My Soapbox for Equestrian Writings
Speculation on the death of the polo ponies in Wellington today has centered on the selenium content in the “supplement” given to the ponies. The Palm Beach Post reports in the article, “High selenium in drug mix could be to blame in death of 21 polo ponies“: Citing anonymous sources, the Argentine newspaper La Nacion […]
Read MoreIn the first peer-reviewed, published study to evaluate the effects of the nutritional supplement methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) in horses, Spanish researchers found that MSM exerted a protective effect against the detrimental physiologic changes that occur during exercise. The study, “The effect of methyl sulphonyl methane supplementation on biomarkers of oxidative stress in sport horses following jumping […]
Read MoreThis is a hard time for horse owners. Not only are economic swings making everyone nervous, but many parts of the country had bad growing seasons, so that hay is already (in New England, at least) at an all time high. In an effort to keep my horse-related expenditures in line, I’ve been looking into […]
Read MoreResearch in gene therapy to help heal joint injuries in horses may provide breakthroughs that can be applied to humans. According to Dr. Laurie Goodrich, a veterinarian that specializes in equine lameness and surgery at Colorado State University, horses have a very similar joint anatomy, biochemical and molecular makeup as humans, and joint injuries in […]
Read MoreAs the owner of an aging horse, I’m always keeping my eyes open for information on joint supplements and scientific research. Neutriceuticals are still a gray area, mostly because there is no regulation and very little scientific evidence of their efficacy. I came across two references recently that I found interesting: Glucosamine and Joint Health: […]
Read MoreA few days ago my Trakehner gelding turned 17. I’ve owned him for 12 years and it’s hard to believe that so much time has passed since I brought him home. So, how old is he in human years? I’ve been doing some research into comparing horse and human age, but haven’t come up with […]
Read MoreTreeless saddles are all the buzz. While conventional saddles with wooden or fiberglass trees have reigned supreme for thousands of years (the first “treed” saddles appeared in 200 BC in Asia), during the last decade there has been a vocal movement toward treeless saddles. Some people claim they are more natural, a throwback to saddle […]
Read MoreI frequent the saddle listings on eBay, looking for those great deals on saddles that I’ve always wanted to try. Sometimes the deals are too good to be true — for a reason: they are scams. Mostly, these are people who don’t have an item to sell but have pirated the photo from another auction. […]
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