Dixon Farrier Science & Equine Nutrition

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Dixon Farrier Science & Equine Nutrition We have been in the Farrier industry for over 23 years now, our moto is back by science not myth!

10/06/2026

🐴 WHAT IS YOUR HORSE BREATHING ALL NIGHT?

Many horses are brought into stalls every evening and spend 8, 10, even 12 hours inside.

But have you ever thought about what they're breathing during all those hours?

Horse urine and manure release ammonia. Add dust from hay and bedding, mold spores, tiny airborne particles and poor ventilation—and the air inside an enclosed barn can become a serious respiratory irritant.

And here's something every horse owner should understand:

Lung and airway damage isn't always completely reversible.

Early airway inflammation can often improve when the horse's environment is corrected.

But repeated or long-term exposure to respiratory irritants can contribute to equine asthma and airway remodeling—physical changes to the airways that may become permanent.

That means prevention matters.

Your horse may spend the entire night with its nose only a few feet—or inches—from bedding contaminated with urine and manure.

If you can walk into the barn and smell ammonia while standing upright, imagine the environment down at your horse's breathing level.

Good barn management isn't just about a clean-looking stall.

It's about AIR QUALITY.

✔️ Good ventilation and continuous fresh-air exchange
✔️ Regular removal of wet bedding and manure
✔️ Low-dust bedding
✔️ Low-dust forage
✔️ Plenty of turnout and time outdoors
✔️ Avoiding tightly enclosed, poorly ventilated barns

A barn doesn't have to look dirty to have poor air quality.

And respiratory damage doesn't happen overnight.

It can develop quietly after months or years of repeated exposure.

🐴 Protect the hoof. Protect the gut. Protect the lungs. Look at the whole horse.

Dixon Farrier Science & Equine Nutrition
Backed by Science, Not Myth.

This right here is the reason why we continue to educate ourselves!!
10/01/2026

This right here is the reason why we continue to educate ourselves!!

09/27/2026

🐴 ARE “COLIC PREVENTION” SUPPLEMENTS A GIMMICK?

Walk into a feed store and you’ll find plenty of products marketed for digestive health, gut support, or reducing the risk of colic.

But here's the important question:

Can a supplement actually PREVENT colic?

👉 Not reliably.

Colic isn't one disease. It's a general term for abdominal pain, and it can have many causes—impaction, gas, displacement, sand accumulation, intestinal disease and more.

There is currently no everyday supplement that can guarantee—or has been proven to simply “prevent”—all of those problems.

That doesn't mean every digestive supplement is worthless.

Some ingredients may be useful when there is a specific reason to use them. The problem is when we start feeding a scoop of something every day and assume our horse is now protected from colic.

💰 Before spending $40–$100+ a month on another bucket, look at the basics:

• Is the horse getting enough forage?
• Does it consistently drink enough water?
• Is adequate salt available?
• Are feed changes made gradually?
• Are large concentrate meals being avoided?
• Is dental care current?
• Is parasite control based on appropriate testing?
• Is the horse getting regular turnout and movement?
• Is it eating off sandy ground?
• Are you addressing the horse's individual risk factors?

Those things aren't as exciting as a shiny tub labeled “GUT SUPPORT.”

But good management is one of our most important tools for reducing colic risk.

And this is something we talk about frequently with nutrition clients:

Don't supplement just because a product exists.
Supplement because your horse has a nutritional or management need that the product actually addresses.

🐴 Nutrition should have a purpose.

Dixon Farrier Science & Equine Nutrition
Backed by Science, Not Myth.

Indiana • Ohio • Michigan

09/07/2026

🐴 THIS ONE MAY RAISE SOME EYEBROWS…

Your horse is overweight and needs to lose weight.

The obvious answer seems simple:

Feed less. Exercise more.

But is restricting hay actually the best way to accomplish that?

What if instead of focusing only on HOW MUCH forage your horse eats, we also looked at WHAT KIND of forage they're eating?

There are two different approaches to equine weight management:

A. CONTROL INTAKE
Feed a measured amount of appropriately tested forage to create a calorie deficit, while using slow feeders to extend eating time.

B. CONTROL THE FORAGE
Provide essentially 24/7 access to appropriately tested, low-calorie/low-NSC hay while removing excess calories elsewhere and increasing appropriate exercise.

Both approaches recognize the importance of forage.

Both can involve tested hay.

Both can involve exercise.

But they differ on one BIG question:

👉 Should an overweight horse ever run out of hay?

Dr. Juliet Getty argues that restricting forage and creating periods without food can have negative consequences, and advocates for free-choice access to appropriately selected forage — even when managing an overweight horse.

Other equine nutrition and veterinary recommendations emphasize controlling total daily forage intake to achieve the calorie deficit necessary for weight loss.

🔥 So which approach do YOU use?

Measured forage?
or
24/7 access to appropriately tested forage?

Drop your answer below. 👇

Then we're going to dig into the science behind BOTH approaches.

Because “feed less” and “feed smarter” aren't necessarily the same thing.

🐴 BACKED BY SCIENCE, NOT MYTH.
Dixon Farrier Science & Equine Nutrition

A GOOD TRIM CHANGES MORE THAN APPEARANCE.The goal isn’t to make the hoof look pretty.The goal is to improve balance, mec...
09/03/2026

A GOOD TRIM CHANGES MORE THAN APPEARANCE.
The goal isn’t to make the hoof look pretty.
The goal is to improve balance, mechanics, and function.

We love receiving this type of feedback! Can't wait to see how he is next show season!

HAHAHAHA such a sweet little angel!!
09/01/2026

HAHAHAHA such a sweet little angel!!

08/05/2026

This was a crazy abcess!!

08/04/2026

🐴 Experience Is Valuable... But It Isn't Scientific Proof.

One thing I see far too often is this:

"I've been doing it for 20 years, and it works."
Twenty years of experience absolutely has value. It teaches observation, pattern recognition, and practical skills.
But experience alone does not turn an opinion into scientific fact.

I can do something the same way for 20 years and get the results I expect. That doesn't automatically mean it's the best method, the only method, or that I understand why it works.

Science asks different questions: ✔️ Can it be measured? ✔️ Can it be repeated by others? ✔️ Is there evidence explaining why it works? ✔️ Does the evidence still support it when new research becomes available?

The best farriers don't choose between experience or science.

They use experience guided by science.

That's how our profession moves forward. We question, we learn, and we adapt when the evidence points us in a better direction.

"We've always done it this way" is a starting point for discussion, not the final answer.

At Dixon Farrier Science & Equine Nutrition, we believe every opinion should be willing to stand beside the evidence.

💬 What are your thoughts? Have you ever heard someone defend a technique with, "I've done it this way for 20 years"? Where do you think experience ends and evidence begins?

08/02/2026

Wait till you see what was uncovered

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