The Horse's Advocate Podcast (Geoff Tucker, DVM)

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 why I made these rules, I lightly go into the science. Future podcasts will go deeper into details to strengthen your ability to share what works for your horses with those still feeding the foods that make them unsound, unhealthy, or both.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website for learning about horses, horse barns, and farms. Its membership side allows horse owners to attend live meetings to ask questions and gain a deeper understanding of what they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message and spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. TheEquinePractice.com/appointment

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

For many of us, it's hard to understand math. But twisting numbers to explain what we observe only makes things worse. With confusion in our understanding of what the scientists find in an experiment, we turn to others, like magazines, news articles, and social media, for a distilled explanation. Further, we assume these distillers of information have it right, but unfortunately, they usually don't.

Most horse owners only want to do what is best for their horses. We spend money on anything that sounds good. Yet, we often don't see the results claimed by the science-backed studies. Why is this? Are the products made poorly? Or could the science these products are based on be wrong?

In this podcast, I explain in easy terms how a thought becomes a study and how the results are analyzed with math to predict if something causes disease and, more importantly, if it is clinically meaningful. The bottom line of how science affects our horses is why we must consider these basic ideas and analyze the data ourselves to Help Horses Thrive In A Human World™.

________________________________

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website about horses, horse barns, and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site.

TheEquinePractice.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. TheEquinePractice.com/appointment

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag.

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Humans now live in a world where communication is one or two-dimensional. The telephone or video meeting is a two-dimensional conversation, and texting, writing, or email is one-dimensional. These types of communications don't employ the depth of vision to notice the subtle nuances of facial expression. Wearing a mask will also eliminate seeing a slight smile or frown.

There is a fourth dimension with the hormone oxytocin, delivered between people during conversation. However, this has yet to be studied in horses. I'm likely correct in saying this fourth dimension is our energy. In that case, it is absent in most human conversations when using any technology, from pen to paper to high-tech devices.

We communicate with horses through 3 (or 4) dimensional conversations. Still, most people today need to improve at this, as personal face-to-face talking is rare, using only 1 or 2 dimensions of communication. In addition, humans live in the left half of the brain, which houses our identity (ego) and emotions tied to fear and joy, among many other emotions that complicate our thinking. This podcast discusses how our brain works based on the experiences of Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D., in her book "Whole Brain Living." Through the loss of the left half of her brain through a hemorrhage, this Harvard professor of neuroanatomy pieced back the lost functions, and through her 8-year journey, she discovered new concepts of how our brain works.

I tie together Dr. Bolte Taylor's expert information with my experience working with about one hundred thousand horses and deliver my understanding of how we can improve our communication with our horses. As I say in the podcast, ask yourself how well you communicate with other humans (spouse, siblings, parents, strangers in the convenience store), and if THAT isn't good, then start with your own species. Once this is improved AND you also learn to understand how your brain/thinking works, then use this skill to connect with a horse in 30 seconds, not 30 minutes or 30 days. We all can do this, and in the upcoming podcasts, I'll continue with the other parts of the brain and expand on what I say here.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

My last podcast (#051) was about the infodemic we are experiencing in the horse world. Infodemic describes the dilemma where there is too much conflicting information about the care of horses. In this podcast, I want to examine the infodemic in only one aspect of horses - how to feed them.

As with most of my nutritional information on horses, I use the current knowledge of human nutrition. I assume that while the raw materials are different (the foods placed in the mouth), what happens at the cell level is the same. This assumption is made throughout science because many species' cell processes are routinely studied; for example, rats, mice and other lab animals used for human studies. While this is questionable for the absorption of food and medicine, science accepts that glucose, fat and proteins are handled the same in all animals. But is this correct?

For example, various approaches to metabolism exist within just one specific section of the cell in humans. I identify four pathways mentioned in human nutrition that all attempt to change the same thing (NAD+ preservation within the electron transport chain). It exemplifies the expression, "All roads lead to Rome." But is this true in all animals?

I am not trying to make you all cellular physiologists. However, many people are working on the same problem in human metabolism, and their findings may (or may not) help us care for our horses. This podcast will help you understand horse nutrition/metabolism and why we are all confused about 1) what to do and 2) why it works in some horses and not others.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

This podcast continues the simplification of one of the 7 "things" placed into our horses. These are air, water, minerals, various plant compounds, sugar, protein, and fat. The last podcast covered sugar, and the next podcast will cover protein. Today, I discuss fat in the diets of horses.

Where do horses naturally get their fat in their diets? Is adding fat to the diet good for horses? What exactly is fat, the Omega fats, and how do fats get from the gut or the fat cells to the muscle cells for use? I answer these questions to clarify the confusing information we all get from the noise of experts and marketing.

In a nutshell, horses get their fat from the cellulose they eat. If allowed to migrate over great distances, I'm sure there are other sources, such as oils from grains eaten in a short growing season. But when fed only pasture and hay, horses do very well in making what they need from the bacterial digestion of cellulose.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website for learning about horses, horse barns, and farms. Its membership side allows horse owners to attend live meetings to ask questions and gain a deeper understanding of what they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message and spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. TheEquinePractice.com/appointment

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Dr. Maria Katsamanis (Dr. Maria) joins me on this podcast to discuss how science can help us create better connections with our horses. I do these things every day, but I need the science or research behind why I do what I do. She delivers on this and more! Dr. Maria will be delighted if you learn something from listening that helps you connect better on a molecular level. Her life's work is to scientifically understand and improve on why we would rather be in a barn asking horses to help us face the world and heal our minds.

Some philosophies of Dr. Maria as stated on her website:

• "Horsemanship is more than the horse. Horses are brought to us and challenge us to reconnect with ourselves. This reciprocal "helping" —helping of the horse, helping of the human often challenges people to find training methods that will help them grow with their equine mate."

• "Committed to studying human and equine physiology, her training focuses on the self-carriage of the horse and rider. Only in balance and relaxation can the correct muscle formation occur, physical blocks be dissipated, and mental communication be facilitated."

• "It is always very important to remember that each horse is an individual and with Dr. Maria they are treated as such and their education is tailored to their personality and physical profile—all with a solid foundation in a classical French recipe."

Dr. Maria Katsamanis is an author, educator, and advocate for horses. She holds a doctorate in clinical psychology and maintains an appointment as a Clinical Assistant Professor at Rutgers Medical School. Her background in biofeedback and psychophysiology is central to her training approach, dubbed "molecular equitation," which examines the connection between horse and rider on a molecular level.

Dr. Maria has co-authored "The Alchemy of Lightness: What Happens Between Horse and Rider on a Molecular Level and How it Helps Achieve the Ultimate Connection" and authored her latest book, "Riding In Dignity: A Philosophical Foundation to Finding the Ultimate Connection."

Dr. Maria is very busy with several endeavors:

• She offers several online courses to help improve your connection with horses.

• She trains and boards horses in New Jersey at her Mythos Farm.

• She has a line of equipment and tack to help riders connect with their horses better.

• She advocates for the Marwari horse, a rare breed in India.

Dr. Maria has also founded the non-profit organization Friends for Pegasus, whose mission is to promote a better understanding of equine wellness through the rehabilitation and transformation of horses who need a second chance. 

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website for learning about horses, horse barns, and farms. Its membership side allows horse owners to attend live meetings to ask questions and gain a deeper understanding of what they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message and spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. TheEquinePractice.com/appointment

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. For our swag, go to this link: (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

In this podcast, I talk about a variety of subjects. Some I have discussed in detail elsewhere, and some are new. These subjects include the microbiome of horses (and what we know in humans), prebiotics and probiotics (and what I will be taking), what happens to sugar in the diet, how body fat forms, and why excess body fat is unhealthy.

I also share my adventures with floating horses and meeting equine dentists this past week. Some were inspiring, and others were frustrating.

I end by briefly discussing ketones, where horses get their dietary fat and my upcoming use of exogenous ketones.

This eclectic assortment of horse subjects should pique your curiosity about what else there is to know about our horses and, more importantly, how true and accurate our beliefs are.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Horses have been around for about 55 million years. They have been with humans for nearly 5000 years. Unfortunately, machines have replaced horses in many parts of the world in the past 70 years, and the information about raising healthy horses is lost. As a result, diseases including obesity, Insulin Resistance, Laminitis, Cushing's, Developmental Orthopedic Disease, Tooth Decay, lameness, certain types of colic, and more have started or have been on the rise for the past 40 years.

We look to science to find the answers. Yet, science is either failing or is being usurped by marketing to sell agenda-driven scientific results to horse owners. Today's podcast will look at the complexities of the art of scientific research and how it is being manipulated by marketing, with the result only sometimes in the best interest of horses. Is it the scientist's fault? Not really. It is the art of science that non-scientists need to realize is fallible. This misunderstanding leads to a lack of trust and, worse, harm to us and our horses. 

This podcast is a discussion not of science but of all horse owners and technicians (including veterinarians) who want to trust the science but are confused when we see that the science isn't always working. So, instead, we should start subtracting what we think we know in our additions to the lives of horses and look at what evolution has taught us and trust in the great experiment of nature.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Horse owners need more equine veterinarians if they live any distance from horses living in a dense population. The biggest reason is the cost of veterinary education and the poor return on the student's investment compared to their small animal colleagues. While you think the vet's bill for work on your horses is high, the group practices pay the new vet little. And if they are women, they are paid less than men with the same credentials.

There are more reasons, including the workload and the lack of a balanced personal life. Finally, I discuss why few excellent horse vets are coming out of vet school and settling in your area.

This podcast is about the information presented at the 2021 AAEP annual meeting discussing the 50% attrition rate of new graduates leaving the AAEP organization after five years - and becoming small animal vets or just altogether leaving the profession.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

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 requiring time to get, such as stocks or property (body fat). Further, think of using fat as fuel steadily released from body fat into the cell, like dividends automatically deposited into your bank.

When sugar is released freely into the blood or cells, it sticks to proteins, preventing them from doing their jobs and causing damage. Over time, this damage will cause the demise of the cell and the horse.

So why are you still feeding grain and giving hay 24/7?

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website for learning about horses, horse barns, and farms. Its membership side allows horse owners to attend live meetings to ask questions and gain a deeper understanding of what they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message and spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. TheEquinePractice.com/appointment

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

What is an identity? Is it the thing that makes you an individual, or does it make you identical to others? Which one is it for an equine veterinarian? As the number of veterinary schools and new graduates increases, the latter definition of identity generates like-minded, cookie-cutter professionals focused on themselves rather than the people they serve.

Yes, after today's farm visits, I'm a bit angry. I talk about it on this podcast, knowing that some veterinarians may not like what they hear. I hope you hear my passion and don't call me names like "old school." But too many horse owners spend their time with me complaining about the veterinary care available to them. These complaints range from no veterinary care offered in their area to new vets afraid of horses to high prices with poor outcomes.

Only 1.4% of graduates in the United States become horse vets (56 total in 2022), and half quit within five years (28). Why? Could the vet schools be training students to look inward for satisfaction rather than outward at who they serve? If veterinarians forgot about work-life balance, inclusion, equality, and salary and focused on serving people as an honor and a privilege, being grateful for every opportunity to do what we only dreamed about before graduating, there would be less quitting and more happiness. However, in every professional journal, much attention is spent on making the veterinarian happy through social programs and money.

The solution is simple. Veterinarians serve the person asking for help through their animal. Thinking about this may take a moment, but passion develops by serving the owners through their horses. Passion drives you to do more than is expected, and gratefulness is the reward that is addicting. While this applies to all vets and other professionals, large animal vets (horse, cattle, swine, poultry, small ruminants) are unique because they must work in harsh environments and risk their lives driving and working in uncertain environments with large animals. I wouldn't want it any other way.

________________________________

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website about horses, horse barns, and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site.

TheEquinePractice.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. TheEquinePractice.com/appointment

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag.

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

There is a point where the pain we are experiencing is beyond our ability to control our reaction to it. This point is our threshold, which is different for every person and horse alive. 

Discovering if your horse is a wimp or a tough guy will help in how you work with them or if you need to medicate for something another horse tolerates. 

But pain can be more than physical. There is also mental pain from the past with a unique threshold, which needs addressing as we work with our horses. So it is a combination of physical and psychological pain that we apply our horsemanship skills to - or our medications.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

As defined by Wikipedia, 2022 - "In the field of psychology, cognitive dissonance is the perception of contradictory information, and the mental toll of it. (…) Cognitive dissonance is typically experienced as psychological stress(…). According to this theory, when two actions or ideas are not psychologically consistent with each other, people do all in their power to change them until they become consistent. The discomfort is triggered by the person's belief clashing with new information perceived, wherein the individual tries to find a way to resolve the contradiction to reduce their discomfort."

