The Equinist: Articles and Commentary by Susan Kauffmann

Welcome to The Equinist

2012-12-31T16:43:00.000-08:00

Welcome to "The Equinist", the blog of equine journalist and horse trainer, Susan Kauffmann. Susan's articles appear regularly in such publications as EQUUS, HorseCare, and Western Horse Review, for whom she is also Health Editor. In addition, Susan writes courses on horse related topics for Michigan State University and presents seminars on horse care and training issues.

I love writing for horse magazines and feel extremely privileged to do so. However, it has always frustrated me that once an issue is off the shelf, people no longer have easy access to the information in the articles. It is also frustrating at times to be unable to express my own opinion in the articles I write, especially on subjects I care very deeply about. I therefore decided to create this blog as an antidote to those frustrations -- a place where I can make my work permanently available in hopes that it might benefit horse owners seeking information, and a place where I can speak my mind freely on horse related issues and products.

I would also like to invite readers to post their questions and comments here (try my "Ask The Equinist" column!), and I will do my best to answer you if I am able. Thank you for visiting "The Equinist", and happy trails to you all!

To contact me, click on the link that says "THE EQUINIST" under where it says "About Me" on the lower left side of the main page, and you will find another link that says "email me".

Addendum: For those of you who have asked, the image above is a digitally enhanced photo of my morgan, Gryphon. Yes, he really is that pretty, but no, he doesn't have calligraphic markings -- wouldn't that be something?

FAVORITE PRODUCTS: "California Trace" mineral supplement

2011-10-31T12:08:00.000-07:00

This is what California Trace does for Obie, who is shown
here in his unbathed, unbrushed, au naturel state!

Many horse owners are overwhelmed when it comes to choosing a mineral supplement for their horses. Some wonder if their horses really need a supplement at all, while others buy several and throw them all into their horse's feed, figuring that if some is good, more must be better. What should a responsible owner really do?

If you are feeding mainly forage (hay and/or pasture), which is truly best for the vast majority of horses, it is more than likely that you do need some kind of mineral supplement. This is because most hays and grass are deficient in several or more key minerals. Depending on your area, these may include copper, zinc, selenium, or calcium. The flip side of this is that many hays contain excessive amounts of other minerals -- most notably iron -- and these can potentially interfere with the body's ability to use the already short supply of copper, zinc, etc. Some equine nutritionists believe that "iron overload" is a serious issue that should be of concern when looking into supplementation. This may be even more critical if your horse has a metabolic disorder like insulin resistance or Cushing's.

Unfortunately, almost all commercially available supplements contain additional iron -- the last thing your horse needs in most cases. This is why I was so excited to discover California Trace, a mineral supplement that was specifically designed to balance the common mineral deficiencies in hays grown in Northern California, where I live. Sally Hugg, who makes this product, has an abiding passion for the rather labyrinthine area of equine mineral requirements, and I for one am grateful that she does, because she has created a great product -- with no added iron. Finally, a mineral supplement that has the key stuff my horses need, including vitamins A and E, without the stuff they already have too much of -- hallelujah!

I am also thankful that this product is quite reasonably priced, and it comes in a variety of sizes to suit your herd -- larger sizes are even more economical. An added bonus is that most horses find California Trace palatable, even though it does not contain sugar, molasses, or other things my insulin resistant gang shouldn't have. Three of my four will eat it right out of my hand -- the one that won't is known to be especially finicky.

Now, if you don't happen to live in this area, chances are that you can also use California Trace, as many other areas have similar mineral deficiency/overload profiles to ours. The only exception would be if you live in an area with high selenium. Selenium is critical for horse health, but it can be extremely dangerous if the horse gets too much of it. While selenium is deficient in many areas, it is adequate or even excessive in others. If your hay comes from a heavy selenium pocket, you would want to avoid adding any extra into your horse's diet.

To find out more about this terrific supplement, visit www.californiatrace.com .

COLD WEATHER FEEDING

2011-09-28T22:32:00.000-07:00

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NOTE: This article originally appeared in a Canadian horse magazine, so all temperatures are given in Celsius.

Despite the fact that many of us do not ride our horses much during the winter, we often need to provide them with something extra in the grocery department when the mercury takes a nose dive. However, determining just how much we should feed them and when they really need it is often a bit of a mystery.

During cold, wet and windy weather, horses require more energy to maintain their internal body temperature. Just how much energy an individual horse needs depends in part on the environmental conditions, but it is also affected by the horse’s overall body condition and the state of his winter coat. For example, a horse with an insulating layer of fat and a thick coat will conserve energy better than a thin horse with a short coat. While differences of this nature must be taken into consideration, there are some general guidelines to help you gauge when to start forking out the extra grub.

Leaving the Neutral Zone

When environmental temperatures are within the horse’s “thermal neutral zone” (10-15 C in dry conditions), the body doesn’t have to do much to regulate heat generation or heat loss. It’s when temperatures drop below the bottom of that neutral zone that the body revs up the chemical engines that produce heat. That tipping point is known as the “critical temperature,” and it is an important part of understanding a horse’s winter feeding requirements.

However, the critical temperature may not be the same for each horse, and it is likely to change somewhat from day to day. Experts estimate that the critical temperature at which horses start requiring extra energy lies somewhere between -1 and 15 degrees Celsius, depending on the actual temperature (including wind chill), hair coat, body condition and wetness. Wet conditions raise a horse’s critical temperature by approximately 5-8 degrees C, meaning that he will start getting colder at a higher temperature. Knowing what the critical temperature is for your horse on any given day allows you to estimate the changes in his nutritional requirements. Table 1 illustrates what some critical temperatures might be.

Table 1. Estimated Critical Temperature for Horses in Moderate Body Condition
Hair Coat	Critical Temperature (C)
Wet or short	15
Moderate	7
Heavy	-1

For each .555 degree C below the critical temperature, your horse’s digestible energy (DE) requirements go up 1%. For example, if you had an 1,100 pound horse in moderate body condition with a moderate coat, and you were looking at a dry day with an environmental temperature of –1 C, with a wind chill that made the actual temperature –4 C, you would do the following calculations:

Critical temperature = 7 C

Actual temperature = -4 C

Difference = 11 degrees

11 divided by .555 = 19.82% increase

Your horse would therefore need approximately 20% more digestible energy to maintain normal body temperature on that day. If you had the same temperature but the day is a really wet one, your figures would look like this:

Critical temperature = 15 C (7 C base + 8 C for wetness)

Actual temperature = -4 C

Difference = 19 C

19 divided by .555 = 34.23% increase

Now you know how to figure out what percentage increase you need to make, but you also need know understand how that number translates into different types of feed. We’ll get to that in a minute, but first, you need to know what a megacalorie (Mcal) is, and what the basic Mcal requirements for different horses are.

The Mighty Mcal

When we talk about a “calorie”, as it applies to the human diet, what we are usually actually talking about is a kilocalorie (which is also correctly called a Calorie with a capital C), which is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water one degree Celsius. When we talk about the diet of a large animal like a horse, we use the Mcal, which denotes 1,000 kilocalories. According to the National Research Council, the basic daily Mcal requirements for a horse whose mature weight is or will be 1,100 pounds are as follows:

Weanling (4 months old) 14.4 Mcals

Yearling (12 months old – moderate growth) 18.9 Mcals

Two-year old (not in training) 18.8 Mcals

Two-year old (in heavy training) 26.3 Mcals

Adult at maintenance 16.4 Mcals

Working horse (light work) 20.5 Mcals

Working horse (moderate work) 24.6 Mcals

Working horse (intense work) 32.8 Mcals

Lactating mare (first three months) 28.4 Mcals

If your horse is larger than 1,100 pounds, you would add approximately 1-1.5 Mcals for every additional 100 pounds.

Going back to our example of the 1,100 pound horse on the dry cold day with an actual temperature of –4C, we know that his basic needs would be fulfilled by 16.4 Mcals a day, so if he needs an extra 20% based on the weather, we have to get and extra 3.28 Mcals into him. One would think that you could just increase whatever forage and grain the horse gets by 20%, and that might indeed work out just fine. However, there are some differences in how forages and concentrates work in the body that are worth considering.

Body Heat

Most importantly, forages and concentrates vary in the amount of internal heat they produce during the digestive process. Forages are digested by microbes in the cecum and large intestine, producing more heat than concentrates, which are digested by enzymes in the small intestine. Therefore, the digestion of hay actually gives off significantly more heat than the digestion of concentrates, even though the latter contain more Mcals per pound. Thus, the best way to increase internal body heat is generally to increase the intake of hay.

