Equine Performance Veterinary Services

11/11/2024

Happy Veterans Day! 🇺🇸

Thank you to those who have served ❤️

*Photo credit to the USMC*

06/11/2024

EPVS Clients,

Due to the volume of outside pharmacy scripts and the time taken out of Dr. Baney’s and Maddie’s day to approve scripts and talk with pharmacies, effective today (11/6/2024) we will be sending owners written scripts to present to outside pharmacies.

In order for your scripts to be approved, the patient must be up to date on a yearly exam.

Please feel free to call the office at 724-655-3336 or email at [email protected] with any questions or concerns.

31/10/2024

Dr. Baney and Julia will be out of the office on Thursday 10/31 and Friday 11/1 visiting their families! They will resume regular hours on Tuesday 11/5.

Maddie will be available by phone and email to answer any questions or scheduling needs.

Enjoy the rest of your week and Happy Halloween! 🎃👻

19/10/2024

To end Vet Tech Week, We celebrated with dinner and a haunted hay ride featuring two of our favorite spooky characters! 🎃👻

Thank you to Lonesome Valley Farms Valley of terror for a great night!

16/10/2024

Really great article about the importance of a Pre Purchase Exam!

https://equinelegalsolutions.com/critical-equine-veterinary-pre-purchase-exam-ppe-mistakes/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3y5yG4tTJlZLrnNK5e7z_Rv-sbq_QqDlxOosOXCTf2gRNv-jSLevaWKQY_aem_fizCqVcQtuDMiIfTq60Kww

At Equine Legal Solutions, many of our legal consultations are with unhappy horse buyers. Many have made one or more of the following horse-buying mistakes. 1. Not Getting a Prepurchase Exam One of the first questions we ask is, “Did you get a prepurchase exam (PPE)?” Often, the answer is “no....

14/10/2024

Did you know that every year, a week in October is dedicated to recognizing, and appreciating all the hard working veterinary technicians?

Veterinary technicians wear many hats and help make a practice run smoothly! We would be nothing without them!

This week we’d like to appreciate Julia, our veterinary technician! She does so much for our patients and her love for the profession always shines!

HAPPY VET TECH WEEK JULIA!❤️🐾

11/10/2024

A huge thank you to Mega Money Bingo - Hempfield Community Bingo and Live Casino Pittsburgh for hosting the Charitable Community Bingo this past week to benefit the Making Strides Foundation! Thanks to your support and the incredible turnout, we raised over $7,100 to support our therapy and adaptive riding programs for children and young adults with disabilities. We are beyond grateful for your partnership and for helping us make a lasting impact in our community!

08/10/2024

Dr. Baney is celebrating her 40th birthday today! After a day seeing our awesome patients, she is enjoying a birthday dinner with some friends and family.

If you see Dr. Baney this week, give her a big birthday shout out! 🎉🎉🎉

29/09/2024

Dr. Baney’s final update from the 2024 NAEP Equine Practitioner’s Conference:

Friday’s lectures by Dr. Denoix and Dr Hagen were excellent. Some of the topics included ultrasonographic diagnosis of muscle injuries, management options other than corticosteroids and therapeutic shoeing for tendon lesions.

Saturday was the much anticipated wet-lab day! I attended hands-on sessions such as field x-ray tips and tricks (neck, back, stifle, fetlock), practical evaluation of the neck (including ultrasound) and ultrasound of the stifle, shoulder/elbow and hock. Needless to say the instructors were amazing and made sure to focus on clinically relevant aspects that truly benefit ambulatory and in-clinic veterinarians!

A huge thank you goes out to Dr. Sasha Hill (NAEP President), Dave Dawson (NAEP CEO) and the entire board of the NAEP for a well done 2024 Equine Practitioner’s Conference!

27/09/2024

Update from Dr. Baney on the NAEP Saratoga Equine Practitioner Conference:

My brain is on overload after yesterday’s lectures! Dr. Jean-Marie Denoix presented on carpal canal conditions, meniscal injuries and medial fetlock overload in sport horses. His attention to detail and focus on anatomy are amazing. Guess what my favorite part of his talks were? Ultrasound of course!!! He showed us an awesome way to get a good ultrasound view of the cranial aspect of the meniscus and meniscotibial ligament by looking at the stifle in a flexed position. I’m really excited to try it at the wet lab on Saturday!

Dr. Travis Tull spoke about diagnosing cervical pain and showed some very cool CT images of cervical osteoarthritis and nerve root impingement. CT scans of the neck give us 3-dimensional images of the vertebral column which helps identify horses that could benefit from a foraminotomy. Foraminotomy is a surgical procedure in which some of the bone from the enlarged facet (that is causing compression of the spinal nerve root) is removed in order to widen the intervertebral foramen and decrease compression on the nerve root. This surgery may be a game changer for horses with cervical nerve root compression.

