Health and Wellness

Diarrhea in horses is a symptom, not a diagnosis. It can develop when the intestine is inflamed, normal digestion is disrupted, or water is no longer absorbed and retained in the usual way. A horse passing softer manure after a feeding change presents a different situation from one producing repeated watery diarrhea, refusing feed, or becoming weak. Formed manure with a separate stream of fecal water is different again. The important questions are: What has changed in the man

A horse that coughs once beside a dusty hay net presents a different situation from one that coughs through a ride, develops a fever after travelling, or suddenly has feed coming from its nose. The symptom may sound similar. The cause and urgency can be very different. Coughing in horses is a sign, not a diagnosis. It can occur with airway irritation, equine asthma, infections, pneumonia, swallowing problems, and less common conditions. Understanding the pattern helps you rec

Learn about colic in horses, including early signs, causes, types, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. This comprehensive guide explains gas colic, impactions, intestinal twists, sand colic, and more, with practical advice on when to call a veterinarian, what to expect from colic surgery, and how daily management can reduce risk.

Learn how maternal nutrition and fetal programming in horses can influence foal health, skeletal development, metabolism, immunity, and future performance. This science-based guide explains broodmare body condition, energy, protein, mineral balance, placental health, obesity, stress, and colostrum, with practical feeding and management advice for every stage of pregnancy.

Learn how to measure your horse for a blanket, compare common blanket types, and check the fit for comfort and safety. This practical guide explains horse blanket sizing, what to do when your horse falls between sizes, and how to prevent rubbing, slipping, and restricted movement. Use our Horse Blanket Size Chart and Calculator to choose the right fit.

Learn about the major respiratory diseases in horses, including equine asthma, influenza, strangles, pneumonia, EHV, guttural pouch disorders, airway obstruction, and exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage. This introductory guide explains common symptoms, respiratory emergencies, diagnostic tests, treatment, prevention, biosecurity, and when to call a veterinarian, with links to detailed resources on individual conditions.

Equine Body Muscle Scoring is a practical system used to evaluate visible and palpable muscle over key regions of the horse. The goal is not simply to decide whether a horse “looks fit,” but to identify whether muscle is normal, reduced, uneven, or progressively wasting. Learn how it works, and how it differs from Body Condition Scoring, in this article.

A horse information sheet helps keep the most important details about a horse in one place. It is useful for everyday care, barn communication, vet visits, emergencies, travel, feeding instructions, vaccination records, deworming history, and training notes. A printed sheet is helpful for quick barn access, but horse records often change over time. Health notes, feed changes, medications, vaccine dates, and training updates are easier to manage when they are organized clearly

Learn how horses see the world, from wide vision and blind spots to color, depth, and behavior, and improve safer handling and training.

Orchard grass hay can be an excellent forage choice for many horses. It is often soft, palatable, and easy to build a ration around. But it is not automatically the “best hay for horses,” and it is not automatically low sugar. The right answer depends on the horse in front of you: body condition, workload, metabolic risk, dental comfort, and what the hay test actually says. This guide is meant to help owners make practical decisions. We will look at when orchard grass hay is

Barn life is busy. When a horse feels “a bit off,” most owners do the same thing: they try to remember what changed, scroll through photos, search old texts, or piece together a timeline from scattered notes. That works until it does not. A stressful vet call is not the moment you want to guess whether the fever started this morning or last night, or whether you gave the last dose at 6 pm or 9 pm. A horse health log fixes that. It is a simple, repeatable way to record vitals

Learn everything you need to know about vaccinating your horse for Equine Influenza: from determining the need for vaccination to scheduling shots to keep your horse up to date.

Credit: horseillustrated Rabies is rare in horses, but it is high-stakes. Once clinical signs appear, it is essentially always fatal, which is why prevention matters even when the odds feel low. Whether the rabies vaccine is “required” depends on where you live, your barn or show facility rules, and your veterinarian’s recommendations based on local wildlife and public health guidance. Read Rabies in Horses: An Advanced Overview to learn more about the disease. Medical discla

Credit: foxvalleyequine A horse vaccination schedule is really a risk plan. The right timing depends on what your horse is exposed to this year, not what your neighbour does. Boarding barns, training facilities, travel, mosquito season, and outbreak pressure can all change what matters. Use the guide and chart to build a sensible baseline, then have your veterinarian confirm the exact products and timing for your region and your horse. TLDR Start with core protection most hor

Bute for horses (phenylbutazone) is one of the most widely used pain and inflammation medications in the horse world. It can make a stiff, sore horse noticeably more comfortable, especially with arthritis, soft-tissue strains, or post-work soreness. At the same time, bute is not a harmless barn painkiller. It can mask important warning signs like fever, colic pain, and serious lameness, and it carries real risks for the stomach, colon, and kidneys when the dose, duration, or

Understand Equine Herpesvirus, including its risks, symptoms, prevention methods, and management strategies.

A raised temperature is one of the earliest and most useful clues that a horse is getting sick. The challenge for owners is knowing what number truly counts as a fever, how to take an accurate reading, and when that reading means “monitor” versus “call the vet.” This guide walks you through a clear first hour plan, red flags that change the timeline, and the most likely causes by season so you can act with confidence rather than guess. We’ll start by defining normal versus fe

When colic strikes, you don’t have time to hunt for tools or guess what to do next. An Emergency Colic Kit puts the right items in one place—thermometer with lube, stethoscope, watch, headlamp, gloves, notepad—and pairs them with a simple, first-hour plan: observe behavior, take time-stamped vitals, and call with a clear trend. This guide shows exactly what to pack, how to measure, and when numbers cross into “call now.” We’ll keep it owner-safe and practical: short steps, re

Choosing between orchard, timothy, and alfalfa is really about matching nutrients to the horse, not picking a plant name. This guide to Orchard vs Timothy vs Alfalfa shows how NSC, protein, and the calcium to phosphorus balance shape weight control, performance fuel, and metabolic safety. Use a hay lab on a dry matter basis, then tailor intake with your veterinarian and keep basic biosecurity in mind. If you need a refresher on energy, protein, minerals, and dry matter, skim

Yes! Horses sweat, a lot, and it’s their primary way to dump heat during work and hot weather. When sweating doesn’t keep up—or stops altogether (anhidrosis)—core temperature climbs, heart and breathing rates spike, and performance and safety suffer. In 2025, with longer hot spells and sticky humidity in many regions, owners need fast, barn-side ways to check heat risk, adjust workloads, and cool safely. This guide gives you: plain-English science, easy field checks you can d