Is this you? As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.
Claim your profile
Articles by Barb Crabbe
10 Horse Blanketing Mistakes to Avoid
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.
Is Your Easy Keeper at Risk?
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.
Fact, Fiction, or Somewhere in Between
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.
Is Your Horse Hurting?
Your new horse swishes his tail, pins his ears, and swings his butt to the side every time you pick up the left lead. When you bought him, his previous owner told you, “Oh don’t worry about it, he’s always done that. It’s just normal for him,” but now you’re not so sure. Is it really normal? Or is he hurting? Great question! In fact, it’s just this type of scenario that caused researchers to start asking what behaviors horses exhibit under saddle that might mean there’s something wrong.
Equine Foster Care: Do You Have What it Takes?
Conservative estimates say there are 150,000 unwanted horses in the United States. Yet a study published in 2017 by the ASPCA suggested there could be as many as 1.24 million households with the ability and willingness to adopt a horse. These numbers don’t add up. It’s clear that a lack of connection between horses in need and individuals willing to provide care is a big part of the unwanted horse problem. Could you be part of the solution? Let’s find out.
Fecal Egg Counts in Horses: When to Test
Poop shows up at my equine veterinary clinic in many different ways.Packaged in plastic bags and delivered in the mail, wrapped up in exam gloves in the back of our doctors’ trucks, or carried in by owners in a bucket or a scoop. Sometimes it just appears on our doorstep with a name and a note, “Trigger Jones’ poop.” Usually we know the horse it came from, when he was last dewormed, and what kind of an environment he lives in. But sometimes we don’t.
Why You Should Consider Hay Analysis
Insulin resistance, Cushing’s disease, PSSM (polysaccharide storage myopathy), laminitis–if you have a horse that’s been diagnosed with any of these problems, chances are you’ve been urged by your vet to consider hay analysis. vprotastchik/adobe.stock.com Why? Because it’s important to determine the amount and type of sugars in his ration so that you can keep him healthy.
Colic Lessons Learned
Carol Hamilton/AdobeStock.com I saw her when I looked out my office window to the field outside. My beautiful mare was down on the ground, thrashing around with her 4-month-old foal standing by her side. A quick assessment was all it took for me to know that she was colicking—severely. I loaded her up and headed to the nearby surgical referral hospital within minutes. And then she died. Before we could even get her on the table. Just like that. Did I expect it? No way.
5 Horse-Care Myths Veterinarians Want You to Stop Following
Photo by Kirsten Ziegler Have you ever heard this one? One sock, buy him Two socks, try him Three socks, doubt him Four socks, do without him! Yep. It’s true. Old time horsemen were known to advise against purchasing a horse with four white socks. Why?
When Your Horse Cant Get Up A Step by Step Emergency Guide
Death, taxes, and a down horse. The first two are on top of almost everybody’s list of things to avoid. If you’re a horse person, number three ranks just about as high. A downed horse is one that’s down on the ground and can’t get up, usually because it’s injured, ill, or simply stuck. No matter the reason, getting a downed horse back on its feet can be the stuff of nightmares.
How to Help Your Horse Sleep: 7 Expert-Backed Tips
Find out why a good night’s sleep is important for your horse, and learn how you can make sure he gets the rest he needs at home and on the road. Think about how you feel after a good night’s sleep. Rested, alert, and ready to take on the world. Now imagine a morning when you were up all night, disturbed by a party at the neighbor’s house, awakened by your kids coming in late at night, or just unable to turn off your brain from thinking about all the things on your to-do list.
Down and in Danger
Horse and Rider | Summer 2025 Does the mere mention of a downed horse give you nightmares? If not, it should. In this article we'll help you be prepared if your down horse nightmare ever becomes reality. Death, taxes, and a down horse. The first two are on top of almost everybody's list of things to avoid. If you're a horse person, number three ranks just about as high. A downed horse is one that's down on the ground and can't get up, usually because it's injured, ill, or simply stuck.
