Hoofbeats & Treats

Hoofbeats & Treats Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Hoofbeats & Treats, Pet Supplies, Keerom, Middelburg.

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07/09/2026

๐ŸชฐFly Control๐Ÿชฐ

๐ŸƒEM LIFE๐Ÿƒ

โœ… Removes smells that attract flies.
โœ… Break down organic matter.
โœ… Reduce fly eggs and larvae.

๐Ÿ“ž 079 738 9663

๐ŸฆŸ๐Ÿชฐ ๐——๐—œ๐—— ๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จ ๐—ž๐—ก๐—ข๐—ช?A fly mask is a fantastic part of summer protection โ€” but those tiny little midges can be sneaky! ๐Ÿ˜ณBitin...
04/09/2026

๐ŸฆŸ๐Ÿชฐ ๐——๐—œ๐—— ๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จ ๐—ž๐—ก๐—ข๐—ช?

A fly mask is a fantastic part of summer protection โ€” but those tiny little midges can be sneaky! ๐Ÿ˜ณ

Biting midges are incredibly small, and some can get through the openings of ordinary fly mesh. So while your horse may be wearing a fly mask, sensitive areas around the face, muzzle and ears can still need some extra attention.

This is why I recommend a ๐—Ÿ๐—”๐—ฌ๐—˜๐—ฅ๐—˜๐—— ๐—”๐—ฃ๐—ฃ๐—ฅ๐—ข๐—”๐—–๐—› to insect protection.

Use your fly mask as your physical barrier, and then use an ๐—œ๐—ก๐—ฆ๐—˜๐—–๐—ง ๐—š๐—˜๐—Ÿ carefully on appropriate exposed areas of the face for an additional layer of protection.

๐—™๐—Ÿ๐—ฌ ๐— ๐—”๐—ฆ๐—ž + ๐—œ๐—ก๐—ฆ๐—˜๐—–๐—ง ๐—š๐—˜๐—Ÿ = ๐—˜๐—ซ๐—ง๐—ฅ๐—” ๐—ฆ๐—จ๐— ๐— ๐—˜๐—ฅ ๐—ฃ๐—ฅ๐—ข๐—ง๐—˜๐—–๐—ง๐—œ๐—ข๐—ก

Because when it comes to midges, being tiny doesn't make them any less irritating! ๐Ÿชฐ

๐Ÿ“ž 079 738 9663

๐ŸฆŸ๐Ÿชฐ ๐——๐—œ๐—— ๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จ ๐—ž๐—ก๐—ข๐—ช?When we think about summer insect control, we automatically think about what we spray ON our horses. But...
03/09/2026

๐ŸฆŸ๐Ÿชฐ ๐——๐—œ๐—— ๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จ ๐—ž๐—ก๐—ข๐—ช?

When we think about summer insect control, we automatically think about what we spray ON our horses. But I believe good insect management should be approached from more than one direction.

Thatโ€™s exactly where ๐—”๐—›๐—™๐—ฆ ๐—ฆ๐—ž๐—˜๐——๐—”๐——๐——๐—Ÿ๐—˜ fits into our summer programme.

Skedaddle is a nutritional blend containing ingredients including Neem, Garlic, Peppermint, Curcumin, Vitamins C and Brewers Yeast โ€” designed to support your horse from the INSIDE as part of a complete summer insect-management routine.

But remember, there is no single magic solution when those summer insects arrive!

๐—™๐—˜๐—˜๐—— ๐—™๐—ฅ๐—ข๐—  ๐—ง๐—›๐—˜ ๐—œ๐—ก๐—ฆ๐—œ๐——๐—˜.
๐—ฆ๐—ฃ๐—ฅ๐—”๐—ฌ ๐—™๐—ฅ๐—ข๐—  ๐—ง๐—›๐—˜ ๐—ข๐—จ๐—ง๐—ฆ๐—œ๐——๐—˜.
๐— ๐—”๐—ก๐—”๐—š๐—˜ ๐—ง๐—›๐—˜ ๐—˜๐—ก๐—ฉ๐—œ๐—ฅ๐—ข๐—ก๐— ๐—˜๐—ก๐—ง.

