Wild Rose Equine Ambulatory Practice

28/12/2021

Happy Holidays! Stay warm out there.

09/10/2021

The upcoming International Society for Equine Science Conference is online and offering free registration this year. Take a look if you're interested in educating yourself in horse welfare and training practice that is research based. October 20-22 https://equitationscience.com/

International Society for Equitation Science

06/04/2021

Correct and careful conditioning of your horse to progress to the work you want them to do is so important to lower risk of injury and decrease long term wear and tear on their body so they can be functional for years to come. This can be a long process and require patience. Consider your horse's fitness like you would train yourself in preparation for a marathon or other athletic feat. See this infographic for a nice outline.
https://thehorse.com/149573/infographic-basic-principles-of-conditioning/

Learn how to safely take your horse from flabby to fit step-by-step with our visual guide.

24/02/2021

The Northeast Association of Equine Practitioners is offering an excellent webinar series for Horse Owners. Take a look here!
March 9th at 7 p.m. EST
Podiatry Strategies for the Performance Horse by Stuart Muir, NZCF, CJF
March 16th at 7 p.m. EST
Information Inundation: Who should you trust? by Dr. Julie Settlage
March 23rd at 7 p.m. EST
Ready, Set, Vet! Maximizing Visits with your Vet by Dr. Jamie Pribyl

https://boehringer.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_L5rXjdf5QJGxedINwDTLfg

March 9th at 7 p.m. EST Podiatry Strategies for the Performance Horse by Stuart Muir, NZCF, CJF March 16th at 7 p.m. EST Information Inundation: Who should you trust? by Dr. Julie Settlage March 23rd at 7 p.m. EST Ready, Set, Vet! Maximizing Visits with your Vet by Dr. Jamie Pribyl

24/02/2021

The Northeast Association of Equine Practitioners is offering an excellent webinar series for Horse Owners. Take a look here!
March 9th at 7 p.m. EST
Podiatry Strategies for the Performance Horse by Stuart Muir, NZCF, CJF
March 16th at 7 p.m. EST
Information Inundation: Who should you trust? by Dr. Julie Settlage
March 23rd at 7 p.m. EST
Ready, Set, Vet! Maximizing Visits with your Vet by Dr. Jamie Pribyl

March 9th at 7 p.m. EST Podiatry Strategies for the Performance Horse by Stuart Muir, NZCF, CJF March 16th at 7 p.m. EST Information Inundation: Who should you trust? by Dr. Julie Settlage March 23rd at 7 p.m. EST Ready, Set, Vet! Maximizing Visits with your Vet by Dr. Jamie Pribyl

15/02/2021

Did you know Yaela offers Equine acupuncture? Here is some good information about conditions that can be helped by acupuncture.

Takeaways Acupuncture typically involves the insertion of fine needles through the skin at particular points to cause therapeutic effects. It can be used in conjunction with conventional veterinary medicine to treat various equine medical conditions and to relieve pain. Acupuncture is a safe medical...

01/01/2021

https://www.rvc.ac.uk/equine-vet/news/sensor-technology-allows-experts-to-enhance-understanding-of-the-relationship-between-lameness-and-back-problems-in-horses

16/11/2020

Interesting research on use of Omeprazole for horses on phenylbutazone. https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/evj.13323

Background Phenylbutazone is commonly prescribed for treatment of various painful or inflammatory disorders in horses, but is associated with gastrointestinal (GI) adverse effects. Anecdotally, many...

17/10/2020

"Researchers have shown that regular f***l egg counts generated with the McMaster technique do not detect tapeworms reliably." Therefore, Dr. Gluesteen recommends deworming with a dewormer that targets tape worms after the first frost each year.

Written by: Martin Nielsen, DVM, Ph.D., DEVPC, ACVIM The equine tapeworm, Anoplocephala perfoliata, is present on most properties where horses have pasture access. Therefore, it's not surprising to find this parasite in a horse. As is the case with all parasite infections, the overwhelming majority....

16/09/2020

Have your horse’s teeth been checked recently? https://aaep.org/horsehealth/importance-maintaining-health-your-horses-mouth

Routine dental care is essential to your horse's in health. Periodic examinations and regular maintenance, such as floating, are especially necessary today for a number of reasons: We have modified the horse's diet and eating patterns through domestication and confinement.

