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Maya Meinhold, D.C.: Posted on Thursday, December 29, 2016 12:14 PM
In their natural setting, horses typically graze between 14-16 hours a day. This has anatomically designed them to be best suited for small, frequent forage meals throughout the day.  However, in today’s setting with modern management strategies, many horses have limited access to forage due to meal feedings and increased time being stalled. These management changes have led to alterations in digestion as well as dysregulations of metabolic patterns including glucose, insulin, and cortisol. |
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Maya Meinhold, D.C.: Posted on Wednesday, August 3, 2016 10:01 AM
Facial expressions are commonly used to assess pain and other emotional states in humans, but can the same be said for horses? Researchers have been trying to streamline an effective and accurate way to detect pain in horses. Grimace scales have been designed by monitoring the appearance of facial changes from individual or a combination of muscles of the face. These grimace scales are species-specific, and are said to be more advantageous than other methods generally used to detect pain in animals. |
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Maya Meinhold, DC: Posted on Tuesday, June 28, 2016 12:59 PM
Saddle fit is an extremely important aspect of equine management and welfare. If a saddle is improperly fit to a horse’s back certain health concerns such as back pain and lameness can occur. The saddle should be assessed both on and off the horse as well as before, during, and after exercise. Some saddle issues only present themselves when a horse performs a certain maneuver so it is pertinent to be thorough in your assessment. It is also important to note that not all brands of saddles will fit all horses’ shapes, sizes, breeds, etc. |
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Maya Meinhold, DC: Posted on Monday, May 23, 2016 10:38 AM
 It’s that time of year again. We have emerged from the bitter cold days of winter and the warm temperatures have returned. With the warmer weather here we are usually determined to get out and do more, and that often involves our horses. After a more sedate approach to riding during the winter months it is important to make sure your horse is ready for the frenzy of activity that comes with summertime and show season. Unless you have been diligent over the winter months and have ridden your horse on a regular exercise regimen it is generally safe to say that some conditioning workouts are in order. |
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Maya Meinhold, DC: Posted on Monday, April 11, 2016 11:45 AM
Do you have a cribber in your barn? Are your stalls chewed down to studs and beyond? Have you ever wondered what is going through your horse’s head when he’s doing this behavior? The exact etiology of cribbing behavior has yet to be determined, however, most equine researchers agree that the cause is multifactorial. There have been several studies conducted to investigate the potential mechanism of origin, and there are a handful of associations between environmental or physical events and the development of cribbing behavior. |
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Andrea Dahl: Posted on Tuesday, April 8, 2014 11:59 AM
In recent weeks, Dr. Kyla has
limited the number of barns that she travels to due to the EHV-1 outbreak, and
has been using biosecurity measures to deter the spread of the disease between
horses, as we mentioned here. We've heard questions from
horse owners across the state about the spread of the disease and the status of
the horses that have been tested. In an effort to make it easier for you
to find accurate and current information about EHV-1 in Minnesota, we've
compiled some links to helpful articles, handouts, and videos on the web. |
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Andrea Dahl: Posted on Friday, March 28, 2014 10:31 AM
EHV-1, or equine herpesvirus 1,is currently a hot topic here in Minnesota. In March 2014, several horses in Minnesota and western Wisconsin have shown neurologic signs of the disease, and some have been euthanized. This outbreak of the disease has roots in the barrel racing scene, at a competition in Winona, MN in early March. Cases have appeared in Hennepin, Chisago, Dakota, and Wright County in MN, as well as Burnett and Polk County in WI. Information is still emerging, but several of the horses who have been euthanized have connections to the barrel horse world. |
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