PODCAST · science
Conversations in Equine Science
by Nancy McLean
Kate Acton (from Ireland) and Nancy McLean (from the USA) discuss equine research projects and studies to help bridge the gap between the scientific community and the general community of horse owners, trainers and enthusiasts.
Episodes
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Game-Changer for Equine OA? 2.5% Polyacrylamide Hydrogel Shows Long-Lasting Relief
In this episode Nancy McLean reviews a Tnibar (2025) literature review with seven equine studies showing 2.5% polyacrylamide hydrogel (IPAAG) provides long‑lasting, biocompatible intra‑articular relief for osteoarthritis, often reducing or resolving lameness from one month up to 24 months in many...
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SGLT2i Therapy for Horses
This episode reviews cases of steroid-induced laminitis and examines recent research and owner-reported experiences using SGLT2 inhibitors (most commonly ertugliflozin) as an off-label treatment for equine metabolic syndrome and hyperinsulinemia-associated laminitis. An online survey of 342…
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Steroid Use and Insulin Dysregulation in Horses.
Updates on preliminary research findings on steroid use and insulin deregulation in horses.
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Do Horses Get Headaches?
This episode explores whether horses can experience headaches by examining cervical spine pain, common signs like head rubbing or altered carriage, and how musculoskeletal and nervous system issues contribute to discomfort. Nancy reviews diagnostic options, treatment and rehabilitation…
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Why My Gelding Chews the Reins: The Cortisol Connection
In this episode Nancy McLean answers listener emails about geldings that chew lead ropes and reins, she explains how cortisol and the HPA axis relate to stress-driven behaviors, and describes how consistent training, handler calmness, routines, turnout, and nutrition can help horses down-regulate...
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Get Back On: The Neuroscience of Remounting After a Fall
In this episode Nancy McLean explores a listener question about whether to remount after a fall, using Dr. Stephen Peters’ research and a review by McBride et al. to explain how equine learning, myelination, and long-term potentiation shape behavior. Nancy explains how automaticity, basal ganglia...
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The Equine Limbic System
The core of the equine brain’s emotional center, Nancy describes how the neurological processes of the limbic system take place. She also highlights the reward prediction error (RPE) and the impact it has on equine learning.
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Horse Brain Science - Part 3
This is a continuation of our study on Equine Neurology and Ethical Horse Training and Management.
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Inside the Horse Brain: How Equine Minds Think, Feel, and React
In this episode Nancy McLean explores Dr. Stephen Peters' book Horse Brain Science, comparing human and equine brain anatomy and function. She explains brain size and cortical folding, then walks through the four main lobes (frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital), the amygdala and hippocampus…
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Horse Brain Science: Rethinking Training with Neuroscience
This episode introduces equine neurobiology through the work of Dr. Stephen Peters, explaining core concepts like neurons, neurotransmitters, neuroplasticity, and how sensory processing affects learning and behavior. It shows how applying neuroscience can reduce stress, build trust, and improve...
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Equine Hoof Trim Research
In this episode Nancy talks about using a grinder for hoof trimming. Ida Hammer teaches online and in person Hoofcare classes. Check her website out at www.mackinawdells2.com
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Trust the Horse: Study Shows Horses Decide When to Wear Blankets
This episode reviews a 2019 study where 23 horses were trained to use symbols to indicate whether they wanted a blanket put on, left on, or removed. Researchers tested horse choices across a range of temperatures, wind, rain, and seasons to see how weather and individual factors influenced…
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Steroids and Insulin: The Hidden Trigger of Catastrophic Laminitis
In this episode Nancy McLean checks into recent equine herpes cases and focuses on new research linking corticosteroid (triamcinolone) joint injections to insulin spikes and severe laminitis. They review the case of Fiona, a competitive mare who developed fatal laminitis after sacroiliac...
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EHV-1 Outbreak Explained: Symptoms, Risks, and What Horse Owners Should Do
This episode breaks down the current EHV-1 (EHM) outbreak in the U.S., covering clinical signs, transmission, and incubation periods. Listeners will learn about vaccine limitations, why quarantine and low-stress management matter, and practical biosecurity measures—cleaning, disinfectants (70%...
