Q. How do you get rid of hock rubs? A. It depends on where the rubs are. If they are on the insides of the hocks (the hocks are rubbing together as your horse moves), you should explain the problem to your farrier. Your farrier will be able to make small changes in the trimming…
Q. My mare is itching horribly. She now has NO hair left at the top of her tail and very little hair left in her mane. She has itched moderately since we got her – a little Tea Tree oil every day, and it appeared to be under control. Last year when she was hurt,…
Q. We will be rescuing 3 horses this weekend from a feedlot. One of these is a 2 yr. old Thoroughbred with wobbles. I am trying to get as much information about wobbles as possible. If the vets say he will be pain-free, I will get him as healthy as he can be and try…
Q. I am just getting a 1st pony as a companion to our 11 yr. old thoroughbred. He’s a little appaloosa, about 20 years old. The girl that owns him (has only had him for 1 yr) said that she thinks he’s blind in his right eye. My vet came out and checked him and…
Q. My horse has a breathing problem. As soon as the cold weather hit, his breathing started to get a little bad. If you didn’t know the horse, you probably wouldn’t notice it. People at the barn said it was because of the cold air. Could this be it? I’m also giving my horse biotin…
Q. My school pony’s eyes got checked today. I can’t spell what it is, but it’s the same as human pink eye. The barn manager says it’s because of all the dust from the ring and his stall, but the teacher wouldn’t give him a rest today. When I turned him out today, his eyes…
Q. My horse has scratches on all four legs. It’s not bad (yet), but I’ve tried just about everything: hydrocortiderm, toothpaste (yes, toothpaste!), keeping the stall dry, drying her legs after exercise, everything! It will almost go away, just to return. Many other stablemates and horses at other stables have the same problem. Vets can’t…
Q. We are considering buying a horse, but we noticed rings on his hooves. The owner said they were grass rings, or that’s what the person who she bought him from told her. Can you explain this to me? If it helps, he’s a 15-year-old Quarter Horse gelding in terrific condition, not over or underweight….
Q. I have a 4 yr old Thoroughbred, off the track, heavily raced since 2, new to me, and an auction horse. I noticed last night (after the first layer of mud was removed) that her hind hooves have “scuffs”. These are old or semi-healed outer (?) hoof wall damage of some sort, and occur…
Q. What are your thoughts regarding vaccinations? Specifically, what vaccinations do you recommend and at what intervals? Do you recommend single vaccines or combination vaccines? Recently, there were pro/con articles about this subject in Equus, and I was surprised to read about the negative consequences of vaccinating – most importantly, that repeated and frequent vaccinations can…