Combine Skedaddle + your AHFS insect spray + good stable and environmental management for a layered approach this summer. ๐ŸฆŸ๐Ÿชฐ๐Ÿšซ

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โœจ ๐ŸŽ HOOFBEATS & TREATS GIVEAWAY! ๐ŸŽ โœจWeโ€™re giving away THREE amazing prizes, so you definitely donโ€™t want to miss out! ๐Ÿ† ...
01/09/2026

โœจ ๐ŸŽ HOOFBEATS & TREATS GIVEAWAY! ๐ŸŽ โœจ

Weโ€™re giving away THREE amazing prizes, so you definitely donโ€™t want to miss out!

๐Ÿ† *1st Prize:*
1L Ninja Insect Spray
1L Mane & Tail Spray
1L Apple Shampoo & Conditioner
500ml Samurai Insect Spray
500ml Mane & Tail Mask
1 Lycra Fly Mask

๐Ÿฅˆ*2nd Prize:*
1L Mane & Tail Spray
500ml Samurai Insect Spray
500ml Ninja Insect Spray

๐Ÿฅ‰*3rd Prize:*
500ml Ninja Insect Spray
500ml Mane & Tail Spray
500ml Mane & Tail Mask

๐Ÿ† HOW TO ENTER โ€” 3 EASY STEPS:

1๏ธโƒฃ LIKE & SHARE this giveaway post
2๏ธโƒฃ COMMENT & TAG 3 FRIENDS who would love this too
3๏ธโƒฃ FOLLOW Hoofbeats & Treats -page๐Ÿด๐Ÿพ

โœจ The more people you share it with, the more fun we have! โœจ

๐Ÿ“… LUCKY DRAW: 30 SEPTEMBER

Get your friends involved, spread the word and letโ€™s see who walks away with these fantastic prizes! ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿด

๐Ÿ“ž 079 738 9663
๐Ÿ“ง [email protected]

Good luck everyone! ๐Ÿ€๐Ÿ’š
Hoofbeats & Treats ๐Ÿดโœจ

01/09/2026

๐ŸŒฟ ๐—ฃ๐—”๐—ฅ๐—ง ๐Ÿฐ โ€” ๐—™๐—˜๐—ก๐—จ๐—š๐—ฅ๐—˜๐—˜๐—ž: ๐—ฃ๐—ฅ๐—ข๐—ง๐—˜๐—œ๐—ก ๐—ข๐—ฅ ๐—™๐—œ๐—•๐—ฅ๐—˜?

Next up in our Protein & Fibre Educational Series is Fenugreek โ€” and this is an interesting one because it gives us a nice combination of both protein and fibre.

โญ ๐—ฃ๐—ฅ๐—ข๐—ง๐—˜๐—œ๐—ก: ๐Ÿฏ/๐Ÿฑ โ€” ๐—š๐—ข๐—ข๐—— ๐—ฆ๐—ข๐—จ๐—ฅ๐—–๐—˜
โญ ๐—™๐—œ๐—•๐—ฅ๐—˜: ๐Ÿฏ/๐Ÿฑ โ€” ๐—š๐—ข๐—ข๐—— ๐—ฆ๐—ข๐—จ๐—ฅ๐—–๐—˜

๐—ฆ๐—ข ๐—ช๐—›๐—”๐—ง ๐—œ๐—ฆ ๐—™๐—˜๐—ก๐—จ๐—š๐—ฅ๐—˜๐—˜๐—ž?

Fenugreek is a herb whose seeds are commonly used in horse feeding. The seeds naturally contain protein, fibre, oils and other plant nutrients.

But there is another reason Fenugreek has become so popular with horse owners...

๐—™๐—˜๐—ก๐—จ๐—š๐—ฅ๐—˜๐—˜๐—ž ๐—œ๐—ฆ ๐—”๐—Ÿ๐—ฆ๐—ข ๐—ž๐—ก๐—ข๐—ช๐—ก ๐—™๐—ข๐—ฅ ๐—œ๐—ง๐—ฆ ๐—ฃ๐—”๐—Ÿ๐—”๐—ง๐—”๐—•๐—œ๐—Ÿ๐—œ๐—ง๐—ฌ.

It has a distinctive sweet, almost maple-like smell and taste, and is traditionally used in horse feeds to help encourage appetite and make feeds more appealing.

This is one of the reasons I particularly like Fenugreek for horses that can be a little fussy with their food.

