Epigenetics is an emerging branch of genetic science that examines the impact of the environment on an organism’s development. This field shows that genes can be switched on or off through life events without changing DNA sequences. The epigenome serves as a type of biological software that directs the genomic hardware of cells to determine gene expression, affecting
Epigenetics delves into environment’s interaction with horses
Horse Health: Genes are only part of the story of horse development and health
The critical role of magnesium in horse health
Short-changing a horse on magnesium can impact both physical health and temperament
Magnesium is an essential macro-mineral that plays a crucial role in the health and wellbeing of horses. It is essential for more than 350 biochemical processes in the body of the horse, including generation of cellular energy and decoding genetic information. Understanding the importance of magnesium at the cellular level and its impact on health issues can help
Why movement matters to horses
Regimented exercise cannot replace the natural gentle movements of grazing in an adequately sized paddock
Cinema portrays wild horses to be “running free,” but the truth is that wild horses spend hours and hours a day “walking free,” moving slow and steady as they graze, browse and forage. Step, bite, chew, repeat. Horses were designed to move and it keeps them physically healthy and mentally content. The No. 1 function
Watch the whiskers and you’ll learn more about your horse
Horse Health: An animal’s whiskers are important sensory organs and trimming them could be a bad idea
Veterinary professionals and cat owners have recently begun diagnosing and addressing whisker stress or whisker fatigue in felines. Simply put, the theory is that a cat’s whiskers can become over-stimulated from the unnatural habit of touching the sides of standard food and water dishes, leading to whisker stress or whisker fatigue. Although there is no solid science to support the
A lonely horse is often more prone to injury
Horse Health: Horses are social creatures and social isolation has been found to be among their strongest stressors
Horses have major advantages associated with domestic life but they have also incurred disadvantages that deeply affect their overall health and well-being. Perhaps the greatest of these disadvantages is the disruption of their social structure due to frequent social isolation. Social support in humans has been found to protect individuals from the mental, physical and
The use of honey in wound care of horses
Horse Health: The right kind of honey is key if you want to try this technique
Medicinal honey shows impressive results in combatting antibiotic resistance, improving patient welfare and economizing wound management for humans and companion animals. When the source of honey is well chosen, there are no mentionable side effects or contra-indications. Bees make honey from the nectar collected from flowers. Honey is roughly 80 per cent simple sugars like glucose and fructose and 20
The value of a mounting block
Horse Health: Discomfort from mounting more common cause of issues than a horse with ‘bad manners’
The behaviour of the horse at the time a rider mounts the horse is rich with information regarding how the horse physically, mentally and emotionally feels about the experience. If one can read the horse, information gleaned from that moment demonstrates the horse’s mental state and physical response to being mounted as well as portrays the horse’s emotional state about being
Working with a bucking horse
Horse Health: There’s almost always a root cause for this behaviour that must be addressed first
The non-professional bucking horse is a conundrum to the equestrian community and there is limited information on how bucking behaviour can best be investigated. Simply correcting the behaviour with assertive training methods, without understanding the root cause for the bucking, has limited success in preventing this unwanted and potentially dangerous activity. In fact, all horses
The seasonally ‘itchy’ horse
Horse Health: It’s not just humans that suffer through allergy season
There is an increased occurrence of the itchy horse during the spring and summer months, which is associated with seasonal allergies. While there is no published data on the number of allergies in horses, it would appear that their numbers are rising and parallel similar findings in humans and dogs. The most obvious symptom of
Forging the frog of the equine foot
Horse Health: This structure must be nurtured naturally for horse health
So much detriment comes to the horse when their feet are not comfortable. The robust development and expression of the back half of the horse’s hoof and by association, the frog, plays a major role in cushioning a comfortable landing of the equine foot. The weak or “sick” frog has become so common amongst the
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