Equiloutions- Equine & Equestrian Solutions

08/01/2026

The rain doesn’t stop us from tending to some quail 😁 We even get to keep the eggs!

07/22/2026

When your super senior equine clients love soft perennial peanut hay leaves…you get them those leaves! Two bags worth! 🙌

Thanks Ashley Feed for having what Willow & Satin love 💕

07/19/2026

So neat!

There are so many parts of the horses head that give us clues to their temperaments.

The chin and lips are some of these. They are unique from things like eyes and ears in that they are muscle.

The shape of eyes, ears, and profile are fairly well set. The horses are born with them and they don’t change. Chins and lips change and grow with the horse as the horse matures and develops their own unique personality. Which brings us to a very important question.

Does the shape of the chin and lips, the muzzle, show what the temperament will be or does the temperament cause the shape of the muzzle?

Frown lines don’t cause a person to spend their time frowning. Frowning causes frown lines to develop. Or, to the contrary, laugh lines. The way a person thinks, acts, and holds themselves is the cause of the way the lines of the face develop.

If a horse is curious and wants to explore with their mouth does this develop the muscles in the upper lip making it shapely and curvaceous? If a horse carries tension in tightly drawn lips does this build the muscling of the lips and chin adding lines, ridges, and layers for a complicated chin?

Some things, certain shapes and characteristics, are inherent and unchanging. A chin that comes to a point that gets hard with the lip flattening and extending when the horse is upset, is a born trait that accompanies several other traits. The sensitive skin that tends to wrinkle more than normal, that accompanies this chin type is far deeper than muscle development.

Looking at the way the muzzle develops over time can give us a lot of information. How much is cause and how much effect? That is hard to say.

05/30/2026

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

02/17/2026

Slow feed hay nets represent a simple and affordable way to extend foraging time when meal feeding horses.

ℹ️ https://extension.umn.edu/horse-nutrition/using-slow-feed-hay-nets

02/03/2026

12/31/2025

Meal prep on point 😍🙌🤣

12/29/2025

Buster McLaury took the Wild Card Championship at Road to the Horse 2025. We can't wait to watch his daughter step into the round pen at Road to the Horse 2026. Buster & Sheryl McLaury - Horsemen and Clinicians

12/26/2025