Westhills Equine Veterinary Services

04/01/2025

APRIL 15TH - MAY 15TH 🌷

Join us as we promote soundness exams and overall joint health with the upcoming competition, riding and breeding season!

Does your horse need maintenance care to keep them performing at their best? At Westhills Equine Veterinary Services, we encourage soundness evaluations for all horses to detect potential issues before they become more serious or chronic—especially for horses used in performance, pleasure riding, or breeding. That’s why we’re dedicating our upcoming monthly feature to soundness examinations and joint health features, giving you the opportunity to help your equine partners feel their best before the busy season!

Please contact the clinic for more information on everything happening this month, or if you're on our email list, be sure to check your emails this morning! 📩

📞 780-898-9267
✉️ [email protected]
🌐 www.westhillsevs.com

03/31/2025

Our Travel Days are back for 2025! 🚑☀️

Booking on a designated travel day means we can group several appointments in the area, and therefore offer a more cost effective mileage flat rate.

UPCOMING SPRING DATES:
➡️ Thurs, April 24th - DRAYTON VALLEY & AREA
➡️ Thurs, May 1st -THORSBY & AREA
➡️ Thurs, May 8th - EVANSBURG & AREA

On-farm appointments can include herd health, vaccinations, spring check-ups, dental floats*, lameness/soundness exams*, diagnostics like x-ray and ultrasound*, senior exams with bloodwork, castrations*, eye exams, etc!

Please contact the office for more information, or to book in! ⬇️
📞 780-898-9267
✉️ [email protected]
🌐 www.westhillsevs.com
*Please note some procedures require certain facilities or conditions, and/or can be weather dependant.

03/29/2025

Saturday afternoon surprise!!
Recip mare delivered a Stevie Rey Von stud c**t out of "Chevelle" (One Time Royalty daughter). Congratulations to Bailey Quarter Horses for the newest addition to your roster. Happy to help foal out this future super star! 🌟
ICSI work done by Westhills Equine Veterinary Services

03/24/2025

FYI! ⬇️

Send a message to learn more

03/24/2025

Introducing 2025 Westhills Equine Influential Athlete:

HAILEY TOWNSEND ✨🤩

Hailey grew up in the saddle with a love for horses first introduced by her mom, who raises and competes with barrel horses. She first started in the ABRA/Gymkhana world until the age of 14, when she joined the local Pony Club that offered opportunities in additional disciplines. A bit to her moms surprise, Hailey ended up falling in love with Eventing and eventually made the difficult decision to sell her beloved barrel pony and purchase an OTTB in 2020, whom she still owns and competes with today. Hailey’s nominator described her as quiet from a young age and over the years has watched her involvement with horses help her grow into a confident and supportive horsewoman for young girls similar to her. She began teaching beginner horsemanship and riding lessons around the age of 15-16 to young children on her previous pony, and for the last several years has volunteered her time to teach lessons for our River Valley Pony Club.

Although she loves the sport of eventing, Hailey most enjoys rescuing horses from unfortunate circumstances and re-starting them under saddle. Hailey currently has 3 horses: her main thoroughbred, Nickolas, whom she competes on, as well as newer horses Rey and Freya. She rescued Rey in September 2023 and restarted her under saddle this spring, and Freya in August 2024 whom she is currently still working with on the ground. She plans to show them both this year and find them suitable, loving homes.

More from Hailey ⬇️

“When thinking about my goals for the next 5 years.. I really enjoy rescuing or purchasing green horses and producing them to be lovely horses for people to enjoy. It is so rewarding for me to see them come into themselves and find their health, so this is my priority over competing (although I do love a little bit of adrenaline so eventing will always be on my radar!). I’m currently in my 3rd year of undergraduate studies and plan to apply to Veterinary School in Calgary in Fall 2025. The girls at Westhills have always been so kind and joyful over the years we have used them, and they opened my eyes to how much I really wanted a career in Veterinary Medicine. My goal for the future as a veterinarian is to specialize in equine and work at a practice like Westhills, or open my own practice down the road. I cannot thank Westhills enough for this very generous opportunity and I look forward to representing the clinic this season!”

Welcome to the team Hailey!

Applications are OPEN for our Influential Equine Athlete Program for 2025! If you know someone who would be a good fit, nominate them below! Athletes and pleasure riders of ALL levels are considered.

https://www.westhillsevs.com/influential-equine-athlete-program

Thank you to the generous sponsors of this years program, who help up to bring even more to these deserving athletes:
Zoetis Equine
4CYTE Horse
AJ Equine Supply
Sharpe Farm Supplies Ltd.
ImmuBiome

03/20/2025

Westhills EVS is proud to support a lot of great associations and events in our community throughout the year!