I discuss how we get bombarded with contradictory information in horse care. To preserve our sanity, we tightly hold to what we believe, given to us by trusted sources. Who to believe? That depends on how hard we want to dig for information. 

In the past week, I have had three clear examples of cognitive laziness (from the Wall Street Journal investigation into "fake news") of horse owners wanting to give and willing to pay for "the best for their horses." Yet what they are doing is far from that goal, and they have horses suffering in health.

Awareness of the need for effort in learning and finding the truth is the first step in advocating for horses. It is uncomfortable. If you are listening to this podcast, you do more for horses than most owners, trainers, and horse professionals. The only thing to do to leverage your effort is to tell others. Together, we will Help Horses Thrive In A Human World™.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

This podcast is chapters two and three of my autobiography, Since The Days Of The Romans - My Journey Of Discovering A Life With Horses. Over the next few months, I'll record and put out all 18 chapters of my autobiography. I hope you enjoy hearing my story and find inspiration if you need help finding your journey.

May 2023 represents my 50th year working with horses. So how did I get here? What brought me from being a wandering young man to becoming an equine veterinarian?

In 2014, I wrote my autobiography to help others trying to find their way but having obstacles block their path. This recording is my story of finding my passion while overcoming my obstacles: a poor reader and student, a three-time college dropout, and good at everything but finding no spark to become proficient, discovering horses, my wife, and gaining entry into Cornell University and then Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine.

As homage to my half-century, I read my book, "Since The Days Of The Romans - My Journey of Discovering a Life with Horses," on this and future podcasts. But there's more! At the end of each chapter, I tell a "True And Incredible Story Of A Horse Vet." These tales are from my life as a veterinarian to break up my life's journey in the book from childhood to my graduation day from Cornell's Veterinary College.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

I received the following emails targeting equine veterinarians with various announcements last week. You must be "cognitively diligent" to read the subtle messages and misdirection, confusion, and sometimes utter nonsense within their messages.

Everyone has an agenda. As veterinarians or horse owners, we must read between the lines, question what is said, and discover if the information is good, relevant, or, most importantly, what parts they are leaving out. Lying by omission is still covering the truth. Marketing is so good at this that the government forced specific industries to rapidly read all the adverse side effects of medicines, alcohol, and smoking, finally banning it from commercial airwaves smoking.

However, when it comes to marketing to professionals, there is an understanding that what is said is well understood. We are humans, though, susceptible to misdirection like everyone.

As horse owners, we need to embrace the concept of Medicine 3.0, the prevention of disease, rather than Medicine 2.0, the fixing of problems. What some call "Whack-A-Mole Medicine."

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website about horses, horse barns, and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Robert Frost, the poet, wrote about coming across two roads in the woods. One shows much activity, while the other is pristine and unused. Which way do you choose? Suppose you know the active path, and it feels comfortable. There are known obstacles along this path, but these difficulties are trusted because they are known, and many others have taken this route. So you move forward down the used way and accept the results.

What if you chose "the road less traveled?" There could be far more dangerous obstacles, or you never arrive at your destination. You are scared because the road the others have not taken may have a good reason for avoidance. On the other hand, taking this unworn path may have the thrill of exploration. What if the road less traveled brings you to a better destination? What if the obstacles are less of a problem and you arrive in better shape?

Luckily, you will find a guide for this untraveled road. You start with confidence, but soon you toss aside this booklet because you think you can travel the road without help. All you need to do is get started, and the rest should be easy - until you get lost or lose confidence and never reach your destination. Panicked, you run back to the fork in the road and take the well-worn path, willing to have the problems you know will soon arise.

Feeding our horses as they have for the past 30 years is the "well-worn path." Insulin resistance, Cushing's Disease, suspensory ligament disease, decaying teeth, dropped fetlocks, early retirement, obesity, and more horse ailments are the "known obstacles." Still, we know them and therefore are comfortable with them. But feeding horses as they were for millions of years before 1990 is the "road less traveled."

Or is it?

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Perception management is a real industry that affects everyone in every aspect of our lives and our horses. In a spy thriller I'm reading, one man hires a perception management team to turn the world against Russia, causing everyone to purchase more weapons from his arms company while almost ending the world. It's scary stuff but relatable in the news today.

Can someone manipulate our perceptions of horse care for their advantage? Absolutely. The critical question to ask is, "How effective are your current horse care practices?" If the answer is a disappointing "They're not," it's crucial to reconsider your approach and critically evaluate who truly benefits from your methods. This process of critical evaluation is not just necessary, but it's empowering. It will engage you in thoughtful consideration of your horse care practices and a purpose and willingness to change them. However, effort is needed to distinguish good information from bad.

This podcast provides two relatable examples of perception management in horse care: Is 24-hour access to hay good, and should you feed processed foods? By listening to this, you can empower yourself to ask questions and build new strategies to improve your horse care practices. The knowledge you gain from doing so will give you a sense of control over your horse's well-being. I also provide a simple image to illustrate how life is fueled, with advice on managing food intake with energy output. This image of energy flow will help you focus on where change is needed: diet, exercise, or both.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website for learning about horses, horse barns, and farms. Its membership side allows horse owners to attend live meetings to ask questions and gain a deeper understanding of what they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message and spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. TheEquinePractice.com/appointment

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. For our swag, go to this link: (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/)

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

In South Dakota, the legislature is working on a bill making it legal for non-veterinarians to float horses' teeth by hand or with power and possibly using sedation. The same is happening in Oregon, with the addition of non-vets pregnancy-checking livestock. In Colorado, a mid-level veterinary practitioner has been established, helping fill the void where veterinarians are not filling the need.

Eleven new veterinary colleges are being developed in the US, yet there is a shortage of horse vets. This podcast looks at the situation from two very different points of view: the veterinarian's and the horse owner's.

• There is a decrease in the number of horse vets available for rural horse owners.
• The competency of the new vets is in question because the schools are becoming factories.
• There is a lack of mentors for these new vets.
• Most vets today lack the foundation of horsemanship and rely on sedation to account for the lack of these skills.
• Horse owners are unsure whether the task has been completed to an acceptable level.
• Horse owners are uncertain whether the care offered by the vet is required or not.
• Many rural vets are overworked or no longer make farm calls to reduce road time.

My conclusion is based on hearing these points and on my experience. Horse owners need to do things that attract vets to their areas. In other words, horse owners’ frustration with the current situation in veterinary care is driving any remaining vets away. A paradigm shift is needed from the horse owners to attract new veterinarians to rural areas. Here are some considerations:

• Prepare your horses for any visit through the training of the horses.
• Respect the veterinarian’s time by having the horses ready in the stall (halters on and presented to the vet with a lead). A clean and dry working environment is always good.
• Remember, the vet has driven through traffic with insane drivers and often over long distances, and usually has other visits scheduled.
• Veterinarians are people with families and a life away from the practice. They need time off, and this requires practices to hire several vets.
• Training a veterinarian is expensive – between $250,00 and $350,000 in America. Multiply this by the number of vets in a practice. Add the costs of transportation, equipment, maintenance, insurance, supplies, and support staff, and the price per person becomes very high. The cost of veterinary care is high, and if you cannot pay the vet, they will leave to find another opportunity, such as a small animal practice. Many never follow their ambitions of veterinary medicine but find more profitable work elsewhere.

To summarize, horse owners need to create a better opportunity and environment for people making a living working with horses to attract and keep more qualified people. Unfortunately, the veterinary colleges have focused on stamping out small animal veterinarians, offering little mentorship in the foundation of horsemanship. The lack of quality mentorship outside the universities in the horsemanship world worsens things. The publications, products, and advertising are included, driving horse owners to offer inflammatory foods that create ill, lame, and misbehaving horses. Without a significant shift in horse care, the future of people owning horses, at least in countries where they are recreational, is dire.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website for learning about horses, horse barns, and farms. Its membership side allows horse owners to attend live meetings to ask questions and gain a deeper understanding of what they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message and spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. TheEquinePractice.com/appointment

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. For our swag, go to this link: (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I have a special message at the end of this podcast, but the essence of it is this - I am thankful for each person who takes the time to listen to my podcast and then share it with others. Together, we all will Help Horses Thrive In A Human World!

I ran across a brief article filled with so much misinformation about dentistry in horses and its relationship to their nutrition that I had to pick it apart. Join me on this quick rant about science (or the lack thereof) and the efforts of its findings to mislead horse owners about their horses' care. I then added the dental report that came with a horse I saw today. The bottom line is this: Floating teeth is all about removing oral pain from horses, nothing more.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website for learning about horses, horse barns, and farms. Its membership side allows horse owners to attend live meetings to ask questions and gain a deeper understanding of what they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message and spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. TheEquinePractice.com/appointment

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Entropy describes the Second Law of Thermodynamics (one of the only three laws that forces everything on Earth to respond the way things do). Entropy means the natural and required decrease in energy, moving organized things into disorganized ones, eventually ending in complete uniform chaos with all things becoming the same.

Here are the Merriam-Webster definitions: 

: a measure of the unavailable energy in a closed thermodynamic system that is also usually considered to be a measure of the system's disorder, that is a property of the system's state, and that varies directly with any reversible change in heat in the system and inversely with the temperature of the system;

: the degree of disorder or uncertainty in a system;

: the degradation of the matter and energy in the universe to an ultimate state of inert uniformity;

: a process of degradation or running down or a trend to disorder."

An example of entropy in our world of horses is when your farrier heats a horseshoe to red hot and leaves this hot shoe on the anvil. Eventually, the shoe will have the exact temperature of the surrounding air. But how does entropy affect our horses?

To live and maintain the organized form we see as the world around us requires energy. Food moves through thousands of chemical reactions, becoming fuel and finally becoming stored energy in our "batteries." This stored energy then makes something happen within each of our cells. The result is the energy transformation into heat plus the action that uses the energy (ex, moving, breathing, heart beating, thinking, etc.). When this process stops, death occurs.

There is a middle point where there is still enough energy produced to live but not enough energy produced and stored to remain healthy. All diseases (ex, equine metabolic syndrome, Cushing's disease, etc.) and breakdowns of connective tissue (ex, suspensory ligaments) come from a lack of abundant energy within the cells and the lack of materials to build tissue. I will show you how and why in this episode.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Water is one of the necessary ingredients to maintain life. Every animal and plant on Earth knows this. Still, because of the familiarity, we often don't think much about remaining hydrated.

In this episode, I read an article from the August 2022 issue of "The Horse" that Purina sponsored. During the reading, I added my thoughts to broaden your understanding to ensure your horses remain hydrated throughout the year. I also add side notes about feeding salt, electrolytes, and protein that will be a review for some and new for other listeners.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

The Beatles played music from the 1950s through today, though two of the "Fab Four" are now dead. Their "invasion" of the United States occurred in 1963 when I was in 5th grade. While some of you listening to this have probably never heard of this iconic band, their music still plays around the world. Their song, "Here Comes The Sun," is one of the top songs, if not the #1 song, ever played by listeners. And at its roots is what is at the core of horsemanship.

I go a bit esoteric on this podcast, relating what all of you know as horsemanship to a song. Over the past several decades, adverbs added to modify the word "horsemanship" imply that you need to do something, be something, or join something to become a horseman. Of course, there is the gender issue, but I'll ignore that because "man," when used in "horseman," implies "human." So far, no one has wanted to create the word "huher," as in horsehership.

But I wanted to make this podcast when I worked on several horses last weekend regarded by their owners as "unpredictable," "bad actors," and generally horses that caused anxiousness in these seasoned owners. After successfully making them willing partners in the floating process, I decided to listen to music on the ride home. That is when I heard this song, and that is when I realized the secret to working successfully with horses that I have never seen before and having them become willing partners within a minute of starting.

________________________________

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website about horses, horse barns, and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site.

TheEquinePractice.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. TheEquinePractice.com/appointment

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag.

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Dr. Martin Goldstein is known as "Dr. Marty" and "The Dog Doc." He earned his veterinary degree from Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine in 1973, as I did in 1984. We walked the same halls and learned from the same professors. Yet Dr. Marty saw something wrong early in his career. The animals he treated with academic knowledge should have improved, but instead, they became sicker and died. 

Through a chance of fate, Dr. Marty discovered a book that started his journey to discover that we needed to stop treating diseases, as taught in our education, but treat the animal's immune system to improve its chance of fighting the disease.

