April 25, 26, 27 - Canterbury Park
Sponsored by the Minnesota Horse Council
Back to main menu | Email Us

2025 MN Horse Expo Speakers/Demos

Back to speakers
 

Michelle DeBoer PhD



Dr. Michelle DeBoer has her M.S. and Ph.D. in Animal Science from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. Dr. DeBoer was an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin – River Falls before entering the industry to work as the Animal Nutrition Specialist for Spikes and Houles. Dr. DeBoer is known for her social media outreach page, Equine Ph.D., as well as her research on horse blanketing, deworming, nutrition, hay nets and other horse management topics. Outside of work, Dr. DeBoer enjoys dog agility and rides her Arabians in dressage and endurance.



"Equine Parasite Control"

Parasite control recommendations are continuously evolving due to the increase in resistance to dewormers. This talk will cover the current status of dewormer resistance, what local research has told us, and how we can use this information to best manage the parasites in our horses and herds moving forward. You will be surprised how much new information there is to learn on this topic!.


"Balancing the Horse’s Diet"


One of the most important aspects of keeping your horse healthy is through feeding a balanced diet. However, it is easy to get lost when considering all the nutrients, feeds and supplements available on the market. This talk will dive into how to properly feed your horse using a forage first mentality while ensuring other key nutrients are provided and balanced properly to help optimize your horse’s health.


"Interpreting a Forage Analysis"


Forage, including hay and pasture, is the cornerstone of the equine diet and should be tested to most accurately understand the nutrients it offers. This talk will discuss how to take a proper forage sample, where to send it to be analyzed, and how to interpret the results once they are provided. We will also highlight key nutrients a Ph.D. nutritionist evaluates in these analyses and why!


"Hay Nets and Dental and Chiropractic Health"
 
The UMN has been researching the use of hay nets for years. This presentation will summarize almost a decade of research and share new data on how hay nets impact dental and chiropractic health. Specifically, we will highlight the impact of hay nets on hay waste and economics, time to hay consumption, hay usage, body weight and body condition and several horse health parameters.
 

 

 

Back to the Main Page