Colic Surgery: Words from the Wise
Hear from owners who said ‘yes’ to colic surgery. Learn what helped them make the decision, how it went, and whether they would do it all again. Your horse is amazing, and you couldn’t be happier. Every ride is great, and every day you wonder, How did I get so lucky. Then the doubts set in. It’s hard to beat them back. I mean, he is a horse, after all. What if he gets hurt? What if he goes lame? And the worst nightmare of all, what if he needs colic surgery? You’ve heard so many stories.
Decoding theD(rug) E(nforcement) A(dministration)
Learn why certain medications are under lock and key, and why your vet works hard to make sure they are available for your horse. It’s no secret that the misuse of medications has become a public health crisis. In fact, the opioid epidemic makes headlines almost daily due to growing numbers of overdose deaths. So, what does this have to do with you and your horse? More than you might think.
Outbreak! What We’ve Learned
Learn how disease outbreaks in recent years have changed the horse industry. And why it’s so important to play your part when it comes to disease prevention efforts. In June of 2011 an outbreak of equine herpes virus (EHV) at a cutting event in Ogden, Utah, changed the horse world. By the time the outbreak was reined in, more than 2,000 horses and 242 premises were exposed in 19 states.
Why You Should Consider Hay Analysis
Insulin resistance, Cushing’s disease, PSSM (polysaccharide storage myopathy), laminitis–if you have a horse that’s been diagnosed with any of these problems, chances are you’ve been urged by your vet to consider hay analysis. Why? Because it’s important to determine the amount and type of sugars in his ration so that you can keep him healthy.
Don’t Call It Maintenance!
Find out why it’s time to change the way we talk about equine joint injections. There’s a sign-up sheet on the barn wall. Dr. X will be there next Tuesday for routine hock injections before the big show next month. Everyone else has already put their horses on the list. They’re convinced it’s an important maintenance procedure, but you’re not so sure. Your horse seems fine, and he won all his classes at the last competition. Does he really need to have his hocks injected?
Equine Parasite Control
Poop shows up at my equine veterinary clinic in many different ways.Packaged in plastic bags and delivered in the mail, wrapped up in exam gloves in the back of our doctors’ trucks, or carried in by owners in a bucket or a scoop. Sometimes it just appears on our doorstep with a name and a note, “Trigger Jones’ poop.” Usually we know the horse it came from, when he was last dewormed, and what kind of an environment he lives in. But sometimes we don’t.
What Is Your Vet Thinking?
Learn what goes through your vet’s mind as they come running to help in an emergency. I was the event veterinarian for a big horse show when my pager went off in the early hours of the morning. ‘We have a colicky horse,’ the message said. ‘We can’t keep him on his feet!’ It was a groom for a trainer I’d never met, and the owner was from a different state. I threw on my clothes and jumped in my truck, wondering how this story would unfold.
Blanket Blunders
Learn how horse blankets can cause more harm than good, and what you can do to avoid common blanketing mistakes. 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.
Horse Neck Issues & Solutions
From the Internet… “My 4-year-old Thoroughbred gelding started mysteriously falling to his knees. He was diagnosed with severe lower-neck arthritis.” “I found my 6-year-old gelding in his paddock, walking anxiously around with his nose dragging on the ground. He couldn’t lift his head above his knees. Then the next day he seemed completely normal.
Social License to Operate
Horse racing has a problem, but it doesn’t stop there. Learn why all equestrian sports may be at risk, and what you can do to help. Seven horses died at Churchill Downs in the 10 days leading up to the 2023 Kentucky Derby. Another was injured, and euthanized, on Preakness day. Even though statistics show that horse racing deaths have declined over the past four years, these recent deaths made headlines. And public outcry over horse welfare in the racing industry was, and continues to be, widespread.
