Reading Time: 3 minutes He came into my life in his 11th year — a strong, beautifully marked buckskin gelding with a temper to match the devil himself. He had never been trailered or worked for his keep, but his eye was gentle and something inside of me whispered to give him a go. A gift from very dear […] Read more
The making of a true – and enduring – love story
Out of a first tempestuous meeting and many months of shenanigans, an extraordinary relationship was born
Horses get arthritis, too, and need special care
Horse Health: Abnormal and repetitive stresses are frequent causes of this source of lameness
Reading Time: 4 minutes Ringbone is one of the most common forms of arthritis diagnosed in the horse and is a “catch-all” term used to describe an osteoarthritis that afflicts the coffin joint (low ringbone) or the pastern joint (high ringbone). Degeneration of the joint interferes with function, mobility and flexibility of the lower limb and ultimately leads to […] Read more
Heat stress and horses
Horse Health: Emergency interventions may be necessary to save overheated animals as heatstroke can occur very quickly
Reading Time: 4 minutes Hot weather poses a unique set of challenges to the physiology of horses that are better equipped to deal with cold weather. Horses naturally benefit from the heat produced as a byproduct of their own digestive processes and muscular activity. However, as temperatures rise beyond approximately 24 C and humidity increases, horses struggle to effectively […] Read more
Care of the nursing foal
Horse Health: Mother Nature, their own mother and human caretakers all have a profound effect on the wellness of young horses
Reading Time: 4 minutes From the time a foal is a week old and healthy until it is weaned, its physical, mental and emotional development is influenced by many caretakers. Mother Nature and Mother Horse are the foal’s primary caretakers, however, human caretakers can also have a substantial influence on the foal’s development. Many events that occur in the […] Read more
Equine anemia turns up in some Manitoba horses
A viral horse disease that’s more prevalent further west in Canada has returned to Manitoba for the first time in recent memory, as horses from two municipalities have been found to caught the virus in the past four weeks. Equine infectious anemia (EIA) was confirmed in horses from a property in the RM of St. […] Read more
Mane Event heads east and south
After expanding to Red Deer 11 years ago, B.C.-based Mane Event is adding shows in Ontario and Arizona
Reading Time: 3 minutes As organizers of the Mane Event return to Red Deer for the 11th time, the show is jumping to new heights this year. The equine educational expo, which began in Chilliwack, B.C., is now a four-stop tour after expanding both east and south this year — adding shows in London, Ont, and and Scottsdale, Ariz. […] Read more
Gastric ulcers in horses
Horse Health: This malady is part of a much bigger problem
Reading Time: 4 minutes Recognition and medical treatment of gastric ulcers in horses has been well established for many years now. Initially veterinarians thought ulcers in the digestive tract of the horse were limited to the stomach or gastric mucosa. This was a logical conclusion since the presence of the open ulcers in the stomach could be diagnosed and […] Read more
Pacing, rocking and other worrisome behaviour in horses
Horse Health: Repetitive behaviour isn’t a problem to fix, it’s a sign to look for the root issue
Reading Time: 4 minutes Stereotypic behaviours are repetitive behaviours performed by animals with no obviously discernible function. One of the most commonly recognized stereotypic behaviours is the pacing of polar bears in zoo exhibits. Stereotypic behaviours are also recognized in horses, of which cribbing, weaving and stall walking or pacing are the three most common. Polar bears and horses […] Read more
If you see your horse choking, call a vet right away
Horse Health: The condition in horses refers to the inability to swallow rather than an obstruction of breathing
Reading Time: 3 minutes Whenever the term “choke” is used in horses, it refers to an obstruction or blockage in the esophagus. This is very different than the extreme medical emergency of choking in humans, whereby an obstruction of the airway or trachea has occurred. The choking horse can still breathe — but the choking horse cannot swallow. Choke […] Read more
The many reasons a horse rolls
Horse Health: It’s an eye-catching move, but it’s also completely natural behaviour
Reading Time: 3 minutes Whenever an animal as large as a horse drops to the ground it captures most everyone’s attention. Fortunately the most common reason a horse does drop to the ground is to roll, and rolling is a perfectly natural behaviour for horses. It is both beneficial to their health and an indicator of their health. Horses […] Read more
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