UC Davis veterinarians are warning horse owners to keep their animals away from Pistacia orchards, as the leaves and seeds of this genus can cause hemolytic anemia, and be fatal, if ingested.

Horses carry 60 to 65 percent of their weight on their forehand while moving.2 And the faster a horse moves, the more stress on the joint. To put this in perspective, a 1,000-pound horse is carrying approximately 625 pounds by the front legs.

Grass clippings that stay on the pasture after mowing, where they can dry in small amounts, are generally not a problem. But never gather them into piles to feed them to your horse. Here’s why…

After you have made sure your horse is sound and ready for work, begin with short conditioning sessions at the walk and trot only and mostly in straight lines and soft curves or serpentines for 20 to 30 minutes per day. This will allow your horse to build up his muscles slowly while allowing all of the horse’s muscles, tendons and ligaments to stretch. Asking a horse that is not conditioned properly to perform small, tight turns will put undue stress on under-developed muscles, tendons and ligaments and could cause injury.

“Imagine learning about a rare or complex surgery as if you’re right there at the operating table,” Tayce said. “We could create virtual environments to supplement student learning. We are only scratching the surface of possibilities.”

During exercise, horses inhale more oxygen than usual to meet the demand of their muscles. Along with supporting the muscular oxygen needs, free radicals are produced and horses suffer oxidative stress. Damage by free radicals is associated with aging and various diseases.

“For optimum muscular and neurological health, dietary vitamin E is a critical component to your horse’s own antioxidant defense systems,” says Dr. Lydia Gray, SmartPak’s Staff Veterinarian/Medical Director and primary investigator. “Through this 14-day study, we were able to conclusively show that our “natural” vitamin E supplement is well-absorbed by horses, rapidly reaching recommended levels in the body.”

It’s well-known that stress, training, trailering and competition can cause occasional gut issues in performance horses. This can cause horses to be cinchy, have a rough hair coat, go off feed, and not perform to their potential.