Horse Health by the Season
Pumpkin-spiced lattes and cold, crisp mornings—we call it “sweater season.” Or what about sunbathing and splashing in the waves? Nothing beats “swimsuit season.” Then there’s that cringeworthy time of year taken up by balance sheets and meetings with your accountant. “Tax season” is nothing to look forward to. [READ: 5 Ways to Improve Horse Health RIGHT NOW] In my world, I don’t think about the seasons in terms of fashion or finance. Instead I think “emergency!” That’s right.
Parasite Control
In the 1960s, deworming and parasite control was done by a veterinarian, who treated a horse by passing a stomach tube through his nose to deliver potent chemicals that killed everything that wiggled. Horses hated it, and so did owners. It was considered a breakthrough when owners were able to avoid the stomach-tube experience by simply squirting gooey, over-the-counter deworming paste into their horses’ mouths.
Help Is (Sometimes) Only a Phone Call Away!
Name* First Last Country* Country Equus Newsletter Consent* I agree to the Equine Network’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service and I represent that I am over 16 years old* Phone This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Things Take Time
The biggest competition of the year is just around the corner, and you’ve been training … hard. Your horse is the most talented one you’ve ever owned and making it to this competition is on top of your bucket list. You can hardly wait, and when you get there your horse will be so fit and ready you know he’ll be unbeatable. That’s why you’ve scheduled some extra sessions with your trainer, and a couple of hard conditioning rides before you go. Wait just a minute! It might be time to pump the brakes.
Secrets of the Suds: Tips to Bathe Your Horse
This article is part of our Guide to Grooming Awareness Campaign, brought to you by ShowSheen. Here’s to long days, warm evenings, and sweaty horses. But, if it’s time for a real spa day, we’re bringing you some tips to help bath time go swimmingly well. Be sure to use the proper shampoo, get out all the soap suds, and let him dry completely. So, grab your scrub brushes, put on your game face, and get ready to make a splash with these simple, yet effective bathing tips. Tip: Soak his coat thoroughly.
Showmanship Tune-Up
Showmanship at halter tests you and your horse’s ability to confidently work as a team and execute a series of maneuvers on the ground. The great part about this class is that most horses of all price points can do it. I’ve seen horses that compete in reining, English, and Western pleasure events all be successful in showmanship. [READ: FIX SHOWMANSHIP DULLNESS] Confidence and correctness will help you improve your showmanship score at your next horse show.
A Handy Hack to Touch Up His White Points
This article is part of our Guide to Grooming Awareness Campaign, brought to you by ShowSheen. If you missed our step-by-step guide on how to get his white points gleaming and stain-free, find it HERE. If you’re doing all the right things and still struggling with keeping his white legs clean, try this handy hack. You’ll need a new dish brush with a reservoir, a bottle of stain remover and whitener for horses, like this one, and a patient horse.
Secrets to Show-Stopping White Points
If you have a horse with white socks or large white markings, you know the struggle of keeping his chrome polished. (Does it seem like every horse out there with white points loves mud more than anything, or is that just our experience?) We’re bringing you some tips of the trade to polish up his chrome and brighten his white points. This article is part of our Guide to Grooming Awareness Campaign, brought to you by ShowSheen. Prevention Manure and urine-soaked bedding will stain white points.
Check In With Your Horse During the Warm Up
As you warm your horse up, you should also be using that time to check in on him to ensure that his focus is on you and not everything else happening in the arena. Having your horse’s attention on you and what you’re asking him to do during the warmup is important. It will help you figure out what you need to work on during your actual riding session. If you ask him to focus his attention on you and he’s stiff going one direction, or dull to your leg, make a mental note.
Prepare Your Horse for a Long Haul
You just learned about your big promotion—greater responsibility, more money…and a move across the country. Or maybe you learned that you qualified for your first championship show…which requires a cross-country haul. Perhaps you’ve been invited on a once-in-a-lifetime trail ride…that’s a few thousand miles from home. If you’re like most horse owners, these kinds of excursions are no big deal by airplane without your horse. But hauling your horse that many miles? Now that’s another story.
Is Your Horse Hurting?
