Marcia King
Marcia King is an award-winning freelance writer based in Ohio who specializes in equine, canine, and feline veterinary topics. She's schooled in hunt seat, dressage, and Western pleasure.
Articles by Marcia King
All Stocked Up
July 01, 2007
It happened again: Your horse was fine for the entire weekend of riding, but when you got him ready for another weekend packed with activities, you discovered his hind limbs were swollen. You know it's not overuse; the boarding barn provides Read More
Mini Management 101
March 01, 2007
The small size of Miniature Horses and Donkeys belies their strength and hardiness. Explains Mikelle Roeder, PhD (animal physiology), professional animal scientist and equine nutritionist for Land O'Lakes Purina Feed, "The diminutive stature and Read More
Trailer Tire Anatomy
February 01, 2007
Some people claim that a tire is a tire is a tire: It's round and black and holds air. But that's not really the whole story. Tires are manufactured for different purposes and load-bearing capacities. They come in different sizes and vary in Read More
Early Arrivals
December 01, 2006
Premature deliveries don't occur frequently, but when they do, difficult decisions must often be made: How much supportive care should be given to the preemie foal? Does the preemie stand a reasonable chance of being the sound, healthy competitor o Read More
Stallion Subfertility and Infertility Conditions
November 01, 2006
Is your stud a dud? About one in 10 breeding stallions can't perform up to expectations due to subfertility or infertility. Causes for reduced breeding performance are many: Age, injury, genetics, management, or disease. Two are readily Read More
Bad to the Bone
October 01, 2006
While bone infections don't automatically end with euthanasia, they can be difficult to treat. Read More
The Straight Dope
October 01, 2006
Is post-event drug testing becoming too sensitive, netting too many innocent violators? Are drug withdrawal guidelines for therapeutic medications too unreliable to be useful? Or are policies and tests being fine-tuned in a sensible manner in order Read More
The Latest on the Omegas (Fats)
August 01, 2006
Glance through nearly any newspaper or magazine, and you're bound to see ads proclaiming the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids in the human diet. Interest in the topic is keen: Studies in humans and other species have found omega-3 fatty acids Read More
Stem Cell Therapy
June 01, 2006
"After harvesting and concentrating the stem cells in a laboratory, the stem cells and bone marrow are transferred into the damaged ligament or tendon," Herthel says. "They reproduce into normal, healthy tissue, thus improving healing and providing Read More
Acupuncture: A Stick in Time
June 01, 2006
Today, acupuncture is a widely used modality in equine sports medicine. Whether used as a stand-alone therapy or in conjunction with other treatment options, acupuncture is gaining in popularity as an integral part of the total health care approach Read More
Toning Up Rings
May 01, 2006
If your indoor or outdoor arena is less than you hoped it would be, join the club. Read More
Nine Steps to a Better Feed Room
May 01, 2006
The best, most convenient feed rooms are organized, accessible, and easy to keep clean. That's important enough if you only have one or two horses, but once the numbers start increasing, these elements become imperative. Here are nine Read More
Whole Lotta Shakin Going On
April 01, 2006
Your horse is doing it again: Inexplicably tossing his head and sometimes charging off. Your trainer has tried everything--fly spray, changing tack, new bits, negative reinforcement--and while your horse goes through periods where he never flips Read More
Cushing's Disease in Horses
March 01, 2006
It's spring, yet your aging equine has failed to shed his long, shaggy, winter coat. Furthermore, he's developed a saggy belly coupled with loss of muscle over his croup and rump. He's gulping down far more water than he used to, and his stall i Read More
New Treatment for Tracheal Collapse
March 01, 2006
Two years later, Magnificent, a miniature horse, continues to do well with his intratracheal stent--the first ever implanted in a horse.
Magnificent suffered from tracheal collapse, an uncommon--and probably underreported--condition in Read More
Dealing with Dummy Foals
February 01, 2006
At first, everything seems fine: Your foal was born without incident and started nursing as he should. But two days later, the baby quit suckling and began acting strangely--wandering around and pressing his head against the stall wall. Your Read More
EPM Check-Up
February 01, 2006
Although progress has been made studying equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) in the last 10 years, some aspects of the disease remain elusive. One researcher, half-jokingly, notes that EPM is considered the most diagnosed neurologic disorde Read More
The Scoop On Feed
February 01, 2006
Sweet feeds, pelleted feeds, textured feeds, concentrate mixes, processed mixes ... many novice (and seasoned) horse owners are confused over what these feeds are, the purposes they serve, and which horses benefit from them. Read on to learn how you Read More
Bute: How Much is Too Much?
January 01, 2006
Phenylbutazone (PBZ), commonly known as Bute, can be the horse owner's (and horse's) best friend. This popular and economical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) blocks pain, reduces swelling and inflammation, and lowers fever, making it an Read More
Equine Winter Nutrition
December 01, 2005
Come the days of long shadows, when the sun lies low in the sky, jeweled leaves crumble and fade away, and the wind's crispness hints of the cold, gray days on the way. The pasture dies down. It's time to start getting extra fuel into your Read More
Vaccination Schedules for Adult Horses
December 01, 2005
As desirable as it would be to have a national (or even regional) one-size-fits-all protocol for vaccinating adult horses, vaccination recommendations are best tailored to individual circumstances. These primarily include the areas of the countr Read More
Dental Plan for the Working Horse
November 01, 2005
Routine equine dental care is important for three reasons, says David O. Klugh, DVM, Fellow in the Academy of Veterinary Dentistry, owner of Equine Dental Associates in Yamhill, Ore.:
- Making sure deciduous teeth come out and adul Read More
Shock Wave Therapy for Pain Relief and Healing
November 01, 2005
In a recently completed study involving navicular cases, Byron found lameness in horses undergoing extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) treatment averaged improvement of about one lameness grade. Read More
Vaccinations for Youngsters
November 01, 2005
Protecting tender immune systems against disease is the surest way to ensure the young horse doesn't fall victim to either temporarily uncomfortable or life-ending infections.
Even though foals receive some immunity by drinking colostru Read More
Equine Genetic Disease: Who's At Risk?
October 01, 2005
Many DNA sequence variations are fine; they just give rise to the broad spectrum of colors, sizes, and other characteristics we see in the horse population. Some variations, however, cause problems. These might range from a genetic predisposition Read More
