Reading Time: 3 minutes Young horse training plans and workloads must match their skeletal development. Failing to plan around growth plates can create lifelong physical problems.
Ignoring growth plates sabotages young horse development
Training plans and workloads for young horses must match their skeletal development, even when they look physically mature from the outside
Weekend warrior horses at risk
Lack of activity followed by intense bursts of exercise increases strain and injury risk in humans; horses are the same
Reading Time: 3 minutes Horses need steady, rhythmic movement. Going from no activity to weekend bursts of exercise risks physical strain and injury.
Canada’s slaughter horse industry lacks transparency
Slaughter for horses has a role, but traceability and humane handling must be in play
Reading Time: 3 minutes Horse slaughter is a fraught issue right now in the Canadian livestock sphere. The author writes that, while it has a role, traceability, transparency and humane handling must be in play.
The art of effective slow feeding for horses
Bring slow feeding into your horse’s routine: How to get started, what to expect and the benefits horse owners can expect to see
Reading Time: 3 minutes Slow feeding horses: How to get started, what to expect and the benefits horse owners can expect to see when hay is no longer getting eaten all at once.
Why is my horse shaking its head?
The range of causes for head shaking spans learned behaviour and discomfort from equipment to nerve disorders, head trauma and tumours
Reading Time: 3 minutes The range of causes for head shaking spans learned behaviour and discomfort from equipment to nerve disorders, headtrauma and tumours
Your horse is not your pet
Horses have different care, handling and housing needs compared to other companion species like dogs or cats
Reading Time: 3 minutes Treating horses like pets restricts healthy movement and activity, critical social interaction in a herd, leads to unnatural feeding strategies and practices and can seriously impact a horse's health and well-being.
Healthy foals need healthy brood mares
Foal well-being starts with a focus on the dam
Reading Time: 3 minutes While significant attention is directed towards the health of foals themselves, understanding the factors contributing to the welfare of the brood mare is equally, if not more, important for development of well-balanced, healthy young horses.
Max your horsepower: proper fuel for your horse requires proper carbs
Not all carbohydrates are created equal when it comes to feeding horses
Reading Time: 3 minutes Modern horse feeding advice frequently recommends adding concentrated feeds to pasture or hay diets. This is often considered essential to meet caloric needs for performance or to ensure sufficient intake of vitamins and minerals. There is growing evidence that paints a different picture. Grain-heavy processed diets may contribute to various digestive and metabolic disorders, including […] Read more
Heading off neck pain in horses
Improper handling and headgear can set the stage for neck problems
Reading Time: 3 minutes Neck pain in horses, particularly at the base of the neck, is getting more attention from equestrians and veterinarians, probably because we have better diagnostic imaging tools to diagnose problems. The horse world now has access to improved radiographic techniques, ultrasonography, nuclear scintigraphy and, the most notable contributor, MRI technology. The latter allows us to […] Read more
Treating arthritis in your horse
Treatments for degenerative joint disease can take a whole-horse approach
Reading Time: 3 minutes The current trend in the horse world when it comes to degenerative joint disease or arthritis is to focus on five main treatment categories, all directly targeting the afflicted joint. This works for the immediate joint problem, but often overlooks or discounts the holistic nature of the illness. Understanding the elements underpinning this multi-factored system […] Read more
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