Scoop and Scale

03/08/2026

🚨New Episode Available Now

𝐄𝐩. 𝟖𝟏: 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐭 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐌𝐮𝐜𝐡, 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐝 & 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐲𝐭𝐞𝐬

How much salt does your horse really need? Are salt blocks enough? When should you feed electrolytes and do you actually need them if you’re already feeding salt? In this episode we answer your biggest questions about horse salt, electrolytes, and hydration, separating fact from fiction with practical, research-backed advice.

In this episode we explore:
-How much salt your horse actually needs
-Salt blocks vs. loose salt vs. electrolytes and which to use when
-Different types of loose salt and which are best
-Whether salt and electrolytes cause gastric ulcers?
…and more!

Whether your horse is competing, trail riding, or simply coping with summer heat, you’ll walk away with practical tips to help support hydration, performance, and overall health.

🎧Listen at the link below or your favorite podcast app

How much salt does your horse really need? Are salt blocks enough? When should you feed electrolytes and do you actually need them if you’re already feeding salt? In this episode we answer your biggest questions about horse salt, electrolytes, and hydration, separating fact from fiction with pract...

30/07/2026

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐝. 𝐖𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝.

A few weeks ago, we asked for your biggest questions about salt and electrolytes for horses... and you delivered!

In Monday's episode of Scoop & Scale, we're answering your most common questions, including:
🧂 How much salt does my horse really need?
💧 When are electrolytes necessary?
🧱 Are salt blocks enough?
🤔 Can salt cause gastric ulcers?..and much more.

If you've ever been confused by all the advice surrounding salt and electrolytes, this episode is for you.

🎧 New episode drops Monday wherever you listen to podcasts!

27/07/2026

🚨 𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐄 𝐨𝐫 𝐅𝐀𝐋𝐒𝐄? 🚨

Does feeding salt increase the risk of gastric ulcers in horses?
You've probably heard this claim. So, what do you think?

👍 TRUE
👎 FALSE

No Googling! 😄

Join us next Monday as we explore the research behind this question and discuss what the science says about salt, electrolytes, and gastric health.

20/07/2026

📣New Episode Available Now

𝐄𝐩. 𝟖𝟎: 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐄𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬: 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐬

When a wildfire, flood, hurricane, or other disaster threatens your horses, every minute matters. In Part 2 of our disaster preparedness series, we walk through what a real horse evacuation looks like from receiving the first warning to loading horses, navigating chaotic roads, and arriving at an evacuation facility. Joining us is Amy Hausmann, who shares her firsthand experience during California’s devastating Tubbs Fire and the lessons she learned from living through multiple subsequent wildfire evacuations.

In this episode, we discuss:
• The Ready, Set, Go evacuation system and why horse owners should leave at Level 1
• How to prepare your horses, trailer, go-bags, documents, feed, and emergency contacts before disaster strikes
• What happens when evacuation plans fall apart, including horses that won’t load and situations where animals must be left behind
• What to expect at evacuation centers, how to care for stressed horses, and common health risks after a disaster
• The critical role of volunteers, community response teams, and evacuation networks during large-scale emergencies

Whether you live in wildfire country, flood-prone areas, hurricane zones, or tornado alley, this episode provides practical, real-world guidance that could help save lives when disaster strikes.

When a wildfire, flood, hurricane, or other disaster threatens your horses, every minute matters. In Part 2 of our disaster preparedness series, we walk through what a real horse evacuation looks like from receiving the first warning to loading horses, navigating chaotic roads, and arriving at an ev...

19/07/2026

This is exactly why your evacuation plan needs more than one route.

The road you planned to take may be underwater, blocked by debris, closed because of a wildfire, or gridlocked with traffic. When every minute matters, having alternate routes already mapped out can make all the difference.

Emergency planning isn't just about having your trailer packed and your horses ready. It's about thinking through the "what ifs" before they happen.

🎙️ Join us tomorrow for Part 2 of our Disaster Preparedness series with Amy Hausmann, who shares her firsthand experience evacuating during California's devastating Tubbs Fire.

Together, we discuss:
🐴 Why horse owners should leave at the first evacuation warning, not the last
🗺️ What happens when your original evacuation plan falls apart
🚛 Preparing your horses, trailer, documents, feed, and emergency supplies
🤝 What to expect at evacuation centers and how communities come together during disasters
❤️ Lessons learned from multiple real-life evacuations that every horse owner should hear

Whether you face floods, wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, or other emergencies, the time to make a plan is before you need one.

Because disasters don't wait... and neither should your evacuation plan.

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1EjZju64mw/?mibextid=wwXIfr

14/07/2026

🧂 We're updating our Salt & Electrolytes episode

A few years ago, we released an episode on salt and electrolytes, but it's time for an update. Before we hit record, we want to know what you want to learn. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐲𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬?

Maybe you're wondering:
What's the difference between salt and electrolytes?
Is Himalayan salt better than plain white salt?
Why are salt blocks different colors?
Is a salt block enough, or should I offer loose salt too?
When does a horse actually need electrolytes?
Or maybe you have a completely different question!

𝐃𝐫𝐨𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰. 👇 We may answer your question in our updated Scoop & Scale episode, and your question could help other horse owners too.

Here is a link to the previous episode if you haven't listened https://scoopandscale.com/why-horses-need-electrolytes/

12/07/2026

Horse show season is here! 🐴✨

While showing can be one of the most rewarding parts of horse ownership, the travel, change in routine, and intensity of competition can create stress for both horses and humans.

