Gem Equine Veterinary Services

12/09/2024

Best of luck to vet student Sarah who has met lots of our lovely clients this week. Here she is holding onto one of our bigger patients …

08/08/2024

CLIENT EVENING - WORMiNG 🪱🪱- demystifying the confusion - Wednesday 28th August 6:30pm arrival for 6:45 start at Broomfield College.

All clients are welcome to join us for a presentation reviewing the principles of managing worm populations

Please contact us to RSVP by sending us a message, text or email.
We kindly ask you make a suggested £2 donation which will be donated to the Blue Cross Rehoming Centre.

We’re really looking forward to seeing you all and hope it’s an interesting and fun evening. 🐴🐴🐴🩺🩺🩺

03/08/2024

𝐕𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝐇𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐭 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐡𝐚𝐦

A 32.5 dressage score with just 1.2 cross-country time penalties saw Vicky Hind and her own eight-year-old Irish mare Blueford Galaxy crowned HorseQuest Novice Masters champions at Little Downham Horse Trials.

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 👉https://news.britisheventing.com/vicky-hind-is-horsequest-novice-master-at-little-downham

Find more information on the HorseQuest Novice Masters by visiting www.britisheventing.com/novice-masters

As a British Eventing member, you receive 10% off advertising year round with HorseQuest, plus your advert will also feature on the HorseQuest page. Simply use code BEOP10 at the checkout. Find out more here https://www.horsequest.co.uk/britisheventing

07/07/2024

After Fern gave us all a little scare earlier in the week with respiratory problems, thanks to the prompt response from my excellent vet Gem Equine Veterinary Services the matter has been sorted quickly. It has meant that we have had to suspend training and competing whilst she takes her meds and they then leave her system, but we went for a steady walk out today and no sign of coughing. 😊

24/06/2024

As we head into another hot summer please help to avoid heat stroke, dehydration and colic with your horses and ponies..
☀️Make sure they have easy access to lots of clean water
☀️Hosing or sponging them down and not using a sweat scraper or towel to dry them
☀️Salt licks to replace salts lost in the sweat and to encourage drinking
☀️Access to shade or well ventilated stabling during the day
☀️Electrolyte sachets can be added to water
☀️Exercise should be done early in the morning or late evenings when it is coolest

We hope everyone is keeping cool 😎

22/06/2024

We are very excited to announce we are now offering a complete endoparasite monitoring programme. Faecal egg counts are completed in house for FAST results and advice tailored to your horse and their management.
We advise 3-5 faecal egg counts and 1-2 Equisal saliva tape worm tests per year depending on the risk level of your horse or pony.
We aim to have good control over the parasite population to keep your horse healthy and reduce resistance to worming products.

Sample submission form:

https://gemequine.co.uk/information/faecal-egg-count-sample/

Please enquire by text or WhatsApp for our annual monitoring program 🪱🪱🩺🩺🥼🔬

19/06/2024

New in! ⭐️
We get lots of questions about feeding the good doers and the laminitic prone. Here is a perfect solution for ponies and horses who need a restricted diet to keep their weight down but don’t want to miss out on vitamins, minerals and protein… Supporting muscle development and function without the calories 🏇🏇

14/06/2024

It’s hard to believe but these 3 were very well behaved ... ⭐️⭐️⭐️🐴🐴🐴Here they are snoozing off the sedative after a stress free annual dental 🦷 🩺🦷🩺

07/06/2024

Best of luck to this weeks vet student Katie who many of you will have met. Foal cuddles with Fergie the highland pony 🐴🐴

07/06/2024

With the wet and sunny weather giving us a plentiful supply of grass, it’s important to stay on top of your horse’s weight management! ☀️🌿🌱🌳🍃

Why is it essential to make sure my horse isn’t carrying too much weight?

* Laminitis - being overweight is one of the most frequent causes of this painful condition. It can affect any horse, not just native breeds.
* Joint and limb problems - obesity puts more weight and strain through joint, tendons and ligaments.

How can I monitor my horse’s weight?

We can use body condition or fat scoring to monitor a horses’ weight, by simply using our hands! 🙌🏼 Follow the steps below and compare to our chart:

1. Feel your horse’s neck. Does it feel wobbly or firm? Does it get thicker as you move from the poll to the withers?
2. Run your hand down your horse’s neck to the shoulder. Does the point of the shoulder blade stop your hand? Or is there fat covering stopping it?
3. Lay your hand over the horse’s back. Does it arch over the spine or has fat built up either side, making your hand flat?
4. Run your hands along your horse’s sides. Can you feel its ribs?
5. Look at your horse from behind (safely!). Does it appear like a ‘C’ on its side? Does it look more like an M?

