Equine Health Research Fund

The Equine Health Research Fund is building a new horse health resource centre that's based on research conducted at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine as well as at other institutions.

The resource centre will eventually include:
• articles and publications about common health issues that affect western Canadian horses
• lists of peer-reviewed journal articles and materials that have been published by equine specialists and researchers at the WCVM
• links to essential horse health resources and publications.

If you would like to have a certain horse health topic covered in our Resources page, please let us know by sending an email to Myrna MacDonald, Communications, WCVM.

If you like horses and crossword puzzles, here's a chance to mix two of your favourite pastimes! The Equine Health Research Fund has two horse health crossword puzzles that you're welcome to download and try at home:

• Horse Play! (for Grades 3 to 6)
• Horse Play! (for Grades 7 and up)

If you're having trouble with one of the clues and need some help, here are the answers for each puzzle:

• Horse Play! (for Grades 3 to 6)
• Horse Play! (for Grades 7 and up)

We hope you enjoy the puzzles! Check back for more horse-related crossword puzzles in the coming months.

The Equine Health Research Fund has some new horse health resource sheets that you're welcome to download and distribute to members of your club or association. Just click on the following titles to download the two-page resource sheets in PDF format:

• Cold Weather Horse Care (PDF 365 KB)
• Horses and Monensin Don't Mix (PDF 368 KB)
• Tying Up Syndrome (PDF 365 KB)
• Cardiac Arrhythmias (PDF 371 KB)
• Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS) (PDF 374 KB)
• Geriatric Horse Care (PDF 375 KB)
• Minimally Invasive Surgery for Horses (PDF 381 KB).

In addition, here are two fact sheets that give more details about the horse health programs supported by the Equine Health Research Fund and the EHRF's latest group of research grants:

• Horse Health Programs Supported by the EHRF (PDF 365 KB)
• 2009-10 EHRF Research Grants (PDF 385 KB).

For more information about the EHRF resource sheets or potential topics, please contact Myrna MacDonald Communications, WCVM.

Shirley and Jack Brodsky have bred and raised registered Paints on their 160-acre farm near Saskatoon, Sask., for nearly 20 years. That experience “in the field” has taught Shirley some valuable lessons about raising and caring for a large herd of multi-aged horses throughout the changing seasons. In the spring of 2009, Shirley took time out of her busy schedule to answer some questions about caring for older horses and about her feeding routines when temperatures drop. To read the article about Shirley’s 25-year-old broodmare Double Value (Val) and geriatric horse care, visit the Summer 2009 issue of Horse Health Lines.

Q. What’s your winter feeding regime for your horse herd?
With all of my horses, I try to follow what would be natural for them as closely as possible. I try to make sure the broodmares don’t get terribly fat: I don’t like to over-supplement them. They’re on unlimited hay all winter, and they run on an 80-acre pasture where they have shelter from the wind. They get salt, water, a supplement block every two weeks, and I sometimes feed them a little grain (whole oats) — but not all of the time. That’s about it. It’s not very fancy.

ABOVE (left to right): Joni (seven), Val (25), Heathen (20) and Babe (11). All are registered Paint mares owned by Jack and Shirley Brodsky of Saskatoon, Sask.

Continue reading "Cold Weather Horse Care: Q & A with Shirley Brodsky, Paint horse breeder, Saskatchewan" »

Horses are living long lives on acreages, farms and ranches across North America. That reality is reflected in statistics: it’s estimated that geriatric horses (animals more than 20 years old) account for somewhere between seven and 20 per cent of the entire equine population.

Owners and veterinarians are growing more aware that proper management and medical care can expand the lifespan of these horses. Many age-related issues like dental disease or parasite problems can also be prevented through regular veterinary care that’s provided throughout a horse’s life.

Dr. Katharina Lohmann is an internal medicine specialist and an associate professor in the Western College of Veterinary Medicine’s Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences. Since many of her regular patients at the College’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital are equine senior citizens, Lohmann has gathered together a wealth of health management tips that are specific for geriatric horses.

The following story is an abridged version of a comprehensive article that Lohmann wrote for a national veterinary publication called Large Animal Veterinary Rounds that’s written at the WCVM. Visit www.canadianveterinarians.net/larounds (click on “Archives” for the complete title list) to read the entire article that was published in June 2007. Plus, make sure to read another helpful article called “Diseases Affecting the Geriatric Horse” (published in September 2007).

ABOVE: Double Value (Val), a 25-year-old registered Paint broodmare owned by Jack and Shirley Brodsky of Saskatoon, Sask.

Continue reading "Managing Horse Health Care Through the Ages" »