Taranaki Equine Veterinary Services

24/11/2025

Congratulations to Millar Racing for taking out the Group 3 Counties Cup on the weekend with Final Return. They also had multiple other wins and placings and deserve a big👏. Proud to support this team 🏆

Final Return clings on to win the Gr.3 MyRacehorse Counties Cup (2100m) in a blanket finish.  Photo: Kenton Wright (Race Images) Nicholas captures Counties Cup with mid-race masterstoke Richard Edmunds, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk 22 November 2025 Comeback jockey Elen Nicholas took her career to its gr...

02/11/2025

Happy birthday to this Superstar 🌟

Hope you are having a wonderful day on this Taranaki stunner. Thanks for all your hard work in front and behind the scenes, and making phone calls 📞 when needed 😂

31/10/2025

Today we were pretty in pink👚
In honour of a society that has become a warm hug amidst what has felt to be a relentless storm.
The breast cancer society is an extremely supportive group that always has their door open if you are in need of support. A donation their way helps them help us🙌🏼
This is your reminder to check yourselves, book your mammograms and be vigilant-early detection saves lives 🙌🏼

24/10/2025

Does your horse cough when you ride it?

Did you know that your horse can have issues with both the upper respiratory anatomy and the lower respiratory airway that causes poor performance?

The only way to truly separate some of these issues is by the use of an endoscope examination. Which means we can visually check the upper respiratory anatomy is correct, that the anatomy of the airway that operates the opening and closing of the trachea is normal and that the trachea itself is clear of mucus. In some cases the referral for a dynamic endoscopy helps diagnosis for upper respiratory issues such as dorsal displacement of the soft palate, this can occur in racehorses and also in horses during exercise that involves flexion at the poll.

The trachea is the windpipe into the lung tissue itself and should be free of mucus and or blood. When checking a coughing horse we often take a washed sample from the trachea for culture and a washed sample from the lungs (BAL) for inflammatory cells. Why? Because this is the most diagnostic information to tell us your horse may have asthma or a alternatively a bacterial infection.

Equine asthma is one of the most diagnosed issues of the horse with clinical signs such as coughing, clear nasal discharge, shortness of breath and poor performance (understandably). If your horse is making a noise while working or coughing when you ride it, get in touch today, as left untreated it can create chronic pulmonary issues commonly seen as 'heaves' later in life.

Reference pictures: Management of chronic airway inflammation in the horse: A systematic review. K. M. Ivester, L. L. Couëtil. 2014. https://doi.org/10.1111/eve.12238

21/10/2025

Do you feel like you are going around in circles trying to work out why your horse is lame?

Here at TEVS our approach is to specifically identify areas of concern with the use of local analgesic (nerve blocks) followed by diagnostic imaging using x rays and ultrasound.

Our step by step process involves a thorough history, manual palpation and then watching the horse in a dynamic exam in a straight line and on the lunge to get a base line movement pattern, we also integrate objective data analysis using the Sleip lameness locator app.

If an asymmetry is perceived than we use nerve blocks to isolate the region of interest. This involves starting low at the level of the foot and working up the limb in sections. We usually start with a palmar/plantar digital block at the level of the heel bulbs, administer local anaesthetic over the nerves, wait ten minutes and then re examine the horse for the previous asymmetry. If the horse is still lame we move up the limb ⬆. We can perform this up to the elbow in the front limb and the stifle in the hindlimb, which means when we 'block' the asymmetry (lameness) we know exactly which region to focus on. There are odd occasions where the lameness is located above this region, we can use x rays and ultrasound to survey regions above the elbow or alternatively you can be referred for Scintigraphy (bone scan) but at this point we still know that the lameness is coming from above where we have blocked.

If you feel like you have been scratching your head for too long now, or you have spent lot's of money on bodywork/chiropractic fees but are still not achieving the result you want, then get in touch today.

20/10/2025

Let's talk about a condition that affects horses (more commonly thoroughbreds) and is not as common as you have been lead to believe.

Overriding spinous processes aka 'kissing spine'

What is it? Anatomically it's where the dorsal spinous processes (DSP's) of the thoracic +/- lumbar spine are touching, causing pain and therefore poor performance.

What signs am I looking for? Bad behaviours such as bucking, resistant to tacking up, bolting and refusing to jump, hindlimb lameness or poor movement in the hindlimbs. Factors such as the horse's conformation, the length and shape of the
thoracolumbar region, and biomechanical stresses related to riding and
performance can influence the development and impact of DSPs.

Now here is the important part - Diagnosis is made during a physical examination and by using diagnostic anesthesia (nerve blocks) NOT ON IMAGING/XRAYS ALONE, as they do not correlate with clinical signs or level of pain. It is also important to consider the angle that the x ray has been taken as it can influence the amount of space present, resulting in over diagnosis.

Ultrasound should be used to assess the articular facets for signs of osteoarthritis and the supraspinous ligament. Referral for Nuclear scintigraphy (bone scan) can be used to highlight that this area is inflamed. Another important aspect of the examination using x rays is to examine the plantar angle (PA) of the hindfeet, because there is a known correlation between negatively rotated hind feet plantar angles and over riding dorsal spinous processes. Any imaging modality used must be followed up with nerve blocks to confirm that this is the source of pain.

