Ep. 090: Prevent Digestive Trouble - Why Consistency in Feeding Horses Matters

Episode Notes

***Complete our short survey by Tuesday, April 8, 2025 to be entered for a chance to win Standlee free product coupons and some fun Standlee swag – https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/btb2025podcast

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On this episode, co-hosts Dr. Tania Cubitt and Katy Starr discuss the importance of feeding horses consistently, including:

• How horses are impacted if the feeding schedule changes
• The risks of quickly or unexpectedly changing a horse’s diet
• The MAIN sign that an inconsistent diet is negatively affecting a horse's gut health

Consistency is key when it comes to feeding horses, from feeding schedule, to the position of how a horse eats, to the ingredients fed. A steady routine helps minimize digestive issues that can disrupt your horse’s health and your wallet. In this episode, we explore why consistency matters and how simple adjustments can prevent costly problems.

Have a topic idea or feedback to share? We want to connect with you! Email podcast@standlee.com

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Scientific references – 

• ~2:34 – The Effect of an Irregular Feeding Schedule on Equine Behavior - https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335680982_The_Effect_of_an_Irregular_Feeding_Schedule_on_Equine_Behavior
• ~5:21 – Ep. 034: Your Horse’s Digestive System – How It Works & How It Can Fail - https://www.standleeforage.com/podcast/episodes/ep-034-your-horses-digestion-system-how-it-works-how-it-can-fail/
• ~7:48 – Ep. 024: Why Horses Need to Be Fed Differently During Winter - https://www.standleeforage.com/podcast/episodes/ep-024-why-horses-need-to-be-fed-differently-during-winter/
• ~23:19 – Ep. 065: What Can Happen If Horses Don’t Drink Enough Water - https://www.standleeforage.com/podcast/episodes/ep-065-what-can-happen-if-horses-dont-drink-enough-water/

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*Views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the view of Standlee Premium Products, LLC.*

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Read full episode transcript

Katy Starr (00:01):

Hi, I'm Katy.

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (00:02):

And I'm Dr. Cubitt. We're going Beyond the Barn. Come join us on this journey as we bust equine and livestock nutrition myths, and interview some of the most intriguing experts in the country.

 

Katy Starr (00:15):

We'll go behind the scenes of how premium Western quality forage is grown and brought to your favorite farm and ranch retail store. We're so glad you're here!

 

Katy Starr (00:27):

Though we've had some breaks. It's hard to believe. We've had four years of the Beyond the Barn podcast. We've loved bringing you helpful nutrition tips and incredible stories from equine and livestock owners and experts who are making waves in the industry. And of course, we couldn't have done it without you. As a thank you for tuning in, sharing our podcast with your friends, and being part of this amazing community, we're giving away Standlee free-product coupons and some fun swag. For your chance to win, all you have to do is rate and review the Beyond the Barn podcast on Apple Podcast or Spotify, and fill out our short survey linked in the show notes. That's it! Thank you for being part of our journey, Dr. Cubitt and I truly couldn't do this without you. Welcome back to another episode of Beyond the Barn, Dr. Cubitt. Thanks for being here with us today.

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (01:23):

Thanks for having me.

 

Katy Starr (01:25):

Today we're going to be talking about the importance of a consistent diet for horses, and I think this is a really important management episode that we'll be discussing today. That'll be really helpful for our listeners.

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (01:41):

Absolutely. And we were just discussing backstage, this kind of has two prongs to it. Are we feeding consistently the same ingredients to our horses? And it's also about the scheduling at which we feed the horses. Is that consistent? And both things are really, really important.

 

Katy Starr (01:58):

Excellent. So, before we get started on today's topic, I just want to remind our listeners that any of the topics we cover on the Beyond the Barn podcast are more generalized and not specific to any individual horse or any specific situation. Be sure to always work with your veterinarian and nutritionist before making any drastic changes to your horses' feed program. Or you can reach out directly to us and talk with Dr. Cubitt or Dr. Duren on any specifics that you'd like to know. So, Dr. Cubitt, first of all, why is feeding horses on a consistent schedule so important for their digestive health and well-being?

