Equispeak by Monty Gwynne

05/31/2026

Well said

HOW THE INTERNET IS CHANGING AND WHAT THAT MEANS FOR HORSE OWNERS

For fear of sounding like a Boomer (sorry, Boomers, I'm Gen X), back in the day, around when this pic was taken, how I advertised my business was very different. I paid for magazine ads. I handed out pamphlets at vet clinics. I had booths at equine trade shows. I gave workshops, public demos, and presentations.

Things have shifted since then. Up until recently, in addition to word of mouth, I relied heavily on having a great website and SEO (search engine optimization) plus a smattering of social media posts, to help people find me online.

But the online world is evolving (devolving?) rapidly, and I'm honestly not sure how horse owners will be able to find good information and help anymore. I don't know about you, but my social media feeds are now full of AI generated slop, including that of business pages directed at unsuspecting horse owners.

Perhaps even more concerning, it seems that the days of Googling for help with your horse's behaviour problem are numbered. See, Google started off as a 'conduit' between a person searching, and the information that they sought. For example, if you searched 'horse behaviour help in my area' you would be shown relevant websites that might fit the bill. From there, a person could do their due diligence, and vet any prospective trainer. But the search engine giant recently changed how the search bar works. Instead of being the conduit between searcher and information, Google has now positioned itself as THE information source. If you type a search into the search bar, Google directly answers the question, heavily prioritizing its own AI summaries versus sending a searcher to traditional, organic websites. It's worth noting too that these AI generated summaries are a result of having scraped the content of websites, like mine, in order to try and provide the searcher with an answer that doesn't have them leave Google at all.

Small business owners like me are among those paying the price for this, for sure. I'm already watching this play out on my own site, with traffic from searches having dropped sharply since the change. But this doesn't just affect me or this industry. It affects any business or service provider whose customers used to find them through an online search. And it affects you too.

These AI summaries are stitched together from a range of unvetted sources, with no one checking whether the advice is harmful or helpful. When such slop is confidently presented as a solution, an owner may indeed go out and try addressing their horse's issue in ways that not only fail to resolve the problem, but which can make matters worse, or even get the owner, or horse, badly injured.

While things change in the horse world, they also stay very much the same. Ten or twenty years ago, I cautioned people to be wary of the promise of 'fast fixes' for behaviour problems, and trainers with no qualifications or relevant experience. Horse owners still need to contend with that, but also with this new AI-driven threat to their relationship with their horses.

So, what can you do if you need help with your horse? My advice from years past is still pretty relevant: seek out qualified, experienced professionals, and be wary of advice given freely online by a person, or a thing, that doesn't have all the needed information about you and your horse in order to offer you truly good advice.

I don't know what the online future holds for me as a small business owner. But if you need my help or would like to stay connected with me, don't rely on an algorithm to bring us together, come straight to the source: sign up for my newsletter or bookmark my site.

PS - There's a workaround in the comments, if you want to see actual, relevant websites in your searchers.

05/20/2026

A clinically important finding from a recent cabergoline PPID study was not simply ACTH suppression, but the consistent reduction in appetite following treatment.

Horses receiving intramuscular cabergoline demonstrated a transient but measurable reduction in appetite, most notably within the first 24–72 hours following administration. This reduction is appetite has also been commonly reported with pergolide therapy. While cabergoline effectively reduced plasma ACTH concentrations from a mean of 153.35 pg/mL to 24.1 pg/mL and maintained values within seasonally appropriate reference ranges, appetite suppression remained the most consistent adverse effect identified. Importantly, despite lower appetite scores, there was no statistically significant difference in bodyweight loss compared with controls, suggesting that the reduction in intake was generally short-term rather than associated with clinically significant weight loss.

This finding is highly relevant in clinical practice because appetite suppression in PPID horses should not be regarded as a minor or incidental side effect.

We reported similar findings in our study (Sundra et al, 2024) evaluating cabergoline use in horses with PPID, where transient inappetence was also the most commonly observed adverse effect. This consistency across studies reinforces that appetite suppression is one of the most important practical considerations when selecting and managing cabergoline therapy.

This becomes particularly important when considering concurrent administration of drugs like ertugliflozin (SGLT2 inhibitors).

From a clinical management perspective, initiating cabergoline and an SGLT2 inhibitor simultaneously is difficult to justify.

In reality, for anyone with even the most basic understanding of how these drugs work, it should be obvious that starting both ertugliflozin and cabergoline (or pergolide) at the same time should be avoided.

