Northern Colorado Equine

01/08/2024

De Lux Design - perlino, frame, homozygous agouti, Jockey Club registered stallion- will be available for breeding this year. Add some color to your foals!

12/21/2023

Special through the end of 2023!!! Teeth floating with hand tools is $20 off. Now $90!!! Call 307-272-3765 for an appointment. This discount really adds if you have more than one horse that needs to have their teeth floated.
***$10 credit on your account with Northern Colorado Equine to anyone that shares this post 3 times. Thank you!***

12/21/2023

Show to Win (buckskin, thoroughbred stallion) and Dr. Tarr

09/27/2023

After his hip dislocation, and an all clear by his ortho doc, Dr Tarr is happy to be back to work full time.

07/18/2022

01/12/2022

Here are some helpful tips on what to look for during Stage 1, 2, and 3 of Labor 🐴

Happy Foaling Season!

12/11/2021

Did You Know? Turnout Can Affect Bone Density

Researchers have found that turning a young horse out to pasture 12 or more hours a day can improve bone density. Researchers in the Netherlands reported significantly lower (37% ± 4%) bone density of the hock of five-month-old foals that were stalled compared to pasture-raised.

In a different study from Michigan State University, researchers found that the cannon bone circumference increased in foals who were either pasture-raised or on a daily 12-hour turnout, while the stalled group did not. Their takeaway message is to keep young horses on pasture for at least 12 hours a day while the bones are maturing.

11/27/2021

LETS TALK ABOUT ULCERS AND ALFALFA!!!!

Thought this was neat and worth sharing🤔

Alfalfa and horses with ulcers
Research from Texas A&M University shows that feeding alfalfa to horses with the potential to be high performers either prevents or is therapeutic in treating stomach ulcers.

Something in alfalfa hay tends to buffer acid production, said Dr. Pete Gibbs, Extension horse specialist. Feeding grain, confinement, exercise and overall environmental stress factors are thought to cause ulcers, he said. Studies have shown that horses will heal if provided less acidic diets.

In the research, 24 quarter horses from 12-16 months old were separated into two treatment groups. One group was fed Bermuda grass hay and the other fed alfalfa hay to meet the daily roughage needs. The yearlings received forced exercise during the study. The horses were examined internally with an endoscope at the beginning and end of two 28-day trials.

It's commonly thought that horses turned out on pastures are better off than those that are confined. However, if grass hay is the only hay they are fed, horses can still get gastric ulcers, he said.

In this study, ulcer scores increased when alfalfa was removed from the horses diets, and they were turned out on pasture. Under the ulcer-scoring system, 0 signified no ulcers, with severity increasing to level 4.

Further work is needed to look at horses with varying degrees of ulceration to better determine the full extent to which alfalfa or alfalfa-based products might help from a feeding management standpoint.

Based on what we know right now, for horses that are kept in confinement, eating feed and getting forced exercise, it makes sense to consider some alfalfa as part of their diet, he said.

Until further research is done, he recommends, horses weighing between 1,000-1,300 pounds should be fed about 1 pound of alfalfa after a grain meal.

Follow this link: http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=224

11/17/2021

Espophageal obstruction, or “choke,” is a common equine emergency but can look alarming, especially if you've never seen it before. Unlike in human medicine, where choking refers to a tracheal (or windpipe) obstruction, choke in horses refers to an obstruction of the esophagus, the muscular tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach.

Most commonly, choking occur when horses eat concentrated feed too quickly without chewing it appropriately, which results in a firm bolus lodged in the animal's esophagus. However, esophageal obstruction can also occur with hay or straw, hard treats, carrots, or nonfood objects. Poor dentition, which leads to inadequate chewing, is also a frequent cause of choke.

While common, chokes can have serious consequences so be sure to call your veterinarian as soon as you notice signs of choke. A bad choke is fairly obvious to both veterinarians and horse owners, but a mild choke could be confused with an upper respiratory tract infection or colic.

Read more about this condition on our website at https://aaep.org/horsehealth/understanding-choke-horses

10/15/2021

The blood vascular system of the hoof... I just can’t get over how intricate it is ♥️

08/29/2021