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (02:35):

So, if we think about feeding on a consistent schedule and we're thinking about the timing that we're feeding, we're going out at 7:00 AM every morning and we're feeding at five o'clock every afternoon, that we want to keep that schedule very consistent so that it decreases the stress in horses. There's been several research studies that have actually looked at inconsistent timing of feeding and how that really elevates cortisol in horses, which is the marker we use to measure stress. So, you really want to find a time of the day that is convenient for yourselves and stick to it as best you possibly can.

 

Katy Starr (03:14):

Excellent. And can an irregular feeding routine contribute to problems like colic or gastric ulcers?

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (03:22):

Well, I would say that indirectly changing the timing. So, let's say you usually feed at six o'clock in the morning and then out of the blue you feed at seven and the next day you feed at nine and then you're back to feeding at 5:00 AM. That would increase stress load and indirectly could increase your risk of colic and gastric ulcers. But really, we worry about colic and gastric ulcers when we're not consistent with the feed ingredients that we're feeding. So, we're chopping and changing, not gradually introducing new hay types or new feed types. Or we feed a concentrate that it’s not got a fixed formula. So, when you look at the guaranteed analysis on the bag, it's got the same amount of protein every time I buy it. But maybe the ingredients that go into that product, that make up that protein, are different. So, both scenarios can increase your risk for colic and gastric ulcers, but I think changing the ingredients, not being consistent with the ingredients is more of a risk factor for colic and gastric ulcers.

 

Katy Starr (04:26):

If someone, let's say for whatever reason, missed a feeding and so, they're like later in the day, feed them extra. Is that something that could cause a problem?

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (04:36):

Yeah, I mean yourself, if you skipped lunch, you're definitely more hungry in the evening if you've been exercising. So, you want to eat a little bit more, you got to be careful. It's kind of a double-edged sword. Yes, you might feed them a little extra hay. I wouldn't be feeding them a bunch of extra grain concentrate, if that's something that's in their diet, I would probably lean on feeding them a little extra hay. But I would not go as far as saying, okay, I'm going to double the amount they're eating because they skipped the lunch meal or something.

 

Katy Starr (05:09):

Okay. And then how does a sudden change in feed or forage or hay affect a horse's digestive system?

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (05:19):

And maybe for those that want a little bit more information, we could attach to the show notes. I know we've done a webinar or a podcast on the digestive system of the horse and gone into more detail. But you know, start with the teeth down the esophagus into the stomach, which is small into the small intestine and then into what we call the hindgut of the horse, which is made up of the cecum, large colon and small colon. And that area is primarily a fermentation vat. So, there's trillions of different types of microorganisms, live living organisms, that live in the hindgut of the horse that breakdown fiber, primarily, but breakdown other food particles. And if you change the diet so you have a certain ratio of different types of bugs because you're feeding, let's say more of a hay-based or an alfalfa-based diet.

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (06:13):

But then you say, well I want to add in a commercial grain concentrate that's going to have a lot more sugars and starches and maybe even a lot more fat in the diet. You want to do that gradually because the microbial population is going to change. You have different workers that are going to be breaking down different types of food particles and you need to give them time to adjust. Typically, that window for full adjustment is about 21 days. We can get away with changing the diet over a seven to 10 to maybe even 14-day window. But that's where that, kind of, gradual adjustment comes from is because we're adjusting the living organisms that are living in the hindgut that help break down those food particles.

 

Katy Starr (06:55):

Excellent. On that note, what about if it's winter and the weather is forecasted to get cold or high winds or rain, sometimes we've heard that horse owners really like to, you know, make a warm mash here and there for their horse. So, what would you recommend for this situation?

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (07:16):

In this situation, ideally, you do not want to do something, because oftentimes when they want to do a warm mash, they're going to do it on Friday or a Sunday. They're doing it once a week. I'm just adding a mash or something. And that is not a good idea. Whatever you do in your horses feeding program, you really need to do it every day. Again, hardening back to those microbes, they don't like you to change anything. They want to eat the same thing every single day. What I do recommend when the weather gets cold, and again, we've got another podcast we've done about feeding in the winter and there is a number called the lower critical temperature, and below that number of the kind of external temperature outside certain horses won't be able to maintain their body temperature. So, for an adult horse with a thick hair coat, it's below 18 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (08:07):

If the temperature gets below that, what you're currently just feeding them to maintain them is not going to be enough for them to maintain their body temperature. So, we're going to have to use external things, whether we're putting them inside, whether we're using blankets, or adding additional calories so that they can maintain their body temperature. But again, I want you to be adding calories that their body's already used to. So, let's say you're feeding hay, we add an additional two pounds of hay, or you are already feeding beet pulp, and you want to feed more beet pulp, we add an additional couple of pounds of beet pulp or whatever the number is that associates with the decrease in temperature. But it always has to be something that your horse is already used to eating.