Please be advised that our sponsorship opportunity requests will be closing for the year on May 1st, 2025. If you have been meaning to reach out regarding sponsorship, please do so sooner rather than later so we can make sure the organization is in place to support your event!

Please direct all sponsorship inquiries to [email protected].

03/18/2025

Pssstt.. Frozen semen on this World Cup qualifier stocked here in clinic 🤭🤭

TOTAL HOPE OLD für das Weltcup Finale qualifiziert 🥳

Unser TOTILAS-Sohn TOTAL HOPE OLD (Z.: Christine Arns-Krogmann) und seine Reiterin Isabel Freese/NOR haben sich für Weltcup Finale, welches im April in Basel/SUI stattfinden wird, qualifiziert 😍.

🇬🇧
TOTAL HOPE OLD qualified for the World Cup Final 🥳

Our TOTILAS-son TOTAL HOPE OLD (breeder: Christine Arns-Krogmann) and his rider Isabel Freese/NOR have qualified for the World Cup Final, which will take place in Basel/SUI in April 😍.

📸: www.sportfotos-lafrentz.de

03/17/2025

Guess who's back! Dr. Nilson Ribas is here all week with our reproduction team performing OPU for ICSI breeding. And he even brought the sunshine with him ☀️☀️

A procedure ideal for highly infertile or older mares, or mares where multiple embryos are desired to be transferred or frozen for future use!

03/14/2025

Did you know that the horse has the smallest stomach in relation to body size of all domestic animals?

Read more in the great article below! ⬇️

There are dozens of different conditions that can cause a horse to show signs of abdominal pain. Most (but not all) involve the digestive system, most often the stomach or intestines. Therefore, it stands to good reason that understanding the anatomy of your horse’s digestive system can help you become a better steward for your equine friend.

Fun fact: many people associate digestive health with stomach health. But did you know that the horse has the smallest stomach in relation to body size of all domestic animals? The stomach of the horse is also the smallest unit of the digestive tract, comprising less than 10% of the total volume of the horse’s digestive tract. By contrast, the hindgut is huge and plays a significant role in the horse’s digestive process by serving as the home of friendly bacteria that ferment fiber and turn it into energy.

Hindgut problems can produce obvious physical signs like loss of weight, poor condition, poor performance, diarrhea and colic. Some symptoms however can be less obvious, like poor temperament and training issues. The key to ensuring good digestive health is good management practices that include (but are not limited to) establishing a set daily routine; feeding a high-quality diet comprised primarily of high-quality roughage; avoid overloading the digestive tract with concentrate rations; providing clean, fresh water at all times; establishing a regular turnout and exercise routine; setting up a regular deworming and dental care program with your veterinarian; reducing stress and making any changes (to diet, housing and exercise) gradually.

Consult your veterinarian about how to maximize your horse’s digestive health. A healthy horse is a happy horse!

03/14/2025

Foaling Season 1-2-3 Rules

Although it doesn’t feel like it this week (🙄), spring is upon us and that means – so is foaling season!

It’s a great time to brush up on safe foaling practices. Although there are lots of important notes - one of the most critical (and easiest!) to remember when foaling out your mare is the 1-2-3’s.

DELIVERY 1-2-3 (Stages of labour)
STAGE 1️⃣: Labour begins with the onset of contractions and usually lasts 1-2 hours. The mare may stand up, lie down, or pace around the stall. During this time, contractions move the foal through the cervix and into position in the birth canal. When the sack breaks, signaled by a rush of fluid often mistaken as urination, stage 1 ends.

STAGE 2️⃣: This stage moves relatively quickly. If your mare is taking longer than 30 minutes to deliver the foal, there is likely a problem and you should contact your veterinarian. Normal presentation of the foal resembles a “diving” position, with front feet first followed closely by head, neck, shoulders and then hindquarters. A deviation from normal positioning could be delaying labour from progressing, and can be fatal for both mare and foal. One of the most serious foaling emergencies is a premature rupture of the chorioallantois, also known as a “red bag” delivery. If at any time during stage two you see red membranes covering the foal as it emerges, it must be rapidly torn open to continue oxygen and blood supply to the foal. If you see this, you will need to act immediately (you do not have time to call your veterinarian in this instance!). Normal membranes should be white to yellow to clear.

