Podcast Summary: Katching Up With Katie – "Answering Your Most Asked Questions!"

Host: Katie Van Slyke
Air Date: February 3, 2026
Guests: Lindsay and various friends/team members
Episode Focus: Katie answers the audience's most commonly asked farm, ranch, and lifestyle questions with humor and real talk, offering a behind-the-scenes look at Running Springs farm life.

Main Theme / Purpose

This lively, authentic episode revolves around Katie’s responses to her listeners’ top questions about her daily life as a farm owner, breeder, and creator. The conversation weaves in updates on foaling (waiting on overdue mares!), farm logistics, personal anecdotes, and playful banter between Katie and her friends/team. The episode is rich with behind-the-scenes insight into horse and cattle breeding, farm routines, animal care, and even life and career advice.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Foaling Season Updates & Barn Life

• Waiting on Foals:

  • Katie opens with updates: no foal yet this year, despite several mares being in the “foaling window,” including one nine days overdue.
  • “Last year at this time we had three foals and by the end of January we had four. …It could still be possible.” (00:00)
  • Discussion of how foaling timelines vary, mentioning "light theory" (exposure to artificial light possibly impacting gestation).

• Full Watch Live Streams:

  • Katie and friends are live-streaming the foal watch, swapping camera views, and enjoying the camaraderie of an online audience.
  • “We’ve been live streaming the foaling… A lot of people have been watching it. We’ve been leaving it on for, like, 10 to 12 hours.” (02:14)
  • Humorous moments with viewers casting Dungeons & Dragons-style spells on the mares (“habitus folis,” etc.)

• Effects of Weather and Barn Improvements:

  • Newly insulated barn keeps animals much warmer at night.
  • Katie jokes: “I haven’t slept in my own bed. I’ve been in the shop for two weeks. …Lindsay lives here now. You’re a trooper—an absolute trooper.” (03:19)

• Breeding Schedule & Calving Season:

  • Simultaneous foaling, calving, preparation for breeding, and horse shows—lots happening at once on the farm.
  • “It’s calving season, it’s foaling season…we’re about to start breeding season here soon. We’re doing horse shows—it’s just…always something.” (04:28)

2. Q&A: Audience Questions Answered

Snake Encounters

• Katie has a strong dislike of snakes but recounts a memorable family story about her father keeping a rat snake in his college dorm—until it bit him on the day he released it.
  • “I hate snakes. Even a little garter snake, I can’t do snakes…” (05:24)
  • “He kept me a rat snake for the rats in my room…It slithered up his leg one night for heat. …It never bit me once until I released it.” (08:32)

How Many Foals Can a Mare Have?

• Most career broodmares have 8–15 foals; some may foal into their late 20s if started young and kept healthy; genetics, management, and health major factors.
  • “I would say the norm for a career broodmare is maybe 8 to 15…Some mares carried babies into her late 20s.” (09:56)
  • Recognizing when a mare should be retired rather than pushed to have more foals.

Katie’s First Solo Foaling Experience

• Katie shares personal milestones and challenges, including her first time foaling without backup (Penelope in 2023)—with viral Walmart runs for supplies and the anxiety of being fully responsible.
  • “The first time I had no safety net other than calling my vet in was Penelope, which was 2023.” (17:34)
  • Humorously compared to “free solo climbing”—without a rope.

Cow & Horse Weaning: What’s Different?

• Cow weaning aims for around 205 days; differences from horses due to the number of animals and grouping logistics. Methodical, low-stress weaning in batches.
  • “You want it as close to 205 [days] as possible…the groups…may be a little over 205…we do it in batches.” (20:12)

Equine Nutrition: Best Feed Mixtures

• Katie recommends the Tribute Equine Nutrition free feed plans, tailored for each horse’s age and needs. Emphasizes consulting experts and trial-and-error adjustments.
  • “I utilize their feed, their free feed plans… send in pictures, here’s my horse, medical issues…help me feed him.” (21:30)

Chatter Happy Ponies and Horse Content Inspiration

• Katie connects her childhood love for the VHS series “Chatter Happy Ponies” with her adult content style—giving animals funny, imaginative voices.
  • “If you look it up as to what it is, my content now will make so much sense….I make videos where I give narrations to animals.” (22:54)

How Does Full Alert Work?