 

Katy Starr (08:52):

Right. And as good as the intentions are, I know it's always out of the goodness of the horse owner's heart to try to do that because they think it's something that their horse would really enjoy. If it's not consistent, the best thing you can do for them is just increase what they're already consuming.

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (09:08):

Absolutely. And I think it comes from, you know, human nutrition. We can add things and not get sick. So, I don't drink hot chocolate every day, but once in a blue moon, if I'm really cold I might have a hot chocolate. My stomach is not going to get upset, I'm not going to have to run to the bathroom. But horses are different, because they do rely on such a huge microbial population in their gut. It's very easy to get that microbial population out of balance.

 

Katy Starr (09:37):

Right, and what role does a steady fiber intake play in preventing conditions like hindgut acidosis in horses?

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (09:47):

Oh, that goes back to the microbes, right? There are microbes that create acids, like volatile fatty acids, and then there are microbes that digest those acids and we need to keep them in balance. And if you don't feed a consistent steady source of fiber, then the microbes that create acid, they might proliferate more than they should and then produce more acid and the other ones can't keep up. And now, we have this acidic environment in the gut and that then will lead to, maybe it's colic, or separation of the intestinal lining, we call that leaky gut. There's so many other things that will then kind of...

 

Katy Starr (10:24):

Stem off of that?

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (10:24):

It's a ripple effect from that.

 

Katy Starr (10:26):

Yeah.

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (10:26):

So, yeah. Steady, consistent, same fiber type. I know that we often like variety in our diet. You know, I don't want to eat broccoli and chicken and rice every night. I get bored with it. Horses don't get bored. They like consistency.

 

Katy Starr (10:43):

Yeah, and it's good for them. It's healthy for them. .

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (10:45):

Yes.

 

Katy Starr (10:46):

So, many horse owners rely on different feeds based on availability. And this kind of makes me think of someone who maybe might be buying their hay in bulk, like prior to the winter season, but let's say they run out of their supply. How can they maintain digestive consistency while adjusting to a new hay or feed? You know, maybe they go to their store and they're out of stock or they're just not able to get that same supply of hay from their hay supplier.

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (11:16):

Mm-hmm .

 

Katy Starr (11:16):

Because either the winter was a harder winter or maybe they just didn't account for the amount of days that they might need to be on hay.

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (11:23):

Well, I want to go back and I want to explain to people how they can set themselves up for success so that this is not a problem they have. So, there's a multitude of different reasons why we might not have enough long stem hay to get us through the winter. And I've kind of done some calculations and it's about five months of winter, or weather in which most horses are heavily reliant on fiber, whether we have the mud season or the fall and then the spring mud season and then the cold over the wintertime. And so, it's quite a lot of hay for an individual horse, long stem hay. So, maybe we can't afford it, maybe we don't have enough room to store it. Maybe we just can't source that much. This is a great situation where now we're going to add in what I call bagged forage options.

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (12:09):

Whether it's adding in some beet pulp, whether it's adding in some alfalfa pellets, whether it's adding in a packaged chopped forage. So, we're going to add that, and that is more consistently available. I'll just speak for Standlee for example, the distribution network of the Standlee products. There are very few places in the country where you can't pop down to your local store, your local farm and ranch store, and pick up a couple of bags of that pelleted, cubed, or chopped forage that is going to supplement your long stem forage and help you extend that throughout the winter. So, we don't have these times where we run out. Then, okay, if you did, oh wow! We just got to a whole corner of our haystack and it's moldy and I can't use that with my horse.

 

Katy Starr (12:59):

Right?!

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (12:59):

So, I now am having to rely more on the bagged products. Well it's okay, my horse's gut is already adjusted to it, so I'm just going to increase the amount. I'm decreasing the amount of long stem hay I am feeding every day, because a quarter of my stack has now been thrown out. But we are not getting that digestive upset because my horse was already used to the product that I can get more frequently. So, that's one scenario of why, even if you do have plenty of hay or plenty of availability or storage options, I like to add to use something like Standlee as a supplemental fiber source and I want them adjusted to it all the time. I want it to be in their diet all the time, even if it's only at five pounds a day. So, that then if the worst happens, they're already adjusted to it and I'm not really making a rapid feeding change, I can just increase the quantity.

