Equine Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis

10/06/2026

If you want to know why being an Equine Vet is challenging....

This is from today- we received a phone call from an old client and this horse was NOT their horse but were wanting to help the owners.

As a last resort, they asked if Louise was able to help at all? Louise was at the Ipswich races working.
There were no other vets available to help.

We were told it was an older horse down and couldn't get back up.

I then received the photo, this is a very common issue and normally what happens is then you get, I dont have any money.... 💰

We gave the people another option which they opted for and the horse is now in heaven. Louise did offer to go and put the horse to sleep after the races were finished.

The lack of vets is only going to get much much worse. Very sad times. 😢

Jason & Louise

10/06/2026

TO ANSWER THE MANY QUERIES AND MESSAGES FROM A RECENT POST ON A HORSE FORUM.

I was the first in Australia to use laboratory testing of horses for minerals, horse health and toxic metal levels 24 years ago. I bought Equine HTMA to Australia. So yes this is the original Equine HTMA with a scientist analysing the results and not a computer generated analysis.

In 2011 I was hired by the owner of racing quarterhorses to discover why 22 horses died over night after being moved into the padddock that most likely was the cause of their deaths. Biosecurity were involved, suspected tick infestation but once a contagion was ruled out they exited the case. The owners suspected deliberate poisoning but none of the horses displayed symptoms of that. I was interviewed on ABC country radio and explained that most likely cause of death was Johnson grass poisoning as the conditions of the pasture at that time caused the grass to have cyanogenic properties and very low concentrations of cyanide can be fatal to horses. Detection of cyanide post mortem often fails as it is tranformed in body fluids after death. The horses that survived showed symptoms of Johnson grass poisoning.

The BBC in UK interviewed me in 2014 regarding my findings and conclusions about the cause of death of many Bodmin ponies in Cornawall in the UK. The back story to this is that I was hired to provide HTMA testing on 4 dead ponies and two live ponies as the local authorities, vets and stakeholders had no idea what was killing the native horses. I found that cause of deaths was a combination of arsenic toxicity from old mining acitivies, worm burdens, starvation and botulism in one case. I recommended soil and water testing for arsenic and the results of that revealed very high levels of arsenic in soil and water and that a worming program to be introduced. The environmental data and the hair mineral results of the ponies showed strong correlations confirming my findings.

It is possible to determine if your soil and water is suitable for horses if the HTMA LAB REPORTS ARE PROPERLY INTERPRETED.

HTMA results can be used to provide a diet that is suited just for your horse on your property.

Kerry Marsh BAgrSC HTMA the home of the unprocessed as possible diet uses nutritional management to improve and correct health conditions.

Hope I have addressed all the questions for the uniformed, the ignorant and the critics.

[email protected]

Photo: People4ponies. Bodmin ponies Bodmin Moors Cornwall UK

29/05/2026

PICK THE HORSE FEED.
Pictured are rabbit, Guinea pig and horse pellets.
Kitty litter is being fed to all animals, big and small!!
More highly processed waste by product fortified with minerals to make it RESEMBLE something nutritious.

However, the CONCERNING issue here is that guinea pigs and rabbits don't have to carry a rider, do eventing, round up cows, jumping, endurance, racing or dressage. Food for thought for the weekend.

If you are feeding kitty litter (pellets) kibbles or waste from coconuts and beets your horse is more likely to have gut dysfunction and develop EMS and other health problems.

Learn how to feed the unprocessed as possible diet, save money and improve performance and health.
Email me [email protected]

27/05/2026

🛑 EOFY SALE!
FROM 1ST JUNE TILL 30TH JUNE ANYONE REQUESTING A HAIR MINERAL ANALYSIS ON THEIR HORSE WILL RECEIVE 500Gr ORGANIC SELENIUM FOR FREE. (applies only to Australian horses)

🛑Selenium should not be added to your horse's diet unless you know your horse's selenium levels and how to determine the dose. It is potentially very dangerous if an excess occurs. Safer to know the exact dose your horse requires

🛑500Gr ORGANIC selenium will last one horse approx one year. Obviously dose will vary in all horses.

🛑This is the test that will explain what is going on in your horse (everything from EMS to iron excess to dullcoats and everything in between)and how to correct it. Dietary imbalances can ruin a good horse [email protected] to book a test.

