Horse Health

WHAT IS A CT SCAN USED FOR IN HORSES?

A CT (computed tomography) scan is becoming a more familiar part of equine veterinary care, but for most of us, it sits in a grey area: more than the X-ray we're used to and less familiar than the MRI we have vaguely heard of. Here is a plain-language look at what a CT does, when…

BylizzieJune 23, 20260Comments

Horse Health

WEIGHT MANAGEMENT

Is your horse in ideal condition? Stand at any South African livery yard in late October and you will see the same pattern repeating: horses who looked reasonable in July are suddenly developing cresty necks and filling out behind the shoulders. The spring grass has arrived, and with it, the annual battle against equine obesity…

BylizzieMay 20, 20260Comments

Horse Health

THE RIDDEN HORSE

Welfare and the precautionary principle A University of Guelph review argues that many long-accepted riding practices deserve closer scrutiny, even where definitive evidence of harm is still lacking. A review by Caleigh Copelin and Katrina Merkies, published in the March 2026 edition of the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, makes the case that modern equestrianism is…

BylizzieMay 14, 20260Comments

Horse Health

ASKHQ: CURB ON THE HOCK

AskHQ: I’ve been told my horse has a curb on his hock. What does this mean? A: A curb on a horse’s hock is a form of soft tissue swelling or thickening that appears just below the point of the hock, at the back of the leg. It’s usually caused by strain or injury to the…

BylizzieMay 11, 20260Comments

Breeding Horse Health

THE FUTURE OF EQUINE BREEDING – GENETICS, DATA AND ETHICS

The next frontier of sporthorse breeding isn’t just about bloodlines; it’s about information. Across the world, breeders are increasingly using genetic testing, artificial insemination (AI), embryo transfer (ET), and data-driven analysis to predict, enhance, and preserve equine athletic potential. But as the science accelerates, so do the ethical questions that come with it. Artificial insemination, embryo…

BylizzieMay 10, 20260Comments

Horse Health

PADDOCK MANAGEMENT 101

Sustainable pasture management and toxic plant awareness Paddock management is one of the most overlooked aspects of horse care in South Africa, yet it fundamentally impacts horse health, property sustainability, and long-term costs. The difference between well-managed and poorly managed grazing can mean the difference between horses thriving on minimal supplementary feed versus requiring year-round…

BylizzieMay 7, 20260Comments

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

Horse and Rider Horse and Yard Horse Health

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

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