Heather Smith Thomas has written extensively on animal health care, authoring thousands of articles and 24 books on the subject. Her books include Storey's Guide to Raising Beef Cattle, Essential Guide to Calving, Getting Started with Beef & Dairy Cattle, The Cattle Health Handbook, The Horse Conformation Handbook, Storey's Guide to Raising Horses, Storey's Guide to Training Horses, and Stable Smarts. She raises cattle and horses on her family ranch in Salmon, Idaho.

Preface

Part 1: Basic Horsekeeping
Chapter 1: Facilities
Pasture - Barns - Stalls - Tack Room - Feed Room - Run-In Shed - Fences and Paddocks - Water - Make Sure All Facilities Are Hazard-Free

Chapter 2: Feeding and Nutrition
Horse Digestion - Basic Nutritional Requirements - Roughages (Forages) - Grain Concentrates - Pelleted Feeds - Supplements - Feed Each Horse as an Individual

Chapter 3: Seasonal Care
Winter Care - Spring Care - Summer Care - Good Care Is Essential

Chapter 4: Foot Care
What Makes a Sound Hoof? - Foot Conformation - Basic Foot Care - Going Barefoot - Thrush - White Line Disease - Foot Injuries - Diagnosing Lameness

Chapter 5: Horse Handling
Horse Sense - Understanding the Horse's Temperament - Cultivating a Good Relationship - Punishing Bad Behavior - Holding a Horse - Tying a Horse - Handling Feet - Using Restraints Properly - Dealing with Bad Manners - Reforming the Mannerless Horse - The Overly Aggressive Horse

Part 2: Health Care
Chapter 6: Reading the Signs of Health and Sickness
Vital Signs - Body Language - Be Observant

Chapter 7: Disease Prevention
What Is Disease? - How the Immune System Works - Disease Prevention - Vaccinating Your Horse - Adverse Reactions to Injections

Chapter 8: Infectious Diseases of Horses
Tetanus - Equine Encephalomyelitis - West Nile Virus - Strangles - Influenza - Rhinopneumonitis - Pneumonia - Equine Viral Arteritis - Equine Infectious Anemia - Leptospirosis - Potomac Horse Fever - Salmonellosis - Botulism - Rabies - Piroplasmosis - Anthrax - Vesicular Stomatitis - Lyme Disease - Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis - Conscientious Care

Chapter 9: Noninfectious Diseases of Horses
Cancer - Heaves - Cushing's Disease - Hepatitis - Laminitis (Founder) - Navicular Syndrome - Muscles Tying Up - Other Diseases

Chapter 10: Parasites
Internal Parasites - The Battle against Internal Parasites - External Parasites

Chapter 11: Toxic Plants and Poisons
Toxic Vegetation - Blister Beetle Poisoning - Chemical Poisons

Chapter 12: Skin Problems
Allergies and Hives - Photosensitization - Fungal Infections - Warts - Sarcoid Tumors

Chapter 13: Dental Care and Mouth Problems
Sore Mouth - The Teeth - Tooth Problems - Dental Checkups

Chapter 14: Eyes and Ears
Eye Problems - Ear Problems

Chapter 15: Digestive Tract Problems and Colic
Signs of Colic - Types and Causes of Colic

Chapter 16: First Aid and Medical Treatments
Emergency Situations - Dealing with Wounds - Fractures - Head Injuries - Choking - Shock - Burns - Snakebite - Porcupine Quills - Urinary Stones - Sheath Swellings - Alternative Treatments - Rehabilitation Facilities and Techniques - Euthanasia

Part 3: Breeding Horses
Chapter 17: Selecting Breeding Stock
What Breed? - Conformation - Selecting Broodmares - Stallions

Chapter 18: Genetics
Inheritance of Traits - Types of Breeding - Genetic Defects - Know Your Horses' Genetics

Chapter 19: Keeping a Stallion
Facilities for a Stallion - Handling a Stallion - Extra Training - Pasture Breeding - Age and Fertility - Breeding Fee

Chapter 20: Breeding the Mare
The Reproductive Tract - Sending a Mare to Be Bred - Breeding to Your Own Stallion - Understanding Heat Cycles - Teasing Mares - Preparing the Mare for Breeding - The Service - Artificial Insemination - Fertility Problems in Mares

Chapter 21: Care of the Broodmare
Care of the Mare before Breeding - Abortion - Udder Problems - Countdown to Foaling

Chapter 22: Foaling
The Foaling Place - When Will She Foal? - Signs of Approaching Labor - Early Labor - Second-Stage (Active) Labor - Breathing Soon after Birth - Normal Foaling: After the Birth - Final Stage of Labor - Care of the Mare after Foaling

Chapter 23: Care of the Newborn Foal
Care Immediately after the Birth - Nursing - The Importance of Colostrum - Bowel Movements - Problems of a Newborn Foal - Premature Foal - Orphan Foal

Chapter 24: Care of the Young Horse
Handling the Foal - Feeding the Foal - Health Care and Problems of the Foal - Weaning the Foal - Feeding Weanlings and Yearlings - Care of Weanlings and Yearlings

Epilogue
Horse Anatomy
Glossary
Index