SmartPak Monday Morning Feed: Ask the Vet, November Edition

When to geld, dealing with a locked stifle, the best way to administer joint supplements… and more! SmartPaker Sarah and SmartPak medical director Dr. Lydia Gray answer your horse health questions.

As long as there will be horses, there will be horse people. And as long as there will be horse people, there will be horse health questions! For all those questions where you can’t ask your own vet, your barn buddies or you’re simply stumped or seeking a different opinion, SmartPak is here. One a month, SmartPaker Sarah and Dr. Lydia Gray answer fan-submitted questions so we can all keep learning about horse health.

Questions answered in this episode:

1. What is the best age to geld a stallion? Is it better to do it before starting them under saddle?

2. I have a young horse that had a locked stifle. It happened twice so far, once when she was 2 years old and the second time was about a year after that. Why does it happen? Is there a treatment for it? And is it a long term problem?

3. Is there any benefit to joint supplements given in feed? I have been told they are helpful but also that horses do not metabolize them when given this way and injections are better. Is this true?

4. My horse recently got her SI injected, and I was just wondering if there was anything I could do to help her be more comfortable, especially after hard work/jumping? Could I poultice/liniment the area or is there something else I could do? Thanks!

5. Clicker training for horses has been growing in popularity. What are the pros and cons of it? Is it a more humane way to train horses?

Never stop learning! And if you have a burning horse health question for Sarah and Dr. Gray to answer in a future episode, you can submit in the following ways: comment on this video (via YouTube, not here at Horse Nation) and tag your question #AskTheVet. You can also post your questions on SmartPak’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or by visiting the SmartPak blog — don’t forget the hashtag! Questions can be submitted directly via [email protected] or at the Ask the Vet Questions submission site.

Bonus: if your question is selected, you win a SmartPak gift card!

Go riding.