Reading Time: 2 minutes Parks Canada has acquired a brand new pair of Percheron draft horses at the Bar U Ranch National Historic Site. Before the horses begin to welcome visitors, we need to name them. Animals this magnificent deserve equally impressive names, and Parks Canada is inviting the public to submit name suggestions for Bar U’s newest gentle […] Read more
Public invited to name Bar U’s new residents
The famous Alberta ranch was once home to 1,000 Percherons, and Parks Canada wants help naming its newest gentle giants
Understanding and controlling the risk of swamp fever
Horses that test positive must be euthanized or quarantined for life
Reading Time: 4 minutes The recent increase in confirmed cases of equine infectious anemia (EIA), also known as swamp fever, in Alberta is a reminder to horse owners that this disease maintains a constant presence in equine populations. Often evidence for infection is noted only after routine surveillance testing for EIA. EIA is a blood-borne and potentially fatal viral […] Read more
Teamwork at the Canadian Supreme
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Canadian Supreme wrapped up another successful show at Red Deer’s Westerner Park last weekend, with more than 600 entries and $400,000 in prize money being handed out. The event celebrates the working cow horse, with competitions in three categories: cutting, cow horse, and reining. Pictured above is John Thomas of Spruce Grove, riding Dual Smart […] Read more
Bringing the advantages of hydrotherapy to your horse
Horse Health: A soothing and therapeutic relief when dealing with wounds or injuries
Reading Time: 3 minutes One of the most valuable allies in the “doctor’s” kit of every horseman ought to be water — simple, soothing, inexpensive, and most often readily available. The application of water, a.k.a. hydrotherapy, to encourage healing brings plenty of advantages in many equine injuries. In spite of the many advancements in veterinary medicine, hydrotherapy remains a […] Read more
Warning about horses returning from U.S.
Be aware of import requirements due to recent U.S. outbreak of vesicular stomatitis
Reading Time: < 1 minute Canadians are reminded to check import requirements before arriving at the border with their horses. Import requirements protect human and animal health and may change at any time in response to an animal disease outbreak in another country. Failure to meet import requirements could result in delays at the border, or denial of entry. New […] Read more
Horses can have allergic reactions, know the symptoms
Horse Health: There are multiple triggers that can cause either skin or respiratory reaction
Reading Time: 3 minutes Horses, just like humans, can and do get allergies. Although allergies in horses are not fully understood, we do know that the root cause lies in the immune system. The body becomes hypersensitive and appears to “overreact” to seemingly innocuous substances called allergens. Histamine, a naturally occurring hormone in the body, reaches overly high levels, […] Read more
What is equine infectious anemia?
Reading Time: < 1 minute Non-contagious but infectious disease of horses, donkeys and mules; Viral disease which affects the animal’s immune system, something like HIV in humans; Symptoms include fever, anorexia, muscle weakness and wasting, swelling of the underside of belly and legs; Horses infected with the EIA virus carry it for life; Transmitted by larger bloodsucking insects, mainly horseflies […] Read more
Spate of new EIA cases may up pressure to combat ‘swamp fever’ in horses
Many consider Western Canada to be lax in its efforts to eradicate equine infectious anemia, but that may soon change
Reading Time: 4 minutes A smattering of new cases of equine infectious anemia in Alberta and Saskatchewan may intensify the pressure to implement new, and costly, measures to control the potentially devastating disease. Four cases of the disease (typically called EIA or ‘swamp fever’) have been found in Alberta and two in Saskatchewan this year. The first three Alberta […] Read more
Mastering the art of longeing horses
Horse Health: There is more to this form of training than going in circles
Reading Time: 3 minutes At its most basic level, longeing (pronounced lunging) is a seemingly simple exercise. It asks a horse to move in circles around a handler. However, execution of this exercise can be either very beneficial or very detrimental to the horse, depending on “how” it is done. How a horse carries its body as it travels […] Read more
Do you know what to do in an animal emergency?
It’s all about making it real and keeping rescue efforts simple, American expert says of upcoming Olds workshop
Reading Time: 3 minutes When a truck carrying livestock flips, or there’s a need to rescue horses or cattle during a flood, most people don’t know what to do. That’s where Rebecca Gimenez comes in. Gimenez, who hails from Macon, Georgia, will be teaching a workshop on animal rescue and emergency preparedness in Olds on June 25 and 26. […] Read more
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