Equine Articles

Queensland Itch in Horses

Horses are often hassled by an itchy, annoying skin condition known as ‘Queensland Itch’, ‘Sweet Itch’, summer eczema or recurrent seasonal pruritis. While the condition is an annoyance for the horse owner, it becomes a constant nagging irritation for the …


Gastric Ulcers in Horses

A Widespread but Manageable Disease Every horse owner appreciates the delicate nature of the equine gut, with colic being a major fear. Problems related to the small intestine and large intestine causing colic are well understood and routinely treated. What …


Rules of Feeding: Changing Feeds

Most horse owners are aware that when feeds need to be changed, for whatever reason, it’s best not to do it overnight. But they may not know why it’s not right to do it that way or how to do …


Greasy Heel in Horses

Greasy heel is characterised by greasy, cracked or inflamed skin on the heels and rear of the pasterns. It is often referred to as ‘mud fever’ where horses develop the condition when standing in muddy yards and paddocks during rainy …


Spring Feeding Horses

Too fat, too thin: how is your horse looking after the winter months? Under that fluffy coat, there lurks a horse somewhere, but it’s hard to tell what condition he is in with all that hair covering his ribs! How …


Plan Ahead to Avoid Weaning Woes

Every foal has to go through it; every owner admits to some worries about it; and almost everyone survives it. For something that happens every year, weaning never seems to take on the status of ‘just another day’s work’. Separating …


Managing Horses with Airway Disease

Your new gelding stands in the stall and coughs. He has a clear nasal discharge but no fever. When you clean the stable in the morning, he seems to have trouble breathing. When he’s eating hay, he coughs more. You …


Paterson’s Curse Poisoning In Horses

Paterson’s Curse (Echium plantagineum), also known as Salvation Jane or Riverina Bluebell, is a plant that is extremely toxic to horses. It contains compounds known as pyrolizidine alkaloids, the metabolites of which cause cell death in organs throughout the body, …


Keeping Miniature Horses Healthy by Managing Diet

They’re tiny, cute, and appealing, and just looking at a Miniature Horse makes the average person want to cuddle it and feed it a treat. With obesity being one of the most common problems among Miniature Horses, this very natural …


Feeding Horses: Just the Basics

Everybody knows horses need forage and grain…but how much? How often? What kind? What else? The answers may be slightly different for each horse depending on size, breed, use, and stage of development. Fortunately for …