Dr. Robert Miller's Articles

Recently there has been increased interest in the injuries, including fractures that occur at our racetracks. This has agitated many people and caused some to campaign against the sport. Those who are concerned about the problem, and frankly, all persons...

During my practice career I treated countless hundreds, perhaps thousands of horses for colic (acute gastric or intestinal pain). Most survived, but many died. A majority was due to human error. The caretakers made avoidable mistakes. Similar errors...

The largest group of horse owners in the U.S.A. ride purely for recreation. For pleasure. For the relationship with the horse. To enjoy the out of doors activity. The people involved in the competitive riding disciplines (Western, English, Dressage...

I heard you ring, come in my friend! I was watching TV news, The price of gold, the rioting, and politicians' views. There's been another murder, a plane crash, an earthquake, too. Come in and watch this rocket launch, It's been long since...

Fred Stone, the world’s foremost painter of horses, has been a client, neighbor and friend for half a century. Fred’s paintings, mostly, but not exclusively, are of Thoroughbred racehorses. Living in a modest rural home as long as I have...

I am a compulsive reader. Always have been. I keep a book in each bathroom, next to my bed, on the dinner table, in my car, several where I watch TV (I read during commercials), and I even carry my own books or periodical journals to my doctor’s...

One of the things that I have noticed horse owners to be the most negligent about is foot care. Proper and regular care of the feet is an essential part of good horse care. Now, that does not necessarily mean shoeing. Many horses are not worked enough...

I read, recently, that 90% of the population of the U.S.A. now lives in large cities. How different from the first half of this nation’s history, when a majority of the inhabitants lived in a rural environment, either on farms, or in small communities...

Okay! I normally watch only four TV channels, two to get opposing political positions, one for its veterinary and wildlife programs, and one for its once a week reality humor. So it has been a drag for me to watch otherwise wasteful TV in order to collect...

Transmissible Diseases, also known as Contagious Diseases, are those which are commonly spread from one infected individual to another, usually of the same species, but also frequently of another species. This occurs because of direct physical contact...

I will be forever grateful to the Spalding Labs company for their Fly Predators. I have previously described how our relationship began many years ago. It was 1978. I had read about the Predator Flies, and my practice partner, Dr. Larry Dresher, was using...

Lulu was the only Donkey I have owned. She was one of my patients in a petting zoo, which was part of the facilities at a children’s summer camp in the mountains not far from my home. The petting zoo included miniature horses, pot-bellied pigs...

The dog has been called "Man's Best Friend", and I do not dispute this. The cow has been called "The Mother of Mankind". I can accept this. But, if these things are true, then surely the horse has been "Man's Best Servant"...

Ever since I became a regular user of Spalding Labs’ Fly Predators, over 40 years ago, I have recommended them for fly control to my clients, my neighbors and my seminar audiences. Invariably, those who heed my advice are satisfied with the results...

I have had several people ask me how I am able to teach horses or other equines, to allow dentistry (teeth “floating”) without resistance, using no means of restraint such as a twitch, or sedation or tranquilization. I will explain. You will...

Ronald Reagan was one of my clients before he went into politics. He owned a horse ranch just a few miles from my clinic. I only saw him twice, both times when he was riding and jumping in his arena. I never spoke to him. I dealt with his ranch manager...

In 1998 I celebrated my retirement from practice by signing up for a veterinary C.E. and camera safari in Kenya. As a boy, reading the books written by naturalist and explorer Carl Akeley left me with a passion to see the wild animals of east Africa...

It is easy to understand why so many horses are “Barnsour” or “Herdbound”. They are reluctant to leave home. Going out for a ride means a slow pace. Conversely on the way home, they are in a hurry, have to be restrained, and want...

Because horses are flight animals, when they get involved in accidents they often worsen the situation and increase the damage that is done because of their frantic attempts to flee. Every veterinarian who does horse practice is familiar with this fact...

Isn’t it interesting how the revolution in horsemanship, which began in the late 20 th century and which is now flourishing internationally, began with the efforts of a few cowboys in the Pacific Northwest of the United States? Who would have expected...

I never had a specialty in veterinary medicine. I worked on every conceivable species during my practice career, even dolphins and whales. We did a lot of zoo and circus practice. You name it; livestock, pets, birds, elephant. However more than any other...

I was an average student up until I finished high school. Why was I just “average”? Well, you see, I was top of the class in English, a born writer. I won every spelling bee in grammar school. I made A’s in history and geography and...

Blindness is not uncommon in horses, sometimes the result of trauma, but more often caused by “Moon Blindness”. I am doing theses stories to show how remarkably well many totally blind horses get along. The horse’s other senses are...

In 2006 the Skyhorse Publishing Company produced a beautifully illustrated (with both photos and artwork) book titled The Natural Superiority of Mules . Other editors followed, in 2014, and in 2016. I was asked to do the forward to the 2016 edition, which...