On a bitter cold February night in Santa Fe, New Mexico, my husband burst into the house at 11 p.m. and told me my mare Maisie was sick. She hadn’t eaten her evening meal and seemed lethargic and dull. I had bought Maisie, a gray mare with kind eyes,

Catching colic early can be difficult. Signs of gut pain in horses are often subtle and easy to overlook. But what if a horse could wear a device that detected signs of digestive upset, determine its severity and automatically notify a veterinarian?

I was helping a friend muck out stalls that other day and chatting, as one does, while we worked. I relayed a story about a horse owner I knew years ago with exceptionally specific demands when it came to the depth and arrangement of the bedding in h

Ponies, young horses and miniature horses are at higher risk for developing intestinal obstructions known as fecaliths, according to research from the University of California, Davis. Fecaliths are firm, ovalshaped accumulations of ingesta that form

The spring air was charged with energy, and that made the red roan gelding nervous about getting in the unfamiliar trailer. Aslan wasn’t sure he wanted to leave the place he had lived happily for the last few years. Aslan had everything he needed at

Is soreness after a hoof trim normal? Q: Is it normal for horses to be sore after their hooves are trimmed? I’m a new horse owner and I recently moved my gelding to a new barn with a new farrier. After the last two trims by his new farrier, my horse

In the late spring of 1897 a huge and impressive oil painting, Colt Hunting in the New Forest, was accepted for the Royal Academy’s annual Summer Exhibition in London. Measuring 10 feet wide by five feet high, it was the work of Lucy Kemp-Welch, a 28

Fall is a magical time for trail riding. There’s no better way to experience the crisp air and colorful foliage of the season than in the company of a horse. But preparation is key to making the most of your autumn rides. From ensuring you have the p

The term “colic” encompasses any pain in a horse’s gut, regardless of the cause. When making a diagnosis and planning treatments, however, veterinarians use more specific language. Here’s a quick look at four common types of colic descriptions and wh

Readers of this series know by now that I believe select Saddlebreds have great potential for the sporthorse disciplines, especially as jumpers, threeday eventers and dressage horses. In previous issues we have examined the origins of this athleticis

Farriery is a profession that relies on know-how, and if you’re like most horse owners, you haven’t given much thought to when and where your horseshoer acquired his skills. That’s okay if your current farrier is reliable, understands your horse’s ho

It’s all coming together: You’ve found the perfect horse, at the right price. He’s well trained, level-headed and has the cutest little star on his forehead. All that’s left to do is cross your fingers that he passes the veterinary exam … Stop right

Vaccines, deworming protocols, good nutrition, joint care—all of these are important facets of equine care. But the cornerstone of your horse’s wellness isn’t a product or procedure, it’s an event: the physical examination. Many veterinary practices

Social creatures communicate their emotional state through facial expressions, body language, voice and overall energy. Horses are keenly aware of all these signals for emotional communication. Mares are usually the best teachers for equine “language

Colitis is one of those “under the radar” conditions: It occurs infrequently enough to rank below a twisted gut, laminitis and similar conditions on the list of horse owner concerns, but it’s not exactly rare. You probably don’t need to worry about i

After Bob Barker died last year, I read a story about how in 2013 the old icon of the game show business had paid a substantial sum—$880,000—to rescue three elephants from the Toronto Zoo and spirit them off to a sanctuary in California. That got me

A new study suggests that some breeds—and particularly Standardbreds—may be genetically predisposed to developing cataracts. Clouding of the normally clear lens in the center of the eye, cataracts impair vision and can lead to total blindness. Congen

Q: Recently, a friend’s horse was suspected of having EPM. There was a lot of talk of the best way to test to confirm the disease: blood tests vs. spinal taps, the likelihood of false positives, etc. It all seemed very complicated and expensive. The

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A new study from the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center has reassuring findings regarding the impact of anti-inflammatory medications on high-tech, blood based biologic therapies in horses. Researchers found that administering a single do

A Canadian study shows that soaking hay can help control equine asthma, but suggests that an exacting protocol is necessary to achieve the best results. For the study, University of Montreal researchers selected 10 horses with severe asthma, commonly