Farm To Stable: An Equine Nutrition Podcast (TM)

It's officially summer here in North America, and oh how hot it's become! Record high temperatures for the month of June have been set across the eastern half of the United States. How can you help your horse stay cool and hydrated? Should you ride or not? And what about that barn fan? Those are a few of the "hot" topics of this episode, along with how electrolytes actually work to keep a horse (and the human) hydrated. It gets a little science-y, but that's how I roll. I promise to make it fun and easy.

References and Links referenced in this episode:

Marlin, D. and Nankervis, K. 2002. Thermoregulation. In: Equine Exercise Physiology. pp.133-150. Blackwell Science. Oxford, UK.

American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) on Facebook - heat index infographic: https://www.facebook.com/AAEPHorseDocs/posts/hot-tips-for-safe-summer-ridingas-you-enjoy-some-fun-in-the-sun-with-your-favori/828730918649725/

Rutgers University Fact Sheet about How to Take A Horses Temperature, Pulse and Respiration: https://esc.rutgers.edu/fact_sheet/measuring-tpr/

Welcome special guests Dr. Sara Mastellar, Associate Professor at The Ohio State University ATI and Dr. Elizabeth Share, 4-H Program Specialist at The Ohio State University! If you've ever seen horses "guarding" hay nets or feed sources, or wondering how best to manage feeding time when horses are fed in groups, tune in for some helpful information. I was fortunate enough to be a collaborator on studies run by Dr.'s Mastellar and Share investigating the effect of meal frequency on horse behavior, and the data was presented at the recent Equine Science Society Symposium in June, 2025. These researchers were gracious enough to take some time to explain how they conducted the study and why, and the all-important results and insights gained from the research. The information learned is useful in the everyday management of horses, especially if you have more than one living in a common space. Tune in for an enjoyable conversation about how real scientific research leads to practical horse management guidelines from those who love horses!

Link to the study abstracts:

--https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2025.105462

Additional studies run concurrently by this group:

--https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skae102.411

--https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2025.105522

--

Dr. Mastellar's Profile: https://ati.osu.edu/people/sara-l-mastellar-phd

Dr. Share's Profile: https://ansci.osu.edu/our-people/elizabeth-share-0

Link to the Equine Science Society:

'Tis the season for mud...and often some concerns about hooves that come with it. Diet is a key factor in hoof health, but it can't prevent all problems. In addition to a balanced diet, genetics, environment and farrier care all play into hoof health. In this episode, the focus is on some key nutrients to support hoof health, and answer some questions about biotin (because I know you're thinking about biotin when it comes to hooves!)

We'll discuss some management issues, but for more reading on this topic, check out these fact sheets from the University of California-Davis Center for Equine Health and the University of Minnesota:

https://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/news/10-things-you-might-not-know-about-horse-hooves

https://extension.umn.edu/horse-health/caring-your-horses-hooves

Cover art photo credit: University of Minnesota Fact Sheet, link above.

I was recently asked, "What's the difference between hay pellets and hay cubes?" It made for a fun conversation (if you're a horse nutrition geek like I am) and I thought it would be a good discussion. Pellets and cubes are obviously forage alternatives that originate from hay - pellets are from ground hay and cubes are chopped and compressed. There are different reasons one may add a pellet vs. a cube to a horse's diet, if at all. What about the horse who can't even chew hay anymore? Or if you are having trouble finding good quality forage, and you'd like to improve the forage your horse is consuming? We'll touch on all of that and more in this episode, along with pros and cons. And of course, there's a little beet pulp mixed in...

Additional reading:

From the Rutgers University Equine Science Center, "Lord Nelson's Blog:"

https://esc.rutgers.edu/do-you-know-your-forage-alternatives/

Kentucky Equine Research: Hay Cubes and Pellets for Horses

https://ker.com/equinews/hay-cubes-pellets-horses/

As a nutritionist, a hay analysis helps me create a complete, accurate picture of a horse's diet. Sometimes, it is not practical for a horse owner to acquire a hay or forage analysis. In other cases, an owner just doesn't know what to do with the information that comes back to them. In this episode, I'll explain a bit about the characteristics of good vs. poor quality hay - important if a hay analysis isn't available or practical. Then, I'll dive in to what some of those terms and values on a report actually mean. The point is to provide some context to an analysis report. Remember, it's only one part of the big picture, but having an idea of what it means can help you make good decisions about what and how to feed your horse based on their needs.