Note: I was involved in a clinical trial 15yrs ago to establish the selenium requirement quantities for Australian horses.

13/05/2026

Please read this info about lucerne hay. I have found that from testing thousands of horses over two decades that Lucerne gets a bad rap because 1) it is often the protein that many horses do not tolerate as their gut is not tuned for having a hit of protein as many of the premixes are protein by products 2) There is a minerals imbalance in the horse's system (very common) and no commercial or branded minerals mix will correct that. You need to test your horse's mineral levels to identify the imbalances and then I can recommend the correct dosages and the correct minerals to suit your horse. Targeted and specilaised testing can improve, performance, health and well being. An unprocessed as possible diet reduces incidences of metabolic diseases such as insulin resistance and laminitis. Hair mineral analysis ( if interpreted correctly by a scientist) is far more accurate and less expensive than nutritional programs that do not test the mineral status of the horse or consider the horse's enviroment

ALFALFA ALLERGY & INTOLERANCE – IS IT REAL OR ANOTHER FACEBOOK MYTH AND MARKETING TRICK?

It common to see posts in many Facebook Groups along the lines of “My horse can’t even look at Alfalfa (Lucerne in other parts of the world) without coming out in a rash” OR “If my horse has even the slightest amount of alfalfa it makes him go crazy OR “Alfalfa will destroy your horses feet”. This has led to many feed and supplement companies proudly declaring that their products are “alfalfa free”.

This is backed up by people with NO nutritional qualifications writing informed articles about the dangers of alfalfa. Horse owners need to seriously start to think carefully about where they go for nutritional advice – setting up, owning or running a feed or supplement company doesn’t suddenly empower you with 30 years of equine nutrition knowledge and wisdom.

I feed alfalfa to my own horses and have done for many years! I see many many clients using it. I’ve read the scientific literature. I’ve spoken to other equine professionals. I think its time to set the record straight on this one.

What is alfalfa?
Its similar in digestible energy to grass hay. It’s a lot higher in protein (~18%) than grass hay (~10%). Starch and sugar content are both less the 5% each! Its higher in calcium (~12g/kg) than grass hay (~6g/kg) and has a similar magnesium concentration (2-3 g/kg). Does high protein send horses mad? No. It might make the smell of ammonia a little worse if you are feeding it as the SOLE source of forage. It will increase water intake if it’s the SOLE source of forage. If the horse is drinking more and producing more urine it will lose more electrolytes if it’s the SOLE source of forage. This isn’t an effect of alfalfa per se. Its an effect of feeding a LOT of alfalfa.

What is a LOT of alfalfa?
Feeding more than around 2/3rds of the forage as alfalfa would be considered a high alfalfa intake. That’s rare in this country.

Allergy/Intolerance
Most equine nutritionists in the UK don’t believe they have seen more than a handful of true alfalfa allergies – horses that come out in hives after eating alfalfa. We see a lot more in horses that are allergic to shellfish products. Intolerance – think IBS in people. You may not be allergic to Baked Beans but eating a can may cause you some lower abdominal discomfort due to the way in which your gut microbiome is setup. If you eat 5 baked beans you will probably be ok. So the concept of amount is important. A bale of alfalfa might cause a horse a problem but 10g in a supplement is highly unlikely to. A source at Dengie (who make a lot of excellent alfalfa based products) once told me that they get a high number of owners calling up who say their horse is allergic to alfalfa but fine on the Hi-Fi range; a range of high fibre feeds which ALL contain alfalfa.

Coincidence
When something changes for the worse in our horses we naturally look for a possible cause. If we are already on “high alert” for alfalfa due to all the bad things we have read then it's easy to focus on this without looking at the bigger picture. Things sometimes happen for no apparent reason. It could be totally unrelated to the alfalfa in a feed or supplement. It could just be a coincidence. Many “sarcoids” are not sarcoids and resolve on their own. It's easy to believe it was the turmeric paste that “cured” the sarcoid. Its coincidence, not cause and effect.

