How to care for the basic health needs of horses
Anyone who has witnessed a foal’s first few minutes in this world might agree that one of the most miraculous parts of the process is the way a mare greets and bonds with her newborn. With a deep sniff at the baby’s nostrils, that distinctive
Horses have two basic forms of communication–vocal and body language. The more sophisticated of the two by far is body language. With a mere look, a flick of the ears, or a turn of the head, horses can communicate to each other and to us, if we
We recently had a foal who is now one month old. His mother has always been easy to handle in the cross ties or harness (she is a 20-year-old retired Standardbred), but is not a horse which can be caught easily in the pasture, and she isn’t
Although it is not necessary for you to become bogged down in the intricacies of equine digestive physiology, a basic understanding of how the horse digests feed is necessary for the selection of appropriate diets and feeding practices.
Can you explain how “sacking out” works and if you think it would work for my mare?
However, some horse-troubling insects and parasites become more active during late summer and fall. Unchecked, they can be an annoyance, stress a horse’s energy reserves during the winter months, or cause illness or death. It is up to you to protect
Racehorse owners might one day be able to handicap a horse’s risk of injury. A new study in its early stages at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) in the United Kingdom is monitoring a group of two-year-olds with the intention of using the data
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first drug to treat equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) in horses. Bayer Animal Health of Shawnee Mission, Kan., is the sponsor of the drug, ponazuril, which will have the trade name
I was wondering if you could help me. For a friend, I look after a 15.3-hand mare who is six years old. The horse had a fairly bad start in life as she was first abandoned in a stable, then in a field. She has luxating patellas in both hind
We have a seven-year-old draft cross gelding who was treated for Lyme disease in October of 2000 with 8 grams of doxycycline (a broad-spectrum tetracycline antibiotic) twice daily for three weeks. Since that time, and not previously, we have
When horses are working hard, especially in hot weather, they are particularly prone to dehydration and electrolyte imbalances.
Salmonella, Rhodococcus equi, strangles, rotavirus, and multiple other contagious disease outbreaks…these are the bane of horse owners, farm managers, and trainers. One strangles outbreak can wreck a show season, cause
Here’s what you need to know about keeping your horse from overheating during exercise in hot weather.
A wide variety of equine nutritional topics was covered at the fourth annual Alltech Equine School April 25-28 in Lexington, Ky., sponsored by Alltech, a feed ingredient company in Nicholasville, Ky. Among the speakers was Harold Hintz, BS, PhD,
Good news travels fast in the horse business; bad news travels even faster. In the case of an outbreak of mysterious early fetal loss and late-gestation foal loss, cooperation and quick sharing of information served to help researchers
Many equine caregivers are giving medications to their horses this time of year for breeding, seasonal training, and competition. Often we take for granted the handling of commonly used substances, with never a thought as to adverse effects on
Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with
