How to care for the basic health needs of horses
Martin Atock has seen a lot of things in the more than 20 years he has spent coordinating international equine travel. Atock is managing director of Peden Bloodstock, the official Olympic horse transportation company.
In 1990 he was
Because proper dental care is vital to a horse’s overall health, the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) is launching a campaign to promote the need for horses to receive a thorough oral examination at least once a year. Designed
Does your horse have a cresty neck? Does he gain weight on air? Does he develop laminitis at the mere sight of spring grass? If so, your horse could have insulin resistance. Lydia F. Gray, DVM, MA, medical director/staff veterinarian for SmartPa
A few horses out there like to have their ears rubbed, but many are tolerant of ear handling at best, and violently ear shy at worst. When these horses need to have veterinary work done around their ears, such as biopsies or stitching of
The much maligned mule is getting a day of celebration but will have to share the spotlight with a breed of even sorrier reputation–the politicians.
The Mule Day parade set for Saturday is the highlight of a six-day celebration honoring th
Spinal cord compression in the neck, more technically known as cervical vertebral stenotic myelopathy or CVSM, can cause notable incoordination and affects about 2% of racing Thoroughbreds. Probably the most well-known horse affected by CVSM was
This first article of a 12-part series on equine anatomy and physiology discusses basic terminology, the horse’s largest organ (his skin), and how horses and humans are alike (and different).
There are 205 bones in the horse’s skeleton, and the spot where one or more bones join is the joint. This installment of the anatomy and physiology series focuses on these critical areas of movement.
The foreleg of the horse is, for the most part, a model of good engineering. Most of a horse’s weight is carried on its forelimbs. Good conformation will help ensure long-term soundness.
No matter the breed or discipline, good conformation of the hind legs will contribute to more successful performance and a better ride. We want a horse to have excellent rear leg conformation so that it can tolerate the demands placed on it.
Anatomy and physiology of the horse’s head and neck, and related structures such as the eyes, ears, mouth/teeth, and upper respiratory tract.
A horse’s conformation and muscle types can determine how well he can perform certain tasks, but all horses are subject to muscle injury and disease. In this article, we’ll take a look at how equine muscles function and are nourished.
Understanding the equine digestive system can make your horse healthier and give you fewer worries about gastric upset. In this article, we’ll take a look at just how this “factory” is designed and how it functions.
Emergency personnel often have their first experience handling horses when they are called to the scene of a trailer collision, barn fire, or other crisis situation.
In order to better prepare fire, police, and medical professionals for
The horse’s circulatory and respiratory systems constitute its engine. Here, we’ll take a close a look at these two systems and the manner in which they function.
The idea of a vaccine is to get the immune system to mount a response against a pathogenic invader while saving the horse from suffering disease symptoms that at best are uncomfortable and inconvenient, and at worst are fatal.
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