On average, hay contains about 1 Mcal per pound (2.2 Mcal per kilogram), with grass hay typically a little lower and legume hay and alfalfa a bit higher. However, if you really want to know what the DE of your hay is, you would have to have it analyzed by a laboratory that can give you the calculations for horses, as DE numbers for cattle are different for the same hay, due the way they digest their food.

Once again looking at our example scenario, if we assume that our hay is about 1 Mcal per pound, we would need to give our 1,100 pound horse 3.25 pounds of extra hay to cover his requirements on our –4 C dry day, and 5.61 pounds on our –4 C sopping wet day.

One additional advantage to increasing the amount of hay in your horse’s ration is that the increase in dry matter will encourage him to drink more. Inadequate water consumption is a serious and common problem in cold weather, and has a direct association with and increased risk of impaction colic.

When Hay is Not Enough

In some situations, however, your horse may simply be unable to consume enough hay to get the additional energy he requires. If you have extremely cold weather, older horses, thinner horses, horses with dental issues or horses that don’t have an adequate winter coat, you may need to add concentrates to the mix. Unfortunately, most feed manufacturers do not put the DE (usually expressed as Mcals per pound) of their feed on their labels, so you may need to call the company and talk to their equine nutritionist to get that figure.

One last thought: some people say that one way to reduce the amount of extra energy your horse requires during cold weather is to outfit the horse with a blanket (see our article on blanketing on page ___). While that may indeed be the case, a leaky or otherwise inadequate blanket can actually make the situation worse, so if you do choose to blanket, make sure you go with a well-fitting, high-quality, effective product.

SIDEBAR: Ten Tips for Cold-Weather Management

• Monitor the weather forecasts: knowing when the cold is coming helps you to prepare.

• Give your horse a head start: increase feed as necessary 24 hours prior to forecasted cold conditions.

• Make sure your horse is in good body condition going into the winter. For a metabolically normal horse in moderate condition, a 5% increase in body weight over his summer weight can help him stay warm.

• Determine each horse’s critical temperature and adjust DE intake accordingly.

• Use hay for increases for horses in good body condition and “easy keepers.”

• Use hay and concentrates for horses in poor condition and “hard keepers.”

• Offer a minimum of 10 gallons of warmed water per horse daily: horses can easily become dehydrated if all they have to drink is cold water or whatever snow they can eat.

• Feed concentrates as a warm, moist mash during cold periods: horses will like the warmth and you will sneak some extra water into them.

• Provide adequate shelter for your horses. A good windbreak and a place to get out of the rain can help your horse’s winter coat do its job better.

• Run your hands over your horses regularly to feel their body condition. Fuzzy winter coats can hide the fact that a horse is dropping weight.

WINTER WATERING: Is Your Horse Drinking Enough?

2011-09-28T22:07:00.000-07:00

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There’s nothing like a steaming cup of coffee or a hot bowl of soup on a cold winter’s day, right? Well, imagine if all you had to drink was frigid water, or worse, you had to eat snow to quench your thirst. Not a happy thought, yet that is exactly what many horses face on a daily basis in the Winter. While it is certainly true that horses are not humans and don’t need to be treated as such, it is well proven that horses supplied with warm water during cold weather drink more and have fewer health problems as a result.

Maintaining ample water intake is actually a critical part of ensuring the health of your horse during the winter months. Studies have shown that horses prefer drinking water with a temperature of 7-18 C (45-65 F). Under average conditions, a horse will consume about 30 ml of water per pound per day, which works out to approximately 6-8 gallons for a 1,000 pound horse. They will drink considerably more in warm weather or if they are exercising and sweating.

This might lead you to believe that if their needs go up in hot weather, they must correspondingly go down in cold weather, but this is not the case. The amount of approximately 30 ml/lb per day is what the horse’s body requires to perform its basic functions, whether the temperature outside is cold or moderate. Water is particularly important to the horse’s ability to move food through its digestive tract. Low water intake is directly related to an increased incidence of impaction colic, especially when all the rations a horse receives are dried feedstuffs.

There are several things you can do to increase your horse’s water consumption during cold weather:

1) Provide warm water. Heated buckets or horse-safe stock tank heaters are the best way to provide the horsey equivalent of that hot cup o’ Joe.

2) Feed concentrates as a warm, moist mash.

3) Make sure your horse is getting enough salt, as salt encourages water consumption. Horses generally need to take in 1-2 ounces (28-57 grams) of salt per day. That means that a horse should go through one of those four pound, brick-sized salt blocks in 32-64 days. If your block is sitting there longer than that, your horse is probably not getting enough salt. Adding loose salt (one tablespoon = 18 grams) to a warm mash is a good way to get some extra salt into your horse’s diet.

Please remember that horses can become seriously dehydrated if they are forced to eat snow as their sole source of water, and while many can and will break the ice on water buckets and troughs, they may still not drink as much as they should if the water is cold. Consuming snow and cold water can also lower a horse’s core temperature, increasing the horse’s susceptibility to cold and requiring him to take in more calories to keep warm.

WINTER BLANKETS: Necessity or Nuisance?

2011-09-28T21:59:00.000-07:00

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It is mid-winter, and the horses in this barn are bundled up in thick, quilted winter blankets, with matching hoods that make them look like jousting horses on their way to a tournament. Yes, the mercury has fallen -- all the way down to 65 F -- and the owners of these horses at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center are not going to let their precious darlings suffer from the deep chill.

While the above scenario (true, I might add) will no doubt elicit chuckles from people who actually experience real winter, there are plenty of strident voices out there who say that most horses don’t need blankets at all, even in harsh winter climates. Advocates of “natural horsekeeping” assert that blanketing horses actually makes them colder, as the blanket compresses their coat, destroying the insulating properties of the warm air normally trapped between the fluffed up hairs.

Nonetheless, if you’ve ever seen a horse shivering in the cold, then watched him almost sigh with relief when his blanket goes on and the shivering stops, it might be a little difficult to believe that you just made him colder. The truth is that when you are asking yourself whether or not your horses need to be blanketed, you need to look at a number of factors – and the “right” answer will vary from place to place, horse to horse, and day to day.

Weather or Not

Generally speaking, healthy, well-fed, unclipped horses in good body condition can handle temperatures down to –40 without distress – as long as they stay dry. Soak a horse’s coat with water, however, and you have an entirely different situation on your hands. A wet horse will quickly lose heat through both conduction and convection, effectively creating a “heat sink” that saps a tremendous amount of energy from the horse’s body. According to author and horse care expert Heather Smith Thomas, “A wet horse loses body heat up to 20 times faster than a dry horse.”

Cold, wet horses will often shiver, which is the body’s attempt to warm itself through small, repeated muscle contractions. Says Thomas, “Since most of this muscle action is being converted to heat, this is a very effective way for a horse to warm himself. It takes a great deal of energy, however, to shiver for a prolonged period, and this can use up his energy stores.” Therefore, a horse living in a temperate but rain-soaked area like coastal British Columbia may have greater need of a blanket than a horse living in a colder but drier place like Alberta.

Sue Frank, of Aldergrove, BC, knows all too well what wet weather can do to a horse. As she explains, “People think that we don’t get ‘real’ Winter out here, so why would we blanket our horses, but I just can’t stand to see them out there shaking like leaves and looking all hunched up and miserable. I find that rain sheets – waterproof, breathable blankets with no fill whatsoever – are perfect for this climate, as the temperatures here remain fairly warm. The sheets act like a portable shelter, so the horses can still move around their paddock and stay dry. In fact, when they have their sheets on, they almost never go in their shelters.”

Snow is less of a problem for horses than rain, as it doesn’t tend to soak the entire coat. A horse may get somewhat wet along the topline if snow accumulates and melts, but the majority of the coat will often remain dry and will therefore be able to maintain its warm air-trapping “loft”. Sometimes you will see a horse with ice all along its back, yet if you dig your fingers underneath its coat, you will find that the horse’s skin is dry and warm. Still, snow can cause a problem if it is wet and heavy, so blanketing may be in order in such conditions.

Wind is another factor that comes into play in the blanketing equation. “In windy regions,” says Thomas, “horses need some type of shelter to protect against the wind chill that can whip away body heat.” Horses provided with a good windbreak may still be fine without a blanket, but if there is no place to get out of the wind, or there is a good chance that the horse may get wet, a blanket would likely be beneficial.

