Horse health

Vaccinating your horse

• The five core vaccines in Minnesota are West Nile, eastern equine encephalomyelitis, western equine encephalomyelitis, tetanus and rabies.
• Your horse may need additional vaccines.

Deworming your horse

• Learn about the different parasites that can affect your horse, including roundworm, tapeworm and pinworm.

• Dewormers are necessary, however, management is an essential aspect of a parasite control program and one that is often overlooked.

Caring for your horse’s teeth

• Schedule yearly dental exams for your horse.

• Some horses may require annual dental floating (filing down of sharp edges on teeth).

• Dental pain in horses can sometimes be hard to identify.

Horse biosecurity tips for peak riding season

• Biosecurity measures are key to keeping your horse healthy while traveling during the show and trail season.
• Vaccinating your horse, keeping equipment and facilities clean and avoiding contact with other horses are all good biosecurity practices.

Resources for equine disease alerts

Caring for the overweight horse | Cuidado del caballo con sobrepeso

• Overweight horses are prone to disease, overheating and poor performance.

• Learn how to determine if your horse is overweight.

• Restricting diets and easing into regular exercise can help horse’s reach a healthy body weight.

Caring for the underweight horse | Cuidado del caballo con peso bajo

• Determine why the horse is thin by working with an equine veterinarian and nutritionist.

• Learn how to determine if your horse is underweight.

Horse weight loss: hay nets and limit-fed diets

• Slow-feed hay nets and limit-feed diets can reduce weight in overweight adult horses.
• Using these feeding methods together can moderate blood and hormone patterns in overweight adult horses.

Using grazing muzzles to reduce forage intakes in horses

• Grazing muzzles are muzzles that restrict a horse's intake.
• They are effective in reducing a horse's pasture intake by about 30 percent.
• They help in body weight loss for overweight or obese horses.

Estimating actual and ideal bodyweight of adult horses

• Determining a horse's bodyweight is important for managing weight, nutrition and health.
• Make use of improved equations that help predict bodyweight accurately.

Horse body condition scoring

Infectious diseases

Equine herpesvirus: EHV-1 and EHM

• Equine herpesvirus 1 is a contagious virus that can cause neurological disease, respiratory disease, newborn death and abortion in horses.
• Practicing biosecurity and vaccination can help limit the spread of these diseases.

Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM)

• EPM is a neurologic disease that horses get from eating infected opossum feces.
• Incoordination, muscle atrophy and loss of feeling around the body are signs of illness.

Pneumonia in the adult horse

• Pneumonia is generally not contagious to other horses.
• Signs of pneumonia include nasal discharge, fever and depression.
• Practicing biosecurity, vaccinating against respiratory infections and managing chronic illnesses can help prevent pneumonia in your horse.

Purpura hemorrhagica: a bad sequel to strangles

• Purpura hemorrhagica (PH) is when blood vessels swell due to an improper immune response.

• PH cases usually relate to prior bouts of strangles.

• Unlike strangles, PH can’t spread to other horses.

Salmonella in horses

• Common signs include fever, diarrhea and lethargy in horses.

• Salmonella can move between animals and humans.

Strangles in horses

• Strangles is a highly contagious infection that causes fever, nasal discharge and abscesses near swollen lymph nodes.

• Horses that struggle to breathe may need antibiotics or hospital care.

Resources for equine disease alerts

Genetic conditions

Hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia (HERDA)

• HERDA is a genetic disease.

• Signs of HERDA include stretchy skin, severe skin wounds and scarring along the back and withers.

Hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HYPP) in horses

• HYPP is a genetic disease noted by mild to severe episodes of muscle spasms and trembling.

• Breeders should refrain from using any HYPP horses for breeding.

Junctional epidermolysis bullosa (JEB) in horse

• JEB is a fatal genetic skin disease in horses.

• JEB causes fragile skin, which results in severe lesions and proneness to infection.

Overo lethal white syndrome (OLWS)

• OLWS is a genetic mutation that affects horses with white markings and can lead to death in foals.

Polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM)

• PSSM is a disorder that causes muscle cramping in horses from abnormal glycogen (sugar) storage in the muscles.

• Sore muscles, muscle weakness and cramping are all signs of PSSM.

Eye conditions

Equine recurrent uveitis (ERU)

• ERU is an auto-immune disease affecting horses' eyes.

• ERU can reduce your horse’s quality of life and cause cataracts, eye cancer and blindness.

Glaucoma in horses

• Glaucoma is a rare but serious eye condition in the horse.
• Glaucoma can lead to pain, blindness and even removal of the eye if left untreated.

Other common conditions

Caring for your senior horse

• Schedule routine dental and physical exams with your veterinarian to detect problems early.

• Managing weight, keeping horses in light work, and stretching are all good ways to help manage arthritis.

Colic in your horse

• Colic is a painful problem in your horse’s abdomen.

• There are ways to try to prevent it.

• More than 80 percent of colic types respond well to treatment on the farm.

