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Your horse's winter coat provides essential protection from frigid temperatures, biting winds and snow and ice. When the temperatures rise, breezes turn balmy and the rains warm up with spring, however, that same coat can be uncomfortable and unsightly as it begins to shed. Shedding is natural, but the process can take several weeks and in the meantime your horse will look shaggy and the extra hair may attract unwanted dirt, bacteria and insects. Fortunately, it's easy for you to help your horse shed that winter coat and look its best for spring. Helping Your Horse Shed There are several...

Internal parasites are a natural part of horses’ digestive tracts. While different parasites can be beneficial to keep the gut healthy, an overload of worms can cause a wide variety of potentially dangerous problems for your horse. Setting a proper deworming schedule can help keep horses healthy and minimize the risk of spreading worm contamination. How Horses Get Worms Horses pick up worms very easily. Mature worms as well as larvae are found in feces, which are dropped in the pasture where the animals graze. Horses ingest the worms back into their digestive tract with the grass they consume, keeping...

Pet owners take great care to feed their pets a healthy, nutritious diet (with an occasional treat, of course!). But do you know there are many potentially toxic, even lethal, plants lurking around our homes that are dangerous to pets? Poisonous plants may be found in gardens, flowerbeds, landscapes, houseplants or even cut flower bouquets or other decorative arrangements. Even some of the most well-known, popular plants can threaten pets, and it is critical to know which plants should be kept well away from furry family members. Top Poisonous Plants for Cats and Dogs There are hundreds of different plants...

A horse's teeth change throughout its life and proper dental care is essential for your horse to be comfortable feeding, grazing and carrying a bit. But what types of problems can develop, and how should they be taken care of? Does Your Horse Have Tooth Problems? A horse has from 36-44 teeth, and those teeth wear down as the horse grazes and eats. Because our horses have different diets that are often softer than the fodder their wild ancestors and cousins consume, however, the wear on their teeth may be uneven or slow, and different dental problems can occur. Your...

It is true that during the winter months riding your horse can become a scarce occasion.  This means that your horse’s diet must also change.  Since the horse is not as active during these cold months, it requires fewer calories.  It was once believed that feeding your horse more corn during these inactive months is better for keeping the horse warm, but now science has discovered hay is better at converting calories into heat and also promotes good gastrointestinal health as well as helps to preserve the horse’s weight.  The horse’s diet should be at least 50% if not all...