If you missed part 1 of this article on how Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) divides types of pain into 5 types and treats each type quite differently, you can see it at http://ow.ly/kAgei. Treatment and Prevention of Bi Syndromes: Wandering Bi – The horse that is off for no reason. Treatment and prevention for Wandering … Continue Reading »
Ever wonder why the miracle product that works on so many horses does not do a thing for your horse? Or why the wonder cure you found and shared with all your friends did not help their horses one little bit. The reason is not all pain is the same. Western Medicine tends to lump … Continue Reading »
I have come to look at EPM in the same way I look at worms – the organisms are in the environment all the time but some conditions make a horse more susceptible to them. Like other parasites, the EPM protozoa causes more harm in a host with a weakened immune system. The EPM organism … Continue Reading »
Chia seeds were in short supply last fall and I made the huge mistake of letting my Metal horse temperament gelding go without them. Remi had been doing so well with his shoes and fill in pad material that I thought he would be OK without the chia seeds. Not the case. Within 8 weeks … Continue Reading »
For those of us who like a holistic horse care program the idea of limiting the use of drugs in competitive horses sounds like a great idea, but is it? Limiting the access to drugs such as bronchodilators, diuretics and non steroidal anti inflammatory agents can cause unnecessary suffering for horses that truly need them. … Continue Reading »
If you ask most horses they will tell you that alfalfa is a wonderful horse feed. Most horses love this leafy, green hay. Experts in horse nutrition recognize alfalfa as a high protein, mineral rich forage but few look at the energetic properties of this hay for horses. Alfalfa has a neutral thermal nature which … Continue Reading »
Your horse is lame and the vet says the problem is in the hoof but there is no reaction to hoof testers. If this is the case with your horse then you may want to consider a horse problem called sheer heel. When one side of the horse’s hoof grows faster than the other side … Continue Reading »
Open any horse supply catalog and you will find upwards of 40 pages of different horse supplements. The reason there are so many supplements has to do with the poor quality of many of our horse foods and hay. This is not the fault of the horse food companies but a reflection of the general … Continue Reading »
Laminitis in horses is a devastating condition once it takes hold. With a holistic horse care program you can significantly lower the risk of laminitis in horses but you still must stay alert for early signs of the condition. There is no vaccine against laminitis in horses, so diet and management are your best defenses. … Continue Reading »
I took Remi, my Yang Ming(Metal/Earth), horse temperament, gelding, to a ranch sorting last weekend. We both had a blast. Remi has had some bad experiences in the past and he can get very tense when going to new places. I want him to be able to overcome his learned behaviors of holding his breath … Continue Reading »
I have come to believe that often a horse knows when he will die. As a vet I have put down hundreds of horses and with only a few exceptions the horse seemed prepared and accepting. In most cases, the horses I put down were old but a few also had life threatening injuries or … Continue Reading »
It is so important to always look for the underlying cause of horse symptoms. For example, did you know that most horses with hives do not get them from coming in contact with something in their environment. Yes, insect stings or allergic reactions to bedding can cause hives in horses but they are more commonly … Continue Reading »
Horse symptoms come in 2 categories, acute and chronic. We tend to get more worried about the acute symptoms such as severe lameness, colic in horses or fever. These horse symptoms are all red flags that something major is wrong that may need immediate, aggressive intervention. Acute horse symptoms often come on quickly, are intense … Continue Reading »
I rode my Yang Ming horse temperament, gelding, Remi, in a Tom Curtain horsemanship clinic last weekend. He was a star. This will be the third Tom Curtain clinic for Remi and it has been a blast to see him progress. The first clinic he could barely canter he was so stiff and tight. I … Continue Reading »
For no obvious reason your normally gentle riding horse starts bucking. This could be caused by him having a rib out. What does it mean to have a rib out? Normally all the ribs move together during inspiration and expiration but having a rib out means that rib is moving the opposite of the other … Continue Reading »
Did you know that 80% of back tightness originates from causes other than injury? It is true that sore lower leg joints or overwork do cause back problems but they are often secondary to other issues. The most common reason for back tightness is constriction of the connective tissues surrounding internal organs. Internal organs do … Continue Reading »
You walk in to your horse’s pen with his evening feed and instead of coming to you he stands off in the corner and paws the ground. For most of us this creates an immediate fear reaction. Oh my God, my horse has colic. But then, after taking a deep breath, you regroup. Your horse … Continue Reading »
Cooper is a 3 year old colt with everything going for him. He is on a holistic horse care program and trained with natural horsemanship methods. Cooper’s owner loves him and spends lots of time with him but still horse ulcers are a problem for him. How do we know Cooper has ulcers? We know … Continue Reading »
Yesterday I has the privilege of helping a horse with cancer pass onto the next realm. He was not quite ready to go because he loved his life here on earth but his cancer was affecting his quality of life to the point we had to help him move on. I consider timing when to … Continue Reading »
I paid good money for my horse, Remi, because I saw his potential but in reality he has been a rescue project from the start. When I bought him in the summer of 2007 he was a burned out roping and barrel horse. He had bucked off every previous owner and he was about as … Continue Reading »