“While there is no hard evidence on the rate of mental illness in animals, it’s reasonable to conclude that statistically it’s the same as in humans – that is, one in five suffer from a mental health condition. Given the number of pets that end up in shelters because of a behavior-related problem, one in five is certainly a reasonable, possibly conservative statistic.”
Continue reading …New research has found that horses have similar learning progress and remember a task just as well, when they are trained every three days, as when they are trained daily. Horse riders and trainers may decide how often to train their horses based on a gut feeling of how they believe the horse is responding when asked to perform a specific task.
Continue reading …You say to the prospective horse purchaser: “This mare is a talented athlete that wins in the show ring, but she has a low tolerance for a beginner rider.” Ten minutes later the prospective buyer asks, “Will she be OK with my young children in walk-trot classes?”
Continue reading …The Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC) reports 152 cases of WNV thus far in 2018, with almost all diagnosed during the months of August and September. Most confirmed cases occurred in horses which were unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination history.
Continue reading …A full-sized horse requires at least one ounce (two level tablespoons or 30 ml) of salt each day for maintenance – this much provides 12 grams of sodium. Heat, humidity, and exercise increase the horse’s need. There are several ways to accomplish this:
Continue reading …Have you ever wondered why, at the biggest show of the year, our horses are in peak physical condition, and yet, our own physical performance tends to decline? Aches and pains from long days, and nights, of practice, the inevitable Congress Crud seeping into our systems, and the inability to keep up with our regular workout regime all wreak havoc on our ability to compete at our best.
Continue reading …Most of us have experienced that moment when our horse turns around in his stall and we see that his beautifully groomed and carefully hand combed tail, that we have been nurturing all show season, has become a tangled mess. The skirt hairs are missing, or scrunched into a new backcomb style.
Continue reading …The big problem with tendon injuries is that they repair leaving scar tissue, which is less elastic than the normal collagen found in healthy tendons. This leaves them prone to further damage. By injecting plasmid DNA into the torn ligaments and tendons, the researchers were able to see that blood vessels developed within the tissue and the tissue grew back without leaving scar tissue behind.
Continue reading …You will buy horses for resale and not be able to recover the maintenance expense, training time, and marketing effort you put into the project. You will lose money. You’ll lose money when you buy equipment, vehicles, and saddles that don’t perform as you hoped. You will lose when you hire people who turn out to be total duds as workers.
Continue reading …Ticks release a toxin when they feed, which leads to a condition known as tick paralysis. Common signs of tick paralysis include difficulty walking, gurgling and choking. Dogs may not be able to bark properly.”
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