Place Your Bets Equine - Equine Osteopathy

Happy September!

This month looks a little different for me. I will be helping the neighbours harvest so my schedule and booking availability will be limited to mornings and potentially rain and drying days.

As always I work to accommodate my clients so please comment or message me for booking days as soon as possible we can work to put appointments on the books.

Vermilion/ ElkPoint Sept 2

What do we think? Does it work?

I am close to boarding my plane to fly home from BC and wanted to thank each client that I have seen these last few days. The trip started in West Kelowna and ended in Chilliwack. Thank you for trusting me with your horses well being and your performance goals.

All invoices have been sent please check your inbox or junk folders.

HORSES DON’T HAVE PROTEIN NEEDS — THEY HAVE AMINO ACID NEEDS (Part 1 of 2)

Protein itself isn’t really the goal. What your horse’s body actually needs are the individual amino acids that protein is made of.

🦄ESSENTIAL vs. NON-ESSENTIAL
Essential amino acids can’t be made by the horse’s body in sufficient amounts, so they must come from the diet, think lysine, methionine, threonine, and the branched-chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, valine). Non-essential amino acids can be synthesized internally, so as long as overall protein and nitrogen intake is adequate, deficiency is rarely a concern for these.

✨WHAT IS A “LIMITING” AMINO ACID?
Protein synthesis only works if every amino acid needed for that protein is present at the same time like ingredients in a recipe. If one essential amino acid runs short, the body can only build as much protein as that one amino acid allows, no matter how much of everything else is available. That amino acid is called “limiting.”

Lysine is the only amino acid with an actual documented requirement in horses (per the National Research Council’s Nutrient Requirements of Horses) and is considered the first-limiting amino acid, especially in grass- and cereal-based diets, which tend to run low in it. Threonine is generally considered the second-limiting amino acid, and methionine is often named as a candidate for third, though the data on methionine are mixed, with some studies showing benefits, some none, and some even negative effects.

💪WHY DO THESE AMINO ACIDS MATTER?
Amino acids are the building blocks for essentially every protein structure in the horse’s body including muscle, hoof horn, hair coat, connective tissue, enzymes, even hormones. When lysine, threonine, or methionine are chronically short, research and clinical observation link this to reduced growth rate in young horses, poor muscle development or topline, dull coat, and weaker hoof quality because the body simply can’t finish building those proteins without the missing piece.

For more information or to have your horses diet evaluated send me a message.

Putting together a quick trip to west of Edmonton Wildwood/Mayerthorpe either or.

Comment or message if you’re interested. Sunday or early next week.

A few days ago, during an Osteopathic session with a client, we got talking about her horse’s feed program and supplements.

She listed everything her horse was receiving a ration-balanced complete feed, hay, pasture, and four different supplements.

I asked if I could do a little math.

The horse was costing approximately $7.50/day in bagged feed, supplements and hay.

When we looked at the actual nutritional intake, we also found significant overlap between products, and some vitamins — particularly A, D and K — were being supplied well beyond the recommended daily requirements.

During the Osteopathic session, I was feeling things that made me want to take a closer look at what was happening nutritionally. Sometimes what we see on the outside doesn’t tell the whole story. The horse was shiny, muscles and had great weight.

After balancing the ration removing supplements that weren’t actually needed, and eliminating unnecessary overlap, we were able to cut her monthly feed and supplement costs roughly in half.

The horse is still getting everything she needs to be nutritionally healthy and properly supported.

This is why I’m a big believer in feeding the horse in front of you — not the marketing on the supplement bag.

If you’re curious about your feeding program let’s chat and figure out exactly what your horse needs vs what you are feeding.

I had a cancellation tomorrow in Stettler. Space for 1-2 horses max mid-afternoon around 3:30-4pm. Please message or text to book.

I don’t normally schedule like this but due to large number of messages and requests I am going to throw this date out.

I will be in Ponoka tomorrow afternoon and willing to see 2-3 horses. Please comment or message me.

EPM is becoming more common in Canada. Migration of pest species, movement of horses across borders and an integrated Equine Industry.

Special Feature | Update: EPM in Horses Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) can cause devastating neurologic illness in horses. Here’s what veterinarians know about how to diagnose, treat, and prevent EPM, and where the research is headed.