When lameness strikes and there are no ‘clues’ – no swelling, no heat, no localized area of obvious pain – where do you turn? Two of New Bolton Center’s Sports Medicine ‘sleuths’ will unravel the mystery as they discuss the common pitfalls to thelameness exam and why the naked eye is not always a reliable tool for an accurate diagnosis. Attendees can join in on cracking the case with their smartphones during this interactive presentation. 

The research focused on the chemosignals that people give off through sweat, while they’re experiencing a certain emotion. The study determined that horses can smell both fear and happiness!

When hearing that horses were being evacuated to the Butte County Fairgrounds, just four miles from her residence, Dr. Specht visited the fairgrounds to examine them. When the fairgrounds quickly became a full-scale evacuation center, Dr. Specht suspended her growing solo practice to focus on triage and care for hundreds of injured and evacuated horses, chickens, goats and sheep, as well llamas, alpacas, pigs and water fowl.

A chemical reaction occurs when materials of differing pH touch each other. This means that when a product with a pH that is not near the pH of leather is applied to your saddle, your saddle leather reacts just like an elementary school science project volcano.

Digestion efficiency is not what it once was. This can lead to diarrhea, electrolyte imbalances, and weight loss. It starts in the small intestine where your horse produces fewer digestive enzymes, potentially leading to nutrient deficiencies simply because his tissues can’t receive the nutrients from his meal. Plus, undigested food is free to enter the hindgut where it is either fermented (which can lead to colic or laminitis) or ends up in the manure. Finally, after years of exposure to harmful elements in the feed and environment, the horse may develop a leaky gut, leading to immune issues, metabolic irregularities, and oxidative stress throughout the body.

A host of other discipline-specific clinicians to be featured at Equine Affaire include Candice King and Ali Wolff (hunter/jumper), Mette Rosencrantz and Susan Mandas (dressage), Sandy Collier (reined cow horse), Jesse Westfall (reining), Jane Melby (barrel racing), Muffy Seaton (driving), Sylvia Zerbini and Luke Gingerich (liberty), Dana Hokana (western horsemanship, hunter under saddle), Michael Gascon (easy gaited horses), Gayle Lampe (saddleseat), Tom Seay (trail riding and camping), Kelsey Lauberth (trick riding), Sam Rettinger (draft horses), Asbury University (mounted police horse training), and more. For a full list of clinicians and a complete schedule, visit equineaffaire.com.

The aforementioned Inflammatory Airway Disease study described wood shavings as much better than straw bedding, but “more is better” does not apply to shavings when it comes to clean stable air. People see a nice, cushy surface to support their horse’s sweet dreams, but the horse’s lungs see an onslaught of respiratory irritants that come with that deep bedding.

The program is designed for, but not limited to professional horse trainers from all disciplines, professional rodeo competitors, veterinarians, farriers, dentists, and chiropractors, as well as farm or ranch owners to cover their employee disability financial exposure. It provides a tax-free income benefit to provide cash flow for a specific period of time should a disability render a covered person unable to perform the substantial and material duties of his or her occupation.

Not all gooseneck trailers will fit on today’s trucks. A gooseneck trailer must have 6′ or more from the top of the tailgate (top of the truck bed sides) to the bottom of the gooseneck when sitting level. Taller trucks may be too high to fit properly under a gooseneck trailer, especially goosenecks built before 2000.

Your foal begins practicing their coordination with head nods and limb movements by days 40 and 46 of pregnancy, respectively. That’s only a month and half into your mare’s 11-month pregnancy!