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Knowing When to Let Go: Owners, Vets, and Pain in Aging Horses
Hosts Nancy McLean and Kate Acton discuss a 2025 study on how owner–veterinarian interactions affect recognition and management of pain in horses, using owners’ stories and vets’ perspectives to highlight subtle behavioral signs and practical decisions. The episode emphasizes the importance of...
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Episode 201 Part 2 of Identifying Effective States of Horses
Nancy and Kate conclude their discussion on the current research and the Flying Lead Change book by Kelly Wendorf. Sign up for the Kelly Wendorf clinic at the InStride episode page link.
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Identifying affective states of horses.
Nancy and Kate discuss identifying and measuring the emotional states of horses. Link to research: https://doi.org/10.1093/tas/txaf033 Book by Kelly Wendorf: Flying Lead Change. Instride Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-stride/id1602148957
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Unlocking the Secrets of Sarcopenia in Senior Horses
In this episode of Conversations in Equine Science, Kate and Nancy explore a compelling research paper titled "Retirement Risk Factors, Exercise Management, and Muscle Mass in U.S. Senior Horses" by Elisa Herbst. Published in May 2023, this paper dives into the intricacies of managing the health...
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Horseshoe effects on equine gait.
This episode Kate and Nancy discuss a scoping review of 46 research papers on the effects of horseshoe type on equine gait. Open Access Research Reference/Link: Aoun, R., Takawira, C., & Lopez, M. J. (2025). Horseshoe effects on equine gait-A systematic scoping review. Veterinary surgery : VS,...
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Equestrian Back pain and Stirrup Length Associations
This week Kate and Nancy discuss rider back pain and it's association with 3 different stirrup lengths and 2 rider positions. Research Reference: Keener, Michaela M.1; Critchley, Meghan L.1; Layer, Jacob S.1; Johnson, Evan C.1; Barrett, Steven F.2; Dai, Boyi1. The Effect of Stirrup Length on…
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Horses and the science of harmony.
This week Nancy and Kate discuss the new movie produced by Sue Dyson. Watch the movie at the link below. https://youtu.be/3ulkLHqHZ3g?si=Xla9VAal6ilL85sm
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Craniosacral Therapy for Horses
Nancy and Kate discuss a research paper on adjusting human craniosacral therapy to horses. Reference: Kanik, W.; Augustyn, J.; Tombarkiewicz, B. Adapting Craniosacral Therapy to Treat Horses. Acta Vet. Brno 2017, 86, 75–84. https://actavet.vfu.cz/media/pdf/actavet_2017086010075.pdf Article Link:...
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The Benefits of Human Habits on Equine Welfare
This week Kate and Nancy discuss the habit loop of cue-routine-reward and the benefits that horses derive from its formation. Research Reference/Link: White, J.; Sims, R. Improving Equine Welfare through Human Habit Formation. Animals 2021, 11, 2156. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11082156
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Can horses think ahead and plan strategically?
This week Nancy and Kate discuss a just published research paper on the complex cognitive abilities of horses. Research Reference: Louise Evans, Heather Cameron-Whytock, Carrie Ijichi, Whoa, No-Go: Evidence consistent with model-based strategy use in horses during an inhibitory task, Applied…
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Can ponies distinguish human facial expressions?
This week Nancy and Kate discuss this 2022 paper that demonstrates ponies are able to distinguish between facial expressions presented by a live human. Research Reference/Link: Merkies, Katrina, Yuliia Sudarenko, and Abigail J. Hodder. 2022. "Can Ponies (Equus Caballus) Distinguish Human Facial...
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The effects of cortisol on equine bone health.
In this episode Kater and Nancy discuss a recently published paper correlating consistent high cortisol levels in horses with lower osteocalcinin levels. Research Reference/Link: Ayodele BA, Pagel CN, Mackie EJ, Armour F, Yamada S, Zahra P, et al. Differences in bone turnover markers and injury...