Body Condition

If you think about arctic whales, seals, polar bears and other animals that thrive in the most frigid conditions, they all have one thing in common: an insulating layer of fat that protects them from the extremes of their environment. Horses get similar protection from having a layer of fat to ward off the cold, but they should not be allowed to become too fat, as obesity in horses can have serious consequences such as laminitis and metabolic disturbances.

On a horse, a healthy layer of fat is one that covers the ribs enough so that you don’t see them, but you can still feel them if you run your thumb over them with slight pressure. You should not be able to feel deep impressions between the ribs, just the outermost part of the bone. Remember that a thick hair coat can mask a “ribby” horse, so feeling is more reliable than how a horse looks to the eye.

If you find that a horse is not able to maintain a protective amount of fat – as is often the case with senior horses or those with a particularly fast metabolism – blanketing is probably a good idea, especially if the temperature drops below –9 C. Thin horses will also be especially vulnerable to wet weather, so keep a lookout for shivering, even if the temperature seems relatively warm.

Clipped or Au Naturel

The winter coat of a horse is designed to keep him warm, which is a good thing if your horse is not worked much during the cold months. However, if you want to continue working your horse through the winter, a thick winter coat may actually cause him to get chilled. This is because a coat wet with sweat is much like a coat wet with rain – it doesn’t dry well in cool and/or moist weather, and it will wick heat away from the horse. For many people, the solution is a partial or full clip that allows sweat to dry more quickly.

Unfortunately, clipping a horse leaves him essentially “naked” to the elements, so blanketing is definitely required on clipped horses in Northern climes. You may need a variety of blankets on hand for the clipped horse – lighter ones for somewhat cool days, and heavier or layered ones for the real teeth-rattlers.

Horses kept indoors much of the time may also require blankets when turned out, as the artificial light and elevated temperature of an indoor facility can inhibit the growth of a full winter coat. In fact, some show barns keep lights on long enough to simulate summer daylight hours so that their horses do not get “the fuzzies”. Turning such horses out on a cold winter’s day with no protection could be risky to both their health and their comfort.

Blanketing Basics

If you do choose to blanket your horses, you will want to keep a close eye on them, as blanketing can cause as many problems as it solves. Here are some things you will want to keep in mind:

Choose appropriate blankets for your climate. It is often best to have a variety of blankets of varying weights on hand.
A horse can get too warm under a blanket if the temperature suddenly goes up or if they exert themselves. “Breathable” blankets can help with this problem, but you still need to check your horses regularly to make sure they are wearing the appropriate weight blanket for that particular day. Inserting a hand under the chest area of the blanket and feeling for sweat is a good way to check for excessive warmth.
An ill-fitting blanket can cause discomfort, rubs and sores. Learn how to size blankets correctly to each horse, and adjust straps as necessary to customize fit.
Loose or broken straps can lead to serious injury. Adjust belly and rear leg straps so that they are not tight, but sit no more than a few inches away from the underside of the horse. Remove the blanket and repair any broken straps immediately.
Blanketed horses must be checked regularly for sores, parasites, fungal infections or any other problems that a blanket might hide. It is best not to leave a blanket on for more than a couple of days before removing it to give the horse a good once-over.
Teach your horse to accept a blanket before you need one. If you wait until that first storm hits to start blanket training, you may not be able to get it on, and if you try to rush the process, you could scare the horse and make him develop a fear of blanketing.
Follow manufacturer’s instructions when washing blankets. Regular laundry detergent will destroy the waterproofing on many blankets. If the manufacturer tells you to use a special washing liquid, do so. Many blankets also need to be line dried rather than put in the dryer, so check that instruction as well.
You tend to get what you pay for. Cheap blankets are usually that way for a reason: inferior materials and workmanship simply cost a lot less. You may find it less expensive in the long run to invest in a good quality blanket that will last several seasons, rather than having to run out and buy several cheap ones each year.

Does Stress Cause Ulcers in Horses?

2011-09-27T08:58:00.000-07:00

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In the last few years, various studies have shown that an alarming number of horses suffer from stomach ulcers, a problem referred to as Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS) because of its complex nature. Estimates are that ulcers are present in 25-50% of foals, 60% of show horses, and over 90% of racehorses and other high-level performance horses – and one new study has even found a shockingly high rate of ulcers in broodmares on pasture. Experts agree that the main causes of EGUS are intensive exercise, infrequent feedings, stall confinement, trailering, the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and carbohydrate rich diets, but when it comes to the less tangible factor of psychological stress, opinions differ wildly.

While there is anecdotal evidence which suggests that psychological stress can play a role in the development of EGUS, and many articles and advertisements state that it does, there is little in the way of hard science to support this view. This may be due to the fact that it is extremely difficult to design a scientifically sound study around something as unquantifiable as a horse’s feelings, but some researchers are emphatic that what studies have been done on EGUS indicate that psychological stress is not a significant causative factor. Others are willing to concede that mental stress can lead to certain types of ulcers most commonly found in foals, but only in a very small percentage of adult horses. Still others are convinced that psychological stress is an important player in the mystery that is EGUS, despite the fact that the link has yet to be definitively established.

What is known without a doubt is that the stomach of the horse secretes hydrochloric acid on a continual basis, regardless of the presence or absence of food. This makes sense in an animal designed to take in small amounts of food almost non-stop throughout the day and night. But when horses are subjected to the unnatural conditions and activities imposed on them by domestication, this constant secretion of acid leaves them highly vulnerable to ulcers. The lower part of the horse’s stomach, called the glandular region, is less prone to ulceration due to a protective coating which usually keeps it from being damaged by acid. The upper portion of the stomach, called the squamous or non-glandular mucosa, does not have as much protection from acid, and this is where we find the vast majority of ulcers in horses.

Though EGUS can be caused by a number of different factors alone or in combination, the widespread practice of feeding horses relatively large but infrequent meals (2-3 times daily) is one of the most common causes, as the acidity of the stomach increases rapidly after only a few hours without food. Recent studies have shown that a horse's chance of developing ulcers increases after only six hours without the intake of food. Fasting a horse is so likely to cause ulcers, in fact, that it is the method most often used by scientists to induce ulcers for research purposes. Anything that prevents a horse from eating for any length of time, therefore, may lead to ulcers. Since many horses that are upset or worried by a given situation go off their food, most researchers would not dispute the assertion that psychological stress can contribute to the formation of ulcers if it causes a horse to stop eating.

Where opinions start to vary is when you ask whether or not the mental stress itself elicits changes in the body that can lead to ulcers. Many scientists agree with Professor Michele Doucet, DVM, Dipl.ACVIM, ACVCP, of the University of Montreal, who states, “Psychological stress itself has not been identified as a significant risk factor for EGUS in adult horses. In theory and in clinical observations, it is thought that stress can cause ulcers of the glandular portion of the stomach and in young foals, but in adult horses, if you look at the data carefully, we do not see a high prevalence of ulcers in the glandular portion – less than 5% in most studies. The type of ulcers seen in adult horses (nonglandular mucosa) have never been associated with stress. Some have looked at this via measurements of cortisol levels, which are the body's indicator of stress, and there is no apparent link.”

One study that has led many to this view was conducted at UC Davis (N.J. Vatistas, et al) in 1999. During this study, serum cortisol levels were measured at intervals in a group of horses undergoing simulated race training. All the horses developed moderate to severe ulcers, but cortisol levels stayed within normal ranges and actually decreased during the trial. Because the horses all developed ulcers in the absence of any significant differences in their cortisol levels, it was concluded that stress was not a factor in the etiology of their ulcers.

However, not all experts agree that this study disproves a link between mental stress and EGUS. According to Alison Moore, DVM, DVSc, Dipl. ACVIM, a specialist in equine internal medicine in Cambridge, ON, “The lack of ‘scientific evidence’ relating stress to ulcers may be due to the method of evaluation. The study by Vatistas only measured cortisol once a week, and cortisol on its own is quite variable. It may also be that these horses adapted quite readily to the levels of ‘stress’ (they were not actually racing) they were subjected to. Clearly in this report, other factors, i.e. feed and exercise management, had more of a part to play.”

