by Carin Smith, DVM

Your horse leans into your hand as you scratch just below its ear. You laugh as the horse’s weight nearly pushes you over. When you finish the horse shakes its head for a few moments. Is it just your imagination, or has your horse been shaking its head more often lately?

Then you notice a bald spot below the ear where your horse has rubbed the hair off from scratching against the fence post. Your horse has always liked being scratched, but this time you wonder if something is bothering its ear. Could there be something inside the ear?
continue reading "Your horse’s ears in health and disease"

This book provides a complete introduction to horse massage, with easy-to-learn techniques and exercises. Practical Horse Massage is for everyone who wants to help their horses become more supple or to relax and regenerate after competitions or long rides.

Includes chapters on: the mechanics of the horse’s body; conditioning the equine athlete; the benefits of massage; massage techniques and principles; stretching techniques; specific problem areas; and much more.

Author Tenate Ettl is an equine sports therapist and has bred horse for many years.

Author: Renate Ettl
Publisher: The Lyons Press
ISBN: 1-59228-773-5
Price: $26.95 CAD
Soft cover / 96 pages / colour photographs
To order: Contact The Lyons Press at (203) 458-4500,
write to Box 480, Guilford, CT, 06437-0480, USA,
or visit www.LyonsPress.com

Six months after Heather Ryan and L. David Dubé created a fund to support equine research projects at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, three teams of scientists received welcome news in early March of this year.

Their projects — each focused on critical issues in horse health — had received a combined total of $410,000 in new research funding.

“All three projects will be conducted by multi-disciplinary teams of scientists from WCVM, the University of Saskatchewan and other research institutions across North America,” says Dr. Norman Rawlings, the veterinary college’s associate dean of research.
continue reading "Cutting edge research receives critical funds: WCVM projects awarded $410,000 to investigate equine disorders"

by Marcia King

Do you know why a Thoroughbred can deliver that great burst of speed to eat up a mile in 1+1/2 minutes, or how an endurance horse can maintain the strength and stamina to cover long distances at steady speeds? Of course you do: conditioning.

Conditioning builds sturdy bones, develops strong muscles, and maximizes efficiency in the cardiovascular system. Although all these components are needed to deliver peak performance, like a “souped-up” engine that drives the sports car, it’s the “tuned-up” heart that drives the athlete, and makes everything else happen.
continue reading "Is His Heart in it?"

by Carin A. Smith, DVM

Colic is the number one killer of horses, but it is not a disease. Rather, it is a combination of signs that alert us to abdominal pain in the horse.

Colic can range from mild to severe, but it should never be ignored. That’s because many of the conditions that cause colic can become life-threatening in a relatively short period of time. Only by quickly and accurately recognizing colic — and seeking qualified veterinary help — can the chance for recovery be maximized.
continue reading "The #1 killer of horses: Understanding and Controlling Colic"

by Carin A Smith, DVM

In the second part of our two-part series on equine surgery, we take a look at the inherent risks of surgery and what you can expect after your horse has undergone an operation.

What are the Risks of Surgery?

There are always risks associated with any surgical procedure.

An elective surgery is the safest of all, since the veterinarian has more control over the environment. Trained personnel can be summoned, an appropriate place to perform the surgery can be found, and the horse can be carefully prepared for the procedure.

With an emergency surgery, the risks rise. Fewer trained people may be available for assistance, or the veterinary specialist you desire may not be at hand. Maybe the horse can’t be transported to the best facility, or is in shock or very ill, raising the risk of infection or anesthetic complications.
continue reading "Equine Surgery: Part II - What You Need to Know"

Scientists in the United States have perfected technology that collects a horse’s DNA from its saliva. To date, pulling mane hair has been the standard method of equine DNA collection.

US firm Wall Street Detectives say saliva from a specific horse is now drawn with the Avitar DNA collector. The primary genetic testing lab is the University of California at Davis, which can certify an accuracy rate of over 99.9 per cent for the Equine DNA (EDNA) test.

The firm is promoting its DNA and EDNA website as an all-breed horse registry, making horse theft more difficult. The test costs $350 USD.