❗️This is not new information.

It has been widely discussed in the public domain for several years since ertugliflozin first began being used in horses.

Ertugliflozin requires consistent caloric intake, stable nutritional management, and careful monitoring of appetite and triglyceride status to minimise the risk of adverse effects, particularly hypertriglyceridaemia and excessive weight loss.

Furthermore, even starting cabergoline (or pergolide) in a horse receiving ertugliflozin, when transient appetite suppression is expected, creates an entirely predictable management problem.

Reduced intake during SGLT2 inhibitor initiation increases the risk of preventable complications, increases veterinary costs for owners, and most importantly, significantly compromises horse welfare.

👉 These are, more often than not, completely avoidable complications.

Careful case selection, timing of therapy introduction, correct dosing and close monitoring should part of routine endocrine management rather than being considered secondary concerns.
🤷‍♀️ Horse owners: you should be closely monitoring feed intake in your horses receiving these drugs. Report any changes in appetite to your veterinarian immediately.

✅ In many horses, appetite suppression associated with cabergoline or pergolide can likely be mitigated when managed by an experienced veterinarian who understands how to introduce these drugs safely.

Cabergoline is an unregistered medication in horses but may be a valuable alternative to pergolide in selected PPID cases. However, appetite suppression must be recognised as a clinically significant management factor rather than a trivial adverse effect.

🩺 Contact us on 0427 072 095 or book an appointment online: https://avonridgeequine.com.au/book-an-appointment/

Bracken, A., Tyra, H., Vetter, M., Kiger, K., Rao, S. & Bass, L. (2026) ACTH suppression and adverse effects of cabergoline in horses with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction. Equine Veterinary Education

05/14/2026

Wise words

ARE YOU HIRING A HORIZONTAL BROWSER OR A VERTICAL LEARNER TO HELP YOUR HORSE?

When your horse has a behaviour problem, it's natural to go online to seek help. At the risk of sounding like I have typed this from my rocking chair…when I started working with horses, social media was in its infancy, and it wasn't where professionals like me advertised. But times have changed. Online searches and social media are where people turn now when they need help.

This is both a blessing, and a curse for horse owners. The blessing is, that qualified professionals who offer remote consultations can promote their services to a wider audience. The curse is, to find that professional, owners need to wade through an enormous amount of content, much of which is increasingly AI-generated 'slop', shown to them by an algorithm they don't control.

To complicate matters, research has shown that how we use and consume digital media has caused profound changes in our brains. For example, our ability to remember things and understand what we read declines with intense digital media usage. We have also become 'horizontal browsers' of content, consuming wide, fast, and shallow levels of information, which doesn't lead to a solid understanding on a given topic.

But this doesn't just impact horse owners who are looking for help. It also greatly affects the professionals pitching their services. Content creators have also become horizontal browsers, and even with a shallow depth of understanding about horse behaviour and problems they can easily create posts or videos that make it appear they have a 'vertical learning' level of deep understanding about the subject. Pair that with a beautifully shot video, a persuasive AI-generated script, and a large number of followers, and it's easy for a horse owner to believe this might be the person best suited to help them and their horse.

I feel for horse owners today. It is becoming more difficult to wade through online content, and find posts that genuinely reflect the knowledge and background of the person posting. As a professional, when I see a post that seems to explain a complex topic neatly, or promises fast, or permanent results, I know to dig a little deeper. It often reveals that the person themselves has a horizontal browser level of knowledge on a topic, and that they likely used AI to generate their content.

As a horse owner, this means you need to employ a 'vertical learning' level of background research before hiring a professional or buying an online course to address your horse's problem. Any professional you hire should have direct experience working with horses with behaviour problems, ideally with your horse's problem as well, and should do so using low-stress methods. They should have an evidence-based education about horse behaviour and the causes of behaviour problems. They should be able to explain common causes of problems (e.g. pain, fear, stress, confusion, frustration, unmet needs, genetics, prior learning), and how they will determine which one, or more, are at the root of your individual horse's issue. They should show a strong interest in your horse's medical history, daily management, and what has been tried so far to address the issue. They should also be willing to collaborate with your veterinarian, and other qualified professionals to help your horse.

