D.V.M.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-15-2022

Horses have a charm and beauty unique in the animal kingdom. Horses can’t sit in your lap; on the other hand, you can’t go for a gallop on a kitten! Like any animal, horses need daily care and regular grooming. If you’re buying a horse, you need to know the right questions to ask, and if you own a horse, you need to be able to recognize when your horse is experiencing a health emergency. Horses are a big responsibility, but they are worth it!

Article / Updated 06-14-2019

Taking care of a horse is a major responsibility, and you have to tend to your equine friend every day. The following list describes the tasks you need to accomplish each day for your horse: Feed your horse two to three times Check your horse’s water supply Examine your horse for any signs of health troubles Exercise your horse Clean out your horse’s stall once or twice Groom your horse and clean their hooves

Article / Updated 05-12-2016

Your horse, like you and every other animal, is susceptible to health troubles. The problems in the symptom column in the following table are ones that merit immediate attention and a call to the veterinarian. Symptom(s) Possible Cause Steps to Perform Bleeding Injury Apply pressure; call vet Blood in urine Severe infection or bladder injury Call vet immediately Coughing and salivating with head down as food exits the mouth Choking Horse can breathe, but call vet immediately Inability to stand; staggering Severe sickness Call vet immediately Liquid, foul-smelling excrement Diarrhea Call vet immediately Profuse sweating, lying down and getting up, pawing ground, biting abdomen Colic Remove food; call vet immediately Rapid breathing, raspy breathing, heavy coughing Illness or infection Call vet immediately Refusal to eat Serious illness or mild colic Call vet immediately Severe pain Injury or illness Call vet immediately Straining to defecate or urinate Intestinal or urethral blockage Call vet immediately Swelling or body part that’s hot to the touch Injury Call vet immediately Teary eye; closed eye; red eye; cloudy eye Eye injury or infection Call vet immediately Temperature significantly above or below 98–101.5ºF Fever Call vet immediately

