Ultimate Equine Podcast

In this episode we are joined by Shane Rose, 3 time Olympic medallist, the man who rode a show jumping course in a man-kini, the face on the side of the horse truck that drives around Camden and all round top bloke. Shane was generous to not only share his riding career, but talk about his recent fall that resulted in more injuries than you can count on your both hands, that had the potential to de-rail his journey towards the Paris Olympics. He talks about how important a positive mindset has been to his recovery, his rehabilitation program, the horses that have shaped his career, tips for if you think you'd like to try eventing and even some TV and book recommendations from his time of forced rest. We hope you enjoy this episode and we wish Shane and Virgil all the best on their journey to Paris.

4* Eventer Shenae Lowings joins us to talk all things eventing! She takes us through her career so far, from when she first started riding to the big move across Australia to set up base in NSW, starting her own business while chasing her biggest goal-competing at the Olympics. We learn about her quirky horse Bold Venture, who she has qualifed for Paris 2024 Olympics with, and how qualifying for the Games is just the beginning. Hang around to the end of the episode to find out the special way Bold Venture likes to celebrate his wins....

Welcome back! Before we kick off season 3 we thought it would be worth giving you all a quick update of where we have been for the last 18months. We also wanted to let you know about a new format for season 3 and the exciting topics we have planned.

Welcome to our Season 2 finale! Since it was so popular in Season 1 we thought we would do it again! Equine surgeon Dr Victoria and Sports Medicine Registrar Dr Emma join us to answer listener questions sent to us throughout the year. Topics range from gelding to pre purchase exams to hock injections, with group discussions in between. This episode has something for everyone!

In this episode we do a deep dive into the Sacroiliac Joint. Using evidence based research we explain the anatomy of the joint, what clinical signs we see when there are issues with this joint, what possible problems we see with the joint, how we diagnose that the pain is coming from the joint and how we treat it.

Following our episode on surgical colic, we thought it would be the perfect time for discuss management and rehabilitation of horses post injury and surgery. The idea of box confinement, bandage changes and on-going treatments can be very stressful and daunting for clients. Equine Nurse Sarah Coleman runs a dedicated rehabiltation centre to manage horses during confinement and treatment, joins us to give her tips, tricks and advice for making sure horses are happy and relaxed during this time.

In this episode Specialist Equine Surgeon Dr Danielle Crosby from talks to us about colic surgery. She explains how to know a horse needs colic surgery, the most common colic surgeries that she treats and what happens after a horse has surgery for colic. This is a super informative episode and will give you an idea of what to expect during a very stressful situation  

Dr Ben Pratt from Camden Equine Centre joins us to talk all things Foaling. What can be a very stressful time for the mare, owner and vets, you want to be as prepared as possible. Knowing what a normal foaling looks like, and when to call the vet, is a crucial part of being prepared. Luckily Dr Ben explains the answers to these questions, and more!

Specialist Equine Surgeon Dr Marta Wereszka answers all our questions about acupuncture. You won't want to miss this episode! We discuss the cases she likes using acupuncture with, whether we have research to support the use of acupuncture and how acupuncture actually works, plus more!

There are many different unusual gaits in horses, and there are many different causes. In this episode we discuss 3 of the more common unusual hind end gaits: Stringhalt, Shivers and Fibrotic Myopathy. We explain what they look like, how they happen, treatment, prognosis and whether your horse can still be used as an athlete.

In this episode we discuss splints, those firm, hard swellings next to the cannon bone. We explain the anatomy and 'normal' splint bones, different causes of splints, how they are diagnosed and how we treat different types.

Inertial sensor systems, or the Lameness Locator, seem to be either loved or hated by clients. Some feel vets will miss a lameness if they don't use one, others feel vets spend too much time looking at a tablet and don't look at their horse. Some of you will have no idea what we are talking about! In this episode we discuss the lameness locator: What it is, how it works, what cases it is good for and what the limitations are. By the end of this episode you should have an idea why or why not your vet may choose to use a lameness locator on your case.

A common disease in young, skeletally immature horses, "Bucked Shins" or dorsal metacarpal diease is seen when horses are adapting, or in this case maladapting, to new forces that exercise is placing on their legs. We discuss the clinical signs, how it is diagnosed and adaptions that can be made to training programs to try and prevent this occuring. 

Swabbing/testing. Based on the FEI guidelines we explain why horses are swabbed/tested at events, the process of swabbing/testing, how to find out if a drug is swabbable or not and what happens if there is a positive swab.  For more information visit https://inside.fei.org/fei/cleansport  

In this episode we discuss cryotherapy or cooling, more specifically cooling legs. If you haven't seen it or done it yourself, I'm sure you've heard about cooling legs for injuries, laminitis or recovery post exercise. But how does it work? And what is the best way to do it? We look at the research and explain using evidence based medicine when and how we should be cooling our horses legs

Does your horse have poor performance or cough a lot? Are your stables really dusty? Your horse may have equine asthma. We explain the clinical signs of equine asthma, how we diagnose equine asthma, common treatment options and most importantly, how you can manage (and hopefully prevent) equine asthma.

Does your horse struggle with the canter? Maybe it has 'sticky stifles'? We talk all things upward fixation of the patella, from getting the hind leg stuck out straight behind them, to having trouble picking up and maintaining the canter. Most importantly we talk about how to fix it, what exercises help build up that hindend strength and extra procedures that may be needed so your horse can perform those exercises properly.

FEI rider, judge and coach Ally O'Neill walks us through all things Dressage. Starting with the basics of what even is dressage, she then talks us through what she looks for as a coach and a judge, how she approaches starting and managing her young and her experienced horses, what she does when things just don't go to plan and as always provides us with lots of tips and tricks. 

Trigger Warning: in this episode we talk about euthanasia and end of life for horses. If this is something you find triggering or do not want to listen to then this episode is not for you. If after listening to this episode you need someone to talk to please call Lifeline Australia 13 11 14 Losing your horse is a very difficult and emotional time. If you have never seen a horse euthanised before you're probably wondering how is it actually done? What should you expect? Can you be there or do you have to be there for it? And what happens after? These can be particularly difficult to discuss when you're having to make a decision about your horse, made even more so if it is an emergency situation and unexpected. We gently talk you through the process and your options so when the time does come you already have an idea what to expect and can feel a little more prepared.

What vaccinations does your horse need? What ones are optional? How do vaccines even work and what happens if we don't vaccinate? Dr Sara Biasutti returns this season to join us for our first in person interview! She talks us through when your horse needs to be vaccinated, which vaccines you can give yourself and addresses all your concerns about when you might not want to give a vaccine.