Your new horse swishes his tail, pins his ears, and swings his butt to the side every time you pick up the left lead. When you bought him, his previous owner told you, “Oh don’t worry about it, he’s always done that. It’s just normal for him,” but now you’re not so sure. Is it really normal? Or is he hurting? Great question! In fact, it’s just this type of scenario that caused researchers to start asking what behaviors horses exhibit under saddle that might mean there’s something wrong.
Is Your Horse Hurting?
Your new horse swishes his tail, pins his ears, and swings his butt to the side every time you pick up the left lead. When you bought him, his previous owner told you, “Oh don’t worry about it, he’s always done that. It’s just normal for him,” but now you’re not so sure. Is it really normal? Or is he hurting? Great question! In fact, it’s just this type of scenario that caused researchers to start asking what behaviors horses exhibit under saddle that might mean there’s something wrong.
These Are the Risks Mosquitos Pose to Your Horse
This article is part of our Fight the Flies Awareness Campaign, brought to you by UltraShield. Flies are a common nuisance in the summer. We’ve been covering the basics of fly control throughout the month of April, but what about other winged pests? Mosquitos can leave itchy bumps on you and your horse, but the risk extends beyond discomfort. In fact, mosquitos are responsible for spreading the deadliest diseases of all the annoying insects that horse owners cope with.
Discovering the Hidden World of Barn Flies
This article is part of our Fight the Flies Awareness Campaign, brought to you by UltraShield. Are you preparing your arsenal for the summer fight against flies? Arm yourself with knowledge, and some interesting facts about these small, but pesky creatures. Fact: Disease Carriers Strangles is just one of many diseases that flies can transmit—ranging from fly-bite allergies, conjunctivitis, and local irritation to life-threatening viral diseases like equine infectious anemia.
Moody Mare? We've Got Advice
There’s nothing like a good mare. She’s honest, loyal, and hard-working. She nickers when you (and only you) walk through the barn door. She has more grit than any gelding—and a certain “something special” that’s impossible to explain. “Really?!” you might exclaim. “Exactly what mare are you talking about? Because it’s sure not mine!” Some days, your mare is perfect. Others she’s pinning her ears, swishing her tail, and kicking at her neighbor. Sometimes she flat refuses to work.
How to Take Your Horse's Digital Pulse
Checking your horse’s digital pulse is an important management tool. It can help you identify pain or inflammation in in the hoof. [READ: Quick Tips for Packing Hooves] Why Check Your Horse’s Digital Pulse: Learn to check your horse’s digital pulse so you can catch inflammation as it starts and prevent a condition from worsening. A strong or “throbby” digital pulse indicates inflammation in your horse’s foot or a disruption of the blood flow—conditions you’ll want to ask your vet about.
Understanding and Treating Horse Heaves
Horse heaves is chronic and can threaten your horse’s long-term health and performance. Learn the symptoms and treatment options for horses with heaves. That nagging little cough at the beginning of your rides, and that occasional runny nose could they mean your horse is suffering from heaves, or recurrent airway obstruction? Possibly. This condition, commonly known as heaves, is the most prevalent lung disease seen in horses.
To Boot or Not To Boot?
Your horse is standing on the cross-ties getting ready to work. You prepare to boot him up. Do you outfit him in splint boots and bell boots to protect his legs? Sports Medicine boots to provide support? Or some other kind of specialized boot recommended by your trainer? One thing is likely—if you’re in any kind of training program, chances are the boots you choose will be identical to what your barn buddies use on their horses.
Equine Dentistry Through the Ages
Your vet wants to take radiographs of your horse’s mouth. What? you wonder, My horse is 15 years old, and he’s never even had his teeth done! What could possibly be wrong? Lots of things! He looks great and seems to chew just fine. However, this doesn’t mean there’s nothing wrong. If you’ve never had your horse’s mouth examined, there’s a good chance that dental disease could threaten his long-term health.
Colic Surgery: Yes or No?
