The role of routine dental care is to improve chewing, relieve pain, to treat and cure infection and to promote the general health, productivity and longevity of the horse. It is important to remember that dentistry includes not only the teeth and mouth but the sinuses, bones of the jaw Read more…
The bit is an item of a horse’s tack. It usually refers to the assembly of components that contacts and controls the horse’s mouth, and includes the shanks, rings, cheekpads and mullen, all described here below, but it also sometimes simply refers to the mullen, the piece that fits inside Read more…
Outcome. If a dead heat is declared, all tied competitors are considered to have jointly achieved the superior position (unless a tie-breaking method is used to separate them). This does not affect awards for subsequent finishers. Can a horse race end in a tie? In horse racing, a dead heat Read more…
The color of a horse’s teeth provide a general clue as to horse’s age. The milk teeth are white, and the permanent teeth (which erupt at 2 ½ to 5 years of age) that replace them are cream-yellow. With increasing age they turn brown (20 years plus). Can you tell Read more…
Horses’ teeth are renowned for being hard-wearing but certain factors can cause them to be exposed to conditions that can impact their health and growth. A horse’s teeth are hard-wearing but chewing rough fibre for over 18 hours a day can wear them down at a rate of approximately 2-3 Read more…
Other colors indicate other health issues. For instance, a purple tongue means blood is stagnating in it. Why is my horses tongue purple? On the other hand, a red or deep red tongue due to excess Heat will have a coating, as seen in animals with heat stroke. Purple or Read more…
Enucleation is a surgical procedure that involves removal of the eyeball (“globe”), as well as some of the eye’s adjacent connective, muscular, and glandular tissues. The procedure can be performed in a sedated, standing horse or with the horse on a surgical table under general anesthesia. How long does it Read more…
That is, while male horses are generally more likely to have more teeth than female horses, it’s an individual thing. Therefore, stallions, geldings, and mares can have the same number of teeth or (rarely), an individual mare may have more teeth than the gelding that lives next door to her. Read more…
A common cause of aspiration pneumonia is the improper administration of liquid medicines. If an animal needs to be given liquids through a drench or dose syringe, they should not be administered any faster than the animal can swallow. What causes a horse to aspirate? Animals that attempt to eat Read more…
Oral sugar test: based on your animal’s weight, the team will give your horse a dose of corn syrup by mouth and then take blood samples 60 minutes and 90 minutes after the dose. These samples will be tested for levels of glucose and insulin. How do I know if Read more…