Nebraska Equine Veterinary Clinic

06/12/2026

☀️ Summer is here, and so is the heat! Do you know when hot is too hot to ride?☀️

When it comes to your horse's safety, don't just look at the temperature—check the heat index, too.

The heat index combines temperature and humidity to estimate how hot it actually feels. High humidity makes it harder for horses to cool themselves through sweating, increasing the risk of heat stress, heat exhaustion, and even heat stroke.

🐴 As the heat index rises:
• Horses fatigue more quickly
• Recovery after exercise takes longer
• Sweating becomes less effective
• The risk of dehydration and overheating increases

💡 AAEP recommendations for hot weather:
✅ Exercise during the coolest parts of the day
✅ Provide unlimited access to fresh, clean water
✅ Ensure access to shade and airflow
✅ Allow horses to gradually acclimate to hotter conditions
✅ Consider electrolyte supplementation for horses in work
✅ Monitor horses closely during and after exercise

⚠️ Watch for signs of heat stress:
• Rapid breathing
• Elevated heart rate
• Excessive sweating or lack of sweating
• Weakness or lethargy
• Muscle tremors
• Stumbling or incoordination
• Elevated body temperature

If your horse appears overheated, stop exercise immediately, move them to a shaded area, and begin cooling with copious amounts of cool water. Contact your veterinarian if signs are severe or do not improve quickly.

Remember: A cloudy day can still have a dangerous heat index. Checking both temperature and humidity can help you make safer decisions for your horse this summer. ☀️💧

06/11/2026

🫤it has made it to America. Join the webinar to learn about the New World Screwworm.

🚨 WEBINAR ALERT!
📅 June 18 @ 4 PM ET

On June 3, 2026, the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed New World Screwworm in the umbilical area of a calf in Zavala County, Texas. This expansion into the United States is alarming.

US Equestrian is partnering with the AAEP to bring you the information you need about the risk to horses and how you can keep your equine partners safe.

Dr. Katie Flynn, Senior Staff Veterinarian for Equine Health and Biosecurity at USEF, will be joined by Dr. Neil Gray, sport horse practitioner in California.

Webinar registration link: https://usef.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_uwgRdUs4Rx-gEHPiBfqvSQ #/registration

06/10/2026

☀️ Summer is here! Does your horse need protection from the sun? ☀️

Summer sunshine is great for riding and turnout, but prolonged UV exposure can cause painful sunburn and skin damage in horses.

Horses with pink skin, white markings, light-colored coats, and areas of sparse hair are at the greatest risk. Common problem areas include the muzzle, eyelids, face, and any unpigmented skin.

🐴 Help protect your horse by:

✅ Providing access to shade during peak sunlight hours

✅ Applying an equine-safe sunscreen to pink or unpigmented skin, especially on the nose and around the eyes

✅ Using UV-protective fly masks and nose covers for horses prone to sunburn

✅ Monitoring your horse regularly for redness, peeling, crusting, or other signs of skin irritation

⚠️ Some horses may also develop photosensitization, an abnormal reaction to sunlight that can result in severe skin inflammation, pain, and crusting. Certain plants, medications, and liver disease can increase this risk.

Contact your veterinarian if you notice:
• Severe sunburn
• Crusting or open sores
• Swelling of the face or muzzle
• Hair loss or painful skin lesions

A few simple preventive measures can help keep your horse comfortable and protected from the summer sun. ☀️🐴

06/09/2026

Interesting information on hay!

06/08/2026

What are your favorite local shops for barn life?

Shopping local means choosing locally owned businesses and genuinely investing back into your own community, not spending at big-box stores or national chains.

Keep your hard-earned dollars close to home by supporting your locally owned farm, feed, and ag retailer. We truly appreciate your business!

06/08/2026

☀️ Summer is here, and so is the heat! Do you know the signs of Heat Stress?☀️

Hot, humid weather can put horses at risk for heat stress, especially during exercise. Horses cool themselves by sweating, but when temperatures and humidity are high, their natural cooling system can become overwhelmed.

⚠️ Watch for these signs:
• Rapid breathing
• Elevated heart rate
• Excessive sweating or lack of sweating
• Weakness or lethargy
• Muscle tremors
• Stumbling or incoordination
• Elevated body temperature
• Depression or unusual behavior

✅ Help prevent heat stress:
• Ride during cooler parts of the day
• Provide unlimited fresh water
• Ensure access to shade and airflow
• Consider electrolytes for working horses
• Gradually acclimate horses to hot weather

💧 If your horse becomes overheated:
• Stop exercise immediately
• Move to shade
• Apply plenty of cool water over the entire body
• Use fans if available
• Continue cooling while monitoring your horse

🚨 Contact your veterinarian immediately if your horse has a temperature above 104°F, stops sweating, appears weak or uncoordinated, collapses, or does not improve quickly with cooling.

Early recognition and prompt cooling can save your horse's life. Stay safe and keep your horses cool this summer! 🐴💧

06/03/2026

Check out Platinum Performance's article on sleep deprivation narcolepsy.

