Like humans, horses have a ‘thermoneutral zone’ (TNZ) – an optimal range of temperatures within which they can comfortably maintain their own body temperature. For adult horses in mild climates, this is between 5ºC and 25ºC. Humans, on the other hand, have a more limited TNZ of between 25ºC – 30ºC when naked. This means when humans feel cold, horses are still well within their comfortable zone. Humans often make decisions about rugging their horses based on whether they feel cold themselves, so they may well be using a rug on their horse when it really is not necessary.

The ability to utilize this technology on a standing horse under sedation instead of anesthesia will greatly expand the availability of this powerful imaging technique, allow for more routine use, and open it up to patients that are not able to undergo anesthesia.

Planning to send a Paint Horse stallion, mare, or frozen equine semen to Europe? Take note: in addition to the previously required tests, vaccinations and health certificates, the European Union (EU) recently added a zootechnical certificate to the list of import requirements.

Resistance to dewormer products currently available on the market has caused the FDA to invoke a request that animal drug companies voluntarily revise their product labels for their approved anthelmintics used in livestock, including horses.

Embryos can be biopsied without harm and that material can be used for determining sex, the potential of genetic diseases, and the potential color coat of a foal. 

The overuse of dewormers brings with it increasing likelihood of even larger equine internal parasite populations that have developed resistance to current dewormers on the market.

Horse language is typically subtle. Ever notice how one horse can move the others away from a food source in the paddock simply with a look? Humans do not always pick up on this subtle body language. A cranky look with flattened ears when an ill-fitting saddle is applied often goes missed or dismissed. A horse that resorts to kicking may be turning up the volume on signals that have been ignored for quite some time. So we need to ask ourselves, does this horse kick for no reason?

When psychiatrist David Feifel established the first program using the anesthetic drug ketamine to treat patients with depression, many considered it a harebrained idea. Today ketamine is considered the biggest psychiatric breakthrough in 50 years.

In general terms, a 1,000 lb. horse will produce approximately 50 lbs. of manure in a day. Below is an example calculation.