Vintage Equine First Aid

04/22/2026

Great 😊 information to know
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Unfit or Unwell?

Image courtesy of EQUUS Magazine

04/19/2026

Spring turnout is around the corner
Great information to know
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04/18/2026

ALL WEEKEND EQUINE FIRST AID COURSE
Pop up weekend course

Do not wait. Sign up !!!

May 16 2026 & May 17 2026
9:00 to 4 pm
Both days Saturday and Sunday

OR

June 13 2026 & June 14 2026
9:00 to 4 pm
Both days Saturday and Sunday

Willow Creek Farm ( my home farm )
Loretto Ontario

Will be hosting two full different weekends of equine first aid courses full of knowledge and skills on how to help horses in emergency situation 🚨 🐴
Join up for amazing fun and knowledge and hands on scenarios with real horses

Saturday May 16 2026
Basic Emergency Equine First Aid
$169 / person

Sunday May 17 2026
Advance Equine First Aid
$169/person

Or

Saturday June 13 2026
Basic Emergency Equine First Aid
$169 /per person

Sunday June 14 2026
Advance Equine First Aid
$169 /per person

The basic emergency equine first aid course is a prerequisite for the advance course

Take both courses and get it for $300 for the weekend ( must register for both courses )

Spots are limited
So sign up today !!

Contact for more information

Valery Lower
Equi-Health Canada Instructor
705-890-2251 call or text or email
vintageequinefirstaid@ail.com

“You are a horse first responders in any emergency situation “
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04/17/2026

Do you want to help your horse out in emergency situations

You are their first responders in any emergency situation

Vintage Equine First Aid is offering different equine first aid courses in all ages and levels

We are affiliated through Equi-Health Canada
Valery has been a Equi-Health Canada Instructor for 5 years and travels all over Ontario

We are starting to book for the spring, summer and fall 2026 season

We are looking for host barns to host Equine First Aid courses

OR

Come to my home farm in Loretto Ontario
Willow Creek Farm as i do teach courses at home as well


We offer a variety of different courses you can choose from
1. Equine Health and Emergency First Aid
$169 / person - all day

2. Advance Emergency Equine First Aid
$169/person - all day

3. Advance Emergency Equine First Aid - Wilderness Edition
$169/person - all day

4. Equine First Aid Fundamentals
$99/person - 4 hour course

5. “I Can Help” - Equine First Aid
$59/person - 3 hours
Kids course 5 to 9yrs old

Many more to choose from

Contact for more information

Certified Equi-Health Instructor
Valery Lower
Call / Text / Email
705-890-2251
Vintageequinefirstaid@gmail.com
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Vintage Equine First Aid

04/01/2026

Equine Evolution was not linear. Previously portrayed as a straight line, horse evolution was actually a complex, multi-branched tree (bush) of species, with many side branches that went extinct.

North American Equine evolution spans over 55 million years, originating in from small, multi-toed forest dwellers like Eohippus into the large, single-toed, grazing Equus (modern horses) of today.

Did you know that their South Pacific Asian ancestors had gills? Fossil remains uncovered in Borneo in 1972 were of an Equidae Eohippus descendent, but the four toes were webbed and the species had a series of small gills. It was believed the gills were needed to allow the equids to dive for nutritionally dense seaweed on the ocean floor following the loss of much of their grazing grasses in a volcanic eruption in the region.

03/24/2026

With the Spring Equinox last Friday, this is your reminder to schedule your horses’ annual vaccines and dental exam.

03/08/2026

Equestrian Canada is reminding all hunter/jumper sport licence holders, coaches, officials, and competition organizers that traditional peacock safety stirrups are prohibited as per the rule change to Section G202.13 and G1005.5 at all competitions effective January 1, 2026.

Peacock stirrups, which use a rubber band and metal hook on the outside branch, were originally developed as a safety device. However, documented incidents and ongoing safety reviews have identified significant risks associated with this design, including the potential for hooks to catch clothing or skin and for bands to fail to release properly during a fall.

The decision to prohibit peacock stirrups reflects a broader shift within the equestrian industry toward modern safety technologies that offer more reliable release mechanisms and improved rider protection. A wide range of approved safety stirrup options remain permitted under current rules.

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Canada Équestre souhaite rappeler à la communauté de chasse et de saut d’obstacles que les étriers de sécurité avec élastiques de type Peacock sont interdits dans tous les concours depuis le 1er janvier 2026. Cette information est notamment importante pour les titulaires de licence sportive, les entraîneur(e)s, les officiel(le)s et les organisateur(-trice)s de concours.

Les étriers de type Peacock ont été conçus comme dispositifs de sécurité. Ils sont dotés d’un élastique et d’un crochet métallique sur la branche extérieure. Toutefois, des incidents documentés et des évaluations continues en matière de sécurité ont mis en évidence des risques importants associés à cette conception, notamment le risque que les crochets s’accrochent aux vêtements ou à la peau ou que les élastiques ne se détachent pas correctement en cas de chute.

