Tag: horse health

8 Toxic Foods For Horses to Avoid At All Costs

As gardening season is ramping up, I wanted to share a quick list of toxic fruits and vegetables (plus a couple of bonus foods) that you should never feed your horse. 1. Potatoes Potatoes contain atropine which can have a paralytic effect on the horse’s GI tract leading to severe colic. All parts of the…… Continue reading 8 Toxic Foods For Horses to Avoid At All Costs

Ways to Keep Your Horse Cool During a Heat Wave

Ensure fresh water is always available. Just like when you are overheated and would like a drink, horses rely heavily on cool, fresh water to regulate their body temperature. Make sure you are always checking the water level in your horses’ tanks or buckets and keeping the water clean and desirable. If you suspect your…… Continue reading Ways to Keep Your Horse Cool During a Heat Wave

Top 10 Essentials For Your Equine First Aid Kit

Here are our top 10 equine first aid kit essentials! This list is a great jumping point for building your kit. Let us know in the comments what some of your essentials are! 1. Thermometer When your horse appears ill, taking their temperature should be priority number one. Digital thermometers are super handy for a…… Continue reading Top 10 Essentials For Your Equine First Aid Kit

Out of Thin Air: A Peek at Equine COPD (Heaves)

This week’s topic hits a little close to home, as our miniature horse, Stormy, has recently been struggling with heaves. Unfortunately, the years of being housed in inadequate living conditions have caught up with her. This post is meant to help educate other equestrians who are struggling with managing their horse’s heaves. So what exactly…… Continue reading Out of Thin Air: A Peek at Equine COPD (Heaves)

An Overview of the Equine Respiratory System and Its Functions

Anatomy of the Equine Respiratory System The equine respiratory system (we’ll say ERS for short) is made up of an upper and lower respiratory tract. To understand the function of the ERS, we must first examine its anatomy. FUN FACT: Over the last several decades, researchers have found growing evidence that the ERS may be…… Continue reading An Overview of the Equine Respiratory System and Its Functions

How to Identify and Assess Equine Lameness

Lameness is the bane of many equestrians’ existence. It can crush competition dreams and even mean the end of a riding career. Although lameness is preventable to a certain degree, it is often inevitable in any horse’s life. But what exactly is the definition of lameness? Lameness is considered any deviation from a horse’s normal…… Continue reading How to Identify and Assess Equine Lameness

What Every Equestrian Should Know About Laminitis and Founder

Laminitis. The word alone is enough to send shivers down any equestrian’s spine. Often deemed as a death sentence, laminitis is one of the most common disorders in horses and ponies. Laminitis is defined as inflammation of the tissue between the hoof and coffin bone. Contrary to many people’s beliefs, founder and laminitis are not…… Continue reading What Every Equestrian Should Know About Laminitis and Founder

Down to the Bones: The Equine Skeletal System

In this post, we are going to examine a few interesting and important aspects of the equine skeletal system. We will look at bone growth, how to properly train the skeletal system, and common problems that can occur. Courtesy of Wikimedia How Equine Bones Grow Equine bones grow in two different ways: longitudinally and in…… Continue reading Down to the Bones: The Equine Skeletal System