Southside Equine Services

09/25/2026

After-Hours Emergency Care

Southside Equine Services is pleased to partner with Vetriage to help provide our clients with access to veterinary support after hours.

Vetriage offers 24/7 access to veterinary professionals who can provide guidance and emergency consultation for a small fee. Their team can help you assess your horse’s situation and determine the appropriate next steps when our office is closed.

If your horse requires hands-on or emergency care, we have haul-in options available at Virginia Tech, NC State, and Blue Ridge Equine. If you do not have access to a trailer, we have provided a list of local haulers, which is pinned below for your convenience.

We understand that an equine emergency can be stressful, especially after hours. Our goal is to help make sure you have resources and support available when you need them most.

https://vettriage.com/southside/

09/03/2026

Southside Equine Services will be closed on Monday, September 7, 2026 for the Labor Day holiday. Hope everyone has a wonderful extra day off - stay safe and cool!

08/17/2026

🍂 Fall vaccines are an important part of your horse’s preventive care! 🍂

As the seasons change, talk with us about which vaccines are appropriate for your horse based on age, lifestyle, travel, exposure risk, and local disease concerns. For most horses here, this means protection against vector-borne diseases (EEE, WEE, WNV), but for those who are showing, traveling, or have increased risk that might include Flu/Rhino (required every 6 months for recognized showing), Potomac horse fever, botulism etc.

Veterinarian-administered vaccinations help ensure your horse receives the right products, at the right time, with proper handling and documentation. And they provide a manufacturers guarantee when given by a veterinarian which includes coverage of additional testing and treatment costs if they are exposed to the disease which is like having insurance against those diseases!

Don’t wait until the weather turns cold—schedule your horse’s fall wellness visit today!

08/13/2026

We are really excited to now be able to offer stall-side/in house ACTH and insulin testing!

This can provide rapid results to your horse's endocrine and metabolic status and help us make faster treatment decisions regarding care. The truforma tests have been fully verified for accuracy and are the gold standard of stall side monitoring!

ACTH is a hormone that becomes elevated with Cushings disease and insulin will become elevated in Equine Metabolic Syndrome/Insulin resistance. As we approach Fall where we get seasonal hormonal changes and significant changes in the sugars in the grass, these rapid test results will make a huge impact in treatment speed!

06/30/2026

As many of you already know, the temperatures are going to be incredibly high in the later part of this week. This drastically increases the chances of heat exhaustion or heat stroke in both horses and people.
Avoid riding during the hottest parts of the day (between 11am and 4pm).
Always provide ample amounts of clean, fresh water for your horses.
You can also use electrolytes or flavored water to increase drinking and the electrolytes help replenish the minerals lost through sweating.
Utilize shade, fans, misters etc to help keep your furry friends cool.
Body clip horses who are hanging onto their winter hair too long (and talk to us about why they might not shed properly)

If your horse is too hot, start active cooling immediately. Move them into shade and hose them with continuous water. Theres no need to stop and sweat scrape until you're finished cooling them. Focus the water on the neck, chest, hind quarters, and large muscle groups. Keep hosing until they have cooled. A common myth is that cold water will make muscles cramp, research has repeatedly proven this is not true and that rapid cooling is beneficial and can be life-saving. Once fully cooled, keep them in a shaded area with good airflow and then sweat scrape the excess water.

Please contact us if
-Your horse isnt able to be cooled (temperature remains above 102)
-your horse is not improving
-neurologic symptoms occur
-your horse appears weak or depressed.

Below is some information on heat stroke and heat stress in humans and horses from AAEP and the news

05/21/2026

Southside Equine Services will be closed on Monday, May 25th, in observance of the Memorial Day holiday. Wishing everyone a safe, relaxing weekend! Normal business hours will resume on Tuesday, May 26th.

05/02/2026

Who is your pick for the Kentucky Derby today? My personal favorite is famous, but not built for speed: Harley the sugarbush draft! However if I had to pick an actual contender, I'm rooting for Albus, but Incredibolt has a great name. Comment your pick below and post pictures of your derby hats! The hat with the most likes by Tues at 8am wins a free in-house f***l for your horse

04/17/2026

01/25/2026

Due to the dangerous road conditions, we will be operating appointments on an emergency-only basis on Monday Jan 26. We will be available by phone during our regular business hours 8:30am to 5:30pm to schedule appointments or call in refills etc. We will continue to monitor weather conditions and keep you posted about appointments later in the week. Stay warm and stay safe

01/20/2026

As many of you have likely seen, we are forecasted to receive a significant amount of snow this weekend. While the storm is still a few days out, freezing temperatures mean any precipitation—snow or ice—could create hazardous conditions. Now is the time to prepare. Here are a few tips to help keep your horses safe and comfortable:
Fresh, accessible water
Ensure horses always have access to fresh water by using trough or bucket heaters, or by breaking ice multiple times a day. If using heaters, confirm they are properly grounded and not causing any electrical shocks. To encourage drinking, you may offer flavored water (alfalfa, molasses, electrolytes, etc.), but plain water should always be available as well. Adding water to feed and providing 1–2 tablespoons of salt (or pre-made electrolytes) can also help increase water intake.
Adequate hay and feed
Make sure horses have consistent access to hay or forage. Digesting hay helps keep them warm, and horses often eat more during cold weather.
Shelter and blanketing
Horses should have access to shelter to escape wind and harsh weather. Blankets may be used when appropriate; just be sure horses are dry underneath, change wet blankets promptly, and remove blankets daily to check for rubs.
Check fences and surroundings
Heavy snow and ice can bring down trees and damage fences, creating safety hazards. Regularly inspect fencing and remove heavy snow or ice buildup from fences and shelters when possible.
Plan ahead
Ensure you have sufficient supplies—hay, feed, water—for horses, pets, and people before the storm arrives. Avoid traveling during snow or ice if you can.
Stay safe, stay warm, and don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions or concerns! ❄️🐴