Cartilage chipping, nerve pinching, subluxated vertebrae, tongue problems – to mention only a few – can result in further behavioural and even psychological damage to the horse, which will make it almost impossible for horse and rider to find harmony. So please: listen to what your horse is trying to tell you! If you train the horse fairly and kindly the horse will accept you as the alpha horse. Once the horse accepts you as the alpha or leader, they can’t help but try to please you; it is in their nature for the last 50 million years. It is in the horse’s instinct to do want you want them to do, as long as you follow the natural and classical training methods. Be aware of potential saddle fit issues if behavioural changes or issues crop up over a longer period (a couple of days!) and do your due diligence to avoid the results shown in these photos.

The following pictures demonstrate clearly some of the often-irreparable long-term damage, which can result from a badly fitting saddle.

Read more: Physical Signs of Damage Caused by Ill-Fitting Saddles

by Kentucky Equine Research Staff

Conception problems are the bane of a broodmare manager’s existence.

“Broodmares are notoriously difficult to manage and early pregnancy loss occurs relatively commonly,” said Laura Petroski-Rose, B.V.M.S., a veterinarian at Kentucky Equine Research.

“Compared to mares that can’t stay in foal, failure to become pregnant is a different scenario wrought with a separate set of concerns,” she added. Reasons why mares may not become pregnant, ranging from easy fixes to the worst-case scenarios, include:

1. The mare was not in heat when bred due to a persistent corpus luteum (hormone-producing follicle on the ovary stopping ovulation) or is in a transitional phase of estrus or even in anestrus;

2. Silent heat, possibly because she did not like the stallion, her environment, or may be protecting her foal. Some mares never show outward signs of estrus;

Read more: Conception Failure in Mares: Seven Causes