Equine Metabolic Syndrome and Insulin Resistance Are NOT the Same - The Horse's Advocate Podcast #170

Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) and Insulin Resistance (IR) are just words to most horse owners. We hear them, and we hope our horse doesn't "get them" attached to their health report. Even the veterinarians get a bit confused about how horses get started on the path of poor metabolic health. Expressions are created that lack meaning, such as "sugar is evil." If it were, why does it exist? So, I did some digging, surprising myself to find that what was taught to me in vet school over 40 years ago has recently been turned on its head! Here is one example: there is no such thing as lactic acidosis in muscles caused by anaerobic exercise (low oxygen). Insulin resistance is a normal, regulatory process that ensures our cells receive the right amount of fuel. In this podcast, I explain how understanding this can transform the way you feed your horses, improving their health and saving you money. Clear, science-based insights will help you cut through the confusion often found in barn conversations, magazines, and social media. We want the best for our horses, both in their health and in their performance. We are conditioned by marketing to believe we should add products to fix a problem, when that is rarely effective. For example, if your car's engine lacked power, you wouldn't add more fuel tanks to make it run better. Yet, that's what happens when different feeds and supplements are added to a horse's diet—it doesn't solve the problem and can worsen it. Listen to this podcast a few times and take notes, as I did to create it.   #horses #veterinary #horseteeth #horsecare Please join our FREE community here: The Horse's Advocate Community page For more information about dentistry for horses: Dr. Tucker's Dentistry Practice Information about The Horsemanship Dentistry School Follow us on Facebook Learn more at Instagram Geoff Tucker is a veterinarian and horseman who has worked with horses since 1973. He earned his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Cornell University in 1984. Over the years, Geoff went from mucking stalls as a farmhand to starting his own equine practice. This journey helped him learn how to blend medical care with good horsemanship