August 2010

Being an equine heartthrob and figure for paparazzi interest is not without its difficulties and drawbacks. Firstly, I have to look tip-top at all times. It would not look good for me to be seen with my mane all messy or...

Ever fancied going for a really long ride on your horse like a thousand miles? Last summer, Kate Godfrey did just that, riding the hill tracks and drove roads of Scotland with her two Highland geldings. This month, she ...

Following on from previous articles I thought it would be interesting to include two personality profiles of young horses Strathearn Eventing have been working with over the summer. Sally and Ross (Roscommon) have been ...

Many of you will remember the previous article which introduced Slipper the ex-trotter to you. Shortly after writing the article Slipper was kicked in the field which caused an extremely serious leg injury just above hi...

The Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Animal Therapy (ACPAT) celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. To celebrate this, Scottish ACPAT members will run a series of articles entitled Veterinary Physiotherapy...

Vettings are surely a perfect system, infallible, foolproof, watertight. Right? Wrong. Let's start with the basics, horses go wrong, in fact put one in a padded box and it'll still try to break its leg. If they cou...

There are many different methods or schools of thought in handling and riding horses. Over the five or six thousand years since humans domesticated horses, there must have been countless trials and errors during which ma...

The trot is usually the pace at which people ride far too fast for too long, achieving nothing other than pushing the horse onto the forehand, and wearing themselves and their horses out whilst working up a lather. Whils...

Theres no truer saying in the horse world than No foot, No horse. As horse owners were all familiar with the frustration of a lost weekends riding because our horse has lost a shoe. Bad feet are a common problem. Your be...

Foot abscesses are one of the most common conditions of severe sudden onset of lameness in the horse and will sometimes be misconstrued as a fractured leg. The horse can appear non weight bearing after seeming perfectly ...

The rate at which a horse eats its food is an important characteristic because it can significantly affect its well being. For example, rapid consumption of 12 mm pellets without adequate chewing and ensalivation can eas...

June 2010

If you dont take 10 to 20 minutes to warm your horse up, you could end up with permanently stiff and tense muscles, shortness of gait, or even injury, says equine therapist Annemarie Bright A few weeks ago I was called o...

Boxing, riding motorbikes, downhill skiing, rugby, rock climbing, ice hockey etc. are among the most dangerous activities people enjoy. Horse riding seems comparatively sedate seen from a riders viewpoint. However, chec...

Many people tell me that their horse does not like schooling; some say he hates going into the manege he switches off or he becomes completely sluggish, or sometimes he spooks at everything whereas he hardly ever spooks...

Part 1 of a 2-part article ABUSE can be an emotive word. It gives a first impression of obvious physical abuse such as beating, excessive spurring or using the bit in painful ways such as jabbing a horse in the mouth, in...

Having a foal from your mare might seem like a great idea but caring for a foal can be a challenging, and expensive, job and before starting there are many things to consider. Loch Leven Equine Practice looks at caring f...