Reading Time: 2 minutes Epigenetics is an emerging branch of genetic science that examines the impact of the environment on an organism’s development. This field shows that genes can be switched on or off through life events without changing DNA sequences. The epigenome serves as a type of biological software that directs the genomic hardware of cells to determine […] Read more
Epigenetics underscores the need of getting a foal off to a good start
Genes are only part of the story — how they’re expressed is a different matter
The critical role of magnesium in horse health
Short-changing a horse on magnesium can impact both physical health and temperament
Reading Time: 3 minutes Magnesium is an essential macro-mineral that plays a crucial role in the health and wellbeing of horses. It is essential for more than 350 biochemical processes in the body of the horse, including generation of cellular energy and decoding genetic information. Understanding the importance of magnesium at the cellular level and its impact on health […] Read more
Slow and steady movement is what keeps horses healthy
Modern day horses suffer from many of the same health problems as modern day humans
Reading Time: 3 minutes Cinema portrays wild horses to be ‘running free,’ but the truth is that they spend hours and hours a day ‘walking free’ — moving slow and steady as they graze, browse and forage. Step, bite, chew, repeat. Horses were designed to move and it keeps them physically healthy and mentally content. The No. 1 function of […] Read more
Watch the whiskers and you’ll learn more about your horse
An animal’s whiskers are important sensory organs and trimming them could be a bad idea
Reading Time: 3 minutes Veterinary professionals and cat owners have recently begun diagnosing and addressing whisker stress or whisker fatigue in felines. Simply put, the theory is that a cat’s whiskers can become over-stimulated from the unnatural habit of touching the sides of standard food and water dishes, leading to whisker stress or whisker fatigue. Although there is no […] Read more
The lonely horse suffers greatly in many different ways
Horses are social creatures and social isolation is among their strongest stressors
Reading Time: 2 minutes Horses have major advantages associated with domestic life but they have also incurred disadvantages that deeply affect their overall health and well-being. Perhaps the greatest of these disadvantages is frequent social isolation. Social support in humans has been found to protect individuals from the mental, physical and emotional stressors of life and it appears that […] Read more
The use of medicinal honey in wound care of horses
The right kind of honey is key if you want to try this technique
Reading Time: 3 minutes Medicinal honey shows impressive results in combatting antibiotic resistance, improving patient welfare and economizing wound management for humans and companion animals. When the source of honey is well chosen, there are no mentionable side effects or contra-indications. Honey is roughly 80 per cent simple sugars (such as glucose and fructose) and 20 per cent water […] Read more
It might be you, not the horse, if mounting is an issue
Discomfort from mounting more common cause of issues than a horse with ‘bad manners’
Reading Time: 3 minutes A horse’s behaviour when being mounted is rich with information regarding how it physically, mentally and emotionally feels about the experience. How is the horse coping, adapting to and/or counterbalancing the activity of the mounter? If it braces itself, hollows its neck or back, raises its head, pulls its ears back, swishes its tail or […] Read more
Look deeper when dealing with a bucking horse
There’s almost always a root cause for this behaviour that must be addressed first
Reading Time: 3 minutes The non-professional bucking horse is a conundrum to the equestrian community and there is limited information on how bucking behaviour can best be investigated. Simply correcting the behaviour with assertive training methods, without understanding the root cause for the bucking, has limited success in preventing this unwanted and potentially dangerous activity. In fact, all horses […] Read more
Some tips for dealing with the seasonally ‘itchy’ horse
Allergies, biting insects and the myriad of things horses are exposed to can all be factors
Reading Time: 3 minutes There is an increased occurrence of the itchy horse during spring and summer associated with seasonal allergies. While there are no published data on the number of allergies in horses, it would appear numbers are rising and parallel similar findings in humans and dogs. The most obvious symptom of a seasonal allergy is itchiness. A […] Read more
Shwetz: The frog can be a bellwether for horse hoof health
You can learn a lot just by examining this elastic cushion that plays such a critical role
Reading Time: 3 minutes So much detriment comes to the horse when its feet are not comfortable. The robust development and expression of the back half of the horse’s hoof and by association, the frog, plays a major role in cushioning a comfortable landing of the equine foot. The weak or ‘sick’ frog has become so common that its […] Read more
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