Pigeon fever is a bacterial infection that normally manifests as superficial abscesses. The chest of the horse is the most common location for a large abscess and the swelling resembles the chest of a pigeon. The condition normally shows up in the dry summer months when the bacteria is picked up from the dirt by … Continue Reading »
The Earth horse temperament does not enjoy strenuous work but when healthy he is not lazy. Some of the most successful performance horses I have known have been the Earth horse temperament. Not to mention the consistent lesson horses that work for hours each day without complaint. The Earth horse temperament can appear lazy because … Continue Reading »
Many moons ago, when I was still in vet school, I worked at a racehorse training barn. I learned many cutting edge techniques working at this farm. One of them was a crude form of “auto-sanguinous” therapy. This basically meant drawing 60cc of blood from a horse’s jugular vein, and then immediately injecting that blood … Continue Reading »
Imagine my surprise when I read an article in the Wall Street Journal comparing the gut intelligence to that of the brain. I was introduced to this concept years ago when I read the great book, Molecules of Emotions, by Candice Pert. As it turns out, your horse’s gut is smart and any holistic horse … Continue Reading »
As I was finding yet one more use for my empty algae containers I got to thinking. Since I started on a holistic horse health program about 20 years ago my favorite blue green algae has been one of my most consistent recommendations as a feed for horses. Blue green algae has been part of … Continue Reading »
Are you busy making New Year’s resolutions for you and your horse? Are you hoping to go more places, win more prizes, or have more fun with your horse? More importantly, is there something that has held you and your horse back from your dreams and aspirations? Some of the barriers that I see in … Continue Reading »
Don’t you love those little zingers you get from God. Here I am, not even through my first cup of coffee, having my morning meditation time with God and he zips in one of those zingers. With my horses I am always wanting them to be light and soft in their responses. I was asking … Continue Reading »
I like to say , if your mare is mean then give her green. Green foods, that is, in the form of chlorophyl rich foods and herbs that will balance and support the liver. I have noticed my Fire horse temperament mare, Cerise, has been more irritable this year during our extreme drought. I have … Continue Reading »
When winter weather hits our natural human tendency is to do what we can to protect our horses from the cold, damp, and wind. This is a wonderful nurturing and protective instinct, and at the same time I frequently see people overdoing that protection, often at the expense of their horse’s health. This may seem … Continue Reading »
Horse temperament plays a part in how horses age. Tess, my 30 year old, Jue Yin mule has been limping lately. I know exactly why this is happening. After enduring a miserable, record breaking drought and temperatures over 100 for 90 days the weather has cooled off. When the weather was so hot the horses … Continue Reading »
I once assumed well trained and gentle meant the same thing. That was multiple horse injuries ago. Now I understand there is a big difference. My mule, Tess, is a great example of the difference between well trained and gentle. I took Tess to a Buck Brannaman clinic when she was 17 years old. This … Continue Reading »
York Part 1 York Part 2 York ended up losing 3/4 of his hoof wall on the LF. His hoof wall jammed up into his coronary band and had to be filed and cut away to allow for new hoof to grow. The large wedge of dead laminar tissue between the detached hoof wall and … Continue Reading »
My Fire horse temperament mare, Cerise, is so much softer in her topline after a special tail detangling session with Patty Parent. Cerise has always been very tight in her tail so I was intrigued when Patty explained to me what she was doing with horses. She mentioned several trainers who commented about the overall … Continue Reading »
The hottest summer on record for any state in the history ofAmericahas resulted in horrific wildfires in the centralTexasregion. Over 1,400 homes and farms have been destroyed, and many people and horses have been exposed for days to severe smoke and ash in the air. Those owners with a holistic horse health program are looking … Continue Reading »
Laminitis in horses is always bad but for poor York it was devastating as he was recovering from his bad trailer wreck. York’s system was already stressed and I worried about his overall nutritional status. His coat was dull and he was about 100 pounds underweight. My first goal was to get nutrient dense food … Continue Reading »
Laminitis in horses is always a serious holistic horse health emergency, but York’s case has been a real challenge. York, a 4 year old, Thoroughbred, race horse was thrown from his trailer when it was rolled in a major wreck. When the emergency workers arrived on the scene they found York standing in the median … Continue Reading »
Horses can manufacture Vit C but during extreme stress it is a good idea to supplement the diet anyway. For instance, we have been having extreme heat and drought in Texas. I have been seeing numerous conditions that are benefiting from Vit C supplementation in the horse feeding program. Vit C is most often thought … Continue Reading »
When it comes to horse health care, this question is better translated as, “Does regular maintenance cost less than crisis management?” It depends. Sometimes regular maintenance with a holistic horse health care program costs less. Other times crisis management is more cost effective. In my veterinary experience, over the long haul the monetary costs are … Continue Reading »
Guest post by Jeannie Choate We have all heard Ray Hunt say “ Prepare for the position for the transition” and “get the horse even on all four corners”. This was his way of telling us to get the horse balanced, then you can position to make transitions. This is all horsemanship and guiding your … Continue Reading »
Horses have difficulty dealing with dry heat, but they have even more difficulty coping with the combination of heat and humidity. Part of the reason is that horses can cool off in dry heat through the evaporation of sweat, but in humid weather sweat just serves to insulate your horse, making him even hotter. Plus, … Continue Reading »