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Where Does My Horse Hurt? Helping horse owners help their horse at: www.wheredoesmyhorsehurt.com

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Horse vet helping you help your horse at http://www.wheredoesmyhorsehurt.com

Free Conference -  Join me at The Equine Vaccine and Holistic Care ConferenceDo you want to provide the best care for ho...
02/07/2025

Free Conference - Join me at The Equine Vaccine and Holistic Care Conference

Do you want to provide the best care for horse? This is your chance.

A friend of mine, Dr. Jeff Grognet has created this conference and has gathered 22 experts, all talking about topics important to your friend’s health and well-being.

I am speaking on my vaccine journey. Also called, "How to avoid banging your head against a wall like I did"

It starts July 8th and runs for seven days. New webinars are released daily.

I have a complimentary ticket for you. Sign up at this link: https://lg403.isrefer.com/go/RTConf12/RenTu/

Hope to see you there,
Renee Tucker, DVM

Great research list!
21/04/2025

Great research list!

Turnout is one of the most polarizing topics in modern horse keeping. So, let’s skip the debate. We’ve gathered some results from veterinary science, peer-reviewed journals, and international welfare assessments. These are real numbers, from real studies, so you can make strategic decisions rooted in evidence, not tradition.

-A 25% reduction in soft tissue injuries was found in adult horses turned out for at least 12 hours daily, compared to those kept in stalls greater than 12 hours daily. (Reilly & Bryk-Lucy, 2021)

-Comparing turnout duration, a study found that horses with only 2 hours of turnout exhibited significantly higher energy levels, anxiety, and behaviors such as rearing, bucking, and fence running, whereas horses receiving over 12 hours of turnout were more likely to walk, graze, and remain calm. (Hockenhull & Creighton, 2010)

-Foals receiving inconsistent turnout (9 to 23 hours per day) had 4.6 times more musculoskeletal injuries than those with 24/7 access to turnout. Furthermore, for every extra acre of turnout, there was a 24% reduction in injury risk. (Brown-Douglas et al., 2022)

-A study on 2-year-old horses found that those kept in individual stalls required more time to get used to training activities and showed more unwanted behaviors, like resistance or agitation, than horses kept on pasture. The stalled horses needed an average of 26 minutes of training time, while the pastured horses needed only 19 minutes, to complete the same task. Additionally, the stalled horses were more likely to show unwanted behaviors during training (8 instances on average compared to just 2 for pastured horses). (Rivera et al., 2002)

-Stall-kept livestock experience a higher incidence of hoof-related issues, including uneven hoof growth and lameness, while those with access to turnout demonstrated healthier, more balanced hoof development. (Black, R.A. et al., 2017)

-A European welfare study using the AWIN protocol assessed 315 horses in group-housing turnout systems. Only 2.3% of these horses exhibited signs of lameness, compared to lameness rates as high as 33% in stalled horses across various studies. (AWIN Welfare Assessment, 2023)

-Within just one day of moving from group turnout to individual stalling, equine cortisol levels spike, and their white blood cell count shows significant changes, including a 25% increase in neutrophils (a type of white blood cell) and a decrease in infection-fighting cells like monocytes and T cells. Additionally, behaviors indicative of stress, such as oral manipulation, neighing, pawing, and apathy, became evident in most horses within a week. (Schmucker et al., 2022)

-Horses with regular turnout showed higher heart rate variability, indicating improved balance in their autonomic nervous system and greater stress resilience. (Rietmann et al., 2004)

-Welsh ponies who received daily pasture turnout in a herd exhibited fewer stress-related behaviors, were significantly calmer, less fearful, less reactive, more interactive with humans, and more adaptable in learning tasks compared to ponies housed in impoverished environments (stalls with limited turnout). Even three months after the study, ponies in the enriched group retained these positive behaviors and demonstrated higher curiosity and superior learning performance. (Lansade et al., 2014)

Can you find a single peer-reviewed study that shows horses kept stabled 24/7 are sounder, healthier, or happier than those with regular turnout? Even the most finely tuned, performance-focused horses are still horses. Just like any other, they require room to roam, stretch their legs, and engage in natural behaviors such as grazing and socializing.

It’s important to recognize that no horse truly dislikes turnout. If a horse resists going outside, it’s due to improper conditioning, previous negative experiences, or being overwhelmed by a sudden change in environment: what’s known as "flooding." Horses who’ve been confined for extended periods or who’ve never had proper exposure to outdoor spaces may react with anxiety or reluctance. These reactions stem from fear, not from an inherent dislike of turnout. With patience and gradual exposure, every horse can be reconditioned to embrace the outdoors. After all, instincts tell them to roam, graze, and move, it's in their nature.

Of course, there are times when limiting a horse's movement is necessary, such as during health issues or transportation. In these instances, it’s crucial to understand the physiological and psychological changes that occur so we can minimize stress and discomfort.

Turnout is a biological necessity. To support our horses’ overall health and well-being, we must prioritize their freedom to move. After all, a healthy, happy horse is one that has the opportunity to be just that: a horse.

Free Conference -  Join me at The Holistic Horse Conference -Your Gateway to Natural Equine CareDo you want to provide t...
28/01/2025

Free Conference - Join me at The Holistic Horse Conference -Your Gateway to Natural Equine Care

Do you want to provide the best care for horse? This is your chance.

