Is your horse's feed doing more harm than good? In this episode, functional nutrition therapy practitioner and veteran vet tech Stephanie Carter of Indigo Ancestral Health joins Sam to break down why so many performance horses — not just ponies and draft crosses — are being diagnosed with metabolic issues like elevated insulin, EMS, and Cushing's. Stephanie explains her Won't Thrive 25 list of common feed ingredients that contribute to inflammation, why a "perfect" guaranteed analysis can still promote sickness, and how 150 years of modern feeding has imposed more change on horses than 22 million years of evolution.

We get into the HPA axis and how chronic stress — from stall confinement, restricted forage, and training pressure — can drive elevated cortisol, spike insulin, and fatigue the adrenal glands, mimicking a Cushing's diagnosis in horses as young as four. Stephanie shares why restricting hay for easy keepers often backfires by triggering a survival response that slows metabolism and promotes weight gain, and how a forage-first, species-appropriate approach with real-food ingredients and quality minerals can reverse insulin resistance and restore long-term health.

We also talk about the microbiome's role in bioavailability, why collaboration between vets, nutritionists, farriers, and bodyworkers matters more than ever, and how horse owners can take ownership of their horse's health in the middle of a growing vet shortage.

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