Dr. Marty became a pioneer in "holistic medicine," "alternative medicine," and "integrative medicine." In 1977, he became certified by the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society, a modality not taught in our veterinary curriculum. He was one of the founding members of the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association.

He and his brother started Smith Ridge Veterinary Center in South Salem, NY, specializing in integrative medicine and complementary modalities for maintaining animal wellness and treating chronic and degenerative illnesses, especially cancer.

He has given seminars on alternative therapies nationwide and appeared on numerous regional and national radio and television programs, including the Oprah Winfrey Show, the Martha Stewart Show, and Good Morning America. For six years, he hosted his weekly program, "Ask Martha's Vet with Dr. Marty," on Martha Stewart's Sirius/XM satellite radio network. He is also the author of "The Nature of Animal Healing," published in 1999, and "The Spirit Of Animal Healing," Published in 2021. 

"The Dog Doc" is a 2019 movie directed by the same director as the movie "Buck" that takes you along with Dr. Marty as he uses integrative medicine in his daily life as a veterinarian. It gives insight into how he discovered the modalities he uses daily and compelling cases to familiarize you with what he does. It is excellent and worth the time to see. DogDocTheFilm (https://dogdocthefilm.com).

Dr. Marty® is his freeze-dried dog and cat food offerings, made with real meat, vegetables, and fruit. Our two Airedales love it and are thriving on it! There are also time-tested treats and supplements to help pets achieve maximum health by supporting their immune system and other health systems to oppose whatever may be causing their disease.

It was fun to start our friendship and to discover another like-minded veterinarian who was well ahead of his time, willing to go against the status quo, risk his veterinary license, vilified, yet true to his passion of helping the animals coming to him in last-ditch attempts for life. His love of helping patients and his purpose of bringing his message to everyone worldwide showed in every minute of this podcast.

Thank you, Dr. Marty, for inspiring me to do the same.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website about horses, horse barns, and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Published March 13, 2024

The First Law in my book, The Ten Irrefutable Laws Of Horsemanship, states, "A Horse Can Kill You." They are quicker and more muscular than humans, with clubs at the end of each limb. My original mentor, John Steiner, DVM, was killed by a horse while he was working on a stallion after his retirement. This week, two horses tried to add me to the list of fatalities caused by horses.

But they didn't. 

This podcast is about why they didn't, how I use the knowledge of the brain, and how both horses and humans think to connect and prevent a disaster. It might be refreshing, or it might be something you have heard before but need help understanding. Either way, it is how I have learned to connect with horses I've never seen before and, within 30 seconds, start floating their teeth without medication. What I do can be used today by you without any other gear. It is all in the way you think.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website for learning about horses, horse barns, and farms. Its membership side allows horse owners to attend live meetings to ask questions and gain a deeper understanding of what they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message and spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. TheEquinePractice.com/appointment

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Calcium (Ca) and Phosphorus (P) are two of the most plentiful minerals in your horse, required for bone structure, muscle function and hundreds of other metabolic processes. However, they compete for uptake in the digestive tract.

When there is more phosphorus than calcium in the diet, calcium prevents phosphorus from being absorbed. Hence, the body extracts calcium from the bones to maintain its precise and critical level in the blood. Unfortunately, all grains are high in phosphorus and, when fed over time, cause calcium deficiencies.

Feed manufacturers add calcium and phosphorus in a ratio. This addition to all feeds makes the amount of Ca greater than P. But in doing so, they prevent the absorption of Magnesium (Mg), leading to low Mg blood levels resulting in hyperexcitability in horses. So it is NOT just the excess sugar or the lectins of grains that lead to horses being difficult or having bad behavior. The solution to behavioral issues in horses is to start by REMOVING GRAIN FROM THEIR DIET.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

This podcast is different from your average discussion about what to vaccinate your horses with. That would be a discussion with your veterinarian, who knows you and what diseases are in your area. However, to prepare you for that discussion, I will talk about immunology, vaccination and disease history, and false advertising by vaccine companies. 

You should NOT be anti-vaccines, but be aware that they are just one tool in your tool kit protecting your horses from disease. So, in a nutshell: vaccinate for diseases that can kill your horses, but for illnesses that will only make a healthy horse mildly sick, use all the tools in your prevention kit before adding these vaccines.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Every animal on the planet does sleep, including insects, birds, fish, aquatic mammals, you, me and our horses. Humans spend a third of their lives sleeping; in that time, we repair and strengthen our health systems. So do our horses, but little is known.

There seems to be an increase in "narcolepsy" in horses, which isn't the proper use in horses of this human disease. So now it is known as a "Sleep Disorder" in Horses (or something like that). But this podcast doesn't spend much time on this one problem that has been escalating over the years. So instead, Doc T talks about what happens when we sleep. From there, we look at what might happen to our horses when they sleep.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Kerry Hayes, a life and business leadership coach, is here with us today. She harnesses the unique power of horses to catalyze personal growth and confidence. Even those with no prior knowledge of horses can embark on a transformative journey with Kerry. The results are not just magical, but also deeply revealing and life-changing.

Kerry generously shares a wealth of insights to help anyone working with horses foster stronger connections with their equine companions and those in their lives. This podcast is a valuable resource for anyone who feels stuck or out of sync with their horse, business, or life. And if you're ready to take the next step, you can go to Kerry's farm, where she can guide you through a session.

Kerry's website is: www.experiencingequine.com

The article she mentions about heart rate variability (HRV) is: https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/paij/vol1/iss1/5/

She also recommends this article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/shaheenajanjuhajivrajeurope/2024/03/29/unleashing-the-power-of-horses-for-leadership/

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website for learning about horses, horse barns, and farms. Its membership side allows horse owners to attend live meetings to ask questions and gain a deeper understanding of what they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message and spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. TheEquinePractice.com/appointment

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

I just finished half of an old book on feeding the horse written by a professor of nutrition. It is called "Horse Feeding And Nutrition" by Tony Cunha. First published in 1980, this was the second edition in 1991 - 30 years ago.

What was so striking to me were these several points:

• I know the people referenced as the scientists, researchers and students after each chapter.
• The information is what I learned when I attended vet school at Cornell - exactly.
• The author quickly points out the lack of scientifically proven information about feeding horses and that most of the data presented in the book is from pigs, chicks and ruminants.
• The feed companies took this information and ran with it creating most of the feeds and feeding information we have today.
• Most of the "new" research comes from feed and supplement companies, and this bias has harmed our horses since the writing of this book.

This textbook has strengthened my conviction that the food and how we feed our horses must change. Only research in humans has recently reworked its plan to fight back against the bias of food and drug companies. However, all of this has led only to more confusion. I don't want this for you, the horse owner. However, I needed to step back in the past to understand where we have all come from in our education. And like ghosts, the people in this book have reached me personally and given me insights on a level we would never see otherwise. Because of this, I will continue to honor their work but challenge it all the same.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

This podcast discusses two significant thoughts about equine veterinary medicine. The first is the breadth and scope of veterinary medicine, which is so much more than just horses. This is evidenced by my discussion of all the articles presented in this month's Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA). The second is that most new veterinary graduates are being trained for and applying to small animal medical practices.

Horse owners have two responsibilities: first, to prevent disease and lameness in their horses, and second, to nurture their relationship with their veterinarian.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website for learning about horses, horse barns, and farms. Its membership side allows horse owners to attend live meetings to ask questions and gain a deeper understanding of what they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message and spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. TheEquinePractice.com/appointment

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

The first six weeks of 2024 have the highs of positive comments about horse owners changing the way they care for their horses, with them seeing positive results, and the lows of horse owners on the point of frustration because they can't get the care they need. The lift I get from those who have found my information helpful is the fuel to keep me going. However, in the past seven days, several stories have come to me describing ineffective care, advice, and even outright inability to get anyone to visit a farm with a horse needing care.

My podcast examines what might be happening and where to assign the blame. If you are listening to this podcast, please look at the images in the show notes or listen to my description of the paintings.

You may be surprised at who I blame, so don't get upset if I mention you in the run-up to my conclusion. As always, thank you for listening or watching. If you want to be part of the solution, pass on this information.

above - Veterinary care for a horse in 1895

above - Veterinary care for a horse in 2005

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website for learning about horses, horse barns, and farms. Its membership side allows horse owners to attend live meetings to ask questions and gain a deeper understanding of what they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message and spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. TheEquinePractice.com/appointment

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Today's guest is Dr. Jenny Susser, a sport and performance psychologist from Ocala, FL. She "successfully applies her years of experience merging mind and body wellness with performance, helping people make a lasting and positive difference in their personal and professional lives."

Dr Jenny also loves horses and applies her training to horse owners and riders, helping her connect them to their horses, overcoming their blocks and helping them succeed at their desired level. This approach includes new riders to Olympic riders.

One question I always have for Dr. Jenny is how does the brain of the horse work. We only have a little information on this, but what we do know can be applied to how we interact with them. In this podcast, we cover some anatomy and poke around at what we feel is essential for everyone to think about when connecting with horses. Thank you for joining us!

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

James Belden, DVM, is a quiet horse vet who became a friend when I helped him find the Hertz car rental facility at Newark airport on a cold January day in 2006. From that serendipitous meeting, James became a mentor and kindred spirit. He is my colleague with more horse experience than I can imagine with all types of horses and veterinary cases.

James worked with horses on the farm as a boy and moved quickly through school, graduating from Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 1964. For over 31 years, he helped Thoroughbreds compete at the New York race tracks, working with some of the best and famous. He left the racing world and moved to South Florida, where he and his wife built Left Bank Equine, a farm for rehabilitating horses, and a thriving sport horse practice.

Today, at 83 years of age, Dr Belden is riding reining horses and specializing in "project horses." He took some time to sit with me to discuss a variety of subjects you all will find interesting. Whenever James and I meet on a farm, time stops as we talk endlessly about horses and veterinary medicine. Sharp as a tack and with deep knowledge over more years than most, he offers his thoughts on today's approach to horse care. He agreed to spend his time tonight as we would on any farm on any day. Our live audience had questions for him, and he gave his best thoughts based on a world of experience few other vets can match.

This discussion took place at a "Rounds With Doc T" meeting available to members of The Horse's Advocate (TheHorsesAdvocate.com). Attendees were able to ask questions throughout our time together. It's on this podcast for all to hear worldwide because Dr. Belden's knowledge is worth sharing with everyone.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website for learning about horses, horse barns, and farms. Its membership side allows horse owners to attend live meetings to ask questions and gain a deeper understanding of what they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message and spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. TheEquinePractice.com/appointment

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

This podcast is a special Rounds With Doc T with my friend and colleague, Dr James Belden. Usually, Rounds are for members of The Horse's Advocate, but as an annual Thanksgiving treat, it is available for everyone to watch or listen to.

Dr Belden graduated from Cornell's veterinary school in 1964. He has worked on horses in 30 countries, many Triple Crown winners in the Thoroughbred racing world, and many elite show horses in Wellington, FL. He has also competed with his reining horses. His knowledge comes from working on hundreds of thousands of horses in all sports categories.

Dr Belden tells stories of his work with horses, blending his experience into impactful ideas for all to use with their horses today. Practical advice sparkles throughout as he also answers questions from the audience. I hope you enjoy and learn from this veterinary treasure.

Timestamps:

• 0:53:14 - A question about equine sarcoid treatment.
• 0:58:59 - "What forgotten treatments or old timely treatments and remedies are as effective or maybe more effective than newer advanced treatments and pharmaceuticals and supplements used? What things do you wish people would do instead of spend money, and aggressively go after things that, you know, like when is ice better, for instance? And what are the simple things that still really, really work?"
• 1:08:22 - "Would you guys say that there's a difference in the growth or maturity rate between a filly and a colt?"
• 1:11:23 - "Do you see the difference in the maturity if you leave a male horse intact longer, say maybe 4 to 5 years old, or rather than cut them at a long yearling or a two-year-old, do they mature any differently?"
• 1:18:32 - "A pre-purchase exam. What were they like in the 60s, 70s, the 80s? And do you think they actually help buyers? Obviously, there's obvious things that you can find, like a blind horse, things like that. But yeah, people are looking for such subtle changes. What's your whole thought on this? Give us a little bit of history of pre-purchase exams and what you think of them now."
• 1:32:34 - "Any suggestions for non sweater?"

