Laminitis, a metabolic disorder commonly referred to as founder, can affect all four feet, but is most common in the front feet. Laminitis causes the sensitive and insensitive lamina of the hoof wall to become inflamed, leading to separation.

Colic is defined as any abdominal pain although horse owners typically refer to colic as problems with the gastro-intestinal tract. The causes of colic are numerous, but generally they are related to the anatomy and the microflora of the horse's gastrointestinal tract.

Respiratory diseases are extremely common illnesses that limit performance horses, probably second only to lameness. Respiratory diseases can be viral, bacterial, immune mediated (allergies), or mechanical in nature. They can be transient or chronic, serious or inconsequential. Some are highly contagious while others are limited to the affected individual horse.

Shivers or shivering are names that have been applied to a chronic nervous or neuromuscular syndrome in horses that has been recognized for centuries. It has been stated that the condition is reasonably common, uncommon, and rare to very rare. In a comparative neuropathology textbook published in 1962 it was stated that “in the heyday of equine practice” shivering was “as common as dirt.”

Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) is also called Peripheral Cushing's Disease or insulin resistance. EMS has some similar signs to Equine Cushings Disease, but it is a different disease with different underlying causes. Clinicians, however, believe that Equine Metabolic Syndrome could be a factor in horses that develop Equine Cushing's Disease in their later years. Horses with EMS will be insulin-resistant, will be prone to or have laminitis, and will show abnormal fat deposits.

While gastric ulcers can occur in the esophagus and small intestines, the stomach is the most common site of gastric ulcer formation in the adult horse. Stomach ulcers most often affect the squamous mucosal cells of the lesser curvature of the stomach. Extreme ulceration in the stomach can lead to perforation of the stomach lining, a condition that is almost always fatal.

The mild and relatively snow-free winter experienced in certain parts of the country has been great for riding, but not so terrific for your horse’s health. Pastures with sandy soil combined with the lack of seasonal snow cover have resulted in horses nibbling at forage but ingesting sand. This winter, Michigan State University’s Large Animal Clinic has treated a number of sand colic cases that aren’t typically seen in the winter months.

Laminitis, a metabolic disorder commonly referred to as founder, can affect all four feet, but is most common in the front feet. Laminitis causes the sensitive and insensitive lamina of the hoof wall to become inflamed, leading to separation. The lamina provides support to the coffin bone. When separation occurs, typically the coffin bone rotates downward.

Equine herpesvirus-1 is one of a large group of viruses that causes potentially serious disease in horses. EHV-1 has two forms. One causes abortion in mares, while the other causes respiratory infection and neurological problems or myeloencephalopathy—damage to the brain and/or spinal cord. This latter form is of particular concern because it results in a high death rate, it is resistant to prevention by vaccination, and it affects horses of all breeds, ages and vaccination status.