1, correct amount of calories, or energy)
3. restrict grass intake and reduce total water soluble carb content of their hay e.g. soak or replace some with straw
4. exercise if you can - helps regulate insulin
5. last but def not least, speak to your vet and farrier/hoofcare prof about the known risk factors including hoof signs and insulin

As you can see, the real factors that make a difference are harder, take much more time and effort, and are more expensive than the previous list.

But, we really do owe it to our horses and ponies to use evidence-based information when dealing with laminitis risk, because it really is an awful condition which we all want to avoid.

If you want to get lots more evidence-based information and advice on this subject, I am running a webinar on EMS and laminitis updates, which includes a question and answer session.

Just comment webinars and I'll send you the details.

Please share to help spread the truth.
Thank you
🐴🍏