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A review of 30 years of equine bone research and what we now know about making bones stronger..
This week Kate and Nancy review past research on Equine bone management. Research Reference/Link: Nielsen, Brian D. 2023. "A Review of Three Decades of Research Dedicated to Making Equine Bones Stronger: Implications for Horses and Humans" Animals 13, no. 5: 789....
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The science and benefits of training young horses.
This episode we are joined by Nikki, a listener with a research request. Nikki owns a 2 year old filly that she wants to work with now, in lieu, of waiting until her 4th/5th year. Nancy and Kate found some evidence based research that hopefully will help Nikki in her training decisions. Research...
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Women and Horses
This week Nancy talks about Lis Hartel's equestrian challenges and accomplishments. Lis was the first woman to earn a medal in the Equestrian Olympics. Link to the schedule for the 2024 Equestrian Olympic events: https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/schedule/equestrian
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Sleep and it’s role in peak performance.
This week Kate and Nancy discuss how important sleep is in equestrian performance and safety. References: Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse, MD (2024). Sleep can give athletes an edge over competitors − but few recognize how fundamental sleep is to performance. The Conversation, University of Pittsburgh....
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Fitness and Nutrition for Equestrians.
This week Nancy and Kate respond to a listener's email about limiting rider injuries and accidents by staying physically fit through diet and exercise protocols. Research References: Best, Russ, Jane M. Williams, and Jeni Pearce. (2023). "The Physiological Requirements of and Nutritional...
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Is Kinesiology Tape Effective?
This week Nancy and Kate discuss the results of a 2024 study on the effectiveness of Kinesiology tape on horses to reduce pain. Research reference: Melissa R. King, Hope Pavsek, Katherine L. Ellis, Jodie Daglish (2024). Effects of elastic therapeutic tape on thoracolumbar epaxial muscle pain in...
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Lexington; Sire of Sires (Part 2)
This week Nancy continues with the story of Lexington and his stallion career, the effects of the civil war and how his skeleton made the journey back to his birthplace of Kentucky 160 years after his birth. Reference: Wickens, Kim (2023). Lexington: The Extraordinary Life and Turbulent Times of...
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Lexington...Sires of Sires
This week Nancy goes back in history to talk about the antebellum era of racing and the impact the horse Lexington had on the nation during the turbulent pre-civil war days. Research References/Links: Wickens, Kim (2023). Lexington: The Extraordinary Life and Turbulent Times of America's…
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Highlighting relevant genes for equine behavior.
In this episode Nancy and Kate discuss a 2023 paper on equine genomics and behavior traits. Research reference/link: Holtby, A.R., Hall, T.J., McGivney, B.A., Han, H., Murphy, K.J., MacHugh, D.E. et al. (2023) Integrative genomics analysis highlights functionally relevant genes for equine...
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Interview with Christine Sanchez on the Equine Gut Biome
Today's episode is about the variability of the Equine Gut Biome. Christine Sanchez has been researching the importance of biome health in all horses. For more information contact Christine at [email protected] or Dr. Tom Schell @ secondvet.com
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Donkey Hide Legislation Update
This week Kate and Nancy revisit the Donkey Skin Trade (ejiao) crisis and the African Union Ban of February 2024. Research Reference/Link: Shan Su, Ewan A. Macdonald, Nico Arcilla, Maurice Beseng, Felipe Thomaz, David W. Macdonald (2023). Characterising the links between the trade in donkey skins...
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Interview with ”MadBarn” Owner/Founder Scott Cieslar
This episode Nancy and Kate interview Scott Cieslar owner of MadBarn. Madbarn is a nutrition, and supplement company that also fuels equine research. Listen in and check out the website @ https://madbarn.com/ (USA) or https://madbarn.ca/ (Canada).
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Emotion and Pain Recognition in Horses using Artificial Intelligence Applications.
