Innehållsförteckning för Spring 2025 från Equus

If you are looking forward to showing this season but are worried about the impact on your wallet, you’re not alone. Entry fees, travel, training and equipment costs add up quickly. Fortunately, there are ways to prepare for and participate in horse shows without breaking the bank. Here are a few tips: 1. Look for local opportunities. Sticking to shows close to home can save you money on many fronts: Staying local will minimize hauling fees, whether you pay someone to transport your horse or fill your own truck with gas. If you aren’t going far enough to necessitate an overnight stay, you’ll also save on hotel and stall fees. In addition, local competitions, particularly schooling shows, typically have lower entry fees. Just because these shows are less expensive doesn’t…

The survival rate for horses who undergo surgical lavage (flushing) of a joint or tendon sheath is “excellent,” according to a new study from the University of Nottingham and CVS Group in the United Kingdom. For the study, veterinarians from 10 referral clinics around the United Kingdom submitted data on 240 horses admitted for treatment of synovial sepsis, an infection in the fluid within a joint, tendon sheath or bursa. Synovial sepsis can be career-ending and even life-threatening because inflammation can potentially cause permanent damage to the affected joint. Treatment combines flushing the affected area (lavage) to dilute contaminants and reduce inflammation together with aggressive antimicrobial therapy. A year after treatment, the owners of the study horses were surveyed to determine outcomes. The data showed 95 percent of the horses…

Many Saddlebred show horses that move on to second careers were, for a wide variety of reasons, no longer wanted by their original owners. Three of the six case studies presented in this article are examples of this form of transition and transformation. But every case presented here underscores how almost any type of work outside the conventional show ring can enhance the quality of the horse-human relationship. First, a few words about “rescuing” horses: It is worthwhile and fun, but it requires some horsemanship skills. I have witnessed several instances where inexperienced new owners got hurt because they were unable to “read” a horse—to tell what he intends to do before he does it, which is the true basis for safety around horses. Starved and neglected horses are often…

Joan rides Will in a lesson: To develop a good trot and canter, the horse must possess a long-stepping, free-moving and energetic walk. Transitions and figures at the walk and rein backs one step at a time, tone the horse’s “core” muscles while encouraging him to “stretch over the top.” Joan’s trainer Wanja Gerlach with Will at a working trot in a dressage test: Note the horse’s relaxed ears and tail and the expression of focus. Saddlebreds typically “point their nose,” as Will is doing here when they are giving their best effort. Joan and Will in a relaxed setting: A skeleton rider on a horse wearing a Hawaiian lei while trying to hang a ring on the bull’s tail with a stick—? Sure, why not! The most important thing…

Chelsea Karche and Pickle enjoying a cooling moment. Here we see a beautifully structured horse with an exceptionally good shoulder and loin coupling. Pickle also has the long arm and forearm that are typical of Saddlebreds, excellent hocks and slightly open hind angles that suit a horse particularly for jumping. Chelsea and Pickle schooling jumps: Chelsea will find that Pickle will jump in better form when the bar is raised to three feet or higher. Jumping is so easy for him that Pickle is kind of sleeping over this one! But he’s also teaching his rider to keep her balance; notice how gently he jumps, and how straight and square has been his approach: another example of a horse “coming from the other side to help the rider out.” Of…

Spring has arrived at your barn—a welcome bit of warmth and renewal, no doubt, after a long winter. Far less welcome is the fly season that will soon follow, with all the associated swishing, twitching and agitation. Insects aren’t just a nuisance, though. They have the potential to transmit disease, stress horses to the point of weight loss and prompt enough foot-stomping to crack hooves and loosen shoes. Our weapons against these pests are familiar. Year after year we all return to the same time-tested fly control methods—sprays, parasitic wasps and fly masks. Yet results vary. One farm may have a barely noticeable fly population, while another down the road is overrun. The difference, say experts, is not so much in the individual fly control components, but the overall strategy…

