Fox hunting is a traditional countryside activity that has become a popular equestrian pastime. While initially developed to hunt foxes, most modern hunts are held purely for sport and rarely involve kills. The sport has a history of controversy. Some...
Cutting is a Western equestrian sport that demonstrates a horse and rider's ability to work cattle. Skilled cutting horses face off with cattle in this competitive event that celebrates the cowboy heritage of the American West. What was once a...
Barrel racing is a female-dominated rodeo event. This deceptively simple sport challenges the horse's athleticism and the rider's horsemanship through their ability to carefully run a set pattern around barrels as fast as possible. The speed of barrel racing makes...
Choosing equipment for you and your horse is an important part of improving comfort, safety, and performance. Understanding the types of Western tack available can help you decide what tack is best for your riding. Western tack and equipment has...
Working Equitation is a dynamic equitation discipline that aims to test the versatility and skills of the horse and the owner, as well as the level of collaboration between the two. While the sport officially came into being only in...
In March 2024, a diet evaluation was requested for two 16-year-old mares weighing approximately 1000 lb (455 kg) in Missouri, USA. Reported health concerns included weight gain, poor hoof quality, and a history of laminitis. The horse owner’s primary goal...
Six-time Olympic dressage medalist Charlotte Dujardin voluntarily withdrew from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after a video emerged of Dujardin "making an error of judgment" during a coaching session years ago. The International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) initiated an...
Nitrogen compounds, crucial for fertilizers, have revolutionized agriculture, ensuring food security but they pose environmental risks such as water pollution and algae blooms. Horses, while less susceptible than ruminants to nitrate poisoning due to their digestive system, can suffer severe...
The conformation of a horse directly impacts their overall performance capacity, long-term soundness, and their potential in different disciplines of equestrian sport. The conformation of the hindlimbs is particularly important, as the hind legs provide the horse’s power, speed, and...
Reining is a Western discipline that showcases the skills and abilities traditionally needed by working ranch horses. Sometimes compared to the English discipline of dressage, reining competition involves riders piloting horses through precise patterns in a competition arena. The explosive...
Capped hock refers to inflammation and swelling over the bony point of a horse's hock. The "cap" may be squishy or firm and is usually the result of trauma or repeated rubbing. Alongside the characteristic swelling, the horse may have...
Horses produce between five and ten gallons (20 to 40 litres) of saliva each day. Unlike many other animals, horses only produce saliva during mastication (chewing). Saliva is vital for moistening and lubricating food, facilitating easier swallowing, and neutralizing stomach...
Fibrotic myopathy is a rare condition in horses characterized by the development of fibrous (scar) tissue within the muscles, typically affecting the inner thigh muscles of one or both hindlimbs. Affected horses develop hindlimb stiffness, a distinctive hoof-slapping gait, mechanical,...
Sidewinder Syndrome, also known as sidewinder gait or crab walking, is one of the more perplexing and challenging equine health conditions for horse owners and veterinarians alike. This syndrome is characterized by a distinct sideways drift of the horse's trunk...
Seizures, while relatively rare in horses compared to dogs and humans, pose significant challenges for both horse owners and veterinarians. These neurological episodes, characterized by abnormal electrical activity in the brain, can manifest in various forms. During a seizure, a...
Breeders should observe all foalings as closely as possible to monitor the health and wellness of the mare and foal during this period of rapid transition. The 1-2-3-4 Rule is a helpful guideline for breeders to follow when evaluating their...
Endurance riding is a marathon for horses, with horses and riders covering distances of up to 100 miles per day. Athletes cover rugged terrain including slopes, hills, water, and different types of footing, during the competition. Endurance riding has its...
Horses evolved as a social prey species who were able to survive in a variety of environments due to their adaptability and ability to roam long distances in search of food and water. [ref n="1"] The adaptable nature of horses...
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, or NSAIDs, for short, are a type of medication commonly administered to horses for a variety of conditions. Veterinarians most often prescribe NSAIDs for soft tissue and musculoskeletal injuries, as well as for abdominal inflammation and pain. [ref...
Hoof health is one of the pillars of overall horse health and well being. There are numerous conditions that can impact the horse's hooves, including quittor. Quittor is an infection in the collateral cartilage of the hoof often resulting from...
Salmonellosis refers to infection with Salmonella, a bacterium that primarily causes intestinal infections and diarrhea. Salmonella can affect numerous species, including horses and humans. Horses typically acquire the bacteria through the ingestion of contaminated feed or water. Common symptoms of...
Bucked shins is a condition that affects the cannon bones of young race horses in the first 6 to 8 months of their speed training. Since the horse's bones are still developing, the strain of the training results in a...
Bog spavin is a common term for effusion in the horse's tarsocrural joint. This painful condition describes inflammation and fluid accumulation in the joint capsule between the tibia and the tarsal bones in the hock. Bog spavin is characterized by...
The horse's gastrointestinal system is evolved for processing forage and fiber. Domestic feeding and management strategies often challenge the horse's natural digestive process. Significant disruptions can lead to bloating - a condition where gas accumulates in the gut, causing abdominal...
A 21 year old mare received dietary intervention from Mad Barn to resolve persistent hay belly and coat and hoof quality issues with an aim to return to light exercise. After two months of dietary intervention, the mare had improvement...
Anthrax is a rapidly fatal disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. This bacterium can infect horses, other livestock species, and humans. Anthrax cases occur globally every year, including sporadic outbreaks in North America. B. anthracis primarily exists as spores...
In recent years, extensive and persistent wildfires have been a growing concern for horse operations everywhere. Evacuation and preventive protocols are often challenging and put a great deal of strain on livestock and their human caretakers. Equally as concerning is...
Parasites are organisms that live in or on the horse, and rely on the horse for sustenance while often causing harm or disease. These include worms like roundworms, tapeworms, and bots, as well as external parasites such as ticks and...
Keratosis is an equine skin condition where patches or bands of skin become thickened, rough, dark, and oily. The patches are not painful nor itchy, are not contagious, and do not impact the overall health of the horse. There are...
The Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram (RHPE) is a list of 24 behaviours associated with musculoskeletal pain in the ridden horse. Dr. Sue Dyson et al. developed this ethogram as a means of identifying low-grade lameness and horses experiencing discomfort during...
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