27/07/2020

Dr. Yaela Gleusteen offers equine acupuncture. Excellent for keeping your horse feeling their best! https://aaep.org/horsehealth/veterinary-acupuncture-and-chiropractic-what-when-who

By Ed Boldt, Jr., DVM

03/05/2020

https://thehorse.com/117917/exercises-to-strengthen-equine-back-muscles-reduce-pain/

Exercising the multifidus muscles in addition to daily training could reduce equine back pain.

27/03/2020

Vets are considered an essential service in this time of shut down. So call if your horse is in need! Stay safe everyone.

05/03/2020

Spring is around the corner, which often means horses going back out on grass after winter off. Be sure to transition horses back to grazing slowly and keep an eye out for any signs of laminitis or other abnormalities due to diet change.

Every day veterinarians across the country see hundreds of cases of laminitis, a painful disease that affects the horse's feet. What is especially alarming is that some cases are preventable.

19/02/2020

Spring is coming! Which means it is time to think about ensuring your horse is up to date on Vaccines, check f***l samples (once the weather warms a little more) and ensure your horse's teeth are up to date. See the attached link for vaccines recommended in your province.
https://www.equestrian.ca/cdn/storage/resources_v2/WkHZLDXTQmBQFksRm/original/WkHZLDXTQmBQFksRm.pdf

12/09/2019

Do you love to learn about horses? The FEI campus has a wealth of FREE online courses. https://campus.fei.org/

04/07/2019

03/06/2019

An interesting article for discussion
http://www.equinestudies.org/ranger_2008/ranger_piece_2008_pdf1.pdf

07/05/2019

Trigger point therapy on Phoenix today, both wet and dry. This mare has been sore through her back and hindquarters so this should help!

29/04/2019

Knowing what is in your hay can help you and your vet to make the best, informed choices about feeding based on the needs of your horse. Always feed according to size, weight, breed, age, season and exercise. Your horses’s feed will likely need ongoing adjustments throughout the year depending on turn out options, weight change and exercise changes due to season etc. Your vet can help guide and inform your horse’s nutrition.

A basic forage analysis can help horse owners adjust concentrates and supplements based on the nutritional value of hay. Learn more about what you can expect in a hay analysis report.

16/04/2019

Many classical dressage masters from the past often praised the merits of long schooling sessions at only the walk. This kind of training refines muscle recruitment, releases tension stored in poor postural habits, and stimulates the slow-twitch fibers used for stabilizing the skeleton. In other wor...

12/04/2019

Some really simple exercises that can strengthen the horse's core that anyone can do include: walking over poles, raised poles especially, and backing your horse up (try to maintain straightness as they back up and encourage the head to stay low).

Strengthen your horse’s back by training the abdominal muscles

In order to physically educate our horses efficiently and to enable them to carry us without suffering structural damage and to collect, we need to be aware of the biomechanics and train to strengthen the right muscles in our horses.

We all know that our horses’ backs aren’t designed to carry us riders – the spine between front and hind resembles a hanging bridge and gives in under weight. To be able to ride our horses without causing pain and structural damage, we need to strengthen muscles, ligaments, and tendons.

Whilst many believe the long back muscles are the ones that need strengthening, this is very misleading – the long back muscle (longissimus dorsi) is not designed to carry, it is designed to create movement/motion. It is one of the largest such muscles in the horse’s body.

To carry weight/us our horse needs to develop strong abdominal muscles (which are the counterparts/antagonists of the back muscles) and strong muscles in the neck (especially between the 2nd cervical vertebrae and the occipital bone) which helps to stabilize the horse’s back.

Abdominals are part of the ventral muscle chain and all important for correct back posture, they lift and support the back and keep the pelvis in the right position.

Abdominals consist of transversal and of inner and outer straight muscles. The long abdominals which start at the p***c bone enable the horse to tilt the pelvis and to lift the lower back so that the hind legs can step under.

If abdominal muscles are lacking, the horse cannot use the back and the hind quarters properly, and therefore the back can’t be lifted. A situation that can quickly create pain and structural damage.

To increase abdominal strength, it is important to encourage the horse’s hind leg action so that they are brought forward well underneath the centre of gravity. Correct leg aids are crucial to achieve this. The leg aid needs to come just shortly before the horse’s hind leg leaves the ground to bring the leg forward – if the leg aid gives an impulse then it triggers a natural reflex causing the abdominals to contract which then brings the hind leg further forward.

