Orlando Equine Veterinary Care, Inc.

03/26/2026

LET'S TALK KISSING SPINE! 🔎

“Kissing spine” is a common cause of back pain where the bony points along the top of the spine (dorsal spinous processes) sit too close together and rub or “impinge.” It’s most often seen in the mid-back area (around T13–T18), but it can also involve the lumbar spine.

Important note:
Many horses can have kissing spine changes on X-rays and not show obvious problems, but horses with kissing spine findings are about 3x more likely to have back pain.

Common signs owners may notice:
• Vague “poor performance” or not wanting to work as usual
• Change in head/neck carriage
• Unwillingness to move a certain direction or bend
• Behavioral changes under saddle such as bucking
• Back soreness when pressed firmly
• Sometimes hind-end lameness at the same time

Treatment & outlook:
• Many cases can be managed medically, especially when paired with core strengthening and conditioning.
• Some horses benefit from injections at affected sites for short-term relief, but recurrence can be common.
• Surgery can be an option (especially if a horse needs repeated injections to stay comfortable). One surgery type (interspinous ligament desmotomy) can be done standing, and published outcomes have been strong.

If your horse suddenly resists work, won’t bend, changes topline use, or seems back-sore, talk with your veterinarian. Back pain can have multiple causes, and X-rays are only one piece of the puzzle.

03/23/2026

02/12/2026

In an ongoing effort to support equine welfare, US Equestrian is unveiling a new, free feature for recorded horses called Lifetime Care Contacts.

01/31/2026

FOALING SEASON IS UPON US!

Are you ready to assist your broodmare? Here are some tried and true guidelines to remember during foaling:

• Unless there's an emergency, allow the foal time to break the fetal membranes. Once the foal breaks through, be sure it’s breathing.

• Generally, it’s not recommended to cut or break the umbilical cord. If it has not broken during delivery, it will usually break when the mare or foal gets up.

• Encourage the mare and foal to rest as long as possible. Give them an opportunity to bond undisturbed.

• Following birth of the foal, the mare and her newborn should be monitored for normal breathing, brightness and alertness. The mare should be non-aggressive, curious and accepting of the foal.

• The foal should stand and nurse within two hours of birth. If the foal has not nursed within three hours, call your veterinarian. The foal may be weak and in need of assistance or medical attention.

• By the third hour, the mare should pass the placenta, and the foal should pass meconium. Once the placenta has been expelled, examine it to make sure it is intact, particularly at the tips of the horns. The afterbirth will be Y-shaped and should have only the hole through which the foal emerged.

• A foal must receive colostrum (the mare's first milk) within the first eight to 12 hours of life in order to absorb the antibodies. If a foal is too weak to nurse, it may be necessary to milk the mare and give the colostrum to the foal via a stomach tube.

Contact your veterinarian to learn more so you can be prepared to help the new mother and foal get off to a great start! If your mare and foal are not meeting these milestones in the appropriate timeframe, call your vet immediately.

01/25/2026

One of the most common causes of surgical colic, strangulating lipomas were more common in horses with a prior history of laminitis or horses whose stabling had increased over the past four weeks: https://tinyurl.com/4npuy8mm

01/14/2026

Our phones are affected by the Verizon outage, so please use iPhone iMessage Texting. Non- emergent problems use email. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Soooo, pager is also down. This line works: 407-489-5083. We will field to correct on call doc.

12/04/2025

All EECVI users take note!

11/22/2025

World Equestrian Center – Ocala (WEC) is implementing additional precautionary measures following confirmed cases of Equine Herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) connected to recent events in Texas.

11/21/2025

This site will have latest updates.

Equine herpesvirus (EHV) is a family of equine viruses named by numbers including EHV-1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 with EHV-1,3,4 posing the most risk for domestic horses. EHV is a common DNA virus that occurs in horse populations worldwide. The two most common species are EHV-1 and EHV-4.

11/21/2025

BIO SECURITY UPDATE AS OF 11/20/2025 5PM -

An added bio-security stipulation for this weekend's show (11/22-23/2025 Outreach Festival), not because of any new information, but as a precaution: All owners and trainers will have to confirm that ALL horses attending this show have not had any new horses introduced to their barns in the last two weeks. Those horses attending also have not traveled outside of Florida during the previous two weeks. This will be added to the Health Declaration Form (which includes confirming vaccination and normal body temperature) during check-in at the office window for the show.

Again, this is only added as an extra precaution. No new information has been released by EDCC or USEF as of 11/20/2025 5pm.

We will be social distancing the horses in the stable charts. Also, all stalls have been disinfected with Synbiont before your arrival. -

Here is the 12 pm 11/20/2025 US Equestrian Post with good information to read -

"We have had questions from members this week about an EHV outbreak in the Southwest. At this time, the outbreak appears to be limited to a subset of horses in western disciplines, but this is a good time to review best biosecurity practices for your barn or competition."

A few of our recommendations for horses at competition include:
-Limit horse to horse contact
-Avoid communal water sources
-Limit human to horse contact across horses from different home bases (clean hands and equipment between horses when this is not possible)
-Avoid sharing equipment unless it's cleaned and disinfected
-Monitor horses for clinical signs of illness

For more information, please head to 🔗https://www.usef.org/media/webinars?id=Xfzyx0nqQ7w