Equine Sports Medicine Practice

10/08/2025

🦵Why Should You Care About Your Horse’s Limb Alignment?
Conformation isn’t just about looks:
👉 Ideal alignment = balanced stress on bones, tendons, and ligaments.
❗Poor conformation = overload on certain structures ➡ long-term damage.

But here’s the deal:
🚫 We’re not chasing perfection.
✅ The goal is to spot and reduce self-worsening imbalances that can harm your horse over time.

🔍 How to evaluate it?
✔️ Front view: check for deviations (valgus/varus) or rotations (toed-in/toed-out)
✔️ Side view: assess limb and pastern axis
✔️ Movement is key: walk reveals trajectory and foot placement

📸 Picutre 1: "Toed-in" (Cagneux)
🔁 The horse’s toes point inward, and the knees often rotate outward.
➡ This inward rotation can affect movement and increase stress on joints and ligaments over time.

📸 Picture 2: "Toed-out" (Panard)
🔁 The horse’s toes point outward, with the knees rotating inward.
➡ This conformation may cause uneven wear on the limbs and alter the flight arc of the limb.

☝🏻Small details, big impact on long-term soundness and performance 🐎✨

02/08/2025

🌟 We’re Hiring: Full-Time Veterinary Assistant (with Equine Experience) 🐴🐾

Are you passionate about animal care and looking to join a dynamic team? We’re looking for a full-time Veterinary Assistant to support our growing practice — with a special focus on equine care.

📍 The vet you’ll be accompanying is based in Sint Niklaas.

Your Role Includes:
🔹 Assisting with horse care
🔹 Driving with the vet – sometimes long distances travelling
🔹 Helping in the office with admin tasks
🔹 Working closely with veterinarians and team members
🔹 Ensuring cleanliness, safety, and comfort for all animals

We’re Looking For Someone Who Is:
✅ Experienced with handling horses
✅ A true team player
✅ Flexible and open to varied tasks
✅ Comfortable with long drives when needed
✅ Compassionate, calm, and reliable
✅ Organized, detail-oriented, and tech-friendly
✅ Willing to pitch in wherever help is needed – barn or office!

This is a full-time position with room to grow in a supportive environment that values animal welfare, teamwork, and quality care.

📩 Interested? Send your resume and a few lines about yourself at info@esmp.be

Let’s make a difference — together.

❤️

26/07/2025

🌾 Environmental Allergies in Horses 🐴
Like humans, horses can suffer from environmental allergies caused by:
* 🌼 Pollen
* 🌬️ Dust
* 🍞 Mold
* 🕷️ Mites
* 🌫️ Air pollutants

Common symptoms:
* 😮‍💨 Coughing & breathing issues (e.g. equine asthma / heaves)
* 👃 Clear nasal discharge
* 🤕 Itchy skin or hives (e.g. sweet itch)
* 😢 Watery or irritated eyes
* 🐌 Fatigue or reduced performance

✅ What to do if symptoms appear:
* 🚿 Soak hay and choose low-dust bedding
* 🪟 Improve stable ventilation
* 📆 Track symptoms and seasonal triggers
* 🩺 Consult a vet for diagnosis & treatment
* 💊 Use prescribed medication as needed
* 🌿 Consider supplements to support the immune system

📊 Sources : sciensano

05/07/2025

Are you in or are you out? 🧐

A recent study by the ethologist Lea Lansade and collaborators investigated shelter use in horses, revealing some surprising seasonal behaviors. Horses spent an average of 3 hours per day inside shelters, with use peaking in summer. Shelter design also played a major role in how often they were used.

Here’s a quick Q&A to break it down ⬇️

⸻

Q: How much time do horses actually spend in shelters?
A: On average, about 3 hours/day. In summer, this rises to 5.5 hours, while in winter, it drops to 2.5 hours.

⸻

Q: When do horses prefer to go inside?
A:
☀️ Summer: Mostly afternoons (12:00–18:00) to rest and cool off.
❄️ Winter: More likely to enter late at night (00:00–06:00) to eat or lie down.

⸻

Q: Does the shelter design affect how much it’s used?
A: Yes. Horses prefer:
✔️ Larger shelters
✔️ Fully enclosed stalls with a single access point
These features are linked to significantly higher usage.

⸻

Q: Do blankets or fly masks reduce the need for shelter?
A: No. The study showed that accessories don’t reduce shelter use—suggesting they’re not enough on their own for environmental comfort.