What are the possible adverse effects of feeding a lot of alfalfa?
In SOME regions where high amounts of alfalfa are fed (80-100% of the total forage intake), two different problems have been identified. The first is an increased risk of enterolith formation. Enteroliths are composed of minerals and have the appearance of stones and they form around a foreign body such as a piece of wood or metal of hair. The high calcium content of alfalfa is often blamed by horse owners but in fact enteroliths are primarily formed from magnesium and phosphate. Enteroliths are undesirable as they can lead to colic. A number of researchers have suggested causes other than alfalfa due to the fact that in some regions of the world where horses are fed only on alfalfa, enterolith formation is very rare. Remember also that even though alfalfa is high in calcium it has as similar magnesium concentration to grass hay. Here is a good source for information on enteroliths. https://www.vetstream.com/treat/equis/diseases/gastrointestinal-enterolith

In horses fed high amounts of alfalfa (80-100% of the total forage intake as alfalfa), some horses may develop photosensitisation. This is not the same as sunburn. Photosensitivity affects both the pigmented and non-pigmented areas of the skin. Photosensitivity can also occur due to ingestion of other plants, ragwort being a well-known one. However, the fact that again in many regions where alfalfa is fed as the only forage (i.e. 100% of the forage intake) and photosensitisation is rare and the fact that there can be outbreaks of photosensitisation should make us cautious about assuming a direct link between alfalfa and photosensitisation. One small study which fed alfalfa associated with an outbreak in the US to 3 horses did report that after 2 weeks 2 horses did develop photosensitisation. I am not aware of any confirmed cases of primary photosensitisation due to alfalfa in horses in the UK

Alfalfa and Laminitis
Alfalfa is low in starch and sugar (both less than 5%). The majority of laminitis cases occur in horses at pasture NOT grazing alfalfa but common grasses. There is no evidence that alfalfa increases laminitis risk.

Alfalfa and EOTRH (Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis)
Some sources have proposed a link between alfalfa feeding and EOTRH. However, a study from Germany published last year by Rehrl et al. (2018) reported that in 142 horses (all owned by different owners and on different diets and none likely to be on 100% alfalfa and many not getting any alfalfa) aged 10 to 37 years, 94% of all horses had at least minor and 62% had moderate to severe radiological changes of the incisor teeth associated to EOTRH. No horse older than 14 years was without radiological signs of EOTRH. They concluded "With older age, disease is more frequent and radiological changes become more severe. Since no horse older than 14 years was without radiological findings, it is likely that mild changes may be associated with the normal tooth ageing process."

Alfalfa and Headshaking
The prevalence of headshaking in the UK has recently been estimated to be ~5%. Feeding Alfalfa as the only source of forage to a horse with headshaking might be contraindicated on the basis that some horses may develop photosensitisation when fed alfalfa.

Summary
*Alfalfa is a good forage source for horses
*Alfalfa may cause photosensitisation in a small number of horses if fed as the sole forage source but this is extremely rare in the UK
*Alfalfa intolerance is rarely reported in regions where it is fed as the only forage source
*Alfalfa will not make horses fizzy unless it's fed inappropriately as it has a similar energy content to grass hay. The same goes for most feed materials.
*True Alfalfa allergy/intolerance is very rare
*A handful of Alfalfa in a supplement or feed is highly unlikely to cause problems for the majority of horses
*Alfalfa is great for horses with or prone to gastric ulcers, but avoid sharp chopped chaff.

Finally, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE look at who is giving you "advice". Do they have ANY qualifications to be writing on equine nutrition?

12/05/2026

RHODES HAY.
Seems a lot of you are feeding Rhodes hay at the moment. It is an excellent hay but it IS NATURALLY HIGH IN POTASSIUM. To counteract that add lucerne hay - first or second cut which is less expense than prime lucerne and usually has a lower potassium content and is low in sugars and starches.

It is always best to supply more than one variety of hay if possible because each variety will provide different nutrients and different fibre content. The other benefit is that horses do not graze just one variety of grass - they pick and choose. Many studies have found that horses prefer having a mixture of hays.

Note: All hay takes up whatever minerals are in the soil so the mineral content in ANY hay can vary widely. FOR THOSE CONCERNED ABOUT FEEDING LUCERNE HAY PLEASE READ THE NEXT POST BY DR. DAVID MARLIN ABOUT LUCERNE HAY

05/05/2026

JUST A REMINDER about the accuracy and acceptance worldwide about using hair minerals analysis. The Veterinary Sciences Journal ANIMALS is one of the MOST INFLUENTIAL IN THE WORLD. They use equine hair mineral analysis to monitor the health of horse populations by tracking minerals and toxic metal levels.

