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 »
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 »
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 »
Punkin is progressing at a steady pace despite the fact that Kim and I have not been able to work with him every day. As a Jue Yin(Wood/Fire) horse temperament, Punkin does not really need a daily work routine. He is quite happy when he gets attention and just as happy when he is left … Continue Reading »
Had an interesting session yesterday with my Fire horse temperament mare, Cerise. Cerise had been working very well over the last few months and her attitude was very good. Up until a few weeks ago I was riding her and then my 71 year old friend was riding her some after we finished our training. … Continue Reading »
With many parts of the country experiencing extreme and unusual weather this spring, it seems to be a good time to talk about the best types of horse feed and supplements to help horses cope with this kind of unexpected weather. Horses seem to be dealing either with hot dry weather or cold damp conditions. … Continue Reading »
When faced with an outbreak of a serious disease such as the equine herpes virus, you can take some comfort in knowing you have a holistic horse health program in place. I am not saying you should let your guard down or ignore the facts, but you can trust that you have tools to support … Continue Reading »
Believe it or not, horses can become depressed, just like people. A depressed horse can show symptoms such as a lack of motivation, low energy, dull hair, or even chronic illness. Luckily, horses are fairly straightforward, which means that horse depression can often be treated with simple changes to in the horse’s management program or … Continue Reading »
Here’s a horse health care question: What does it mean when your horse is shaggy rather than shiny in the spring? Most horse owners expect to see their horses shed out their dull winter coats after the winter season is over, and emerge with a shiny spring bloom. A shiny horse is a healthy horse. … Continue Reading »
Boy, has this been a dry winter/spring in Central Texas. It is only April and we are regularly in the nineties with single digit humidity. The Metal horse temperament is the most at risk for colic under these conditions. The Metal horse temperament often has challenges with the lung and large intestine so a Metal … Continue Reading »
I have known for many years that horsemanship is an important part of any holistic horse health program. I started my journey of understanding horsemanship about 25 years ago when I was introduced to Linda Tellington Jones. Following LTJ came my good friend Linda Hoover who introduced me to horsemanship icons such as Ray Hunt, … Continue Reading »
As a veterinarian I am often asked what people should feed their horses. Many people tell me that they simply feed their horses oats and grass hay, and their horses experience no problems. While this seems to work for some horses, it doesn’t often work well for most horses. The Truck Analogy To me, feeding … Continue Reading »
I have decided that horse feeding is very much like gardening. The secret of a thriving garden is in the soil. In the case of a successful holistic horse health program, the secret is the digestive tract. This fact came to me when I recently made a trip to my local, organic garden store. I … Continue Reading »
Remi has been doing so fantastic in his shoes with the fill in pads. I intend to get him barefoot again but with all the rain we had last summer he wore his feet off too fast. His hooves have been tough and without flair on his holistic horse health program of di magnesium malate, … Continue Reading »
The word “burnout” is now being used a lot in regard to horses, but do we really know what burnout means or how it feels to a horse? Burnout can be a complicated condition, and manifests differently in different temperament horses. In short, burnout is the condition where the horse has been pushed beyond his … Continue Reading »
Last week was sunny and warm which was quite a contrast from the previous week of sub freezing temps. Unfortunately, this is typical for Central Texas in February. On Monday night it was 80 degrees and by Tuesday morning it was 24 and we did not get above freezing for 3 days. We had multiple … Continue Reading »
Flower and herbal essences are liquid preparations that are made by infusing fresh flowers or herbs under very specific conditions to create a potentized essence. Distilled vinegar is used as a preservative. These essences are used to balance emotional and spiritual energy that can be the underlying cause of physical imbalances. To get the best … Continue Reading »
Do you ever wonder what your horse is really thinking? Is he happy, sad, frustrated, or angry? Or are suppressed emotions affecting him in a negative way? It is often at that moment in training when we feel we have finally convinced our horse to see things our way that the real problems start … Continue Reading »
What do you do if you put your horse on a very strict diet to control his weight but he is not getting any thinner? You swear he is getting fat on air, but more than likely your horse has found a way to get around your efforts. Your horse is probably sneaking treats when … Continue Reading »