Winter has come on strong here in much of North America, with some wild temperature swings. In winter, we rely more on hay for forage as pasture is unavailable. Hay and other dried forages have a lower water content compared to fresh pasture. In addition, extra hay is often provided to help a horse keep warm on cold days. More forage = more water needs! However, it is not uncommon for horses to drink less as temperatures drop. This week, we'll revisit some tips to help keep your horse hydrated in winter, and many of these tips are applicable all year as well. Some may sound familiar! The bottom line is that is is extremely important that a horse drinks sufficient water, especially in winter. Listen in for tips and reminders, and let us know if YOU have a good idea as well!

The study referenced in this episode:

Kristula and McDonnell, 1994. Drinking water temperature affects consumption of water during cold weather in ponies. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 41(3-4):155-160. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0168-1591(94)90020-5

This week I am joined by special guest, Dr. Katie Young, an equine nutritionist who consults for Kentucky Equine Research and who councils clients independently. Dr. Young has spend her career in the equine feed industry and is a wealth of experience an knowledge! This week, Dr. Young talks about Myofibrillar Myopathy (MFM) in horses. We'll discuss how it differs from polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM) (types 1 and 2), what to look for and how to support MFM from a dietary standpoint.

Horses with MFM may present with decreased performance or unwillingness to go forward. Dietary management is quite different from PSSM. Listen in to learn more!

*Cover Art Graphic from:

Koutakis, et al., 2015. Abnormal Accumulation of Desmin in Gastrocnemius Myofibers of Patients with Peripheral Artery Disease: Association with Altered Myofiber Morphology and Density, Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Impaired Limb Function. Journal of Histochemistry and Cytochemistry. DOI:10.1369/0022155415569348

Additional reading on MFM can be found at these links:

https://ker.com/nmdl/resources/mfm/

Valberg, et al., 2017. Clinical and histopathological features of myofibrillar myopathy in Warmblood horses. Equine Vet J.;49(6):739-745. Online at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28543538/

Dr. Stephanie Valberg herself explains the diagnostics of MFM:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdkNMUMhQvY

Welcome back to season 3 of Farm To Stable. It's the time of year here in North America when many equestrians are getting ready to head south to warmer climates for the winter. Dramatic change in environmental temperature from cold to hot can trigger or exasperate anhidrosis, a condition in which sweating is drastically reduced despite an increase in body temperature. So, how is anhidrosis managed? We'll talk about it in this episode.

Research References:

Johnson, E., et al. 2010. An epidemiologic study of anhidrosis in horses in Florida. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. 236(10). DOI: https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.236.10.1091

Marlin, et al. 1996. Acclimation of horses to high temperature and humidity. Equine Athlete. 9: 8-11.

Marlin, et al. 1996. Physiological responses in non-heat acclimated horses performing treadmill exercise in cool, hot, dry and hot humid condition. Equine Veterinary Journal (Suppl.) 22: 70-84.

Marlin, D. & Nankervis, K. 2002. Thermoregulation. In: Equine Exercise Physiology. Blackwell Science. Publishing. Oxford, UK.

Shmalberg, J and Xie, H. 2009. The clinical application of equine acupuncture. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science. 29(8): 645-652.

Cover photo: istockphoto.com