Grazing horses prone to laminitis and metabolic disease

• Laminitis, or founder, is inflammation of tissues inside the hoof.

• High amounts of sugars in grasses can bring about disease in susceptible horses.

• Susceptible horses should have limited grazing or no grazing.

Insulin resistance in horses

• Insulin resistance leads to higher blood glucose levels.

• Obesity is a major cause of insulin resistance in horses.

Risks of giving intramuscular banamine to horses

• Give banamine by mouth or have your veterinarian inject it.

• Injections in the muscle can cause serious infection.

Roaring in horses

• Roaring greatly reduces a horse’s airflow during exercise.
• Partial blocking of the airway causes a “roar” sound, low tolerance for exercise and difficulty breathing after exercise.​​​

Scratches: a skin problem in horses

• Scratches refers to irritated or infected skin on the pastern or heel bulbs.

• It happens when horses are exposed to moisture for a long time.

Stomach ulcers in your horse

• Many factors contribute to ulcers such as stress, medications and exercise.
• Proper diagnosis can help you create an appropriate treatment plan.

Tick diseases in horses

• The most common tick diseases are Anaplasmosis and Lyme disease.

• Learn about the signs of illness, diagnosis and treatment.

West Nile Virus in horses

• Mosquitoes can infect horses with West Nile Virus (WNV).
• WNV infection causes muscle tremors, incoordination and sometimes death.

Basic first aid for your horse and preparing for emergencies

• Know what is normal for your horse and how to check vital signs.

• Learn what to keep in your horse first aid kit and what to have in the barn in case of emergency.

• What to think twice about in an urgent situation.

Breeding and foaling

Caring for your mare during breeding and foaling

• Is your mare ready to breed?

• Pregnancy exams, nutrition and exercise.

• Preparation for foaling, monitoring during foaling and when to call for help.

Planning to breed with cooled semen

• Cooled semen allows mare owners to access stallions nationwide and to some extent, internationally.
• What to consider when planning to breed with cooled semen.

Foal care

Why do foals need colostrum?

• Colostrum provides foals the antibodies and nutrients they need to stay healthy.
• It’s important the foal begins nursing shortly after birth. 

Feeding orphaned foals

• The best alternative to colostrum is to have your veterinarian give the foal protective antibodies through equine plasma.

• Learn about the different options for mare's milk alternatives. 

Club feet in foals

• Club foot refers to a tendon flaw that causes the hoof to be very upright.
• Early treatment results in the best prognosis.

Types of crooked legs in foals

• Leg deformities in foals have a good outcome if you start treatment early.
• If you leave moderate to severe cases untreated, crippling problems will occur as the foal matures.

Hooves 

Caring for your horses hooves

• How often your horse's feet should be trimmed or shod.

• How nutrition impacts hooves.

• Learn about common problems such as cracks.

Caring for your senior horse

• Schedule routine dental and physical exams with your veterinarian to detect problems early.

• Keep senior horses up-to-date on vaccines and deworming to prevent infection.

• Managing weight, keeping horses in light work, and stretching are all good ways to help manage arthritis.

Horse hoof abscesses

• Injury, poor hoof quality and poor hoof care can cause an abscess, which is a collection of pus and inflamed tissue.

• Abscesses cause sudden, severe pain and lameness.

• Routine hoof care and keeping your horse’s area clean can prevent abscesses.

Bandaging a horse's hoof (video - 7:52)
Learn what supplies are necessary for bandaging.

Joints and legs

Joint infections in horses

• Joint infections can be life-threatening to horses and should be aggressively treated early for the best outcome.

Injecting the coffin joint for navicular

• Navicular syndrome commonly causes lameness in horses.

• Injecting the coffin joint with triamcinolone acetonide (TA) is a good way to deliver TA to the navicular bursa for horses with navicular syndrome.

Crippling arthritis in Arabian horses

• About 46 percent of Arabians in Minnesota have a gap in the back of their knee joint, which makes them more prone to arthritis after a knee injury.
• These horses should be treated more aggressively for knee injuries.

Ingredients in horse joint supplements

• Consult with your veterinarian when using a joint supplement.
• Joint supplements aim to provide building blocks for cartilage and synovial fluid.
• They are also for reducing inflammation and cartilage break down.

Apply a standing wrap (video - 5:15)
How to apply a standing wrap to a horse's limb

Bandaging a horse's lower limb (video - 10:04)
How to bandage a horse's injured lower limb.  

Bowed tendons in horses

• Bowed tendon refers to tendon swelling that appears as a bow in the leg.

• Chronic stress or an injury can cause a bowed tendon.

Splints and bucked shins in horses

• Splints are inflamed or fractured splint bones from long-term stress or injury.

• Bucked shins refers to tiny stress fractures in the front of the cannon bones.

Stall rest: how to make it easier

• Keep your horse busy during stall rest. 
• Make sure to limit risks of reinjury when returning to turnout.