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 […]
The Farrier’s Follies
In this, the third of a series of three promised articles – about no topic in particular! –, I shall be looking at the follies of the farrier. What do I mean by that? Farriers consider themselves charged with treating ailments of the legs and feet – indeed, may jurisdictions consider that to be the […]
August Reflections
September is here; with it the cooler days, the shorter evenings and a little more time to reflect on recent publications. Three items particularly caught my eye recently, the first being an article discussing the merits and demerits of booting horses; the second was what is termed these days an ‘advertorial’, part of an apparent […]
Further Hoof Care
Following up on last week’s post about Simple Hoof Care, this week a short film on further hoof care. The method shown here is still relatively simple but this time we look at the use of conventional trimming tools and techniques. The video lasts just over six minutes. https://youtu.be/yt13VlOxgOw
Coronavirus and the Horse
For many of us, it is a trying time and, with more and more countries implementing a lock-down, a complicated one. Equestrian centres are closed and, in many cases, even owners are being turned away from visiting their horses. A time to reflect on the welfare of the incarcerated horse… A great many owners consider […]
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 […]
Surprise surprise…
Light exercise could help reduce laminitis risk, study finds This was the headline of an article in the British (online) magazine Horse and Hound last week. It was tagged ‘Overweight horses‘.This study was carried out by the veterinary and agricultural science faculty at the University of Melbourne, Australia on a mere twenty-four horses. Such a small sample […]
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 […]
Veterinary Madness
A while ago, my attention was once again drawn to a typically poor article on theHorse.com. Not unusually, this is an article about feet and, also not unusual, it is written by a vet and contains citations by other vets. Many people will obviously start to say that ‘the vet will know…’ so why criticise […]
Another One Down
Yet again, at a major race event, this time the Melbourne Cup, a horse takes a serious fall, this time breaking its shoulder and resulting in euthanasia. Cliffs of Moher was a was a bay colt of very uncertain ownership… This in itself is serious enough, but the whole story goes further on realising that […]