The large size of a horse means that their skin covers a large surface area, often making skin problems easy to see. However, although we can see them, we cannot always easily identify their cause. We teamed up with Dr. Stephen White, DACVD, UC Davis professor and chief of the veterinary hospital’s Dermatology Service, to bring to light some things you might not know about equine dermatology.

The first equine genetic tests became available in the 1990s, well before the equine genome sequence was completed in 2009. Technical advances have since led to a rapid expansion in available tests. Here are a few that can be utilized to inform breeding decisions and provide diagnostic information.

Ticks are a nuisance that can often go undetected. Because of the risk of disease transmission (Lyme disease, Anaplasmosis, Equine piroplasmosis), it is important to frequently examine your horse for the presence of ticks, and to take steps to lower risk of exposure.

Everybody loves to see a donkey! With their large fuzzy ears and soulful eyes, they naturally tug at the heartstrings of horse lovers everywhere. Donkeys were first domesticated in Africa around 3000 BC. They evolved in desert areas and, consequently, developed as browsers that can adapt to poor quality feed and irregular water supplies. Their easygoing nature and hardiness made them ideal as beasts of burden in the hotter, drier parts of the world. Coming in a variety of sizes, donkeys and their hybrid offspring, mules and hinnies, range anywhere from Miniature donkeys of less than 35 inches in height all the way up to Mammoth Jack donkeys that can exceed 15 hands.