• The system is a practical tech solution: not a dramatic alarm, but a phone call to Katie; usually, they see labor signs before it triggers.
  • “We’re pretty much walking out the door before it even goes off...it’s literally just like I’m getting a phone call…and they say ‘Full alert, your mare is foaling.’ That’s it.” (24:48, 27:21)
  • Fun “what if” banter about making the alarm a gong or flame signal (“The beacons are lit! Gondor calls for aid!”—Lord of the Rings reference). (28:10)

Donkey Care: Colic, Weather, Lore

• Donkeys can get colic just like horses, though Katie hasn’t seen it in her own; amusing discussion on blanket use, donkey housing, and donkey “lore” (family tree, donkeys trading places, reunions).
  • “Yeah, absolutely. They’re an equine species…they have the same…digestive tract.” (29:34)

3. Fun/Off-Topic Segments & Career Path Tangents

What Would You Do If You Weren’t Doing This?

• The team shares alternate-universe job picks:
  • Katie: Hair and makeup (used to do it at horse shows, loves glamming up; “I freaking love it. I’ve done so many friends’ wedding hair…” (36:07))
  • Guests: Responses range from finance (Wall Street), retail (loves face-to-face and cash handling, “I really enjoy…talking to people…handling cash…” (40:11)), action sports, real estate, landscaping, and more.
  • Reflections on college degrees vs. real-life careers (“I rarely meet someone that actually does the job that they went to college for.” (41:30))

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Mare Gestation:
  “Healthily a mare can go a year…That’s not uncommon…The average is what we consider their due date, around 340. But that means there’s got to be a lot of mares that go over.” (00:46)

• On Family Stories:
  “He kept me a rat snake for the rats…It never bit me once until I released it. And then it bit me as it left.” (08:32)

• On Being Ready for a Foal:
  “I haven’t even looked at any of their udders today yet because we’ve just been doing so many other things…” (00:46)

• On Live Streaming Foal Watch:
  “Last night we played Dungeons and Dragons, which is a new hyper fixation….I did see someone be like, I can’t remember the exact spell, but there was a spell…’habitus folis’.” (02:37–03:16)

• On Animal Quirks:
  “We find everyone’s…quirks. And he likes a good shower.” (04:19)

• On First Solo Foaling:
  “That was my first solo—my first free solo.” (19:01)

• On Lord of the Rings Beacon Idea:
  “What you should have done is when the full alert goes off, it should trip a lever that strikes a match…lights a fire…and then: ‘The beacons are lit! Gondor calls for aid!’” (28:29)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Barn Life & Foal Watch Updates: 00:00–05:00
• Snake Encounters & Family Stories: 05:06–09:15
• Mare Foaling Range: 09:46–14:17
• First Solo Foaling: 14:31–19:01
• Cow/Horse Weaning Differences: 20:07–21:26
• Best Feed for Horses: 21:30–22:44
• Chatter Happy Ponies & Content Inspiration: 22:48–24:38
• Full Alert System Explained: 24:42–28:10
• Donkey Care & Lore: 29:26–34:19
• Alternate Careers Discussion: 34:30–41:36
• College Degrees vs. Real-Life Careers: 41:28–42:23
• Episode Wrap-Up: 42:50–end

Tone and Style

Authentic, humorous, and unfiltered. Katie’s voice is welcoming, candid, and sprinkled with playful banter. The friends/joining hosts contribute anecdotes, inside jokes, and nerdy references that reinforce the podcast’s relaxed, communal vibe.

Conclusion

This episode captures the all-consuming, unpredictable nature of farm life at Running Springs. Listeners get thoughtful, detailed answers to practical animal and ranching questions, while also enjoying heartfelt personal stories, spontaneous laughter, and plenty of “farm lore.” Whether you’re deep in the world of horses or just love a peek behind the scenes, Katie’s blend of expertise and warmth shines as she chats with her team and connects with her community.

Don’t miss:

• The nitty-gritty of breeding, foaling, and animal care
• The behind-the-scenes hilarity of foal watch
• Katie’s honest reflections on career paths, childhood influences, and the realities of ranching

For more:
Visit katievanslyke.net for merch, live streams, and more episodes of “Katching Up With Katie.”