• **********

  TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website for learning about horses, horse barns, and farms. Its membership side allows horse owners to attend live meetings to ask questions and gain a deeper understanding of what they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message and spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

  HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. TheEquinePractice.com/appointment

  HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

  Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. For our swag, go to this link: (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

  Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

I want to give horse owners a different perspective on whether to feed their horses vitamins. Most discussions on this subject discuss what diseases are prevented by supplementing with which vitamin. I will not repeat this because 1) others have done this, and 2) there needs to be more good science behind their findings. Instead, I will tell you how vitamins work, if supplementation works, and the difference between vitamins from food, food sources, and chemicals like coal tar. 

Doing a thought experiment, I asked listeners if giving synthetic vitamins (and amino acids) can cause inflammation. I also ask if processed foods have more benefits to health than whole foods, identifying some unique situations where they may be indicated (soybean meal).

These are the linked articles mentioned in this podcast:

•  
• Vitamins and Minerals | NCCIH

• Vitamin | Definition, Types, & Facts | Britannica

• Vitamins: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia

• Vitamins and Minerals | The Nutrition Source | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

• Dietary Supplements: Separating Fact from Fiction

• Natural vs. Synthetic Vitamins – Why It Matters | Dr. Berg

• Avoid this List of Synthetic Vitamins for Gut Health

• Synthetic vs Natural Nutrients: Does it Matter?

• 90% of Vitamins are Synthetic - Myersdetox.com

• All About Where Vitamin Supplements Come From - Precision Nutrition

• ‘Synthetic vs natural’: Start-up targets fortification category disruption with organic plant-derived nutrients

• Big Pharma or Family Owned - Who Makes the Vitamins You Take?

• The 10 Largest Vitamin Companies In The United States - Zippia
• Where Do Supplement Ingredients Come From, and Why Does it Matter? | Vitacost Blog

________________________________

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website about horses, horse barns, and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site.

TheEquinePractice.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. TheEquinePractice.com/appointment

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag.

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

There are two reasons for horses to become obese. The first reason is that they eat more calories daily than they use. The intake of calories is in the form of excess starch from hay and grains and excess fat from the digestion of cellulose in the hindgut.

The second reason is often misunderstood. There must be a demand for the fat stored in the body fat; otherwise, it will remain or even increase body fat. The demand is created when muscle cells are used to the point of exhaustion, which, in terms of metabolism, means the lactate and glycogen are nearly all consumed within the muscle cells. This exhaustion of glucose and lactate forces the cell to use the fat stored within the cell, thus creating a demand for replacement of cell fat from body fat stores.

Horses with limited exercise ability (lameness, age) should still be encouraged to move, but they will need less food. However, remember that calorie restriction signals the horse to maintain or increase body fat because it will believe there is little food available, so it needs to conserve energy. Increasing exercise allows for adequate calorie consumption due to its effect of lowering hunger.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website for learning about horses, horse barns, and farms. Its membership side allows horse owners to attend live meetings to ask questions and gain a deeper understanding of what they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message and spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. TheEquinePractice.com/appointment

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. For our swag, go to this link: (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Stephanie Brown-Beamer is a horse trainer on Long Island, NY, who discovered firsthand ten years ago that a properly fitted bit could resolve horse training problems. This experience motivated her to become trained in fitting a bit to the horse. No, it's not all about math and physics; it's about finding what bit suits the individual horse.

This podcast delves into how Stephanie assesses the horse under saddle, determines the rider's purpose and skill, and then uses her extensive knowledge of science and experience to match that horse to a perfect bit style, shape, and material so that the horse becomes comfortable with it. She also uses science to counter claims that all bits should be avoided; instead, she discusses how a bit can help frame horses to improve their performance while removing pain from improper bits.

From her website: "I strive to always share my in-depth knowledge of bits, bridles and the latest research with each rider with whom I connect, for the betterment of the horse. This is what you can always count on from me."

Stephanie’s website: horsebyhorse.com

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website for learning about horses, horse barns, and farms. Its membership side allows horse owners to attend live meetings to ask questions and gain a deeper understanding of what they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message and spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. TheEquinePractice.com/appointment

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. For our swag, go to this link: (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

This podcast is chapters four and five of my autobiography, Since The Days Of The Romans - My Journey Of Discovering A Life With Horses. Over the next few months, I'll record and put out all 18 chapters of my autobiography. I hope you enjoy hearing my story and find inspiration if you need help finding your journey.

May 2023 represents my 50th year working with horses. So how did I get here? What brought me from being a wandering young man to becoming an equine veterinarian?

In 2014, I wrote my autobiography to help others trying to find their way but having obstacles block their path. This recording is my story of finding my passion while overcoming my obstacles: a poor reader and student, a three-time college dropout, and good at everything but finding no spark to become proficient, discovering horses, my wife, and gaining entry into Cornell University and then Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine.

As homage to my half-century, I read my book, "Since The Days Of The Romans - My Journey of Discovering a Life with Horses," on this and future podcasts. But there's more! At the end of each chapter, I tell a "True And Incredible Story Of A Horse Vet." These tales are from my life as a veterinarian to break up my life's journey in the book from childhood to my graduation day from Cornell's Veterinary College.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

I talked with Bonny Barry of Equine Reflections (EquineReflections.org), a non-profit horse therapy center in Folsom, Louisiana. They offer these programs:

• Horses For Healing
• Professional Development Retreats
• Whoa to Bullying, Giddy Up To Kindness
• Horsemanship Empowerment
• Saddle Up for Success

Bonny's honesty about her journey into this field will move you whether or not you are a victim of abuse. Her stories of patients, unable to speak, connecting with the horses and then expressing thoughts locked up in their silent consciousness will shake you. Knowing that the horses used in her program are also from abuse magnifies the significance of her work.

The use of horses to connect with broken minds is well known. I use Bonny's stories to help listeners understand the effortless effectiveness of the special connection between horses and humans. It shows that communication is a two-way street. You are not here to help the horse; the horse is not here to help you. However, people and horses can heal by being in the moment with a horse and allowing for what follows.

Equine Reflections is one of many centers located throughout the world. All horse owners of every breed and sport are encouraged to get to know local therapy centers and support them through volunteering or financial support. Many operate on limited budgets, and maintaining horses, farms, barns and offices is expensive. Volunteers are always needed, and you can also attend fundraisers for therapy centers. Anything helps.

Below are links to several organizations to consider. 

• EAL Academy - ealacademy.com
• Arenas For Change - arenasforchange.com
• Horses For Mental Health - horsesformentalhealth.org
• Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association - eagala.com
• PATH International - pathintl.org
• HeartMath Institute - heartmath.org (search for "horse" or "equine")

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

I go over some of the recent articles in the magazines and news feeds for horse owners discussing 1) cavities in the cheek teeth of horses and 2) the inhalation of tooth dust from motorized dentistry tools.

I read the lay article and then the scientific journal where the information came from for the article writer. I then compare these two to see if there is any valid communication that the horse owner can take away and apply to their horses.

I present everything unbiasedly, but as most of you already know, there are a lot of potholes on the road to knowledge. I hope there is something in here that will help you navigate the road to Help Your Horses Thrive In A Human World ™

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Oils and fats seem to confuse a lot of horse owners, and because of this, terminology such as "Omega 3 oils" are used a lot but without understanding what they are. As a result, horses are fed a lot of oils with good intentions for their health. But does it?

This podcast reviews what fatty acids are: saturated, monounsaturated (MUFAs) and polyunsaturated (PUFAs) fatty acids (fat). It also goes over where horses get their fat out in the "wild." It is not fish or fish oils, flax or other seeds and seed oils. Once understood, horse owners will understand what to feed horses to get the fats they need to survive and thrive.

Hint: Horses are natural vegetarians, not omnivores like us or carnivores.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

It is a simple math problem, as easy as a homeowner’s budget. If more equine vets leave practices than there are coming into practices, there will be fewer to care for our horses. Just like the expression, there is more month than money.

The reasons fall into several groups. The first and most important reason is money. Small animal vets make about double what a horse vet makes. The second reason is time. This is divided into the time behind the wheel traveling to farms in rural areas and the time required for a few vets to cover the practice over 24 hours, seven days a week. The third group is defined by this generation’s work expectations, where life outside of work is expected.

This podcast only partially discusses all factors involved in the diminishing supply of equine veterinarians. It can’t. The AVMA and the AAEP are working tirelessly to correct the imbalance. The veterinary schools are doubling their annual output of veterinarians. However, it is essential to understand the horse owners’ effect on the equation. In basic terms, if our horses were less sick or lame, the need for horse vets would decrease. Veterinary organizations will never address this concept for obvious reasons. But here, at The Horse’s Advocate, I can look at this approach to resolving the problem. 

Getting your horse’s house in order is a concept that reduces illness and lameness in horses, making their lives better. It also lowers horse owners’ costs and loss of use of their investment. This is a win-win situation. As a result, the veterinarian’s workload is reduced, allowing them more free time. But there is a problem. Veterinarians’ expenses are increasing (education, medicine, equipment, labor) while the workload decreases (population of horses and owners willing to pay), driving up the cost of care. Adding to this is the combination of work sent to dentists, bodyworkers, chiropractors, acupuncturists, and other “para-veterinary” workers, which removes income opportunities for the equine vet.

Equine veterinarians are in a crisis with no single viable solution appearing. Vets want to do all the work on your horses within a 9 to 5 workday and have weekends off. Air conditioning, heating, and you bringing your horse to their clinic would be sweet. Horse owners making their horses healthier may be the best solution where all parties win.

My equine veterinary practice is limited to horses' teeth and oral cavity. Almost all of this practice focuses on removing the sharp enamel points that cause discomfort within the oral cavity. I have been doing this since 1983 and full-time since 1998.

This episode covers some frequently asked questions I often get asked as I meet horse owners. My answers are not based on scientific facts because there are no clear scientific facts in equine dentistry. Instead, I establish these answers on the more than 78,000 horses I have performed dentistry on. Technically this is called anecdotal evidence. I invite anyone, especially veterinarians, to discuss what I say here to help better understand what is happening inside horses' mouths.

These questions are a partial list of equine dentistry. The complete list of questions is at TheHorsesAdvocate.com and HorsemanshipDentistry.com. I also offer a course called The Essentials Of Equine Dentistry for horse owners to learn more about this fascinating aspect of horse care.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

The topic of using medications in equine dentistry is essential to understand and, more importantly, why they are often not used properly.

Welcome to Horse Talk with Doc T (Geoff Tucker, DVM). His tech team is just getting things set up. You are welcome to enjoy the content, but please be patient with us while we get things polished up. They may take this particular podcast may down and re-uploaded it as things finalize.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World is a tagline of two parts: Thrive and Human.

Horses thriving is open to interpretation, but as we look at our horses, we all see the difference between thriving and existing. We see this in ourselves. We all want to thrive, but life is usually about surviving.

The human world adds restrictions to the horse, often proclaiming to help horses thrive. But do they? Are they burdening their lives, driving them away from thriving, and eventually causing their premature demise? I discuss these ideas in this podcast.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Horses thriving is open to interpretation, but as we look at our horses, we all see the difference between thriving and existing. We see this in ourselves. Thriving is a goal we all want, but life usually is about surviving.

The human world adds restrictions to the horse, often proclaiming to help horses thrive. But do they? Are they adding a burden to their lives, driving them away from thriving and eventually causing their premature demise? I discuss these ideas in this podcast.

What is carbohydrate (sugar) dependency in horses, and how does it lead to chronic protein deficiency and insulin resistance? Every horse owner should try to understand this fundamental question to 1) feed horses correctly and 2) prevent most diseases in horses.

Welcome, to episode number 2! This series is now officially live, and new content will be coming regularly, be sure to subscribe! Also, check out the new look of The Horses Advocate at www.thehorsesadvocate.com for more podcasts, articles, and so much more from Doc T.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns, and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

May 2023 represents my 50th year working with horses. So how did I get here? What brought me from being a wandering young man to becoming an equine veterinarian?

In 2014, I wrote my autobiography to help others trying to find their way but having obstacles block their path. This recording is my story of finding my passion while overcoming my obstacles: a poor reader and student, a three-time college dropout, and good at everything but finding no spark to become proficient.

As homage to my half-century, I read my book, "Since The Days Of The Romans - My Journey of Discovering a Life with Horses," on this podcast. But there's more! At the end of each chapter, I tell a "True And Incredible Story Of A Horse Vet." These tales are from my life as a veterinarian to break up my life's journey in the book from childhood to my graduation day from Cornell's Veterinary College.