I would strongly recommend avoiding anyone who offers a fast timeline, or guaranteed results, or has a lack of experience and education. Another red flag would be working in one professional capacity, but posting as an expert on a topic relevant to another field. You likely wouldn't take advice about your car's brakes from a reiki master, and the same goes for when your horse has a behaviour problem. Finally, watch videos of them working with horses, and look for signs of fear, anxiety, and stress. Triggering these things is not recommended by truly qualified equine behaviour professionals, for many reasons I have discussed here before.

When your horse has a behaviour problem, it's crucial for you both that you get the right help. This means finding a qualified professional to address the issue. Look for someone with a vertical learning level of depth in horse behaviour problems, to help you both avoid being sold behaviour snake oil in today's increasingly shady online marketplace.

PS – The negative impacts on our brains from intense digital media consumption are reversible! One quick fix that can build into a sustainable habit is turning off our phones when with our horses. If doing this for a few hours feels impossible to start, start smaller. A recent paper discussing digital media usage noted that 95% of people aged 16 to 24 years old own a smartphone, and on average they check it every 12 minutes. So, why not start with 13 minutes? Just like with our horses, breaking new skills down into small achievable steps, is the best way to learn. If they could, your horse would likely thank you for this new, attentional shift too.

05/14/2026

Wonderful words

Today would have been Karen Pryor’s birthday. Karen was not only a visionary thinker but also an incredibly talented writer, breaking complex ideas into easy-to-understand pieces, all with her trademark humor, clarity, and joy. It’s nearly impossible to read one of her letters without smiling. She changed the way we learn, communicate, and grow, with animals and each other. We are deeply grateful today, and every day, for the lasting impact she’s had on all of us.

05/07/2026

Part 3: Supplementation, dosing, and what actually works

When a horse is deficient in vitamin E, supplementation is recommended regardless of whether clinical signs are present.

However, not all vitamin E supplements are equal, and this is where things often go wrong.

There are two main forms of vitamin E used in equine supplements.

Synthetic vitamin E, often listed as all-rac-alpha-tocopherol, is less bioavailable and not as effectively utilised by the horse.

Natural vitamin E, listed as d-alpha-tocopherol or RRR-alpha-tocopherol, is significantly more bioavailable and is the preferred form for supplementation.

Within natural forms, there are also differences in formulation.

Powder or pellet forms are typically esterified, which improves shelf life but requires additional processing in the horse’s digestive system before absorption.

Liquid formulations are water-dispersible and generally result in a more rapid increase in blood vitamin E concentrations, often within 24 hours. These are particularly useful when actively correcting a deficiency.

Current NRC daily recommendations for vitamin E in horses are 1 -2 IU/kg body weight. This means maintenance levels can be anywhere between 250-1000IU per day depending on the size of the horse or pony.

In clinical cases of deficiency where signs are present, doses around 5,000 IU per day for a 500 kg horse are commonly used, although requirements can vary depending on baseline levels, underlying disease, and individual response.

Follow-up blood testing is important to ensure that supplementation is achieving the desired increase in vitamin E concentrations.

❓ A common question is whether horses can receive too much vitamin E.

In humans, very high doses can interfere with vitamin K metabolism and affect blood clotting. It is not yet clear whether the same effect occurs in horses, and this is still being investigated. However, it reinforces an important point.

More is not always better.

This is another reason why supplementation should be targeted and guided by testing, rather than adding products in without a clear plan.

It is also important to recognise that some horses may have impaired absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, which can result in an inadequate response to supplementation. In these cases, further investigation is warranted.

Long-term, the most effective way to maintain adequate vitamin E status is regular access to fresh pasture. However, for many horses, particularly EMS horses, this is not possible.

This means supplementation and monitoring become essential parts of managing both metabolic health and muscle function.

If your horse is on restricted pasture, on a hay-based diet, or struggling with muscle development, vitamin E status is something that should be considered as part of a broader clinical assessment.

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05/06/2026

Part 2: Vitamin E & The EMS Horse

If you have an EMS horse or pony, you are often doing exactly the right thing by restricting pasture access to reduce non-structural carbohydrate intake and minimise laminitis risk.

But there is an important consequence that is often overlooked.

Pasture restriction also removes the horse’s primary source of vitamin E.

This creates a very common scenario where horses are managed correctly for insulin dysregulation, but inadvertently become deficient in vitamin E.

Many of these horses are maintained on hay-based diets, sometimes with soaked hay, further reducing nutrient content. While this is appropriate for metabolic control, it significantly increases the risk of inadequate vitamin E intake.

