The starting point for this course is the 2007 National Research Council recommendations for feeding horses. However, that’s all they are – a starting point. They are a tool you will use in evaluating every diet, but Dr. Kellon wants this to be more than just a nuts and bolts number game. The course will cover individual nutrients, what they do, why they are essential and how they interact. Feeding a horse properly isn’t like building a house or putting together a puzzle. It’s more like baking a cake. If you leave the baking powder out of a cake recipe, the results are catastrophic, and you end up with a cracker instead of a cake. This is the equivalent of a full-blown nutritional deficiency. However, adding too much also has negative effects. To get the perfect cake, all ingredients need to be balanced. This dynamic approach, focusing just as much on balance as on intake of individual nutrients, is what Dr. Kellon sees to be the most effective – and also efficient – way to build a sound diet. The material for each section of the course will be posted on the internet weekly as a pdf file. It will include the material Dr. Kellon wishes to cover, links for further reading, and a series of review questions that will emphasize the most important points. When students receive the next week’s material, the answers to the questions from the week before will be at the front. This is a no pressure learning situation. There is no “mandatory attendance” at any time, no grades. The review questions are for the students’ use only. Dr. Kellon assumes that anyone taking the course is doing so because they want to learn more about equine nutrition. Students have the luxury to read when it is convenient for them to do so. Dr. Kellon will open the Yahoo Groups discussion group in advance of the course starting. This will be a group exclusively for course enrollees. When you join, Dr. Kellon would like you to post a brief introduction about yourself in a file that will be called “Members Info,” and a description of what you are currently feeding in a file called “Members Diets.” This is an international group so she will use that information to make sure course material and links to resources are useful for all of you. In the diets section, also list any health or performance problems you are having. Use this group to ask questions about any part of the course material at any time. If you fall behind (life happens), you will have the opportunity to join the Yahoo group for the next run of the course if you think that would be beneficial to you (no fee second time around). Week One – Physiology of Digestion and Nutrient Utilization

1. The digestive tract
2. Active and passive absorption of minerals
3. Absorption and metabolism of fats
4. Absorption and metabolism of protein
5. Absorption and metabolism of carbohydrates
6. Vitamins

Week Two – Tools for Determining Intake

1. Soil analysis
2. Hair analysis
3. Blood and tissue analysis
4. Diet analysis

Week Three – Energy Sources, Energy Requirements

1. Carbohydrates, fats, and protein as calories; role of the B vitamins
2. Requirements for growth
3. Requirements for pregnancy and lactation
4. Requirements for adult maintenance
5. Fine tuning

Week Four – Protein Requirements

1. Crude protein vs. digestible protein
2. Amino acid requirements
3. Requirements for growth
4. Requirements for pregnancy and lactation
5. Requirements for adult maintenance and exercise
6. Conditions requiring special protein considerations

Week Five – Understanding Electrolytes and Hydration

1. Definition of electrolytes
2. Sodium and the Physiology of Water Balance
3. Potassium
4. Chloride
5. Bicarbonate
6. Balancing to sweat losses

Week Six – The Major Minerals

1. Beyond NRC
2. Calcium
3. Magnesium
4. Phosphorus
5. Sulfur

Week Seven – The Trace Minerals

1. Copper
2. Zinc
3. Manganese
4. Selenium
5. Iodine
6. Other

Week Eight – Building a Diet

1. Determine energy requirements
2. Selecting appropriate energy sources
3. Calculating minerals
4. Balancing minerals
5. Vitamins
6. Food versus supplement sources

Week Nine – The Exercising Horse – Basics

1. Matching energy sources to need
2. Protein considerations
3. Minerals and electrolytes
4. Vitamins

Week Ten – Hands-On

1. Sample insulin resistance diet
2. Sample pregnancy/lactation/weanling diet
3. Endurance

This course is appropriate for all skill levels, and is excellent for owners, trainers, riders and students.

*This course fulfills the requirement for the Nutrition course component of the Master Equinology ® Equine Body Worker Certification (MEEBW).

Externship:
If you are using this course as part of the Equinology MEEWB certification, you must also pay the Equinology Externship Fee of $125. Once the student completes the course, notify Dr. Kellon’s office, and they will send you out the exam. Upon successful completion of the exam, you can begin the externship (case studies and extra learning activities).

Eleanor Kellon, VMD of Equine Nutritional Solutions, Robesonia, Pennsylvania, is one of a handful of experts in the field of applications of nutraceuticals for horses. She is an authority in the field of equine nutrition as well as conditions affecting performance horses. Dr. Kellon is the co-owner of the almost 10,000 member Cushing’s and Insulin Resistance group on Yahoo. She is owner of Equine Nutritional Solutions, a nutritional consulting firm which also hosts 16 online courses on nutrition and horse care. Her work has led to unique nutraceutical approaches for horses with skin and respiratory allergies, degenerative as well as injury related tendon and ligament problems, chronic laminitis and performance issues. She is past veterinary and contributing editor to John Lyons Perfect Horse and Horse Journal magazines, has written 8 books and thousands of articles on equine nutrition, care and health issues.

