Riverside Vets Equine

18/10/2025

⚠️ Acorn Alert – Even if your horse’s been fine before, don’t risk it this year! ⚠️

We’re still seeing signs of acorn toxicity in local horses. Remember — 2025 is a mast year, meaning more acorns, higher risk.

🌰 Even if your horse has happily munched acorns in the past without issue, it’s not safe this season.
Tannin levels, weather, and individual tolerance all vary — and it only takes one bad batch to cause serious harm.

🚫 Check your paddocks, fence off oaks, and stay vigilant.
If you spot signs like colic, diarrhoea, or acorn husks in droppings — call your vet immediately.

Let’s keep our horses safe this Autumn! 🍂🐴

17/10/2025

14/10/2025

🐴🍂 Acorn Toxicity in Horses: What You Need to Know! 🍂🐴
Did you know that acorns, while harmless to many animals, can be toxic to horses? As Autumn is here and acorns start to drop, it’s important to be aware of the risks they pose to horses.
2025 has been described as a mast year - unusually high numbers of acorns produced. This, together with high winds when acorns are falling, has meant we are seeing acorn toxicity this year. Some horses are more susceptible to acorn toxicity than others. Some horses are more inclined to eat them whilst others will avoid them due to their bitter taste.

🌰 Why Are Acorns Toxic to Horses?
Acorns contain tannins, which can be harmful when consumed in large quantities. These tannins cause irritation to the digestive system and can lead to colic, kidney damage, or even death in severe cases.

🔍 Signs of Acorn Poisoning can include:
Acorn husks in droppings
Colic (abdominal pain)
Diarrhoea (sometimes containing blood)
Loss of appetite
Lethargy
Excessive drinking and urination

🚫 How to Protect Your Horse:
Remove Acorns: Keep pastures and fields free of acorns, especially if you have oak trees nearby. Remove horses from paddocks where there are acorns, fence off areas around oaks.
Provide alternative forage: to discourage horses from eating acorns.
Early Intervention: If you suspect your horse has ingested acorns, contact your vet immediately for advice and treatment.
Remember: Prevention is key! Let’s keep our horses safe and healthy this Autumn! 🍂🐴💚

09/10/2025

💉EHV 💉
When did you last vaccinate your horse against the potentially fatal Equine Herpes Virus (EHV)? EHV is highly contagious and spreads easily from horse to horse through nasal secretions. Every inhale is a risk for your horse. The good news is vaccination can help to reduce the spread of disease.
Speak to your Vet today.

☎ 02380 620 605

01/10/2025

📢 AUTUMN COLIC STORMS — Did you know? 🍂🐴

In autumn, colic cases often rise. Why? Changes in grazing and routine put extra stress on your horse’s gut.

⚠️ Things that change in autumn:

Grazing times & fields

How long horses are stabled

Hard feeds

Exercise routines

🚫 Turning a horse straight into a new field for a full day can trigger problems — including colic & laminitis.

It takes 10-14 days for a horses hindgut microbiome to adapt to the grass in a new field or any new forage or feed source. During this time excess gas can be produced , increasing the chances of colic.

✅ Safer option: Introduce new grazing gradually (1–2 hrs → increase over 10-14 days) to protect your horse this autumn. It is also advisable to support their gut health with pre/postbiotics whilst any diet or management changes are occuring.

📞 Riverside Vets Equine — helping you keep horses healthy all year round.

29/09/2025

🪱🍂 Why Autumn Faecal Worm Egg Counts Are So Important 🍂🪱

Autumn is our last chance before temperatures drop below 10°C to confidently assess your horse’s worm burden. This information is vital for understanding how at risk your horse may be from encysted red worm larvae over the winter and into spring.

By doing a faecal worm egg count now, we can:
✅ Tailor your horse’s worming plan for the coming months
✅ Protect your horse’s health during winter grazing
✅ Reduce unnecessary wormer use and slow resistance build-up

A little preparation now means a healthier winter for your horse.

📞 Get in touch to arrange your autumn faecal worm egg count — your horse’s winter wellbeing starts here.

26/09/2025

Join us for an informative talk by Gemma, covering all the latest developments on this still very prevalent and preventable disease.. We will be sharing all our tips and tricks for battling the bulge and aim for you to leave with everything you need to keep your horse safe.

Donations on the door in support of Hampshire Air Ambulance who are there to pick up the pieces for members of our equine community when things don't quite go to plan.

EDIT
Open to all, please give us a call or message to let us know you'd like to join, so we have an idea of numbers.

23/09/2025

🍂🍁 Autumn is here 🍂🍁

Remember to check the fields for acorns and sycamore seeds as they can cause life threatening illness.
Prevention is key so fence off with a good margin any sycamore or oak trees and check daily for fallen seeds or acorns.
There are different signs and symptoms can vary but some can include colic, weakness, stiffness, tremors, increased thirst. Please contact us if you are concerned.

17/09/2025

16/09/2025

Answer : yes well done its the Belgian draught horse and what amazing horses they are and so kind as well . They have massive compact bodies . Stallions can be up to 900 kg in weight!!

We recently visited these beautiful horses but can you tell us what breed they are and anything about them?

15/09/2025

Unfortunately we are experiencing some intermittent problems with our Internet and phones this morning. 😕We have engineers working on this to get us back up and running as soon as possible! If you have been trying and unable to reach us this way, apologies! We are still able to access emails/petsapp so please bare with us - we will get back to you as soon as we can.