Equine Advice

Always call us for help and advice rather than struggle with problems – most can be overcome with time and effort. The guides on this page will help you get started with answering some of the most common questions that equine owners have.

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Why won’t my horse’s wound heal?
Horses are fantastic creatures in many ways but one of the things at which they appear peculiarly adept is cutting themselves! Such wounds are often the result of a close encounter with the hoof of another equine taking exception to some imagined slight. The strength of the forces involved can have...
Inhalers are used for the treatment of allergic airway disease. Courses of treatment usually last between 6 and 12 weeks, and follow a strict protocol. We commonly use two types of drugs; a bronchodilator which opens up the airways in the lungs, increasing the surface area, and cortico steroids...
Under The Skin: The Truth About Mud Fever
As the name suggests mud fever is most frequently seen in horses during wet, muddy conditions but this is not always the case. Other names frequently used for this condition are greasy heel and cracked heel. The condition is more common on the hind legs and tends to affect the back of the pastern...
Older horses means older joints
Degenerative joint disease (DJD) or Osteoarthritis has always been an issue affecting a large proportion of the horse population both young and old, but particularly mature horses that have a lot of miles on the clock. We are now able to keep our older horses in better condition due to improved...
Keeping Your Horses Legs Healthy
As quadrupeds, horses are fabulously designed for both speed and jumping their way out of danger. However, as with anything that has a leg at each corner, should one limb be compromised the whole animal becomes vulnerable. Lameness is one of the most common reasons why a horse requires veterinary...
Warning: this post contains some graphic images of wounds and blood. In early June this year Severn Edge Equine was presented with a thoroughbred yearling filly that had a large swelling on the left side of her face. The filly was bright and well in herself but did have a reduced air flow through...
Equine Influenza (flu) is a disease that affects the upper and lower respiratory tract of horses, donkeys and mules. It is caused by several strains of the equine influenza virus. The disease is very infectious and spreads rapidly through groups of horses. The incubation period is 1 – 3 days.
Equine Dentistry plays a vital role in the overall heath and quality of life of the horse. Attending to your horses teeth should be part of their routine preventative health care and the first dental examination should be performed at birth.
Equine Castration
Castration is a routine procedure, where the horse is generally castrated for ease of management of the animal. Typically carried out from the spring of the yearling year, we prefer to castrate either in Spring or in Autumn, to try and avoid mud in the Winter and flies in the Summer. However, the...
Choke is a blockage of the oesophagus (also known as the gullet – the tube which food passes down from the mouth to the stomach). It is not a blockage of the trachea (windpipe) unlike “choke” in humans. It can be very distressing for the owners, but it often passes without any veterinary...