This week Kate and Nancy discuss using smartphone apps to help in the recognition of emotions and pain in horses. Research Reference/Link Corujo, Luis A., Emily Kieson, Timo Schloesser, and Peter A. Gloor. (2021). "Emotion Recognition in Horses with Convolutional Neural Networks" Future Internet...
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Horse health research and how it is helping humans.
Nancy and Kate talk about Dr. Manfredi's equine metabolic research at Michigan State University. Reference/Link to article: Manfredi, J. (2023). Horse health research will help humans stay healthy, too, with insights on reining in diabetes and obesity, The Conversation; Michigan State University....
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Bell Mares...a look back in history.
This week Nancy takes a look at the use of Bell Mares during the 1800s up to WWII. Research References: L. Proops et al (2012).Social relations in a mixed group of mules, ponies and donkeys reflect differences in equid type, Behavioral Processes. Link:...
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Equine Assisted Services
This episode Kate and Nancy discuss a listeners' recently published research. This research is a 2024 update to our past episodes on Equine Assisted Therapy. Research Reference: Seery, Rita, and Deborah Wells. 2024. "An Exploratory Study into the Backgrounds and Perspectives of Equine-Assisted...
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The Impact of Weather on Equine Activity
This week Nancy and Kate discuss a listeners' email request via a recently published paper on the effects of weather on pastured horses. Research Reference and Link (not open access-snippets available.): Keller, G.A.; Nielsen, B.D.; Vergara-Hernandez, F.B.; Robison, C.I. Tracking the Impact of...
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Using the Equine Brief Pain Inventory (EBPI) to assess osteoarthritis in horses.
Kate and Nancy discuss using the EBPI to manage osteoarthritis in horses. References and Link: Howard DL, Lancaster B, de Grauw J. Development and Preliminary Validation of an Equine Brief Pain Inventory for Owner Assessment of Chronic Pain Due to Osteoarthritis in Horses. Animals. 2024…
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A look back at the equine flu epidemic of 1872
Nancy and Kate discuss the horses role in 1872 and how an equine flu epidemic shut down the US economy, but also led to improved horse welfare. Research Reference/Link: Freeberg, Ernest (2020). How a flu virus shut down the US economy in 1872 – by infecting horses. The Conversation US, Boston…
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Year End Review for Episodes of 2023
Nancy and Kate review their favorite episodes and then reveal the favorite episodes of the listeners. Welcome Everyone to 2024 - Season 5
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The Influence of Podcasting on Equine Welfare
Kate and Nancy discuss their recently published research paper on the preliminary results of their Conversations in Equine Science listener survey. Reference and Link: Acton, K., McLean, N. & MacKay, J.R.D. (2023) Preliminary evidence supporting the use of equine science podcasts to bridge the…
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Horses as teachers for human-robot interactions.
This week Nancy and Kate discuss how horses are once again helping humans navigate the new frontier of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Research Reference and Link: Eakta Jain and Christina Gardner-McCune. 2023. Horse as Teacher: How human-horse interaction informs human-robot interaction. In...
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What do rider’s want from an arena surface?
This week Nancy discusses two peer reviewed papers on how to assess arena surface safety and usefulness. Research References and Links: Holt, D., Northrop, A., Martin, J., Daggett, A. and Hobbs, S. (2014), What do Riders Want from an Arena Surface?. Equine Vet J, 46: 41-42....
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Kate Acton (from Ireland) and Nancy McLean (from the USA) discuss equine research projects and studies to help bridge the gap between the scientific community and the general community of horse owners, trainers and enthusiasts.
HOSTED BY
Nancy McLean
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Conversations in Equine Science have?
Conversations in Equine Science currently has 100 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Conversations in Equine Science about?
Kate Acton (from Ireland) and Nancy McLean (from the USA) discuss equine research projects and studies to help bridge the gap between the scientific community and the general community of horse owners, trainers and enthusiasts.
How often does Conversations in Equine Science release new episodes?
Conversations in Equine Science has 100 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Conversations in Equine Science?
You can listen to Conversations in Equine Science on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Conversations in Equine Science?
Conversations in Equine Science is created and hosted by Nancy McLean.
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