Horse Feed & Supplement Advise

Senior horses can lead long, active, happy lives with minimal care if thought is given to their specific diet, mental and environmental needs.

Read more: Natural Senior Support Priority Checklist

Just like a human eye, the lacrimal gland releases lacrimal fluid which lubricates your horse’s eye. Further like a human, there is a lacrimal caruncle, which is that very small prominence at the inside corner of the eyelid. Your horse has two tiny holes near the caruncle which come together to form a tear duct which opens into the nasal cavity just above the nostril. This is the naso-lacrimal duct and it’s about 12 inches long.

Read more: Support for Horse's Naso-Lacrimal Surgery

While no horseowner wants to hear a diagnosis of Navicular, treatment options offering hope are available.

Read more: Navicular...Disease or Nutritional Deficiency?

Dear HH,

When I was about 9 years old my stepfather was a horse dealer. We would go to Chincoteague and he would buy up all the babies not sold. It was sad as they took the little babies away from the mothers and sold them. It was heartbreaking to watch. I don't know if it has changed or not. I do know they introduced other horses to the island. I am now almost 69 so I hope it has changed.

Ruthanne Allman

[Our article on Assateague herd management, coming up in the October/November edition of Holistic Horse should enlighten us!]

Castration is a safe procedure, performed on the vast majority of colts born today. If a domesticated male horse is not going to be used for breeding, he should be gelded. Castration will likely stabilize his disposition, making him more “socially acceptable” among other horses.

Read more: Stress-Free Gelding

Dear HH,

I got my issue of Holistic Horse today and was strongly disappointed by the picture on the cover. ... Being a horse dentist myself, I know that if you take hold of a horse’s tongue like that, [you] could damage the delicate bones in the back of the tongue. If you damage them, the horse could have a balance problem and all the dental work in the world would not help. The horse would move with its head tilted to one side. I would never EVER hold a horse’s tongue for fear of damaging the balance of the horse. Please use better judgment on picking pictures for your magazine!

Read more: Feedback on Equine Dentistry edition