๐—ช๐—›๐—”๐—ง ๐——๐—ข๐—˜๐—ฆ ๐—ง๐—›๐—˜ ๐—ฃ๐—ฅ๐—ข๐—ง๐—˜๐—œ๐—ก ๐—•๐—ฅ๐—œ๐—ก๐—š?

The protein contributes amino acids that the horse can use for muscle maintenance, growth and tissue repair.

It's not nearly as concentrated a protein source as something like Spirulina or Pea Protein Isolate, but that's not really why I would choose Fenugreek in the first place.

๐—”๐—ก๐—— ๐—ง๐—›๐—˜ ๐—™๐—œ๐—•๐—ฅ๐—˜?

Fenugreek seeds also naturally contain fibre, giving us another useful nutritional contribution.

As always, though, a supplement like Fenugreek should never be seen as a replacement for good-quality roughage. Your horse's grass and hay remain the main fibre source.

๐—ฆ๐—ข ๐—ช๐—›๐—˜๐—ก ๐—ช๐—ข๐—จ๐—Ÿ๐—— ๐—œ ๐—–๐—ข๐—ก๐—ฆ๐—œ๐——๐—˜๐—ฅ ๐—™๐—˜๐—ก๐—จ๐—š๐—ฅ๐—˜๐—˜๐—ž?

For me, Fenugreek becomes particularly interesting when I'm looking for:

โ€ข A natural source of both protein and fibre
โ€ข Something nutritious to add to the diet
โ€ข A very palatable herb
โ€ข Something to make feed more appealing
to a fussy eater

And yes โ€” AHFS sells Fenugreek as a single product, so you can add it to your horse's diet without having to purchase an entire premixed supplement.

That's really what this series is about: understanding WHY we feed an ingredient instead of simply feeding it because somebody told us it's good.

๐—”๐—›๐—™๐—ฆ โ€” ๐—ช๐—˜ ๐——๐—ข๐—กโ€™๐—ง ๐—๐—จ๐—ฆ๐—ง ๐—ง๐—˜๐—Ÿ๐—Ÿ ๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จ ๐—ช๐—›๐—”๐—ง ๐—ง๐—ข ๐—•๐—จ๐—ฌ.
๐—ช๐—˜ ๐—˜๐——๐—จ๐—–๐—”๐—ง๐—˜ ๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จ ๐—ฆ๐—ข ๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จ ๐—ž๐—ก๐—ข๐—ช ๐—ช๐—›๐—ฌ ๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จโ€™๐—ฅ๐—˜ ๐—•๐—จ๐—ฌ๐—œ๐—ก๐—š ๐—œ๐—ง.

Next up: Rosehips โ€” this time we're moving much more towards the FIBRE side. ๐ŸŒฟ

01/09/2026

๐ŸŒฟ ๐—ฃ๐—”๐—ฅ๐—ง ๐Ÿฏ โ€” ๐— ๐—ข๐—ฅ๐—œ๐—ก๐—š๐—” ๐—Ÿ๐—˜๐—”๐—™: ๐—ฃ๐—ฅ๐—ข๐—ง๐—˜๐—œ๐—ก ๐—ข๐—ฅ ๐—™๐—œ๐—•๐—ฅ๐—˜?

Next up in our Protein & Fibre Educational Series is Moringa Leaf โ€” and this is another ingredient I really like because it offers much more than just one nutritional benefit.

Moringa is naturally nutritious and contains protein, fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

So where does it sit on our scale?

โญ ๐—ฃ๐—ฅ๐—ข๐—ง๐—˜๐—œ๐—ก: ๐Ÿฐ/๐Ÿฑ โ€” ๐—ฉ๐—˜๐—ฅ๐—ฌ ๐—š๐—ข๐—ข๐——
๐—ฆ๐—ข๐—จ๐—ฅ๐—–๐—˜
โญ ๐—™๐—œ๐—•๐—ฅ๐—˜: ๐Ÿฏ/๐Ÿฑ โ€” ๐—š๐—ข๐—ข๐—— ๐—ฆ๐—ข๐—จ๐—ฅ๐—–๐—˜

๐—ช๐—›๐—”๐—ง ๐—˜๐—ซ๐—”๐—–๐—ง๐—Ÿ๐—ฌ ๐—œ๐—ฆ ๐— ๐—ข๐—ฅ๐—œ๐—ก๐—š๐—”?

Moringa comes from the leaves of the Moringa oleifera tree. Once dried and milled, the leaves give us a naturally nutrient-dense green powder.

