Avon Ridge Equine Veterinary Services

Home
Australia
Perth, WA
Avon Ridge Equine Veterinary Services

Call Directions Website Contact the business

Equine Veterinary Service for Perth and surrounding regions. Fully mobile equine veterinary practice

02/11/2026

Gastroscopy has undoubtedly played an important role in improving our understanding of equine gastric health. However, there can be a downside. We risk treating the scope image rather than zooming out and looking the whole horse.

It’s not uncommon to hear reports or read posts on horse forums where owners say their horses were previously prescribed 1-3 month courses of omeprazole for suspected gastric ulcers, often without a gastroscopy, or anyone looking into the horse’s diet, management or individual risk factors.

In my clinical experience, many of the pleasure and performance horses I see with squamous gastric ulcers have healed after just 14 days of enteric-coated omeprazole paste. This doesn’t mean every horse will heal in 14 days, or that longer treatment is never appropriate. Treatment duration should be based on the individual horse, their inherent risk factors and response to therapy, rather than automatically prescribing a prolonged course.

What I find on gastroscopy is also only one piece of the puzzle.

I spend a lot of time discussing why the ulcers may have developed in the first place, including diet, forage access, feeding practices, exercise, travel, turnout, management and other risk factors. Just as importantly, I go back to the clinical signs that prompted the owner to investigate gastric disease in the first place. Not every “girthy” horse has gastric ulcers, and not every recent change in behaviour warrants a course of omeprazole. Underlying and undiagnosed musculoskeletal pain is often present in these horses.

Seeing ulcers on a scope doesn’t necessarily mean they explain everything the owner is seeing.

The goal shouldn’t simply be to treat the ulcers for a clear rescope. It should be to understand the horse, address the factors contributing to disease and use medication for as long as it is actually needed.

With the right diagnosis, management changes and veterinary guidance, treatment may be much shorter and much less expensive than owners have been led to expect.

🐴 To learn more about our mobile gastroscopy service:
https://avonridgeequine.com.au/mobile-gastroscopy-service/

01/11/2026

There’s a persistent belief that if a horse is worried about something, the best approach is to “just get it over with.”

From a learning perspective, this often backfires.

Overwhelming a horse with a frightening stimulus - a process known as “flooding” - is one of the least effective and most stressful ways to change behaviour.

It may suppress behaviour in the moment, but it doesn’t teach the horse that the situation is safe. More often, it teaches them they have no control or that escalation is the fastest way to escape next time.

Calm behaviour depends on predictability and preparation. If the first time a horse practises tolerating leg handling is when it has a wound, or the first time a vein is raised is when an IV injection is required, the learning environment is already stacked against them.

Behavioural skills need to be built gradually, in low-pressure settings, long before they are needed.

I’m always willing to discuss training strategies and help guide owners but I cannot replace preparation, and I cannot compromise safety. There will be times when the safest decision is to stop, sedate, reschedule, or rethink the game plan.

If you want to learn how to prepare your horse so routine procedures are safer and calmer for everyone, you can sign up to our mailing list here:

👉 https://avonridgeequine.aweb.page/understanding-equine-behaviour

🩺 Contact us on 0427 072 095 or book an appointment online: https://avonridgeequine.com.au/book-an-appointment/

30/10/2026

🐴 Some timely humour for those in the full swing of breeding season (thankfully, not at this practice!!!). 😅

🤣 Inspired by Tania Broad’s comment on our previous post!

💬 Got another funny line for our series? Drop it in the comments!

28/10/2026

I was delighted to meet the little man. The little man was not delighted to meet me. 🤣

26/10/2026

🥑 Avocado Toxicity in Horses: A Hidden Risk on WA Properties 🐎

Avocado trees are incredibly common across Western Australia, particularly in rural properties where horses and gardens often sit side by side. Because avocados are such a familiar and “safe” food for people, many horse owners are surprised to learn that avocado can be toxic to horses.

All parts of the avocado tree — the leaves, bark, fruit, skin, and seed — contain naturally occurring toxins, including persin. Horses are most often exposed accidentally: fallen branches after storms, fruit dropped over fences, or garden waste and prunings dumped where horses can reach them. Importantly, dried leaves and clippings remain toxic, so the risk doesn’t disappear once material has been cut or fallen.