Background:
An Honors Graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Veterinary School, Dr. Kellon completed her internship and residency in Large Animal Medicine and Surgery at the renowned University of Pennsylvania New Bolton Center. She is currently a Staff Veterinarian for Uckele Health and Nutrition, Inc.

Lay Publications:
Dr. Kellon routinely writes four to six articles a month. A prolific writer, her articles have appeared in magazines such as The Chronicle of The Horse, Hoofbeats, Practical Horseman, Equus, Horse Journal, and John Lyons Perfect Horse. She has written over 1500 magazine articles, most concerning nutrition. Professional Publications: Dr. Kellon has also contributed to professional publications and professional meetings. Her topics frequently include muscle disorders, thyroid disorders, and nutrition. Her most recent have been: Contributing author on laminitis and dietary therapy of insulin resistance in Equine Podiatry, WB Saunders Co, 2006. Use of the Herb Gynostemma Pentaphyllum and the Blue-Green Algae Spirulina Plentensis in the Horse. Third European Equine Nutrition and Health Congress, Gent, Belgium, March 2006. Iron Status in Hyperinsulinemic/Insulin Resistant Horses. Third European Equine Nutrition and Health Congress, Gent, Belgium, March 2006. Treatment of Equine Metabolic Syndrome, Compendium of Continuing Education for the Practicing Veterinarian, Vol 26(2) February 2004.

Books:
As a best-selling author, her books are compelling, easy to read and informative.  They include:

• The Older Horse, Breakthrough Publications
• Keeping the Older Horse Young, Breakthrough Publications
• Raising and Feeding the Perfect Horse, Belvoir Publications
• Guide to First Aid for Horses, Breakthrough Publications
• Equine Supplements and Nutraceuticals, Breakthrough Pubilcations
• Equine Drugs and Vaccines, Breakthrough Publications
• Horse Owners Veterinary Advisor and Record Book, Breakthrough Publications
• Horse Journal Guide to Equine Supplements and Nutraceuticals, Globe-Pequot Press

Globe-Pequot Press Field Trials:
Best known for her field trials, Dr. Kellon continues to break new ground with her findings. A few are summarized below. In 2000, Dr. Kellon published, in Horse Journal, the results of the first field trial on Chastetree Berry (Vitex Agnus Castus) for horses with Cushings syndrome. For more information, visit: http://www.equiworld.com/uk/horsecare/veterinary/cushingssyndrome/

In 2000, Horse Journal published Dr. Kellon’s field trial on the use of magnesium supplementation in horses with cresty necks and laminitis. In June 2000, Dr. Kellon published, in Horse Journal, the first warning against feeding organophosphates to horses. Ultimately, this created awareness amongst horse owners and brought about some changes in common feeding practices.

In March 2006, Dr. Kellon was a guest speaker at the European Equine Health and Nutrition Congress in Belgium. Her presentations included “The use of Jiaogulan and Spirulina in Horses” and “Iron Status of Hyperinsulinemic/Insulin Resistant Horses”. For more information on Jiaogulan for laminitic horses, visit: http://www.naturalhorsetrim.com/Jiaogulan.htm

In Aug. 2006, Horse Journal published Dr. Kellon’s article on DSLD’s Devastation, which included the results of a field trial treatment plan to help alleviate the pain and symptoms of this disease.

In Dec. 2007, Horse Journal published an article on the use of Acetyl-L-Carnitine in horses with chronic laminitis. This was another ground-breaking field trial on the use of supplements for a chronic condition.

Pergolide:
In March 2007 the FDA removed pergolide from the market, a drug that has been very successful in the management of Equine Cushing’s disease. Dr. Kellon spearheaded a nationwide effort to urge companies who market and distribute Pergolide to keep this drug available for veterinary use. She was relentless in her communications with the FDA until they announced on May 11 that they would allow bulk pergolide to be used in compounding pergolide for use in horses.

Feed Recall:
Recently, Dr. Kellon has been involved in informing readership of the feed recall in the eastern United States. Always an advocate for the horses, she has kept the public up-to-date on the developments in this very serious health risk.

Educator:
Dr. Kellon has created on-line courses, specializing in horse care, nutrition, and management. Her classes are very informative for both the lay person and professional alike. With links to additional reading, the professional can achieve an in-depth understanding of the concepts presented.

Professional Experience:
Dr. Kellon currently works as a writer, teacher and internal medicine/nutrition consultant. Dr. Kellon has experience in private practice, including management of a breeding farm and rehabilitation facilities. She also has extensive experience with performance horses, including eventing, fox hunting, racing, and showing. Dr. Kellon, and her husband, Andy, bred, trained and raced Standardbreds for 25 years. They currently maintain a small retirement and research herd.