This podcast is the forward, the introduction, and chapter one. Over the next few months, I'll record and put out all 18 chapters of my autobiography. I hope you enjoy hearing my story and find inspiration if you need help finding your journey.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website about horses, horse barns, and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

The top line of horses is the muscles along the backbone from the withers to the rump. It is where the saddle or load goes onto the horse. It is an indicator of the overall athletic condition of the horse. It is often seen as a "poor" top line when the backbone (spine) is higher than the surrounding muscle.

My view of the top line is an early indicator of chronic protein self-absorption and chronic intake of high-quality dietary protein.

This podcast has a visual component as I use the whiteboard feature of the iPad. However, if you are listening, I use descriptive words to paint what I am saying. When you get a chance, visit my YouTube podcast channel, The Horse's Advocate. Or visit TheHorsesAdvocate.com. 

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

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-threatening for the mare, foal, or both. I discuss how and when to intervene and when you need to call your veterinarian.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website for learning about horses, horse barns, and farms. Its membership side allows horse owners to attend live meetings to ask questions and gain a deeper understanding of what they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message and spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. TheEquinePractice.com/appointment

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

PLEASE NOTE AN ERROR AT 32 minutes and 25 seconds: I said (and wrote) pyruvate, but I meant to say PROPIONATE as one of the short chain fatty acids.

Welcome to 2024! This year, I aim to break down all the details of what we feed our horses into bite-sized, easy-to-digest pieces of information. Based on feedback, when we get an overload of information, only parts stick in our memories and knowledge base. When challenges, either by ourselves or others asking questions about what we've learned, our memory fails.

This podcast is the first in a series that starts this process. I take one of the seven things placed inside the horse - sugar - and I define it and then discuss its relationship to the other things placed in the horse. Future podcasts will do the same for fats, proteins, minerals, and vitamins. Later, I will bring these concepts together and look at how they work in our horses (metabolism) both on the cell level and the whole body.

If I do this correctly, everyone will have the information to feed horses in a way that will help them thrive. But only some people need the details to think that what I say makes sense. They "get it" but may not be able to defend it. These podcasts will help those who want to spread the information to others, and this is as important as helping your horses because there are so many more horses out there waiting to hear this message.

Let me leave you with what my client said yesterday, after switching over to a no-grain diet plus soybean meal eight months ago, "all of my horses are happier, fitter, healthier, coats are beautiful, weights look consistently perfect, and the performance has been nothing but fantastic!" Let's get this message out to others. Thank you for watching or listening. Doc T

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website for learning about horses, horse barns, and farms. Its membership side allows horse owners to attend live meetings to ask questions and gain a deeper understanding of what they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message and spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. TheEquinePractice.com/appointment

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Three articles from the AVMA arrived in my inbox this week:

• Gap shrinks between new graduate, overall veterinary salaries

• Midlevel practitioner proposal secures enough votes in Colorado

• Federal appeals court reverses Texas VCPR ruling

These articles drove me to make this podcast, the third in a series, about horse veterinary care. It emphasizes the need to prevent illness and injuries.

In summary, new vet graduates' mean starting salary (adjusted for inflation) has steadily risen since 2000, while the income of established veterinarians (adjusted for inflation) has not. The educational debt to become a veterinarian has also risen, but the ratio between debt and income on average has fallen due to increasing salaries. However, after removing the 17% with no debt, the debt-to-income ratio is higher and less sustainable.

All veterinarians are young, with 8% older than 65. Thus, the pool of experienced veterinarians to mentor graduates is shrinking.

Colorado approved the development of a midlevel practitioner to "fill the gap" between technician and veterinarian. Almost all veterinary organizations opposed this; however, the voters accepted this idea. Is this different from non-veterinarians already diagnosing and prescribing (dentists, farriers, bodyworkers)? Will this become available in other states? How will this affect the safety and cost of care for our horses?

Texas accused a retired veterinarian of offering advice to a patient via email without first establishing a VCPR (veterinary-client-patient relationship) in person. The federal court overturned the lower court's guilty decision, saying that offering advice by email without a VCPR is a right under the First Amendment of the US Constitution. How will veterinarians and state boards use this decision?

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website for learning about horses, horse barns, and farms. Its membership side allows horse owners to attend live meetings to ask questions and gain a deeper understanding of what they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message and spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. TheEquinePractice.com/appointment

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. For our swag, go to this link: (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

I attended a Zoom meeting hosted by the FVMA with the presenter Dr. Jane Manfredi of Michigan State. The title of her talk was "Quick On Their Feet: Endocrine Disease And The Equine Athlete." Unfortunately, I arrived a few minutes late. Still, this presentation was on equine metabolic syndrome (EMS), PPID/Cushing's Disease in horses, insulin resistance/dysregulation and other points.

I reviewed her presentation, discussing the good points, and, once again, disappointed in the lack of prominence in discussing diet; some of the information there needed updating with human investigations. She advised diagnosing early and getting the horse on an effective treatment based on lab work and flow diagrams. For this, Dr. Manfredi did an excellent job. 

What makes this podcast interesting is her association of EMS with joint pain in horses using data extrapolated from human studies. The association she made was good. She also mentions the importance of the proportions of bacteria living in the gut microbiome in having the horse be thin, just right or obese. This relationship is in rats as well as humans.

Further, Dr. Manfredi includes her opinion and studies of using a blend of polyphenols (specifically resveratrol) with a mix of amino acids to reduce general and joint inflammation (osteoarthritis). What made this point so strong for me was a podcast I had listened to the day before where a legend in the field of human functional medicine had also said how effective adding the polyphenols resveratrol and curcumin was in reducing inflammation. By the way, Wikipedia says there is no evidence of this effect with resveratrol. So there is more to discover.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Here are the lectures covered this day.

1) Relevance Impact of Common and Lesser Characterized Respiratory Viruses Associated With Upper Airway Disease. Nicola Pusterla, DVM. Identifying common viruses and separating them from the common bacterial infections of the upper airway is the main focus of this talk. Discussion includes Equine Herpes Virus 1&4, 2&5, Equine Influenza Virus, Equine Rhinitis Virus, and the bacteria Strep equi. Prevention is touched on.

2) Coronavirus In Horses: Any Reason To Panic? Nicola Pusterla, DVM. Whether horses can get or give Sars-CoV-2 from or to humans is discussed. The Equine Coronavirus, unlike Covid-19, affects the gastrointestinal tract. Should we worry about this?

3) Protozoal MuloWHAT? Updates You Must Know. Nicola Pusterla, DVM. Equine Protozoal Myelitis (EPM) is one of 3 protozoal diseases horses can be affected by. How they are differentiated and treated, and preventive measures are discussed.

4) Gait Deficits Associated To The Cervicothoracobrachial (CTB) Syndrome - Jean-Marie Denoix, DVM - This part of the spine includes the neck and vertebrae near the withers. It also includes the forearm area, specifically the innervation of the forelimb and the relative position of these nerves to the vertebra and the 1st rib.

5) Gait Deficits Associated To Thoracolumbar Conditions - Jean-Marie Denoix, DVM - This part of the spine is the collection of the vertebra between the front limbs and the hind limbs. He discusses Spondylosis and Kissing Spine.

6) Gait Deficits Associated To Sacroiliac Injuries - Jean-Marie Denoix, DVM - The discussion revolves around injuries to the pelvis and its connection to the spinal vertebra and the associated neurologic damage.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website for learning about horses, horse barns, and farms. Its membership side allows horse owners to attend live meetings to ask questions and gain a deeper understanding of what they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message and spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. TheEquinePractice.com/appointment

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Many people face difficulties in convincing horse professionals such as vets and farriers to consider alternative approaches to horses' health. These professionals tend to resist change, making it uncomfortable to persuade them to adopt new ideas.

I have recorded a podcast to discuss a book on horse health that was written over a hundred years ago in 1916. 

During the podcast, I read some paragraphs from the book and encouraged the listeners to question why certain diseases occur in horses. By taking a historical and worldwide perspective on horse health, we can gain a better understanding of how to prevent and limit disease and lameness.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website for learning about horses, horse barns, and farms. Its membership side allows horse owners to attend live meetings to ask questions and gain a deeper understanding of what they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message and spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. TheEquinePractice.com/appointment

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

After floating 75,000 horses since 1983, Doc T discusses the valuable observations he has observed.

Without funding for significant scientific studies involving a broad spectrum of horse breeds with significant participants (1000s) for extended periods (years), we only use observational studies to understand dentistry in horses. These have no randomized populations with a control group to verify the study results.

I discuss a variety of issues commonly asked by horse owners and veterinarians. In addition, I am specifically evaluating myths and theories of equine dentistry used by general horse owners and professionals. 

This podcast addresses a dozen or more ideas you have often wondered about horses' teeth, their care and why it matters. Be sure to visit TheHorsesAdvocate.com for more images and blogs about equine dentistry. While you are there, please become a member and join the discussion and ask your questions directly to me.

Doc T will take a break from floating to answer.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Horses are like humans in expressing themselves as blends of four basic personalities. When working with horses, we must understand that we cannot change them just like we cannot change another human. The only one we can change is ourselves.

Once we understand the personality of the horse we are working with, we can change our expression to match that of the horse we are working on. By keeping our energy lower than the horse, then leading with our lower level of energy matched to the horse's personality, you will magically bring results you thought impossible without adding medications to the horse.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

I attended three equine seminars, all with veterinarians discussing different matters: 

1) "How Horses Think" put on by Cornell University (not the vet school) 

2) "Laminitis Rounds" put on by the American Association of Equine Practitioners 

3) "Fiber intake, Fermentation and Dental Condition" put on by the European Equine Health and Nutrition Congress. 

I also listened to a podcast from Purina called "Myth-busters."

This podcast presents my summaries of these events. Frankly, I was disappointed, and I tell you why. 

In a world filled with misleading, agenda-driven, and siloed information, horse owners may become confused and need clarification about what they need to know. The experts in these presentations are real experts with credentials and strong beliefs. However, when I listen to their presentations, I come up with more unanswered questions than answers. 

But I do find some gems too. I will give you my thoughts as I continue to show all horse owners that there are many sides to a coin.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Houston We Have A Problem With Equine Veterinarians - #023 The Horse's Advocate Podcast

The equine veterinary profession is at a breaking point. There needs to be more incentive for developing new horse vets. The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) knows it and is assembling a task force to address this. Unfortunately, they are asking all but the people they should be asking - the horse owners themselves. Their efforts to discover the reasons are long overdue and are probably too late.

I have been writing about the certainty that horse owners, especially those in rural areas, would soon be out of options for finding expert veterinary care for their horses. There are three reasons:

1. The high cost of veterinary education with a low return on salary drives veterinarians from the equine industry who need help to repay their student loans. Small animal veterinarians earn more.
2. The generational changes desire a "quality of life" in a profession of equine service with high personal demands. Small animal veterinarians have more support staff and more free time.
3. The demand of horse owners, driven by agenda-driven companies for reactive veterinary care, diminishes the observance of proactive, preventive horse care. Fewer equine veterinarians in rural areas cause increased prices for services that owners are unwilling to pay; thus, the demand for rural equine veterinarians decreases.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Two factors drive food aggression in horses. 

The first factor is the foraging behavior created by converting fructose into uric acid. The purpose of fructose is to prepare horses for the upcoming winter. However, not only is it fed throughout the year, but the high-sugar foods being fed cause horses to make more fructose.

The second factor is stated in the protein leverage hypothesis, which says that humans (and all animals) will continue to look for food until they consume their daily amino acid requirements. Insufficient high-quality protein in horse diets drives horses to continue eating beyond their caloric needs.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website for learning about horses, horse barns, and farms. Its membership side allows horse owners to attend live meetings to ask questions and gain a deeper understanding of what they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message and spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. TheEquinePractice.com/appointment

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. For our swag, go to this link: (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Evolution defines the development of a species, such as the horse, throughout all time on Earth. However, the starting point may be adjusted to any moment we choose, for example, identifying a particular breed, when man domesticated horses, or when the first resemblance of a horse appeared. The time between the selected point and today is thousands to millions of years ago. More importantly, the rate of change is relatively constant.

Technology is the development or engineering of devices using science to build upon what is known to solve a need. However, while the length of time may also be thousands to millions of years, the rate of change is exponential. For example, a long time passed between having no wheel to its acceptance as a work-saving device. Then, a long time still before axles, brakes, and multiple wheels became common. Rapidly, other technology followed: roads, engines, safety restraints, and driving rules with speed detection devices.

As technology advances at an increasing pace, the evolution of the horse does not. This podcast reminds us that while we can do much with and for our horses, have they paced it through their evolutionary development?

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website about horses, horse barns, and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

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 many more cases of this disease.

