* Disclaimer: The products offered on this web site are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Rather, they are intended for educational purposes only. These treats contain simple sugars and starch levels generally found to be safe for horses with insulin resistance. However, every horse is an individual. Check with your own veterinarian. The statements presented on this web site have not been evaluated by the FDA or USDA. The use of herbs for the prevention or cure of disease has not been approved by the FDA or USDA. We therefore make no claims to this effect.
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Low Sugar Horses, as I often call them, could be seen by some as "sensitive" and "high maintenance." We pay special attention to their diets, their environments, their stress levels -- or we pay the consequences. Mainstream, these horses absolutely are not.
Many of the humans who end up paired with Low Sugar Horses are willing to take the road less traveled to ensure their well being.
We may struggle and resist in the beginning. But once on the low sugar path, the reward of
YOUR LOW SUGAR HORSE STORIES
Have a story about your low sugar horse you think will help & inspire others?
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"The Trouble with Alf"
our efforts is so great that we can not
imagine trading "normal" for "sensitive," "easy" for "high maintenance." Our Low Sugar Horses have taken us places -- be it an Internet chatroom where we serendipitously meet our next best friend, a seminar on barefoot trimming where we discover a new trade, or a specialized boarding stable where we find support we never dreamed existed. Sure, our Low Sugar Horses may be perceived as a trouble to others.
But we have come to know that without them we would not have discovered some of our best qualities. Our selflessness. Our determination. Our compassion. Our absolute passion for the Spirit of the Horse himself. We know how lucky we are.
Alf was never any trouble. From the time he entered the world, he was the most easy-going, easily trained horse I’ve ever known -- a smart horse that has always been eager to please. He had wonderful feet that needed minimal attention. He maintained his fine physical proportions on miniscule amounts of feed, portions on which other horses might starve (which really saved on feed bills). He was just as relaxed on the trail as he was in the show ring. No, there was never any trouble with Alf. Alf was sound and obedient, but with just enough
-- By C.L. McGinley
spark to be lots of fun for even an experienced rider. And Alf practically took care of himself. I counted myself among the luckiest of horse people.
That’s one side of the story, and every word true. But, no trouble? Well, there was the time that Alf the foal ripped out his upper corner tooth on the aluminum gate, leaving his mouth so bloody that when I saw him I was afraid he had sliced his tongue open (a couple weeks later he did it again on the other side, leaving gaps in his bite until he was almost three)…and the time he gashed his shoulder open on who-knows-what and had to have stitches (he still bears the small L-shaped scar)…and the time he had to go to Cornell Veterinary College Large Animal Hospital to have 3 liters of blood transfused because of complications from Potomac Fever. And all of this before he was three years old! Oh, and the splint he popped in the show ring one day as a three-year-old, although, to be fair, he only took one bad step during the class and then showed on without a sign of lameness for the rest of the day. It wasn’t until I got him home and saw the swelling that I knew what had happened and could treat it appropriately.
So, he had a bit of a hard “childhood” in that way. But then things settled down and he was no trouble at all, retiring from the show ring after a successful career to have fun on the open trail, with all its obstacles and delights. Oh, um, well, except for when Connie the Percheron mare kicked him hard for being fresh and broke the point of his left shoulder so that I had to rehabilitate him by pulling his leg forward with a rope as we walked, as he could not pull it forward on his own for a very long time. He did heal completely, and, from that experience, he learned not to lead with his face.
Okay, so maybe there has been some trouble with Alf. Just a bit. And yet, when I think back through the haze of memory, trying to remember, it seems like Alf was never any trouble at all.
Cindy & Alf's Top Three Low Sugar Horse Care Tips
As Dr. Kellon is so fond of saying, "Half-way measures get half-way results." You can't keep giving an IR horse carrots and apples for treats (and horse feed containing molasses, even if recommended by your veterinarian) and expect him to get better. You have to get out of that mindset. You have to find something to replace sugary snacks for him that he will enjoy just as much. Sure, it seems drastic, but it won't work unless you do it completely!
You can't always trust what the vet, feed dealer, or feed manufacturer say about a particular feed. Chances are, unless they guarantee their feed is below 10% NSC, it isn't good to feed to your IR horse. But it's easy to feed IR horses once you get your hay analyzed and feed to supplement the hay. Your other horses will probably benefit from a diet balanced to the hay, too. Mine sure did.
A truly healthy horse is a much happier horse. Sometimes it's hard to see the changes that have taken place in atttitude and physical appearance, they happen so gradually. Now I look at old photos and realize just how fat and unhappy my horse really was. I didn't really realize how far downhill he had gone until he started feeling better, losing weight, and acting happier.
Cindy & Alf
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Skode's Horse Treats are registered with the Oregon Department of Agriculture. Each treat is carefully formulated and rigorously tested for its Non Structural Carbohydrate Sugar and Starch (NSC) levels at
Equianalytical Laboratories in Ithaca, New York.
Cindy & Alf Carol and Her Horses
"Carol and Lailah -- and a Promise"
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Lailah didn't pass the pre-purchase vet exam but in spite of our Vet's recommendation to wait and see if her lameness disappeared, I decided she needed to be part of our family and removed from her current living situation. She was a sweet and social horse who had become ringsour and grumpy whenever a saddle appeared. With rehabilitation, positive training methods, a saddle that finally fit her, and tons of treats she regained her sweet and loving nature although plagued with intermittent bouts of mysterious lameness. Over the ten years we were fortunate to have her, symptoms of Cushing's disease emerged. After retirement from her riding career at the age of 24, she still loved being the star of the show in many demonstrations for clicker training with horses. Although Lailah has left us, she is the horse who put me on the road to understanding the correlation between nutrition and metabolic disorders. Many thanks to Lori for developing the wonderful treats that horses not only love, but are healthy for them.
The survivor of severe physical and mental trauma, Promise suffered debilitating injuries while "in training" at the age of six. After her initial recuperation from multiple wounds and lacerations, her former owner needed to find a new home for her. In rehabilitation since 2002, she continues to make slow and steady improvement on her long road to recovery. As a part of our family for six years now, it has been very helpful to use treats to re-build the trust connection with humans. She continues to experience intermittent bouts of lameness, but now we know in addition to her horrific injuries, she is also insulin resistant. Her diet is closely monitored but she is still able to get the treats she dearly loves with Skodes healthy cookies. When I walk out with the cookie pouch, the nickers don't stop!!
Working with rescue horses requires the use of motivators that will rekindle broken trust and rejuvenate broken bodies. Skode's treats are now an integral part of our rehabilitation and training program. Thank you,Lori, for your wonderful educational information available on your web site, and your research and development of positive, healthy additions to our beloved horse's diets!
-- By Carol Grubb
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Carol and Promise
Carol and Lailah
* Carol Grubb is a Skode's distributor. To contact her, please click here.
