Health & Education
We all want the best care possible for our horses. The Heath & Education section covers both Learning Institutions, Organizations as well as many sources for equine assistance including Veterinarians and Farriers.
For those who want a to formally study horses, the Education section includes College Riding, Equine Studies, and Veterinary Schools. Learn about the wide variety of horses in the Horse Breeds section. Supplements and Treatments Therapy are also included in the section.
Everyone can learn from Fine Art and there are some specialty Museums that might surprise you.
Horses as a therapy partner enrich the lives of the disabled. These facilities are listed in our Therapeutic Riding section. To help children and young adults build confidence and grow emotionally, please see the resources available on the Youth Outreach page.
Looking for a place to keep your horse? You can find it in the Horse Boarding section. Traveling? Find a Shipping company or Horse Sitting service if your horse is staying home!
Want to stay up to date with the latest training clinics or professional conferences? Take a look at our Calendar of Events for Health & Education for the dates and locations of upcoming events.
Do we need to add more? Please use the useful feedback link and let us know!
From the UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory
New research has reported the warmblood fragile foal syndrome (WFFS) allele in 21 breeds. The study, an international collaboration led by UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory Director Rebecca Bellone, screened more than 4,000 horses from 38 different horse breeds in the United States and Europe.
Affected breeds were mainly warmbloods, with the highest carrier frequencies (17%) observed in Hanoverians and Danish Warmbloods. The allele was not detected in two warmblood breeds, the Swedish Warmblood and Zangersheide Warmblood, but sample sizes for both breeds in this study were small (16 and 10, respectively). The average WFFS carrier frequency across all warmbloods tested was 11%. Non-warmblood breeds included Haflinger, American Sport Pony, and Knabstrupper. The WFFS allele had previously been reported at a low frequency in Thoroughbreds (2.4% carrier frequency in 716 Thoroughbreds tested).
The study also investigated the long standing hypothesis that the mutation originated in the Arabian breed, specifically with the stallion Bairactar Or. Ar., based on a similar disease that was reported in the 19th century. DNA from a museum sample from the stallion did not contain the WFFS allele. Further testing in 300 Arabians did not support an Arabian origin for this disease. The origin of the WFFS allele remains unknown.
Warmblood fragile foal syndrome is an inherited defect of connective tissue characterized by hyperextensible, abnormally thin, fragile skin and mucous membranes that are subject to open lesions. The disease is present at birth and affected foals are euthanized shortly after birth due to the poor prognosis of this untreatable condition.
by Juliet M. Getty, Ph.D.
Your horse has an ulcer? “Give him omeprazole.”
Your horse is traveling on a long trip? “Give him omeprazole.”
Your horse is taking pain medication? “Give him omeprazole.”
Sound familiar?
Omeprazole, produced by Merial as GastroGard® and the less concentrated UlcerGard®, is the go-to drug for all these reasons and more. One of my clients recently said, “The people at my barn feed omeprazole like it’s candy!”
Does omeprazole have any benefits?
Yes, particularly for ulcers that are found in the upper squamous region of the stomach that is not protected by a mucus layer. Short term usage is usually not problematic as long as care is taken to wean the horse off of it, lest there be a rebound acid effect.
But usage beyond 4 weeks, or giving your horse omeprazole for other reasons, is not a good idea. Firstly, it almost completely eliminates stomach acid. Stomach acid should not be treated as a nuisance and removed! It is absolutely necessary for protein digestion. Without it, your horse can experience protein deficits, which can result in loss of muscle, depressed immune function, poor digestion, and hormonal imbalances.
In addition, stomach acid is your horse’s first line of defense against damaging microbes that he may pick up off the ground.
Furthermore, omeprazole inhibits calcium and magnesium absorption, as well as other minerals, potentially damaging metabolic pathways and bone health.
But there is a better way
Read more: Veterinarians are Considering Lecithin for Treating and Preventing Ulcers
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