Recurrent Seasonal Pruritus (commonly known as Sweet Itch) is the most common allergic skin condition in horses. Horses with sweet itch experience intense itching along the abdomen, the back, mane, and tail.

One could say that to work with horses is to work under pressure: the physical pressure we employ in communicating to our horses, time pressure, and even peer pressure. A wise horseperson has a sense of timing and knows when it’s fitting to yield or resist.

Some weather experts consider drought to be any time in which precipitation falls by 25 percent below average. On a horse farm with seasonal hay and pasture production, this requires attention to the amount of snowfall prior to the growing season and to the rain that falls prior to and during the growing season.

The Lac La Croix Indigenous pony, named after the Lac La Croix First Nation, now the Gakijiwanong Anishinaabe Nation, primarily existed in northwestern Ontario and across the United States border into Minnesota. This unique pony breed, considered to be developed by the Indigenous Peoples, was used for winter transportation, running trap lines, hauling logs and ice, and pulling sleighs. As forest dwellers, the breed boasts strong hooves to endure the rocky terrain of the Canadian Shield; fuzzy ears to protect them from insects; and often a dorsal stripe down its back and zebra stripes on its legs.

Sometimes, the fastest way to change something in your horse is to focus on yourself. During a clinic I taught last year in Ireland, a rider entered the ring on an extremely tense horse. Head in the air, tight back, I’m sure you can picture it. As I watched this rider warm up, I could see she was doing her best to relax the horse with little success. I asked her to let go of thinking about her horse for a few minutes and focus on her breathing instead. Over the next three to five minutes, we watched the mare change. Her head lowered, her back softened, and her step got longer and more fluid.

“Event Cancelled. Quarantine in Effect.” No equine event manager or exhibitor wants to hear these words. However, the growing number of equestrian events, increased interprovincial and international equine movement, and the rising concentration of horses at individual events have all heightened the risk of infectious disease outbreaks and transmission.

Braiding a horse’s mane and tail is a tradition with deep historical roots. Originally, it served a very practical purpose—keeping the mane from getting caught in tack, tools, or the weapons used by mounted hunters and soldiers. According to old legends, fairies were believed to sneak into barns at night and weave “elf knots” into horse manes to ride them. A more sinister version of the tale suggests that thieves would tie knots in a mane to mark horses they planned to steal. Over time, braiding also came to symbolize class, with neatly plaited manes and tails identifying horses of high breeding or importance.

Everyone who’s involved in the horse industry undoubtedly has at least one sad tale of an equine injury or illness which was hard on their bank account or riding goals. According to Mike King, Partner and National Director of Equine Programming at Acera Insurance, the three most common equine insurance claims are for colic, ulcers, and lameness. Here’s why they’re prevalent, along with tips for prevention.

Keep an eye out for the three most common skin cancers in horses and reach out to your veterinarian if you notice any unusual lumps or bumps.