There comes a time when even the horse that has carried you to countless victories begins to show signs of age. For many riders, accepting that a trusted competition partner is becoming a senior can be difficult. Yet with modern advances in veterinary medicine and improved management practices, many horses now continue to perform successfully into their late teens and even their twenties. This is particularly true in disciplines such as dressage and show jumping, where years of training and experience are essential to reaching the highest levels of competition.

A healthy respiratory system is essential to every horse's well-being and athletic performance. Like humans, horses rely on their lungs and airways to deliver oxygen throughout the body, but the demands placed on their respiratory system increase dramatically during exercise. Efficient oxygen exchange allows working muscles to perform, while the respiratory tract also serves as an important defence system by filtering and removing dust, bacteria, ammonia, and other airborne irritants. Although mucus, coughing, sneezing, and nasal discharge help clear the airways, excessive amounts of these signs may indicate an underlying respiratory problem.

If there’s one word that strikes fear into the hearts and minds of horse owners, it’s “colic.” Used to describe any form of abdominal pain, colic can affect horses for many reasons and in any season, although cold weather months are a particularly challenging time with increased risk of impaction-related colic.

Horses rely on sweat to cool themselves, and when sweating they are losing both water and electrolytes. If you have ever observed a horse sweating, you might have noticed a white residue left on their coat, which consists of electrolytes they have lost via sweat. These electrolytes must be replenished for the horse to maintain their hydration, fluid balance in the body, and nerve and muscle function.