Article / Updated 04-28-2016

To see things from the horse's perspective, you need to know — literally — how the horse takes in the world. Humans evolved to be hunters and gatherers, chasing down prey and finding appropriate plants to eat. Horses, on the other hand, are built to avoid hunters and eat nearly everything that grows around them. Given these fundamental distinctions, the horse's senses are bound to have nuances that are somewhat different from those of a human. Sight Sight is the most important equine sense. For a prey animal like the horse, in the wild, good eyesight means the difference between life and death. Literally seeing trouble coming is the best way the horse has to make it to safety before a predator gets too close. Because horses have long, narrow heads with eyes on either side, they have the ability to take in more of the view than humans do. When their heads are facing forward, horses have a nearly 180-degree field of vision. They can see in front of and almost all the way around their bodies, though they do have some blind spots. One of a horse's blind spots is directly behind, so you should never approach a horse from the back unless the horse already knows you're there. No one knows for sure how far horses can see, mainly because horses have trouble pronouncing the letters on eye tests. Scientists who have done experiments in this field have made some educated guesses that horses can see pretty darn far, in the realm of at least hundreds of yards away. Horses can distinguish patterns, which means they're able to take in fine details. They can also perceive depth well. Horses also have much better night vision than humans. Many a rider has been out on a dark, moonless trail, dumbfounded by his or her horses' ability to see where the pair are going despite the incredibly dim light. Scientists know far less about horses' color vision than about other areas of equine sight, but they are certain that horses can see some colors. Red and blue seem to be particularly distinct to the equine eye, but beyond this, we don't know. Researchers need to do more tests to find out whether horses can see the full spectrum of the rainbow. Hearing A species that survives by getting a head start on marauding predators needs a pretty good sense of hearing. The fact that horses have survived all the way to modern times is testimony to their incredible hearing, which is considerably better than a human's. If you look at the shape of the horse's ear, you can see that it's built sort of like a funnel. With this design, the ear can capture sound in its outer part and channel it down into the ear canal. The broad outer part of the horse's ear very adequately takes in the slightest sound in the horse's environment. Using very mobile ears, horses constantly monitor the world around them. Just imagine trying to pay complete attention to different sounds coming in to either ear at the same time. Impossible for a human, yet the horse does this on a steady basis. A horse can take in the sounds of a car driving by, children playing, a bird chirping and a human approaching, all at once, from different places in the environment. The horse then processes that information and makes split second decisions about whether to react — all while picking out the best blades of pasture grass or meandering down a rocky trail. The process really is mind-blowing. Loud, unfamiliar noises can send a relaxed horse into a tizzy. On the other hand, a placid, reassuring sound can ease a horse's worries. It's amazing to see how a frightened horse can be comforted by a soft, gentle voice from a calm and confident human. Keep this fact in mind when handling your horse in a particularly noisy or frightening environment. Smell Like most non-human animals, horses have an acute sense of smell that they regularly employ to provide them with information on what is going on around them. Horses use their sense of smell in a number of different and important ways. Nature equipped the equine with a strong olfactory sense that can tell the animal whether a predator is near. All it takes is a strong upwind breeze to bring a dangerous scent to the attention of a wild herd. After getting a whiff of the predator, the herd literally high-tails it (their tails stick way up in the air as they flee) out of there in a flash. Horses also use smell as part of their complicated social structure. Horses typically greet each other nose to nose, each taking in the odor of the other. Horses also come to recognize each other by scent as well as by sight. Mares and foals quickly memorize each other's scents and use this information to help locate each other in a crowd of horses. Most horses also greet humans in the same way. When you introduce yourself to a horse for the first time, notice how the horse reaches out his muzzle to sniff you. Given this, the most polite way to approach a horse is with the back of your hand extended so the horse may take in your personal scent. Letting a horse breathe in your scent tells the animal that you are a fellow herdmate (not a predator), and usually makes the horse more agreeable to being handled. Touch The equine sense of touch is an important (although often overlooked) element to the horse. Although many people think that horses have a tough hide, they really don't. Their skin is tougher than our human epidermis, but it is still rich with nerve endings. If you sit on a pasture fence and watch a herd of horses for a few hours, you'll see plenty of evidence of how horses use touch to communicate with each other. Mothers reassure their babies with a brush of the muzzle; comrades scratch each other's itches with their teeth. Whenever a message needs to be sent from one horse to another, visual cues and touch — or the threat of it — are nearly always used. Humans can also use touch to convey messages to the horse. A gentle rub down, a pat on the shoulder, a vigorous massage in just the right place — these are all ways of saying, "I'm your friend" to a horse. Sometimes, if you're lucky, you'll get a similar tactile message in return.