What makes Moringa interesting for me is that it isn't simply a "protein powder".

It provides plant protein together with fibre and a naturally broad range of nutrients.

๐—ช๐—›๐—ฌ ๐—œ๐—ฆ ๐—ง๐—›๐—˜ ๐—ฃ๐—ฅ๐—ข๐—ง๐—˜๐—œ๐—ก ๐—œ๐— ๐—ฃ๐—ข๐—ฅ๐—ง๐—”๐—ก๐—ง?

Protein supplies amino acids โ€” the building blocks the horse needs for:

โ€ข Muscle development and maintenance
โ€ข Growth
โ€ข Tissue repair
โ€ข Healthy skin and coat
โ€ข Normal body functions

This can make Moringa a useful addition when we're looking for natural nutritional support with a good plant-protein contribution.

๐—”๐—ก๐—— ๐—ช๐—›๐—”๐—ง ๐—”๐—•๐—ข๐—จ๐—ง ๐—ง๐—›๐—˜ ๐—™๐—œ๐—•๐—ฅ๐—˜?

Moringa also provides fibre, which contributes to the horse's overall fibre intake and digestive health.

But โ€” and this is important โ€” Moringa doesn't replace your horse's roughage.

Your grass and hay should still form the foundation of the diet. We're adding Moringa as a supplement, not trying to replace the basics.

๐—ฆ๐—ข ๐—ช๐—›๐—˜๐—ก ๐—ช๐—ข๐—จ๐—Ÿ๐—— ๐—œ ๐—–๐—ข๐—ก๐—ฆ๐—œ๐——๐—˜๐—ฅ ๐— ๐—ข๐—ฅ๐—œ๐—ก๐—š๐—”?

For me, Moringa makes sense when I want more than just extra protein. I want the horse to receive the additional nutritional value that comes naturally with the whole leaf as well.

And this is exactly why I like educating people about individual ingredients.

Not every protein source is the same.

If you're looking for an extremely concentrated protein source, something like our Pea Protein Isolate may make more sense.

If you're looking for whole-plant nutrition with a good protein contribution, Moringa becomes a very interesting option.

๐—”๐—›๐—™๐—ฆ ๐—ฆ๐—˜๐—Ÿ๐—Ÿ๐—ฆ ๐— ๐—ข๐—ฅ๐—œ๐—ก๐—š๐—” ๐—Ÿ๐—˜๐—”๐—™ ๐—”๐—ฆ ๐—” ๐—ฆ๐—œ๐—ก๐—š๐—Ÿ๐—˜ ๐—ฃ๐—ฅ๐—ข๐——๐—จ๐—–๐—ง.

This gives you the freedom to decide exactly what you want to add to your horse's diet โ€” rather than feeding ingredients simply because they're hidden inside a premixed product.

๐—”๐—›๐—™๐—ฆ โ€” ๐—ช๐—˜ ๐——๐—ข๐—กโ€™๐—ง ๐—๐—จ๐—ฆ๐—ง ๐—ง๐—˜๐—Ÿ๐—Ÿ ๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จ ๐—ช๐—›๐—”๐—ง ๐—ง๐—ข ๐—•๐—จ๐—ฌ.
๐—ช๐—˜ ๐—˜๐——๐—จ๐—–๐—”๐—ง๐—˜ ๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จ ๐—ฆ๐—ข ๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จ ๐—ž๐—ก๐—ข๐—ช ๐—ช๐—›๐—ฌ ๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จโ€™๐—ฅ๐—˜ ๐—•๐—จ๐—ฌ๐—œ๐—ก๐—š ๐—œ๐—ง.

Next up: Fenugreek โ€” protein, fibre and a herb traditionally used to encourage appetite.

01/09/2026

๐—ฃ๐—”๐—ฅ๐—ง ๐Ÿฎ โ€” ๐—ก๐—˜๐—ง๐—ง๐—Ÿ๐—˜ ๐—Ÿ๐—˜๐—”๐—™: ๐—ฃ๐—ฅ๐—ข๐—ง๐—˜๐—œ๐—ก ๐—ข๐—ฅ ๐—™๐—œ๐—•๐—ฅ๐—˜?

Next up in our Protein & Fibre Educational Series is one of those herbs that I think is sometimes underestimated โ€” Nettle Leaf.

