Autumn Dangers
Unlike the spring, autumn is not generally seen as being fraught with danger. In spring, we know that dewy mornings, balmy afternoons and young grass can provoke a life-threatening bout of laminitis. We know that the Ragwort (Jacobaea vulgaris), just starting to show itself, is a possible killer too. Conversely, the autumn is a season […]
Longevity…according to TheHorse.com
Once again, that illustrious online publication theHorse.com has come up with a somewhat dubious article. Acknowledged, it is something of a summary of opinions expressed by typical equine veterinary surgeons. The main objective of this analysis is to show how far behind reality the veterinary community actually is and how publications like TheHorse.com perpetuate the […]
Should My Horse Exercise on an Empty Stomach?
This is the title of an article in theHorse.com yesterday, 18 March 2019. The question is answered by Clair Thunes PhD, an ‘equine nutritionist’. This qualification is itself very questionable; like the veterinary reliance on the farrier, believing in tradition rather than science, the world of equine nutrition is also one based very much on tradition. Both have a […]
Cushing Candidate?
As my followers (and detractors) will undoubtedly confirm, I am often dismissive of traces of blood in the white line. Such traces are often the result of a trauma at some indeterminate time in the past and now, often between three and eight months later, neither owner, nor horse, nor hoof have any recollection of anything untoward and at the next trim, the traces will probably have disappeared all by themselves.
Autumn is in the Air
and with it, laminitis… No, you are not hallucinating! The title is indeed very familiar and refers back to the last available published article, Spring is in the Air. Many people associate laminitis with the spring and it is probably true to say that the majority of (acute) cases and probably the most severe occur in […]
Spring is in the Air
and with it, laminitis… Although we have come down to earth with a bump and, after the extraordinary February of this year, March has turned out to be a (fairly) normal March, spring is in the air. The trees are beginning to show signs of green, the daffodils are flowering and, here at least, the […]
Senior Horse???
Unbelievable but just two days after I republished an article about safe starting and the life expectancy of the horse, that wonderful dispensary of all knowledge equine, The Horse, publishes an article about “Vaccines, Dewormers, and Nutrition for Senior Horses“. Although the information presented is in itself very dubious (vaccines and dewormers) or just plain wrong (nutrition), […]
Uh Oh October…
Actually it should be “uh oh September” but that is both less alliterative and this year not so appropriate. September 2014 was particularly warm and the temperature was rarely lower than 15°C. But now October has arrived and the first really cold nights are just around the corner. Along with the increased dangers of higher […]
When are “Good Feet” really “Bad Feet”?
In my line of work, it is nigh on impossible to avoid visiting a stable or livery yard every now and again. And although I am almost always visiting to tend my unshod horse-clients, I cannot help but notice just one or two of the stablemates; in particular, their feet! Unfortunately, it is tactically unethical […]
But…
How often do we hear, or use, this word when talking about horses? Often in the context of knowing something is actually better for the horse but my horse can’t because of all sorts of carefully created and formulated excuses. I know that roughage is best for horses but my horse needs extra cubes/mix/nuggets etc because… Barefoot is […]