Horse

10 Things You Might Not Know About Horse Hooves

We have all heard the saying “No hoof, no horse.” Hoof care is a vital part of ensuring horse health, but the best ways to keep hooves healthy are often hotly debated. We worked with UC Davis veterinary hospital farrier Shane Westman, APF-I, to share ten things you might not know about horse hooves.

Sports Medicine Specialists Help Horse Reach Peak Performance

Fred, a 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding, had a successful 2019 show season in three-day eventing at the “preliminary” level. With the goal of moving up to the “intermediate” and then the “advanced” levels next season, Fred’s owner proactively sought to have him evaluated by the specialists in the Equine Integrative Sports Medicine Service at the UC Davis veterinary hospital.

Mare Nurses Foal While Battling Life Threatening Injury, Adopts Another

Meringue, a 23-year-old Davenport Arabian mare, was found with her head stuck in her stall door. Her owner, Michael Bowling, had to use fence cutters to open the gate. Once her head was freed from the gate, Meringue went down on her right side and was unable to get up. Bowling, a UC Davis veterinary hospital client for nearly 40 years, called the Equine Field Service, which immediately dispatched veterinarians and a team of veterinary students to his ranch.

Three-Day Eventing Horse Returns to Training Following Colic Surgery

Monty, a 6-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, was down and displaying signs of colic when owner Ashley Aguado received the late-night call that he was sick. She rushed to him and found her three-day eventing horse in a dire condition. “When I arrived, Monty’s face was cut up from all the rolling he was doing,” said Aguado. “He was sweating and just didn’t look good overall.”

Oral Magnesium and Boron Found to Reduce Headshaking in Horses

Giving magnesium and boron can benefit headshaking horses, the findings of research suggest. Trigeminal‐mediated headshaking, which used to be called idiopathic headshaking, is caused by a low threshold of firing of the trigeminal nerve in the face. In most cases, the condition is worse during spring and summer, and geldings are over-represented. Various treatments have been tried, including face masks with ultraviolet light protection, nose nets, nutritional supplements, antihistamines, corticosteroids, neuromodulation, and even surgery on the nerve. Results have been variable.

10 Years of Upper Respiratory Diseases in Horses

The ongoing Equine Respiratory Biosurveillance Program between UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and Merck Animal Health revealed new information on infectious respiratory disease threats, including EHV-1 and EHV-4, influenza, S. equi, equine rhinitis A/B viruses, and more. Here’s what you should know.

UC Davis Veterinarians Team with Physician to Remove Tumor in Horse

Veterinarians collaborated with human doctors on a case involving removal of a massive sinus osteoma near a horse's eye and brain. An image-guided navigation system allowed surgeons to operate while identifying the precise position of their surgical instruments on a CT scan at every moment.