Last, but certainly not least, Dr. Jenny Hagen (veterinary, farrier and researcher) presented a lecture about the correlation between function of the thoracic sling/body posture and hoof conformation. Dysfunction in the neck, back and/or pelvis can change gait patterns which in turn then change the load at the hoof level and ultimately alter hoof conformation. So if your farrier makes a comment about your horse’s posture or notes that they have back pain, maybe there is something more going on that we need to investigate. Farriers are a phenomenal resource for veterinarians because they see your horse and your horse’s feet every 4-6 weeks!

A huge thank you goes out to Smart Pak for an awesome experience at the Oklahoma Training Track this morning! A group of us had the opportunity to go watch the racehorses exercise. It was an early, chilly, foggy morning, but it was so worth it!! Enjoy some pics below!,

26/09/2024

Update from Dr. Baney on the NAEP Saratoga Equine Practitioner Conference:

Yesterday was jam packed with great lectures! Mr. Mike Savoldi, APF, spoke about trimming fundamentals and the arch of the equine foot. Dr Kate Bills, VMD, DACVR, gave tips and tricks on imaging of fetlock region and the use of advanced imaging such as CT, MRI and PET scan to diagnose lesions in bone/soft tissue.

A welcome reception was held in the evening which provided a great opportunity to catch up with veterinarian and farrier friends, both local and international. It’s so awesome to see equine practitioners come together to learn, share stories/cases and be able to work together for the betterment of the horse!

24/09/2024

Dr. Baney is headed to Saratoga Springs for the annual NAEP equine practitioners conference. This year’s line up of speakers and content on lameness and podiatry look to be exceptional! Stay tuned for updates from Saratoga!

Dr. Baney will be out of the office 9/24-9/30. Maddie will be available by phone and email Tuesday-Friday 7am-3pm.

We look forward to all the exciting knowledge, and new discoveries Dr. Baney will bring home to our clients and patients!

17/09/2024

Thank you Making Strides Foundation and Yinzer Valley Farms for a beautiful and fun girls day! Dr. Baney and Maddie attended the event supporting the Making Strides Foundation and the National Day of the Cowgirl this past Sunday. The Making Strides Foundation provides outpatient therapy services, adaptive riding lessons, and equine assisted learning programming to children and young adults living with disabilities.

Dr. Baney is proud to sit on the Board of Directors and be able to offer sports medicine care to the horses of this amazing organization.

Making Strides Foundation

14/09/2024

Hope to see some of our EPVS clients at Yinzer winery tomorrow to support The Making Strides Foundation!!!

🤠 Tomorrow's the big day! Join us for the National Day of the Cowgirl "Sip and Shop" Event at Yinzer Valley Farms from 11 AM - 2 PM! 🎉

Get ready for an afternoon filled with music, amazing vendors, High On The Hog PA food truck, and delicious drinks for purchase from Yinzer Valley Farms, including a specialty cocktail. Dress in your "western best" and celebrate the American Cowgirl while supporting the Making Strides Foundation.

🎟️ Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online today or at the door tomorrow. Don't forget to check the map for the exact building where the event will take place!

Those who have already pre-registered themselves and guests can check-in at the door upon arrival.

See you there! 🤠💃
➡️ https://www.zeffy.com/ticketing/68d701c2-776a-4c9b-befa-4e0188fe4ca3

10/09/2024

A really nice article written by a great friend and client. Enjoy the read!

I learned to ride in the 1990s in western Pennsylvania. The two barns where I spent my childhood were chosen out of convenience: both walking distance from home. My parents weren’t horse people, though my aunt had two backyard trail horses that I fawned over at every visit, prompting my desperate ...

09/09/2024

Starting this week, we are welcoming back Maddie from maternity leave! We are so happy to have her back running the office.

We want to give a huge shout out to Diana Baney for all her hard work during Maddie’s time off. We could not have done this without her!

Our office hours will be adjusted to 7am-3pm. Any calls or emails made after 3pm may be addressed the next business day during office hours. Please continue to give Maddie AT LEAST 48-72 hours to get prescription requests approved and completed. We thank all of our amazing clients for their patience and understanding during Maddie’s time off!

Happy riding!
Dr. Alexis and Maddie

02/09/2024

Happy Labor Day! The office will be closed today in observance of the holiday. We will reopen on Tuesday, 9/3/24 at 10 am.

Have a wonderful, relaxing day!

