The Art and Science of Horsemanship

This podcast discusses some aspects of biosecurity and how we can minimize risks.

Regardless of what we do with our horses all of us face the dreaded fly season. This podcast discusses some of the things we can do to minimize flies and their impact on our horses. One thing to remember, we will never totally eliminate these pesky critters. 

This podcast discusses supplementation. Most horse owners add a supplement of some description to their horse's diet. This may be done without proper planning. Often not only is money being wasted, but the health of our horses may also be negatively impacted. This podcast helps answer the following questions. What is needed in a supplement? Is there an issue with overfeeding nutrients? Why follow feeding directions? 

This podcast discusses the impact of various people in the horse industry's influence on what we purchase for our horses. It also discusses where information is obtained and who has the greatest influence on purchases. You might be surprised as to has the most influence on your purchases. 

Almost every horse, at some time in their life, will ingest sand, either intentionally or accidentally.  This podcast discusses sand ingestion or technically called Geophagia. Causes of sand ingestion, means to identify if there is sand in the intestinal tract, and ways to minimize sand ingestion and removal are discussed. 

This podcast discusses some of the nutrients and additives that can positively impact our senior or older equine athletic partners. Learn how to minimize things like muscle wasting or a decrease in the immune function of the older athlete. 

This podcast discusses problems that may be associated with wet, muddy ground and the hoof. Data from an Australian study is used to describe the effect of moisture on hoof wall and hoof soil moisture. 

The use of microbial products in feeding horses has experienced rapid growth in the last few decades. What makes up these products and why should I use them in my feeding program? This podcast discusses not only what may be in these products but what affect can they have on the horse's overall health. 

While there are some horses that require a diet low in carbohydrates, performance horses need carbohydrates in the diet to replenish muscle and liver glycogen. This podcast discusses the impact of not feeding sufficient carbohydrates to performance horses. 

This podcast discusses the nutrient needs of the mare in late gestation. Includes energy, protein, calcium and phosphorus changes from maintenance to late gestation. Some feeding guidelines are also included. 

This episode discusses some of the differences between natural vitamin E and synthetic vitamin E. These include sources, availability, immunity affects and antioxidant affects. When to use one or the other are also discussed. 

This podcast will help horse owners as well as pet owners understand the parts of a feed or supplement tag. Each section of the feed tag is discussed and the role it plays in providing needed information about the product. 

Podcast discusses the issues with feed management, including water intake, on colic in the horse. A brief discription of the digestive tract and how it can impact the health of the digestive system is included as are feeding consistency, feedstuff influence on water intake, and sand ingestion. Some tips on minimizing digestive upsets are also provided. 

Foals are born without any natural immunity to disease. They must ingest antibodies, IgG, from the first milk or colostrum to initiate immunity. This podcast describes the need and timing of IgG absorption. 

There are many sites where one can find answers to questions about horse husbandry but finding one that is trustworthy, based on science, and also allows you to have direct contact with a Ph.D. equine specialist is very difficult to find. Equi-University is dedicated to Improving horses' lives through owner education.