HEALTH & EDUCATION

We all want the best care possible for our horses. The Heath & Education section covers both Learning Institutions, Organizations as well as many sources for equine assistance including Veterinarians and Farriers.

For those who want a to formally study horses, the Education section includes College Riding, Equine Studies, and Veterinary Schools. Learn about the wide variety of horses in the Horse Breeds section. Supplements and Treatments Therapy are also included in the section.

Everyone can learn from Fine Art and there are some specialty Museums that might surprise you.

Horses as a therapy partner enrich the lives of the disabled. These facilities are listed in our Therapeutic Riding section. To help children and young adults build confidence and grow emotionally, please see the resources available on the Youth Outreach page.

Looking for a place to keep your horse? You can find it in the Horse Boarding section. Traveling? Find a Shipping company or Horse Sitting service if your horse is staying home!

Want to stay up to date with the latest training clinics or professional conferences? Take a look at our Calendar of Events for Health & Education for the dates and locations of upcoming events.

Do we need to add more? Please use the useful feedback link and let us know!

by Alessandra Deerinck

The connection between humans and horses has always been strong and universally evident ... Opposites attract. Horses do not change their surroundings, adapt to survive wherever they find food, water and other horses, and live always alert, completely immersed in the environment.

On the other side of the spectrum, man, by nature, tends to modify everything to fulfill his life needs. For example, he builds houses that allow him to live in safety, abstracting himself from the surrounding environment.

When man met the horse he tamed it, because it seemed a resource to improve life ... and so it was! Over the centuries, humans have even modified the original equine species, creating breeds that have genetic traits that can satisfy human needs and desires.

The horse has been able to adapt to survive in conditions that are extremely different from the natural ones for him, allowing man to build entire civilizations. Nowadays the original functions that the horse has had in human life are performed by mechanical means, but, once again, due to their flexible nature, horses still find a place in our life as men of the twenty-first century.

MacNicol describes the complexities of the equine microbial environment that begin to develop at birth, how it very quickly starts to reflect that of the mare and how rapidly a foal adapts so it can consume forage. (Photo Credit: Jolene Purdue)

by Jackie Bellamy-Zions, Equine Guelph

The foal’s gut undergoes many changes as it develops rapidly. More and more, we are learning how the colonization of a gut correlates to good health. Exploring the differences in foal microbiomes and how those differences may tie in with overall health has PhD Candidate, Jennifer MacNicol, very excited about the potential advancements the research could yield in the field of equine neonatal care.

MacNicol, from the Department of Animal Bioscience at the Ontario Agricultural College will be working under the direction of Ontario Veterinary College researcher, Dr. Luis Arroyo, in a project planned to begin this summer studying mare/foal pairs to gain knowledge of how the horse’s gut environment matures. Research in genomics is rapidly expanding our knowledge of digestive health but is it is not well understood why diarrhea can become life-threatening in some foals while others recover without additional symptoms.

Page 193 of 326

Our Mission — Serving the professional horse person, amateur owners, occasional enthusiasts and sporting interests alike, the goal is to serve all disciplines – which often act independently yet have common needs and values.

Equine Info Exchange is totally comprehensive, supplying visitors with a world wide view and repository of information for every aspect related to horses. EIE provides the ability to search breeds, riding disciplines, horse sports, health, vacations, art, lifestyles…and so much more.

EIE strives to achieve as a source for content and education, as well as a transparent venue to share thoughts, ideas, and solutions. This responsibility also includes horse welfare, rescue and retirement, addressing the needs and concerns of all horse lovers around the world. We are proud to be a woman-owned business.

Health & Education

Communication Between Human and Horse

Research into Development of the Foal’s Gut Could Advance Treatment of Critical Cases of Diarrhea