"When Boots, a 5 week-old Quarterhorse colt was examined he displayed contracture of the fetlock joint to the degree where he appeared to knuckle over at the fetlock while the foot collapsed to the inside of his body when he tried to walk" - Prof Jeremy Hubert ...    Read Further

"When Boots, a 5 week-old Quarterhorse colt was examined he displayed contracture of the fetlock joint to the degree where he appeared to knuckle over at the fetlock while the foot collapsed to the inside of his body when he tried to walk" - Dr Jenny Lawrence ...    Read Further

Bosch Hoek Equine Hospital provide an interesting insight into physitis. "Physitis is a developmental condition seen in young, rapidly growing horses, leading to visible enlargement of the growth plates, often accompanied by heat and pain" ...    Read Further

If you see your mare's newborn foal prancing around the stall like it is wearing invisible high heels, you might be a little concerned that your foal is dreaming of being a ballerina instead of a racehorse. Don't worry; one of the most common deformities ...    Read Further

The birth of a long-awaited foal is an exciting occasion. But what if something goes wrong - the mare gets sick, or doesn't produce any milk, or perhaps she dies. This article will discuss some of the options/considerations for caring and feeding of orphan foals ...    Read Further

A boarding mare owned in a partnership at Rathmor Stud named War Echo has now had two "extended" gestation periods with both her foals and we discussed this unusual behaviour with Dr Allen Bechard of Almiray Veterinary Practice ...    Read Further

Natalia Banasiak (B.Sc Zoology) has kindly provided us with an insight the genetics of how Rathmor Stud's white Thoroughbred colt with the brown ears came to be ...    Read Further

There are many reasons for equine abortion. The more common causes that I will discuss include placentitis, viral abortion, and non-infectious causes of abortion such as twin foetuses and umbilical torsion ...    Read Further

We discuss the breeding lifespan of mares with Dr Allen Bechard of Almiray Vet Practice who gives some enlightening insights into the effects of age on a broodmare with regards to productivity ... Read Further

Dr Sarah Seitz gives us an insight into the West Nile Virus, a virus that has affected five time winning South African Champion Stallion Jet Master ...    Read Further

Post-fracture complications impacting a horse's chance of survival can happen preoperatively during transport of the horse to the hospital, intra-operatively (during surgery) and post-surgery during recovery and healing...     Read Further

Dr Bechard of Almiray Farm explains what happens to the mares in season and what normal expectations may be ...    Read Further

Last time, I gave a brief overview about seasonality and the estrus cycle. This article will cover the basics of pregnancy, lactation and foaling. The average length of pregnancy in a mare is between 335 and 342 days (an easier way to remember this is 11 months, 11 days) ...    Read Further

Whether a fracture can be repaired or not depends largely on the type of fracture, the horse's performance type, size, temperament, the bone involved, the location, configuration, and how well the fracture is repaired ...    Read Further

We were all equally shocked and saddened by the news of the death of a good horse like Big City Life at the Vodacom Durban July, and of course, Rabiya's death a few years ago, and the subsequent emotional outburst following the of the consequences of a horse breaking its leg ...     Read Further

With the breeding season approaching in a few months, I thought my first two articles should be a brief introduction about the very basics of equine breeding. In this article, I will cover a little bit about seasonality and the oestrus cycle ...    Read Further