There is also another study that calls into question the methodology used by Vatistas to measure serum cortisol levels. A pair of researchers in New Zealand (S.L. Alexander, C.H. Irvine) looked at how social stress in a group of horses affected three different aspects of serum cortisol: corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG), total, and free (not protein bound). The study found that social stress caused CBG binding capacity to fall, and free cortisol levels to rise, but total cortisol did not change. They concluded that “No effect of stress could be detected when only total cortisol was measured. Therefore, to assess adrenal axis status accurately in horses, it is essential to monitor the binding capacity of CBG and free cortisol concentrations in addition to total cortisol levels.”

A third study, which looked at changes in cortisol during trailering, did find that the stress of trailering caused a significant increase in cortisol – and trailering is known to bring on ulcers in horses. However, since many horses will not eat during trailering, it is impossible to determine whether it is changes in the body due to stress that causes the ulcers, or the detrimental effects of not eating that are responsible. The difficulty of isolating the factor of mental stress is one of the main problems researchers face when trying to design a study to test whether or not psychological stress can cause ulcers in horses. Even if the Davis study had shown elevated cortisol levels, that would not have conclusively demonstrated that psychological stress did cause the horses’ ulcers, since there were other factors at play that are known to cause ulcers.

The bottom line is that there are no studies to date that can definitively prove or disprove the link between psychological stress and EGUS, yet some very well respected researchers believe that a link is feasible. Michael J. Murray, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM with Merial Limited is one of the world’s leading authorities on the formation and treatment of equine ulcers. He says, “Psychological stress brought on by situations such as trailering, showing, stall confinement and changes in their social group may be associated with the development of gastric ulcers that often develop in adult horses in these situations. In many cases, it’s anecdotal, but there are a couple of research studies which lend support to the concept. One that I’m very familiar with – because I performed it – is one in which we took horses out of very nice pasture and put them in stalls in our barn at the equine hospital where I worked. In just a week’s time of simply being taken out of the pasture and put into the stall, with free choice hay, they developed ulcers. Now, the question is, was that due to psychological stress, or some other factor such as a change in feeding behavior, and it’s really quite difficult to say. This is just an observation, but the horse that had the worst ulcers was one that did the most hollering out towards her herd mates in the pasture. She was the queen bee, and seemed agitated that she wasn’t out there bossing them around. It seems like a reasonable conclusion that it was hardest on her to be away from her herd mates and not able to participate in her normal herd dynamics.”

Murray was also involved in another study which lends some support to the idea that psychological stress can lead to EGUS. “In this study,” he says, “we had 20 horses with no ulcers, about 2 years old or so, co-mingled in a pasture, and we took ten of those and transported them about four hours to another site where they were put into stalls. They were fed free choice hay and they had grain twice a day, and they were taken out once or twice a day and just longed. After three days of that, they were trailered back to their original farm. Of those horses that had been taken away, seven out of ten developed ulcers, in just a five day period. But what was interesting was that two out of the ten horses that stayed home also developed ulcers. It was observed by the people on the site that we had disrupted the herd dynamics, and the horses left behind had to reorder their hierarchy. Again, it’s speculation, but it was a situation where none of them had ulcers when they were all together, so we surmise that perhaps psychological stress related to herd dynamics can play a role.”

The psychological stresses of herd dynamics may also be at the root of why a recent study found a surprisingly high incidence of broodmares on pasture. The study, conducted at the University of Davis, looked at 62 broodmares on irrigated grass pasture and found that 66.6% of the pregnant mares and 75.9% of the non-pregnant mares had ulcers. This was completely unexpected, as previous studies had shown that horses in pasture were at a low risk for ulcers. When asked why the incidence was so high, lead researcher Sarah S. le Jeune, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, told HorseCare, “The farm these mares are from is extremely well managed. We do not have a good explanation as to why they had so many ulcers.” Dr. Alison Moore, however, is willing to speculate that the problem with the broodmares could be psychological stress. “I have seen fillies in race training with clean stomachs be turned out on pasture ‘for a break’, and have evaluated them on return to the stable only to find out they went from a 0 grade to a grade 3 (the worst) while on pasture. I can only surmise that the fillies, who were turned out with another filly who was boss, had hierarchical issues with the boss filly. Is this happening with the broodmares at pasture? Maybe, as mares are far more hierarchical than geldings.”

Although Moore points out that there are other considerations, such as grain rations, that could have been factors in the broodmare study, she feels that we should consider herd dynamics and other sources of psychological stress when trying to manage our horses. “My take on this is that psychological stress does contribute to the development of ulcers. It is one of many factors and may be more important for some individuals than for others.” Dr. Murray agrees, but adds, “The difficulty is that we really can’t say in many cases what the precise mechanism is that is causing the ulcers. We just know that in conditions which we can imagine are stressful, based on what we do know about horses, that we see ulcers occur frequently. The question is, what is the link between what may be stressful and the development of an ulcer. In many cases, I suspect that it involves interruption of feeding behaviors, as we know that the horse’s stomach becomes highly acidic within minutes of ceasing eating.”

Nonetheless, even if we are going to assume that psychological stress is a factor in the formation of ulcers, we cannot extrapolate that a horse whose temperament makes it more prone to appear “stressed out” is necessarily at higher risk for ulcers than individuals that seem more laid-back. As Murray explains, “There is no correlation between what we might call high-strung or nervous horses and the incidence of ulcers. “Both the high-strung ones and the apparently calm ones are equally at risk in stressful situations. That queen bee mare I mentioned was actually very laid back in general, and we had one horse that we used for a lot of our studies who was a real easygoing sweetheart, yet he could develop ulcers at the bat of an eye.”

On this point, Dr. Doucet is in complete agreement, stating, “We have observed severe ulceration in horses that were presumably considered to be calm in nature and were not in specific stress situations, and we have seen perfectly healthy stomachs in horses that were considered as very nervous and high strung by their owners or trainers. These are just observations, but we also tried to correlate temperament with the prevalence of ulcers in our studies and never found a significant association. I don't think others have either.” This is one of the reasons why Doucet does not place much, if any emphasis on psychological stress as a factor in EGUS. “I am a scientist,” she says, “and therefore I have to base my comments on valid data. I agree that we don't have the tools to measure all levels of information, but I think it's important that people understand that the association with ‘stress’ has not yet been validated either way, and based on what we know about the causes of ulcers, it is an unlikely risk factor and should be placed well below other ‘proven’ factors in decision making.”

Horse owners would certainly be wise to make sure that they address the well-known risk factors when trying to prevent or manage EGUS in their horses, but that does not preclude trying to identify and reduce psychological stresses, as well. At the very least, mental stress is unpleasant and distracting to our horses, and if human data is anything to go by, it may have a whole host of health consequences for our horses. What the ongoing debate on this topic tells us is that we still have much to learn about this complicated health problem, and much to look forward to from the dedicated researchers who continue to work on this puzzle.

CONFORMATION FAULT: Downhill Balance

2011-09-26T22:21:00.000-07:00

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Downhill Balance: The Bottom Line on the Topline

This horse demonstrates downhill conformation, which can appear in any
breed, but which is particularly common among the stock horse breeds.

Many growing horses, especially those in the stock horse breeds, go through phases where the top of the croup is taller than the highest point of the withers. In many cases, the front end eventually catches up, but when this build persists into adulthood, it is generally considered a conformation fault. Variously termed as being “downhill”, “bum high” or having “downhill balance”, such horses are said to be more prone to front end lameness and back problems, as well as to have more difficulty performing athletic endeavors. However, there is little in the way of scientific evidence to support the assertion of increased lameness risk, and some argue that downhill balance is not a fault at all.

There is even the perception in some circles that downhill balance can be an advantage, particularly in a cutting horse, and it is a fact that some top cutting and reining horse sires have a markedly downhill build. Still, most equine professionals prefer a horse that is at least level if not actually uphill – even a cutting horse. Says Jerry Black, DVM, a veterinarian and cutting horse competitor in Oakdale, CA, “The cutting horse has to work low to the ground, so he should not be built with ‘downhill’ conformation. The horse has to drop his hip, with sufficient strength in his back, loin, hip, and stifle to stop hard. If the hip is higher than the withers, there's a lot of pressure placed on the loin during the stop, so the horse can't get as good a set into the stop, or get as deep into the stop.”

