You’re watching your vet head down your driveway. He’s examined and diagnosed your horse—now it’s up to you. You’re clutching a large plastic bottle filled with pills that need to be administered twice a day. Unscrewing the cap, you...
Gels, clays, lotions, oils, muds and more—package labels on liniments and poultices tell you these products provide "cooling heat,” "warmth,” "a cool, soothing sensation,” "relief for sore muscles and overworked tendons.” But do they really benefit an achy horse...
Want to streamline your feeding program? A "complete feed" might be the way to go. These feeds, available from most reputable feed manufacturers, have both grain and roughage in them and are designed to at least partially replace the...
Because responsible horse owners must venture outdoors regardless of below freezing temperatures, we are more likely to be frostbitten. Winter riders are especially prone. But frostbite and its damage can be avoided.Frostbite happens when skin tissue—usually fingers, toes, earlobes,...
A variety of injuries can sideline a horse. Treatment and rehabilitation will depend on the particular injury, the severity of that injury and your individual horse, his age, overall health and intended use. For example, the success rate for...
Every horse owner's worst nightmare is a phone call in the middle of the night from a boarding stable operator or horse sitter, reporting that the horse is sick, injured or worse.As terrifying as such a phone call can...
Despite the ability of many horse people to diagnose a strained suspensory at 30 paces, fix a faulty flying change with just a smidge more outside leg, or understand the intricacies involved in getting that recalcitrant tractor to start,...
The following plant-derivatives are frequently included in the ingredient lists of many natural products (and even some that are not). From fly sprays to shampoos, check them out to see what they can do for your horse.
Aloe vera...
It's not just water that needs to be replenished during exercise in hot weather. Horses working for prolonged periods in hot weather lose electrolytes as well. Photo: horses by Amy the Nurse on flickr/CC BY-ND 2.0Ever wonder why sweat...
If you have horses, chances are you'll see thrush firsthand sooner or later. Thrush is a bacterial infection, though it's thought that yeast and fungal infections might also contribute to it.
With its black, tar-like, oderiferous discharge, it's easy to...
