The Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic hails a looming disaster for horses, livestock and pets (especially small numbers that are personally owned), as unemployed or underemployed people will begin to run out of money and resources, and may not have banked enough hay, feed, supplies and care arrangements for their animals. ThisRead More →
We all know that asthma is a common respiratory disorder in people but, did you know that horses get asthma too? “Equine asthma” is a broad term that has recently been used to describe a spectrum of non-infectious respiratory diseases in horses, previously known as broken wind, heaves, chronic obstructiveRead More →
Use this year-round guide for managing worms, particularly small strongyles, in healthy, adult horses from the age of 3 years. Young horses, broodmares, seniors and horses with health conditions (e.g. Cushings) require a tailored worm control program. MOST IMPORTANTLY always integrate FECs with good pasture hygiene and horse husbandry strategies.Read More →
Pre-purchase veterinary exams: Hindsight is a wonderful thing and buying horses is a risky business. While there is no such thing as a perfect horse, a pre-purchase exam can answer many questions about the likely significance of an abnormality and likely long-term prognosis to protect you, the purchaser, from buyingRead More →
C6/C7 Malformation This is my story of Sox. Sox came to me as a very sweet, very talented, yet very immature rising four-year-old in October 2014. I was excited about her bright future but I was prepared to give her time. I am very much against rushing the training ofRead More →
Cross grazing benefits. The practice of cross or mixed grazing is often suggested as a useful strategy to manage intestinal parasite infestation, but until recently, evidence of its efficacy was limited. A French team has provided the first evidence of the benefits of mixed grazing with cattle as an alternativeRead More →
Bit-free Despite overwhelming proof that horses can be ridden and driven bit-free, riders and drivers who enjoy competitive sports are widely prevented from making this choice for themselves and their horses because relatively few of the disciplines’ equipment rules allow ‘bitless’ bridles. A growing number of groups are lobbying sport’sRead More →
Our knowledge of equine anatomy may be based on outdated findings and needs to be revised. According to the anatomy books that, to date, have served as study reference to veterinarians and practitioners around the world, the nuchal ligament lamellae attaches from C2 to C6 or C2 to C7. However,Read More →
Overnight Feeding: That midnight snack might not make your tummy very happy… But then again, you’re not a horse. To maintain your horse’s digestive health and general welfare, you should consider trickle feeding your stabled horses during the night so as to better mimic natural foraging behaviours, according to anRead More →
Introduction by Cristina Wilkins A little over a year ago, the Australian racing industry was rocked by news that traces of banned anabolic steroids had been detected in products that are regularly administered to performance mares around the world. Despite being linked to a permitted drug, the finding resulted inRead More →
