To manage horses with insulin issues successfully, a critical first step is simply understanding what insulin is, what goes wrong, and why it matters. | Photo: iStock

Two leading researchers explain insulin’s effects on the body and how to manage the IR horse

Raise your hand if you’ve ever wondered, “Wait a minute, which is the bad one—insulin sensitivity or insulin resistance in horses? After all, if too much insulin is bad, wouldn’t we want our horses to be resistant to it? The whole talk of insulin sensitivity and resistance can seem pretty confusing. And it only adds to the stress of dealing with a horse who has or might have insulin-related issues.“

To manage horses with insulin issues successfully, a critical first step is simply understanding what insulin is, what goes wrong, and why it matters. The second? Care for them according to the latest scientific findings.

How Insulin Works (or Doesn’t Work)

Glucose, a type of sugar we get from the foods we eat, supplies energy to all our cells—muscle, skin, brain, etc. But it needs help getting from the digestive system into the bloodstream and then into the body’s various tissues and cells