What BCS is ideal?

2 - horses who race or event
3 - horses used for shows or leisure

My horse is overweight - what can I do?

Here are some helpful tips that may help your horse lose weight:

* Brisk walking or trotting - horses burn carbohydrates during faster work so get them into a brisk walk or trot to burn the fat. Adding lunging into your routine 2-3x week for 10-20 minutes.
* Reduce your horse’s rate of consumption e.g. use a grazing muzzle, small-holed hay net, track systems, strip grazing.
* Weigh your feed and find a container that fits the exact amount - sometimes, it can be easy to deviate from the correct amount without realising…
* Soak hay with fresh water for 12 hours to reduce its calorie content
* Consider whether your horse needs the rug - horses have waterproof coats and generate their own heat so may benefit from a lighter rug or no rug at all.

If you would like help scoring your horse just ask at your next consultation!
**credit to this weeks vet student Katie for writing this post

06/06/2024

Today, we honour the heroes of D-Day on its 80th anniversary. On June 6, 1944, brave soldiers stormed the beaches of Normandy, changing the course of history. Their courage and sacrifice paved the way for freedom and peace. We remember and thank these extraordinary individuals for their unwavering bravery.

20/05/2024

More lovely foals, highland ponies… George born yesterday and step sister Fergie 👑👑🐴🐴🩺

15/05/2024

A little update on a big foal….Eclipse has lost his zebra stripes but is loving life. He has been marked up , microchipped and had a hair sample taken for DNA testing so that he can be registered as a Shire Horse. He’s just full of beans and would have eaten his passport application with his new teeth if I’d let him 🩺🐴🐴🩺

15/05/2024

02/05/2024

Another beautiful shire filly born healthy and strong with the proudest owner 💪🍼🐴🩺

Pixie had a great IgG test result which takes 7 minutes to run at the yard. This confirmed she’d had enough high quality colostrum from the dam and so should be protected from infections. Without enough colostrum little foals are at risk of sepsis so it’s really important to test them in the first 24 hours!

22/04/2024

For those heading to HOYS please be aware of the vaccination requirements 😊🐴

https://hoys.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-EQUINE-INFLUENZA-VACCINATION-REQUIREMENTS.pdf?

10/04/2024

How cute is Eclipse!? He was born yesterday morning and is doing really well. He’s got unusual zebra stripes on his back 🦓 🦓 but he is in fact a full Shire by artificial insemination. Here he is posing with our vet student Leah🐴🐴

22/02/2024

The Foot and Farriery - client evening
We had a great turnout last night at Derby College Broomfield Hall. Thanks all who attended and made the evening interactive & informative. Chris Greenwood AWCF giving us a great insight into the farriery based management of foot pathologies.

Thanks to all who donated to the Blue Cross charity collection.

25/01/2024

CLIENT EVENING - The Foot and Farriery - 21st February 6:30pm arrival for 6:45 start at Broomfield College.

All clients are welcome to join us for a presentation reviewing the anatomy and common problems in the foot. Farrier Chris Greenwood AWCF will also be joining us.

Please contact us to RSVP by sending us a message, text or email.
We kindly ask you make a suggested £2 donation which will be donated to the Blue Cross Rehoming Centre.

We’re really looking forward to seeing you all and hope it’s an interesting and fun evening. 🐴🐴🐴🩺🩺🩺

02/01/2024

Preparing your horse for a vetting or pre-purchase examination

01/01/2024

Happy New Year to all our lovely clients and their fabulous hoomans! May this year bring health and happiness to all 😊🐴🥂🍾🎉🥳

Discover even more ideas for you

28/12/2023

Ever heard us say “Infundibular caries” when looking at your horse’s teeth and wondered what we mean?

The upper cheek teeth are formed of folds of cementum, dentine and enamel. There is a cup or tube of cementum which runs through the middle of the tooth and can be eroded by bacteria creating an erosion. Some horses have poor cementum quality or density and so are more likely to develop infundibular caries.
Mild infundibular caries are very common especially in older horses. Severe caries can weaken the tooth making them susceptible to fractures later in life.

Our dental scopes allow us to show you and record dental abnormalities in your horses mouth.

This picture shows the grinding surface of a tooth with 2 infundibular caries - one large and black, the other small and filled with food.

🦷🦷🐴🐴🩺🩺

13/12/2023

We would like to thank our great clients for their continued support. It is very much appreciated as always 😊🐴