Geoff Teall, a seasoned horse trainer with an impressive 60 years of experience, has been a client of mine for over half of that time. His expertise is widely recognized in the show jumping community, and if you're not familiar with him, you should be. This discussion is not about the sport of jumping horses but about horsemanship, training, philosophy, and the crucial aspect of feeding horses (hint - he soaks the pony hay for 12 hours). One thing I know about Geoff is that he genuinely advocates for the horse above all else. There are several reasons why Geoff joined me for a discussion on ho ..read more

I start this podcast by describing Memorial Day in America, then tie this idea into what is happening in the equine veterinary profession. I only dwell on this briefly because there are more upbeat things to discuss, such as the Klotho protein. The Klotho protein was discovered from an experimental failure and found in all animals. This protein, made up of one thousand amino acids, is primarily produced by the kidneys. A portion of it is then released from the cell, acting as a hormone that can influence cells in distant locations, including the brain. Klotho affects platelets, causing them to ..read more

  Building muscle in horses is a two-stage process. Many horse owners expect results when applying only one factor. This podcast shows that ignoring one of these factors results in poor muscle formation. In the first stage, the key is to prioritize protein in the horse's diet, particularly the amino acid leucine. Leucine, a branch-chain amino acid, plays a pivotal role as a signaling molecule when it attaches to the mTOR receptor on muscle cells. This crucial process alerts the muscle that the necessary materials for muscle building are available. Understanding this, horse owners can bett ..read more

There is a turf war between veterinarians and non-veterinarians, both wanting to provide horses with preventive dental care. It started in the late 1990s and has gained protection behind laws meant to protect horse owners. But is there proof that any approach to floating is better than another? Or is it just positioning based on territorialism? I used the following script to make this podcast, but I also added to it freely to emphasize several points. This podcast is more formal than usual because I am reading a script I wrote in response to a graduate of my dentistry school challenged by the ..read more

This podcast is about sugar as a fuel for our horses to use when it's needed to run away from danger. However, I also tell the story of the risks of eating more sugar daily than is required to fuel the body.  The first thing to know is that the body can make all the sugar needed to make it through the day. Adding sugar to food is required for only two things: replenishing stored sugar as glycogen for the next emergency and storing it as body fat for future use. Think of it as cash that you have either quick access to on a bank debit card (glycogen) or cash stored in a long-term asset requ ..read more

This podcast breaks down how to feed horses into five simple rules based on what the food does, good and bad, within the horse. It is a short discussion that avoids a deep dive into science. Instead, it is a to-the-point instruction set for those wondering why their horses are falling apart in front of their eyes and what they can do to help the horse survive. There are no gimmicks or supplements. If your horse is sick or lame, there is a strong chance it has been caused by the food they eat. I tell you in the first part my five rules for feeding horses. After this, if you want to understand w ..read more

This podcast provides an alternative perspective to an interview published in an equine veterinary magazine with a board-certified veterinary equine dentist about EOTRH (Equine Odontoclastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis). I am troubled by what was said. Professionals are skipping to conclusions in a world demanding scientific evidence for decision-making on health issues. Worse, their focus is on treating this disease while saying multiple times that the cause is still unknown. In addition, alternative views are ignored and never mentioned, while there is good anecdotal evidence of man ..read more

This podcast discusses the basics of breeding the mare and delivering the newborn foal. The number one rule of getting your mare bred is to develop good daily observational skills and record what you observe. This will show the subtle signs needed to get your mare bred successfully. The next most important thing to do is to create a good working relationship with a veterinarian skilled in reproduction. Delivering mares requires no intervention 90% of the time. However, you should still attend because they will need help for the remaining 10%. Of these problematic births, one will be life-threa ..read more

This podcast discusses a comment by a listener who likes what I'm saying but doesn't like to feed herself or her horses anything genetically modified or treated with chemicals. All of us will agree with her. But is it possible in today's world? Is avoiding these two criteria (GMOs and chemicals) important relative to other factors, such as chronic protein deficiency? What can we control with the care of horses, and what is beyond our control? Most horse foods are altered and treated worldwide, keeping production costs low, yields high, and making horse food affordable. However, removing proces ..read more

I continue to hear from people that it is challenging to convince horse professionals (vets, farriers, etc.) other ways of approaching horses' health. They find people know what they know, and changing what they know is uncomfortable. In this podcast, I review a text on horse health written in 1916 (108 years ago). I select some paragraphs to read and challenge people to ask, "Why?" I also look at horse health historically and from a worldwide perspective. We can limit and even prevent disease or lameness if we strive to understand why it occurs ..read more