Treatment can be multi modal meaning that local infiltration of corticosteroids or the use of mesotherapy +/- shockwave can make the condition manageable. There are several surgical procedures that can be performed transecting the interspinous ligament and there are several bone reducing procedures that can be performed.

Horses with kissing spine require management for pain and tailored exercise warm ups, consideration to the weather when riding, correct saddle and girth fit, maintenance of a healthy weight with diet, and addressing any underlying foot balance issues or hindlimb lameness issues.

So next time your horse has back pain, remember this is not the 'only' cause of back pain and you need a qualified opinion to rule in or out the underlying issue which should start with a lameness examination.

Pictured is a horse that does not have clinical 'kissing spine' but appears to have 'obvious' radiographic abnormalities. Reference Sue Dyson "The Equine Lameness Program"

30/09/2025

👀 Rock’s Eye Drama 👀

Poor Rock has had a constantly weepy eye, so we got our superstar vet in to check for anything nasty hiding in there. Honestly, with horses’ eyes you cannot muck around — even the tiniest seed or speck of dust can turn into a massive drama if you leave it. Ulcers, infection, even loss of vision 😱 — so it’s always straight to the vet for me.

That’s why he’s rocking the very fashionable eye mask — keeps out the dust, flies, and sunshine, and stops him rubbing it and making it worse while it heals.

Biggest thanks to [Taranaki Equine Veterinary Services] and the incredible Rabecca McKenzie 💕 So lucky to have you on my team keeping the ponies in top shape.

15/09/2025

With multi-drug resistance on the rise, making smart decisions around worm control and dewormer use matters more than ever. EpiVets Ltd is conducting a survey on behalf of the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to better understand how horse owners in New Zealand currently make decisions about managing worms and using dewormers. Insights from this survey will help identify trends in current practices and highlight where additional support or resources could help owners save time, improve performance, and protect their horse’s welfare.$500 prezzy card up for grabs.

Link to Survery: https://qualtricsxmqkzw82x8p.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_38yFmZIEsTldNMq?fbclid=IwY2xjawMyqhlleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHl4i_s2HrjwYxKKks5awwvd08mH-x42yJQFlo8SOebIWRFLI2nO24Nwzt-i__aem_m-pxcJv0ZpR_DSbKC18grw

27/08/2025

Pre season check list ✅

As the pinnacle season for our equine athletes approaches, now is the time to ensure all the boxes are ticked to get you started with the right foot forward.

Some things to have on your check list:
Routine trot up and lunge ✅
A full body assessment including range of motion and joint palpitation✅
Flexion tests✅
Foot balance radiographs✅
Supplemental maintenance up to date✅
Selenium blood test✅

Following up on our recent “Is your horse naughty or sore” presentation, have you observed any of the ‘24 pain faces’?
Are your equine partners showing you any behavioural changes that has you concerned?
Or
Has recent training sessions been a little disheartening?

Common statements owners often enquire with are;
“I feel like i’ve lost my horses expressive jump”, “The canter has no push anymore”, “He’s started to buck after fences”, “she’s started to disunite”, these are all signals to let you know something’s off.

Poor performance doesn’t fit in a box, what we do know is horses express pain in multiple ways, Your horse might have a voice of a lion or be so stoic you can hardly hear them whisper, but we trust you as the owners to always be listening.

Now’s the time to iron out those niggles and tick the boxes so you can put all that winter training into action 🙌🏼
Give us a call and get booked in!
All the best for a successful season 🙂

10/08/2025

What a great night on Saturday hosted by Taranaki Equestrian Jumping Inc. and Dressage Taranaki. A really great group of people that turned up in a really cool venue. I hope everyone got a little something from the presentations and it was so nice to see everyone! Thanks especially to Parys Marshall for her organsiation and its so great to see both groups looking to help their members in multiple ways.

Massive thanks to everyone that came to support the TEJ Sore Horse and Nutrition Workshop that was held on Saturday night.
A massive thanks to Bex from Taranaki Equine Veterinary Services and Dunstan Horsefeeds.

07/08/2025

Reminding you this is on tomorrow evening, save a seat by following the link. There are a few spaces for non TEJ and Dressage Taranaki members ☺️

This Saturday - FREE workshop to all TEJ & Dressage Taranaki members. Come along for a fun, informative night.
When: Saturday 9th August
Where: Toi Foundation, 121 Gill Street, New Plymouth
Start Time: 6pm

Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdtH2JYXdyLZrlblRm_dUTVMjyXo9kiq4y4J0BQbQQIYGbyCQ/viewform?fbzx=5116279385685035290&fbclid=IwY2xjawMAythleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFlZGpsQ0ZtcEdHa0FWNTJJAR4Elz0-Wn4W_tcgtGFD9D9W0zreAjoxT9iKO5xCZqewye640QkWpbN7eK1Icw_aem_MCmf-h0zK8YxaGUKEmcSbw

29/07/2025

Just re posting! To all local equine enthusiasts that belong to Dressage Taranaki or TEJ I am repeating a talk I gave at Equifest titled is ‘your horse naughty or sore’. Using science to explain equine behaviours. Please click on the link to confirm numbers in the comments.