I hold nothing back but often become speechless. After 41 years of working on horse teeth, I have some thoughts that need airing, and I do so here.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website for learning about horses, horse barns, and farms. Its membership side allows horse owners to attend live meetings to ask questions and gain a deeper understanding of what they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message and spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. TheEquinePractice.com/appointment

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) meets annually to offer continuing education for horse vets worldwide. They meet in a major American city every autumn (this year is in San Antonio, TX); however, they also offer a virtual meeting for practitioners who cannot attend. That appeals to me as November and December are my busiest months as my clients get ready for their show season.

Why do I attend this meeting? The answer is to collect my credits for maintaining my veterinary licenses. It is also my way of conveying to horse owners listening to this podcast an interpretation of the information my colleagues receive from the "experts." I listen to what is said, but I also listen to what they don't say.

In this episode, I review a recommended paper by the prime speaker of this conference called "Review of Considerations When Feeding the Equid with Insulin Dysregulation" by Dr. Pat Harris. An interesting report in which the author suggests six things horse owners can do for horses with ID (insulin dysregulation). I agree with some of the recommendations, especially when stating that owners should not feed "cereal grains" to horses with ID. However, I further believe not feeding grain to ANY horse PREVENTS ID. But what was not surprising to me was at the end of the paper, the author states that s/he works for Mars Petcare. This relationship means that the information is biased toward the company's interests. Also, there was no mention of protein, which I consider an essential factor in ID.

Thank you for listening and forwarding this to other horse owners.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

In 1979, I memorized the standard chart for aging the horse using the ware patterns of the teeth over time. The incisors were used rather than the cheek teeth because they were readily available by lifting the lips. The recorded features included the cups, dental star, and Galvayne's Groove. Horse owners and buyers used the chart for maybe a century, but in the 1980s, many equine dentists started to describe the incisors' bite. They noticed uneven wear patterns representing them as a smile, a frown, a diagonal, or a V-shape.

In 1983, I floated my first horse, and since, I have floated over 77,000 horses. I officially aged horses many times. I started to notice that if horses wore the incisors unevenly, the horse could be one age when viewed from the left side and another age when viewed from the right. The old aging chart needed fixing.

Several years ago, I asked owners with horses of verified age (papers or lip tattoos) to allow me to photograph the incisors. I imaged the left and right lateral, the straight-on, and the open mouth of the lower occlusal surface views. My goal within the project's time constraints was to get ten random horses of every age between 2 years and 30+ years. I could do this in most age groups, while I could only find one or two verified horses in other age groups. This podcast describes my findings.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Doc T discusses the portions of the brain responsible for the horses identifying danger, analyzing the threat, and then responding to the go/no go for launching into a fight or running from the area.

Understanding the separate locations within the brain and the connections between them helps identify where you, the horse owner or trainer, need to interject yourself to defuse a dangerous situation.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

This podcast reviews what kind of wounds occur in the horse, their particular characteristics, and how to make them heal with the best possible outcomes. In a nutshell, there are partial skin-thickness wounds and full-thickness wounds. Partial skin-thickness wounds can be bloody and will heal without much attention needed for their excellent outcomes.

Full-thickness wounds are either fresh or chronic. All can be declared infected, with the surgical incision made in a controlled environment an exception. How they heal can be divided into primary intention (suturing) and secondary intention (not sutured). The key to success is first to eliminate infections.

During the 2021 virtual AAEP meeting, a multi-part series of presentations on wounds in horses discussed biofilms, debridement and grafting. All of this needs to be understood by the horse owner as a quick action in fresh wounds or appropriate action in wounds discovered a day or more later will determine how successful the outcome will be.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

This podcast is the second time I have picked up a popular horse magazine, reviewed the articles and added my thoughts on the ones I selected. I received some positive comments the last time I did this and decided to do this again. After all, you are reading these magazines without any balancing views. It is like watching one station's newscast and then hearing the same story on another station with a completely different take on the same information. 

With your horse's health at stake, it is essential to understand that if a published article is in a scientific journal, you shouldn't think the information is accurate or not agenda-driven. But it is worse when a layperson writes an article about this scientific information using authoritative language and structure, publishing their views as accurate. While these authors try to remain neutral, they often miss the subtleties or omit alternative views.

I bring depth to each article, often with opposing ideas or interpretations. I try to be thought-provoking but constantly ask, "Is this in the best interest of you and your horses?" With a magazine filled with dozens of paying advertisers, how can the magazine stay impartial?

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Four decades of floating horses have filled me with experiences hard to gain from a textbook. In fact, in 1983, there was only one book on equine dentistry written by an equine dentist from New Jersey; however, other mentions in textbooks on horse care date back 100 years.

The questions often asked by horse owners about the care of the teeth in horses are the basis of this podcast. Using the guide of the questions in my blog, "Horse Dentistry - Frequently Asked Questions," I cover most topics in my daily travels to horse farms.

• Does my horse need dentistry?
• Why dentistry is an essential part of a veterinary practice.
• Expectations between the client and the vet or dentist.
• How often should dentistry be performed on horses?
• The purpose of floating teeth (basic dentistry).
• Are your horse's teeth floated well?
• Why should dentistry be performed on my horse?
• Why do I not use power equipment to float horses?

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website about horses, horse barns, and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

This podcast is chapters sixteen, seventeen, and eighteen of my autobiography, Since The Days Of The Romans - My Journey Of Discovering A Life With Horses. If you are new to this podcast, please go to podcast # 078 to start from the beginning of this book. This podcast is the final episode of the reading of this book. I hope you enjoy hearing my story and find inspiration if you need help finding your journey.

May 2023 represents my 50th year working with horses. So how did I get here? What brought me from being a wandering young man to becoming an equine veterinarian?

In 2014, I wrote my autobiography to help others trying to find their way but having obstacles block their path. This recording is my story of finding my passion while overcoming my obstacles: a poor reader and student, a three-time college dropout, and good at everything but finding no spark to become proficient, discovering horses, my wife, and gaining entry into Cornell University and then Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine.

As homage to my half-century, I read my book, "Since The Days Of The Romans - My Journey of Discovering a Life with Horses," on this and future podcasts. But there's more! At the end of each chapter, I tell a "True And Incredible Story Of A Horse Vet." These tales are from my life as a veterinarian to break up my life's journey in the book from childhood to my graduation day from Cornell's Veterinary College.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website about horses, horse barns, and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) held its annual meeting last month, offering a section on the current state of equine dentistry.

There were eight lectures and a panel discussion. I report here what they said in each lecture and then add my commentary and interpretations on how it applies to horses from an owner's perspective.

1. How to Perform a Thorough Oral Examination
2. How to Obtain Diagnostic Dental Radiographs
3. How to Recognize and Evaluate Periodontal Disease
4. Equipment and Treatment of Periodontal Disease
5. How to Recognize and Manage Age-Related Dental Problems in Geriatric Patients
6. How to Refer: What to Obtain, Gather, and Share for a Consultation or Referral
7. How to Perform Minimally Invasive Sinoscopy
8. How to Identify and Extract Blind Wolf Teeth
9. Panel Discussion

I am still trying to understand what they can now offer with detailed examinations (digital X-rays, CT scans, and Sinoscopy) that advance the health of horse teeth more than reasonable, regular and routine care. You be the judge.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

The annual Florida Association of Equine Practitioners meeting is in Palm Beach, FL this week. I review the topics to be covered, helping you see what the world of practicing equine veterinarians is discussing.

I also discuss the importance of the insulin-to-glucagon ratio in adding or removing body fat as a glimpse of the detailed discussion on the recent membership “Rounds With Doc T.”

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website for learning about horses, horse barns, and farms. Its membership side allows horse owners to attend live meetings to ask questions and gain a deeper understanding of what they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message and spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. TheEquinePractice.com/appointment

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

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 horses. In no particular order:

• Placing the horse's health is a primary focus of owning and training horses.

• Competing with horses should be fun, not an obsession with winning.

• Hard work and discipline are the only ways to succeed.

• Mastering the fundamentals is required before advancing.

• Become confident through mastering the basic skills.

• Sugar creates problems in horses, especially ponies.

• Keep things simple in training and caring for horses.

The following are his credentials:

• United States Huter Jumper Association (USHJA) Board of Directors

• USHJA Judges Committee Chairman

• USHJA Officials Education Committee Chairman

• USHJA Trainer's Committee Co-Chairman

• USHJA Trainer's Certification Committee Member

• American Hunter Jumper Foundation President and C0-Founder

He is an R-rated judge for the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF), judging for prestigious events, including the Pony Finals, the Pony Medal Finals, the National Horse Show (N.J.), and the Washington International Horse Show (D.C.).

The horses Geoff has trained have achieved remarkable success, winning championships at all the major horse shows. He has shared his knowledge through clinics and judged horse shows both domestically and internationally. Despite his achievements, he remains humble, a quality that is truly admirable.

Geoff is also the author of "Geoff Teall On Riding Hunters, Jumpers And Equitation: Develop A Winning Style."

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website for learning about horses, horse barns, and farms. Its membership side allows horse owners to attend live meetings to ask questions and gain a deeper understanding of what they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message and spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. TheEquinePractice.com/appointment

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Welcome to this crucial podcast, where I introduce a concept that is not just limited to humans but also affects animals: the ability to convert glucose into fructose within the body. This process is significant as it can have detrimental effects on cells, leading to a range of health and behavioral issues in animals, including horses. 

While the chronic metabolic effects of fructose may seem negative (obesity, cognitive decline, inflammation, decreased cell metabolism, and cell death), they serve a survival purpose for animals during times of food scarcity, such as winter. However, in today's world, where sweet-tasting foods rich in fructose are readily available to horses year-round, these effects can lead to serious health issues, including obesity, behavioral problems, illness, and lameness.

The goal of upcoming podcasts is to break up the information on fructose production and metabolism into small, digestible chunks so that all of you listening will quickly understand why fructose, fed or made year-round, causes many problems in our horses. Part 1 introduces the novel thought that horses can make fructose. In the upcoming episodes, I will delve deeper into how glucose becomes fructose, the triggers causing it, and how fructose metabolism lowers energy and drives the degradation of the body.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website for learning about horses, horse barns, and farms. Its membership side allows horse owners to attend live meetings to ask questions and gain a deeper understanding of what they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message and spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. TheEquinePractice.com/appointment

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

February 21, 2024

I floated my 80,000th horse this week since my first one in May 1983. I include horses I helped in training others and a low estimate of the numbers I did from 1983 to 1997. So, if you want to be picky, you can reduce this to about 65,000 horses.

But this podcast isn't about me and the enormous amount of horses I've seen for dental care. It is, instead, a call for help for the profession to start listening to horse owners who want their horses treated with respect and themselves fairly. They want dental care for their horses based on evidence, on one hand, and on the other hand, what is in the best interest of their horses.

There will never be randomized, controlled studies with enough horses and without bias done over long enough periods to answer, with a reasonable degree of specificity, the questions asked by horse owners: is what we do necessary and not harmful?

We do, however, have anecdotal evidence that has accumulated over a long time with many horses: 80,000 horses in 41 years. The purpose of this podcast is to say that while there is no proof of the causation of specific dental conditions in horses, abundant observations show strong correlations. With the AVMA pronouncing February as Pet Dental Month, horses (and all farm animals) are not mentioned. This absence is not encouraging.

Many horse owners want an alternative to what their veterinarian offers for the dentistry of their horses. I worry that the horses will go with no dentistry if they decline the advanced dentistry techniques of the veterinarians, who cannot offer both styles. This decision may not be an issue with the declining number of veterinarians electing to work with horses.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website for learning about horses, horse barns, and farms. Its membership side allows horse owners to attend live meetings to ask questions and gain a deeper understanding of what they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message and spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. TheEquinePractice.com/appointment

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Do you know what is in your feed bad? And if you do, do you know why?

Millions of grain scoops are fed to our horses every day around the world, yet when I ask horse owners what they are feeding their horses, I usually get blank looks. I grab a feed tag from any bag in the feed room and start reading the first ingredient to the 5th, 8th, or 10th, but usually, within a quick time, my point is made. Feed companies are dumping their waste products into the horse feed expecting great results in the fed horses. 

So it is more than just feeding good, whole grain to horses—much more. Inflammation in the gut lining is the root cause of many problems today in our horses. Grain by-products have consequences, yet they are fed daily under the assumption that feed companies are doing their best for our horses. As bad as these inflammatory ingredients are, there are other factors.