 

Katy Starr (13:56):

That's a great example. And even then, if they're in a scenario where it's like running low, don't wait until you only have like a couple or a few bales left. Like, be aware that sometimes that takes a little bit of time. So, be keeping an eye on that.

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (14:13):

Yes.

 

Katy Starr (14:13):

And I think that'll help set you up better too. But yeah, that's such a great example. I don't think we've talked about before, so.

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (14:19):

We haven't talked about that, but it, kind of, came to me while we were talking.

 

Katy Starr (14:21):

That's a good idea! I was like, that could totally happen! Yeah, and so, what about hydration? How does hydration play a role in keeping a horse's diet consistent?

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (14:32):

Well, it doesn't necessarily. Hydration by wetting your forage or wetting the grain that you're feeding your horse doesn't necessarily, isn't necessarily a consistency thing. But keeping your horse hydrated, consistently hydrated, is absolutely critical. And we know that there are certain times of the year or certain events that might happen, like trailering your horse or going to a show where they hate the water, where you still want to try and maintain that hydration status. So, adding water to your feed or to your hay and getting them used to that, that is a way to maintain some consistent hydration. Even if, you know your horse is pretty picky with their water intake. So, you know, I have clients, obviously, that maybe go from the northeast and travel down to Florida and that is a long trip for horses. It's eight to 13 hours on a trailer, depending on where you're going from, and they don't make a lot of stops.

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (15:31):

So, I recommend that horses be, kind of, hyper-hydrated prior to. That you give them plenty of electrolytes, prior to, and that you give them plenty of forage so that it's going to act as a water-holding, kind of, capacity. It's like a water tank in their hindgut, holds that water. So, that's kind of a short-term scenario where we're, you know, on that trailer the horse might get a little bit dehydrated. So, we're kind of pre-gaming a little bit.

 

Katy Starr (15:59):

Yeah. Yeah.

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (15:59):

By giving them plenty of fiber. But then just long-term, we know in the wintertime, horses tend to drink a little less water. We've mentioned it before, that most people think about the summer for horses getting dehydrated. But it's mainly in the wintertime, actually, that horses get dehydrated and can get dehydrated.

 

Katy Starr (16:16):

We're not thinking about it.

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (16:17):

They're not thinking. Right.

 

Katy Starr (16:18):

No one would ever assume that you would get dehydrated in the winter. So, I just don't think it's on people's mind.

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (16:23):

And they can get dehydrated enough that then we run into issues like impaction colic where...

 

Katy Starr (16:28):

Right.

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (16:28):

You know, the forage is dry, the gut's dry, it gets stuck. So, yeah.

 

Katy Starr (16:32):

Yeah, yeah.

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (16:32):

So, consistently getting moisture into your horse's gut, whether they want to drink it or not.

 

Katy Starr (16:38):

Yeah.

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (16:38):

That's really important.

 

Katy Starr (16:40):

Well, and this kind of leads right into my next question, but what are some signs that an inconsistent diet is negatively affecting a horse's gut health?

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (16:51):

Poop! Change in poop. That is the first external sign, is your horse's poop changed. So, it's always kind of a joke in the horse industry that we look at so much poop and you know, also what is normal consistency of manure for your horse. Some horses, it's always just a little runny or maybe it's not quite as formed, or you know, when I take my horse to a show, he gets a little nervous, so the fecal balls aren't quite as solid or maybe they're really dry and they're kind of crumbling because they're dehydrated. So, know what is normal for your horse.

 

Katy Starr (17:29):

Right.

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (17:30):

And not just normal in a stress-free environment, but what is normal also when you go to a show or after they've had, potentially, medication or something. So, know what is normal for different scenarios and then the minute that changes, you know, oh okay, something's up. I'm going to keep monitoring this, and if it doesn't change itself back within a, you know, at least a couple of days, I'm calling the vet.

