Each horse should shed on a consistent schedule each year; even though that timeframe may be different for each horse. Individual horses will also shed their winter coat in the same pattern each year (i.e., shedding from their necks first and then along their flanks). Why isn’t my horse shedding? Read more…
Capped joints are fluid filled swellings which occur over the dorsal surfaces of the carpi, points of the elbows or plantar surfaces of the hocks. Can you ride a horse with capped hocks? An uncomplicated capped hock is considered to be only a cosmetic problem for the horse, and will Read more…
Magnets can be used on all horses and ponies to maintain healthy muscles, joints, tendons and ligaments. It’s great to help horses that are working hard, feel the cold, or maybe those who are being brought back into work and are recruiting muscles that haven’t been used for a while. Read more…
10 to 12 feet. Horse barns are commonly built with a ceiling height of 10 to 12 feet with 8 feet being the minimum. A low ceiling not only inhibits air circulation, but also increases the chance that a horse may strike its head. In fact, many stables have open Read more…
A capped hock is an inflamed and swollen calcaneal bursa (sac) of the ankle that can grow up to the size of a tennis ball or even larger in some cases. Even though it may look horrible, it usually does not affect the horse much and may only cause slight Read more…
To “sull,” derived from the word sullen, means to refuse to advance. A sulled-up horse is frozen in a tense mental state, often brought on by rough, forceful handling that creates fear and anxiety. Skilled horsemanship is needed to return such a horse to a normal, responsive state. Why do Read more…
There is one on each side in both upper and lower jaws and they erupt at between four and five years of age, mainly in male horses. What age do horses lose caps? Horses will lose a total of 12 cheek teeth caps generally between the ages of 2.5 and Read more…
The equine Achilles tendon is composed of the gastrocnemius tendon (GT), the tarsal tendon of the biceps femoris, semitendinosus and gracilis muscles, superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT) and tendon of the soleus muscle (Sisson and Grossman 1953). Do other animals have Achilles tendons? Other animals The Achilles tendon is short Read more…
between 37.2°C to 38.5°C. A horse’s normal body temperature can range between 37.2°C to 38.5°C (99.0°F to 101.4°F). It is possible for a range of factors to affect your horse’s temperature, including humidity and hot weather and whether or not your horse has just been exercised. What is a bad Read more…
On average, horses reach their mature height and weight at approximately 36 months of age. The age at which a horse reaches its mature height and weight can be shortened to approximately 24 months or lengthened to longer than 48 months depending upon management and genetics. How fast do baby Read more…