Exercise Exhaustion

Exercise exhaustion can occur after relatively brief maximal exercise or after prolonged submaximal exercise.

Read More

Winter Riding

Give your horse longer warm-up and cooling-out time in cold weather to prevent tendon injury. Frozen ground, cold temperatures, and stiff tendons (not warmed up) can result in damage or even a bowed tendon.

Read More
pastern bone damage in sport horses; horse arena footing; How Uneven Feet Affect a Horse in Motion

Why Horses Stumble

There are many reasons a horse might stumble. Work with your veterinarian and farrier to determine the cause, since the onset of stumbling might indicate a shoeing/trimming problem, or could be a warning of serious health problems.

Read More
North Carolina Owners: Vaccinate Horses Against Rabies

10 Tips on Getting Horses Ready for Spring

Spring is in the air! Oh, to be sure, we aren’t finished with cold weather in many parts of the country, but it won’t be long before we will be ready to head out trail riding or be off on the spring horse show circuit. Here are some tips to help prepare your horse for the spring riding season.

Read More

Juvenile Bowed Tendons and Racing Prognosis

?Juvenile bowed tendons, or ?baby bows,? are not uncommon in yearlings and weanlings,? said Johanna Reimer, VMD, Dipl. ACVIM, Dipl. ACVC (cardiology), of the Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Ky., at the 2002 American Association of

Read More

Stretching Out the Kinks

There’s nothing like a good stretch–when you wake up in the morning, during breaks at work, or before and after your workout. In human physiology, we know about stretching and its benefits for the athlete. Many practitioners and physical

Read More

Is His Heart In It?

Do you know why a Thoroughbred can deliver that great burst of speed to eat up a mile in 1 1/2 minutes, or how an endurance horse can maintain the strength and stamina to cover long distances at steady speeds? Of course you do: Conditioning.

Read More

Exercise and Bone Development

Beneath the smooth surface of articular cartilage, subchondral bone gives structural support to joints. Normally, newborn foals have a lot of water in this layer, which is slowly replaced by calcium and collagen as the foal weights his joints.

Read More

Fatigue in Racehorses

While visibly obvious, fatigue is hard to quantify. Electromyography (EMG) measures conduction along nerves in a particular muscle group–as muscle fibers fatigue, EMG signals shift from high to low. Taking EMG readings during galloping is

Read More

Recharge Your Horse’s Batteries

For horses engaged in regular conditioning and competition, an important consideration for overall health and fitness is the speed of recovery following hard workouts and competition exercise. A bout of exercise burns body fuel, results in loss

Read More

Investigating Poor Performance

For a horse to perform well as an athlete, all body systems must be in good working order. When one or more systems “breaks down,” the horse is no longer able to perform up to his potential, and the owner, rider, and trainer will likely notice a

Read More

Is Your Horse Fit for the Task?

Regardless of whether your horse is used for high-level competition or weekend trail riding, it’s important that he be fit for the task. “Fitness” is a rather vague expression, but in general terms it can be defined as the ability to complete th

Read More

Combat Stiffness

In many cases, you can completely cure the horse of the underlying ailment that causes his stiffness. And even in cases where the horse suffers from a chronic condition such as arthritis, your careful, consistent efforts to battle stiffness can improve his performance and, more important, his quality of life and his pleasure of performing with you.

Read More

Priming Equine Energy Systems

 Last month, this column covered some of  the basics in developing a physical conditioning program (see “Getting Your Horse in Shape” in the February 2002 issue of The Horse, article Quick Find #3263 at www.TheHorse.com). The

Read More

Getting Your Horse in Shape

As spring approaches, visions of green grass, budding trees, and active wildlife might seem just around the corner for some. But for many of us, spring is but a dream, for we must endure a few more weeks of cold, snow, and ice-covered terrain.

Read More

Strategic Layoffs

Many equestrian sports are seasonal, with a competition season alternating with an off season. Even in sports that continue year-round, most trainers schedule a break from competition, which gives the horse a chance to recover mentally and

Read More

More From The Horse

Horses Stalled In Barn
Kissing Spines, Courtesy Jackie Hill
What's New in Treating Pastern Dermatitis
Grazing Horses

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

What do you find most effective for treating scratches in your horse?
54 votes · 54 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!

The Horse
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.