STAGE 3️⃣: Stage three commences once the foal is delivered and consists of the expulsion of the placenta. This should happen within three hours of foaling in mares to avoid serious and life threatening risks like endotoxemia or laminitis.

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POST DELIVERY 1-2-3 (Foal Milestones)
1️⃣: A healthy foal should be able to stand and walk within 1 hour of birth.

2️⃣: The foal should successfully nurse and start getting valuable colostrum within 2 hours of birth (2-4L total is an ideal amount of colostrum!).

3️⃣: The mare should pass the placenta within three hours of foaling and the foal should pass their meconium ideally within 3 hours, and for sure by 12 hours. If you haven't seen them pass the meconium promptly after a few good latches, keep an eye for straining, tail swishing, rolling, or other uncomfortable behaviour.

If any of these critical signs are delayed – you should be contacting your veterinarian immediately.

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Who's expecting a foal (or a few) this year? ⬇️🤗

Picture: last year's Reproduction Intern Dr. Amanda with a few day old foal heading home ❤️

03/14/2025

"Stevie" has returned home from his second job at Westhills Equine Veterinary Services! Reach out for a frozen contract today!
Sired by 8 million dollar sire, Stevie Rey Von and out of "Pistol Smart" who not only was a NCHA money earner herself, but also the dam of 2016 Open World Champion "A Little Bossy." He's 5 panel negative ✅️
Bred and owned by Bailey Quarter Horses.

03/10/2025

Thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth at the Tack Sale to say hi this weekend! 😍 It's so nice to see some familiar faces outside of the clinic.

If you ended up bringing anything home from your table that you'd still like to get rid of, here is a great cause to donate it to! Hopeful Hooves Equine Rescue Society

Don’t forget we have our silent auction coming up! We are collecting donated items and gift cards! Message or email us if you have something you’d like to donate 🙂

03/10/2025

We are super excited to now have Botupharma Broodmare Plus and Stallion Plus available on our shelves!

Broodmare PLUS
Liquid supplement enriched with vitamins, minerals and amino acids ideal for optimizing the fertility of mares in ICSI programs, with advanced age or reduced fertility.

Contains high concentrations of:
➡️ CARNITINE: An amino acid with an antioxidant action that protects oocytes and embryos during in vitro production.
➡️ ARGININE: Essential amino acid that promotes increased blood perfusion in the ovaries and uterus.
➡️ OMEGA 3: A polyunsaturated fatty acid that acts on the health of the endometrium and improves the quality of the embryos produced.

Stallion PLUS
Liquid supplement enriched with vitamins, minerals, amino acids and fatty acids to support and maintain optimum fertility.

Contains high concentrations of:
➡️ L-CARNITINE: Amino acid with antioxidant action and promoter of s***matozoid energy metabolism.
➡️ OMEGA 3: Polyunsaturated fatty acid that makes up the s***m membrane and protects the s***m against low temperatures.

Please contact us for more information on if these could be right for your horse ⬇️

📞 780-898-9267
📩 [email protected]
🌐 www.westhillsevs.com

03/08/2025

03/07/2025

Since we've had quite a few clients eagerly asking.. we have some bittersweet news to share with you regarding Dr. Brandy's return from maternity leave.

Many of you knew that Dr. Brandy was expected back this March, but sometimes... the universe has different plans!

We are so excited to tell you the incredible news that Dr. Brandy's maternity leave will be extending a little longer as her and her husband Wyatt prepare to welcome their third child this summer.

While we deeply miss Dr. Brandy's presence in the clinic, we could not be happier for her and her family and this reason that she won't be returning as originally planned.

With that being said we do, however, have some exciting new faces in the clinic that we will be sharing more about in the very near future.. stay tuned! ❤️

03/06/2025

Warmer weather means our Travel Days are back for 2025! 🚑☀️

Booking on a designated travel day means we can group several appointments in the area, and therefore offer a more cost effective mileage flat rate.

UPCOMING SPRING DATES:
➡️ Thurs, April 24th - DRAYTON VALLEY & AREA
➡️ Thurs, May 1st -THORSBY & AREA
➡️ Thurs, May 8th - EVANSBURG & AREA

On-farm appointments can include herd health, vaccinations, spring check-ups, dental floats*, lameness/soundness exams*, diagnostics like x-ray and ultrasound*, senior exams with bloodwork, castrations*, eye exams, etc!

Please contact the office for more information, or to book in!

📞 780-898-9267
✉️ [email protected]
🌐 www.westhillsevs.com

*Please note some procedures require certain facilities or conditions, and/or can be weather dependant.