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
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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.