La décision d'interdire les étriers de type Peacock reflète une évolution plus large au sein du secteur équestre vers des technologies de sécurité modernes qui offrent des mécanismes de déclenchement plus fiables et une meilleure protection des athlètes. Un large éventail d'étriers de sécurité homologués reste autorisé en vertu des règles actuelles.

02/22/2026

❄️ Winter management goes beyond blanketing and snow removal. Cold weather changes how a horse’s body functions, how much energy they burn, how they drink, and even how their digestive system moves.

When temperatures drop, horses rely more heavily on forage fermentation to generate internal heat. At the same time, water intake often declines, movement may decrease due to footing, and calorie needs increase. This combination creates the perfect storm for winter weight loss, stiffness, and colic if not managed carefully.

Winter also brings subtle challenges that are easy to overlook. Frozen ground can alter movement patterns and strain soft tissues. Packed snow and wet conditions can affect hoof integrity.

Proactive winter care means monitoring body condition regularly, paying close attention to hydration, maintaining safe footing, and adjusting feeding programs before problems arise rather than after.

A little extra attention during the colder months can prevent costly and stressful emergencies later.

Learn more about winter horse management:

https://madbarn.com/winter-safety-for-boarded-horses/
https://madbarn.com/training-horses-in-winter/
https://madbarn.com/feed-horse-in-winter/

02/18/2026

Source: Equine, PhD

𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐚 𝐰𝐞𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞?

I have seen statements on this subject floating around social media and I felt it was time to step in and set the record straight!

𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐰𝐞𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞.

For as long as I can remember, this practice has been taboo, you just shouldn’t do it. However, the University of Kentucky came out with an extension publication a few years back on why this generalization is false and I want to share that information with you along with some of my own relevant research.

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐰𝐞𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐚𝐝?

The thought here is that by blanketing a wet horse, you trap the cold water next to their skin, which will actually make them colder. And if this actually happened, I would agree that this practice would be detrimental. However, if you have ever blanketed a wet horse with a blanket that has fill or added insulation, you know that within a matter of hours your horse will be warm and dry again.

𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐲?

Well the fill in the blanket will wick away and absorb the moisture and the body heat from the horse will help it evaporate.

𝐇𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.

The moisture or humidity underneath the blanket could increase the risk of skin conditions or rain rot. As a result, you should change out the blanket as soon as you can to allow the blanket to adequately dry.

Also, if you use a sheet without fill, there is no insulation to absorb the moisture and this practice COULD be problematic. I found this to be true even for a dry horse. Two winters ago I performed research and placed temperature and humidity sensors underneath blankets of different weights including sheets with no fill. During the winter, I found that while the temperature under the sheet was warmer than the environment, the humidity under a rain sheet was far greater than the humidity under medium or heavy weight blankets as there wasn’t any fill to absorb the moisture. This is problematic because when high humidity occurs alongside cold temperatures, it can feel much colder, as humid air conducts heat away from the body faster than dry air. These results demonstrate the value fill can add to a blanket - not only to provide insulation but also to regulate humidity. Based on these factors, I would not recommend blanketing a cold, wet horse with a rain sheet.

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧

Blanketing a dry horse is the gold standard. And if you are able to dry off your horse before you blanket, please do so. However, we know this isn’t always feasible, especially for those who don’t live with their horses or have to deal with unpredictable weather. And in those scenarios, blanketing a horse with a blanket that has fill is a much better option than letting a cold, wet horse shiver.

Cheers!
Dr. DeBoer

01/14/2026

Thrush

01/08/2026

Source: American Association of Equine Practicioners

Even though the topic of after-hours and emergency care is important year-round, we wanted to offer this reminder as we approach the holidays.

Though we wish our horse doctors could be there for our equine friends in any emergency, the reality is that our horses' primary veterinarian cannot be available 24/7 and still juggle the needs of their own personal lives, health and happiness.

The most significant pain point for many veterinarians is caring for their clients during regular business hours and then also being on call for emergencies after hours. For single-doctor or small practices, this traditionally has been the case most nights of the week.

However, private veterinary practices and veterinary schools have more recently focused on developing new models for emergency care which ease the strain on individual practitioners. This includes the growth of emergency cooperatives where two or more practices in a geographic area work together to share after-hours care, as well as more emergency-only practices and the use of tele-triage services to address client concerns after normal business hours.

As equine veterinarians reevaluate what after-hours care looks like for their practices, the support of their clients is critical to creating a balance that works for both parties. If your horse doctor talks with you about changes in how after-hours care is delivered, we hope you’ll welcome the adjustments. This evolution of emergency care must take place in order for equine veterinarians to avoid burnout and continue to be at their best to treat all of your equine friends.

This is why taking an equine emergency first aid course is so important!

Contact us for more information on our courses.

Information and photo credit to American Association of Equine Practitioners

01/08/2026

Great information to know
💜