Ear sensitivity due to insects is a common cause of head shaking this time of year. Flies or small gnats can often go unnoticed but can be a significant irritant to the horse.
Trail Riding: Safety Tips for Bystanders and Drivers
Does Your Horse Get Burdocks (Burrs) in His Eyes?
Burdocks mature in the fall, and cause plenty of problems for our equines. Burrs get knotted into forelocks, manes, tails, and, uncomfortably, eyes. Little tiny burrs fly about and get into their eyes and underneath their eyelids in the conjunctiva or cornea. We don't mess around with eye issues in our horses, so read on about what we need to do for our horses.
Genetic Conditions and Testing
A lot of the diseases you know of actually have a genetic basis. The 11 that are regularly tested for are Hyperkalemic Periodic Paralysis (HYPP), Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (PSM), Malignant Hyperthermia (MH), Grey Horse Melanoma, Recurrent Exertional Rhabdomylosis (RER), Hereditary Equine Regional Dermal Asthenia (HERDA), Lavendar Foal Disease, Cerebellar Abiotrophy (CA), Glycogen Branching Enzyme Deficiency (GBAD), Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID), and Junctional Epidermolysis Bullosa (JEB)
Official Veterinarians of the Madison Mounted Police
The Future of Genetic Testing
In 2006, the horse’s genome was almost completely mapped – it is about 97-98% complete. This set the stage for equine veterinarians and researchers to become very sophisticated with genetic testing.