Unlike Spirulina, which we looked at in Part 1 and which sits very strongly on the protein side, Nettle Leaf gives us a bit of both protein AND fibre.

โญ ๐—ฃ๐—ฅ๐—ข๐—ง๐—˜๐—œ๐—ก: ๐Ÿฏ/๐Ÿฑ โ€” ๐—š๐—ข๐—ข๐—— ๐—ฆ๐—ข๐—จ๐—ฅ๐—–๐—˜
โญ ๐—™๐—œ๐—•๐—ฅ๐—˜: ๐Ÿฏ/๐Ÿฑ โ€” ๐—š๐—ข๐—ข๐—— ๐—ฆ๐—ข๐—จ๐—ฅ๐—–๐—˜

๐—ฆ๐—ข ๐—ช๐—›๐—”๐—ง ๐—˜๐—ซ๐—”๐—–๐—ง๐—Ÿ๐—ฌ ๐—œ๐—ฆ ๐—ก๐—˜๐—ง๐—ง๐—Ÿ๐—˜ ๐—Ÿ๐—˜๐—”๐—™?

Nettle is a leafy plant that naturally contains protein, fibre, vitamins, minerals and plant compounds.

What I like about Nettle is that we're not feeding it purely as a protein supplement or purely as a fibre supplement. It's more of a nutrient-rich supporting herb that can add a little extra nutritional value to the overall diet.

๐—ช๐—›๐—ฌ ๐—”๐—ฅ๐—˜ ๐—ง๐—›๐—˜ ๐—ฃ๐—ฅ๐—ข๐—ง๐—˜๐—œ๐—ก & ๐—™๐—œ๐—•๐—ฅ๐—˜ ๐—œ๐— ๐—ฃ๐—ข๐—ฅ๐—ง๐—”๐—ก๐—ง?

The protein contributes amino acids that the body can use for muscle maintenance, growth and tissue repair.

The fibre contributes to the horse's overall fibre intake and supports normal digestion and hindgut function.

But remember โ€” Nettle isn't there to replace your horse's normal roughage or main protein source. We're using it as a supplementary herb alongside a balanced diet.

๐—ช๐—›๐—œ๐—–๐—› ๐—›๐—ข๐—ฅ๐—ฆ๐—˜๐—ฆ ๐—ช๐—ข๐—จ๐—Ÿ๐—— ๐—œ ๐—–๐—ข๐—ก๐—ฆ๐—œ๐——๐—˜๐—ฅ ๐—œ๐—ง ๐—™๐—ข๐—ฅ?

I particularly like Nettle when I'm looking for a natural herb to provide broader nutritional support, rather than trying to target only one thing.

It's also why you'll often see Nettle appearing in different AHFS formulations โ€” it's a very versatile little herb. ๐ŸŒฟ

And yes, AHFS also sells Nettle Leaf on its own as a single product, which means you don't have to buy a complicated mixture if Nettle is specifically what you want to add to your horse's diet.

๐—”๐—›๐—™๐—ฆ โ€” ๐—ช๐—˜ ๐——๐—ข๐—กโ€™๐—ง ๐—๐—จ๐—ฆ๐—ง ๐—ง๐—˜๐—Ÿ๐—Ÿ ๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จ ๐—ช๐—›๐—”๐—ง ๐—ง๐—ข ๐—•๐—จ๐—ฌ.
๐—ช๐—˜ ๐—˜๐——๐—จ๐—–๐—”๐—ง๐—˜ ๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จ ๐—ฆ๐—ข ๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จ ๐—ž๐—ก๐—ข๐—ช ๐—ช๐—›๐—ฌ ๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จโ€™๐—ฅ๐—˜ ๐—•๐—จ๐—ฌ๐—œ๐—ก๐—š ๐—œ๐—ง.

Next up: Moringa Leaf โ€” and this one starts leaning much more towards the protein side.

31/08/2026

๐—ฃ๐—”๐—ฅ๐—ง ๐Ÿญ โ€” ๐—ฆ๐—ฃ๐—œ๐—ฅ๐—จ๐—Ÿ๐—œ๐—ก๐—”: ๐—ฃ๐—ฅ๐—ข๐—ง๐—˜๐—œ๐—ก ๐—ข๐—ฅ ๐—™๐—œ๐—•๐—ฅ๐—˜? ๐ŸŒฟ
https://www.ahfs.co.za/product/spirulina/

Let's start our new Protein & Fibre Educational Series with one of my favourites โ€” Spirulina.

