UMN Equine Extension Program

Could your horse's feed, hay, or pasture be hiding toxins? 🎙️ Hear from four equine experts, including our own Dr. Krishona Martinson, on how to spot risks, respond quickly, and keep horses safe. Listen now! 🌿🐴⬇️

Danger in the Feed: The story of being your own detective. - Tack Box Talk In this episode, 4 equine specialists join us in a discussion of identifying toxins in feed, hay or pastures.  Experts from Minnesota (Dr. Krishona Martinson), Ohio (Janessa Hill and Emma Matcham) and Pennsylvania (Laura Beth-Kenney) share th...

Whether you're traveling between barns, visiting fairs, or attending shows this summer, healthy horses start with good biosecurity.

🧼 Keep it clean with personal hygiene.
-Wash your hands before and after caring for horses.
-Change into clean clothes and footwear before leaving your farm.
-Change into clean clothes and footwear again before caring for your horses when you return home.

These simple habits help reduce the risk of carrying germs between farms and events.

Biosecurity basics #horse #biosecurity #umnextension Wearing barn-specific clothing and washing your hands can help prev...

🐴💊 Did you know that pergolide treatment for horses with Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID) is only effective in 60–80% of cases?

Many horses receiving pergolide for PPID experience adverse effects that can limit proper treatment, and response rates can vary significantly.

The University of Minnesota Equine Genetics and Genomics Laboratory is currently investigating the genetic component that may influence pergolide response in horses with PPID.

If your horse meets the enrollment criteria, please consider learning more about their ongoing genetics study and enrolling.

💙 Help them help the horses you love!

🔗 Learn more here:
z.umn.edu/pergolidestudy

Harmful algal blooms (e.g., blue-green algae) can occur in lakes and ponds in the presence of excess nutrients, warmer temperatures, and calm weather. Exposure to these blooms such as drinking or swimming/wading can cause illness in humans and animals. Often contaminated water is green, smelly, and murky. The following tips can help you protect your horses.

💧 Always provide free access to fresh, clean water. Fence-off lakes, ponds, and creeks in your horse pastures.
🛡 Protect water sources on or near your farm by preventing nutrient runoff from manure and fertilizer.
❌ When traveling with horses, do not allow them access to potentially contaminated water sources.
⚠️ Be aware of and follow any issued health and water advisories.

Friday Funny! Hats off to a great weekend.

Thinking about adding chickens to your farm? 🐔 Whether you're managing horses, acreage, or a hobby farm, backyard flocks can be a great addition. However, they come with their own care and biosecurity considerations.

Join the University of Minnesota Student Organic Farm and UMN Extension for a *FREE* Chicken Care Workshop to learn practical tips for raising laying hens, including how to keep them safe and healthy while protecting yourself and others when working with poultry.

You'll also get to:
🌱 Tour the certified organic fruit and vegetable plots
🐓 See mobile chicken huts in action
🤝 Connect with other small farm and livestock owners

📅 August 11 | 4–6 p.m.
📍 UMN Student Organic Farm
Dudley Ave & Field Rd N, St. Paul, MN 55108

Registration is preferred, but walk-ins are welcome.

Register and find parking information: z.umn.edu/chickencareworkshop

🍒🌳 Chokecherry: A Toxic Tree to Horses

Cyanide present in the stems, leaves, and seeds of chokecherry make these trees toxic to horses. Wilting of forage (e.g., after a frost) or chewing of seeds and forage by horses releases cyanide. Horses are often found dead within minutes to an hour after eating chokecherry.

The best way to protect your horses is to remove chokecherries from pastures and fence lines, and avoid planting them around livestock areas. Other plants of the cherry genus (e.g., black cherry, cherry laurel) also contain varying levels of cyanide and should be kept out of horse areas.

Learn more about identifying chokecherry at:
extension.umn.edu/horse-pastures-and-facilities/chokecherry-lethal-plant-horses

🌾🔬 Interested in Having a Hay Analysis Done?

The University of Minnesota does not offer hay analyses to the public, but many private companies provide this service. A quick online search will bring up several options. If there are none in your local area, dry hay samples can easily be mailed anywhere in the U.S.

When choosing a lab, be sure they offer a nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) package and equine digestible energy analysis for the most useful results.

While a hay probe is best for collecting samples, grab samples can also work. The University of Minnesota does not have hay probes available for public use, but some Extension offices or local feed stores may.

For more guidance, check out these resources:
🌾 How to take a hay sample: z.umn.edu/haysampling
📄 Interpreting the results: z.umn.edu/hayanalysisresults

Taking a Hay Sample This video discusses why horse owners should analyze their hay and ...

🌙 When it's hot, why do warm nights matter so much?

Horses rely on cooler overnight temperatures to dissipate the heat they've accumulated throughout the day. When nighttime temperatures remain above 70 degrees F, especially with high humidity, they receive little relief.

Less overnight cooling means horses may start the next day carrying residual heat, making additional work, travel, or sun/heat exposure more challenging.

How can you support your horse on warm nights?
💧 Provide free access to fresh, clean water.
🚿 Hose off horses with a continuous flow of cool water to help dissipate heat and lower their body temperature.
💨 Increase airflow around horses with livestock-safe fans.
🐴 Avoid working horses when they have not had enough time to rest and recover from the heat.
🌡️ Monitor horses for signs of heat stress.

When the nights stay hot, recovery matters just as much as avoiding the daytime heat.

Learn more about caring for horses during hot weather at:
z.umn.edu/heatandhorses