My Soapbox for Equestrian Writings
A few years ago I was lucky enough to borrow a veterenarian friend’s cold laser to treat my tendonitis. It seemed to help reduce inflammation and the sensation was pleasant — mostly, it just made the area feel warm. I’d always hoped to try it on Freedom as she told me that many vets use […]
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How long should you wait to ride after feeding your horse? For many years, conventional wisdom said you should wait an hour. Kind of like what your mother told you when you wanted to swim after lunch. Of course, your mother told you that because she wanted to lie in the sun and read her […]
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In the equestrian world if your friend, your horse or your friend’s horse is sick or injured, you jingle like crazy to send them good luck. The item being jingled is a curb chain, a series of metal links that is used on some bridles to put pressure under the horse’s chin. In this context, […]
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I was reminded, today, of the first time I trailered Freedom, at the end of January in 2005. I’d agreed to take him on as a foster for CANTER New England, and had driven to Rhode Island to pick him up with a friend. Freedom had been returned from his first adoptive home — from […]
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A temporary committee charged with an urgent review of the FEI’s endurance rules has had its first in-person meeting at FEI Headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Wednesday. Of course, this has been a long time in the making. Since 2014 there have been scandals in endurance racing revolving around catastrophic injuries and doping that have persisted. […]
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Impaction colics are more common at this time of year, when water buckets freeze overnight and horses are less active. A friend’s horse recently underwent colic surgery as the impaction didn’t resolve with tubing and oil. So what can you do to reduce the chance of colic in the winter? Let’s look at the risk […]
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Today we are going to take a break from our regularly scheduled equine programming to take a look at another species . . . one that many of you might have in your homes or barns. The house cat. But this is also tale (or should I say, tail?) that I believe can be applied […]
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Choke is the most common esophageal disorder in horses and occurs when poorly chewed feed gets stuck in your horse’s esophagus and the muscles spasm and hold it in place. Unfortunately, some horses, like Curly, are prone to choke. Her owner, Lindsay, documented the most recent incident. Why does Curly choke? Partially it’s because she […]
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