With 2017 coming to a close and a new year of horse health news and articles ahead, The Horse’s team took a few moments to tally the 10 articles that received the most views this year. Covering a variety of topics related to horse health, the following articles (including some perpetually popular ones) received the most views over the past year. Did your favorites make the list?

10 Early Warning Signs of Laminitis
It’s a painful condition that veterinarians, farriers, and horse owners have been racking their brains about for decades. Laminitis—the separation or failure of laminae, which connect the hoof wall to the coffin bone within—can cause permanent structural changes in a horse’s foot. To help you catch this devastating hoof disease while your horse still has a chance to avoid suffering its consequences, our sources have helped us come up with a list of 10 early warning signs. Regardless of the type of case (-supporting-limb, systemic inflammatory response syndrome, or endocrine disease-related), these red flags could indicate laminitis is setting in—even before you see any signs of lameness.

How Much Does a Horse Cost?
It has often been said that owning a horse is akin to digging a deep hole in the backyard and throwing in large sums of money, never to be seen again. Horse-crazy people, however, might say, "So what? What does it matter how much it costs as long as I have my horse?" Let’s take a look at what it really costs to own a horse besides the initial purchase price.

Hoof Abscesses in Horses 
Yesterday your horse was perfectly sound, but today he won’t touch one foot to the ground. There’s no apparent injury or sign of a problem in his leg or hoof other than the sudden, severe lameness. What could have happened? One strong possibility for the cause of this scenario is a hoof abscess. The good news is that abscesses can often be resolved quickly and easily with proper veterinary care and leave no lasting damage. Even better, they can usually be prevented by practicing good routine hoof care and management.

Dealing With Colic: 32 Dos and Don’ts
Every decision you make—from the first moment you notice something wrong to postoperative care—can impact your horse’s colic recovery. Do you know what to do—and just as importantly, what not to do—if your horse displays vague, mild, or serious signs of what might be colic? How do you handle the situation? Actions to take/avoid with your horse’s recovery plan? How to minimize the risk for colic in the first place? Here are 32 tips to use as guidelines.

Feeding Horses to Increase Weight and Body Condition
There are a number of circumstances in which owners may want their horses to increase body condition. It could simply be because a horse has lost some weight over the winter months from less access to pasture, or because it is a very hard keeper. However, it could be because of something more serious, such as recovering from illness, parasitic infection, or from surgery. Then, too, a horse might be purchased or rescued without the desired amount of fat coverage around the ribs and body, or it could even be undernourished. Here’s what to remember about packing pounds on your underweight horse.

Things You Should and Should Not Put on a Horse’s Wound
Horse owners and veterinarians have been treating equine wounds for centuries. After all, horses are unabashedly practiced at the art of sustaining wounds. Over the years we’ve tried many different wound ointments and salves, cleansers and dressings, but not all of them are backed by evidence of safety and/or efficacy. Here’s a review of effective and ineffective wound-cleaning agents.

The Science Behind ‘Licking and Chewing’ in Horses
What does “licking and chewing” really mean? Submission? Processing? Relaxing? An equine behaviorist weighs in.

Sacroiliac Joint Pain in Horses
Sacroiliac disease is debilitating and performance-limiting. A lack of understanding about this condition (and researchers are still learning) can lead to inefficient treatment and even welfare problems for the horse—especially if handlers consider his issues to be behavior-related. Know how to recognize the signs and work with your veterinarian to get a diagnosis—knowing it might involve a referral—and personalized treatment program to help your horse get back on track and performing his best.

Algae in Horse Water Troughs: Is It Safe?
In the summer, it’s not uncommon to see algae trying to take over horses’ water troughs. Is it okay for them to drink from the trough when it has algae, and what can one do to stop it growing? An equine nutritionist shares her thoughts.

Short-, Long-Term Effects of Vibrating Platforms Studied
Complementary therapies are steadily gaining popularity in the equine industry. While anecdotal evidence suggests some of these modalities might benefit horses, scientific evidence is lagging. Take vibrating platforms, for instance. Equestrians across a variety of disciplines report improved performance and injury healing when their horses stand on them regularly. Still, research on the topic is in its infancy, and scientists haven’t confirmed whether time spent on a vibrating plate has any impact—positive or negative—on horses. So, researchers recently set out to find answers.