04/05/2026

FEEDING AS UNPROCESSED AS POSSIBLE.
I have been trying to educate horse owners for two decades about the benefits of feeding as unprocessed as possible feeds with the addition of individual minerals. FINALLY I am hearing more discussions about horse owners looking for a more natural approach to their horse's diets

Most horse health and behavioural problems are directly related to lack of adequate nutrients (vitamins and minerals) in their feeds and MISMANAGED nutritional programs. Instead they are getting estimated amounts of synthetic minerals, hulls and waste by products of the cereal and vegetable industries containing varying amounts of fillers, binders and preservatives. Kibbles which resemble dog food, pellets which resemble kitty litter, beets and coconut waste that resembles cardboard. Fast food for horses!! This is why there are so many horses with gastric ulcers, gut dysfunction and laminitis just to name the most common health problems that horses face today. Worse are the nutritionists that recommend such diets without evidence to prove efficacy.

The unprocessed as possible equine diet requires evidence based testing of current mineral levels to design it properly and for it to deliver positive health outcomes and improved performance. An equine diet cannot deliver if the horses age, breed, s*x, height, weight, soil and water type, colour and workload are not investigated.
" The study presents the necessity of specialised feeding plans based on a horse's age workload and physiological state" (1)

Horses cannot perform, remain sound and healthy with stable behaviour if they are forced to eat feeds that are not balanced and are lacking in nutrients. I say that feeding 'kitty litter and dog kibble' are the reason why so many horses are having significant health problems. "The findings show that planned nutritional interventions not only enhance physical performance but also promote mental health, decrease stress and promote recovery" (2)

The unprocessed as possible diets I have designed over the past two decades have improved horse health issues, performance and behaviour. However, it is not just the diet IT IS THE MINERAL BALANCE that makes my diets work. You cannot safely guess mineral dosages and requirements without testing your horse.
Feel free to share.
Kerry Marsh BAgrSc [email protected]

Bib: Dr. Awais Shafique, Dr. Muawuz Ljaz (2025) Exploring the impact of nutrition on equine performance, health and well being Pferdeheilkunde Equine Veterinary Med 41, 1-10

21/04/2026

FERAL DEER VERSUS BRUMBIES IN VICTORIA
A quick run-down of the latest news
Hard to believe feral deer are STILL NOT declared a pest species despite the wholesale environmenral destruction they are causing across the landscape.
Brumbies on the other hand are declared pests, run in herds making them less difficult to find, targeted and usually shot by helicopter, numbers significantly less than feral deer.
WHY IS THIS SO?
Feral deer are harder to kill than brumbies, are harder to locate and extremely difficult to be shot by helicopter, mostly require on foot tracking, are very skittish making for a more challenging target, do not run in herds.

Brumbies are blamed for alot of the damage feral deer create. Actual brumby numbers are a contentious issue.
Please note I do agree with controlling populations of brumbies as is necessary.

CLEARLY poor planning, research and action from the VIC govt is to blame for the explosion of feral deer even though many have been concerned about the numbers and disasterous damage for years.

26/02/2026

HORSES THAT DO NOT HAVE ADEQUATE LEVELS OF COPPER ARE MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO WORMS AND PARASITES.

A round up of this week's hair analyses results is worm/parasite burdens AGAIN which equals a degree of anaemia. All the horses with this profile have low iron, low copper, low cobalt.

Supplementing your horse with copper will not kill worms and copper should not be used for that purpose EVER. However, horses with normal copper levels have more resistance to worms and parasites.

Copper is an ESSENTIAL trace element that all horses require on a daily basis for a range of health benefits ranging from poor hooves to glossy coats and all in between. The dose is different for each horse and darker coloured horses require a slightly larger dose. Best to HTMA for accurate dosing and to check current copper levels.

Please evaluate your worming programs and your paddock management. Worm resistance requires horse owners to be more savvy about what wormers to use and when and what wormers are now ineffective.

Kerry Marsh BAgrSC
[email protected]