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!
Dr. Eleanor Kellon, Staff Veterinary Specialist for Uckele Health & Nutrition
Everyone looks forward to the warm weather as the ideal time to ride or work their horse. Most understand the dangers of working the horse under conditions of high heat and humidity. However, the horse can be compromised easily under less than sweltering conditions if you do not know how to correctly protect them.
Horses control their body temperature primarily by sweating. In warmer weather, it becomes crucial to support and maintain proper hydration, whether doing endurance training, events, trail rides, or standing in a field in hot weather.
Hydration isn’t just about water intake or loss
Sweating also causes significant losses of salt. Losing both can lead to devastating consequences. Horses can lose water volume up to 4 gallons per hour, and as much as 4 ounces of salt per hour. The Sodium in salt, which is Sodium Chloride, is absolutely essential for the horse's body to retain normal, healthy levels of water. Regardless of how much water the horse drinks, it will not be able to retain a normal amount of water in the body without adequate Sodium, or salt.
The brain reads Sodium levels in the blood to stimulate the horse to drink when it needs hydration. When water levels drop and Sodium concentration rises, the horse is signaled to drink. However, before any changes in water or Sodium levels in the blood can occur, the body will pull what it needs out of the tissues to maintain blood levels. This can, and does, result in inadequate hydration levels at the tissue level before it shows up in the blood.
The American Bashkir Curly is one of the most mysterious breeds. It’s the only known hypoallergenic horse. People who are allergic to horses often find that they are not allergic to Curly Horses.
These unique horses with a curly coat are indeed a breed, a very old ancient breed found in art and statuary in early China as far back as 161 AD. There is also historic evidence of their presence in South America and Europe.
How did the Curly horses come to the USA? The answer is still uncertain, but there is proof that the Curlies have been in North America since the early 1800s.
Many Indian pictographs illustrating the "Winter Counts" (number of horses in their herd) have noted that in the winter of 1801-1802 the Sioux had stolen some curly horses from the Crow. This incident placed the tribes at the Standing Rock/Cheyenne River Reservation at the mouth of the Grand River in the Dakotas.
A significant location of the Curlies today has been traced to Indian Reservations in North and South Dakota. Many Curlies then and now have been acquired from the wild horses that roam the open lands of the United States.
Dr. Eleanor Kellon, VMD, Staff Veterinary Specialist for Uckele Health & Nutrition
It’s never too early or too late to make a difference with joint nutraceuticals.
The first joint nutraceuticals came to the market about 30 years ago and are here to stay with good reason – they work. In fact, a case could be made for supplementation for a horse of any age that is in formal work.
Studies in experimental animals have confirmed that glucosamine alone or in combination with chondroitin sulfate can help prevent the development of arthritis. Among the documented effects are stimulation of hyaluronic acid and collagen production, and improved bone mineral density.
Having conducted several very large scale field trials of joint nutraceuticals over the years, I can attest to their usefulness in young horses in training. Before they show any actual, obvious lameness per se, more subtle weight redistribution occurs, which has negative effects on their gaits. Movements become stiff, often disjointed, with rough transitions. Muscle pain often develops as well and behavior issues may appear.
Feeding the best race horses in the world requires the best horse feed. Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin and team trust Purina® Race Ready® horse feed to take them to the winner's circle.
Purina is excited to share exclusive insight on what Kiaran McLaughlin puts into caring and feeding each horse – including Derby contender, Mohaymen.
When there is greatness on the inside, it shows on the outside. See how Kiaran’s dedication to each horse’s full potential is complemented by the unique feeds from Purina® .
Whether you are training top Thoroughbreds or spending your time showing, reining, eventing, trail riding or playing polo Purina has a feed that is ideal for your performance horse. Learn more at www.purinamills.com
By Dr. Bill Vandergrift, Courtesy of Triple Crown Feed
Many high performance horses present with weak top lines, characterized by little or no fat covering on either side of the spinal processes and poor muscle definition along the spine from the withers back through the coupling and hip. Performance horses require a strong back to properly balance themselves and power through movements required for racing, galloping, jumping and dressage. A horse with a weak top line is not expected to perform to the best of its ability. The causes of weak top lines are many and often interrelated. To improve the top line, one needs to determine the primary cause. Often, it is much more involved than simply trying to feed more.
Common factors contributing to a weak top line include:
Gastric ulcers | Intestinal inflammation | Chronic pain
Sore back | Subluxation of vertebrae | Inadequate nutrition
Read more: Why Does My Performance Horse Have a Weak Top Line?