I was leaning on a picnic table, surrounded by the green fields and white barns of the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, when Amy Johnson, DVM, DACVIM (LAIM & Neurology), walked over. One of a handful of board-certified equine neurologists in the country, Johnson had just finished examining my 12-year-old Trakehner gelding Sunny. As Sunny stood in a stall nearby, Johnson told me she suspected he had cervical vertebral stenotic myelopathy (CVSM). Also known as Wobbler syndrome, CVSM is characterized by weakness and incoordination that results from compression of the spinal cord in the neck area. Additional tests would be needed to confirm the diagnosis, but Johnson suggested that I take Sunny home and retire him from dressage. If I rode him at all, she…

YET ANOTHER BENEFIT OF TURNOUT New research from Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) suggests that regular turnout can help horses ease back to fitness after a layup. The MTSU study was grounded in practical concerns, says Jenelle Stellmack, BS, MS, who headed the research as part of her master’s thesis work. “The inspiration was the safety and well being of our school horses as they get brought back into ridden work after our annual summer break,” she explains. “There wasn’t a history of injuries to the school horses following any breaks, but confirming fitness in relation to the prevention of injuries is a top priority for us.” The study focused on 12 mature horses that were ridden four to five times a week during the school year. During the three-month…

Arthritis led the list of health challenges reported in a large-scale survey of horse owners caring for aging horses in the United States. Researchers at the University of Kentucky, Texas A&M University and the Waltham Equine Studies Group surveyed 2,717 owners across the country who are caring for horses aged 15 or older. In addition to demographic data, the survey included questions on medical conditions affecting the horses, management and treatment practices for specific diseases, frequency of routine veterinary care and pharmaceutical and supplement use. The collected data showed that only 36 percent of the horses were free of any veterinarian-diagnosed medical conditions at the time of the survey. The most frequently reported conditions were osteoarthritis (30 percent), dental disorders (15 percent), lameness (14 percent), pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID)…

Paula Edwards’ Saddlebred mare Ronni when first acquired: Thin horses usually have angular toplines due to loss of body fat over the long perivertebral muscles and in the crest. Thinness may be due to lack of adequate feed, but in older horses is often exacerbated by problems with the teeth which prevent the animal from thoroughly chewing or digesting its feed. Thinness exposes the horse’s skeletal frame, making very clear this mare’s high withers, broad and deep ribcage, and excellent loin coupling. Paula riding Ronni several months later: The mare’s body has filled out, the crest of the neck has come back, and she’s going beautifully to the bit. Note the long, elastic steps at a walk. Jiggs after Paula taught her to drive at the age of 17: This…

“Before” (A) and “after” (B) photos of Aggie Bane’s gelding Jammed Again: This is another case showing telltale signs of bodily stiffness: tent-like, angular and shiny over the center of the back, and slab-sided neck with a stringy look to the muscles along the crest. This horse came along rather quickly in Aggie’s hands, I believe, and the “after” photo shows a complete turnaround. This is a great photo of happy people on free moving yet calm and attentive horses during a foxhunt or out cubbing. Many people believe that arena work is only for experts or those who want to compete, and that trail riding is for beginners and ordinary folk—but just the opposite is true: Arena schooling prepares the horse for the field. Until a horse has passed…

Jody Swimmer’s horse Wrapper showing off magnificent conformation: My advice to readers—if you find a horse like this for sale, buy him! My favorite photo of Jody and Wrapper: After a demanding test, relaxation and reward. Horses love to move and they respond well to even highly demanding work, but only if they are taught and allowed to use their bodies as nature intended. Most important of all is relationship: the affection and trust that can develop between rider and horse (photo credit: Christine Quinn). Jody’s Saddlebred gelding George at the beginning of training: Here again we see the slab-sided neck with more muscular development just above the shoulder than along the crest, and the thin, hypertonic perivertebral musculature. The upright pasterns are due mostly to the hooves being out…

Can a horse drink too much water? I know that it’s important to keep Q: a horse from becoming dehydrated. But should I worry if my horse seems to be drinking too much? He is a 20-something Quarter Horse and I retired him last year. He has always been in good health, but recently it seems like he is drinking a lot more. I have automatic waterers in my pastures, so I don’t know exactly how much water he taking in, but it seems like every time I see him, he’s hanging out over the trough or actively drinking. He also seems to be urinating more, but he is on full turnout, so that’s hard to know for sure, too. He otherwise appears to be healthy, his coat is shiny,…