Clinical signs in horses can vary depending on how much is eaten and which part of the plant is ingested. Reported signs include swelling of the head, lips, tongue or eyelids, difficulty breathing due to airway swelling, colic, lethargy, and in more severe cases fluid accumulation around the heart or lungs.

There is no specific antidote for avocado poisoning. Treatment is supportive, and outcomes are strongly influenced by how quickly veterinary care begins. This is why any suspected exposure should always be taken seriously.

Avocado toxicity is just one example of how common plants — not rare or exotic ones — can pose a real risk to horses in WA.

If you’d like to learn more, we’ve created a free, veterinarian-led Poisonous Plants Mini-Course for WA horse owners, delivered straight to your inbox.

👉 Sign up for free by clicking here:
https://avonridgeequine.aweb.page/free-vet-course-wa-horses

20/10/2026

🐴 Spare a thought for our poor non-horsey husbands, dads and partners who get roped into doing the most bizarre things, usually without questioning why! 🤣

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve asked your non-horsey other half to do? Drop it in the comments! 👇

19/10/2026

🚨 IT’S ALMOST HERE! 🐴🦶

❗️THIS SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24!

I’ll be presenting “Rethinking Laminitis: A New Strategy for an Old Problem”

What if we could prevent more cases of laminitis rather than simply managing the damage once it’s done?

Laminitis management has come a long way, but are we making the most of what the latest research is telling us?

I’ll be sharing some of the latest science, real case examples, and practical strategies that challenge the way we’ve traditionally approached this disease.

We’ll explore my 5 Pillars of Laminitis Prevention, why individualised management matters, what to do when horses don’t follow the playbook, and how vets, farriers and owners can work together to achieve better outcomes.

Expect plenty of science, practical take-home messages and a few things that might challenge the way you think about laminitis!

🐴 If you’re a horse owner or farrier with an interest in laminitis, this is one you won’t want to miss!

⚠️ LIMITED SPACES AVAILABLE!

📞 Contact Tania Broad on 0417 916 934 to secure your spot!

15/10/2026

A rainy morning meant our newest team member made a visit to the other vet in the family (my brother!) at his clinic for some cuddles and her second vaccination!

Keep an eye out for her on the road with us if you haven’t already had the pleasure of meeting the little witch 🧙😆

13/10/2026

A quick trip out to Toodyay this morning to check on a very special little pony, Bam Bam, who recently suffered an episode of laminitis.

Thanks to some excellent corrective farriery by Martin Butler, a super-dedicated owner and careful management of his underlying PPID (Cushing’s disease), Bam Bam is now feeling rather sprightly and is literally back on his feet again!

12/10/2026

‼️ Watch out for grass seed awns

We’ve already seen a few horses with some very sore mouths thanks to barley grass awns, and with plenty of grasses going to seed across WA at the moment, it’s something worth keeping an eye out for!

Certain grasses produce sharp, stiff or barbed seed heads that can become embedded in the soft tissues of a horse’s mouth while they’re grazing or chewing contaminated or poor quality hay.

These seeds can work their way into the gums, around the teeth, inside the lips and along the tongue, causing significant inflammation, painful ulcers and occasionally secondary infections.

⁉️What might you notice?

* Excessive drooling or a very wet mouth
* Difficulty chewing or dropping feed
* Reluctance to eat hay or hard feeds
* Bad breath
* Red, swollen or bleeding gums
* Painful ulcers around the lips, tongue or gums

Some horses can have quite extensive ulceration throughout their mouths, even when they initially appear relatively comfortable.

Once embedded, these seeds can trigger a significant inflammatory reaction, sometimes resulting in deep ulceration.

✅ The good news?

Most horses recover well once the offending grass or hay is removed, although more severe cases may require veterinary treatment to remove embedded seeds under sedation. Healing can take several weeks.

With the number of cases we’ve already, it’s certainly worth being aware of.

🩺 Contact us on 0427 072 095 or book an appointment online: https://avonridgeequine.com.au/book-an-appointment/

Address

Brigadoon
Perth, WA
6000

Telephone

+61427072095

Website

http://www.avonridgeequine.com.au/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Avon Ridge Equine Veterinary Services posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.