Top Reining horse trainer Shawna Sapergia of Airdre, AB, agrees, but points out that every individual is different. “My preference is a horse that has a really good wither that comes back quite a ways on their back, a really balanced topline and a good angle to the shoulder. I just feel that such horses can handle themselves as good or better than a downhill horse, but it really does depend on the individual’s athleticism. I’ve seen some horses that are conformationally really good in terms of what I would like to see, but they just don’t have the athleticism or the desire to do it, and then you have other horses that conformationally you don’t think they should they be able to do anything, and they have so much heart and try that they’ll outperform many that are built better. For me though, when I’m picking horses to breed to, I’m really looking for that wither and that topline to cross on.”

Asked why she doesn’t like a downhill build, Shawna says, “When horses are built downhill, you can definitely feel a difference in how they travel and how they carry themselves. You have to work a lot harder when you’re riding them to get them to drive up underneath themselves with their hind end and keep their shoulders elevated. They want to naturally travel heavier on the forehand, and they tend to fall in. That comes across the whole board with the spins and the stopping and circling and everything else. It’s something that you’re constantly working on to remind them to use their backs more, which in turn is probably going to cause more strain in their backs. It’s just generally harder for these horses to do what they need to do.

“As for the cutting horses, I don’t think it helps them at all to be built downhill. Again, things can vary a lot depending on the individual and their athleticism, but I think a horse that is more balanced and has a better wither and shoulder line is going to be as handy or handier in a cutting situation than a downhill horse. If you think about it being downhill, and they’re crouching even lower with their front end, they really, really have to use their backs hard to maintain their balance.”

One would naturally assume that if a downhill horse has to use its back in such a way, it would be more prone to back problems, but that does not seem to be born out by clinical observation. Says Dr. Antonio Cruz, DVM, MVM, MSc, DrMedVet, DACVS, DECVS, of Paton and Martin Veterinary Services, in Aldergrove, BC, “Many Quarter Horses are built that way, and that happens through a selection process. The selection process would have dictated that if those horses get sore, they probably would have been weeded out. It’s not like we see back problems coming out the wazoo in Quarter Horses. If that conformation was predisposing them to that, you would probably would start to see many more back problems.”

What is seen very commonly in downhill horses is lameness of the front feet and limbs, but as Dr. Cruz points out, this may have nothing to do with their being downhill. “It just happens that those downhill horses often have other risk factors for forelimb lameness, like small feet, low heels, long toes, so, what is worse? It is very difficult to separate them and say what is causing the problem. Intuitively, you would think that if a horse has downhill conformation, it has much more of its weight on the front limbs, but nobody is really showing that. Just because I see a horse is downhill, I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s going to have a forelimb problem. If I see a horse with the other risk factors I would say yes, most likely the horse will have a forefoot problem.”

Mike Scott, DVM, DACVS, partner and surgeon at Moore & Company Veterinary Services, in Calgary, concurs with Dr. Cruz, stating, “Intuitively, if you think about a horse that’s bum high, he’s going to seem to be heavier on his forehand, and ultimately, you would conclude that he’s going to stress his front feet and joints more than if he came balanced between his front end and his hind end. But, do we actually see that in practice? I agree with the concept, but I don’t really know if it’s true. I see lots of Quarter Horses in my practice, and probably 65% of their lameness issues are in the front foot or the fetlock. But that’s whether they’re bum high or not, so I can’t say that there is an obvious trend.”

So what is the bottom line on the topline? We may never know, but as with most things, it’s probably wise to avoid extremes and aim for a horse with a build that makes it as easy as possible form him to do the job you want him to do.

"Back Breakers": 12 Tips to Make Your Barn Chores More Body-Friendly

2011-09-26T21:47:00.000-07:00

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There’s a saying that if you can still count the number of times you’ve come off a horse, you’re no horseman. Still, most of would gladly forgo the horseman moniker if it meant we could forgo the falls. Unfortunately, the reality is that most of us have been thrown plenty – and our bodies pay for it. Add to this the toll taken by other horse related trauma – getting kicked, stomped, jerked, knocked over, etcetera – and it is not surprising to learn that horse people have one of the highest rates of injury of any sport/hobby participants. But what many of us don’t realize is that the day to day activities we engage in as part of routine horse care can also exact a heavy price on our bodies.

Says Dr. Wendy Coren, of Equaline Chiropractic Systems of Redding, CT, “Falls can and do create neck, shoulder and back injuries, even when bones do not break, but horse people also often sacrifice their bodies to take care of their horses. All barn chores, in fact, can be done in respectful or disrespectful ways to the body.” Part of the problem is that few of us are ever taught how to correctly lift a hay bale, use a manure fork or dump a wheelbarrow, yet there is much that can be learned about ways to do such chores so that we don’t cause or exacerbate injury. Most of the time, it is a matter of small changes that can make a big difference. With that in mind, here are some tips on how you can make your barn chores less of a pain.

1. Align, lock and lunge when scooping manure. Manure collection is one of those chores that is simply unavoidable. Many of us are scooping, sifting, lifting and dumping hundreds of pounds of manure and bedding every day, and the repetitive movements, coupled with our often incorrect position and movement, can put a great deal of strain on our bodies. Watch most people using a manure fork and you will see their upper body twisting around, their arms well away from their body, and the manure fork often being pushed almost sideways while their toes point in another direction. This torqued and stretched position is very hard on the lower back in both the push phase (getting the fork under the manure) and the lift phase. This position can also stress your arms and shoulders, potentially causing soreness or injury.

To avoid these issues, you need to keep your sternum more aligned with your hands, keep your arms closer to your body, and most importantly, use your legs in a “lunge” position. As Chiropractor Dr. Robert Malone of Sechelt, BC, explains, “In the lunge position, where your lead foot is well ahead and almost perpendicular to the back foot, and the lead knee is bent, your upper body is supported over your legs – not hanging out in front of them or to the side. This allows you to use your legs and your weight, not just your arm muscles, to help you push and lift, and this reduces the strain on your back and arms tremendously.”

The lunge is especially effective if you keep your lead elbow (the one closer to the fork head) locked close against your body. This will prevent you from leading with your upper body or arms when you push, as you will have to use your legs to shift yourself forward to push. Then, when you go to lift the fork, you will once again be “forced” to use leverage and a whole body shift to raise the fork, which offers further protection.

The lunge posture also puts you in a more forward-facing position when you are pushing and lifting the fork, which is beneficial to your back and arms. Says Dr. Coren, “I try to get people to use a ‘golf technique’, where you always have your body lined up with what you are doing. The breast bone (sternum) has to stay centered as much as possible over your hands, because if your arms follow your center, it protects your back, just like when you are riding.”

2. Face the wheelbarrow when dumping the manure fork. One of the worst things you can do to your back is lift and twist at the same time – something many of us do repeatedly when we go to dump a forkful of manure into the wheelbarrow. By simply taking an extra moment to turn and face the wheelbarrow before dumping the fork, you maintain your “golf technique” alignment and relieve your body of unnecessary strain. You should also use your lunge position to step close enough to the wheelbarrow so that your elbow can stay close against your side, which keeps the weight of the loaded fork closer to your body. Always remember that the further away from the body any weight is carried, the greater the strain on your back, neck, arms and shoulders.

3. Bend your knees, not your back, when lifting or setting down the wheelbarrow. A fully loaded wheelbarrow can weigh 150 pounds or more, and lifting one can easily put your back out if done incorrectly. The mistake that many people make is keeping their legs straight, bending forward from the hips and/or rounding their spine to reach the handles. Once again, lifting with the upper body ahead of the lower body – especially with a rounded back – is asking for trouble. The healthier options here are to either use a lunge position, or to bend both knees, keeping the back straight and the upper body fairly upright in both positions. These methods allow you to use your legs to do the lifting, rather than the much weaker back muscles. The same principles apply to setting the wheelbarrow down, which can also cause serious strain if done incorrectly.

4. Make more runs with smaller loads. Of course, another way to avoid the dangers of a heavy wheelbarrow is not to load it up so much. Though this may seem like common sense, most of us do just the opposite. Observes Dr. Malone, “Most of us load the wheelbarrow as high as we possibly can, then mash it down and add some more. We only stop when the stuff starts rolling off the sides!” If this sounds like you, you may want to rethink your strategy. “Yes, this will take you a few more minutes each day,” says Malone, “but if you injure your back, you can suffer the effects for months or even years. If you already have back problems, you will be amazed at what a difference this small change can make.”

5. Dump the wheelbarrow slightly to the side. “Dumping the wheelbarrow is another ‘backbreaker’,” says Dr. Coren. Instead of dumping it straight forward, as most of us do, she recommends dumping it slightly to the side. “This allows you to keep your weight further back,” she explains, and it also prevents you from hyperextending (over-hollowing) your back, as you don’t have to raise your arms up so high while you are pushing.

