Dressage
Keeping the Sport Horse Sound and Fit
If anyone is uniquely qualified to offer tips for keeping the sport horse fit and sound, it’s Ashlee Watts. As the director of the Comparative…
Category:
Horse Health
Horse Health
Cold Weather and Stiff Horses
Research has proven that exposure to cold causes increased stiffness in both muscle and connective tissue, including tendons and ligaments. A recent human study also…
1 year ago
Horse Health
Managing the Skinny Older Horse
Impending winter weather and loss of good pasture make all owners of thin senior horses anxious. Some things to consider when a horse is underweight…
2 years ago
Horse Health
Cell Phones Aren’t Just for Taking Pretty Horse Pictures
I walked into the pasture and Jimbo, a 36-year-old Quarter Horse, came toward me with his hind end listing off to one side. Then his…
2 years ago
Horse Health
Weather Or Not: A No-Nonsense Guide to Blanketing
Unfortunately it’s that time of year again. The days grow shorter, the air whips colder, and our concern for the wellbeing of our equine companions…
2 years ago
Horse Health
Cooling Out a Hot Horse
You do it at the end of every ride—take ten minutes to walk your horse out, then maybe rinse them with cool water in the…
2 years ago
Hoof Care
Getting a Feel for Hoof Flares
“The equine hoof is a complex marvel of natural engineering,” say Susan Kauffmann and Christina Cline in The Essential Hoof Book. “Developing an eye for…
2 years ago
Horse Health
Natural Remedies for Hock Pain
My very first horse was an ex-hunter/jumper in her twenties. She was a true gem of a horse, aptly named Lady Be Good. Due to…
2 years ago
Horse Health
Is My Horse Overweight?
We’ve all seen at least one article claiming a high percentage of horses are overweight, or even that it’s an epidemic. While the numbers are…
2 years ago
Horse Health
10 Tips to Prep Your Horse for Cooler Weather
Although it doesn’t quite feel like it, fall is finally here again (in the northern hemisphere, anyway). The leaves will soon change, and the daylight…
2 years ago
Horse Health
Overlooked Warning Signs of Cushing’s Disease
The classical signs of Cushing’s Disease in horses (pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction/PPID) of poor topline, sagging belly and long curly coat that fails to shed…
2 years ago
Horse Health
8 Foods You Should Never Feed Your Horse
Most of us understand that horses tend to have a “tricky” gastrointestinal system. Sudden changes in feed, moldy hay, too much grain or lush grass—they…
2 years ago
Horse Health
The Head Scratcher That Is DMSO
DMSO is the much quicker and easier way to say, “Dimethyl sulfoxide.” About that, pretty much everyone agrees. It goes downhill from there. Although it…
2 years ago
Horse Health
What Is Restricted Feeding?
On one level, it’s exactly what it sounds like: restricting what you feed your horse. The devil is in the details, though. Exactly what is…
2 years ago
Hoof Care
The Nitty-Gritty Behind Hoof Abscesses
The diagnosis of a hoof abscess is something most equestrians are going to have to deal with sooner or later. It is icky, painful, annoying,…
2 years ago
Horse Health
The Deadly Deficiency
Those of us who are around horses long enough will eventually be forced to deal with the inevitability of sickness and injury. Accidents happen, horses…
2 years ago
Horse Health
’Til Death Do Us Part: Loving Old Horses
There’s a well-known saying, “Getting old isn’t for the faint of heart.” I imagine it’s not, but watching your beloved horse grow old is no…
2 years ago
Horse Health
Feeding Yearlings
Whether you are prepping for sales and halter classes or trying your best to raise a healthy and sound youngster, careful attention to nutritional needs…
2 years ago
Horse Health
Don’t Be a Piranha
Recently, my gelding injured his leg. He had some puffiness and low-grade lameness, so I treated it with ice wraps and stall rest with hand…
2 years ago
Horse Health
Managing Old Soft Tissue Injuries
Tendon and suspensory ligament injuries plague horses performing in all disciplines. Even pleasure horses and pasture ornaments may fall victim if they take the proverbial…