Theres something magical about naming a horse. We start off as children with little plastic equines that we stable on our bookcases. We give those horses names like Star or Jet. Then we move up to digital models that we pilot through the pixelated worlds of our computer games. We give those horses names like Bramble or Lucky. But when it actually comes down to naming a real live horse, youll have to give it a little more thought.Photo by Terri Cage/Adobe StockWhile there may be 101 things that are far more important to consider when bringing home a new horse, somehow choosing the perfect name skyrockets to the top of the priority list. Whats more fun that carefully pondering all of the choices and ultimately selecting the best and most wonderful name? But with limitless possibilities, how do you narrow down the options and make your choice? You know only one name is going to be the right one. So how do you decide? When naming a horse, you want to choose a name that will be the perfect fit. Maybe the name will reference the horses color in some way, or its personality, or its breed or bloodlines. Below, weve compiled several different lists, each distinctly suited to different types of horses (and ponies!). Weve tried not to be too obvious, but if you truly feel that The Black is the best name for your ebony-coated equine, you can certainly feel free to go ahead and use it. But for the purposes of these lists, we have tried to move further away from clichs and find creative names that will capture your horses qualities and make you smile.Coat Color NamesHorses are often given names that refer in some way to their coat color or pattern. For example, chestnuts get red names like Garnet, Ginger, or Flame. A horses coat color is a distinctive part of who he is, so its natural to want to incorporate that characteristic into a name. Here are lists of color names that are a bit off the beaten path.Photo by Terri Cage/Adobe StockBlack Horse NamesEnigmaMidnightStormDahliaRavenCherryVelvetDomino (for a black horse with white markings)JaguarEbonyOnyxNoirBelleFlickaJetEchoAngusShadowPirateBlackjackHarleyPhantomBanditBay and Brown NamesClayClevelandAdobeMochaTeddyChewbaccaBearRustyKit KatBrandyBriarDustySnickersChestnut NamesToffeeCappuccinoBrownieCopperSwissNutmegPennyGingerBrickFawnCinnamonAutumnSableSandySiennaMapleHazelNutellaCocoaOpieWhiskeyAmberRedMarigoldTawnyHazelnutRussellGrizzlyRosePalomino and Buckskin NamesEclipsePlatinumBambiGlimmerSundropAuroraAureliaBiscottiNuggetSunburstClementinePalomaZeldaEponaLuxBlondieRapunzelSpiritTrapperEdBarbieSunnyDaisyGray Horse NamesSnowballNapoleonPepperLaceyTravellerGregCoalHugoPicassoCrystalMoonlightFrostyAlaskaJasperSnowdenSilverSterlingPegasusBlizzardPearlCloudPinto NamesScoutLittle JoeJigsawRainHidalgoPatchPirateMarbleSparkleBeanPaintPicassoSplashFlashFancyType-of-Horse NamesMany horsey people like to name their horses something that relates to their breed. Most breeds have a specific style of name; for example, Arabians are often given Egyptian-inspired names, while Welsh Ponies often sport Welsh-inspired names and spellings. Here, however, were going to take a look at wider categories of horse types instead of individual breeds.Photo by Rita Kochmarjova/Adobe StockDraft Horse NamesMonteBaymax (the lovable, inflatable robot from Disneys Big Hero 