I think it would be really cool and informative to share something completely new we have learned about horses in the last year so maybe each of us can discover something new and become better horse owners.

For example, I learned that they have a new extender being developed in Australia that will allow cooled semen to last 7-14 days instead of just 48 hours or so.

I learned that hoof pain can cause recurring colic.....after spending a load of money (thousands) on GI diagnostics! LOL 

I learned there is a new (to me) science based way of training horses. It incorporates movement science, pain science, behavior science, to name a few. 

I learned not to take the good ones for granted. 

I also learned there are lot's of ways to measure success with your horses.  One person’s measurement of success is not necessarily the way I want to measure my success.  As long as I'm happy, learning, growing and working toward my goals, then that is success for me.  

Well said---very well said my friend.

I learned a lot about GCT (tumors) in mares. How repro issues can effect soundness and how they are often overlooked when soundness issues arise. Easy UC Davis blood test can determine hormone levels that are indicators of a GCT. 

That being said I learned how you can be so certain of a diagnosis but it turns out wrong when testing is performed. Lol!

For me , learned that mares can get beans in their vagina !!! And I have extracted several from my mare and she is soooooooo happy I did!!!

I learned that too. Saw a really gross video lol. 

I learned that lesson too

Wait......what?! I did not know this?! 

I learned that you can train a horse to a certain extent but there's a point at which you have to let them develop their own style and let them do it how they want to. 

Spent almost 2 years trying to get my horse to bend through his body around the turns to make him do it "correctly". On a whim ran him through and just let him turn stiff as a board like he wanted to. Came out of the consistent 3D and finally clocked in the 2D three times and the 1D once.  Big goals for 2019! 

I lwarned to write things down!  I started a new book on my horse this year and was reading my past year and there was a couple things I had forgotten that I did that worked well for him! and he been on layoff so it was a great reminder stead of having to learn what works again! lol 

I learned about neck injections vs shoulder pain and broken coffin bones.

I learned that horses have a manica flexoria and even though it doesn't really do anything, you are screwed if it tears. 

We had a couple horses strain or tear theirs last year (though it was on different legs). One may return to work but the other just gets to be a broodmare now.

Yeah my mare tore hers and had surgery, but the damage to her tendon was too great and I have to retire her. She’ll be okay for light riding but won’t compete again. Heartbreaking...

Good stuff.

I was on an interview committee for a scholarship recently, and one of the questions I asked was how do you define success.  

I learned that when one vet tells you that your horse is done-go to an expert.  What one vets idea of value of an animal and another vets idea are two way different things.  

I have a gelding that is heevy-has been off and on most of his life. Last winter he was bad-we had some not so good hay-anyway local vet, who I consider a "good" vet said he had no lung sounds on the right side and that he would never be a performance horse again (this is a 14yr old finished barrel horse and a pretty snappy heeling horse) I'm a vet tech so of course-pushed and prodded until she got me albuterol to nebulize with (the vet told me it is really expensive-sure-and so is replacing a finished barrel horse) The albuterol (after calling around to several pharmacies) was $22 for 100 doses.....we could keep him breathing good on that and I could hear lung sounds on the right side, nebulizing 3 times a day-he was eating and feeling good.  In the spring he was still struggling so I took him to a younger more equine experienced vet as I figured there was some allergy issues.  New vet said we had been doing a good job as there was good lung capacity on both sides.  Gave us hydroxazine.  We changed a few things for feeding, he either gets pasture or very clean alfalfa out of a net only.  Hydroxazine once daily unless he gets irritated and then twice a day.  We nebulize before a run if he needs it.  He's happy and thriving and I'm not broke! I find it hard to put my faith in any one idea or diagnosis......we need to be rational about our medical wants/needs for us and our animals.

That you are never to old to keep learning something new.. And if you know it all already then you need to open your mind up for more learning. 

Well said----Mrs. Mighty Broke and I have been doing this our whole lives and there isn't hardly a day that goes by that we don't learn something new---either by a bad experience or a good one.