Ask The Horse

Do you have a young horse in your life? Join our host, Michelle Anderson, as she interviews Dr. Brian Nielsen, a professor and researcher at Michigan State University. You'll learn about the importance of nutrition and exercise for growing foals, common developmental disorders, and how training can impact a horse's bone growth and development.

Dr. Brian Nielsen is an animal science professor at Michigan State University, where he teaches senior level courses in equine exercise physiology and advanced horse management. His research interests include equine exercise physiology, young horse development, and nutrition.

Surviving natural disasters becomes even more complicated when you’re responsible for horses and other animals. Join our host, Michelle Anderson, as she interviews emergency planning expert Rebecca Gimenez-Husted, PhD. You'll learn about resources and information you need prior to a disaster, what supplies you'll need if you evacuate or shelter in place, and how you can keep both yourself and your horse safe during wildfires, tornadoes, and other disasters.

Dr. Rebecca Gimenez-Husted is the primary instructor and president of Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue. Her first book, Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue, was published in 2008. She is an internationally sought instructor in technical rescue techniques, procedures, and methodologies, and she has published numerous critiques, articles, and journal submissions on horse safety, technical large animal rescue and horse handling issues.

Aging horses often require individualized care to keep them comfortable and happy. Join our host, Michelle Anderson, as she interviews Dr. Bryan Waldridge of Park Equine in Lexington, Kentucky. You'll learn about managing older horses with PPID (equine Cushings) and metabolic syndrome, how to help the arthritic older horse, the special nutritional needs of senior horses, colic risk, and more.

Dr. Waldridge is a veterinarian at Park Equine Hospital, in Lexington, Kentucky. He also serves as a veterinarian at Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farm, where he cares for retired champion Thoroughbred racehorses. He received his veterinary degree from Auburn University, and upon graduation became a faculty member teaching large animal internal medicine at Tuskegee University and Auburn University. He then worked for Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, in Lexington, as an internal medicine clinician. Dr. Waldridge also served as a resident veterinarian for Kentucky Equine Research, where he was responsible for herd health of research horses and overseeing nutritional research and new product development. He was also the treating veterinarian at the equine quarantine facility for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. Most recently he worked for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, where he was the treating veterinarian and worked the 2015 Breeders’ Cup at Lexington’s Keeneland Race Course. Dr. Waldridge has a special interest in internal medicine and clinical pathology. He and his wife, Sonja, reside in Georgetown, Kentucky.

Your horse’s feet are his foundation. What does a healthy hoof look like? Does your horse need shoes, or is he fine barefoot? And what about hoof boots? Join our host, Michelle Anderson, as she interviews Dr. Scott Fleming, and equine podiatrist at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, in Lexington, Kentucky. You'll learn how to work with your farrier (or trimmer) and veterinarian to ensure your horse’s feet receive the right care.

Dr. Fleming, originally from Northeast Texas, grew up riding Western performance Quarter Horses and working with cattle. Upon graduating from high school, he attended farrier school and maintained a Quarter-Horse-centric farrier business in Northeast and Central Texas. He also served in the Marine Corps Infantry for four years. Dr. Fleming received his DVM from Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences in 2013, completed an internship at Rood & Riddle in 2013-14, and remained at the hospital as a fellow. Currently, he is an associate veterinarian at Rood & Riddle. He also has a special interest in participating in Equitarian Initiative trips to Central America to help working equids in the region. Outside the clinic, Dr. Fleming enjoys spending time on the farm with his wife, Tina, and their two children, Callie and Case.

Summer is a great time to get out and enjoy your horse, but the season also comes with management challenges. As ambient temperatures rise, so does your horse’s risk of overheating. Horse trailers can become sweltering, stalls stifling, and exercise dangerous. Join our host, Michelle Anderson, as she interviews Dr. Jeanette "Jay" Mero. You'll learn how to protect your horse from the heat during this information-packed hour. 

Dr. Mero graduated from Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 1994 and then completed a large animal medicine and surgery internship at the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph. She spent 10 years in large animal practice in New York’s Finger Lakes region. In 2005, she and her family moved to Mariposa, California, where she established Mariposa Equine Services, a solo ambulatory equine practice. She’s been happily providing equine veterinary care in the foothills outside Yosemite National Park since 2006. One of the reasons Jay and her family moved to California was to become more involved in her greatest passion in life—besides her family and her work—the sport of endurance riding. Since arriving on the West Coast Jay and her family have logged thousands of endurance miles in competition. Mero has served as chair of the American Endurance Ride Conference’s Veterinary Committee since 2009.

Bugs are beyond annoying for our horses. Insects spread diseases—some of them deadly—and can cause irritating and performance-limiting allergic reactions. Join our host, Michelle Anderson, as she interviews Erika Machtinger, PhD. You'll learn how to protect your horse during this information-packed hour, which covers stable flies, face flies, mosquitoes, gnats, ticks, and more. You'll also hear Dr. Machtinger's advice about selecting and applying the most effective fly sprays and using insect-control methods. Our guest for this episode is Erika Machtinger, PhD.

