Sand Spring Equine Practice

09/26/2022

Thanks for checking in! SSEP posts are being made on the Colquhoun Equine Health & Performance page.
See you there!!!

03/02/2020

Thank you for visiting this page. Posts are now being made on the Colquhoun Equine Health & Performance page, rather than SSEP!

07/17/2019

Phone is Fixed!

07/16/2019

Phones are down. Please text (201) 572-7790.
Follow us on the Colquhoun Equine Health page!

05/19/2016

Thanks for the recent SSEP likes! I'm using the Colquhoun Equine Health & Performance page for new posts.

01/31/2016

Sand Spring Equine will do business going forward as Colquhoun Equine Health & Performance. Visit the Colquhoun Equine Health page. This practice will focus on intelligent natural medicine seeking to provide optimal health and performance including comprehensive health evaluation and nutritional, medical ( conventional and complimentary), and exercise recommendations and therapies.

01/26/2016

Looking for way to guard against EHV? The supplement L-Lysine is often used to help treat Herpes infections. It reduces the virus' ability to reproduce. If you show or your horse comes in regular contact with other horses, consider supplementing with this amino acid as a precaution!!!

01/19/2016

When the USEF Annual Meeting happened Jan 13-16, there was big news of a new CEO and impassioned discussions in the form of Town Hall meetings about doping and coaching. And then there were the more normal—though no less important—items of business like passing rules, which the USEF Board of Directo…

01/10/2016

Here is an excerpt from The Nature of Horses and Horse Management by Brian F. Colquhoun, DVM, MS, CVA

What, then, is the nature of the domestic horse today? In one sense it can be said that the nature of the horse is dependent upon its use and since there are many uses for horses, from the draft horses that plow fields on Amish farms, to the working Quarterhorses that are still used on ranches in the western United States, to the handsome cab horses that pull tourists around cities in ornate carriages, to the plethora of different sport, show, lesson and reproductive horses that exists worldwide, there are many different “natures” of those horses. In truth, however, it is not the nature of the horse, but the nature of horse management and of the human-horse relationship that differs.
Throughout over 6,000 years of horse domestication, the effects of people seeking to change and mould the horse for specific purposes is evident. One needs only to pick up any book on horse breeds to see the results of those efforts; and yet, have breeding programs that produced such a large number of horse breeds fundamentally changed the horse as a species?
Certainly, different traits have been selected that give a certain appearance or take advantage of specific dispositions and abilities, and through such selection the Arabian stands out for endurance and the ability to tolerate arid environments while the Thoroughbred can sustain high speeds for extended distances and the Quarterhorse excels at sprints and quick turns. It can be said then, that the nature of horses has been changed by human intervention. Still, horses, wild, feral and domestic remain herd grazers with the same basic social and nutritional requirements. They still need interaction with other members of their own species, something that is frequently denied, and they will often develop behavioral vices when it is absent. Their basic anatomy, while slightly modified, is still essentially the same as it has been for over four million years. In other words, the fundamental needs and nature of the horse has not been essentially changed.

01/08/2016

New for 2016, Sand Spring Equine Practice is pleased to announce the addition of the Equine Wellness Program to our services. There are three levels of participation. Contact the clinic for details.

We have several other exciting changes on the way and will unveil them over the next couple of months. Check back often!!!

12/29/2015

12/27/2015

While EHV-1 is again rearing its ugly head (as seems to happen almost every winter somewhere), it is important not to panic as we have seen in some blogs. The virus does not last long in the environment and is inactivated by sunlight and products like bleach.If you come in contact with the virus at a horse show and then drive back to the barn, it is very unlikely you will pass the virus to any horses, especially if you wash your hands.

Be smart: avoid horse to horse contact at shows, fox hunts, clinics, etc. Don't borrow or use equipment that is not specifically for your horse. Remember to wash and disinfect trailers, buckets and anything that can transmit respiratory fluids from infected horses. Stay home from events if your horse "ain't doin' right," and contact your vet if you have questions or concerns.

12/24/2015

From all of us at Sand Spring Equine Practice have a very Merry and Blessed Christmas and a Happy Holiday Season!!!

12/14/2015

In the winter, longer hair coats, shorter days, blankets and reduced turnout can result in a deficiency of Vitamin D. The amount in hay varies and many grains don't have any. Low vitamin D can affect both health and performance. While supplementation may be necessary, it is important to test vitamin (and mineral) levels before adding them to your horse's ration.

12/11/2015

How PRI can help performance and health Why should we care about posture in horses? Because it informs us about how their complex neuro-musculoskeletal system ...

11/19/2015

Our on-line store is up and running at

www.sandspringequine.vetsfirstchoice.com

11/16/2015

Here is another excerpt from my book:
The Nature of the Horse and Horse Management
Look for it early in 2016!!!

CHAPTER 12
HORSES PRESENT

“Thanks again Doc. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your help and I just wanted to give you some good news for a change… I will… OK, we’ll see you then. Good bye.”
Sandy Martin hit the end button on her cell phone and realized she had a smile on her face. She’d just informed the vet, John Murdoch, that it had been over 9 months since she’d had a significant problem with any of the horses in her care. The bouts of colic and choke had stopped; lacerations were rare; coughing and allergies were mild or non-existent and the horses seemed happy. As she opened the door to her office, flicked off the light switch and turned to leave for the day, she began to think about how much she had learned that enabled her to improve the quality of life of the 30 horses in her care. The best part was, she didn’t have to change that much; small changes here and there had made huge differences and they all just took into account the nature of the animals in her barn.
Horses are large, powerful, fast, athletic and clever. They are communicative, have a great capacity to learn and are companionable. Each of these characteristics is and has been very important for their survival over the 55 million years of their development. Selective breeding programs have enhanced these traits, yet the examination of the wild and feral equids around the world today suggests that that selection was a refinement of what already existed and not a creation of anything new.
Any visit to an equestrian event cannot help but impress the observer with an appreciation of the range of abilities that horses, as athletes, possess. Any visit to an equine veterinary clinic can similarly make the limitations of those abilities clear.
Keeping in mind that adaptation is an ongoing developmental process, an examination of some fundamental structural and behavioral characteristics of domestic horses is necessary. Throughout the discussion of evolution and current equid species, several anatomical structures were discussed. These included the eyes, jaw, limb musculoskeletal composition and digestive system. Further, social structure and behavior were examined. The domestic horse represents, for the equine professional and enthusiast, the culmination of this anatomical and behavioral development, without which thousands of years of human-horse interaction would never have occurred.

11/11/2015

War Horses. Highly trained, and against all their instincts these Horses will lay still during a battle. This is an example of an incredible trust and bond between Man and animal. THANK YOU to our Veterans, 2 and 4 legged for your service!!!