Horse Digestive System Designed for Continuous Forage by Eleanor Blazer Why is the small intestine 60 feet in length and the large intestine only 25 feet long? It’s a question about the equine intestine that could keep you awake at night. When you know the answer, you’ll sleep more … Read More
Why Horses Think and Feel as They Do by Barbara Breckenfeld, LAMP If we spend much time around horses we soon realize that we can’t force a 1,000-pound animal to do anything. We also notice people who work with horse nature to motivate horses to do things because they … Read More
Bringing Caring and Healing to Puget Sound Horses Interview by Kim Roe I first met Dr. Julie Eihl over 20 years ago on a late summer evening after finding my home-bred warmblood filly entangled in electric fencing. She had major lacerations to her hock and could barely walk. I … Read More
Understanding Your Horse’s Reactions by Barbara Breckenfeld, LAMP We’ve all experienced a horse spooking at something. It’s their fight/flight/freeze response—a physical reflex of the autonomic nervous system. Understanding this system helps us to work with horses’ physiology. First, let’s define our terms. The autonomic nervous system controls automatic responses … Read More
Supplementation Can be Beneficial During this Stressful Time By Dr. Eleanor Kellon for Uckele Health & Nutrition With feral horses, weaning occurs naturally when both mare and foal are ready for it. When we hasten the process artificially, there is inevitable stress. Foals depend on their dams for basic … Read More
Lips, Teeth, and Saliva Begin the Journey of Nourishment By Eleanor Blazer You put it in one end and take it out the other! Do you know what happens to expensive grain and hay during its long journey to become manure? Equine lips have an almost prehensile (adapted to … Read More
Handy Hoof Hints Part 6 by Carole Herder As President of Cavallo Horse & Rider, one of the best parts of my job is hearing the heartfelt stories from our community regarding the care and progress of their horse’s hooves. Some are funny, some are sad, and some are … Read More
High Prices Provide Incentive to Understand Hay Quality By Stephanie Davis, DVM In most instances I would defend the idiom you get what you pay for. As U.S. hay prices have escalated significantly, it would be great if that were true. However, when it comes to buying hay, it’s not that … Read More
Most Horses’ Natural Behavior Aids in Parasite Control By Eleanor Blazer Horses have no trouble determining where to poop. Most confined horses will designate a “latrine” area––whether in a turnout, pasture or stall. My own horses leave their hay, walk across the turnout, relieve themselves in the favored corner … Read More
Handy Hoof Hints, Part 5 Have you ever wondered what veterinarians think about barefoot and booting? A wealth of knowledge is now accessible to all of us. Read on to discover what today’s leading experts on hoof care have to say. Dr. Tomas Teskey, DVM “Every horse who wears … Read More
