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Showing posts from September, 2021

How to measure a Horse

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Measuring a horse helps you to know whether your horse is growing or not. So, how do you measure a horse? Is it done from hoof to head? Or from the tip of the tail to the tip of the nose? But why do we refer to a horse's height as “hands” ? We all know horses don’t have hands - right? Hands High (HH) The height of the horse should be measured from the ground to the top point of the withers, or from the ridge between their shoulder blades. Some countries use centimeters where the metric system is standard. Many regions a horses' height is measured using hands or four-inch increments measurement method. This measurement was derived in ancient Egypt. For example: Horse height is 60 inches from the ground- height of horse is 15 hands high (15HH) Tape Measure To measure a horse correctly, owners or caretakers may use a tape measure, or a length of string or twine you can mark and measure later with a ruler. For best results, you can use a measuring tool with hands marked easily a...

How To Reduce The Risk Of Gastric Ulcers In Horses

Equine gastric ulcer syndrome is one of the most common health problems with horses worldwide. Many studies have proven that 90% of ulcers occur in performance horses. These ulcers cause pain and discomfort in horses, even affecting the horse’s ability to perform.  Gastric ulcers are a major health issue in horses but many horse owners are not aware of what causes them, and how they can be prevented.  Let’s Dig in, What are Gastric Ulcers? These are the sores that form on the stomach lining. The horse stomach has two major regions namely the upper ‘squamous’ area and the lower ‘glandular’ area. Ulcers mainly occur in the ‘squamous’ area of the stomach or at the junction of the squamous and glandular regions. Why do gastric ulcers mainly occur in the upper section of the stomach? Horses evolved as grazing animals which means they are constantly chewing and salivating which means their stomach is always full. Due to this, their stomach doesn’t have an on-off switch for gastric a...