Foal feeding habits and growth
Did you know that when a foal is born, it weighs approximately 10% of its mature body weight? This can vary however from about 7% of mature weight in draft […]
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Musculoskeletal Health
To ice or not to ice?
Here in the Southern Hemisphere, we’re enjoying warmer weather and competition season in various disciplines is in full swing. As a result, it is commonplace to see horses and ponies
To ice or not to ice? Read More »
Longeing Horses and Joint Health: A Helpful or Harmful Practice?
Across a variety of equestrian disciplines, longeing horses and ponies is a common practice. It may be used to start a young horse under saddle; contribute to developing or maintaining
Longeing Horses and Joint Health: A Helpful or Harmful Practice? Read More »
Spring, Summer and More Riding!
Here in the Southern Hemisphere, the weather is warming up, daylight hours are getting longer, show season is in full swing, and eventing, dressage, showjumping and polocrosse events are underway.
Spring, Summer and More Riding! Read More »
Grain Free Feeds….What does this mean, and do our horses really need these feeds?
What we feed our horses and how we feed them are crucial to their health. Diet and nutrition are known to play an important role in our horse’s gastrointestinal (GI),
Grain Free Feeds….What does this mean, and do our horses really need these feeds? Read More »
Congenital Flexural Limb Deformities: Why both feed and body condition in the broodmare matter
There are many possible factors believed to contribute to foals being born with contracted or lax tendons (congenital flexural limb deformities). These include intrauterine positioning, ingestion of certain toxins by
Grass, Hay, Fibre and Short Chain Fatty Acids
When we transition from winter into spring or from summer into autumn/fall weather, we can suddenly find that our horses have increasing amounts of green grass to graze. With plenty
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STRESS: What is stress exactly when it relates to horses? And what do we need to consider?
When we talk about stress in equines, we often think of those horses and ponies that never settle, constantly spook, pace the fence line in the paddock, or sweat up
The Importance of Salt for Horses and Ponies
Whether you’re somewhere in the world currently enjoying warmer weather, or contrastingly, at the other end of the spectrum and starting to experience cooler conditions, salt is a crucial part
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An Introduction to Off The Track Thoroughbreds (OTTB)
Among the many breeds and types of horses available to riders, off the track thoroughbreds (OTTB) are a highly popular choice of mount. And for a very good reason! Their
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Training a Horse’s Brain
How often do we stop to consider the unique role of the horse’s neuroanatomy? The structure of a horse’s brain is very different to that of a human, and to
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HELP! My horse won’t put on body condition
HELP! My horse won’t put on body condition… The horse that fails to thrive can be one of the most frustrating challenges for owners, trainers, breeders and riders. The horse
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Injury and Pain in our Horses and Ponies
Effectively treating pain in our horses and ponies can be a complex issue. Whilst non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are mainstay to help with the inflammation associated with pain, there are
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Coco Pops, Feeding Broodmares and Skeletal Development…What’s the Link?
When it comes to feeding our broodmares, we are inundated with choices in terms of commercial feed mixes and concentrates. It’s common for our feed selections to be largely influenced
Coco Pops, Feeding Broodmares and Skeletal Development…What’s the Link? Read More »
Anti-inflammatory Drugs and Recovery
We all want to help support our horse’s recovery post-exercise, a hard event or race. We want to reduce their soreness and help their muscles, tendons, ligaments and bones be
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Bad Behaviour & Exclusion Diets
When we have a horse who starts to exhibit nervy, spooky or irritable behaviour then one of the first things we commonly do is look at their diet. This is
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Selenium- Is your horse actually using the amount on the feed or supplement label?
Selenium is a crucial trace-mineral in the diets of our horses and ponies. It plays many key roles in the body and is particularly important in reproductive health (both mares
Selenium- Is your horse actually using the amount on the feed or supplement label? Read More »
Promoting bone health and strength in the sales yearling (even after purchase!)
Bone injuries are one of the biggest factors in a horse being unable to realise its full potential on the racetrack. Many factors influence bone strength and density in the
Promoting bone health and strength in the sales yearling (even after purchase!) Read More »
The Importance of Protein
Protein- it’s a most crucial component of a horse’s diet, yet is commonly blamed for causing a whole host of problems in horses: Everything from ‘hot behaviour’, to joint problems,
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Horses are meant to MOVE. A LOT…
One of the most significant impacts of modern domestication of horses is the profound reduction in daily physical activity. Even horses who are worked regularly and are in peak fitness
Horses are meant to MOVE. A LOT… Read More »
Is it Poor Behaviour or is it Pain?
Poor behaviour in horses is a complex topic to say the least. Whenever a horse is acting up- many things should be taken into account before blaming the horse for
Is it Poor Behaviour or is it Pain? Read More »
Heat, Humidity and Horses
Hot, humid weather brings with it some important health considerations in relation to our horses. Heat stress is one of the most commonly recognised conditions associated with heat and humidity.
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Inflammation & Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatories in Horses
Inflammation. It’s a word commonly associated with poor health outcomes. Yet a certain amount of inflammation is absolutely crucial to health and wellbeing in our horses. Some inflammation is essential
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Overweight horses and ponies: there’s more to the equation than just feed…
Overweight horses and ponies can pose a real challenge for owners to manage. Particularly at times of the year where there is an abundance of lush feed. It is well
Overweight horses and ponies: there’s more to the equation than just feed… Read More »
Joint Injections in the Horse- Important Considerations
Injecting joints in horses is a common practice. The term ‘joint injection’ can mean different things to different people. In essence, there are three common types of injectable joint therapies
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Soy: The Good, Bad and Confusing!
