Latest Articles

Overo Lethal White Syndrome in Horses
Overo Lethal White Syndrome (OLWS) in Horses: Causes, Signs & Genetic Testing Camryn McNeill, B.B.R.M. | March 15, 2024 | Breeding, Breeds, Conditions, Foals, Horse Health

The overo pattern is one of three coat patterns in American Paint Horses (APHs) recognized by the American Paint Horse Association (APHA), along with Tobiano and Tovero. Among Overo variations, the fr...

Platelet-Rich Plasma for Horses
Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) in Horses: Uses, Benefits & Side Effects Dr. Madison Ricard, DVM, DACVP | March 15, 2024 | Conditions, Horse Health, Joint Health, Medications

Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) is a regenerative therapy used to treat horses with tendon and ligament injuries. Platelet-rich plasma is a blood preparation where plasma, the component of blood containing...

Bisphosphonates in Horses
Bisphosphonates in Horses: Benefits, Uses and Side Effects Dr. Madison Ricard, DVM, DACVP | March 14, 2024 | Horse Health, Medications

Bisphosphonates are drugs used to treat bone conditions in horses. The two main bisphosphonates used in horses are clodronate (OsPhos®) and tiludronate (Tildren®). These medications are used to trea...

pemf in horses
PEMF (Pulsed Electro Magnetic Therapy) in Horses: Benefits, Uses & Research Dr. Madison Ricard, DVM, DACVP | March 14, 2024 | Conditions, Horse Health, Performance

Pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy is a treatment modality for horses where a machine produces pulses of electromagnetic fields directed at a specific part of the body. Research suggests that...

stretching in horses
Stretching in Horses: Benefits, Uses & Techniques Dr. Madison Ricard, DVM, DACVP | March 11, 2024 | Horse Health, Performance, Training

Wondering about the best stretching exercises for your horse? Stretching is the process of extending a muscle to its maximum extension to release muscle tightness, improve flexibility and reduce pain....

Summer Sores in Horses
Summer Sores in Horses: Causes, Treatment & Prevention Casie Bazay, BS, NBCAAM | March 4, 2024 | Conditions, Horse Health

Habronematidosis or habronemosis, more commonly known as summer sores, is a parasitic skin infection that can occur in horses. As the name implies, summer sores usually occur during the summer months....

Chiropractic Care for Horses
Chiropractic Care in Horses: Benefits of Joint Mobilization & Manipulation Dr. Madison Ricard, DVM, DACVP | March 10, 2024 | Care & Management, Conditions, Horse Health

Chiropractic care for horses is a form of manual therapy commonly used in veterinary treatment protocols for lameness. Chiropractic treatment focuses on joint mobilization and manipulation to reduce p...

Massage Therapy for Horses
Massage Therapy in Horses: Benefits, Techniques & Trigger Points Dr. Madison Ricard, DVM, DACVP | February 21, 2024 | Care & Management, Horse Health

Equine massage therapy is a bodywork modality that involves the systematic manual manipulation of a horse’s muscles and soft tissues to alleviate muscle tension and promote overall well-being. It’...

Exertional Rhabdomyolysis in Horses
Exertional Rhabdomyolysis in Horses: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment Camryn McNeill, B.B.R.M. | February 9, 2024 | Care & Management, Conditions, Performance

Exertional Rhabdomyolysis (ER), commonly known as tying-up or azoturia, is an exercise-induced condition in horses characterized by the excessive breakdown of muscle tissue. This results in muscle spa...

Leptospirosis in Horses
Leptospirosis in Horses: Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment Dr. Jenna Thebeau, DVM, MSc | February 5, 2024 | Conditions

Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection that is commonly spread to horses through direct contact with contaminated food and water sources. While there are many different species of the Leptospira bacte...

Sesamoiditis in Horses
Sesamoiditis in Horses: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment Dr. Madison Ricard, DVM, DACVP | February 6, 2024 | Conditions, Horse Health, Performance

Sesamoiditis in horses refers to pain and injury around the sesamoid bones, pairs of small triangular bones found at the back of the fetlock. Inflammation in this area can cause pain and changes to th...

Shelter for Horses
Guide to Shelter for Horses: Design of Sheds and Stalls Dr. Christine Latham, Ph.D. | February 5, 2024 | Care & Management, Horse Health

Choosing the best configuration of shelter in your horse’s pasture is one of the most important aspects of horse management. Most horses seek shelter at some point during the day, whether from cold ...

Acupuncture for Horses
Acupuncture in Horses: Acupoints, Benefits & Side Effects Dr. Madison Ricard, DVM, DACVP | February 28, 2024 | Horse Health

Acupuncture is a therapeutic modality that has been adapted over the centuries to suit various species, including horses. Treatment involves the insertion of fine needles into specific landmarks on th...

Shockwave Therapy for Horses
Shockwave Therapy in Horses: Uses, Benefits & Side Effects Dr. Madison Ricard, DVM, DACVP | February 2, 2024 | Care & Management, Horse Health, Performance

Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) is a common treatment modality offered by many veterinarians for treating lameness cases. Most veterinarians use this treatment for arthritis cases and ligament...

Sacroiliac Pain in Horses
Sacroiliac Pain in Horses: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment of SI Joint Disease Dr. Madison Ricard, DVM, DACVP | January 31, 2024 | Conditions, Horse Health, Performance

Sacroiliac pain is a common cause of poor performance and low-grade lameness in performance horses. The sacroiliac joint is the point on the horse’s body where the pelvis and the spine connect, play...