A lot of people know the name, but what exactly are you feeding your horse when you add Spirulina?

๐—ช๐—›๐—”๐—ง ๐—œ๐—ฆ ๐—ฆ๐—ฃ๐—œ๐—ฅ๐—จ๐—Ÿ๐—œ๐—ก๐—”?

Spirulina is a nutrient-dense blue-green cyanobacterium that is naturally very high in protein. Depending on the product and processing, dried spirulina is commonly around 55โ€“70% protein.

So when we're comparing protein and fibre:

PROTEIN: 5/5 โ€” EXCELLENT SOURCE
FIBRE: 1/5 โ€” LOW SOURCE

In other words, I would never choose Spirulina because I'm looking to increase the protein in a horse's diet.

I choose it for what it brings nutritionally โ€” particularly its concentrated protein, amino acids and naturally occurring nutrients.

๐—ช๐—›๐—ฌ ๐—œ๐—ฆ ๐—ง๐—›๐—”๐—ง ๐—œ๐— ๐—ฃ๐—ข๐—ฅ๐—ง๐—”๐—ก๐—ง ๐—™๐—ข๐—ฅ ๐—›๐—ข๐—ฅ๐—ฆ๐—˜๐—ฆ?

Protein is broken down into amino acids, which the horse uses as building blocks throughout the body.

Adequate good-quality protein helps support:

โ€ข Muscle development and maintenance
โ€ข Tissue growth and repair
โ€ข Healthy skin and coat
โ€ข Normal body functions
โ€ข Horses with increased nutritional
demands

But remember what we discussed in the introduction โ€” more protein isn't automatically better.

Your horse still needs a balanced diet, and good-quality roughage should remain the foundation.

๐—ช๐—›๐—˜๐—ฅ๐—˜ ๐——๐—ข๐—˜๐—ฆ ๐—ฆ๐—ฃ๐—œ๐—ฅ๐—จ๐—Ÿ๐—œ๐—ก๐—” ๐—™๐—œ๐—ง ๐—œ๐—ก?

I look at Spirulina as a concentrated nutritional supplement, not something that replaces your horse's hay, grazing or balanced feed.

It can be a very useful addition when you specifically want the nutritional benefits Spirulina provides without having to feed large quantities.

And that's exactly why we stock 100% pure Spirulina at AHFS.

No need to buy a complicated mixture when Spirulina is the ingredient you're actually looking for. You can purchase it on its own and know exactly what you're adding to your horse's feed.

๐—”๐—›๐—™๐—ฆ โ€” ๐—ช๐—˜ ๐——๐—ข๐—กโ€™๐—ง ๐—๐—จ๐—ฆ๐—ง ๐—ง๐—˜๐—Ÿ๐—Ÿ ๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จ ๐—ช๐—›๐—”๐—ง ๐—ง๐—ข ๐—•๐—จ๐—ฌ.
๐—ช๐—˜ ๐—˜๐——๐—จ๐—–๐—”๐—ง๐—˜ ๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จ ๐—ฆ๐—ข ๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จ ๐—ž๐—ก๐—ข๐—ช ๐—ช๐—›๐—ฌ ๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จโ€™๐—ฅ๐—˜ ๐—•๐—จ๐—ฌ๐—œ๐—ก๐—š ๐—œ๐—ง.

Next: Nettle Leaf โ€” is it a protein source, a fibre source, or a little bit of both? ๐ŸŒฟ

31/08/2026

๐Ÿ“š๐Ÿด ๐—ก๐—˜๐—ช ๐—”๐—›๐—™๐—ฆ ๐—˜๐——๐—จ๐—–๐—”๐—ง๐—œ๐—ข๐—ก๐—”๐—Ÿ ๐—ฆ๐—˜๐—ฅ๐—œ๐—˜๐—ฆ!

๐—ฃ๐—”๐—ฅ๐—ง ๐Ÿญ โ€” ๐—ฃ๐—ฅ๐—ข๐—ง๐—˜๐—œ๐—ก ๐—ฉ๐—ฆ ๐—™๐—œ๐—•๐—ฅ๐—˜: ๐—ช๐—›๐—”๐—ง'๐—ฆ ๐—ง๐—›๐—˜ ๐——๐—œ๐—™๐—™๐—˜๐—ฅ๐—˜๐—ก๐—–๐—˜?