In this podcast, I tell a story of a barn worker who tries the no-grain approach with added soybean meal getting fantastic results, only to be ordered by the manager, six months into the improvement program, to return to the way things were. He must add back large amounts of daily grain and remove all soybean meal. This order is despite the manager's observation that the retired horses in this barn look better than the competition horses under her care. Now human jealousy is added to the complexities of feeding horses. At this rate, our horses will fall apart long before they reach their peak of life.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

All things in life experience an ebb and flow, much like the seasons, the loss of leaves of the oak tree, the tides or the birth and death of all living things. What is the challenge for all of us and our horses is not just having a long life but being healthy through that life. All living things go through a period of stress physically to help us remain healthy. This necessary stress triggers cell functions to clean up and repair damage.

The pieces are coming together in human and lab animal studies, so I assume in horses. Beliefs must change, though, to gain the healthy ebb and flow required for cell maintenance in our horses. This change becomes hard to do when we want to nurture our horses with continuous access to food. However, once the unfortunate reality of the damage that continuously feeding our horses causes them, it will become easier to adapt to the science of how we care for our horses.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

In this podcast, I discuss two diseases that affect horses: Kissing Spine, which involves the overriding spinous processes, and peripheral vestibular disease, which is discussed at about the 16 to 17-minute mark.

Kissing Spine is a relatively new condition discovered thanks to advancements in X-ray technology. The images show abnormal bone on and between the upright vertebrae spines. However, some veterinarians question the significance of finding these lesions on the X-ray of the thoracolumbar spines as the cause of pain in the horse. According to a new paper, lesions seen on X-rays may be developmental in young horses and not necessarily a result of weight placed on the horse's back.

Peripheral vestibular disease causes a head tilt, one drooping ear, one half-closed eyelid with an unconstricted pupil, and a nose drawn to one side. There are several potential causes, the most common being "idiopathic," which means the cause is unknown. Fortunately, advancements in diagnostic technology are providing more information to identify the underlying cause.

While advanced technology is critical to understanding equine health, it is essential to use it cautiously to avoid accepting visible differences as causal. Just because we observe them does not necessarily mean that they are problematic. Sometimes, we need to look elsewhere for the root cause of the issue.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website for learning about horses, horse barns, and farms. Its membership side allows horse owners to attend live meetings to ask questions and gain a deeper understanding of what they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message and spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. TheEquinePractice.com/appointment

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

This podcast covers three topics within the interest of dentistry in horses. EOTRH (Equine Odontoplastic Tooth Resorption and Hypercementosis), dentistry in donkeys at The Donkey Sanctuary in the UK, and the problems that can occur with cheek tooth extractions in horses.

Dentistry in horses is what I have done since 1983 and exclusively since 1998. I have drawn my own conclusions by studying the correlations of diet, age, surgery, and other factors on the teeth of horses. But in an era where we want evidence-based studies to prove causation, no randomized, controlled, double-blinded studies have come about in the field of oral health for horses. The section on EOTRH comes from finding an osteopath on Facebook who questioned the validity of removing all incisors affected by this disease. The other two sections are good-looking papers discussing the titled subjects but raise more questions while avoiding other reasonable points.

As usual, I discuss the ideas and observations honed from experience and question some of the authors' and FB posters' conclusions. This rebuttal is needed because well-done articles published in prestigious journals by sincere and experienced authors may erroneously persuade readers to accept the findings without question. Facebook posts often receive unwarranted validation just based on their online existence. Worse, this information may cause acts on horses (extraction of incisors, extraction of cheek teeth, not feeding enough protein) based on this information without a rebuttal argument to the conclusions stated, which is not in the horse's best interest.

More data is needed, which will never happen because of the cost of studying these problems with no return on the investment. All we have is experience and observations. We need an open conversation without fear of challenging rebuttal to find what is valid.

This podcast answers a question about the feeding of young, growing horses and their mothers sent to me by someone in Thoroughbred breeding and sales. Here is the question:

"I assume that your no-grain diet is only for mature non-pregnant, and non-lactating mares. I'm interested in trying to find a way to use less grain, but it seems impossible to raise Thoroughbreds to sell at auction. They would be midgets compared to all of the other horses. Do you have any feeding solutions which work for that situation? Also, pregnant and lactating Thoroughbred mares can't possibly get by with just hay and pasture unless there is some trick that I don't know about."

I discuss the six nutrients that every horse of all breeds, genders, and use requires for their stage in life, focusing on the three under our control; sugars, fats, and proteins. Next, I describe in a broad sense how each is important in the development of young horses as well as the maintenance of all older horses. Finally, I break down the simple formula to get the most out of your horse while aiming for a "health span" of long-term soundness of limbs and the mind.

However, the overarching factor is more than what and how you feed horses but the importance of the caregiver in observing and adjusting the mix for individual horses. The formula is protein + forage + (if necessary) cleaned oats, corn, or Coolstance (shredded coconut - I forgot to mention this in the podcast, but it works well for horses needing more body fat without the sugar load). The "trick" is to observe and adjust for each horse as an individual and as they grow and the seasons and their use change.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website about horses, horse barns, and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

My guest today is Dr. Denny French, a second-generation large animal veterinarian from the midwest United States. He was a professor at Louisiana State University (LSU) School of Veterinary Medicine for 30 years. In 2009, he migrated back to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Veterinary Medicine as a professor and head of the Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine. He presently is a co-owner of a private large animal practice.

I met Denny a few years back, sitting at a kitchen table at a mutual friend's home outside Shreveport, LA. I asked him how many students were graduating from his school that year. He said 119. I then asked him how many of those were good horse vets. He scrunched up his face and questioned me, "Good?" Then, with only a slight pause, he said, "I can say two. And with a lot of work, maybe another two." This statistic aligns with the current official 1.4% of all students in the United States becoming equine veterinarians. However, the worse news is that half of these will leave in the first five years of practice.

I have written about this equine veterinary shortage and made the podcast "Houston, We Have A Problem" (podcast #23). Unfortunately, this is a crisis for horse owners, especially in rural areas. Because of this, I wanted a different perspective from someone involved in academia and the selection process of future veterinarians. Dr. French offers his thoughts in this casual conversation.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

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 release PF4, one of many platelet factors. PF4 stimulates the brain's synapses in 4 hours, causing a profound increase in cognitive functions lasting for 19 days or more after administering it to mice and primates. The hope is that giving this protein will reduce or eliminate cognitive decline, dementia, and Alzheimer's disease in humans.

An even more exciting result is the reduction of "all-cause mortality" in mice and primates after raising the amounts of Klotho. Could this also be true in horses? The best way to increase Klotho is exercise, which causes a 30% increase. Feeding adequate amounts of high-quality protein may also help increase Klotho.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website for learning about horses, horse barns, and farms. Its membership side allows horse owners to attend live meetings to ask questions and gain a deeper understanding of what they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message and spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. TheEquinePractice.com/appointment

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Join me as I discuss what this tiny organ does to horses, my ideas as to why it often becomes broken, and why the term "Cushing's" is a hot button for Doc T.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website about horses, horse barns, and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Published March 6, 2024

Feeding grain and processed feeds and supplements are killing our horses, yet these companies continue advertising to horse owners in all the horse magazines. However, with the Spring 2024 issue of The Horse, I discovered there were no ads for these foods, except for three supplements. Why? Because this issue focuses on equine metabolic syndrome (EMS). How can they do this and simultaneously promote the cause of EMS?

They can't!

Kudos to this magazine for taking a stand. It is the start of Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World™, and I am grateful. I discuss the article and add other ideas that will interest all owners, including metabolic flexibility, a description of the batteries within all cells, and a brief discussion using physics to explain why athletic horses do not need an extra 200 pounds (about 100kg).

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website for learning about horses, horse barns, and farms. Its membership side allows horse owners to attend live meetings to ask questions and gain a deeper understanding of what they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message and spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. TheEquinePractice.com/appointment

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

How long ago is relative to how old we are. To a baby, yesterday seems so long ago. A 24-year-old may think they have "forever" before them, hoping the past stays in the past. As a 70-year-old, I believe that my "runway" is short, and I often reflect on the past, as I did last week attending my father-in-law's funeral.

Relative to me, one or two hundred years ago doesn't seem that long ago. My 50 years of working with horses give me many reference points; how they were cared for has dramatically changed. The opportunity to reflect came several times as I drove home through the massive humanity of the Bronx, NY, the rural mountains of Virginia, and the reconnection with a client who told me her experiences as a child living with limited resources in the woods outside San Francisco.

This podcast is these thoughts put together in my attempt to tell all horse owners and caregivers to stop pushing our horses into the future. The past has worked well, and what we are doing with them today isn't.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website about horses, horse barns, and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome, or EGUS, is being treated in more horses today than almost any other disease and is considered by horse owners to be "routine." The advent of visualizing the stomach lining using a fiber-optic endoscope is now available to nearly every horse owner through their local veterinarian. In addition, medicines are available to treat horses suffering from this condition, and they are effective.

Nutritional changes are a basis for improving horses' health. Still, few have associated a specific change in diet with concomitant use of prescribed medication to enhance the effectiveness of using the medicine alone.

In this podcast, I discuss a study where horses treated for EGUS with omeprazole (Prilosec in humans and GastroGuard in horses) alone or with porcine hydrolyzed collagen. Adding the collagen protein had a local effect in reducing the number of gastric ulcers in the non-glandular portion of the stomach.

I add that the benefit of collagen is the amino acid glycine which is beneficial to maintaining all connective tissue, including the lining of the gastrointestinal tract. Preventing gastric ulcers (and ulcers in other parts of the gut) may be another benefit of adding a high-quality protein to horse diets.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

The frequency of floating a horse is variable and is related to the individual horse. We often think of prevention on a mechanical device, like how often you change the oil in a car's engine.

A horse is a living being and not a machine. The threshold of pain determines how frequently you need to float. In other words, how they perceive the sharp points against their cheeks and tongue. The hardness of the enamel and the number of chews in a day/month/year also determine how fast they become sharp.

Be sure to tune in to find out what other factors influence when is the right time to float. Hosted by Geoff Tucker, DVM (Doc T)

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website about horses, horse barns, and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

On October 13th, 2021, The American Association Of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) had a virtual meeting of 4 professionals caring for horses suffering from laminitis. This disease is a crippling and often life-ending painful affliction of horses' hooves. I attended to update myself with new information I could pass on to the listeners of this podcast.

Discussions revolved around the determinants of severity from diagnostic images. It involved high-resolution X-rays with specific measurements, venograms (images of the blood flow in the hoof), and even advanced imaging machines practitioners don't have access to (PET scans). In addition, they discussed the application of supportive therapeutic horseshoes and cushioned boots. They further discussed the benefits of cold therapy, shoeing angles and even deep digital tenotomy (cutting of the deep digital flexor tendon) and their relevance and effectiveness.

There were two mentions of nutrition. The first was a brief comment about the need to reduce insulin production. The second was an increased survival rate associated with a higher hoof growth rate. First, however, there needed to be a mention of how to do these in horses, which they never addressed.

I review how insulin is involved in response to nutrition as well as the role of protein in the development of hooves. Preventing laminitis is far better than curing it, and restoring the hoof to the original configuration after destroying the laminae is impossible. While these professional presenters are the ones to seek out when laminitis strikes, ALL practitioners (vets and farriers) would love the day they never see another case of laminitis. This podcast is about doing just that.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Shaming was a way for people in the past to look at those with excess body fat. However, excess body fat on people is now considered normal and accepted as a part of health and life. The same is happening with our horses. Today, most people want extra fat on their horses and consider this a sign of health. But is excess body fat healthy? Do we see excess body fat on healthy, thriving older people or horses?

The excess body fat represents the body's efficiency in storing excess calorie consumption for use later when calories (food) are unavailable. The mechanism for doing this is complex, but the efficiency comes from generations of improvement through genetics. However, what complicates this is the abundance of readily available food sources every day of the year. The consequence of this is the storage of excess fuel as body fat. Nevertheless, this confirms that everything is working perfectly for the future ice age several thousand years from now, when the thin horse will die sooner than the fat horse.

As long as there isn't an ice age, the thin horse will survive and thrive longer than the fat horse because the downside of excess body fat is the propensity for unsoundness and illness. Simply put, fat horses don't thrive while the food remains available. In this podcast, I review why reducing body fat and increasing protein intake is vital to Help Our Horses Thrive In A Human World™.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Over the past month, I have heard many great stories about how well the no-grain plus soybean meal diet works from my dentistry clients. However, they also tell me how difficult it can be to discuss it with others.

