Karen Briggs
Karen Briggs is the author of six books, including the recently updated Understanding Equine Nutrition as well as Understanding The Pony, both published by Eclipse Press. She's written a few thousand articles on subjects ranging from guttural pouch infections to how to compost your manure. She is also a Canadian certified riding coach, an equine nutritionist, and works in media relations for the harness racing industry. She lives with her band of off-the-track Thoroughbreds on a farm near Guelph, Ontario, and dabbles in eventing.
Articles by Karen Briggs
Bioabsorbable Screws
October 09, 2001
A unique type of bone screw made of a most unlikely material is making waves in equine fracture repair at the Equine Research Centre in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. The results indicate that the screws also could have important applications in human Read More
Grains of Glory
October 09, 2001
It's five p.m., and up and down the aisle of a large boarding stable, the nickering and rumbling begin. What's the cause of the excitement? Nothing more than a metal scoop digging into a bin of grain, a sound that tips off every equine resident Read More
Combined Immunodefiency in Arabians
October 09, 2001
A newborn Arabian foal is possibly one of the most beguiling creatures on Earth. Elegant of feature and blessed with beauty, he's full of promise for the future--and often descended of royal blood and worth many thousands of dollars. Imagine how Read More
Restraint Techniques for Breeding
October 08, 2001
When a mare and a stallion meet, love might be in the air...but there's the potential for danger, too. Particularly when humans get in the middle of it all. In our efforts to orchestrate the best possible combinations of Read More
Freezing Semen
October 08, 2001
The technology that allows us to freeze a stallion's semen for future use has opened up a world of opportunities. Not only does it allow the stallion's DNA to be available to mare owners around the globe, but it enables a stallion to stand at stud wh Read More
Housing Your Horse
October 05, 2001
In the back of your mind somewhere there lurks a Dream Barn. Go on, admit it. You've planned it down to the last luxurious detail--from the Olympic-sized riding arena (with the climate-impervious perfect footing) right down to the automatic fly Read More
Probiotics and Digestive Aids: Microbes to the Rescue
October 05, 2001
While the horse receives the bulk of the nutrients as his food is broken down, he's not the only one who benefits; the microbes take their share and thus maintain their populations. Their presence is essential to the horse, who could not digest fiber Read More
Amazing Minerals
October 04, 2001
Of all the ingredients of a horse's diet, minerals are unique. They contain no carbon, which makes them inorganic molecules. In fact, essentially, they’re rocks--and it can be difficult to imagine their being digested by a horse. But minerals are a Read More
Trauma-Free Trailering
October 04, 2001
If you feel insecure about assessing your trailer's safety, it's best to take it to your local trailer repair center for a complete going-over, but there are a few simple things you can do at home to give your mechanic a head start. Read More
Tending To A Tender Foot
October 03, 2001
Although the equine hoof is a marvel of resiliency, it's not made of rubber, or titanium, or diamond. As a living structure, it has its vulnerabilities, and when faced with unusual stresses, it shows them. Stone bruises, those Read More
Breeding Facilities
October 03, 2001
Any way you look at it, building a barn is a major undertaking. Doing it right the first time, to avoid headaches later, is the smart approach. In addition to the usual considerations of location, aesthetics, cost, and Read More
Solitary Confinement
October 02, 2001
There are few things sadder than a horse not in contact with other horses. A herd animal by nature, the horse always feels safest and most content when in company of others of his kind; isolation doesn’t come naturally to him. But in certain Read More
Soil and Water Testing
October 02, 2001
As you push your shopping cart down the aisle at the supermarket, it's likely become routine for you to do a quick scan of the nutritional analysis printed on the side of every cereal box and container of yogurt you select. Instantly, you know how Read More
Hemp A Hit In Ontario
October 02, 2001
Proponents say that hemp can be used for everything from making clothing, to rope, to paper…even automotive parts. Now, a Delaware, Ontario-based Read More
Heavy Metal: Farm Tractors
October 01, 2001
Keeping horses on your property? Then you don’t need me to tell you how much work there always is to do. In addition to all the actual horse care, there are endless weeds to whack, riding rings or tracks to be harrowed, bales of hay to be moved fro Read More
Safe And Secure Fencing
October 01, 2001
Sandra had installed her fencing in good faith, on the advice of "experts" - yet in only weeks, one of her horses had been seriously injured. Would another kind of barrier have been any safer? It seems everyone's got at least one fencing horror story Read More
Genetically Altered Feeds: Modified Munchies
October 01, 2001
Since their introduction on a commercial level in 1995, genetically modified organisms, or GMOs, have become widely incorporated in livestock feeds. It's estimated that some 80% of the genetically modified corn produced in the United States is used Read More
Dietary Needs: Striking a Balance
October 01, 2001
You can't watch TV for more than half an hour these days without viewing at least one ad preaching the virtues of a balanced diet. Public service announcements emphasize the value of getting enough servings of fruits and vegetables. Cereal Read More
Fly Protection Uncovered
September 17, 2001
These days, we have quite an arsenal at our disposal to attack and repel flies. From electric bug zappers, to pheromone traps, to parasitic wasps that feed on fly pupae, we've explored all sorts of ways and means of getting rid of flying insects. Read More
Echinacea Proven Effective In Horses
September 13, 2001
The Equine Research Centre (ERC) in Guelph, Ontario, in the past year has undertaken an exhaustive series of studies on the safety and efficacy of herbal supplements for horses. Many of these studies are the first quantifiable, species-specific Read More
Extruded Feeds
September 13, 2001
The first time you saw extruded feed, you probably thought, "Ick. Dog food!" The nondescript brown lumps do look a lot like your hound's kibble, or some sort of uninspired version of Cocoa Puffs, and in fact they're made by the same process--but Read More
Secrets Of Rubber Mats
September 13, 2001
Where would we be without rubber? Make all the jokes you want; rubber's indispensable stuff, especially in the barn. The tire on your wheelbarrow, the handle grip on your longe whip, your two-year-old's first snaffle bit, that flexible curry Read More
Shoeing The Laminitic Horse
September 13, 2001
Of all the medical crises that can afflict a horse, laminitis surely is one of the most alarming. Horribly painful, and potentially devastating to his long-term soundness, the strange syndrome whereby the coffin bone inside the hoof begins to Read More
Big Appetites In Big Horses (Drafts)
September 13, 2001
Nothing says sheer power like a draft horse. Nothing else exudes such strength with such a mild-mannered attitude. To watch these gentle giants in action is to get a sense of our own history and the invaluable role horses played, and continue to Read More
Permeable Stall Flooring, Some Options
September 12, 2001
Permeable stall floor coverings function differently than rubber stall mats, whose main purpose is to provide cushioning for your horse's legs. Rubber is basically waterproof, so urine and other liquids pool on top of such a surface, to be soaked up Read More