In practice, I see this frequently in horses that are:

- On long-term pasture restriction
- Maintained on hay only diets
- Not receiving targeted vitamin supplementation
- Struggling to build or maintain topline

Vitamin E deficiency in these cases can contribute to muscle weakness, reduced performance, and difficulty developing or maintaining muscle mass, even when energy intake appears adequate.

It can also complicate the clinical picture in ridden horses. Horses may be assumed to have training or fitness issues, when in reality there is an underlying nutritional deficiency affecting muscle function.

The only reliable way to assess vitamin E status is through blood testing.

We can measure serum or plasma vitamin E concentrations. The sample must be handled and prepared carefully to obtain an accurate result as Vitamin E levels can be affected by several external factors. Interpretation should always be made in the context of the individual horse, their diet, and clinical signs.

👉 Get in touch with us using the booking link below if you’d like to get your horse’s Vitamin E levels checked.

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post about supplementation - what works and what doesn’t.

🩺 Contact us on 0427 072 095 or book an appointment online:
https://avonridgeequine.com.au/book-an-appointment/

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04/30/2026

Donkeys are not small horses — and their vital signs prove it. 🫏

Donkeys run on a completely different operating system, and assuming “horse rules apply” can mean missing early signs of disease. Even their normal clinical parameters are different. A healthy adult donkey typically has a normal temperature around 37.1°C (lower than many horses), a resting heart rate of about 44 beats per minute, and a respiratory rate around 20 breaths per minute. That means a donkey with a heart rate creeping above 52 bpm may already be telling us something is wrong — even if they’re standing quietly and not making a fuss.

And that’s the problem. Donkeys are experts at masking pain. They don’t always roll with colic, limp dramatically with laminitis, or cough when they have lung disease. Illness often shows up as subtle signs: a quieter donkey, one that lags behind, lies down more than usual, eats slowly (or pretends to eat), or just seems “not quite right.” A dull donkey should always be taken seriously — it often means pain or significant illness.

Their metabolism is different too. Donkeys are designed for sparse, low-energy diets and are naturally more insulin-resistant than horses. In modern paddocks, that efficiency can quickly lead to obesity, equine metabolic syndrome, and laminitis if they’re managed like a small horse.

Feet, teeth, skin, and even hydration work differently in donkeys. Their hooves grow and wear differently, dental disease is incredibly common but often hidden, and dehydration can be severe before obvious signs appear.

Bottom line: donkey care needs donkey-specific knowledge. If you’ve got a donkey at home, a tailored health and management plan can make a huge difference to their comfort, longevity, and quality of life.

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04/28/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1GqhbxXpw1/

“But my hay tested low sugar…”

This is one of the most common things I hear when managing horses with EMS.

And unfortunately, “low sugar” does not automatically mean “safe.”

If you really want to know whether your horse’s current diet is triggering an excessive insulin response, the answer is not just in the FeedTest report, it’s in your horse.

The most useful blood test should be carefully timed after the horse has eaten.

Why? Because insulin is dynamic.

It rises and falls throughout the day, and if we sample at the wrong time, we can completely miss the peak response.

This is especially important here in WA, where I consistently see meadow hay causing some of the highest insulin responses, despite often testing relatively low in sugar.

Why this happens is still not fully understood. Sugar content is only one part of the story. Individual genetics, microbiome differences, feeding behaviour, and forage composition likely all play a role.

This is why two horses can eat the exact same hay and respond completely differently.

This is why I’m cautious when people confidently say:

“Don’t worry, it’s low-sugar meadow hay.”

Because sometimes, that “safe” hay is exactly what is driving the problem.

Feed testing absolutely has value, but it is only one piece of the puzzle.

The result I’m often most interested in, and arguably the more important number, is:

What did your horse’s insulin do after eating that hay?

That tells us far more about laminitis risk than a hay analysis alone.

Getting the right advice matters.

✅ Our Laminitis Care Program is designed to help owners cut through the confusion, understand what’s actually driving the problem, and build a practical long-term plan that works for both horse and owner.

👀 https://avonridgeequine.com.au/laminitis-assessments/

04/20/2026

Yup in R+ too ☹️

I’m just going to throw it out there — the amount of bu****it “horsemanship” on social media now a days I can understand why the horse industry is more fu**ed up than it was 25 years ago 😂😂😂

Stay smart - good luck in your Horsemanship 👌💕

Ps- Daisy and Luigi agree 😂😂

Xoxo,
Trina