6)GoliathGiantThorBannerHerculesMaximusDenaliTankBrunoJupiterSport Horse NamesChallengerJetPowerVictoryFargoBoltBillie Jean (for tennis player Billie Jean King, winner of 39 Grand Slams, or choose the name of one of your favorite sports stars!)BradyJordanSimonePhelpsSerenaMessiLeBronKobeMontanaGretzkyBoPharaoh (or use the infamous misspelling Pharoah if youre a racing fan!)Western Horse NamesBonney (The surname of notorious outlaw Billy the Kid, this name is nevertheless more suited for a mare considering its pronunciation)TriggerChampOakleyBillyCiscoRioDaleGeneCashChisholmAugustusCochiseHankRangerWhiskeyGunnerMaverickBroncoChicoChampionBonanzaCalamity JaneReevesSundanceDavyCassidySheriffOakleyJessePony NamesButtonsMistyDollyCookieCharlie BrownOlafSebastianJakeLeoLottoPoloTinkerbellMarshmallowPixiePersonality NamesYou can go a few different routes with this kind of name. You can go by what your horse isa bit of an alpha mare, a rather quiet geldingand choose a name that reflects that, or you can give your horse a name that denotes a quality you would like him to have. These lists are just the beginninguse them as inspiration!Photo by Windhound Photo/Adobe StockElegant Horse NamesIsabelleDebutante (Choose this for her registered name, and Debbie can be her barn name)MarquisJulietHenriettaVanderbiltVersaillesBossy Horse NamesEl Jefe (You cant get much more literal than this; it means The Boss in Spanish, and is pronounced El HEH-fay. Use LA JEFA for a mare. )QueenBootsMajorBarkleyKingChiefCaptainSilly Horse NamesBarnabyWhiskersTiggerBusterGoofyScoobyBugsDaffyMickeyMopsyFlopsy (Mopsy and Cottontail would then be ideal names for stablemates)Names Tied to InspirationPerhaps you want to take inspiration from some of your other favorite things in life, like places youve been or dreamed of, or maybe art and music that makes you feel inspired. Naming a horse is a great opportunity to combine these passions with your greatest passion: your horse.Photo by Frank/Adobe StockNames Inspired by PlacesParisSicilyVancouverUtahSydneyBerlinCarolinaLondonGeorgiaOdessaAthensViennaAdelaideFlorenceAustinSavannahPhoenixCheyenneHavanaVegasGenevaBostonLaredoVeniceCairoNames Inspired by CultureMozartJacksonBeethovenMonaDickinsonBardDa VinciSullivanChopinMichelangeloBanksyMonetFridaNames for Horse PairsIn the special case in which you have not one, but two equines to name (you lucky duck!), the process becomes even more complex because its multiplied. Double the trouble, if you will. And if you want to choose names that go well together . . . thats enough to make even the most expert namer throw up their hands in defeat. So if youre trying to select two perfect names that sound like they belong in adjacent stalls, what better way than to pick a duo that is already famous? Check out this list for ideas!Photo by byrdyak/Adobe StockBonnie and ClydeFortune and CookieRomeo and JulietVenus and SerenaYin and YangJack and DianeGarfield and OdieSonny and CherFred and BarneyRhett and ScarlettLaverne and ShirleyTom and JerryBuzz and WoodyRick and MortyBert and ErnieBatman and RobinMac and CheeseMario and LuigiJim and PamKirk and SpockTimon and PumbaaHow about you? What are some of your favorite horse names? Leave a comment below and share your favorites! The post 305 of the Best Horse Names appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

