I hope everyone had a happy and healthy holiday season!  I will continue to update you on new services and products recommend and offered throughout the year.  The most commonly request I receive is that I offer wellness packages.  This year I will offer 2 options that are comprehensive preventative care packages.  The intention is to better prevent disease and identify ailments before they become a problem.  My goal is to have the enrollment forms and pricing completed in the next week.  The information will be posted on the Facebook page and under the clients tab of the website.

This year I will also be offering mesotherapy.   Mesotherapy is a technique that has been used for over 30 years in France and consists of shallow (4-6 mm) injection of medications into tissue of the neck or back to block pain.  The treatment  stimulates the mesoderm, the middle layer of the skin, which will, in turn relieve a wide variety of symptoms and ailments by stopping the pain spasm cycle.  

The number of treatments needed depends on many variables including the condition, the abnormal physiology causing the condition, as well as the chronicity of the problem. A minimum of one to two sessions of mesotherapy is performed generally to assess the horse’s response.  Patients will be out of work for the first few days, then depending on the condition they can begin ground work or light work under saddle.  As seen in the above picture there are small skin bumps that appear as the medication is deposited just below the skin surface. Theses swellings will quickly dissipate and the benefits should be realized in 3-7 days.

I have had success in cases where there has been a one-sided neck stiffness, generalized back discomfort, including case with "kissing spine syndrome" and with sacroiliac pain, and lower back pain. Frequently these treatments may also be combined with joint or para-spinal injections.

This is the most common question I receive each winter.  There are many factors that come into play to make the best decision for your horse.   I have included a flow chart prepared by Auburn University that is a quick quide to making that decision.

Most healthy horses in good body condition with a full winter coat  do not need a blanket.  There are still many factors to consider.

1) Your horse needs a full winter hair coat.  The natural coat of a horse is quite insulating as long the hair is able to stand up.  Blankets and rain/snow affect the ability of the hair to insulate.

2) Your horse should have some sort of shelter outside. A three-sided shed is quite adequate. You may be able to use a windbreak in the form of a wall or line of trees.  Three sided sheds should be south facing and big enough to allow room for all horses into the shed.

3) Is the weather going to be raining or sleeting? If it is, that rain will wet down the horse’s hair coat. Once that coat is laying flat, it looses it’s insulating qualities. You’ll probably need a waterproof blanket unless your horse uses a shed consistently.

4) They need to have plenty of forage available.   Five pounds of hay will raise a horses body temperature by 1 degree for 4 hours.

5.) Age matters – your horse may need a blanket if they’re very young or very old.  The very young and the very old may require blanketing to help them maintain their body condition.

6.) Your horse needs to be healthy. If your horse has been ill, or is already in poor body condition, having them blanketed will help them conserve their energy towards maintaining their body condition, rather than staying warm.

If you've decided that you horse needs a blanket:

1) It should be well fitted, so that they don’t rub at the withers or the shoulders.

2) The blanket straps should be fitted close to their body so that they don’t get their legs tangled and it limits the blanket from slipping and rubbing.

3) It needs to be rated for the weather they’re turned out in. If they’re rated for colder weather, they may get warm and start sweating. If they’re wearing a blanket that’s not rated heavily enough for the cold weather that they’re in, then that blanket is laying their hair coat down, and is probably doing them more damage than good in terms of keeping them warm.  This may mean that you need to have more than one blanket for the fall and winter seasons.

4) If your horse is out in the rain or sleet, they should be in a waterproof blanket. That may be a waterproof sheet that’s thrown over a heavier blanket, or a water proof blanket. Again, if they get soaked through the blanket, they loose the insulating ability of the blanket as well as the hair coat.

5) The blanket should be checked and removed every couple of days. You’ll need to do this to make sure it is still fitting the way it should, and so that you can check the horse’s body condition under the blanket to make sure they haven’t lost too much weight in the cold weather.

Most of you will never have a problem with these parasites. But, for those of you who do...they are a real pain in the bum!
Pinworms are not identified by routine fecal egg counts.  The first sign many of you will notice are a few few frazzled hairs at the top of the tail or the characteristic white parasites that taper at each end in the manure.

Fortunately pinworms do not cause a problem to the horse’s digestive system and does not cause internal damage like other worms.  However, pinworm can cause severe irritation, sometimes so severe that horses will rub themselves raw around their tail head; this can lead to skin infections and further problems.

Pinworms have the most efficient life cycle of all the parasites that infect the horse.  They don't migrate through any organ tissue, and they have developed a means of reproduction by which the eggs don't leave the herd of horses.  In order to effectively treat pinworms we must understand the lifecycle.

• The life cycle is direct; this means there is no intermediate host and no migration through any other organ in the body other than the gut.
• The life cycle is long; worms can take up to 5 months to mature. 
• The adult worms live in the rectum, in contrast to other worms which spend their time in the intestines.
• Eggs are laid on the skin surrounding the horse’s bottom and not passed in the feces like other worms.

Treatment should be based on these principles.

1. Establish an accurate diagnosis.  A "tape test"  will identify the eggs collected from the rectum with a piece scotch tape and viewed under a microscope.
2. Treat  with an oral dewormer that pinworm are sensitive to.  Please call for advise.
3. Clean your horse’s bottom!  The female worms crawl to the anus and lay their eggs during the night, this means the best time to wash your horse’s bottom will be first thing in the morning, twice daily is the gold standard.  Make sure to clean under the tail and around the rectum with a mild soap and water.  Ivory dish soap works great.
4. Apply Vaseline to the skin surrounding your horse’s bottom after cleaning; this will help to reduce the number of eggs that stick to the skin.
5. Be patient!  The life cycle of the pinworm is long, immature stages of the worm are less sensitive to wormers so may survive post deworming.  Most infestations take about 12 months to clear up.

