The cornerstone of a healthy horse care program is good communication with your local veterinarian, who knows you, your horse, and your management situation, and can make tailored horse management recommendations accordingly. We also have many owner/veterinarian communication resources you may find helpful in caring for your own horses, from articles to online chat events. Enjoy, and best wishes for healthy horses!
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Archived Online Chats
Discussion of structures and function of the upper airway, roaring, dorsal displacement of the soft palate, epiglottic entrapment, and more.
Discussion of horses predisposed to colic, how to avoid repeating colic, and more.
Discussion of acupuncture, chiropractic, homeopathy, and more.
Tips on adopting, rehabilitating, and rehoming horses.
Tips for keeping your stalled horses breathing easier.
How to keep horses healthy and safe while trailering.
How can we reduced the number of "unwanted" horses?
Get your horses in tip-top shape with this conditioning advice.
Take care of the environment with these green farm management tips.
Weeds and other plants that are toxic to horses.
Optimizing dental care for all ages and uses of horses.
Tips on feeding foals and young horses for optimal growth and soundness.
What dangers might be present in barns, making stalls as healthy and safe as they should be for horses, maximizing air quality, and more.
All about colic, from when to call the vet to how well horses recover from surgery.
How the world's top equine athletes are managed, from shipping schedules and quarantine to pain management and nutrition.
Today's horses can face many common hoof problems, whether the animals are pasture pets or high-level competition horses.
Whether you're weaning your first foal or you're an old hand, weaning can be quite stressful for foals, mares, and their owners.
How do you battle parasites in your horses despite increasing resistance among parasites to common deworming medications?
TheHorse.com's first live chat Q&A session in 2009 focused on readers' questions about colic in a text format.
Ask the Vet Articles
April 2012
Q: I have a 19-year-old white leopard Appaloosa gelding who had a small growth removed from his sheath in 2010 that turned out to be squamous cell carcinoma. ...
March 2012
Q: My 23-year-old mare lost a lot of weight over the winter and has not been able to gain any back. We've tried everything, and she's eating well. Could she have cancer of some sort?
Q: I am almost 100% sure my 5-month-old weanling has ringworm. She has white hairless flaky patches around her eyes and her muzzle. What would you recommend for treatment?
January 2012
Q: I own a 13-year-old Paint gelding and live in Central Pennsylvania where we have been getting a lot of rain and flash floods lately. My horse is out in the pasture year round, but he has a run-in for shelter. When I picked his feet today, I noticed that his frog was soft and the part towards the heel was white like the stomach of a dead frog. How do I treat this and how can I keep his feet dry?...
Q: I have a 21-year-old mare currently being treated for a guttural pouch infection that was diagnosed by endoscope--we're just waiting for cytology results. Earlier in the year she was successfully bred by shipped semen, put on Regumate, but still lost the embryo at around two months. My veterinarian says the guttural pouch infection could have possibly been the reason for the loss...
December 2011
Q: My horse got kicked in the lower throat area (esophagus) a while ago. Lately his breathing has been vigorous, and he takes deep breaths. It has been scary for me because my farrier said it could be a symptom leading up to a heart attack. If you keep your hand under the lump left from the kick near his esophagus, you can feel unusual blood flow. Should I be worried?
Q: My 27-year-old mare has a growth on the right side of her neck that is now the size of a small Nerf football. Her growth/tumor is finally to the size that it inhibits her ability to flex her head back to her chest. She doesn't flinch at all when I touch the growth, but it is very hard and I assume it is becoming uncomfortable. What do you think this growth is? Is there any way to remove, treat, or shrink this mass?
October 2011
Q: I rescued a gelding earlier this year, and I have noticed he has some weird tendencies when urinating. I haven't seen him drop his penis, so when he urinates he just pees and then he starts to walk away while still urinating.
September 2011
Q: My horse is boarded in Hockley, Texas, and will be moving this month to Albany, Ore. I don't own a horse trailer, so I'll be using a hauling company based out of Colorado. My main concern is the recent herpes outbreak; my horse will be moving out of an unaffected area and traveling through areas and to a state that has been affected.
Q: My horse has a swollen 24-inch "vein" on the middle of his underbelly and all the way up to his genitals, which are also swollen. Is there anything I can apply to reduce the swelling? There also was a hard lump near this possibly from a bug bite.
August 2011
Q: My 25-year-old Thoroughbred has had trouble keeping his weight up after a stroke (he has always been a hard keeper). Ideally, he still needs to gain another 50-100 pounds. Do you have any recommendations?
July 2011
Q: My 5-year-old Quarter Horse mare has suddenly started developing hives/welts over the last few months. My vet says she's highly allergic to Bermuda hay, oats, and several weeds. Do horses of this age get sudden allergies often?
Q: I live in Northern Illinois where the summers can be very hot and humid. My question is - where is the best place for a horse during the hottest part of the day--in a barn with fans or outside? We are on a hill, so we usually have a brisk breeze.
June 2011
Q: I have a 13-year-old Quarter Horse gelding that is in good health, and he is usually a pleasure to ride. He does very well with movement one direction, such as sidepassing to the right, but he seems very uncomfortable when I have him sidepass left...
May 2011
Q: My horse was turned away from a horse show because we didn't have a current negative Coggins test. Is it really that important?A. To answer the question directly, you were turned away because it is customary to monitor the serum of horses for...
Q: I have 9-year-old Belgian gelding that I'm trying to slim down for showing this summer, but I do want to make sure he is getting all of his nutritional requirements, especially for the winter. He has free-choice access to pasture, which I know is not good, but we don't have the facilities or time to do scheduled time on pasture. He is pretty idle for a draft horse...
Q: My horse has an unusual problem. A dentist has worked on him, but he still drops his oats while trying to eat them. Now he is being fed pellets. I do not know if grazing is a problem for him, but he did drop in weight during the winter.
Q: I have 9-year-old Belgian gelding that I'm trying to slim down for showing this summer, but I do want to make sure he is getting all of his nutritional requirements, especially for the winter. Can you give me some ideas for a feeding regimen?
More Ask the Vet articles »
Do you have a horse health question for a vet?
Please keep in mind that we cannot and will not diagnose any health problem or recommend treatment as we can't evaluate the horse. Only a veterinarian who has examined the horse can do that. Due to the volume of e-mails we receive, we can't answer all of them, but all suggestions for magazine articles will be considered. Questions can be directed to AsktheVet@TheHorse.com.
Seek the advice of a qualified veterinarian before proceeding with any diagnosis, treatment, or therapy.
