Trot 2 Blue

07/15/2026

Bute vs. Banamine: What’s the Difference? 🐴💊

One of the most common questions we get is, “Should my horse get Bute or Banamine?” While both medications are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), they work a little differently and are best suited for different conditions.

🐎 Phenylbutazone (Bute) is our go-to medication for musculoskeletal pain and inflammation. It works exceptionally well for conditions involving the bones, joints, muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Horses with arthritis, laminitis, soft tissue injuries, or general orthopedic soreness often respond better to Bute because it provides excellent pain relief for the musculoskeletal system.

🐎 Flunixin Meglumine (Banamine) is generally our first choice for visceral pain—pain originating from the internal organs. This makes it the preferred medication for horses experiencing colic, as it is very effective at controlling intestinal pain. Banamine also has strong anti-endotoxic effects, making it an important part of treating serious infections, pneumonia, pleuropneumonia, colitis, endotoxemia, and severe inflammatory conditions. It can also be helpful for certain eye conditions, such as uveitis.

While there is some overlap between these medications, we typically choose Bute for orthopedic pain and Banamine for colic, fever, and systemic inflammatory disease. They should not be given together unless specifically directed by your veterinarian, as combining NSAIDs significantly increases the risk of stomach ulcers, right dorsal colitis, and kidney injury.

Every horse and every condition is different. Choosing the right medication—and using the correct dose for the appropriate length of time—is an important part of keeping your horse safe while providing the best possible pain relief. As always, consult your veterinarian for medication guidance and instructions!

07/06/2026

07/06/2026

06/22/2026

Nothing drives me more insane than hearing thoracic spinal radiographs described as "mild" when the horse says otherwise.

Every month, I review images showing spinous processes that are touching, overriding, fusing, or demonstrating multi-level compression. Yet far too often, the conversation stops there.

The spinous processes are not the joint.

Read that again.

The spinous processes are not the joint.

They are simply the part of the vertebrae we can readily see on standard radiographs.

Below them lies the anatomy that matters most to function and pain generation: facet joints, intervertebral discs, spinal nerves, the spinal cord, ligaments, muscles, tendons, ribs, and blood vessels.

None of this can be seen on a standard radiograph of only the spinous processes.

Most importantly, spinal nerves exit at every single vertebral level below the spinous processes.

Every. Single. Level.

So when I hear, "It's only mild," while standing in front of a horse with behavioural changes, altered posture, performance limitations, and clear dysfunction on assessment, I have to ask:

Mild according to whom?

Because the horse often disagrees.

Imaging findings and clinical signs do not always correlate. Horses with significant radiographic changes can appear comfortable, while others with seemingly "mild" findings can be profoundly affected.

This is why imaging should never be interpreted in isolation.

We have many other metrics to evaluate a horse:

* anatomy & physiology (i.e. understanding normal anatomy versus pathology)
* movement assessment (gait evaluation)
* passive joint evaluation
* palpation (muscles, tendons, fascia)
* case history
* behaviour (this one is often the most clear)

And most importantly, we have the horse.

A radiograph is one piece of the puzzle.

What we see on the image may only be the tip of the iceberg.

06/10/2026

04/06/2026

04/02/2026

03/20/2026

Here's an effect of saddles that are too narrow.

When I've come across this, the physical and emotional trauma I've felt in the horse has been sickening. The physical damage is done - you can't put back what's gone.

The emotional distress can be enormous and I sincerely believe it's emotional trauma that has built up over many months and/or years, as an unprotesting horse continues to do as asked, despite the problem being exacerbated whenever the rider's weight hits the saddle.

Perhaps they become numb to it over time, and it's only with deep and gentle work that the problem is revealed. I hope that enough of the distress is released for the horse to continue its ridden career with renewed heart.

I've usually been with a new owner when we've come across this, thankfully not that many times, and we've taken heart that the horse knows its needs (and pain) are seen and heard. Sometimes we can't change what's there and what's been done, but we can certainly help with the horse's response to it.

This isn't a new observation - there's a reason Balance Saddles call this the 'junction' - but it's always worth building awareness and *empathy. (Please excuse the limitations of images - it can be hard to find what I need!)

- Dr Jane Clothier

03/14/2026

02/06/2026

ECVM to be peer reviewed.

To date, radiographically identifying the bony landmarks relevant to diagnosing the complete C6 aplasia of the caudal lamina ventralis (C6 aCLV4) has not been described. Furthermore, a gross study has identified C6 aCLV4 as the main correlation between transposition of the CLV from C6 to C7, where c...