The Equine Connection Podcast

The fall is a busy time of year for many horse owners. Many are preparing for winter, but also many need to think about how best to manage their pastures for the coming year. In addition, many horse owners need to be cautious when letting their horses graze on lush fall forage. In this week's podcast, we give you a glimpse into what it takes to manage your horses and your fall pastures. There are...

Have you ever wondered when you should feed your horse before a competition or even before casually riding? What is best for the horse and could it also impact how well they perform? The short answer is yes and is the topic of this week's podcast. When you feed your horse a concentrated meal can impact how well they do when under moderate to intense exercise. We discuss this and more, like should...

One of the most frustrating abnormal behaviors a horse may adopt is the act of cribbing. Briefly, cribbing is when a horse places their front teeth on a hard surface, arch their neck back forcefully, and then gulps or inhales air. There are many factors that may cause a horse to start cribbing and in this week's podcast, we address some of the latest research into the origins of cribbing. Stress i...

It is estimated up to 6% of all horses develop a syndrome where they start to sweat less and less, which is called "anhidrosis." Eventually, anhidrosis can lead to an almost complete absence of sweat from a horse. This is very concerning since sweating is the primary way horses cool their body temperatures. In this week's podcast, we discuss how anhidrosis may manifest in your horse. We highlight...

You may have heard about “ionophores” and/or “ionophore-free” when it comes to choosing a horse feed for your horses. In this week's podcast, we discuss the risk to your horse’s health and wellbeing when it comes to their feed and potential for cross contaminated with ionophores during feed manufacturing. There are many instances each year where horses have died throughout the United States after...

Internal parasites (worms) can have serious negative impacts on the health and wellbeing of your horses. They can compete with the horse for any digested food or often feed off the horse itself. Most concerning is some internal parasites can cause internal organ damage as they migrate within the horse’s body. This is why deworming your horse is so important. In this week's podcast, we highlight wh...

Horses are known for their ravenous appetite. Thus, there can be nothing more frustrating or worrying than feeding your horse and watching them refuse to eat. Yet, you should be aware of any of the possible factors that cause a horse to refuse their feed and deal with them quickly. In this week's podcast we highlight why a horse may refuse to eat. We discuss what steps you should take to check the...

A horse’s digestive health is critical to their overall well-being and performance. While we often think of manure as just a by-product of digestion, it can be a good indicator of the horse’s digestive and overall health.  Thus, in this week's podcast we talk about the characteristics of the horse’s manure, such as consistency of the feces. We also discuss how manure can indicate important informa...

In this week's podcast we chat about the costs and value of your horse's feed. We highlight what goes into them and what you should consider when looking at what to feed your horse. We also chat about the thought that goes into formulating a horse feed and the how it is made.  You can learn more about these topics by visiting our expertise page  HERE If you have any questions or concerns about you...

American Quarter Horses, or known as simply Quarter Horses, are the most popular breed in the United States. They are even quite popular around the world. Known for their versatile nature, athleticism, agility, and good nature make them a favorite among many horse owners. Thus, proper nutrition is vital for their overall health and well-being. In this week's podcast we chat about what makes Quarte...

When it comes to feeding fiber to horses, most usually think of pasture or hay. However, other popular options can include the feeding of hay cubes or hay pellets. In this week's podcast we discuss the differences between hay cubes and hay pellets. We also give some suggestion on when you can use them and how to use them. We do note that both hay cubes and hay pellets can be beneficial to horses,...

Horses, like humans, can suffer from a wide variety of allergies. From tree to grass pollen, to everyday dust and mold, to insect bites, and even certain foods, a certain subset of horses will experience some level of allergic reactions. However, identifying what exactly a horse is allergic to can be a long and expensive process. In this week's podcast, we tackle what allergy tests are available t...

We recorded this episode as fires raged in Canada that pushed smoke down into the United States and having major impacts on the air quality in both countries. These events brought up an issue we do not often think about and that is how air quality can impact our horses. In this week's podcast we talk about air quality and how it impacts a horse's respiratory system. We also highlight the Air Quali...

With so many options of horse feeds today, picking the right feed for your horse can be overwhelming. In this week's episode, we talk about some of the considerations you should think about when making those choices. We start out on how to evaluate your horse and what that may mean. We then address what you might consider when feeding hay and then what horse feed you may need. Then we give some ge...

Spring is the time of year when flies begin to reemerge and pester our horses. In this podcast, we first provide an overview of the types of flies that bother our horses. Flies are also a concern because they can harm our horses through the spread of disease. From a nutritional point of view, flies can lead to loss of body condition. Further, horses can and often do suffer stress from flies by eit...

In this week's podcast, we talk about how to visually appraise your horse hay and what it means for your animals. This is because high quality hay is critically important for providing your horses with not only essential nutrients, but also in maintaining their gut health. We discuss how not all hay is created equal and how to spot the differences. This is an important topic to help ensure your ho...

Magnesium is one of the nutrients that is getting more attention in both human and equine nutrition. This is because, as a mineral, magnesium plays a vital role in both muscle and nerve function. Some studies have shown magnesium may help in reducing horse excitability. Antidotal evidence shows that it may help with horses that experience tying up or muscle soreness. Thus, in this week's podcast,...

Water is the mainstay of life for not only us, but also for our horses. One major consideration covered in this week's podcast is not only the factors that influence water intake, but also the quality of water your horses drink. Understanding where your horse's water is sourced from and its quality is vitally important to their health and wellbeing. We also address water testing and when to get it...

Spring is a very busy time of year for many horse owners. This is especially true when transitioning their horse's diet. With the warmer weather, many horses transition from a winter diet of hay to being out on the beautiful, green and lush pastures. However, this is also a time of year where all owners need to be cautious. In this week's podcast, we discuss everything about spring pastures and wh...

Spring is a time of year that is really dynamic for horse owners. One area that is really critical for many is the reestablishment of their spring pastures. This is important because pastures are not only an excellent source of nutrition for your horses, but they also provide numerous other health benefits. Thus, we address these benefits and the important nutrients that pastures provide, as well...

With all the advancements in equine nutrition, one area that we keep having to address is the amount of sugar and starch (NSC) in a horse's diet. Horse owners around the world are looking to feed their horses diets low in NSC. A new horse feed, Seniority® Low NSC, is now available to horse owners. It has a NSC value of only 10%! The question is, what type of horse is this feed intended for and who...

Colic is the #1 killer of young horses throughout the world. One type is sand colic, which is when horses accumulate sand/dirt in their digestive tract. This can lead to impaction or other types of colic and can be very troublesome for many horse owners. In this week's podcast, we discuss sand colic, what the statistics show us, how horses get it and how owners can help prevent or limit it in thei...

How we are feeding horses has changed so much over the past few decades. In one major shift, and the one you keep hearing about, is, low NSC (sugars and carbohydrates). Really, what nutritionists are talking about is the percent of NSC in that type of feed. In this week's podcast, we explain what the percent NSC in a diet (or horse feed) means and how to evaluate if it is a low, medium or high amo...

Have you ever been riding, and it just seems your horse runs out of gas (energy)? Alternatively, are you concerned that your horse is not competing at the level you want them to? It could be that your horse is not utilizing the right kind of energy provided to them in their diets. Our understanding of how horses utilize energy has changed so much in the past 10+ years. In this week's podcast, we d...

Across the internet, horse owners can find multiple versions of horse feed (or nutrition) calculators. While these tools can be useful, they can also confuse many. Thus, in this week's podcast, we tackle this subject and shed some light on them. We chat about where they can be helpful, especially as a learning tool. We then discuss some of the cons and how these calculators may not be very helpful...