14/08/2024

Biomechanics, Common Injuries, and Prevention of Injury in Western Pleasure Horses by Dr Baney

The Western Pleasure horse should be free flowing, balanced, willing, and give the appearance of being a pleasure to ride. Western Pleasure horses should carry their neck level, or just above level, in relation to the withers. They have a strong, compact stride. The walk is a flat footed, relaxed, four-beat gait. The jog is a two-beat gait where diagonal legs move and hit the ground at the same time. It should be a slightly up and down motion, but without excessive head and neck movement. At the jog, the Western Pleasure horse should keep a “flat knee” (very little to no carpal flexion). To do this, the horse must engage the hind limbs by driving the hind leg directly under the abdomen, using the hindquarters and loin to elevate the shoulders and front end. The lope is a three-beat gait in which the horse carries most of its weight with the hindlimbs and back. The horse’s back should be round and the head/neck steady. Horses that lope with a “flat knee” are given maximum credit by the judge. Western Pleasure horses may also be asked to perform an extended jog where the horse moves at an increased length of stride and speed.
Common Injuries:
Injuries in Western Pleasure horses are like those of other disciplines; however, lameness localized to the foot are approximately 40%. Hock osteoarthritis, suspensory ligament disorders and stifle issues are common. Back pain and muscle disorders can also be observed.
The most common lameness issues that are localized to the foot are heel pain, deep digital flexor tendon tears, and collateral ligament injuries of the coffin joint. Podotrochlosis (navicular disease) is inflammation of the podotrochlear anatomy of the foot (navicular bone, coffin bone, deep digital flexor tendon within the foot, navicular bursa, as well as other small ligaments). Navicular disease can be genetic, conformational (small, narrow, upright feet; significant downhill build), poor hoof care, and repetitive stress/concussion.

Arthritis/osteoarthritis of the hock joints is common in Western Pleasure horses due to conformation (straight hocks) and repetitive stress (a slow gait where the majority of the horse’s weight is carried on the hind limbs). Other common places of osteoarthritis are the pastern (forelimbs and hindlimbs), coffin and stifle joints. Osteochondrosis (OCD lesions), a developmental orthopedic disease, is not uncommon in young Quarter Horses. The joints of Western Pleasure horses most affected by developmental orthopedic disease are the hocks and stifles.

Injuries to the origin of the suspensory ligament can occur due to repetitive stress of training and conformation. Deep digital flexor tendon tears are another common cause of lameness and are often involved with navicular disease.

Back/sacroiliac pain secondary to hock, coffin, or pastern joint osteoarthritis is another common cause of discomfort and sometimes lameness. Riders lacking in balance and experience can also contribute to back pain. Another common cause is poor saddle fit. There are several hereditary muscle disorders in the American Quarter Horse (PSSM type I, Hyperkalemic Periodic Paralysis (HYPP), Malignant Hyperthermia (MH), Myosin-Heavy Chain Myopathy (MYHM), Hereditary Equine Regional Dermal Asthenia (HERDA), and Glycogen Branching Enzyme Deficiency (GBED).

Prevention of Injury:

The phrase “no hoof, no horse” comes to mind when thinking about prevention of injury, seeing as how problems within the foot make up 40% of lameness in Western Pleasure horses. Keeping a good relationship with your farrier is of the upmost importance. Horses should be kept on a regular trimming/shoeing cycle. Inappropriate hoof angles and overgrown toes can predispose horses to soft tissue injuries.

Adequate overall fitness, appropriate warm-up and cool downs are important ways to prevent injury. With that being said, overworking horses (especially with excessive lunging on small circles), and too much repetitive stress can do the exact opposite and increase risk of injury. Diversified training can be very useful to prevent musculoskeletal injuries as well as maintaining good mental health.

Having an excellent relationship with your primary veterinarian and sports medicine veterinarian can help provide early diagnosis and treatment of injury. Intramuscular joint supplements and orthobiologics for intra-articular injection may help reduce the wear and tear on joints. There are several options for joint treatment on the market that promote joint health and keep these athletes performing at top levels.

1. Noble, J. Lameness in the Western Pleasure horse. Proceedings of the annual convention of the AAEP. 2001.
2. Gollehon, R. Selecting for Western Pleasure. Horsemanship Journal. 2023.
3. Brunt, R. The Western type. Horsemanship Journal. 2023.
4. Navarra, K and Matsler, T. Lameness in all-around and reining horses. The American Quarter Horse Journal. 15 June 2020.
5. Kentucky Equine Research Staff. Common Lamenesses in Western Performance Horses Identified. Equinews. 30 June 2021.
6. Gantz, T. Health care for Western Performance horses. The Horse. 10 June 2024.
7. Larson, E. Sidelined: 4 common injuries in Western Performance horses. The Horse. 26 June 2024.