The Equine Connection Podcast

Managing Pastures in the Spring

We continue our discussion from last week's podcast addressing our spring pastures for horse. In this episode we focus more on the management side of horses pastures. Pastures are not only an excellent source of nutrition for your horses, they also provide numerous other health benefits. Thus, not only do we address these benefits, but also the important nutrients the pastures provide, and what owners can expect as their pastures transition from winter to spring. We also do briefly address what types of cool-season grasses and legumes emerge in the spring and also touch upon when you can expect to see your warm-season forages. Finally, we provide some management considerations to ensure your pastures remain productive for your equine companions throughout the year.  

You can learn more about these topics by visiting our expertise page HERE

If you have any questions or concerns about your own horse, please contact us HERE

This podcast was brought to you by Tribute Superior Equine Nutrition

 

Transitioning Your Horse on Spring Pastures

As our pastures transition from the winter to spring there are many considerations horse owners need to consider to ensure their horses handle the changes in their diets appropriately. We start off with how establishment of spring pastures will start with cool season forages and then much later in the spring, warm season forages. Of course this will depend greatly on what area of the country or world you are living in. We next talk about the physiology of the young emerging plants and how they can affect your horse. It is important to remember these young plants are nutrient dense, meaning they are packed with starch and sugars. This can have implications to your horse and their digestive tract health. Thus, we discuss a sensible plan to safely transition your horses. We also mention some problems associated with transitioning a horse too quickly on lush spring pastures. Finally, we address the question on whether or not you need to alter your concentrate fed to your horse with changes to their forage of spring pasture.

You can learn more about these topics by visiting our expertise page HERE

If you have any questions or concerns about your own horse, please contact us HERE

This podcast was brought to you by Tribute Superior Equine Nutrition

 

Hindgut Health in Horses

In this week’s podcast we follow up our discussion of stomach health and switch our focus to the hindgut of the horse. While the stomach and small intestine are important to digestion, the hindgut is a complex portion of the equine digestive tract that is just as critical to a horse’s health. Dr. Rambo explains the role of the hindgut and just why we need to ensure it stays in proper form. We then talk about some of the issues that can manifest themselves with an unhealthy hindgut. One talking point was the issue of hindgut acidosis. We discuss the reality of hindgut acidosis and what owners really need to be aware of. Then we switch gears on how to keep your horse’s hindgut healthy. One area we discuss is feeding pre- and probiotics to your horse, what they are, and how they are digested. We then finish up talking about some other issues that may arise with an unhealthy hindgut in your horse.

You can learn more about these topics by visiting our expertise page HERE

If you have any questions or concerns about your own horse, please contact us HERE

This podcast was brought to you by Tribute Superior Equine Nutrition

 

Importance of Stomach Health

We start off this week's podcast discussing the importance of maintaining stomach health in our horses. Digestion begins in the mouth that quickly moves to the all important stomach. We discuss the physiology of the stomach and why it is unique compared to other species. Briefly we discuss the purpose of the stomach and how feed is digested there. Then we address some of the issues we see in horses with unhealthy stomachs, primarily ulcers, and the signs that owners can look for. Then if you suspect or know your horse suffers from ulcers, Dr. Rambo gives some nutritional and management tips on how best to manage your animal, as well as wise management strategies on reducing the risk of ulcers. Finally, if you suspect your horse is suffering from ulcers It is important to remember that only a veterinarian can diagnose your animal and it is always worthwhile to discuss this with them about your concerns. 

You can learn more about these topics by visiting our expertise page HERE

If you have any questions or concerns about your own horse, please contact us HERE

This podcast was brought to you by Tribute Superior Equine Nutrition

 

Understanding Colic in Horses

We tackle one of the more common health risks for horses, colic. Colic is just the general term for pain in the abdomen of the horse and is one of the leading causes of death in horses under the age of 20. In this podcast we talk about the general types of colic and how you can recognize some of the signs . We also discuss the incidence of colic and the different types that horses can suffer. Then we leap into a discussion on some of the contributing factors that increase the risk of colic Finally, we give some good management tips on how to lessen the chance of your horse suffering from colic.  

It is very important to remember if you suspect if your horse is suffering from colic to always call your veterinarian immediately. The sooner intervention is introduced in colic cases, generally horses do much better and have a greater chance of survival. Most horses do go through bouts of colic in their lifetime and survive just fine. However, if you have any questions about colic it is always worthwhile to discuss this topic with your veterinarian. 