Article / Updated 04-28-2016

Basic horseriding skills are just as necessary on the trail as they are in a riding arena. Out in the wilderness, you may find yourself in situations where you must turn your horse, back him up, and, of course, ask him to stop and go forward. In addition to using your basic skills, you also need to use your head out on the trail. Stick to these trail basics to ensure the safety of your horse, other riders, and yourself: Walk up and down hills. Although your horse may want to, don't gallop downhill. Avoid the urge to trot uphill, too, if you can. The faster you go up or down a hill, the more dangerous it is. Riding faster up or down also is bad for your horse's legs, and it's a difficult habit to break after the horse is used to doing it. Lean forward in the saddle when going uphill and lean back when going downhill. This helps your horse by shifting your weight off the end of the horse that is bearing most of the animal's (and your) weight. Negotiate obstacles. Sooner or later, you and your horse are going to come across an obstacle on the trail that your horse won't want to deal with. It may be a fallen tree trunk, a mud puddle, or a big rock. Chances are, the obstacle will be running water because many horses are afraid to cross creeks and streams. You can't allow your horse to successfully avoid the obstacle, or your horse soon figures out that he can dodge things he doesn't like rather than listening to you. If your horse refuses to cross an obstacle, first make sure it's safe enough to do so. Then get off and lead the horse through or over the obstacle. If that doesn't work, ask your trail buddy to take her horse over the obstacle. Chances are, your horse will follow. If not, don't risk your safety by engaging in a huge battle with your horse. Continue your ride in another direction, and when you get home to the stable, find an experienced horse person or trainer who can take your horse back on the trail to get him over his fear of that particular object. Don't allow jigging. Jigging, a cross between a walk and a trot, is something horses do when they're anxious to get home and don't want to walk. If your horse starts jigging and gets away with it, you soon have a chronic jigger on your hands. If your horse starts jigging, insist that the horse walk. If he won't walk, turn him around in a continuous figure eight every time he starts to jig. No eating! Imagine you're a horse on a trail ride. Everywhere you look, you see all kinds of grasses, flowers, and shrubbery, just waiting to be eaten. Walking on the trail must the equine equivalent of strolling through a bakery. Horses being horses, they're inclined to temptation and will reach out and try to snag a nibble at the first opportunity. However, as mean as it sounds, don't let your horse have anything to eat on the trail, for three reasons: First, many poisonous plants exist out there. Even one mouthful of the wrong thing can make your horse very sick. Second, if you let your horse eat on the trail whenever the mood strikes, pretty soon your entire ride will be spent sitting on top of a grazing horse. And third, if your horse has a bit in his mouth, some of the roughage may get caught in his windpipe, causing breathing issues. Warn other riders. If you have a horse that is particularly nasty to other horses — especially the ones that approach from behind — tie a red ribbon at the base of his tail as a warning to other riders that your horse might kick. Walk him at the end of the ride. Don't trot or canter during the last third of your journey home. Otherwise, your horse will think that rushing home is okay, and you'll soon have trouble controlling the horse when you turn toward the stable. Be safe at night. When riding at dusk or at night, wear reflective clothing (a vest is best) so that drivers can see you.

Article / Updated 04-28-2016

Buying a horse is a big deal. It’s a process that deserves and needs some thought and preparation. When you set off on your horse-shopping adventure, arm yourself with the following questions for the seller: How much are you asking for the horse? Is this price negotiable? How old is the horse? How big is the horse? (How many hands?) What is the horse’s gender and size? In which discipline is the horse ridden? Has the horse ever had professional training? Is the horse suitable for a beginning rider? Is the horse suitable for children (if you have kids who will ride the horse)? Does the horse load into a trailer? Does the horse have any bad habits such as cribbing (biting a fence while sucking in air), weaving (shifting back and forth repeatedly from front leg to front leg), or pulling back when tied? Does the horse have any medical problems or a history of medical problems like colic, lameness, or allergies? Why are you selling the horse?

