Dental disease can be very painful. Early detection and treatment of dental problems is vitally important in maintaining good oral health- we all know that prevention is better than cure! As part of your horse’s annual health check, a thorough dental examination should be performed.

This 6-year-old WB mare presented with a short history of bucking, napping and increasing resistance to going forward. On examination, severe pain and spasm was noted over the back. No lameness was observed, but there was no transfer of energy from the hind limbs through the back.

Meet Mr T, who earlier this year developed a slight swelling on the left hand side of his back, under the saddle region. He didn’t seem overly bothered about this swelling, but his owner asked Sarah to check it out as they were concerned that it was steadily growing bigger.

Sycamore poisoning, also known as atypical myopathy is a highly fatal muscle disorder that occurs following the ingestion of sycamore seeds or leaves in autumn, or seedlings in spring, that contain the hypoglycin A toxin.

Max presented after his owner noticed the frogs of his feet had become soft and irregular. Upon examination it was clear that he was suffering from Canker in three out of four feet.

Ralph recently presented due to the development of mild head shaking behaviour and an abnormal respiratory noise when ridden. He subsequently developed an orange coloured nasal discharge but was otherwise well.