Friends of mine, Dr. Jeff Grognet and Joan Ranquet, have created this conference and has gathered 22 experts, all talking about topics important to your friend’s health and well-being.

I will be talking about fun topics such as….how I ended up in alternative medicine, and how you can always find the answers to your horses problems — just by doing this one thing.

It starts February 1st and runs for six days. New webinars are released daily.

I have a complimentary ticket for you. Sign up at this link: https://lg403.isrefer.com/go/RTConf10/RenTu/

Renee Tucker, DVM

PS. There’s a discount code for my ebook Reverse the Diagnosis available too. :)

20/11/2024

Some nice person sent me a video with a horse's knee buckling. That's when the knee just doesn't seem to lock, and it buckles forward, usually causing the horse to stumble.

I thought we could talk about what it could be.

What grabs the eye is the knee.

That must be the problem, right?

Nope.

It could be the problem. What else could it be?

It's helpful to change the question we're asking.

Most people start with this question: "the knee is buckling, so what's wrong with the knee?"

But always remember, the symptom (what we see) is almost always the compensation for the real problem.

Therefore, the real question is: "what could be cause of the knee not locking?"

Knee's don't lock when the stay apparatus isn't working. The stay apparatus goes up and down the entire leg. Therefore, what could affect the stay apparatus?

Here's my list:
knee arthritis
hoof trimming issues (imbalance or too high heel)
misalignment anywhere in the leg and/or sternum

My point here is not to list all possibilities.

My point is to help you shift your questions.

Because if you don't have the right questions, you can't get the right answers.

So just memorize this: the symptom we see or feel is almost always the compensation for the real problem.

If you know that, you can figure out anything.

80-90% of Sacroiliac (SI) problems are NOT caused by the sacroiliac joint itself.If the issue was solely the SI joint, t...
19/09/2024

80-90% of Sacroiliac (SI) problems are NOT caused by the sacroiliac joint itself.

If the issue was solely the SI joint, then a simply chiropractic adjustment would fix the problem.

Instead, so many horses are in constant SI pain; getting their SI joints injected which sometimes helps, sometimes does not.

And some of them are even being put down for this issue.

It's so sad because it is very fixable.

Find out the three real reasons for SI issues, and what you can do about them in today's podcast.

Today's Horse Mysteries Solved podcast:

https://wheredoesmyhorsehurt.com/podcast-episode-56-are-you-sure-the-sacroiliac-si-is-the-real-problem/

Today's Horse Mysteries Now podcast is about equine skin issues.There's so many!   All with fantastic names:   mud fever...
05/09/2024

Today's Horse Mysteries Now podcast is about equine skin issues.

There's so many! All with fantastic names: mud fever, rain rot, rain scald, malanders, scratches, grease heel, fly allergies, and more.

Guess what?

They're all caused by the same things.

Humans just like to name them something different.

Regardless of the name, you can get rid of the skin issues.

Find out more on the podcast: https://wheredoesmyhorsehurt.com/podcast-episode-55-equine-skin-issues-not-bacteria-or-fungus/

Have you heard that suspensory ligament "pulls" happen mainly from overuse?Either you're "riding too much, or doing too ...
22/08/2024

Have you heard that suspensory ligament "pulls" happen mainly from overuse?

Either you're "riding too much, or doing too much for the horses level, or overdoing a specific movement."

That's wrong.

You need TWO items to be going wrong with your horse in order to have a suspensory pull:
A misaligned leg AND a problem with the liver

More about this on Horse Mysteries Solved podcast here: https://wheredoesmyhorsehurt.com/podcast-episode-54-suspensory-issues-with-your-horse-why-it-happens-and-how-to-fix-it/

Have you seen horses with asthma struggle to breath?  It's heartbreaking.Today on Horse Mysteries Solved, I share why ho...
08/08/2024

Have you seen horses with asthma struggle to breath? It's heartbreaking.

Today on Horse Mysteries Solved, I share why horses get equine asthma, COPD, RAO, heaves, etc.

All those "diagnosis" are really the same condition: A spectrum of breathing difficulties.

The podcast is not about medications, or diagnosis...it's about why the horses have trouble breathing in the first place. And what you can do about it.

It's not about dust, or pollen, or allergens.

The real cause is here: https://wheredoesmyhorsehurt.com/podcast-episode-52-coughing-asthma-copd-heaves-rao-why-horses-get-these-symptoms-and-what-to-do-about-it/

I know you've worked hard on your horse's saddle fit.   Most horse owners have either had a saddle fitter out, or watche...
26/07/2024

I know you've worked hard on your horse's saddle fit. Most horse owners have either had a saddle fitter out, or watched multiple saddle fitting videos, or both.

But occasionally I hear, "I've tried everything, but nothing fits my horse. He or she is so asymmetrical!"

This podcast is for you.

I talk about 3 important misalignments in this Horse Mysteries Solved podcast: https://wheredoesmyhorsehurt.com/podcast-episode-52-the-impossibles-difficult-saddle-fit/

There's no other videos out there talking about these items, so you might want to take a listen. Perhaps you'll be able to help your barn-mates as well.

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