Article / Updated 04-28-2016

Not every equine ailment requires a frantic phone call to the nearest veterinarian. You can deal with some problems at home, or at least monitor them before making that call. Here are signs to look for when your horse seems under the weather. If your horse has one or more of these symptoms, the condition is an emergency that warrants a call to — and a possible visit from the vet: Bleeding: If your horse is bleeding heavily from any place on his body, try applying pressure to stop the flow. Even if you can stop the bleeding, call the vet. Blood in urine: If you see your horse urinating blood, a severe infection or bladder injury is a possibility. Choking: A horse is choking if he coughs and salivates with his head down while watery food exits his nose and mouth, backs away from his food, acts anxious, and/or swallows repeatedly. A horse chokes when food is trapped in the esophagus. The food doesn't block the airway, so the horse can still breathe, but you still must call the vet right away. The trapped food can cause damage that will result in scarring and subsequent narrowing of the diameter of the esophagus. This narrowing causes the horse to be more prone to choking in the future. Colic: If your horse is sweating profusely, lying down and getting up, pawing the ground, standing with his legs outstretched, rolling, and/or biting at his abdomen, the animal is suffering from colic. Remove the horse's food and lead the horse around at a walk until the vet arrives. Not all colic symptoms are severe. If you see your horse behaving in any way that indicates he may be having even slight stomach pain, you should still call a veterinarian. If you see some signs of colic but aren't sure whether your horse is actually sick, a good way to tell is to offer him a carrot. No healthy horse ever turns down a carrot. If your horse refuses it, he is suffering from abdominal distress or some other health problem and needs to see a vet right away. Diarrhea: Severe, very liquid, foul-smelling diarrhea can be life threatening. Fever: A horse's normal body temperature ranges between 99 degrees F (37.7 degrees C) and 101.5 degrees F (38.6 degrees C). If your horse's temperature is significantly above or below the normal range, you have an emergency. Inability to stand: A horse that will not or cannot stand up is a very sick horse. A horse that staggers or has trouble staying on his feet is also in an emergency situation. Injury: Wounds that are deep or that expose the bone are emergencies, as are puncture wounds, which can easily become infected. You should also contact your vet if a less serious injury that doesn't require sutures begins to look infected. Labored breathing: Rapid breathing, raspy breath, or heavy coughing can be life threatening for a horse. Painful eye: Call the vet if one or both of your horse's eyes suddenly becomes teary, the horse holds the lids partially or completely closed, the white part of the eye is red, or the surface of the eye is cloudy. Refusal to eat: When a horse won't eat, you're often seeing a sign of serious illness or possibly mild colic. Severe pain: A veterinarian should immediately examine any horse that appears to have severe pain in any part of his body. Straining: If your horse is straining to defecate or urinate and nothing or very little passes out, an intestinal or urethral blockage is likely. Swelling: Any part of the body is swollen and hot to the touch.

Article / Updated 04-28-2016

If you hang around a stable for any length of time, you'll notice that horse people have a language all their own. This language — which sounds like a foreign tongue to the uninitiated — is what horse people use to describe the intricate details of the horse's body. Checking out the parts Nature made horses to be virtual running machines that can reach speeds of nearly 40 miles per hour. The equine body is an impeccably designed combination of muscle and bone in an elegant and graceful package. People who spend time around horses not only begin to appreciate equine anatomy but also come to understand it. Horse people talk about their horses' bodies the way mechanics talk about cars. In the equine world, if you want to keep up with such conversations, you must know the lingo and the blueprint. Here are some parts of the horse you need to know (see Figure 1 for more.): Withers: The area on the horse's back just after the neck but above the shoulders Fetlock: The horse's ankle Forelock: The hair between the horse's ears that falls onto the forehead Hocks: The elbow-like joint of the horse's back legs Muzzle: The area of the horse's head that includes the mouth and nostrils Figure 1: The parts of the horse work together to build a virtual running machine. Have you heard the expression, No hoof, no horse? Well, it's true. Without healthy hooves, horses can't function well. Becoming familiar with the parts of the horse's hoof (see Figure 2) gives you intimate knowledge of this most important part of the equine body. This knowledge helps you take better care of your horse's tootsies, too. Figure 2: Knowing the parts of the hoof is essential in caring for horses. Looking at markings Leg and facial markings are great for helping to identify individual horses. Each marking has a name, and each name is universal among equine aficionados. Figure 3 shows the most common horse facial markings. Keep in mind that the following patterns often have subtle variations. Bald: White that starts above the forehead, goes to the muzzle, and extends beyond the bridge of the nose to the side of the face Blaze: Wide white area that runs along the bridge of the nose Snip: White spot located on the muzzle, between or just below the nostrils Star: White spot on the forehead Stripe: Narrow white stripe down the center of the face, on the bridge of the nose Figure 3: Facial markings can help you identify individual horses. Figure 4 shows typical white leg markings on horses. They include Coronet: A small white band just above the hoof Half cannon: A white marking that extends from the edge of the hoof halfway up the middle of the leg Half pastern: A white marking that extends from the edge of the hoof halfway up the pastern Sock: A white marking that extends from edge of the hoof two-thirds of the way up the leg Stocking: A white marking that extends from edge of the hoof to the knee or hock Figure 4: You can find a variety of white leg markings on horses.