One horse owner challenges us to be proactive when it comes to our parasite control programs.The post Managing Resistant Parasites in Horses: Its Up to Us appeared first on The Horse.

The Underwriting Exchange Irish Show Jumping Team for the CSIO5* Nations Cup of Brussels has been named. Horse Sport Ireland High Performance Show Jumping Director Michael Blake has chosen his quartet to compete against eight other countries for the five-star Henders & Hazel Nations Cup, which takes place at 6.45pm Irish time. The Irish team were last seen in action at the Dublin Horse Show, where they landed another podium finish as they were second behind the United States in the Nations Cup of Ireland for the Aga Khan Trophy. On Friday they will face Argentina, Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland, and have been drawn sixth to jump. The Irish team selected for the Henders & Hazel Nations Cup of Brussels is: Conor Swail (Co. Down) with Count Me In David Simpson (Co. Derry) with Pjotr Van De Kruishoeve Michael Duffy (Co. Galway) with Calypso []

An exciting new initiative from US Equestrian has just been announced in an effort to build visibility and engagement for equestrian sports ahead of the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. The US Equestrian Open will span all three Olympic disciplines dressage, eventing, and show jumping with nationwide competitions culminating in a final that will award nearly $1 million in total prize monies across the sports. Each disciplines series will consist of qualifying events that lead up to a final that ultimately names a US Equestrian Open champion, a press released distributed by US Equestrian stated. The US Equestrian Open aims to build towards the excitement of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games and support the growing momentum around the sport amongst mainstream audiences. The prize money will total more than $1mm across the series finals with each discipline final hosted at three different premier venues across the country. US Equestrian will elevate the presence and visibility of equestrian sport within the United States and globally by broadcasting all three finals on ESPN.Tim Price and Falco compete at the Paris Olympics. The US Equestrian Open will facilitate greater engagement with equestrian sports in the lead-up to the next Games in Los Angeles (2028). Photo by Tilly Berendt.The Open will be accompanied by a dedicated effort to increase public engagement, including a dedicated microsite, live leaderboard tracking, publicly accessible and enhanced horse and rider information, as well as significant mainstream airtime on major sports broadcasting platform, ESPN, alongside live coverage via USEFNetwork powered by ClipMyHorseTV.The US Equestrian Open comes out of strategic planning and a commitment to invest in equestrian sports to increase awareness, exposure, and engagement. Upon approval by the FEI Board of Directors in June of this year, well now see the first qualifying event for the US Equestrian Open of Eventing this fall.The launch of the US Equestrian Open series has been a priority for us. Theres a purpose-driven need for equestrian sport to produce a more commercially significant and identifiable championship model within the United States, particularly focused around the Olympic disciplines, said David OConnor, US Equestrians Chief of Sport. Weve seen new and creative branded series introduced across other mainstream sports, such as golf and tennis, which have experienced tremendous success, both from an athlete and spectator perspective. As an organization, we felt strongly we needed to move the needle forward in our sport by providing access to significant prize money and standing behind a unique model for each discipline, which encourages participation at the highest levels.Morven Park will host the US Equestrian Open of Eventing Final in 2025. Photo by Sally Spickard.The Open of Eventing will consist of qualifying events throughout the year without geographical restrictions. The calendar of qualifying CCI4*-S events has yet to be published, but the Eventing Final will take place at Morven Parks CCI4*-L in the fall of 2025. A $50,000 series award will be distributed based on rankings, and $200,000 in prize money will be awarded at the final. Morven Park is thrilled to welcome the US Equestrian Open to our grounds, said Stacey Metcalfe, Executive Director/CEO of Westmoreland Davis Memorial Foundation, Inc./Morven Park. For over 50 years, our cross-country courses have maintained a legacy of eventing excellence at all levels of the sport, and as one of five venues in the United States to host a 4*-L we welcome the opportunity to continue this legacy into the future as part of the US Equestrian Open.You can read more about the US Equestrian Open, including information on the dressage and show jumping portions of competition, here. Well keep you up to date with more information as it becomes available.

The horses lived in MRC Thrse-De Blainville and MRC Haut-Saint-Laurent.The post 2 Quebec Horses Test Positive for EEE appeared first on The Horse.

The filly lives in Twin Falls County. The post Idaho Filly Positive for WNV appeared first on The Horse.

Two experts answer your questions about managing horses with allergies during our Ask TheHorse Live Event. Sponsored by KineticVet. The post Managing Horses With Allergies appeared first on The Horse.

The event will offer veterinary students hands-on learning and networking opportunities to delve into the world of equine practice.The post Lexington Hosts OEPS 2024 Seminar for Aspiring Equine Vets appeared first on The Horse.

