Barb Crabbe

The young girl taking care of the geriatric mare while her owner was out of town had called my emergency pager in a panic. “Misty has a terrible wound on her withers,” she gasped through her tears, “I need help right away!” When I arrived, I could smell it from across the barn. The gaping wound was big, gooey, and painful to the touch. It was also located right under where the horse’s blanket normally rested on her withers.

We call them air ferns. You know the ones. Instead of feeding hay in flakes, you feed in handfuls. And you measure grain in tuna cans instead of scoops. You limit their time on pasture, never give them treats, and buy them low-calorie hay. It’s just no fun at all. And no matter how hard you try, those horses still gain weight. And this isn’t just a cosmetic issue — easy keeper laminitis risk is very real. Eventually, you just give up. After all, your horse is happy.

Seven practical steps to help horse owners evaluate equine health claims, spot red flags, and separate science-backed care from stall-side speculation. I was sitting in the dentist’s chair the other day when I saw an infomercial about the health benefits of olive oil. Who knew that simply by drinking a shot glass of olive oil before bed you could boost your immune system, improve your heart health, and—my personal favorite—protect your aching joints.