 

Katy Starr (17:55):

Right. That's great. Yep. Okay. So, the weather is starting to get nicer now, which means more people are going to be out riding. How can horse owners keep their feeding routines consistent when hauling? I mean, you kind of talked about if we're hauling from, you know, the winter, like states that might have more winter to summer if people are traveling that way.

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (18:18):

Mm-hmm . Mm-hmm .

 

Katy Starr (18:19):

But how can they keep their routines consistent when hauling horses for competitions or maybe a long trail ride?

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (18:26):

Mm-hmm . Mm-hmm . Yeah, I mean, definitely, hydration is the big thing. So, priming them, giving electrolytes, making sure they have plenty of hay in their belly. Some people will feed hay in the trailer. You know, there's kind of pros and cons for that. So, if it's yourself, maybe you are stopping and giving your horse water or hay. But again, it can be stressful. Some horses just won't eat or drink while you're trailering, depending on the length of the trailering. So, priming them before they go is a good thing. And then, depending on the length of time that you're going to be at said show, maybe you're just going for the weekend, you can take your own hay and grain concentrate so you don't have to make a rapid feeding change. But you know, my friends went for three weeks, and it wasn't convenient for them to take three week's worth of hay and grain, take enough that you can transition them.

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (19:19):

Maybe you know that you're going to be feeding more of an alfalfa-based diet at the show you're going to, so you can transition them at home. There's no reason why you can't do some of the transition at home. It's just setting yourself up for success, whether it be yourself, your horse, knowing the situation you're going to. That's part of you preparing successfully is you know the stabling, you know the route you're going to take, you know where you are going to stay. Also, know what feeds are going to be available, what hays are going to be available and planning ahead. Doing the best you can. Maybe adjusting them to some of those at home.

 

Katy Starr (19:56):

Well, and you made a good suggestion before when we were talking about potential situation for running out of hay, but if you have something like Standlee already a little bit in your diet, you take, you know, your supply of whatever for however many days. The nice thing is, is almost anywhere that you go in the United States, you'll be able to find Standlee in a farm and ranch retail store. And so, that, I mean just from a management perspective, I think is makes things so much more convenient and you don't have to be stressing and worrying about is my horse going to colic?

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (20:29):

Yep.

 

Katy Starr (20:29):

Because you know, a horse will colic if they have a very simple, easy opportunity to do so.

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (20:34):

Yes.

 

Katy Starr (20:34):

.

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (20:35):

And I think if you talk to a lot of our sponsored riders or ambassadors, that's one of the big draws to Standlee, is they understand that the fibrous portion of the diet is the largest portion of the diet.

 

Katy Starr (20:46):

Yeah.

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (20:47):

So, the ability to get the same consistent product in Vermont as in California, as in Florida, as Texas, as in Washington state, it's all always exactly the same.

 

Katy Starr (20:59):

Right. Excellent. And then, so for any of these that are, kind of, doing like more post competition, right? They've already gone through, I mean generally, probably, their exercise routine is pretty similar. But you're setting them into a completely different environment. They've been on a road trip, they go and compete. So, especially for some of those more likely intense exercise routines, what does the recovery look like for that horse to be able to keep them consistent in their feeding? As consistent as we can.

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (21:33):

I think it's just like setting them up for success beforehand. We want to make sure that... Recovery is stressful, whether it be from intense exercise or the trailer ride. People don't, kind of, realize that, actually, riding on a trailer is really, really energy demanding. And so, if your horse has been on a trailer for eight to 13 hours, it's a lot of exercise. So, planning enough time to give them rest periods, just straight up rest where they're getting plenty of fiber, getting plenty of water, that can really boost recovery. You just don't want to change too many things.

 

Katy Starr (22:08):

Keeping things as consistent as you can.

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (22:09):

Keeping things as consistent as possible, is really important with horses.

 

Katy Starr (22:12):

Right. Which is hard when you're doing some things like travel, but yeah.

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (22:17):

But there are things, like you can't control the weather, you can't control the show environment, whether it's loud or noisy or it's a small stall or whatever. You can't control any of those things. But the things that you can control to an extent, you can control their diet. You can, you know, control their moisture intake, whether it's, you know, your horse hates the water at anywhere new. So, you've done something as silly as putting some apple juice or some flavoring in the water at home. So, that when you go to the show, that's the flavor that they're, it masks whatever bad flavor might be in the water. You've already got them used to eating electrolytes, you've brought hay from home, you're transitioning them as we said, using a Standlee product because it's available everywhere. I mean there's so many things you can control that will hopefully outweigh some of the things, the stress involved and the negatives from the things you can't control.

