SmartPak Monday Morning Feed: Ask the Vet, November Edition

What is a club foot? What’s the best kind of fencing for horses? What’s the difference between complete feed and a ration balancer? These questions and more are answered in this month’s Ask the Vet!

When was the last time you felt like you knew it all when it came to horses? Yeah, me neither. That’s why we always look forward to the early days of each month, in which SmartPak’s latest episode of “Ask the Vet” is released!

SmartPak’s medical director and staff veterinarian Dr. Lydia Gray, accompanied by SmartPaker Dan, answer fan-submitted horse health questions every month with plenty of visuals and props. Every minute you watch you gain a little more knowledge!

Questions answered in this episode:

1. How can I tell if my girth or saddle is causing discomfort to my horse?

2. What type of fencing is best for 24/7 turnout? (i.e. electric tape, rope, barbed wire, no climb, wooden, etc). Thank you! I absolutely love your videos and look forward to them each month!

3. Which do you prefer for an adult horse who lives out 24/7 with unlimited access to good quality hay, no grain; Multi-Vitamin or Multi-Purpose supplement? What exactly is the difference? If a horse is on a multi-vitamin will it even need a multi-purpose supplement? This horse is mostly used for lessons/pleasure riding. Thank you!

4. I have a two-year-old Quarter horse mare that has a club foot. What is a club foot? How do horses develop a club foot? What will this look like for the mare’s future? I am working with my vet and farrier but what else can I do to properly manage this??

5. Can you explain the difference between a complete feed and a ration balancer, and if one is recommended over the other for horses starting training?

Have your own questions you want to get answered in a future episode? Ask anywhere on social media using the #AskTheVetVideo hashtag! Bonus: if your question is selected, you’ll get a SmartPak gift card. SmartPak: rewarding those unafraid to ask questions.

You can also ask your question using the official Ask the Vet form: http://pak.horse/2gkBThy

Go SmartPak! And go riding.