Prevention

Equine Athleticism - It All Hinges on the Joints

Updated:

February 9, 2024

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Equine athletic potential and subsequent performance, success, and longevity hinge on healthy joints. Joints are essentially where two or more bones meet, yet they allow the body to perform complicated functions. Some allow for movement, influencing range of motion, stride length, and overall comfort.

Prospects for Osteoarthritis Treatment in Horses, and Potentially Humans

Updated:

January 27, 2024

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For the first time, researchers have unveiled an intervention that appears to slow down the progression of osteoarthritis (OA). A clinical study conducted jointly by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and the University of Gothenburg (UGOT), Sweden, has yielded remarkable results. Horses afflicted with OA, treated with a novel drug combination, not only achieved freedom from lameness but also experienced a simultaneous inhibition of joint tissue degradation.

Complex Rules Protect Canada’s Horses

Updated:

January 13, 2024

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Horse welfare is complex, partly due to the myriad uses, values, and husbandry arrangements for horses. They’re backyard pets, ridden and driven in competition, raced, raised for meat, and used for therapy, recreation, and rodeo. Horses are regularly transported, kept in rural and urban areas, stalls, pens, fields, and pastures, plus managed according to their use. Many horses live on individual properties and their welfare relies on individual owners, making poor welfare difficult to identify.

The Wrap on Horse Blankets

Updated:

November 14, 2023

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Whether or not to blanket a horse is an often-debated question and there are many logical and justifiable reasons to go either way. In normal weather conditions, many horses do not need a blanket, especially if they have access to food and shelter and have grown a healthy, thick winter coat. But for horses with special needs such as older or geriatric horses, pregnant mares, horses with compromised health conditions, or horses that have been clipped, blankets are certainly appropriate. Consideration should also be given to the horse’s breed, hair coat quality, feeding routine, and its acclimatization to the existing conditions.

Feeding to the Horse’s Body Condition

Updated:

October 16, 2023

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There are few things we humans are more sensitive about than our body weight. Where the rest of the world sees our gentle curves and happy smiles, we see lumps and wobbles and wrinkles. We generally have a far worse opinion of our own body condition than do any of the people around us. I would hazard that this is because our friends and family care about us and see the best in us, and recognize that while we may have a few extra curves we are healthy and happy, and that’s what counts. And if anyone ever said things about our friends that resemble what we have said about ourselves, most of us would likely get pretty vocal about defending our friends.

AQHA’s Dedication to Research and Success of the Five-Panel Test

Updated:

August 10, 2023

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Genetic diseases can cause significant emotional and financial stress, and the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) is committed to educating owners and breeders about inherited conditions so they can make informed breeding decisions. The American Quarter Horse Foundation (AQHF) provides funding for a wide range of research projects, having granted more than $12 million in support of equine research to date. Genetics research accounts for 20 percent of that total, with 53 projects funded at 12 universities.

How to Get Ticked Off! - Horses and Ticks

Updated:

August 9, 2023

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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.

Horse Safety During Hot Weather 

Updated:

August 3, 2023

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Horses are very proficient sweaters, making them some of the most efficient animals at cooling themselves — but they are still at risk for heat stress. There are many ways we can help them sidestep this risk as the temperatures heat up. Below, I’ll cover diminished electrolytes, groups of horses at greater risk, signs of heat stress, and tips to keep your horses safe. 

Practical Nutrition for Donkeys

Updated:

July 22, 2023

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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.

How Much Does Your Horse Weigh?

Updated:

July 7, 2023

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If you have ever evaluated your horse’s ration or tried to calculate an appropriate dose of dewormer for a growing horse, you will know that accurate estimation of your horse’s body weight is important for meaningful results. While we all know that a mechanical or digital scale is probably the best way to evaluate the weight of your horse, not many of us have convenient access to one. Horse owners do have access to other tools for estimating the body weight of their horses. Weight tapes, for example, are inexpensive and readily obtainable at most feed stores.