6. Switch activities often. Repetitive strain is a common source of injury and can happen more easily than you might think. Therefore, if you have a task that is going to require going through the same motions or holding the same position for more than about 15 minutes, try switching to another activity after 10 minutes or so, then return to the original activity a bit later. This will allow you to rest one muscle group while using another. “I like to have two or three things going at the same time,” says Dr. Malone. “It not only saves my back, but I also end up getting a lot more done.”

7. Lunge or bend at the knees to lift water buckets and other items. As with lifting a wheelbarrow, you can protect your body when lifting water buckets or other heavy items by dropping into a lunge position or bending both knees while keeping your back straight. This allows you to use your legs, not your back and other vulnerable parts, to get weighty items off the ground.

8. Balance your loads whenever possible. Dr. Coren sees many clients who have injured themselves carrying something around the barn. As she says, “Horse people frequently carry heavy things such as hay bales, saddles, fencing, and grooming supplies, often in very unbalanced ways. When things are carried all on one side, the muscles are used unevenly. This causes stress which can lead to serious damage to muscles, ligaments and discs.” Coren therefore recommends that whenever possible, you carry loads in a centered and balanced manner:

· “With hay bales,” she says, “depending on the size and weight of the bale, carry it with the back straight, not leaning to the opposite side, which is a very common cause of serious back injury. This often means both hands on the bale and keeping the knees bent.

· “Water buckets can create rotator cuff injuries in the arm, cause neck strain, and aggravate a weak lower back, so always lift them correctly, carry them close to the body, and balance the load by carrying one in each hand, if possible.

· “When it comes to saddles, it is critical for the benefit of both horse and rider to carry the saddle close to the rider’s center, rather than slung over the hip. This will reduce strain and stop overcompensation of the back muscles. From this position you can also correctly lift the saddle from the chest, which protects your back and allows you to lower the saddle gently onto the horse’s back.” For those who insist on carrying the saddle to one side, Coren suggests at least switching sides regularly to assist in the balancing effect.

9. Bend at the knees and hip when picking feet. No one knows how to prevent back injury better than a farrier, especially when it comes to handling a horse’s feet. Chris Erikson, a farrier in Aldergrove, BC, says that too many horse owners hurt themselves unnecessarily by holding the horse’s feet incorrectly when picking them out. “I see people using their back alone to hold up the foot, which they are often holding in mid-air. Instead of standing with the legs straight and the back rounded, you need to bend your knees and fold at the hip, kind of in a half crouch. Then you can rest the hoof on your knee so that you are not holding up the weight of it with your neck and arms.” Dr. Coren adds that the lunge stance can also be used when picking feet.

10. Use a stool for “high” chores. Tasks that require your arms to be raised up higher than your waist, especially for an extended period of time, can be a literal pain in the neck, so a sturdy stool can be a great help in such situations. Says Dr. Coren, “Standing on a stool for activities such as braiding or trimming is a valuable preventative step, as it reduces pressure on the nerves and muscles in the neck/shoulder region.”

11. Use a mounting block whenever possible. Many studies have shown that mounting from the ground puts a significant amount of torque on the horse’s back, often leading to muscle imbalances and soreness, not to mention twisted saddles. What many of us don’t realize, however, is that mounting from the ground also puts strain on our own pelvic girdle and lower back. “Pelvic malalignment syndrome is rampant among riders,” states Dr. Malone, “and one of the reasons is the repeated and very uneven motions involved in mounting from the ground.” For this reason, Malone recommends using a mounting block whenever possible, or learning to mount from the off side and doing so 50% of the time. As he says, “It will feel weird at first, to both you and your horse, but really, all of us should learn to do that.”

12. Get a headset for your cell phone. When we’re out there doing our barn chores, many of “multi-task” by talking on the cell phone at the same time. If you are doing so without a headset, however, you may be setting yourself up for injury. Says Dr. Coren, “The amount of cell phone use while doing barn chores causes as much if not more pain than falls where people land on their heads!” This is because many of us try to grasp the phone between our shoulder and our ear, which leads to pinched nerves, muscle strain, and tremendous imbalance in how we use our arms and body overall. “Simply using a headset would cut the neck and shoulder pain down tremendously.” Even so, Coren is not a fan of talking on the phone when working around horses in general. “Awareness is key to preventing a lot of barn injuries,” she asserts, “and part of barn ergonomics is keeping your mind in the present. When you don’t, you are more likely to be stepped on, kicked, head butted or pulled off your feet.”

Keep in mind that changing long-standing habits of movement and posture can feel awkward or difficult, but if you incorporate even a few of these tips into your daily routine and stick with them, you will soon wonder how you did it any other way.

SIDEBAR: Ergonomic tools

The science of ergonomics is concerned with making it easier for us to work in ways that relieve physical strain associated with the tasks we must perform. A few companies have taken this concept and applied it to the needs of horse people, creating products that are designed to make our chores less physically stressful. Keep in mind, however, that everyone is built differently, so something that does wonders for one person may not be comfortable for someone else.

· The EasyLift ™ Ergonomic DuraFork, from Miller Manufacturing, is a light-weight, aluminum handled manure fork that has a strategically placed bend designed to make scooping and lifting manure easier. Many people love this product and feel it does help with scooping and lifting, but others have reported wrist pain as a result of what they perceive as increased difficulty in turning the fork to dump it into the wheelbarrow. Therefore, if you have carpal tunnel syndrome or other wrist-related pain, this may not be the product for you. Available at many farm supply stores, or see online at www.miller-mfg.com .

· The Nubarro is an unusual looking wheelbarrow designed to make hauling and dumping easier on your back and shoulders. It has a specially balanced frame and a large, rigid plastic ball instead of a wheel, making it easier to lift, turn and dump. The ball also rides more easily over sand and mud than a conventional wheel, without bogging down. Check it out at www.nubarro.com .

A Rolling saddle cart (different models available from different manufacturers) can save you from having to tote a heavy saddle to and from the barn. Some can also be used to haul square bales and other items.

Raising a Healthy Hoof

2011-09-19T22:29:00.000-07:00

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We’ve all heard the old adage, ‘No hoof, no horse’, and few would argue with it. Yet many of us are all too familiar with what it’s like to battle bad feet, a problem that is widespread in the stock horse world. Quarter cracks, thin and brittle walls, white line disease and navicular syndrome are just some of the problems that can at very least put a crimp in your training, and at worst lead to a treasured horse’s early demise. When trying to figure out why this is happening, some people are quick to blame breeders, while others point the finger at the whims of the show world, which at one time favored big horses with tiny feet – a look which is thankfully falling out of fashion. However, an in-depth examination of the problem of bad feet reveals that there are a number of factors that can contribute to the formation of poor quality hooves. Therefore, if we want our horses to have good, strong, healthy feet, we need to look at all of these factors in order to maximize their hoof health throughout their lives.

NATURE vs. NURTURE?

When we look at certain breeds of horses such as Morgans and Arabians, we see that most individuals in these breeds have strong, solid feet. Conversely, when we look at Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses, we see large numbers of individuals with problem feet. This would seem to indicate that genetics is an extremely important factor in the creation of good hooves. However, current research and a wealth of anecdotal evidence suggest that in most cases, what happens to a horse’s hooves after it is born has far more influence than any genetic contribution. In fact, it may be mostly the management and training practices commonly used with horses of a given breed that lead to the differences we see among breeds. Still, there is undoubtedly genetic variability in hoof size, conformation and quality, and it only makes sense to give horses the best start possible by breeding for good feet.

Conscientious breeders like Tom Sword, owner of the AQHA stallion Smart and Lucky Lena, take hoof quality into serious consideration when making breeding decisions. “I won't breed horses just for bloodlines to cross if they have real foot problems,” says Sword. “I'm not going to tell people what they can and can't breed, but as far as mine goes, I won't own a horse that has real bad feet, and if the mare throws babies with real bad feet, I won't keep breeding her. We’re very particular about the feet of our own stock, but I've seen people breeding horses with things like club feet, and you end up with every third or fourth baby having a club foot. If you breed any of the inferiorities into them, you just make our Quarter Horses worse, not better.”

