“There is science to this. There are ways to measure welfare,” Pierdon said. “It is important to have the students open their minds to the many new methods and ideas that are out there.”

Here are a few questions to ask your veterinarian if he or she determines an NSAID is needed:

What is the correct dosage and route of administration?
How often should the medication be administered?
When should I stop giving the medication?
How long before the medication takes effect?
Are there any side effects to this medication?
Should this medication be given with any other medications?

Tip #4- Time Your Feed- Horses should not be fed a large meal 3-4 hours before an extensive performance event. Feeding any closer to the exercise can hurt the horse’s performance as the blood used for digestion isn’t readily available to the muscle tissue.

Put genetics on your side when it comes to raising, training and breeding Paint Horses with a test that provides a detailed and comprehensive profile of a horse’s genetic makeup. Available now through the APHA website, Etalon’s comprehensive panel provides results on more than 40 traits—including disease markers, color and pattern characteristics, abilities and performance qualities—for a single, affordable package price.

Recent research has shown that foals 3 months of age can be safely vaccinated against West Nile, and will subsequently build an immune response. If your foals are in a high-mosquito area, you may want to vaccinate them as early as 3 months for this disease.

Horse owners who have vaccinated their horses against eastern equine encephalitis, western equine encephalitis, and Venezuelan equine encephalitis still need to get their horses vaccinated for West Nile, as these are different viruses and those vaccinations do not provide cross protection.

The trot’s diagonal two-beat rhythm will relax his mind and body, tuning him into you and laying the groundwork for a more responsive ride. As you long trot, count “one-two” in rhythm with your horse’s stride. Not only will it help you relax, it’ll also help to put you in sync with your horse’s movement. You can also try speeding up and slowing down your counting. You’ll feel him speed up and slow down, accordingly.

This happens through body language and subtle signals through your body that there is something to worry about as you approach a scary or challenging object. If your horse feels your fear, this tells him that it’s a big deal, and he may react or spook, which causes you to react even more. You may be unconsciously causing a pattern of learned behavior.

“Many programs even allow the surgeon to perform ‘virtual surgery’, cutting, moving and opposing the various bone fragments. The potential it has in terms of improving preoperative planning and surgical precision is really quite incredible. It can even be used for the production of customized surgical implants such as bone plates and interbody spacers.”