There is nothing worse than trying to handle – let alone ride – a spooky, hyper-reactive horse who just won’t listen. When it comes to the spooky horse though, there are a couple of things you need to remember. First, it’s in a horse’s nature to follow its “flight” rather than “fight” response, and secondly,…
Saying goodbye to summer means we’re leaving the hot, dry weather behind and saying hello to the wetter conditions of autumn. While this will bring some relief for our horses, the change in weather provides an ideal environment for gastrointestinal parasites. Just think, when the grass is growing so will the worms (well, they will…
Daily aches and pains are something every horse (and their owner) experience at some point in their lifetime. However, even low-grade lameness could be indicative of a bigger problem such as Osteoarthritis (OA). OA is a complex, progressive disease that affects a large proportion of the horse population. In fact, studies have shown that more…
When talented 17-year-old eventer Tayah Andrew discovered she’d made the Australian Young Rider Team for the 2017 Oceania Championships in Melbourne, her elation came with an extra sense of achievement that only those who’d been a part of her journey could understand. Securing one of only four places in the team to compete against New…
Did you know that Gastric Ulcers are one of the most common issues that equine vets deal with every day? They are caused by an unnatural build-up of stomach acid which damages the stomach lining and they don’t always show up upon scoping. It’s not just racehorses who are prone to ulcers, between 50 and…
Travelling long distances with performance horses can be stressful, expensive and can impact heavily on their health and wellbeing. Imagine arriving at your destination and discovering that your horse is unfit to compete! Thankfully there are ways to minimise the negative effects of lengthy journeys, you just need to know how. Carsten and Fiona Graetz…
Dermatophilus congolensis, more commonly known as Rain Scald, is a bacterial infection found in cows and horses. The bacteria latch onto a carrier horse and activate when the carrier’s skin is exposed to wet weather. Biting and non-biting flies, together with humidity and high moisture, cause infective zoospores to spread from one horse to another….
When exercising, the horse’s working muscles generate heat… The body heats up… The horse sweats… Excess heat is then dissipated through evaporative cooling. As simple as that! Right? Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for all horses. Picture this – it’s a typical Summer’s day in Australia. Hot. Humid. Plagues of flies and other bugs. Cicadas…
What is EIPH? EIPH is defined as bleeding from the lungs of horses during exercise (Hinchcliff et al. 2015). The condition is most frequently identified in Thoroughbred and Standardbred racehorses performing high-speed exercise, but cases can also occur in horses used for other disciplines such as western performance, eventing, show jumping and polo (Rendle 2016;…
Watch below as Dr. Leanne Begg talks about the causes and symptoms of Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome….
The painful scabs that form when Greasy Heel strikes do not look or feel great on your horse, but should you pick them off? The answer is yes! The bacteria, fungi and mites that cause the greasy heel most often live underneath these scabs, so until they are removed, the infection is extremely likely to…
The muscle fibres of a horse are a huge asset to the racing or performance horse. Without them, there’s not much to work with – so as well as building muscle mass, the muscles also need to be protected! Low intensity exercise at an easy pace, allows for oxygen to replenish the muscles as he moves. In…
For those in the know, Rosemont Stud needs no introduction. Rosemont in Victoria is a state-of-the-art farm boasting multi-million-dollar facilities including a magnificent stallion barn, home to household names such as Starcraft and Nostradamus, yearling barns, a vet hospital, beautifully manicured gardens and a glorious period homestead and office. Gerard Jones, operations manager at the…
Keeping her horses sound is a number one priority for NSW eventing rider Annabel Cargill. In this video, she talks about her philosophy on horse health, and explains why she trusts SwellDOWN to keep her top eventing horses looking, training and performing their best….
Parents of children who ride know all too well the angst an unruly pony can cause, especially when that pony is a trusted and treasured member of the family. “Puff” is exactly that family member in Nina Leonard’s family and especially so for her daughter Sofia. Puff wasn’t truly unruly but he was showing all…