*****These parasites do not affect people, dogs, or cats.  They are species specific.*****

I've already received some questions about leaving horses in versus out during a storm.  Here's the answer....I don't know....well it depends.

The best thing we can do is to have a plan and discuss it with neighbors and other horse friends.

• Make sure horses have some permanent form of identification- microchips are great options as they can't be removed or wear off during bad weather.  Just make sure to keep the registration up to date
• Leave halters on horses that have a phone number attached to them
• Take pictures of each side of your horse for identification
• Use fingernail polish to write your phone number on hooves and cover it clear hoof polish for longevity
• Plan to be without water for a few days...fill up muck buckets, trash cans, or water tubs.  Plan to have a minimum of 10 gallons of water per day per horse
• Place a few bales of hay in the horse trailer/shed/garage so there is a back up if your main supply is soaked
• Make sure your first aid kit is stocked....duct tape and baling twine really are useful in lots of situations.  Make sure you have bandage material and an antibiotic ointment for wounds
• Don't try to evacuate in the middle of the storm...its to late and more dangerous.  Watch/listen to the news for evacuation locations if necessary.  In the past Colonial Downs has been available for hurricane evacuation.  I will update the blog/facebook as information become available
• Make sure you have saws and gasoline available for clean-up efforts or to free a trapped horse
• Secure manure forks/tools in the barn aisle so they don't become projectiles

Each farm is different and you will need to make a judgement call as to leave horses in or out.  Consider areas that are prone to flooding, tall trees, and power lines.  Don't forget about the limbs and leaves that blow into the pasture...remove any Red Maple leaves that enter your pasture as they are very toxic to horses and we always see an increase in Red Maple leaf toxicity after storms.

Don't hesitate to call if you have an emergency!  I am always available rain or shine.

Proper care of a horse’s teeth is important for proper digestion of feed and maximizing athletic potential.  Proper digestion is critical to maintaining healthy body condition, as well as to reduce the risk of choke and colic.  The horse’s teeth are continually erupting. There is a predetermined amount of tooth the horse will have for the rest of their life that consists of a crown and the root.  As the tooth erupts, its comes into occlusion or contact with the tooth it opposes. This intimate relation between opposing teeth is what allows them to digest forage such as grass and alfalfa. Throughout their life span, these teeth will naturally wear down as a horse chews; the circular grinding motion causes both normal and abnormal wear patterns. The resulting abnormalities can cause a great deal of pain and disfunction.  This is what makes annual dental exams important for the horse.

A common misconception is that dental exams and floats are only for adult horses. In fact, one of the most important times to evaluate a horse’s teeth is in the juvenile stage; the period from birth to 5 years of age. Similar to humans, the juvenile stage of life presents problems of malocclusion (improper alignment of the teeth) or abnormal development of teeth. If caught early, these problems can often be corrected; this will prevent problems later in life.  

Another problem associated with the juvenile horse is the retention of deciduous (baby) teeth. Retention of deciduous teeth can cause early wear to the opposing teeth and can also be a painful process as these deciduous teeth loosen. These teeth have very sharp edges that can puncture the surrounding gingival tissue. During this time of their life, juvenile horses are beginning training and learning to accept the bit. If their mouth is painful from these retained caps, they will be reluctant to accept the bit. This important phase of their training will then be a negative and painful experience for them.


The next period of the horse’s life is that of an adult horse in the age range of 5-20 years. During this period, the horse’s permanent teeth are set and with proper care as a juvenile, the teeth should be functioning as a strong unit. As previously discussed, the developing teeth are under continual stress and wear. Typical wear patterns of these teeth that we manage include the formation of sharp enamel points on the cheek side of the upper cheek teeth and on the tongue side of the lower cheek teeth. These points can cause ulceration and laceration to the mucosa of the cheeks and tongue, making it painful for the horse to eat. Another point of normal wear results in the formation of sharp hooks on the cheek teeth associated with the bit and in the back of the mouth. These particular wear patterns, referred to as rostral and caudal hooks, can cause the horse to throw their head in response to pressure from the bit and reduce their athletic potential. These abnormalities are simple to correct with regular maintenance.

Patterns not related to normal wear include types of malocclusions (mis-aligned teeth) or abnormal tooth wear down. Malocclusions can result in early wear down of teeth and predispose horses to periodontal issues (disease of the tissue surrounding the tooth) such as a diastama, which is a widened space between teeth where feed can become trapped. Malocclusions can also result in endodontal disease (disease of the tooth itself), such as a cavity, which is degeneration of the tooth itself. Both periodontal and endodontal disease, if caught early, can in many instances be treated. However, if such conditions are allowed to persist, they can require tooth removal.

The last stage of the horse is the geriatric period; over the age of 20 years. At this point in the horse’s life, the finite amount of tooth they have is no longer undergoing significant eruption, that is the tooth the horse has had for its entire life has worn down to the point there is no more reserve tooth to drop down into wear with the opposing tooth. The importance of early and continuous dental care becomes very evident during this stage of the horse’s life, as abnormalities not addressed early often result in problems that may no longer be correctable. In either case, the goal in the care of the geriatric horse is to maintain comfort to help prevent problems such as weight loss, choke, and colic. Frequently during this stage, teeth wear out, diminishing a horse’s ability to digest forage. These horses may require a mash diet to allow them to meet their metabolic demands. Such mash diets reduce the natural rhythmic chewing cycle of the mouth and can result in exaggerated sharp enamel points and ulcerations to the cheeks. These horses may require oral exams and dental floats every 6 months to keep them comfortable