Did you know sleep deprivation and narcolepsy can impact your horse's health and performance?

Read along as we dive into the signs, causes, and effects of sleep issues in horses. Recognizing subtle symptoms is vital to understanding how stress, pain, and environmental factors can disrupt rest. Learn how to identify and address sleep-related issues to keep your horse healthy, rested, and ready to perform at their best!

Read it in Platinum Magazine 👇
https://bit.ly/4tGdyBq

06/02/2026

Is This Normal? Yes! This is REM Sleep.

💤🐴Most horse owners have seen their horse dozing in the pasture or barn aisle, but did you know horses have unique sleep requirements that are very different from ours?

💤 How Much Sleep Do Horses Need?
Horses are polyphasic sleepers, meaning they sleep in multiple short periods throughout the day and night rather than one long stretch. Most adult horses sleep a total of 3 to 5 hours per day, while foals and senior horses often sleep more.

💤 Can Horses Sleep Standing Up?
Yes! Thanks to their stay apparatus, horses can rest and enter light sleep and slow wave sleep while standing. This allows them to relax while remaining ready to flee from danger if needed.

💤 Why Do Horses Need to Lie Down?
To achieve REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, horses must lie down. During REM sleep, muscle tone is lost, making it impossible for them to remain standing. Most horses only need about 20 to 30 minutes of REM sleep daily, but it is essential for normal brain function and overall health.

💤 What's Normal?
✔️ Standing quietly with a relaxed posture
✔️ Short naps throughout the day
✔️ Lying down periodically for deep sleep and REM sleep
✔️ Occasional twitching or movement while sleeping

🚩 What's Not Normal?
❌ Frequent stumbling or buckling at the knees when resting
❌ Falling asleep while standing and collapsing
❌ Excessive daytime drowsiness
❌ Reluctance or inability to lie down
❌ Unexplained wounds on the knees, fetlocks, or face from collapsing episodes

🚩 Sleep Deprivation vs. Narcolepsy
Sleep deprivation is much more common than true narcolepsy in horses. Horses may become sleep deprived if they are uncomfortable lying down due to pain, arthritis, environmental stress, herd dynamics, or inadequate bedding. Over time, they may begin to doze while standing and suddenly lose balance.

📞 When Should You Call Your Veterinarian?
If your horse:
• Appears excessively sleepy during the day
• Is collapsing or nearly collapsing while resting
• Has difficulty lying down or getting back up
• Develops unexplained injuries that may be related to sleep episodes
• Shows any sudden change in normal sleeping behavior

05/29/2026

🚚 Traveling with your horse this season? Don’t forget the paperwork!

A Certificate of Veterinarian Inspection (CVI), often called a “health certificate,” is required for interstate travel and many events or facilities. A CVI confirms that your horse was recently examined by a veterinarian and showed no obvious signs of contagious illness at the time of inspection.

Why are CVIs important?
They help reduce the spread of infectious diseases such as:
• Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA/Coggins)
• Strangles
• Equine Herpesvirus (EHV)
• Vesicular Stomatitis
• Piroplasmosis

Most CVIs are valid for 30 days, but requirements can vary by state and disease outbreaks. Some locations may require additional testing or shorter validity periods.

Before you travel:
✔️ Check destination and event requirements early
✔️ Make sure your horse has a current negative Coggins test
✔️ Schedule your health certificate appointment ahead of time
✔️ Practice good biosecurity while traveling

Even with a CVI, it’s important to monitor your horse closely for signs of illness, including fever, nasal discharge, diarrhea, or changes in behavior. If your horse appears sick, stay home and contact your veterinarian.

Planning ahead helps protect your horse and the entire equine community. 🐴

05/28/2026

Most equine owners know that a negative Coggins test is a document required to be able to transport their animal across state lines, enter them in a competitive event, or board at someone's barn. But what does the phrase "negative Coggins test" actually mean?

A "Coggins" is a blood test that can only be performed by USDA-approved laboratories and checks for Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) antibodies in the blood. Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) is a potentially fatal blood-borne infectious viral disease that produces a persistent infection among equids nearly worldwide. Transmission through blood transfusions or contaminated needles/syringes, surgical instruments or dental equipment is most common. The virus can also be transmitted through vectors via fly bite.

The clinical signs of disease can vary dramatically from an acute infection to an inapparent form, but what is important to know is that it produces a persistent infection. Once an animal tests positive for EIA it becomes a lifelong source of disease transmission, so the owner can only choose between quarantine for life or humane euthanasia to ensure that large outbreaks of the disease don’t occur. There is no vaccine or treatment for EIA.

Take-home message: While a Coggins test is a necessary travel document, don’t forget that it's also first and foremost a way to identify and remove EIA carriers to keep the disease under control.

To learn more about EIA, visit our website at: https://aaep.org/resource/equine-infectious-anemia/ or visit the Equine Disease Communication Center's website: https://www.equinediseasecc.org/equine-infectious-anemia