These are some exercise suggestions that can easily be integrated into the daily routine and might help to strengthen the abdominals, the back, and the hind quarters:

Lateral movements like renvers, travers and shoulder-in encourage the horse to step well under, hence strengthen the hind quarters and abdominals. It is important to exercise these movements in a calm, flowing and regular fashion. If the exercise is performed incorrectly, the wrong muscles will be used.

Change of tempi and change of gaits – when changing into a slower gait, the horse needs to step well under and to lift the back for which the abdominals have to work. When changing into a faster gait, the hind quarters need to create the power and momentum.

Working with ground poles and cavaletti – To go over ground poles and cavaletti, the horse needs to lift the legs higher and to take bigger steps/strides whilst stretching its upper line (the hind legs are lifted higher, brought further forward, the pelvis needs to tilt more and the back will lift).

The poles/cavaletti should be placed in distances of 80-90cm for walk, 120-150cm for trot and 300-350cm for canter depending on the individual height and stride length of the horse.

The right speed – whichever exercise we do with our horses, whether in the arena or leisurely trail riding, all should be done in a calm, rhythmic manner. If the horse is rushing through the exercise, the exercise won’t be balanced nor well performed and useful.
Using more leg (aid) does not automatically encourage the horse to step under – if we ask too much too early the abdominals might not be able yet to work with the pelvis tilting to the front and abdominals and pelvis fall out of balance, the hind legs can’t step under but will shift locomotion further out to the back.

Last but not least – training must not just focus on the abdominal muscles and hind quarters. Whether is as a human or an equine athlete, the secret to success is variety. It doesn’t make sense to focus on one or two specific parts of the body if the rest of it won’t grow as well.

On a personal note: As an equine sports therapist I see just as many horses suffering pain caused by underdeveloped strength in the back as I see horses suffering extreme sciatica, developing a hunters bump etc., due to hard training in collection without adequate stretching of the abdominals afterwards. Chronically shortened abdominals are often caused by scar tissue in overworked muscles – when either the training unit has been asking too much or has been going for too long (imagine you stopping in the middle of a sit-up and being asked to stay in this position for longer than you are capable of...). So please keep the training units short, let the horse walk on a long rein in between, don’t overdo repetitions and try to integrate a variety of exercises so the focus is not just on one part of the body. Appropriate warming up and cooling down time in walk before and after each training session is of utmost importance.

08/04/2019

Many behavioral problems disappeared when infected cheek teeth were extracted, researchers found.

06/04/2019

05/04/2019

Dr. Yaela Gluesteen has been practicing veterinary medicine out of the Comox Valley for 9 years. After she completed her veterinary education at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon in 1988, Yaela continued her training by completing an internship at Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Center, a world famous medical and surgical equine hospital in Southern California. She also furthered her practice by completing certification as a Veterinary Acupuncturist from International Veterinary Acupuncture Society, Houston, Texas. Yaela brings a wealth of experience to her practice and is constantly working to further and deepen her knowledge to provide the best care she can to her client's horses.

04/04/2019

Dr. Gleusteen is off to Portland this weekend for professional development at the American Academy of Vetrinary Acupuncture annual meeting! Happy travels!

02/04/2019

An Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) affected premises has been identified in the province of Alberta.

02/04/2019

Does your horse need a tune up before the competition season? Trigger point therapy is a great way to help release tight muscles! Dr. Gluesteen offers trigger point therapy, both wet (medication is injected through the needle) and dry (like acupuncture).

28/03/2019

Dr. Gluesteen will be in Port McNeil this Sunday March 31 if there are any other people needing horse care please contact her. 250 650 5077

Dr. Yaela Gluesteen is an equine veterinarian in the Comox Valley. She travels to regions around Vancouver Island to provide quality veterinary care.

25/03/2019

25/03/2019

24/03/2019

Recent research has given us more insight into how to manage horses affected by or vulnerable to laminitis. If your horse falls into the at-risk category, consider these diet changes.

23/03/2019

After reviewing the risk factors for EMS, such as obesity and its underlying causes (primarily insulin dysregulation), the experts detailed the available tests for EMS and emphasized the need for treatment once diagnosed.

23/03/2019

Did you know Dr Gleusteen offers wet and dry trigger point therapy for horses? She completed her degree as a Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist from International Veterinary Acupuncture Society, Houston, Texas in 2002