If there’s any horse feed that can cause heated debate about whether or not it is suitable and even valuable for horses- then soy may well take the cake. For
Soy: The Good, Bad and Confusing! Read More »
Feeding The Injured Horse
Injuries in our horses can be frustrating and upsetting occurrences- and more often than not, they tend to occur when our horses are coming along really well. Ironically, although we
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Laminitis
Spring is here in the Southern Hemisphere! Which means crisp nights with longer daylight hours and warmer weather. After a long, cold winter-this weather is a welcome relief. But it
Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Horses: Rethinking The Use of Corticosteroids
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) in horses refers to a group of intestinal diseases that are caused by the infiltration of different types of inflammatory cells into the mucosal and submucosal
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Ulcers in Horses: The importance of understanding how medications work
There’s much interest in ulcers in horses and for very good reason. Equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) affects 60-90% of adult horses and 25-50% of foals and weanlings. The condition
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An Holistic Approach to Horse Joint Health
Lameness is one of the most common complaints in the working horse, with joint damage accounting for around 60% of these cases. Progressive damage and changes to soft tissue, cartilage
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Tying Up
Tying up is a broad term used to classify a wide variety of muscle disorders which result in the dissolution of muscle cells during exercise. Technically known as ‘exertional rhabdomylosis’
Ulcer Medications: What Nobody Tells You and What You Need To Know
The most commonly used equine ulcer medications on the market generally come under names containing Gastro/Ulcer/Guard and contain the active ingredient omeprazole, which belongs to the class of drugs known
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Laminitis: How Naturopathy Can Help
What is laminitis? Laminitis is a painful, often devastating inflammatory condition affecting the lamellar tissue of the foot. Each hoof contains 550-600 primary laminae, and each of those consists of
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Bisphosphonates (Tildren & Osphos): Understanding how they work and their role in bone health
Bisphosphonates are a class of drugs which includes both tildronate and clodronate. They were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2014 for controlling clinical signs associated with navicular syndrome in
Are we creating resilient racehorses or superficial sales horses?
It’s now that time of year in the Southern Hemisphere where the yearling sales season is gearing up. Understandably, much emphasis is placed on the vendor’s side in realising maximal
Are we creating resilient racehorses or superficial sales horses? Read More »
Mare Body Condition: Osteochondrosis Risk in Offspring
Recent research has clearly demonstrated that foals born from obese mares are at much greater risk of developing osteochondrotic lesions. This is a very important consideration, given that many people
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Corticosteroids. STOP and THINK!
Corticosteroids, more specifically glucocorticoids, are a group of potent anti-inflammatory and
immunosuppressive drugs that are frequently used in horses.
Corticosteroids. STOP and THINK! Read More »
Skeletal Injuries: Considering the Role of Bone Density in the Horse
One of the most significant injury concerns for all athletic horses is that involving the bones and joints. Musculoskeletal injuries are the most common cause of poor performance and wastage
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Selenium: Deficiency (& Toxicity) in the Equine
An adequate intake (and absorption and metabolism) of selenium is essential for maintaining the overall health of your horse. This mineral plays many essential roles: it acts as an antioxidant;
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Devil’s Claw and Ulcers
Many people are familiar with the terrific anti-inflammatory herb Devil’s Claw. This herb is predominantly used in cases of osteoarthritis and to reduce the inflammation and pain associated with injuries
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Vitamin D and Rugging: An Important Consideration
Blanketing/rugging horses is a topic which sparks much debate, primarily due to its influence on weight regulation, metabolic function and thermoregulation in the horse. Yet an often forgotten consideration is
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Clenbuterol: More Than a Bronchodilator
Clenbuterol is a beta-2-adrenoceptor agonist, therapeutically prescribed to horses with inflammatory airway disease (IAD) and recurrent airway obstruction (RAO, commonly known as heaves). It is widely known that the use
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When Supplements actually make the problem worse
Something I see commonly in practice is well meaning owners prescribing supplements to help with a particular health or performance issue in their horse. One of the most commonly misused
When Supplements actually make the problem worse Read More »
Horse Dental Health and Systemic Inflammation
Periodontal disease (inflammation of the structures that support the tooth -including the gum, periodontal ligaments and the bone within which the tooth sits), is believed to effect at least one
Horse Dental Health and Systemic Inflammation Read More »
Vitamin K: The role of Gut Health and the Effect on Bone Health and Insulin Resistance
Vitamin K is a most important nutrient, which is derived from bacterial synthesis in the horse’s large intestine. For optimal levels of vitamin K to be produced, the horse must
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Salt: An Essential Component of the Horse’s Diet
Salt is made up of the minerals sodium and chloride and is an essential yet often overlooked/forgotten component of the horse’s diet. If you aren’t providing supplemental salt to your
Salt: An Essential Component of the Horse’s Diet Read More »
Tendon Injuries, Ice and Rehabilitation
Bringing a horse back from a tendon injury to return to full athletic performance takes time, patience and dedication. The speed of repair and renewal of tendon tissue is much
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Osteochondrosis and Osteochondritis Dissecans: Reducing the Risk
Osteochondrosis (OC) and osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) are two of the most common juvenile osteochondral conditions (JOCC). OC is a disease that causes lesions in the cartilage and bone of growing
Osteochondrosis and Osteochondritis Dissecans: Reducing the Risk Read More »
What Supplements are best for building Topline?
Topline describes the muscle coverage over the top of the horse’s neck, back and hindquarters. The strength of topline muscles can influence soundness and athletic ability of the horse.Now let’s
What Supplements are best for building Topline? Read More »