HEALTH & EDUCATION

Health & Education

We all want the best care possible for our horses. The Heath & Education section covers both Learning Institutions, Organizations as well as many sources for equine assistance including Veterinarians and Farriers.

For those who want a to formally study horses, the Education section includes College Riding, Equine Studies, and Veterinary Schools. Learn about the wide variety of horses in the Horse Breeds section. Supplements and Treatments Therapy are also included in the section.

Everyone can learn from Fine Art and there are some specialty Museums that might surprise you.

Horses as a therapy partner enrich the lives of the disabled. These facilities are listed in our Therapeutic Riding section. To help children and young adults build confidence and grow emotionally, please see the resources available on the Youth Outreach page.

Looking for a place to keep your horse? You can find it in the Horse Boarding section. Traveling? Find a Shipping company or Horse Sitting service if your horse is staying home!

Want to stay up to date with the latest training clinics or professional conferences? Take a look at our Calendar of Events for Health & Education for the dates and locations of upcoming events.

Do we need to add more? Please use the useful feedback link and let us know!

Dr. Laurie Metcalfe reviews what is involved in a new foal exam and the importance of prevention and early detection of potential problems to give a foal the best chance for success.

Common signs of ‘misbehavior’ can be a direct result of pain.

When Korrina Tomes-Hughes – horsewoman, wife and mother of four – acquired a horse who often squealed and kicked out, she told her husband they had a year to solve the issues. “If a horse isn’t safe, they don’t stay at our house,” she said. “Considering a 1,200-pound horse versus our littlest kid of 40 pounds, there can be no taking chances when it comes to safety.”

It is important to bring up any behavior-related issues with your veterinarian, so they can examine your horse for any potential pain and discomfort that may be directing the behavior you’re seeing. And, that’s just what this family did. “You can’t just write [a horse] off for a bad day, or even a bad week. And when you have a mare, you especially have to make sure she is comfortable,” she said.

Pinpointing the Problem

To diagnose the issue, Korrina’s veterinarian examined the mare, Cash Flip Seven, and soon discovered the mare’s estrus cycle was to blame for her, at times, poor behavior. “When she cycles, she cycles hard. It’s painful for her,” said Korrina. She was acting up because of the pain she experienced from estrus, which is common, according to a study conducted by University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. The study noted several behaviors directly linked to overall physical discomfort, which can often be overlooked and labeled as “mareish.”

Help horses weather the winter with insight from equine nutritionists, veterinarian

While impressively stout yet entirely fragile, horses require a great level of care, especially as it relates to their nutrition over the winter.

“Many horse owners may not realize they actually need to feed horses differently in the wintertime than they do in the summertime,” Jyme Nichols, PhD, director of nutrition at Stride Animal Health, shared in an interview with Valley Vet Supply.

For a better understanding, continue learning with these three facts.

Fact 1: A Horse’s “Thermoneutral Zone” Directly Impacts Their Nutritional Needs.

“The first thing that I think is important for everybody to understand is a term that sounds a little bit intimidating — thermoneutral zone,” Dr. Nichols said. “This is basically the temperature outside in which a horse can maintain their own core body temperature without having to exert any extra effort to regulate either their heat loss or heat gain.”

Horses in the United States have an average thermoneutral zone between 40 and 80 degrees, which means horses near the low end of their thermoneutral zone will have to use extra energy (thus calories) to maintain heat.

by Eleanor M. Kellon, VMD

I am personally very involved with medical causes, but this is about a central issue for all laminitis cases – the trim. Medications, diet and supplements can’t make up for an inappropriate laminitis trim.

Whether the horse has true rotation – coffin bone (P3) out of alignment with second phalanx (P2) – or capsular rotation – hoof wall pushed away from P3 by swelling or laminar wedge – the goal of trimming is realignment of the bones within the hoof capsule.

A realigning trim also corrects for the elevated palmar angle (angle the bottom of the coffin bone makes with the ground) seen in horses with true rotation. Reduced growth at the toe compared to heel can also result in this problem in any laminitis horse.

It’s that simple, and the realigning trim is as important today as it was when I learned it 45 years ago. Some things don’t change. The physiologically correct alignment between coffin bone, hoof wall and ground is one of them.

Read more: The Heart of Laminitis Care

Rood & Riddle - Our cohosts reminisce on the inaugural year of the StallSide podcast and tell us what’s in store for 2022.

Join co-hosts Dr. Peter Morresey and Dr. Bart Barber as they recap the latest research presented at the recent AAEP (American Association of Equine Practitioners) National Convention held in Nashville, Tennessee. The duo covers a myriad of conditions researched by the top veterinarians in the country. The research they review covers Salmonella, EPM, CBD’s therapeutic uses, heart mummers, reproduction advances, hepatitis, coronavirus, and nocardioform placentitis.

by Jackie Bellamy-Zions, Equine Guelph

“Most horses have been exposed to the equine herpies virus,” says Dr. Diego Gomez-Nieto, researcher at the Ontario Veterinary College. Gomez has been part of a research study on the Equine Herpes Virus which discovered the nasal microbiota of infected horses differed significantly to those of a healthy control group. The study came together quickly and was conducted on a horse farm in Ontario that was experiencing an outbreak.

The Jan 2021 research paper explains nasal bacterial microbiota of healthy horses is richer and more diverse than that previously reported using culture-based methodology. “We found that there is a myriad of different types of bacteria in the nasal cavity of the horse, and they are kept in a normal balance,” says Gomez. “However, when there is a respiratory infection from a virus (like equine herpes virus), the normal balance of the nasal bacterial population is disrupted allowing some pathogenic bacteria to proliferate and cause disease. One of those diseases is pneumonia. The results of our study help to explain why and how pneumonia develops in horses after a viral infection of the respiratory tract.”

In an interview with Equine Guelph, Dr. Gomez discusses the findings of this study and what horse owners need to know to protect their horses from EHV.

When Dr. Gomez opened with the statement: most horses have already been infected with equine herpies virus, your eyes may have widened but this fact need not cause alarm, as for most equines this does not cause any serious problems.

When a horse is showing signs of illness, then it is important to pick up on these signs and take action early on. For EHV this may include: fever, limb edema, and nasal discharge. When a horse is shedding the virus it is highly contagious and quarantine protocols are of paramount importance.

Photo courtesy of Uckele Health & Nutrition

Winter weather puts a strain on all body tissues with special challenges for the hooves. Don't skimp on hoof care over the winter.

Cold weather reduces blood flow to the extremities and unless your horse is doing a lot of exercising hoof growth is going to slow considerably. This means problems like cracks or chips won't be growing out. If the horse is shod, nail holes will enlarge and shoes become loose before enough foot has grown for a reset.

Pulling the shoes for the winter and putting a good roll on the hoof wall both protects the wall and encourages growth by improving circulation in the hoof. If you need a further boost, try Jiaogulan.

The combination of cold, low humidity and decreased circulation can lead to a dry hoof wall and heel cracks. For the wall and sole, my preferred dressing is a light coat of pine tar. For coronary band and heels/bulbs, simple is best - petroleum jelly or Cornhusker's lotion. If painful cracks develop, nothing beats Zim's Crack Creme (great for split skin on hands too).