Pedal Osteitis in Horses
Pedal Osteitis in Horses: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment Dr. Madison Ricard, DVM, DACVP | January 30, 2024 | Conditions, Hoof Health, Horse Health

Pedal osteitis in horses is a condition characterized by inflammation and damage to the pedal (coffin) bone within the hoof. Affected horses can experience pain and lameness, which may be worse after ...

Sidebone in Horses
Sidebone in Horses: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment Dr. Madison Ricard, DVM, DACVP | January 29, 2024 | Conditions, Hoof Health, Horse Health

Sidebone in horses is a common condition that affects the collateral cartilages of the hoof. It occurs when the normally flexible cartilage plates in the horse's hoof gradually become hardened and cal...

Canker in Horses
Canker in Horse Hooves: Signs, Causes & Treatment Dr. Madison Ricard, DVM, DACVP | January 22, 2024 | Conditions, Hoof Health

Canker in horses, also called equine proliferative pododermatitis is a condition that causes rapid proliferation of keratin, the main component of the hoof wall and sole. The proliferation forms long ...

Buttercup Toxicity in Horses
Buttercup Poisoning in Horses: Symptoms, Treatment and Prevention Dr. Jenna Thebeau, DVM, MSc | January 22, 2024 | Toxicity

Buttercup poisoning in horses occurs when they ingest protoanemonin, a toxin produced by the buttercup plant. Although relatively rare, the ingestion of this flowering weed results in irritation to th...

Yearling Horse
How to Feed a Yearling Horse: 7-Step Nutrition Guide Dr. Christine Latham, Ph.D. | January 17, 2024 | Care & Management, Foals, Horse Health, Nutrition

A balanced feeding program is key for yearling horses, as it sets the foundation for their growth and development into adulthood. Yearlings are transitioning from foals to young horses, and their nutr...

Keratomas in Horses
Keratomas in Horses: Lameness Causing Foot Tumours Dr. Madison Ricard, DVM, DACVP | January 22, 2024 | Conditions, Hoof Health, Horse Health

Keratomas in horses are abnormal growths or benign tumors that develop within the hoof capsule, potentially resulting in lameness and discomfort. These non-cancerous masses comprise overgrowths of ker...

Synovial Joint Infections in Horses
Synovial Joint Infections in Horses: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment Dr. Madison Ricard, DVM, DACVP | March 10, 2024 | Conditions, Horse Health, Joint Health

Synovial infections in horses refer to infections in the synovial structures, which include joints, bursae, and tendon sheaths. These infections can be severe and potentially career-ending for equine ...

Ionophore Toxicosis in Horses
Ionophore Toxicosis in Horses: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment Dr. Madison Ricard, DVM, DACVP | January 10, 2024 | Horse Health, Nutrition

Ionophore toxicosis, a severe and often fatal condition in horses, arises from the ingestion of ionophores, antibiotic compounds that are common in livestock feeds. Common ionophores in livestock feed...

Atrial Fibrillation in Horses
Atrial Fibrillation in Horses: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment Dr. Madison Ricard, DVM, DACVP | January 10, 2024 | Conditions

Atrial Fibrillation (AF) in horses is a cardiac rhythm disorder, characterized by rapid and irregular beating of the atria, the upper chambers of the heart. This condition can affect horses of any bre...

Mastitis in Mares
Mastitis in Mares: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment Dr. Madison Ricard, DVM, DACVP | January 10, 2024 | Breeding, Conditions

Mastitis in mares is condition characterized by the inflammation of the mammary gland, usually due to a bacterial infection. Mastitis typically affects lactating mares, often in the period immediately...

Scratches in Horses
Scratches in Horses: Causes, Symptoms & Treatments Casie Bazay, BS, NBCAAM | January 9, 2024 | Conditions

Scratches in horses, also known as pastern dermatitis, is an inflammatory skin conditions that affects the lower limbs of horses. It is characterized by irritation and sometimes infection of the skin,...

Heart Murmurs in Horses
Heart Murmurs in Horses: Causes, Symptoms and Diagnosis Dr. Madison Ricard, DVM, DACVP | January 11, 2024 | Conditions, Horse Health

Heart murmurs in horses are distinct sounds between the normal beats of the heart that can be heard with a stethoscope. They arise from the abnormal flow of blood through the heart, often due to condi...

Anaplasmosis in Horses
Anaplasmosis in Horses (Equine Granulocytic Ehrlichosis): Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment Dr. Jenna Thebeau, DVM, MSc | January 11, 2024 | Conditions

Anaplasmosis in horses, also known as Equine Granulocytic Anaplasmosis (EGA), is a tick-borne disease caused by the bacterium Anaplasma phagocytophilum. This condition typically affects horses in area...

Umbilical Disorders in Foals
Umbilical Disorders in Foals: Infections, Patent Urachus and Hernias Dr. Madison Ricard, DVM, DACVP | December 22, 2023 | Conditions, Foals

Umbilical disorders in newborn foals can arise due to bacterial infection or improper closure of the umbilicus after birth. The three most common umbilical disorders in horses are omphalitis, patent u...

Heart Murmurs in Foals
Heart Murmurs in Foals: Diagnosing Congenital Cardiac Defects Dr. Madison Ricard, DVM, DACVP | December 21, 2023 | Conditions, Foals

A heart murmur is an abnormal sound heard during the heartbeat, caused by blood flowing in an unusual pattern or location within the heart. It’s not uncommon for newborn foals to have heart murmurs ...