Dr. Tom Shurlock has been a member of the Emerald Valley Team since 2003. Dr. Tom started working for British Horse Feeds in 1997. Armed with a BSc in Agricultural Biochemistry & Nutrition, and also a PhD in Animal Physiology & Nutrition, it was very clear from the get go, researching new developments in horse nutrition is Tom’s passion.
We met Dr. Tom in 2003, when our interest in finding natural low sugar/low starch feeds for horses struggling with metabolic issues led us to importing Speedi-Beet and Fibre-Beet, both made by British Horse Feeds in the UK. With these two horse feeds, we are able to help horse owners feed their horses less processed feeds that are non-GMO, and metabolic friendly.
Why feeding Fibre-Beet and Cooked Linseed together works so well… Overwintering a horse is a relatively flexible task, as environmental conditions can play an important role. As daylight hours are short, and temperature drops there is a joint requirement to allocate more energy (and possibly heat in the form of mashes) to satisfy heat increment … Read more
Horse feeding is as individualistic as the horse itself. The advice, from whatever source, can be bewildering and, as with any situation, each individual owner will have their personal favorite. Every chat room will have people posting what’s best, what’s not and opinions can get heated! Feed manufacturers formulate the best hard feeds that current … Read more
• Ideal addition to any feeding regime. Cooked Linseed is beneficial to performance, condition, skin and coat and general health. The processing method, involving just gentle cooking and milling, improves the availability of the nutrients and allows greater utilisation of linseed and a higher digestible energy level. Cooked Linseed supports the horse’s well-being and all … Read more
In the lead up to Christmas it can be quite expensive. It is the season of giving and money soon leaves our purses and wallets quicker than we like. Dr. Tom Shurlock, consultant nutritionist for British Horse Feeds offers his top tips for winter feeding on a budget. Feeding on a budget is not the … Read more
Fat is not a bad thing. It acts as an energy store, insulates the body and helps regulate insulin. Problems occur when there is an excess. Obesity, for horses as for humans, is a negative condition. Although there may be underlying causes, the most common cause of “fat” is a simple equation; energy intake is … Read more
5 TOP TIPS ON HOW TO KEEP YOUR HORSE HYDRATED Here British Horse Feeds consultant nutritionist, Dr Tom, offers his top tips on hydration. 1.Give your horse a pinch or a poke! With a well hydrated horse, a pinch or poke depression will fill in almost immediately. The more dehydrated a horse, the longer it … Read more
LAMINITIS TOP TIPS By Dr Tom Shurlock, nutritionist at British Horse Feeds 1 – Check. Laminitis develops in a number of phases. Symptoms such as hot hooves, physical damage such as white line and bruising etc. can appear at any time, depending on the underlying cause. Regular checks will help keep on top of the … Read more
Dr Tom Shurlock, nutritionist with British Horse Feeds for Speedi-Beet & Fibre-Beet, discusses the benefits of beet fibre, micro flora, pre and probiotics, for horses and ponies and how they impact gut health. Beet fibre has long been used as an equine feed due to its nutritional suitability, supplying high levels of slow release energy … Read more
There are two main periods where grass can be a causative factor in initiating a laminitic response, spring and autumn. Where spring grass has been well publicized because it has extremely high levels of sugars and fructans, and these are regarded as triggers, less obvious factors are at play in autumn grass. There are two … Read more
It is, perhaps, the one word a horse owner never wants to hear, summoning up images of downed horses, twisted guts, surgery – or worse. However, the more we understand about colic, the more we can both treat and avoid the condition. So first of all, what is colic? Colic means “gut pain” and there … Read more