This episode explains why I have been absent for a few weeks. Sorry about that! Then I mistakenly said this would be a short and brief review of the basics of feeding horses. But like a runaway horse, I go from one essential point to another, attempting to tie together ALL the points.

So, stay calm with all the bits. Instead, take one or two things I say here and keep those parts handy the next time someone says, "What! Don't feed grain to horses? Then how will they survive???" Use the things you feel confident about and then send the bewildered person to this podcast or the website, TheHorsesAdvocate.com, for more information. I don't mind doing the heavy lifting, but I'm counting on all of you to get them here. 

I am grateful for all of you supporting this mission and Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World™. If you want to dig deeper, join The Horse's Advocate and take the nutrition course. Doc T

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

As horse owners, we have a right to protect and prevent injury and disease from happening to the horses under our care. However, owners are being blocked at every turn by caring people trying to improve our horses' lives. But can they do this while also being driven by an agenda?

The horse owner's manual that was supposed to come with every horse has many missing pieces - or maybe the manual never came with your horses. So instead, we ask professionals what to do, including veterinarians, farriers, feed stores, and others in the industry or our barns. Specialists, with a narrow field of offerings, only fix what is wrong. Still, they rarely advise on how to prevent the problems they are trying to heal from happening.

What if colic, laminitis, lameness and more were preventable? Owners and their horses would be happy, but many specialists would lose their authority. This podcast discusses this place horse owners find themselves in - between those good people who benefit by fixing and those who help by teaching prevention.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

I attended two meetings recently. One was about parasites in horses and was worth revisiting for a fresh perspective. The other was about liver disease in horses. 

While these sound beyond the routine needs of horse owners, many of you want to bridge your knowledge between you and your veterinarian. So I break down what they say and interpret it so you can converse with your veterinarian about these two critical issues. And when you hang around horses long enough, you will know someone who has experienced diseases related to these two areas.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

The temporomandibular joints connect the jaw (mandible) to the skull. It is the most active joint in the horse's body, moving on average 25,000 times daily - or 9 million chews per year. It has evolved over the evolution of the horse to be a very sturdy yet flexible joint.

Horse owners often define the TM joints as a condition rather than a joint. For example, "My horse has TMJ" describes a syndrome that may not involve the joint. Instead, the connective tissues may give rise to pain. But is this true? Could there be pain located elsewhere that is causing a secondary discomfort in the general area of these joints?

This podcast discusses my experience with tens of thousands of horses. It discusses what I have found in my observations, and I compare this to what others say about "TMJ" in horses.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

I attended a conference called the EquiSummit, produced by a major manufacturer of horse feed components and sponsored by the horse feed companies dedicated to supplying horses with feed and forage. Their representatives, along with equine nutritionists (consultants and professors) and veterinarians (industry employees and professors), discussed the following topics:

• A Horse Owner's Guide to Leaky Gut Syndrome
• Managing Stress Through Functional Nutrition
• Proper Forage Feeding
• Feeding the Senior Horse and Addressing "Inflammaging"
• Hindgut Health: Practical Considerations
• Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) vs. Equine Cushing's Disease (PPID)

I analyze the content and then give my opinions. Of course, any delivery from an agenda-driven source will have omissions and twists of truth, and this was no exception. So, I guide you through the conference sessions and summarize what they said.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) is a collection of factors and events within the horse affected by food, stress, and sleep. This podcast focuses on the fact that behind the top three causes of medical deaths in humans (atherosclerosis/cardiovascular disease, cancer, cognitive disorders) is a metabolic system not functioning to its full potential. Could a poor metabolic system also be causing health issues in horses? I believe it does.

In the last podcast (Part One), I overviewed the basics of the ingested materials (air, water, minerals, fats, sugars, and proteins) and what they do within the body. It covered the role of insulin, insulin resistance, and its relationship to metabolic syndrome. I also discussed the secondary diseases of EMS, including laminitis, muscle loss, and others.

In this podcast (Part Two), I narrow the discussion to fat storage and its' role in inflammation, mitochondrial flexibility to partition the fuels used in power production, the role of exercise in glucose uptake, and balancing the amount of calories in with calories used.

Correct metabolic functioning depends on balancing food consumed (as calories in) with using that food (as calories used). When this balance is heavy on the food eaten, metabolic syndrome follows with its associated illnesses, breakdowns, and early death. But if the balance goes the other way (excess work, stress, poor sleep, or absence of food), death will occur, too. Healthspan and longevity come from a perfect balance between the two.

________________________________

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website about horses, horse barns, and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site.

TheEquinePractice.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. TheEquinePractice.com/appointment

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag.

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

The Parachute Study was a parody published in a top medical journal to bring attention to the fact that there are few research papers published that we can believe. Couple this with the fact that retractions in medical journals are at an all-time high; humans and horse owners don't know anything but what they know based on their life.

Who do we believe? Where do we go to get information? It boils down to two things: 1) listen to your gut to determine if what you are listening to is reasonable, and 2) do what works for you and your horses. And if it isn't working, change something so it does work.

Ask yourself these two questions:

1. How is what you are doing working for your horses?
2. Who taught you about horses, and who taught them, and who taught them?

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

As a veterinarian, I have seen many horses with colic, and as a horse owner, I have experienced colic personally. But there is one thing for sure: we need to prevent it from happening in the first place. It is why The Horse's Advocate explains the harm of inflammatory diets in other podcasts and materials. Unfortunately, however, even with the best precautions, colic can still occur from other causes.

Last week I listened to a podcast from Platinum Performance which provided an overview of what colic is and what to look for if you ever have a horse suffering from abdominal pain (colic). The host did a reasonably good job, but in the end, it was a promotion for their colic protection plan offering up to $10,000 for surgery. The restrictions for this program seemed great in terms of cost versus other prevention programs.

I also attended last week a program from Cornell's Veterinary College on colic with the perspective of a veterinarian working up a colic case. The decision-making process is vast and includes a thorough knowledge of anatomy, statistics (age, use, diet, breed, etc.), lab tests, diagnostic tests and experience. It was a detailed and thorough trip through the mind of the attending vet before formulating a diagnosis and treatment plan. But, unfortunately, it was too much for a horse owner to follow.

This podcast splits the difference between these two presentations by providing what horse owners need to know about colic in simple and memorable terms:

1. Make colic preventable.
2. The severity of pain does not equal the severity of the colic.
3. Increasing the delay in diagnosing and treating causes a decrease in good outcomes.
4. A heart rate above 60 beats per minute is usually a surgical colic.
5. Pain unresponsive to pain medication is usually a surgical colic.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

I am on a path of revealing how science works and why it is a well-orchestrated drama to promote an agenda. I try not to be cynical or even blind. Still, in this age of slogans such as "Follow the science," I need to define not what science is (I did this in a members-only "Rounds With Doc T") but give examples from a popular magazine.

I read and then summarized each article in the Winter 2021 edition of Equus to give an alternate point of view. What I cover here also applies to videos, podcasts and social media rants. I describe the importance of reading who has sponsored the article and if an author is willing to take responsibility for what they write. Finally, I look at information and judge it for the value and honesty it brings.

There are some excellent articles, and some are so embarrassing in bias that it questions the validity of the good pieces. But in any event, I want listeners to understand that you MUST question everything you read, hear or watch and ask questions. One of the benchmarks for judging whether something I am reading is valid is to notice if I have more questions at the end than when I started.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Many horse owners associate weight loss in horses with dental issues. The most common sign of a dental problem is "Quidding" or the formation of a "Quid." When a horse chews food, material moves in an orchestrated relation between the teeth, jaw and tongue to move food from the front of the mouth back to the swallowing mechanism of the throat. However, when this food bolus is unacceptable for swallowing, the horse will spit the soggy, half-crushed material onto the ground; horse owners call this a "quid."

Will the horse lose condition (weight) because of this? I discuss the other reasons for weight loss, the most important being that losing body fat may be a sign of health after ruling out starvation. Simply put, a horse can lose body fat by taking in less sugar (glucose) than is needed daily to survive. Going through the mechanics of glucose use in the body, I not only touch upon horse health, but I correlate excess sugar with the health of humans. I propose a possible connection between laminitis and atherosclerosis/cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in humans.

I updated this podcast on July 8th due to an incomplete audio upload on July 6th. Thank you all for noticing and bringing it to my attention. Doc T

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

This podcast is the second part of a discussion I started in episode #030. I continue that discussion of relating the brain of the horse with the human brain as the recent discovery of 4 distinct centers of the mammalian brain described by Dr. Jill Bolte-Taylor in her book, "Whole Brain Living."

In the past, I had described these centers based on Hippocrates (about 400 BC) as Choleric, Melancholy, Sanguine and Phlegmatic. I have described these four primary personalities in my book, "The Ten Irrefutable Laws Of Horsemanship." I now associate these personalities with the four sections of the brain in anatomical locations: Left Brain Thinking (Character one), Left Brain Limbic or Emotional (Character two), Right Brain Limbic or Emotional (Character three) and Right Brain Thinking (Character four).

I hypothesize that humans today live within the left side of the brain, which is analytical and temporal (past and future, identity, judgmental), with poor or no connection to the right brain (connected to the present and the universe). On the other hand, the horse has access to all four brain sections. In other words, horses live in the moment while humans spend their time in the future with agenda-driven ideas and requests. Worse, humans ignore the present moment the horse is actively in, causing the horse to feel ignored. How would you feel if somebody ignored you, for example, while served at a restaurant?

I include a simple way to expand into the present moment and become honest, three-dimensional communicators with all horses, humans and everything in our lives. This mental practice is NOT hocus-pocus. It is how the brain's anatomy works, and I have used this approach daily for the past decade. It allows me to connect with horses in 30 seconds, not 30 minutes or 30 days and hand float thousands of horses while medicating only 3 in every 100 I see (3%). If you understand this natural connection, you will also be able to connect with the horses in your life more meaningfully. 

But it is YOU that has to change, not your horse. It's easy once you get the hang of it; it's addicting too.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Horse owners want to do the best for their horses either because of the significant investment in their purchase and training/showing or because they are guilty or worried that they are missing something important in their care. But the responsibility of providing care given by agenda-based products as the sole mentors cause lost wisdom, and the horse suffers.

The reaction is to continually add food and supplements, hoping that whatever might be missing is now covered. Yet holes in nutrition still occur. Worse, the veterinarians and other horse professionals seem unable (or unwilling) to help.

When I travel across this country, I see the same illnesses and lameness issues increase, and worse, I see new diseases that were not in the textbooks in the 1980s. So I have to ask this one question. "How is what we are doing helping our horses?

It's time to get back to the basics. That is what The Horse's Advocate is all about. Together we can all Help Horses Thrive In A Human World™.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website to learn about horses, horse barns and farms. There is a membership side of the website where horse owners can attend live meetings to ask questions and get a deeper understanding of things they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message, helping to spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. Make an appointment in FL.

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."

Stress comes in two parts: the immediate response from the adrenal glands with adrenaline and the longer-lasting response from the adrenals with cortisol. There are specific reasons all mammals (humans and horses) have these stress systems: life is stress-filled.

In the past, stress factors were much less frequent, so the body had a chance to "reset." Unfortunately, in today's world, the effect of continuous stress adds to the "set point," causing it to rise with the result that more cortisol circulates in the body. This higher level affects systems, causing increased appetite, body fat storage, and muscle degradation. Over time, obesity occurs along with equine metabolic syndrome (EMS), muscle wasting, lameness, hoof problems, immune suppression and autoimmune diseases, and other ailments commonly seen today.

**********

TheHorsesAdvocate.com is a website for learning about horses, horse barns, and farms. Its membership side allows horse owners to attend live meetings to ask questions and gain a deeper understanding of what they have learned on the site. Membership helps support this message and spread it to everyone worldwide working with horses.

HorsemanshipDentistry.com is a website that discusses how and why I perform equine dentistry without immobilization or the automatic use of drugs. I only accept new clients in Florida. TheEquinePractice.com/appointment

HorsemanshipDentistrySchool.com is a website for those interested in learning how to perform equine dentistry without drugs on 97% of horses. There are eight spots a year for interested students PLUS, there is a separate online course for those wanting to learn how to do this but can never get to South Florida for hands-on training.

Show support for The Horse's Advocate by wearing a hat or shirt or drinking from a cup, all with the official logo. Go to this link for our swag (https://the-horses-advocate.creator-spring.com/).

Please give a thumbs up or 5-star review and share these everywhere. I know horse owners worldwide listen, and the horses need every one of you in "Helping Horses Thrive In A Human World."