We talk about protein and fibre all the time when feeding horses, but they are definitely not the same thing โ€” and one can't simply replace the other.

๐™Ž๐™ค ๐™„ ๐™ฉ๐™๐™ค๐™ช๐™œ๐™๐™ฉ ๐™ฉ๐™๐™ž๐™จ ๐™ฌ๐™ค๐™ช๐™ก๐™™ ๐™—๐™š ๐™– ๐™ง๐™š๐™–๐™ก๐™ก๐™ฎ ๐™ฃ๐™ž๐™˜๐™š ๐™จ๐™ช๐™—๐™Ÿ๐™š๐™˜๐™ฉ ๐™›๐™ค๐™ง ๐™ค๐™ช๐™ง ๐™ฃ๐™š๐™ญ๐™ฉ ๐˜ผ๐™ƒ๐™๐™Ž ๐™š๐™™๐™ช๐™˜๐™–๐™ฉ๐™ž๐™ค๐™ฃ๐™–๐™ก ๐™จ๐™š๐™ง๐™ž๐™š๐™จ.

Over the next few posts I'm going to take a closer look at some of the natural ingredients we stock at AHFS and explain exactly where they fit in when we're talking about protein and fibre.

But first...

๐—ช๐—›๐—”๐—ง ๐—œ๐—ฆ ๐—™๐—œ๐—•๐—ฅ๐—˜?

If I had to choose the starting point of any horse's diet, it would be fibre.

Horses are designed to eat forage for many hours of the day. Grass, hay and other fibrous feeds aren't simply there to fill the stomach โ€” fibre is fermented by the microbes in the hindgut and provides a very important source of energy for the horse.

Adequate roughage and fibre also help support:

โ€ข Normal digestive function
โ€ข Healthy hindgut microbial populations
โ€ข Normal gut movement
โ€ข More natural feeding behaviour
โ€ข A healthy, functioning digestive system

This is why good-quality roughage should remain the foundation of the diet.

๐—ง๐—›๐—˜๐—ก ๐—ช๐—›๐—”๐—ง ๐——๐—ข๐—˜๐—ฆ ๐—ฃ๐—ฅ๐—ข๐—ง๐—˜๐—œ๐—ก ๐——๐—ข?

Protein has a completely different job.

When a horse eats protein, it is broken down into amino acids. The horse then uses those amino acids as building blocks throughout the body.

Protein is particularly important for:

โ€ข Building and maintaining muscle
โ€ข Growth and development
โ€ข Tissue repair
โ€ข Skin, coat and hoof structure
โ€ข Enzymes and many normal body processes

And here's something I really want to discuss during this series:

It's not simply about feeding MORE protein.

The quality of that protein and the amino acids it provides are extremely important too.

๐—ฆ๐—ข ๐—ช๐—›๐—œ๐—–๐—› ๐—œ๐—ฆ ๐— ๐—ข๐—ฅ๐—˜ ๐—œ๐— ๐—ฃ๐—ข๐—ฅ๐—ง๐—”๐—ก๐—ง?

I wouldn't look at it as protein versus fibre.

They have different jobs.

๐ŸŒฟ FIBRE = digestive health + fermentation + energy

๐Ÿ’ช PROTEIN = amino acids + muscle + growth + repair

A horse needs a properly balanced diet containing both.

And this is where it gets interesting...

Some natural ingredients are fantastic sources of fibre, some provide considerably more protein, and others give us a bit of both.

Over this series we're going to look individually at Spirulina, Nettle, Moringa, Fenugreek, Rosehips, Dandelion Leaf, Marshmallow Root, Milk Thistle Seed, Chia, Flaxseed and our two Pea Protein options.

I'll explain what each one actually is, what it brings to the horse's diet, whether I consider it more of a protein or fibre ingredient, and which horses I would consider using it for.

