Dr Maddie Hawkins
Dr Maddie Hawkins from South Eastern Equine Hospital joined us for a discussion around several of the most common medical issues for horses. Treatment often found an intersection between helping the horse and helping the environment.
Here’s what Dr Maddie told us.
The old thinking of regular worming of horses is just that, old. Almost all horses have some parasite burden, however, most horses (80%) are naturally low shedders meaning that they do not need chemical worm control. This is great news for the horses and the environment. The way to identify whether your horse is a low or high shedder is via a faecal egg count (FEC) which is an easy and inexpensive test that can be performed at a lab. Regular testing instead of regular worming is a much better way forward.
Laminitis is a common problem amongst horses and ponies but it is only a symptom of disease and not a disease itself. It usually needs further investigation with your vet to determine the underlying cause but they all need a low sugar diet. High sugar content in grass can be combatted by having trees in your paddocks creating shade which in turns reduces the amount of photosynthesis occurring and therefore reduces sugars. Native pastures are naturally lower in sugars and so are preferred for feeding the laminitic horse.
More great wins for the environment.
Toxic plants are a low threat to the health of a horse except when they are in plague proportions. Keeping a good cover of grasses is an important way to keep out weeds as well as protecting our precious soils.
Reducing chemicals, planting trees and native grasses as well as protecting our soils can all improve the health of our horses. Win, win!