Dr. Machtinger is a horse owner and an assistant professor of entomology (the study of insects) at Pennsylvania State University’s College of Agricultural Sciences, in University Park. Her research focuses on filth fly control in livestock, poultry, and equine facilities; transmission of zoonotic disease via arthropod vectors; and integrated tick management. Her work is an interdisciplinary combination of population and chemical ecology, behavior studies, parasitoid-host interactions, biological control, molecular biology, toxicology, and wildlife biology. She believes integrated research is necessary to develop novel control methods for disease-spreading insects and agricultural pests as health risks increase from population growth, climate change, and increased pesticide resistance.

Laminitis is one of the most common diseases in horses, and it has many different causes. Is your horse an easy keeper? He might be at risk. Join our host, Michelle Anderson, as she interviews Teresa Burns, DVM, and Jane Manfredi, DVM. During this information-packed podcast, you'll learn about endocrine-related laminitis in horses with conditions such as PPID, equine metabolic syndrome, and insulin resistance. The veterinarians also discuss which horses are more at risk for developing laminitis and share tips on how to manage horses during an acute laminitic episode.

Teresa Burns, DVM, MS, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, is an associate professor of equine internal medicine at The Ohio State University, in Columbus. Her research interests include laminitis and endocrine-related diseases in horses.

Jane Manfredi, DVM, MS, PhD, Dipl. ACVS-LA, Dipl. ACVSMR, is an assistant professor in pathobiology and diagnostic investigation at Michigan State University, in East Lansing, where she’s the primary investigator at the Equine and Comparative Orthopedic Rehabilitation and Endocrinology (ENCORE) lab. Her research includes nutritional supplement for improving insulin regulation in horses, equine rehabilitation, and equine osteoarthritis.

Choosing the right diet for your horse can be a daunting task. Join our host, Michelle Anderson, as she interviews Clair Thunes, PhD, an independent equine nutritionist. You'll learn about horses' calorie requirements and how to safely change your horse's diet. Dr. Thunes also explains the differences between complete feeds, ration balancers, concentrates, and hay or forage pellets, as well as how to know your horse is getting the nutrients he or she needs. 

Dr. Thunes owns Summit Equine Nutrition, based in Gilbert, Arizona. She works as a consultant with owners/trainers and veterinarians across the United States and globally to take the guesswork out of feeding horses and provides services to select companies. As a nutritionist she works with all equids, from WEG competitors to Miniature donkeys and everything in between. Born in England, she earned her undergraduate degree at Edinburgh University, in Scotland, and her master’s and doctorate in nutrition at the University of California, Davis. Growing up, she competed in an array of disciplines and was an active member of the U.K. Pony Club. Today, she serves as the district commissioner for the Salt River Pony Club. 

Join our host, Michelle Anderson of TheHorse.com, as she interviews Dr. Kevin Haussler about equine back pain during April 2019's Ask The Horse Live, a live event that focuses on your horse health questions. Dr. Haussler is an associate professor at the Colorado State University (CSU) Orthopaedic Research Center, where his research focuses on the equine neck and back. During this hour, you'll learn about what causes horses to experience back pain, how it’s diagnosed, and how to make your horse more comfortable.

Kevin K. Haussler, DVM, DC, PhD, Dipl. ACVSMR, graduated from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1988 before completing a small animal internship. To further his training in conservatively managing spinal-related disorders, he pursued human training at Palmer College of Chiropractic-West and completed a veterinary chiropractic certification program in 1993. He completed his PhD, focusing on spinal pathology and pelvic biomechanics in Thoroughbred racehorses, from the University of California, Davis, and then studied equine spinal kinematics at Cornell University. While at Cornell, he directed the newly formed large and small animal Integrative Medicine Service. Currently, Dr. Haussler is an associate professor at the Colorado State University (CSU) Orthopaedic Research Center, where he’s involved in teaching, clinical duties, and researching. He is a charter diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation and a course instructor for the Equine Rehabilitation Certification course, co-branded by the University of Tennessee and CSU.

Why are there so many equine infectious anemia cases in the news, and how can you protect your horse from this deadly disease? Join our host, Michelle Anderson, as she interviews Dr. Angela Pelzel-McCluskey, the equine epidemiologist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and Veterinary Services. You'll learn more about EIA, why it's important to test your horse annually, and how to protect your horse.

Dr. Pelzel-McCluskey is based in Fort Collins, Colorado. Pelzel-McCluskey obtained her veterinary degree in 2001 from Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. She worked in equine private practice in both Texas and Colorado and has served as an epidemiologist with state and federal animal health agencies since 2004. She currently oversees the federal response to reportable equine disease outbreaks nationwide and has been the lead epidemiologist for more than 25 state, regional, and national disease outbreak responses during her combined state and federal service.