Learn to Recognise the Early Signs of Laminitis
There is a lot still to learn about laminitis but, for the horse, extreme pain is the eventual result. The changes to the hoof capsule that happen after full-on laminitic event are well-known and easier to recognise. Lameness, in some cases severe and the angle...
Stifle Lameness
The stifle is the largest and most complex joint in the horse and, as such, it is an important cause of hindlimb lameness. Equivalent to the human knee, the stifle is controlled by some of the most powerful muscles in the horse’s hindquarters and is subject to...
Racing Victoria’s ‘Medicare for Thoroughbreds’ Aims to Minimise Injury Risk
Racing Victoria (RV) has announced a new subsidy scheme for owners and trainers to offset the cost of advanced diagnostic imaging on Victorian thoroughbreds. The Diagnostic Imaging Subsidy Program is a proactive approach to injury prevention for thoroughbred...
Technology Solutions for Assessing Lameness Under Study
To better assess lameness in horses, researchers are using 3D motion capture technology. They want to quantify how a horse’s muscles and limb movements adjust to accommodate the lameness. The findings of their studies could provide a greater understanding of the...
Body Language a More Reliable Indicator of Mild Pain in Horses
General body language may be more reliable as an indicator of mild pain than the equine pain face. What if you could tell your horse were lame, even mildly, just by watching his behaviour at rest? According to Swedish researchers, it could be possible. At least in...
Five Steps to Prevent Back Pain in Horses
Horses’ backs are not designed to carry riders, so it’s vital to do all that you can to reduce the impact of riding. You may already be alert to behavioural changes that can indicate back pain in your horse, but do you know how to prevent back pain from occurring?...
The Hype About The Hyoid
Hyoid Apparatus: Who would have thought that a small and fragile bony structure located at the ‘floor’ of the horse’s mouth between the two halves of the horse’s mandible (lower jaw) would be so important to a horse’s athletic performance? Much has been written about...
Targeting Your Horse’s Core Strength: Exercises
Before we start with neck stretch exercises, you can read Dr Lena Clifford's introduction here. Let’s start with the first stretches. If you practice these exercises on a regular basis you will get to know your horse’s body better, improve his/her core strength and...
Targeting Your Horse’s Core Strength: Introduction
Core Strength. As we learn more and more about the horse’s body and how things are connected, we try and find better ways of keeping our fur-kids safe, healthy and most importantly, happy. There are lots of new fads that promise quick cures for imbalances, whether...
Pre-purchase Veterinary Exam
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...
Horse Joints and Supplements
Horse Joints and Supplements: Joint issues are one of the major issues that all horse owners face. This article aims to provide a general understanding of basic concepts around joint health. Importantly, the take home message from this article is that, when it comes...
Joint Disease and Treatment
Joint Disease. Lameness is one of the top three areas of equine veterinary medicine, along with colic and reproduction. Joint disease is the most common cause of lameness and results from pain during movement. The onset of pain can be sudden or long-term, and may...
Laminitis: A New Age of Understanding
Laminitis... A condition that strikes fear into every horse owner. Long recognised as a cause of lameness, laminitis can have debilitating long-term effects on horses and ponies. It often becomes an insidious, chronic issue that requires careful management, including...
What is the Best Joint Health Product for my Horse?
What is the Best Joint Health Product for my Horse? There are two primary reasons for this question: Treat an issue they have noticed in their horse, and Provide to their horse as a possible preventative. As easy as this question is, it is often one that veterinarians...
