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
Breeding the Older Mare
December 01, 1999
By the time a broodmare enters her late teens and early 20s, her reproductive ability begins to decline, and getting and keeping her pregnant become more problematic. The causes of reproductive difficulties in the older mare are numerous, Read More
Emergency Care
November 01, 1999
There’s an old saying: If your horse can find a way to get in trouble, he will. So, if you own a horse long enough, chances are that some time you will face an emergency accident or injury. But will you know how to Read More
Reconditioning After Lay-Up
September 01, 1999
A small-animal orthopedic veterinarian once told me, "The athlete that heals slowly heals best." In other words, although some physical therapy might be recommended as the body heals, the body’s soft and hard tissues need to recover wholly from Read More
Wash Racks And Stalls
July 01, 1999
If you board at a big, commercial show barn, you probably have access to a wash rack. Ditto if your horse boards at a racing barn. What a convenience wash racks are. Instead of spending hours brushing off dirt, muck, and sweat, or hosing off you Read More
Cool Aid: Beating the Heat With Working Horses
July 01, 1999
Anyone who has worked or played in high heat knows how exhausting it can be. High, fluid-sapping desert heat can drain you in no time as you sweat away volumes of fluids and electrolytes. Then there’s the suppressive, sweaty, Read More
Rehabilitating the EPM Horse
May 01, 1999
Your horse was diagnosed with equine protozoal myeloencephalitis, but with quick intervention by your veterinarian, careful administration of medications, and lots of nursing, he is on his way to recovery and being "cured" of the Read More
Aortic Rupture
April 01, 1999
You’ve probably heard horror stories like these: A breeding stallion completes servicing a mare, slides off, goes down to the ground, gasps a few times, and dies. A 20-year-old pony being ridden by his young owner staggers sideways, Read More
Pasture Perfect
March 01, 1999
Maintaining horses on pasture rather than in stalls has several advantages. Not only does it cut down on barn chores and the amount of bedding your operation will go through, but it provides horses with the chance to exercise themselves at will Read More
Chewing And Weather Changes
February 01, 1999
Does your horse have unexplained, occasional cravings for woody snacks? Gourmet items such as Fence Board Flambé, Stall Door Surprise, and Tree Trunk Tantalizers? If so, it could be the weather!
Explained Wayne Loch, PhD (Animal Read More
Run-In Sheds
January 01, 1999
Dallas Goble, DVM, thinks quite highly of run-in sheds. "They offer better quality health for the horse than enclosed barns," says the associate professor of surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee. "Run-in sheds have Read More
Retiring Your Equine Friend
October 01, 1998
Where and how you retire your horse depend a lot on individual circumstances. Read More
Necropsy: Searching for Answers
August 21, 1998
Whether your horse is a valued friend or a valued asset, the loss can be tough when he dies. But when your veterinarian presses you to get your horse necropsied, the thought of your horse's body being laid out, examined, cut up, and probed seems Read More
Safe Fencing for Horses
May 01, 1998
Selecting reliable confinement for a horse often is no easy matter, as safe fencing relies upon individual circumstances. Matters of consideration include the amount of area to be enclosed; the number of horses to be contained within a fence; th Read More
Should You Insure?
April 01, 1998
How much can you afford to lose? That's the crux of any insurance question and it's no exception for those who transport their horses to shows tracks breeding facilities sales barns living history festivals vacation areas parks and so Read More
Frostbite in Horses
February 01, 1998
Those of us that live in Northern climes have felt it--the chilly, tingly, numbing feeling of ears, nose, fingers, or toes exposed too long to cold. If exposure to frigid temperatures continues, frostbite can occur.
Fortunately, Mother Read More
The Art of Therapeutic Shoeing
November 01, 1997
Michael J. Wildenstein, resident farrier at Cornell University's large animal clinic, has approximately 400 different types of therapeutic shoes hanging on the wall of his clinic. Each one, he says, was made for a particular Read More
Manure Management
October 01, 1997
Every barn manager and anyone who keeps his or her horses at home knows that disposing of manure and soiled bedding is a mounting problem. If allowed to accumulate, raw manure serves as a vector for parasites and other organisms, attracts flies, Read More