Thrush in horses is characterised by a black, foul-smelling discharge from the hooves and urgent treatment is required. It is usually (but not always) the result of poor hoof care and/or being kept in wet ground conditions, which makes maintaining good hoof hygiene very difficult.Thrush is an infection of the hoofs frog, frog grooves and heel region. It is caused by a variety of bacteria and fungi, with one particularly aggressive species of bacteria called Fusobacterium necrophorum being commonly involved.It may affect one or multiple feet and one or more of the three clefts of frog medial, lateral and central may be affected. Thrush is more commonly found in the hind feet, especially if your horse has deep narrow frog clefts.How to tell if its thrushThrush is usually quite easy to spot, but occasionally it only becomes apparent when a hoof pick is advanced deep into the affected cleft.A horse with thrush may well be lame with a foul smelling, slimy, dark discharge around the frog. Pressing on the frog with your thumb often causes pain.The frog itself may be growing abnormally with loose rubbery flaps. The infection causes degeneration of the frog tissue and the frog tissue may be under-run (separated). In severe cases, the bacteria may have eaten away at the frog to cause open sores into the deeper sensitive tissues.Luckily most cases of thrush are superficial and limited to the frog tissue. In more severe cases, the infection may extend to the digital cushion, hoof wall and heel bulb regions, resulting in a lame horse and the need for treatment.Occasionally, swelling extends up the lower part of the leg to the knee or hock. Thrush is usually recognised by your vet or farrier on signs alone, but biopsies can be taken of the frog tissue to confirm it.How to prevent thrushRegular farrier visits are key to preventing thrushThrush causes the hoof and frog to become soft and crumbly, allowing the bacteria and fungi to penetrate and establish themselves leading to infection.Wet and muddy fields or soiled damp bedding are particular culprits with deep litter style bedding being amongst the worst. For this reason, thrush is much more common in winter than summer.Prevention is of course better than getting to the stage where it requires treatment, so picking out your horses feet properly twice a day and maintaining clean dry bedding is essential.It can be difficult during the wetter months but avoiding having your horse standing in a badly poached field for long periods is important.In addition, regular trimming of hooves and frog by a farrier is important to maintain good hoof conformation and frog health.Intermittent use of a disinfectant such as iodine to scrub out the hooves about once a month would also be a good idea.I have known thrush to develop in horses shod with pads between the shoe and the hoof, especially when moisture and dirt become trapped underneath the pad.It can be difficult to adequately clean the frog and clefts under and around bar shoes and impossible under sole pads. This puts horses who wear these shoes for other foot problems, such as bruising of the sole, at increased risk of suffering from thrush.Occasionally, though, thrush develops even when the horses management and foot care is exemplary, and owners often find this difficult to accept. In such patients, foot conformation and sheared heels are likely contributory factors, but some horses just develop thrush for no apparent reason.Treatment for a horse with thrushWithout treatment, a thrush infection will progress and may affect the deeper structures within the horses foot causing serious distortion of the frog and ongoing lameness.The first treatment step is to look at the horses environment and management. Avoid deep litter beds and use an absorbent bedding with soiled areas removed twice a day.Doing the following is also good practice:If the horse lives out in a wet or muddy field, bringing them in will give the feet a chance to dry.Hooves, including the clefts of frog, should be picked out twice a day.Your farrier should attend as soon as possible to trim the feet and remove overgrown horn, frog and under-run tissue.This opens the area to fresh air and helps to reduce the anaerobic environment. If there is heel instability in a barefoot horse, shoeing may be recommended.Bar shoes and pads should be removed and the frog, its grooves and the sole trimmed and paired back to visually healthy tissue by a vet or farrier allowing air to reach the affected tissue.The foot should then be picked out carefully twice daily before scrubbing the frog and sole with dilute iodine solution. Once washed the horse should be stood on a clean dry concrete area for about an hour to allow it to dry.In terms of medical management and treatment of thrush, the foot and frog tissue should first be cleaned using a stiff brush and Hibiscrub (chlorhexidine) solution.After this a topical treatment may be applied, such as oxytetracycline spray, iodine, copper sulphate or 10% formalin, to name but a few.Treatment lengthIt is very important that the horse is kept in a clean, dry stable where immaculate hygiene is maintained during the treatment period for thrush.Painkillers may be given by mouth if the horse is lame, but antibiotic powders are rarely required. Tetanus cover must be given to an unvaccinated horse.The management regime explained above should be maintained until the feet are back to normal and no longer showing signs of thrush. Thats probably going to take around two to three weeks, but sometimes longer.There is no one-size-fits-all treatment for thrush, and I find that different vets and farriers will recommend different treatments.Exercising your horse in a clean, dry environment is also important to strengthen the foot and facilitate natural cleaning of the foot.Images: copyright ShutterstockRelated contentTetanus in horses: signs, treatment and prevention adviceSix ways to prevent bruised soles in horsesIs barefoot a better choice for your horse?Ultimate guide to horse health insurance and vet fees cover5 things your horses vet really wishes you wouldnt doThe post Prevention and treatment advice for thrush in horses appeared first on Your Horse.