Sword, who also owned the now deceased halter champion Western Cabernet, would particularly like to see the halter horse industry pay more attention to the feet of the horses they are breeding. As he explains, “I have a little problem with the halter industry because, just being straight now, those horses should be able to be ridden and used. But if you had to take a halter horse out and ride him, and he's got those little tiny feet, you're not going to be able to do it. If you go back into the legends, the older horses, those horses won halter classes and then went out and won performance classes. As far as I'm concerned, that's what we should be shooting for with our horses -- and they can't do it if they don't have good feet.”

Mark Scott, DVM, MVSc, Dipl. ACVS, of Moore & Company Veterinary Services in Calgary, would also like to see breeders place more emphasis on hoof health and durability when selecting breeding stock. He states, “I believe that breeding is of paramount importance in relation to horses having healthy hooves. There are specific, well recognized patterns of foot related lameness that I see every day that are a direct result of the horse’s genetics.” Scott believes that a big part of the problem is that we are not necessarily looking at the right factors when making breeding decisions. “We select which horses to breed to based on paper,” he says, “—paper pedigree, advertising, and money won in competition. The selection criteria that we tend to use do not emphasize durability, and in some cases may select for horses with small, weak feet.”

Hoof care professionals, like Christina Cline of Sumas, WA, also generally place at least some of the responsibility for the quality of a horse’s feet on the breeder. Says Cline, “Common sense should tell us that breeding horses with weak feet is unwise, and it should be pretty obvious by now that breeding horses with unusually small feet for their size is just an all around bad idea. I also see things like mares that have long, sloping pastern conformation that causes a tendency towards underrun heels and long toes, and you’ll see that same tendency in their babies.” Cline believes that good feet should be a big criteria for any breeding program and points out that breeders who ignore this crucial aspect of horse health are doing both their breed and their own reputation a disservice. “If the horses are constantly plagued with foot problems and break down at a young age, that is going to reflect back on the breeder in the long run.”

Cline, however, also points out that there is usually more going on than just poor genetics when a horse has bad feet. As she explains, “Genetics do play a part, but the whole genetics issue gets a bit muddled, too, because in many cases, the people who are breeding without paying attention to hoof quality may also have management strategies that do not promote optimum hoof development. Take Thoroughbreds, for example, which are known for having weak feet. People are certainly breeding them without paying attention to hoof quality at all, but at the same time, they coop them up, load them with grain and shoe them at an early age, all of which can seriously compromise even a very healthy hoof. So, sometimes it’s rather fuzzy as to what is actually due to genetics vs. what is due to the environment that the horse was raised in.

RAISING A HEALTHY HOOF: MOVEMENT

The work of Michigan State University researcher Robert Bowker, one of the world’s foremost experts on hoof development and biomechanics, has shown us that a healthy hoof has certain characteristics that allow it to function properly over a lifetime of hard use. These include thick, tough walls and soles; strong, well-developed lateral cartilages; dense, fibrous digital cushions; broad, strong frogs that makes contact with the ground; short toes; and heels that are wide and low but not underrun. Whether or not a horse’s feet develops these characteristics will depend to a very large extent on how the horse is raised.

How it works is as follows: When a horse is born, the internal and external structures of the hoof are relatively soft and unformed – perfect to support the weight of a newborn foal, but only the weight of a newborn foal. In a free-roaming environment, the foal is up and moving within hours, often over hard, harsh terrain, so its feet immediately start working and adapting to this work load. Every step the young horse takes helps transform its feet, stimulating the soft, fatty digital cushions to become thick and fibrous to protect the coffin bone, helping the tube-shaped baby hoof to spread into a stronger conical shape, strengthening the lateral cartilages and toughening the other structures of the hoof. As the horse grows and becomes heavier, its feet adapt to be able to support the increased stress put on them by a heavier body. As long as the horse is allowed to move in a natural manner on firm terrain, the feet will continue to develop in size and strength well into the fifth or sixth year of life. This is probably the single most important factor in the development of healthy hooves.

It follows, therefore, that management practices that restrict a young horse’s movement will retard hoof development, especially if the horse is kept on soft footing. Explains Dr. Scott, “Exercise is imperative for normal musculoskeletal development and maintenance. While the horse is growing, the development of its skeleton and soft tissues (both of which are present in the hooves) is influenced by the stresses placed upon them. If the tissues are not stressed appropriately, they will not develop appropriately. If this development does not occur optimally in the young growing horse, permanent impairment of musculoskeletal development is possible. It has been shown that as little as three weeks of stall confinement in a young horse can have measurable negative effects on skeletal development.”

Dr. Bowker also believes that movement is key to healthy hoof development. “The environment is the major determinant of a healthy foot rather than genetics,” he says. He also points out that we may see bad feet in some of our best horses because the more expensive horses often have more confinement early in their lives. “In fact,” he says, “there seems to be an inverse relationship between expense and movement!” Bowker emphasizes that a horse deprived of appropriate movement is going to be far more likely to suffer from lameness issues down the line, regardless of breed or breeding.

Some people try to compensate for a lack of turnout by longing a young horse, especially if they are trying to condition the horse for show. Unfortunately, this is far more likely to do harm than good. Says Scott, “Attempting to exercise the young horse through methods such as longing risk injury, as they involve repetitive movements which may overload developing tissues. In order for tissues (bone, muscle, tendon, ligament, or hoof) to develop strength, they need to be stressed by exercise and then have time to heal and strengthen in response to that stress. It has been shown that bone can have an adaptive modeling response to specific stress with as little as 30 cycles of a given stress – this means that as little as 30 strides of galloping exercise will stimulate a young horse bone to adapt specifically to galloping. If the young horse was galloped 300 strides every day, however, this would overload the musculoskeletal system and allow insufficient time for tissue recovery, which is likely to result in injury. Rather than longing, the type of exercise that is needed is that which is typical of young horses at play – short bursts of galloping, romping around, running up and down hills, etc. It is difficult to mimic the varied influences of play exercise with a training program.”

Cline also believes that natural exercise is best for young horses, adding, “I know of one vet who says that longing a young horse should be a crime, and I must say I agree. I would also like to see people wait longer to start riding these horses, as this is a huge factor in the early breakdowns we see so often these days. A big part of my job is rehabilitating horses that have broken down, and when you see horses that are three, four and five years old with all these problems, you can’t help but wish people would just give them more time to grow up before subjecting them to activities that we know are damaging to growing joints. Call me crazy, but I just don’t like seeing three year olds with radiographically confirmed arthritis.

Asked what we can and should do to make sure our young horses get enough of the right kind of exercise, Cline says, “The more space they can be turned out in, the better. If you can avoid keeping them in stalls completely, that is definitely a plus. 24-7 turnout with lots of room to run and play, and in as firm of an environment as possible, as opposed to soft, spongy, muddy terrain, will really go a long way towards building healthy feet . Ideally, they should be turned out with other youngsters, because they stimulate so much play and movement amongst themselves that they'll get more exercise than if they're just standing around alone or with their mom. Ponying a foal off the mare from a young age is a great thing to do. Not exercising them to death, but starting to pony them for 15 minutes here, 20 minutes there, then gradually increasing the time as they get older is a great way to exercise a youngster if you don't have a lot of space, plus it gives mom the exercise she needs. However, if you don't have an appropriate amount of space or the right kind of footing to let young horses really move and develop optimally, you might want to consider boarding the horse somewhere that has that kind of environment while the horse is still growing. This is not only in the best interest of the horse, but also in the best interest of the rider/owner in the long run, as you are far more likely to end up with a strong, healthy horse overall.”

SHOEING

According to the work of Dr. Bowker and others, it is also in the best interest of the horse and owner to delay shoeing a young horse as long as possible, and to only keep shoes on for brief periods, if they are used at all. Bowker has conducted detailed post-mortem studies on thousands of horse feet and discovered that the internal structures of horses shod for a majority of their lifetime often look more like those of immature horses. The digital cushion, for example, will lack the dense growth of fibrous tissue that allows it to properly support the weight of an adult horse. This lack of development of the key support structures in the back part of the foot often leads to tenderness in that area, which in turn leads to the all too common toe-first landing now thought to be a major factor in the development of navicular disease.

What this all boils down to is that if you start shoeing a horse when it’s two and don’t give the feet a good part of the year out of shoes, you can essentially “freeze” the internal development of that horse’s feet – and you may also affect the ultimate size and strength of the entire foot. Says Cline, “It would be extremely beneficial to horses if people would delay shoeing until the feet achieved full maturity, at age five or six. That said, a lot of people are going to shoe earlier and keep the horse shod, which may prevent the hoof from achieving its maximum size. This can lead to problems, because when you have a smaller foot, you have a smaller surface area and less mass to absorb the stress. Every farrier textbook will tell you that shoeing year round is not recommended. Therefore, if people feel they need to shoe for shows or training, take the shoes off and give the horses a break from shoes for as much of the year as possible, at least until the hoof is fully grown.”

