Reading Time: < 1 minute The Alberta Horse Conference is moving to the Sherwood Park Community Centre. Attendees from past conferences have requested live horse presentations and educational opportunities. This year’s conference, which runs Jan. 13-15, will offer those events at a nearby horse facility. In addition to live horse presentations on topics such as communicating with your horse, there […] Read more
Horse conference offers live presentations
Alberta Horse Conference runs Jan. 13-15, 2017
Overconsumption of clovers can affect horse health
Horse Health: There are clear symptoms to watch for when there’s clover in a horse’s diet
Reading Time: 4 minutes Whenever horses are grazing on pastures where clover is present, certain health concerns for the horse need to be kept in mind. It is of value to recognize the type of clovers present in the pasture, as well as the type of health problems that might ensue with ingestion of particular types of clover. Clover […] Read more
The lowdown on the common lumps and bumps of horses
Horse Health: Often the best treatment is benign neglect until they get better on their own
Reading Time: 4 minutes Over their lifetime, horses present with an array of lumps and bumps on various occasions. At times the lump or bump will seemingly appear suddenly from out of nowhere, or it may develop slowly and remain for years without change. The behaviour and clinical picture of the lump/bump will determine whether it needs further investigation […] Read more
Equine athletes to benefit from new research program
The focus will be on reducing injuries in racehorses, show jumpers, and Western pleasure, rodeo, and draft horses
Reading Time: 2 minutes High-performance equine athletes are like people — they need to be at peak fitness to perform at their maximum. And, as with any athlete, injuries can occur. How to train horses for top performance while avoiding injury is one issue facing the sport horse industry in Alberta that will be studied further thanks to a […] Read more
Neil Dimmock’s big dream — and his really big wagon train
Reading Time: 4 minutes Planning and preparation make for a good road trip — especially if your mode of transportation is 30 horses pulling eight wagons. Neil Dimmock needed porta-potties, campers, dozens of volunteers (and enough food to keep them happy), generous landowners and sponsors, a stack of permits, hundreds of gallons of water, tons of hay and oats, […] Read more
Bar U Ranch Percherons named after pioneer
Reading Time: 2 minutes After being flooded with suggestions from members of the public, Parks Canada has named its two new Percherons. “After reviewing over 1,000 name suggestions submitted by members of the public, we’re delighted to welcome Poca and Terra to the team at the Bar U Ranch,” said Travis Weber, manager of the national historic site. Jim […] Read more
Preventing or repairing ‘proud flesh’ on horse wounds
Horse Health: Proper management from the onset is important in avoiding its appearance, especially on lower limbs
Reading Time: 3 minutes Nature has a way of healing wounds in horses and for the most part, has a remarkable inherent ability to return the skin to its original state. However, horses, more so than any other species, tend to be particularly prone to a troublesome complication of wound healing referred to as ‘proud flesh.’ Whenever it appears, […] Read more
Injuries to coronary band need extra TLC
Horse Health: Coronary band injuries commonly occur when trailering horses
Reading Time: 3 minutes Through their lifetime horses can accumulate a number of injuries — cuts, scrapes, scratches and bruises. Most locations on the horse’s body are fairly forgiving of such injuries, however there are a few sites on the body where added vigilance is necessary to ensure a favourable outcome. An injury to an eye or a joint […] Read more
Lice and ticks and horses
Horse Health: Horses that have stressed immune systems are more vulnerable
Reading Time: 3 minutes Lice and ticks are unwelcome guests on horses and donkeys, taking up residence in the warmth of their thick winter coats with peak infestations occurring during the late winter and early spring. Horses infested with lice are intensely itchy, and often the first sign of trouble is a tattered hair coat — or perhaps extra […] Read more
Biosecurity practices for horses
Horse Health: Infectious organisms are effective ‘hitchhikers’ so avoid sharing water buckets and equipment at shows
Reading Time: 3 minutes Biosecurity measures do not need to be complicated or expensive undertakings to be effective. In fact the simplest of practices can make the most difference. Infectious and contagious diseases are not random events, rather the disease requires a chain of events to manifest — like the perfect storm. The viral, bacterial, parasitic or fungal pathogens […] Read more
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