This Week in Horse Health News Presented by Absorbine

How well do you know your horse trailer? Photo from TheHorse.com and Photos.com How well do you know your horse trailer? Photo from TheHorse.com and Photos.com

When I hop in my car each morning, I put the key in the ignition, fire up the engine, and away I go. I don’t really stop to think too much about auto maintenance, other then keeping up with my regular oil changes, tire rotations, and monitor the air pressure in my tires. Ok, so maybe I pay a little more attention then I thought.

My horse trailer does not see the same level of maintenance as my car or truck. I certainly do some safety checks each time I hook it up, and before I load one of my horses up. Because I feel like making sure that all of my lights and signals are working, and that the electronic braking system is functioning properly are both very (very) important.

But what about the rest of the trailer? I mean it does get inspected each year, but shouldn’t there be more to maintaining a horse trailer to keep safety standards high for hauling around precious cargo? Head over to The Horse to check out an article on why you should take the time to get to know your trailer better. You’ll also find detailed check points to consider on your trailer, starting from the ground up. You can find the article here.

And then check out some of the other headlines from this week in Horse Health News, presented by Absorbine:

Getting Your Horse to Drink…While Travelling: Do you have a horse who is just plain fussy about drinking water while they are away from their home barn? Check out this article that includes helpful tips on how to make water more appealing to your horse in order to keep them drinking (and hydrated!) while travelling. [Horse Canada]

Fear in Horses: Have you ever ridden a horse that hasn’t spooked at some point? Fear is something that is pretty much a given when dealing with horses. Check out this helpful research based fact sheet that talks about fear in horses, and discusses how to handle fear-based reactions. [The Horse]

Magnesium Really Can Help Make for a Calm Horse: Researchers in Australia have discovered evidence that magnesium supplements actually do help to keep horses calm. These findings will be presented when the Equine Science Society meets in Florida this month. [Horsetalk]

Equine Lyme Disease: How much do you know about equine Lyme disease? Learn more about how Lyme is transmitted to equines, what geographic areas should make sure to be extra-vigilant in monitoring for this condition, and what the clinical symptoms are that you should keep a lookout for in your own horse. [The Horse]