Your gelding started acting a little bit uncomfortable just over an hour ago. By the time your vet arrived, the poor horse was in a full-blown sweat, pawing violently and throwing himself down in the barn aisle no matter how hard you tried to keep him on his feet. Even after IV sedation and a dose of pain medication, he was still uncomfortable. The look on your vet’s face told you everything you needed to know. Her next question confirmed your greatest fear.
Diarrhea: Is It Serious?
What four words from a client make my heart race and my palms sweat? “My horse has diarrhea.” Not what you were expecting? You might think I’d be more concerned by such statements as, “My horse is down, and he can’t get up,” or, “He can’t bear any weight on his leg.” But in reality, it’s diarrhea that gets my full attention almost every time. The reason is simple.
Travel Papers: Nuisance or Necessity?
I was digging through a box of papers the other day and came across a report I’d written in sixth grade: “EIA: Is Test and Slaughter the Answer?” I still remember writing the report, pondering the dilemma, and looking for solutions. I somehow grasped the importance of controlling the spread of a terrible, fatal disease in horses. That was 1972. Fast-forward to today. I’ve been a practicing veterinarian for 30 years.
Equine Dental Trends - Horse&Rider
How long have you owned a horse? Thirty years or more? You probably remember your veterinarian “floating your horse’s teeth” with a bucket of water and couple of hand files that he used to smooth down sharp points. Your vet kept your horse’s mouth open by pulling your horse’s tongue to the side. If that didn’t work, your vet might have slipped a small metal device between the molars on one side that prevented your horse from biting down. Most horses tolerated the procedure without sedation.
Kissing Spine: The True Story
Every decade has its disease, and kissing spine is clearly in the running for the 20-teens. Your roping buddies might tell tales of purchases gone wrong or steady performers dropping out of the arena. One guy had surgery done on his gelding’s back before it even started having problems, while another woman had to retire her best mare when she suddenly started refusing to go in the box and bucking in the field. Everyone has an opinion or a tale to tell.
Hay VS Cubes: Which Should You Choose?
Hay. It’s such a pain. Flakes fall apart between the feed cart and your horse’s stall. Your feed room usually looks like a bomb went off in the middle of a bale. You’re on the road almost every weekend, and traveling makes things even worse. Open bales are a nightmare to wrangle, and when you try to load them in your trailer it seems like more gets left at the rodeo grounds than makes it home. Half the time, your horse turns most of the hay you feed him into pee-soaked bedding anyway.
How to Protect Your Horse's Skin
Did you know that the skin is the largest organ in your horse’s body? In fact, the skin of an average 1,000-pound horse is likely to weigh 60 pounds, or 6% of his body weight. This amazing organ stays healthy by constantly replacing itself to perform its vital role of protecting your horse’s body. Dead skin cells on the surface slough away and are replaced with new, young cells in a cycle that takes about 17 days.
How to Protect Your Horse from Disease
If an infectious-disease outbreak strikes your barn, you’ll feel as though you’ve stepped into a hurricane. “Don’t touch that! Don’t go there!” your veterinarian will likely bark out, racing from horse to horse. As your vet races out the door, blood samples in hand, he or she will shout, “Isolate! Disinfect!” [READ: WHAT TO DO IF YOUR HORSE IS EXPOSED TO DISEASE] But where should you start? And how? Here, I’ll tell you how to prepare for an outbreak.
Cool-Down Strategies
Horse people offer all kinds of advice about how to cool down an overheated horse. And much of that advice is steeped in centuries of tradition that’s hard to break. But science tells us that many of those traditions simply aren’t correct. Here, I’ll give you a short quiz to see how your own cool-down routines stack up against solid research. Then I’ll explain the science behind each current recommendation. You might be surprised by what you discover.
Show More
loading
Actions
Is this you?
As a journalist, you can create a free Muck Rack account to customize your profile, list your contact preferences, and upload a portfolio of your best work.Get in touch with Barb
Contact Barb, search articles and posts on X, monitor coverage, and track replies from one place.
Learn more about Muck Rack