You can learn more about these topics by visiting our expertise page HERE

If you have any questions or concerns about your own horse, please contact us HERE

This podcast was brought to you by Tribute Superior Equine Nutrition

 

Evaluating Digestive Health

In this week's podcast we give a broad overview of equine digestive health. Many owners are obviously always looking out for their animal's wellbeing and digestive health always tops the list. We first give a brief review of the equine digestive system and why it is so unique for a herbivore. Dr. Rambo answers the question from an equine nutritionist's point of view of, "Just what does a healthy digestive tract mean to you?" She then gives tips on how to evaluate your horse's digestive health. Of course we tackle some issues with an unhealthy digestive tract and then give some tips on how to maintain equine digestive health. Finally, we briefly touch upon why deworming is important and chat about some important considerations. 

You can learn more about these topics by visiting our expertise page HERE

If you have any questions or concerns about your own horse, please contact us HERE

This podcast was brought to you by Tribute Superior Equine Nutrition

 

Cushing's Case Study: Asia 20 Year Old Tennessee Walking Horse

This week we review the case study of a 20 year old Tennessee Walking Horse, Asia. She came to the Tribute team undiagnosed with any known health issues, but was a horse that was not doing well. She had a body condition score of 7 with a crest neck score of 3. As we explain in the podcast, the heavy crest and large fat deposits around her neck indicated that she may have been suffering from Equine Metabolic Syndrome. Asia was first given a full veterinary workup. We outline what Asia's current diet was and then explain why it was a poor choice of feed for an already overweight horse. While Asia was later determined to not to be suffering from insulin resistance, we do discuss why she was at risk. However, from her veterinary workup, it was determined Asia was suffering from Cushing's disease. Thus, we talk about what this diagnosis means from a nutritional standpoint and how Asia's diet was altered to meet her needs. As you can see from her images below, after only 30 days, Asia responded very well. Near the end of the podcast we talk about Asia's long-term prognosis and how she is doing today. 

 

If you have any questions or concerns about your own horse, please contact us HERE

This podcast was brought to you by Tribute Superior Equine Nutrition

Forage Sugars and Your Horse

This week we tackle an issue that we recently brought up in our Equine Metabolic Syndrome podcast and that is the impacts of forage sugars on equine health. The amount of sugar in forage/hay are often a concern for owners with horses that are either insulin sensitive, suffer from equine metabolic syndrome, or have had previous bouts of laminitis. In this episode, we first briefly discuss what nutrients horses receive from their forage and then dive straight into what exactly forage sugars are. Dr. Rambo then describes how sugars are made in forage plants and how weather, season, and even time of day all influence sugar levels in the plants themselves. Naturally we also discuss sugar levels in hay and give some tips on how concerned owners can reduce the sugar load in either hay or reduce sugar intake in grazing horses. We also introduce some latest research on certain forage sugars and how they impact overall equine health.

Thank you so much for listening to our podcast and if you are enjoying it, all we ask is you share this podcast with your fellow equine enthusiasts. 

If you have any questions or concerns about your own horse, please contact us HERE

This podcast was brought to you by Tribute Superior Equine Nutrition

All About Equine Metabolic Syndrome

This week we tackle issues surrounding equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) and just how that potentially impacts nutritional management. EMS is a cluster of issues where horses have trouble physically responding to the sugars and starches in the horse's diet. The syndrome specially centers around the issues of insulin regulation in the body. We discuss EMS in horses and how you can identify the syndrome in your animal. We also highlight secondary complications such as laminitis and how you can adjust your diets to meet your horse's needs. As an important point, we also highlight the differences in management for your easy keepers and hard keepers, just what are the dietary and management implications. Finally, as a final talking point we raise the issue of managing the forage portion of the diet for a horse suffering from EMS. 

You can learn more about EMS in horses by going HERE

If you have any questions or concerns about your horse, please contact us HERE

This podcast was brought to you by Tribute Superior Equine Nutrition

Managing Horses During the Winter

In this week's podcast we revisit the topic of winter management for your horses. We go into a brief discussion on feeding management tips and just how your management considerations may differ depending on where you live. Then we jump into a brief discussion on pasture management and how your management will differ based on weather conditions in your area. We also touch upon considerations for hay during the winter. One aspect of feeding management is water considerations for your horses as we give some friendly reminders and also discuss drinking behavior. Finally, we chat about general horse behavior in the winter and give some gentle reminders to ensure your horses stay healthy and happy during the cold winter months. 

You can learn more winter management tips by going HERE

If you have any questions or concerns about your horse, please contact us HERE

This podcast was brought to you by Tribute Superior Equine Nutrition