Done correctly, simple in-hand pole work exercises can make a huge difference to your horses balance, mobility and physique. Its a huge bonding and confidence-building experience as well.Andrew Hoy, who contested his eighth Olympic Games in Tokyo, winning team silver and individual bronze for Australia, shares three of his groundwork exercises for you to try.1 Zig-zag for stronger side musclesSet four poles up in a line.Leading your horse first from the near side, ask him to walk in a straight line parallel to the poles.Next, ask him to step sideways across the poles and walk in a straight line along the opposite side, again staying parallel.Ask him to step back across the poles.Aim for one or two strides each side of the poles.Its very important that your horse leads with the correct foot each time he crosses the poles (he should always step over with the closest foot first dont let him cross his legs).The side-stepping action is vital as its that which strengthens the muscles along your horses sides.Dont rush this exercise; simply ask yourhorse to stay straight and parallel to the poles for their entire length at first, then progress to zig-zagging.When you do ask your horse to step over the poles, simply allow him to come across.Repeat this exercise an even number of times on each rein, leading your horse from both sides.As you come to the end of the line of poles each time, make equal turns to the left and right.Encourage your horse to keep his head low throughout, so he can really round his back and work his shoulders and core as he takes each step.Andrew saysThis pole work task is very easy to set up, and a great suppling exercise, but its important to be accurate and methodical. Keep your horse straight, make sure he leads with the correct foot as he crosses the poles, and remember to turn both ways when you get to each end. Your horse needs to work both sides equally in order to feel the most benefit.2 Back up straight to work the core musclesStand in front and slightly to the side of your horse. Ask him to take three or four steps back.Check that hes staying straight as he walks backwards.Look for a nice symmetry in his stride.Again, ask your horse to keep his head low so that he can work his shoulders and core as he takes each step.Andrew saysAsking your horse to walk backwards for a few strides may sound simple, but the devils in the detail, says Andrew. Straightness and symmetry are important here.3 Raised poles for a thorough thoracic workoutPlace your poles on the ground, spaced so theres one walk stride between the first ground pole and the first raised pole. Andrew uses seven poles five slightly raised and two on the ground but play around with whatever equipment you have at home. The following poles, which are slightly raised, should be spaced so your horse can walk straight over them, one after the other.Place the final ground pole on a one- stride distance from the final raised pole.Ask a friend for help with this exercise, so youre leading your horse from both sides. Doing this will ensure he stays perfectly straight through the grid.Work your horse in a bridle and unbuckle the reins so you have a rein each.Encourage your horse to look down at the poles as he steps over them.Turn your horse equally in both directions at the end of the line and repeat the exercise in both directions.Andrew saysThroughout all three groundwork exercises, its hugely important to encourage your horse to keep his head low, as this will help his back to round and ensure his thoracic and core muscles get a good workout, says Andrew.Related contentGroundwork exercises for horses to build trustHow to improve a horses poor toplineGroundwork exercises to work on a horses core strengthWhy riding on the correct diagonal is important for keeping a horse soundWhat are the Scales of Training for horses in dressage and flatwork?The post Andrew Hoys groundwork exercises to improve a horses balance, mobility and core strength appeared first on Your Horse.