Many leading Standardbred trainers trust Brooks Feed Store in Ontario, Canada to give their equine athletes the nutrients and energy they need to race and win. Among the Brooks enthusiasts:

• Mark Steacy, trainer of Majestic Son, winner of the Canadian Breeders Championship: "I'm very happy with Phase III by KER and Brooks Performance Feeds. It's a nice clean sweet feed with just the right amount of protein."
• John Bax, who trained Oaklea Odessa and Oaklea Omega to a one-two finish in the OSS Final for three-year-old trotting fillies at Hiawatha Horse Park: "I feed both the pellet and the sweet feed form of Phase III. My horses love the taste, which helps them carry good flesh."
• Barry and Laurie Clarke, owners and trainers of Nobananas. As a five-year-old, the gelding set a new track record at London Fair Raceway, and won again at the same track just a week later. The trotter is fueled by Competition Plus and Flax Appeal, an omega-3 supplement. "Nobananas has lots of stamina, he finishes strong, and he recovers very quickly after a race."

Barney and Joe, a team of Belgian pulling horses handled by Oscar Ethington, won the Florida State Championship, and then traveled to Colorado to complete a pull of 10,000 pounds. At home in Pleasureville, Kentucky, these mammoth geldings enjoy 10% Sweet-As-Honey made by Team Member Bagdad Feeds.

At the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany U.S. riders on several teams chose Pennfield Feeds products to fuel their horses. In endurance, Meg Sleeper finished in twenty-second place out of 159 starters. Meg feeds EnduroEvent Ener-G. Pennfield customer Beezie Madden won the individual silver medal and helped the U.S. claim the team silver medal in show jumping. In eventing, of thirteen short-listed horses, all but two were prepped on Pennfield feeds.

The incomparable stallion First Down Dash, standing at Vessels Stallion Farm, is the sire or grandsire of fourteen of the last 16 winners of the Grade I Ed Burke Memorial Futurity. No Secrets Here, a son of First Down Dash, recently won the $2 million All American Futurity, setting a stakes record at 440 yards by finishing in 20.886 seconds. The colt was bred and raised at Vessels Stallion Farm. Associated Feed, a KER Team Member in California, supplies feed to the farm.

In "Diet and the Hoof--Piecing Together the Nutrition Puzzle," a hoof care report published by the American Farriers Journal, KER nutritionist Dr. Peter Huntington has written the article, "Building Blocks for Better Hooves." According to Huntington, "The health of the foot is an extension of the health of the horse." Although genetic factors, including poor hoof mechanics, account for a number of hoof problems, a proper diet based on good-quality forage and supplemented with a fortified grain product will serve most horses well. If hoof problems persist in spite of a nutritious diet and excellent farrier care, owners might consider supplemental zinc, biotin, and methionine. Huntington confirms there is no "quick fix" for poor hoof condition.

Of all the problems associated with feeding horses, colic (defined as any abdominal pain) is by far the most prevalent. There are a multitude of different causes of colic, but feeds or feeding management are often implicated as primary factors.

With foaling season underway, it's time to be prepared for the unexpected. Is your breeding operation ready to handle an orphan foal? Is a nurse mare the best idea, our should you consider using a milk replacer? Dr. Joe Pagan reviews the pros and cons of each option in "Feeding and Care of the Orphan Foal" from Equinews Volume 2, Issue 2.