Six Professionals Who Are Finding Ways to Make Caring and Mindfulness the Foundation of Their Work with Horses and People
by Rebecca M. Didier
As happens, this story begins with a chance meeting…it was on a beautiful, hard-to-reach island off the coast of British Columbia that two individuals from different parts of the horse world discovered they not only shared an idyllic view, they also had a common goal: to fundamentally change the way the equine industry works, how it affects the lives of those within it, and how they, in turn, influence the world as a whole.
The following is an excerpt from the book, Horse Tales for the Soul, Volume 7 in the series. This volume brings together more than 40 true, heartwarming, life affirming stories from horsemen around the globe. Enjoy!
Never Look a Draft Horse in the Mouth
Written by: Deb Lewin
While driving in February, 1996, I was broadsided by another vehicle. I refer to this time as “My Opportunity.” After many surgeries and over a year of rehabilitation, I was told that I had reached MMI—Maximum Medical Improvement. That meant being propped up in a wheelchair with a neck brace, arm brace, back brace and leg brace after someone had showered me, washed my hair, dressed me and fed me. I have a brain injury with left side paralysis, impaired vision and hearing and a host of other neurological and physical deficits. I had gone from being an independent woman and international able-bodied athlete to a woman needing assistance 24/7.
Read more: Horse Tales for the Soul "Never Look a Draft Horse in the Mouth"
Brought to you by: Jennifer Kotylo, creator of the DVD series Improve Your Riding Through Movement available at jenniferkotylo.com.
In order to follow the motion of your horse correctly, your hip joints need to be able to move. Most people don’t even know where their hip joints are, let alone if they are moving correctly or not. Your hip joint is actually pretty deep within your pelvis, but can be felt along the front of your body in the middle of your groin. They are not on the outside of your pelvis. Your hip joint is a classic ball and socket joint which means that your leg should be able to move in pretty much every direction with ease. Because most of us spend so much time sitting, these joints start to lose their mobility. Here are five easy-to-do movements that will get your hips moving again, allowing you to better follow the motion of your horse.
1. Knee Sways – Lay on the floor with your knees bent and your legs together. If your neck is uncomfortable, use a small pillow under your head. Then, simply let your legs fall to one side and then the other. Don’t use any force, just allow your legs to move back and forth. This motion moves the ball of your leg around in your hip socket. As an added bonus, your lower back gets a nice stretch too. If the movement is flowing through your body correctly, you may end up scooting up the floor a bit. That’s a good thing!
2. Knee Circles – Lay on the floor with your knees bent. Make sure that your ankles, knees and hips are in alignment. Place a pillow under your head if your neck is uncomfortable. Keeping your knees bent lift one leg up and hold it behind your thigh with your hands. Use your hands to make small circles, essentially stirring your leg bone within the hip socket. Circle the leg in both directions for a minute or two. Perform the circles with the other leg.
3. Ankle Rocking - Stand with your legs about hip distance apart. If you have balance issues, hold onto something stable. Stand on various parts of your feet; first your toes, then your heels, then the outside or your foot and then the inside. Play with these various stances for a couple of minutes. Yes, your ankles are getting a workout, but so are your hips! For an added challenge, walk around while changing how you stand on your feet. If you place your hands on your hip joints you will feel how much your hips are moving in their sockets!
4. Squatting Circles - Stand with your legs together, squat down slightly and place your hands on your thighs. Keeping your hands on your thighs and your knees bent, start to circle your knees, first in one direction, and then the other. Not only does this exercise supple your hips, but your knees, ankles and lower back too! Circle for about 1 to 2 minutes.
5. Clam Shells - Lay on the floor on your side. Try to make sure that your pelvis is perpendicular to the floor, not leaning either forward or back. Your legs should be stacked one atop the other, with your knees bent. Keeping your feet touching, begin to slowly raise and lower your top knee, creating a clam-shell effect. Only raise your leg to the level where it naturally wants to go, don’t force it. Raise and lower approximately 10 times. Roll over and do the same movement with the other leg.
Don’t forget to smile. You are doing something wonderful for your body, enjoy the process!
Read more: 5 Simple Ways to Increase the Range of Motion in Your Hips
By Kelly Danner
Here are seven common equine injuries and conditions here, and the best ways to react to them. Remember – the first step should almost ALWAYS be to call your veterinarian, at least for a conversation!
Bleeding and Lacerations
These injuries should be immediately treated in much the same way that you would treat a child’s laceration.
DO stop the bleeding by applying direct pressure or pressure with a bandage.
DON’T remove the bandage to peek at the injury! It’s tempting to look under the bandage, but you’ll be backtracking on treatment. By applying pressure to the wound, you’re helping it begin clotting. If you remove that pressure, it could halt all clotting and begin bleeding again.