The removal of abnormal ovaries has long been a remedy for aggressive behavior in mares. Curiously, though, the excision of “normal” ovaries also reliably mitigates unwanted behaviors. Now German researchers may be closing in on the reason why: Those ovaries might be not normal at all. Unilateral ovariectomies are commonly performed after imaging reveals the presence of an ovarian tumor, says Tanja Witte, DVM, of the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich. “Granulosa cell tumors (GCT) might produce testosterone and therefore are responsible for ‘stallion-like behavior’ in mares,” she says. Yet, Witte notes, even when there is no evidence of tumors, many owners opt for the removal of both ovaries (bilateral ovariectomy)—and that also leads to a reduction of unwant-ed behavior. “Why are behavioral improvements often seen after removal of ovaries…

The recent discovery of the H5N1 “bird flu” virus among horses living in Mongolia may have implications for equine and human populations around the globe. Avian influenza viruses primarily spread among wild birds, but certain strains can infect other species, including mammals. In fact, the H5N1 strain—which is considered highly pathogenic—has been detected in some U.S. dairy cattle herds since March 2023. H5N1 infections in people are rare but can cause severe illness. Horses are of particular interest to researchers monitoring the emergence and spread of new influenza strains, says Pablo Murcia, DVM, PhD, of the University of Glasgow Center for Virus Research. “Horses are natural hosts of influenza viruses (IAVs), and in a previous study we found that horses are routinely exposed to less pathogenic H3N8 avian influenza viruses,”…

This gelding’s best conformational point—evident in both the “before” (A) and “after” (B) photos is the strong loin coupling—broad, smooth and well-muscled. He has medium-high withers, well-shaped neck and head, good shoulder and long arm. The hocks are broad and the angles in the hind legs are just right. Note, too, the overall body balance; it is a rare Saddlebred that presents downhill rather than level balance from core of loins to base of neck. Improvements in the “after” image are mainly postural: The center of the freespan is higher, and the pelvic angle is subtly steeper, due to greater fitness in the “core” muscles; the long perivertebral muscles show greater development; and the topline has lengthened overall. The upright pasterns in view (A) have been improved by getting the…

Amy Crawford and Callaway’s Executive Decision (“Ed”) in the mid-1980s, when she was a teenager spending her weekends showing saddle-seat style: This photo shows the very solid conformation typical of Callaway breeding, which utilized a fabulous herd of broodmares that were specifically chosen for pedigrees with old-fashioned blood and substance in conformation. The sire side of Ed’s pedigree includes World Champions Will Shriver, Wing Commander and Edna May’s King, while the distaff side harks back to some very old stuff indeed, including Chester Dare, Harrison Chief, Cabell’s Lexington and the influential Morgan progenitor Black Hawk 1833. Amy and Ed schooling for hunter-overfences classes: Ed’s form is exemplary, and he was a winner in this discipline, often besting Thoroughbreds and other breeds in open competition. Ed age 20+, after being injured…

The best trailer rides for horses end in something fun or exciting—maybe a ride with friends along the beach, or a show you’ve been working to qualify for all year long. But when stress and travel conditions combine to trigger a respiratory condition known as shipping fever, a trailer ride can take you to a destination you never want to visit—severe and even deadly illness. Shipping fever can happen anywhere—at home and on the road—because it’s basically just bacterial pneumonia, explains Peter Heidmann, DVM, DACVIM. But it’s most often triggered by long journeys in a trailer. “Generally speaking, horses don’t acquire bacterial pneumonia without one or more risk factors,” he says. “One of the most common risk factors is long-distance travel, hence the term shipping fever." In addition to operating…

Can an emergency change in feed be made safely? When Hurricane Helene hit last Q: year, we were due a shipment of feed, which was delayed for three weeks. We ran out entirely, but we were fortunate: Our neighbors use the same type of feed and were able to share. I know sudden changes in diet can trigger colic so I worry that in another crisis we might not be so lucky. In an emergency situation, how can you handle a sudden feed change? Or is it better to just let the horses eat only hay or grass until you can get their usual feed? Unexpectedly ending up without A: your horse’s normal grain ration is certainly a dilemma. The best way to handle it will vary with the circumstances,…