⸻

🔑 Key Takeaway:
Shelter matters—season, time of day, and design all influence equine behavior. Horses make intentional choices based on comfort, not habit!

30/06/2025

Ne manquez pas Jessica Michel-Botton!

Hello les Belges! 🇧🇪
Je débarque en Belgique en juillet pour quelques jours ! 🎉 Et j'ai quelques créneaux de coaching dispo … (région Namur/Clavier).
Pour tous ceux qui me demandent depuis longtemps "quand tu viens?" .... bah voilà !
Écrivez-moi vite 🤗
📸 Julie Tonneus en stage à Lyon en avril 25’

28/06/2025

Hot Off the Press! Another Publication Milestone for ESMP 🐴📚

We are thrilled to share that Equine Sports Medicine Practice (ESMP) has contributed to another impactful scientific publication—this time focusing on dietary strategies to improve digestive microbiota health in performance horses.

🔬 Title: Impact of Low-Starch Dietary Modifications on Faecal Microbiota Composition and Gastric Disease Scores in Performance Horses; published in Animals (June 2025)

📌 What did we discover?
Performance horses often suffer from gastric ulcers due to high-starch diets and stressful conditions. This study tracked competitive showjumpers as they transitioned to a low-starch, high fiber diet (Regul Digest, Lambey)—and the results were striking:

✅ Significant healing of both squamous and glandular gastric ulcers
✅ A shift in gut microbiota balance (lower Firmicutes/Bacteroidota ratio), associated with better gut health
✅ Improvements occurred without the use of anti-ulcer medications

🌿 In short: a simple change in feed made a measurable difference in stomach health and digestive balance during a competition season.

👏 A huge thanks to the Lambey, ESMP and Haras des Rosier teams and collaborators from the University of Manchester for supporting this research that reinforces the importance of high quality nutrition in equine athletes. This study not only deepens our understanding of gut health but also provides practical, medication-free options for improving welfare in sport horses.

🔗 Read the full paper here: https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15131908

21/06/2025

Hot weekend ahead? 🌞
Here are a few must-know tips to keep your horse cool, safe, and happy in the heat! 🐴💧

☀️

15/06/2025

Merci Lambey SA!

07/06/2025

✨We’re thrilled to welcome a fantastic new addition to our team — Dr. Lisa De Lange! 🐴❤️
Dr. Lisa graduated from Ghent University in 2017 and went on to specialize in equine internal medicine, with a deep passion for cardiology. She became an ECEIM Diplomate in 2022, she is completing a PhD focus on cardiac function and congenital heart disease in horses🫀📚
In 2021, she joined a private clinic in France, where she led the internal medicine department and created a dedicated equine cardiology referral service.
Her research — recognized with multiple awards — explores neonatal cardiology, congenital defects, and pacemaker use in horses🏆💡
As of June 2025, she brings her knowledge, compassion, and energy to the ESMP team to help further develop our internal medicine services.
We’re so excited to have her on board — welcome, Lisa🙌💙

02/06/2025

Hope to see you there !

📆SAVE THE DATE : 29 NOVEMBER 2025

Dear BEPS members,

Mark your calendar — the Belgian Equine Practitioners Society (BEPS) is thrilled to announce that our annual conference will take place on Saturday, November 29, 2025, in Leuven.

This year’s edition will bring together leading voices in equine veterinary medicine for a day filled with cutting-edge insights and clinical updates!

We’re proud to welcome an outstanding lineup of internationally renowned speakers, including:

• Rachel Murray – Equine back pathology
• Monica Venner – Blood work in equines and Rhodococcus equi
• Gemma Pearson – Equine pain recognition and management
• Wendy Wambacq – Nutrition of the young horse
• Edwin Claerebout – Equine parasitology

More details — including the full program and registration info — will follow soon by email and on the website, but for now:

📅 Save the date – Saturday, November 29, 2025!

We can’t wait to welcome you to another inspiring edition of BEPS.

The BEPS Board

01/06/2025

🚀 2025 is flying by — can you believe we’re already almost halfway through?!
At ESMP, it’s been few months of hard work, big laughs, epic meetups, unforgettable moments… and plenty of horse time 🐴✨
Let’s keep the good energy rolling — the best is yet to come! 💥

24/05/2025

🔬 Ever seen equine cells like this?
These cytology images come from horses — and they help us understand what's going on beneath the surface 🧐
By examining cells under the microscope, we can detect things like infections, allergies, or inflammation. It’s a crucial step toward the right diagnosis — and the best care for your horse 🐴

🔬