The main parasites that horses can be afflicted by are ticks, lice, worms and bots. The three main ticks that can affect horses in Australia are cattle ticks, New Zealand cattle ticks (bush) and paralysis ticks. Cattle ticks are found in Queensland, north eastern NSW, the Northern Territory and Western…
The first question you should seriously ask yourself is why do you want to breed a foal? Horse breeding should only be carried out by people who are very experienced. Even experienced horse breeders should continuously reconsider their breeding program as there are too many horses in Australia and only…
Hendra virus (HeV) occurs naturally in flying foxes where it appears to cause little or no signs of illness. For reasons not yet completely understood, at times the virus is shed by flying foxes in their body secretions including urine, faeces, saliva and birthing fluids. Horses can become infected by…
At certain times of the year (generally September to November for black and grey flying foxes, and April to May for little red flying foxes) flying foxes may secrete the Hendra virus (HeV) in body fluids such as urine, saliva and birthing fluids. Horses can become infected with the virus…
Flying fox numbers are considered to be declining and some species are even classified as vulnerable to extinction. The reason we may now be more aware of flying foxes is due to the destruction of their natural habitat through urban development. This results in flying foxes moving into any vegetation…
There are three important reasons to vaccinate your horse against Hendra virus. First, vaccination reduces the risk of your horse contracting Hendra virus (HeV), a serious and life-threatening disease. Unvaccinated horses with the disease either suffer a debilitating and distressing death or if diagnosed, are euthanased. Vaccination helps to provide…
A vet or qualified equine dentist should be called in regularly to thoroughly examine and carry out any necessary work on your horse’s teeth. Horses aged 2-5 years should have their teeth checked prior to commencing work or at six monthly intervals. After the age of five years (when the…
Horses have evolved to eat a very high fibre diet so this should be the main component of any feeding regime. Any extra nutrients or higher energy feeds the horse may need can be added by supplementary feeding if the hay or grass is deficient or the horse is working…
You should suspect that your horse has ‘Queensland Itch’ if it develops a reoccurring, itchy skin condition every summer and if the itching occurs mainly around the butt of the tail and around the base of the mane. In bad cases the itchy areas involve the whole back area and…
NO! Feeding horses on lawn mower clippings can be very dangerous for several reasons. When lawn mower clippings are fresh they are fermenting (this is why they are warm or even hot when you put your hand inside a fresh pile of clippings). If a horse is given a pile…