Article / Updated 04-28-2016

Keeping your horse clean and looking good is an essential part of horse ownership, and besides, it can be fun! The following is a list of grooming tools you need to have handy: Rubber currycomb Stiff brush Soft brush Shedding blade Cloth Mane and tail brush Mane and tail detangler Hoof pick Hoof brush Bathing supplies (such as shampoo, conditioner, and sponges) Clippers

Article / Updated 04-28-2016

Saddle shopping is more than just finding a nice-looking saddle in your price range. As far as the horse is concerned, a saddle that doesn't fit correctly can result in sore back muscles, and a corresponding bad attitude to go with it. Finding a saddle that fits your horse takes some work. Even though saddle manufacturers make saddletrees in different sizes (wide, medium, and narrow), each horse is an individual and may not fit into a saddle that corresponds to the apparent width of the horse's back. (A saddletree is the wooden or fiberglass frame on which the saddle is constructed. It determines the fit of the saddle on the horse's back.) For that reason, when you buy a saddle, take it on a trial basis so you can be sure that it fits. During that trial period, follow the steps outlined in the sections that follow to determine the saddle's fit and enlist an experienced horse person to help you determine the fit of the saddle. Saddle fitting can be tricky, even for the most experienced riders. English saddles To determine if an English saddle fits your horse, follow these steps: 1. Put the saddle on the horse without using a saddle pad. 2. Tighten the girth so that the saddle is comfortably secure. 3. Have someone sit in the saddle with his or her feet in the stirrups. 4. Using a flat hand, slide your fingers underneath the pommel, near the horse's withers (the rise as the base of neck, where it joins the back). Your fingers should fit comfortably between the horse and saddle. Be certain that you can place at least three fingers between the horse's withers and the arch below the pommel. 5. Have a helper lift the horse's left foreleg and pull it forward while your fingers are in between the top of the horse's shoulder blade and the pommel. As the horse's shoulder moves, make sure the saddle doesn't impede shoulder movement. Perform the same test on the horse's right side. 6. Stand behind the horse and look through the saddle (between the underside of the saddle and the horse's back). If the saddle fits, you should see a tunnel of light shining through. If you don't see any light, the saddle is too snug. You likewise need to make sure that the saddle isn't too long for the horse. The seat panel shouldn't reach past the main part of the horse's back onto the loins. Western saddles To make sure that a western saddle fits correctly, follow these steps: 1. Place the saddle on the horse's back with a one-inch thick (or so) saddle pad underneath it. 2. Tighten the cinch so that it's snug but comfortable. When you try to tighten the cinch, you may find that it's too short for the horse's barrel. Don't reject the saddle simply because the cinch is too short. If you really like the saddle and it fits, you can always buy a longer, replacement cinch. Meanwhile, borrow a cinch that fits so you can continue to try out the saddle. 3. Have a rider sit in the saddle with his or her feet in the stirrups. Be sure that you can fit at least three fingers between the arch of the pommel and the horse's withers. 4. Examine the width of the saddletree, or frame, as it sits on the horse and compare it with the shape of the horse's back. On a horse with a wide back and lower withers, the tree needs to be wide. On a narrower back with higher withers, the tree shouldn't be too wide. Place your fingers sideways (on a flat hand) between the saddle and the top of the horse's shoulder to help determine the width of the tree. If the fit is so tight that you can't squeeze your fingers between the saddle and the top of the horse's shoulder, the tree is too wide for your horse. If you can put your entire hand between the saddle and the top of the horse's shoulder, the tree is too narrow.