 

Katy Starr (23:11):

Side note, we had one of our podcast listeners reach out, literally this week, mentioning they had listened to a past episode and I think it was the hydration episode. That we talked about, well where you talked about, you know, if need be, add some apple juice or something in there to kind of mask that water and so...

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (23:27):

Mm-hmm .

 

Katy Starr (23:28):

I just thought it was really timely that we are just now discussing this because they just appreciated that so much.

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (23:33):

Mm-hmm .

 

Katy Starr (23:34):

And so, that was a good comment. Dr. Cubitt, as we wrap this episode up, what would be some of your key takeaways that you would like to leave listeners with about the importance of having a consistent diet for horses?

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (23:47):

Yeah, consistency is key. Consistency of ingredients, of forage, of the concentrate portion of the diet. Keep it as consistent as possible but also don't forget about the way you feed your horse. The timing of how you feed your horse. The position in which you put the food that you feed the horse. It's all got to be consistent because modern day horses have so many stresses on them. We are trying the best we can to minimize those stresses by keeping the feed the same, keeping the fiber the same, keeping the time of day that we feed them the same. So, all of those things, consistency is really important. Don't fall into the trap thinking, well, you know, I don't want to eat the same thing every day. My horse is not going to want to eat the same thing every day. No. They want to eat the same thing every day and they want to eat it at the same time. Every. Single. Day.

 

Katy Starr (24:42):

Right. Well, inconsistency allows us to be proactive with our horses. When we talk about trying to reduce, you know, issues with our horses that could come up, you might have to call the veterinarian about things. These are things, like you said, the areas that we are able to control allows us to be proactive to hopefully minimize some of those calls that end up having to go to the veterinarian. Whether or not you can get your veterinarian out, especially if it's an emergency.

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (25:08):

Mm-hmm . Exactly.

 

Katy Starr (25:08):

So, it just makes, I think your life as a horse owner so much easier by being more proactive in the management for your horse. So.

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (25:15):

If I, kind of, put my science cap back on and go back to grad school and I think about when we put together a scientific project, we like to keep the things that we're not measuring, everything's got to be as consistent as possible.

 

Katy Starr (25:31):

Right! Right.

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (25:32):

So, if something goes wrong with your horse and we're trying to work out what it is, if everything else is consistent, it makes it easier to try and kind of sift through the, find the needle in the haystack, for example.

 

Katy Starr (25:47):

Right.

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (25:47):

Of what is wrong with your horse. When you have a really consistent management, feed, water, exercise, then the things that aren't consistent, okay. That's what we're going to say caused the problem. But if everything is inconsistent, I feed a different thing every day, I feed at a different time, I use a different supplement every day because, you know, I exercise differently every day. Then, it's really hard to, kind of...

 

Katy Starr (26:11):

So hard!

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (26:11):

...pinpoint what might have been the driving force for the problem that we're trying to, kind of, deduce.

 

Katy Starr (26:17):

Right. Excellent point. Dr. Cubitt, thanks so much for this great conversation. I want to invite our listeners, we are so excited that we're back with our new episodes in 2025. If you guys love the podcast, if you're enjoying these episodes, and you haven't had a chance yet to go and rate or review us on Apple or Spotify or wherever you're listening to us, please go and do so. Because I think that gives us the opportunity to continue doing these episodes, and Dr. Cubitt and I really love having this chance to converse about this. I mean, we've been working together for so long now and it's so enjoyable to have these conversations. because like we've talked about before, even for myself, I could have a conversation with you about some of these topics. And every time, if we go over that topic again, I learn something new, something new sticks a little bit better. And so, if it feels that way for you too, please rate and review our podcast, the Beyond the Barn podcast, because we love doing these and we want to keep putting new episodes out for you guys. Dr. Cubitt, we will talk to you next time.

 

Dr. Tania Cubitt (27:25):

Thank you.

 

Katy Starr (27:28):

Thanks for listening to the Beyond the Barn podcast by Standlee Forage. We'd love for you to share our podcast with your favorite people and subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or your favorite listening platform. Until next time, keep your cinch tight and don't forget to turn off the water.