This one is for the long ears! Donkeys are smart, loyal and wonderful companions. Many economies in the developing world depend on donkeys for income, transportation and ensuring basic needs for their human caretakers. In other parts of the world, donkeys provide friendship to horses, humans and other donkeys, and serve as excellent guard animals.

Donkey nutrition is not the same as that for horses, and in this episode I'll discuss some of the basics for feeding donkeys. Links for more information and sources by the Donkey Sanctuary are below.

The Donkey Sanctuary Links:

Feeding Straw to Donkeys:

https://www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk/for-owners/owners-resources/feeding-straw-and-other-forages

Monitoring Your Donkey’s Weight:

https://www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk/for-owners/owners-resources/monitoring-your-donkeys-weight

General Resources for Donkey Owners:

https://www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk/for-owners

Recently, a friend reached out to me because her 19-year-old easy keeper is now showing ribs coming out of a very cold winter. This is a horse who is well-attended to and requires very little to keep his weight on, but as he's shedding, it seems he has lost a bit of weight. This is a relatively common occurrence, particularly as horses age, but there are some steps to take. In this episode, we'll review some weight-gain tips, along with suggestions for determining why weight loss happens in the first place. As promised, below are some helpful links for additional information.

Body Condition Scoring video with Dr. Bob Colemam of the University of Kentucky: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq0ZXnSlsNQ

All About Body Condition Scoring (with pictures) from Iowa State University Extension: https://www.extension.iastate.edu/equine/body-condition-score#:~:text=Horses%20are%20scored%20on%20a,ribs%2C%20and%20behind%20the%20shoulder.

Need to buy a weight tape? Here's one place online (also check your local feed / tack store): https://a.co/d/j2wPmrK

Measuring tape long enough for horses: https://a.co/d/2IVae0e

Also, the "Healthy Horse" app is highly recommended for estimating a horse's body weight!

Recently, a barn mate asked me to help with her horse who had lost weight en route to a competition after a 14-hour trailer ride. Since many horses migrate for competition and other reasons, I wanted to discuss why a horse might lose weight on a long trip and what nutritional support helps support recovery. Weight loss is not the only physiological change that can occur during transport, but it is the focus of this episode. Note that any signs of distress should always be discussed with a veterinarian immediately. A nutritionist can help you get the diet on track for recovery of weight loss.

References for this episode:

Marlin & Nankervis, 2002. Transport. In: Equine Exercise Physiology. pp. 276-284. Blackwell Science. Oxford, UK.

C. L. Stull and Rodiek, A. V. 2000. Physiological responses of horses to 24 hours of transportation using a commercial van during summer conditions. Journal of Animal Science, 78(6): Pages 1458–1466, https://doi.org/10.2527/2000.7861458x

To celebrate the arrival of spring here in North America, we've got to talk about the coming bug season! If you haven't listened to the episode about healthy skin (Season 3, Episode 8), be sure to check that out as well, it covers the basics of healthy skin in general. This episode, we will focus on the many horses who suffer from itchy skin and allergic reactions to bug bites. There are plenty of things you can do to help reduce the irritation. Yes, there is a supplement you can feed to help as well!

One major management tip to help: STOP BATHING WITH DISH SOAP!!! It's too harsh for any horse's skin, especially those who are sensitive. Alternatives are discussed in this episode.

Listen in for advice on how to keep the bugs at bay and dietary options to help support your horse. Happy Spring!!

Research Reference:

O'Neill, et al. 2002. Flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum) supplementation associated with reduced skin test lesional area in horses with Culicoides hypersensitivity. Canadian Journal of Veterinary Research. 66: 272-277. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC227015/

Check out this bonus episode of the "Farm To Stable: An Equine Nutrition Podcast" in collaboration with Dr. Kris Hiney, Extension Horses and the Tack Box Talk Podcast! As part of the Extension Horses Working Group, I'm fortunate to work with land-grant university experts from across the USA who are teachers, researchers and horse lovers from all disciplines. The purpose of university extension is to conduct research that helps the community, make that knowledge accessible and facilitate putting information to work.

Dr. Hiney invited me to be a guest recently (Feb. 2025) to talk about basic nutrition of the equine breeding herd, since foaling season is in full swing. So I'm sharing that discussion here!

Please check out Tack Box Talk for more fun, practical and interesting topics, and share this one as well. Here's a link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tack-box-talk/id1492355719

Happy riding!