Horse health

Preventative care

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

Weight management

Caring for the overweight horse

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

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

Healthy Horse app

Determining a horse's body weight is important for managing weight and feeding, and for administering medication. The Healthy Horse App allows horse owners and professionals to estimate horse body weight of several breed types by using new equations developed through University research.

Conditions and diseases

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.

First aid for horses

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, foal care

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.

Hoof, joint and limb problems

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