๐‘จ๐’๐’… ๐’๐’‡ ๐’„๐’๐’–๐’“๐’”๐’†, ๐‘ฐ'๐’๐’ ๐’”๐’‰๐’๐’˜ ๐’š๐’๐’– ๐’•๐’‰๐’† ๐’…๐’Š๐’‡๐’‡๐’†๐’“๐’†๐’๐’• ๐’๐’‘๐’•๐’Š๐’๐’๐’” ๐’˜๐’† ๐’”๐’•๐’๐’„๐’Œ ๐’‚๐’• ๐‘จ๐‘ฏ๐‘ญ๐‘บ, ๐’”๐’ ๐’š๐’๐’– ๐’„๐’‚๐’ ๐’…๐’†๐’„๐’Š๐’…๐’† ๐’˜๐’‰๐’‚๐’• ๐’ƒ๐’†๐’”๐’• ๐’”๐’–๐’Š๐’•๐’” ๐’š๐’๐’–๐’“ ๐’‰๐’๐’“๐’”๐’† ๐’‚๐’๐’… ๐’š๐’๐’–๐’“ ๐’‡๐’†๐’†๐’…๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ ๐’‘๐’“๐’๐’ˆ๐’“๐’‚๐’Ž๐’Ž๐’†.

Next up: SPIRULINA โ€” tiny algae with a surprisingly impressive protein content. ๐ŸŒฟ

๐—”๐—›๐—™๐—ฆ โ€” ๐—ช๐—˜ ๐——๐—ข๐—กโ€™๐—ง ๐—๐—จ๐—ฆ๐—ง ๐—ง๐—˜๐—Ÿ๐—Ÿ ๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จ ๐—ช๐—›๐—”๐—ง ๐—ง๐—ข ๐—•๐—จ๐—ฌ.
๐—ช๐—˜ ๐—˜๐——๐—จ๐—–๐—”๐—ง๐—˜ ๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จ ๐—ฆ๐—ข ๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จ ๐—ž๐—ก๐—ข๐—ช ๐—ช๐—›๐—ฌ ๐—ฌ๐—ข๐—จโ€™๐—ฅ๐—˜ ๐—•๐—จ๐—ฌ๐—œ๐—ก๐—š ๐—œ๐—ง.

๐—ก๐—˜๐—ช ๐—™๐—ฅ๐—ข๐—  ๐—”๐—›๐—™๐—ฆ โ€” ๐— ๐—˜๐—ง๐—”๐—•๐—ข๐—•๐—œ๐—ง๐—˜๐—ฆ ๐Ÿงก๐ŸดDoes your horse have EMS, PPID (Cushingโ€™s) or a history of laminitis and you feel guilty e...
27/08/2026

๐—ก๐—˜๐—ช ๐—™๐—ฅ๐—ข๐—  ๐—”๐—›๐—™๐—ฆ โ€” ๐— ๐—˜๐—ง๐—”๐—•๐—ข๐—•๐—œ๐—ง๐—˜๐—ฆ ๐Ÿงก๐Ÿด

Does your horse have EMS, PPID (Cushingโ€™s) or a history of laminitis and you feel guilty every time everyone else gets a treat? ๐Ÿ˜…

Now they can have one too!

๐—”๐—›๐—™๐—ฆ ๐— ๐—˜๐—ง๐—”๐—•๐—ข๐—•๐—œ๐—ง๐—˜๐—ฆ are made without added sugar or molasses and contain:

โ€ข Speedi-Beet
โ€ข Flaxseed
โ€ข Chia seeds
โ€ข Celery
โ€ข Cinnamon
โ€ข Turmeric
โ€ข Black pepper
โ€ข Vitamin C

๐—ก๐—ข ๐—”๐——๐——๐—˜๐—— ๐—ฆ๐—จ๐—š๐—”๐—ฅ โ€ข ๐— ๐—ข๐—Ÿ๐—”๐—ฆ๐—ฆ๐—˜๐—ฆ ๐—™๐—ฅ๐—˜๐—˜ โ€ข ๐—ก๐—ข ๐—–๐—˜๐—ฅ๐—˜๐—”๐—Ÿ ๐—š๐—ฅ๐—”๐—œ๐—ก๐—ฆ

Because even horses that need a carefully managed diet still deserve a little โ€œgood boy/girlโ€ treat! ๐Ÿงก

๐—ฃ๐—ฅ๐—œ๐—–๐—˜: ๐—ฅ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿต๐Ÿฑ ๐—ฃ๐—˜๐—ฅ ๐—ž๐—š (Excl VAT)

๐—”๐—›๐—™๐—ฆ ๐— ๐—˜๐—ง๐—”๐—•๐—ข๐—•๐—œ๐—ง๐—˜๐—ฆ โ€” a smarter little reward. ๐Ÿด๐Ÿงก

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