Horse Health

MEET HANNAH PETRIE HAY

Member of The Horseback Vet Team and Core Conditioning proponent Could the key to your horse's long-term soundness be hiding in plain sight, not in the vet's diagnostic kit, but in the way your horse moves, and the way you ride? It's a question that's gaining traction in equine circles, and one that veterinary surgeon…

BylizzieApril 30, 20260Comments

AN INTERVIEW WITH AMANDA ANDERSON

HQ: ⁠How did you become involved in saddle fitting? What led you to this work? Amanda: When I was in my early 20s, between undergrad and grad school, I was still a bit unsure of what I wanted to do with my life. I took a couple of massage and saddle-fitting courses from Don Doran of…

BylizzieApril 26, 20260Comments

Horse Health

SCIENCE LEADS THE WAY IN TEACHING HOW TO BETTER ASSESS OUR HORSE’S EMOTIONS

It is one of the most unsettling findings to emerge from equine welfare science in recent years: most people, including experienced equestrians, are significantly worse at recognising pain in horses than they are at spotting discomfort in other humans, and in an animal whose evolutionary survival has depended on concealing vulnerability, that gap has serious…

BylizzieApril 20, 20260Comments

Horse Health

THE ULCER EPIDEMIC

What South African horse owners need to know If you've ever had a horse that was 'just not right' - a bit grumpy, slightly off their feed, not quite performing the way they should - there's a very real chance gastric ulcers were part of the story. Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome, or EGUS, is one…

BylizzieApril 17, 20260Comments

Horse Health

ELECTROLYTES EXPLAINED

When and how to supplement Few topics in equine nutrition generate as much confusion and conflicting advice as electrolyte supplementation. Walk into any tack shop, and you'll find shelves stocked with electrolyte products in every conceivable form: powders, pastes, pellets, liquids. Ask ten different horse owners when and how to use them, and you'll likely…

BylizzieApril 8, 20260Comments

Horse Health

RAIN SCALD

The often-overlooked wet weather condition Whilst most horse owners are familiar with mud fever, its close relative, rain scald, often goes unrecognised until it becomes severe. With persistent rainfall affecting much of South Africa this autumn, understanding rain scald is essential for maintaining your horse's skin health. Understanding rain scald Rain scald, also called rain…

BylizzieMarch 26, 20260Comments

Horse Health

MUD FEVER

Prevention and treatment for wet weather With South Africa experiencing heavy rainfall across many regions, mud fever cases are on the rise. This painful bacterial skin infection thrives in wet, muddy conditions and can quickly escalate from minor scabs to serious lameness if left untreated. What causes mud fever? Mud fever, also known as pastern…

BylizzieMarch 25, 20260Comments

Horse Health

ASK THE EXPERT – HOW TO READ A HAY ANALYSIS

When it comes to feeding performance horses, forage isn’t just filler; it’s fuel. Any information about the quality of hay we are feeding is thus invaluable and can tell us about the true nutritional value of what our horses are eating and how balanced their overall diet is. This kind of information requires a hay analysis,…

BylizzieDecember 22, 20250Comments

Horse Health Horse Training

WHEN THE GUT AFFECTS THE BRAIN

How the equine microbiome influences behaviour, focus and performance For years, equine science focused primarily on the musculoskeletal system, specifically tendons, joints, muscles, and conditioning. However, recent research has shifted attention inward, to a system less visible yet, it emerges, equally vital to performance: the gut. The so-called gut–brain axis, the constant communication between the digestive…

BylizzieDecember 21, 20250Comments

Header introducing apple cider vinegar as part of our intriguing ingredient series - HQ Magazine

Horse Health

INTRIGUING INGREDIENTS – APPLE CIDER VINEGAR

Old-fashioned tonic or modern-day myth? Apple cider vinegar (ACV) has been poured into horse feed buckets for decades thought to be a splash of something sharp to ‘clean the system,’ ‘acidify the gut,’ or ‘ward off flies.’ But how much of this is folklore, and how much is backed by science? A brief history of vinegar…

BylizzieDecember 20, 20250Comments

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