We know stress can impact our horses’ digestive health and immune systems, potentially increasing the risk of issues like colic, gastric ulcers, and diarrhea. So how can we help our horses handle the miles, the changes, and the demands of the season?

Whether you’re headed to a horse show, clinic, trail ride, or wherever summer takes you, this episode is packed with information to help you prepare and support your horse along the way.

🎧 Listen now and share with a fellow horse owner preparing for summer adventures!

Horse show season is here! And, while showing is mostly fun, the travel and work intensity competition requires can cause stress for horses and humans. We know stress impacts horses’ digestive health and immune systems, which can set them up for colic, gastric ulcers, and diarrhea. In this episode...

08/07/2026

When emergencies happen, horse owners don't just have to think about themselves, they have to think about how they're going to safely move and care for their horses too. In this week's episode we talked about emergency preparedness for horse owners: evacuation planning, trailer readiness, emergency contacts, and the steps you can take now that will make a huge difference if disaster strikes.

If you've listened to the episode and are ready to start building your own evacuation plan, this document is a great place to begin. It walks you through important information to gather, contacts to identify, and details you'll want to have organized before you ever need them. The best time to create an emergency plan is before you need one.

Do you currently have an evacuation plan for your horses? What's one thing you've already done or one thing you realized you still need to do after listening to the episode?

Evacuation Plan Checklisthttps://etinational.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/2019-Red-Book-RevisionCatDogChildGerbil.pdf

07/07/2026

One of the themes that came up repeatedly in our recent emergency preparedness episode was trailer loading. Not because we were discussing horse training, but because when an evacuation order is issued, there isn't time to teach a horse a new skill.

Patrick King captures something important here: 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐚 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭. 𝐈𝐭'𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭, 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞.

In an emergency, horses don't suddenly become better loaders. They fall back on the training and experiences they've already had. If the trailer only appears when there's pressure, stress, or urgency, that's what the horse learns to associate with it. The skills we practice on ordinary days are the ones we depend on during extraordinary ones.

If you've been looking for a reason to work on trailer loading, let this be it. Not because you have a show coming up. Not because you need to haul somewhere next weekend. But because one day, you may need your horse to step onto a trailer calmly when circumstances are anything but calm. Patrick is someone we trust and respect, and this is a message every horse owner should hear.
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17kRyT9xJ1/

When a horse refuses to walk into a trailer, most of the equestrian world treats it like a task gone wrong.

The focus immediately narrows to the immediate outcome: 𝘎𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘣𝘰𝘹. 𝘜𝘴𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦. 𝘜𝘴𝘦 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘥. 𝘛𝘢𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘱. 𝘔𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘴𝘩 𝘤𝘪𝘳𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘳. 𝘖𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵. 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱.

But when we view trailer loading as just a chore to cross off a checklist, we miss the entire point. Worse, we accidentally teach our horses that the trailer is a high-pressure, high-anxiety event where their voice doesn't matter.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗧𝗔𝗦𝗞, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗦𝗞𝗜𝗟𝗟?

A task is a one-time event focused solely on compliance and completion. A skill is a living, breathing capability that both you and your horse can continuously develop, refine, and grow confident in together.

When you approach loading as a progressive skill, the pressure melts away. You are no longer "forcing" a 1,200-pound animal into a tight space. Now you are asking them to enage in a conversation of mutual trust and physical alignment.

Think about it this way: Trailer loading is simply the ultimate test of your everyday ground communication. It is a combination of fundamental skills:

𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘺 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦

𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦

𝘚𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘹𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘪𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵

If your horse is hesitant, they are not being "stubborn" or "bad." They are simply revealing a gap in their current education or a lack of confidence as a learner.

As a horseman/horsewoman, your job is not to get the horse in the trailer on day one. Your job is to honor every single ounce of "try" they offer and build their confidence as learners and do-ers.

If they take one calm step toward the ramp? 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘦. 𝘗𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦, 𝘳𝘦𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴. If they put two feet inside and need to back out to find their breath? 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘭𝘶𝘳𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘢. 𝘓𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯.

When we give our horses the time and space to understand the skill of loading, we are not just making future travel easier. We are building a deeper, lighter partnership that carries over directly into the saddle in the form of confidence and clarity.

The trailer stops being an area of conflict and becomes a masterclass in mutual trust.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘄? Is it a skill you are practicing together, or a task that still brings up a little anxiety for you both? Drop your thoughts or struggles in the comments below, and always know that this is a safe space to share. 👇

__________
🐴 Our focus this month in the 𝘼𝙘𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝘾𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙃𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 is a deep dive in "Confident Trailer Loading." Be sure to check back for more on this subject all month long.

06/07/2026

📣𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐄𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐭! You will want to share this one far & wide to help horse owners prepare.

𝐄𝐩. 𝟕𝟗: 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐄𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬: 𝐄𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐬

Every year, natural disasters force horse owners to make critical decisions with little warning. In Part 1 of this two-part series, we cover the essential steps you can take now to prepare your horses, property, and support network before an emergency happens.

In this episode, we discuss:
• Why every horse needs permanent identification and up-to-date records
• Building an emergency support network and connecting with local resources before disaster strikes
• Creating an evacuation plan, including destinations, routes, and transportation logistics
• Preparing emergency supplies, feed, medications, and essential paperwork for your horses
• Why practicing trailer loading and emergency procedures can make all the difference when time is limited

Whether your risk is wildfire, flood, hurricane, tornado, derecho, or another natural disaster, the best emergency plan is the one you create before you need it. This episode will give you the tips you need to get that done.

✅Listen here or on your favorite podcast app!
https://scoopandscale.com/ep-79-horse-emergency-preparedness-evacuation-planning-before-disaster-strikes/