Another problem that can result from early shoeing – or any shoeing that does not allow for all the support structures of the hoof to work together – is poor wall quality. As Bowker states, “Peripheral loading of the foot usually causes thinner walls.” What this means is that shoeing or trimming a horse so that the walls bear most of the weight without support from the sole, frog and bars not only inhibits the development of the internal structures, but may contribute to the epidemic of thin, brittle walls we are seeing in our horses. Though conventional shoeing methods are based on peripheral loading, the latest research indicates that all of the structures of the hoof are designed to work together to cope with the tremendous forces placed upon them, and that “hanging the hoof by the walls” interferes with the synergistic relationship of these structures. Fortunately, there are now farriers like Gene Ovnicek (www.hopeforsoundness.com) and barefoot trimmers like Pete Ramey (www.hoofrehabl.com) who are coming up with viable solutions to this problem, based on what Bowker calls the “physiologic trim” (see http://cvm.msu.edu/news/press/phytrim.htm for details).

Because shoeing can be detrimental in these various ways, Tom Sword believes that young horses are best left unshod as much as possible. “It's true that horses don't quit growing until they're five years old or so -- their whole body keeps growing, so it makes sense that the feet are still growing, too. I see people shoeing and working these young horses -- some seventeen months or even younger -- and by the time those horses are seven years old, they often have joint problems or hoof problems. The more they shoe them, the worse the frog gets and so on. There are all kinds of problems that develop from continual shoeing on them. I definitely believe you should pull the shoes and let them be without them as much as possible. Don't shoe them too much, and don’t work them too much or too hard when they're young if you want that horse to last you.”

APPROPRIATE HOOF CARE

It may be desirable to leave the shoes off a young horse, but that doesn’t mean their feet don’t need attention. Early trimming, in fact, can help ensure that the horse’s feet develop optimally. As Dr. Scott explains, “It is appropriate and in some cases necessary to begin trimming the horse’s feet early in life. The hoof is a very plastic structure, with the ability to change shape depending on how it is stressed. If the foal starts to develop some asymmetry or imbalance in its foot, careful observation and early foot maintenance may limit or reverse this problem.” It is therefore wise to have a foal’s feet and legs assessed soon after birth to determine if corrective trimming is indicated. However, as Scott points out, “If young horses are allowed to live in a ‘wild’ state where they can move over a large area with rough hard footing, they may not need their feet trimmed at all. In my opinion, this is the ideal situation for developing a strong healthy foot.”

Many youngsters will likely fall somewhere in between, requiring some maintenance from a hoofcare professional. With a foal, the farrier will mainly be looking at two things: a) that they’re wearing their feet enough so they don’t have excess growth, and b) that they’re wearing their feet in a balanced manner. “It’s very common, basically normal to some degree, for a foal to wear their feet a little unbalanced,” Says Cline. “This is because they’ve got narrow chests and they tend to stand base wide, so they’ll wear down the insides faster than the outsides. The farrier will help keep the feet in a balanced state.” Like Dr. Scott, Cline also likes to see foals assessed very early to detect any problems that could be helped through corrective trimming. “If a foal is born with any hoof or limb deformities,” she says, “getting it trimmed by the first or second week is pretty imperative -- even the first or second day. A lot of deformities such as carpal valgus (knock kneed), carpal varus (bow legged), wind-swept legs, and rotational limb deformities can be corrected or at least improved by good hoof care early on. Club footed horses also need to get care really early on, as well.”

DIET

Another component of helping a young horse develop healthy hooves involves diet – and in this case, less is often more. While it may make us feel good to put our horses out on lush pasture, top them up with grain and buy expensive supplements designed to improve hoof quality, all of these things can actually be detrimental to our horses’ hooves and overall health. What we really need to be looking at, in many cases, is how to keep things out of the horse’s diet that weaken the hoof walls – specifically, too many “quick” carbohydrates. There is a mounting body of evidence that sugars and starches that convert quickly into glucose in the body cause damage to the laminae – the strong but sensitive structures that attach the outer hoof wall to the foot. Weakening the attachment of the hoof wall can cause flaring, stretched whitelines, laminitis, and the opportunistic fungal and bacterial infections that often go along with these problems. Obvious sources of quick carbohydrates are grains and anything sugary or coated with molasses. Less obvious sources are hays high in NSCs (non-structural carbohydrates), and grasses with elevated levels of sugar due to stresses such as overgrazing, frost or drought. Non-native or “improved” grasses – varieties of grass that have mostly been designed to put weight on cattle – can also be problematic.

This doesn’t mean that you should cut grain and grass from your young horse’s diet altogether, but it does mean that you should be careful with such feeds and make sure that your youngster is not getting overweight – a very common problem in the horse world today and one that should be of serious concern. The feet of a horse that is overweight are subject to both metabolic and mechanical stresses, making them much more prone to problems. Specifically, a recent study by researchers at Virginia Tech stated that overweight horses are vulnerable to chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, insulin/glucose imbalances, heat stress, reduced performance levels, and increased bone, tendon and joint injuries. They concluded that obesity is a “major health concern” in horses that has been widely under-reported.

Unfortunately, many of us have horses that are overweight and we don’t even know it, due to widespread misconceptions as to what constitutes a healthy weight. Today’s leading equine nutritionists say that you should be able to see a hint of ribs on a horse until it is two or so, and after that, you want to be able to easily feel, but not see their ribs. Once again, the preferences of the show ring may be coaxing us up a dangerous path, but ultimately, it is each owner’s responsibility to decide what is best for their horses.

A good diet for a young horse will consist mainly of grass and/or hay that is moderate in simple sugars and protein, with a balanced vitamin/mineral supplement if needed, access to salt (loose is preferable to blocks), and little if any grain. As Dr. Scott says, “The main cause of nutritionally related problems tends to be overfeeding rather than deficiency. I have seen many cases of laminitis and horses that simply outgrew their feet from being overfed.”

THE TOTAL PICTURE

When we look at the number of horses with problem feet in the stock horse world today, it is not hard to understand why Tom Sword calls this a “shameful state”. In the end, if we want to see fewer problems in the feet of our horses, we are going to have to work as individuals and as an industry to promote practices that will give our horses a good start and help them maximize their potential. As we have seen here, it takes a multi-pronged approach to raise a healthy hoof, starting with our breeding practices and requiring careful evaluation of our management strategies. This may mean that we might have to make some changes to the way we do things, but as another old cowboy once said, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it – but if it is broke, well heck, you might want to do something about it.” The fate of our horses feet – and ultimately our horses themselves – is in our hands.

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Why Feeding Twice a Day Isn't Enough

2011-08-31T14:51:00.000-07:00

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Horse eating out of 1.5" hole size Nibblenet

I just came across an ad for a training barn that mentioned the fact that they feed "twice a day", as if this were a selling point. While it is a common practice in the horse industry to feed on a twice daily schedule, this is terribly inadequate if you look at the horse's biological requirements. Please allow me to explain why.

Horses were designed by nature as "trickle feeders", meaning that they are meant to take in small amounts of food over a long period of time. In natural settings, horses graze at least 16 hours a day, with the pattern being nibble a little, walk a bit, nibble a little more. The whole physiology of their digestive system is set up to accommodate this model of consumption, starting with the fact that horses are constant acid secreters. This differs from humans, whose stomachs only secrete acid in the presence of food. The stomach of the horse, however, produces hydrochloric acid at all times, whether there is food in the stomach or not.

What happens when there is no food in the stomach of a horse? Gastric ulcers happen -- and they happen in an alarmingly high percentage of domestic horses, though many owners never have a clue (see other articles on ulcers in this blog for more details). Studies (e.g. the 2009 one performed at the University of Copenhagen by Nanna Luthersson, et al) have shown that going more than six hours without eating puts horses at tremendous risk for the development of ulcers -- six hours! If you feed only twice a day, and it takes the horse only 2-3 hours to clean up its feed (many will do so even sooner, depending on what is being fed), that horse is going 9-10 hours with no food. Is it any wonder that so many of our horses have ulcers?

It is also psychologically stressful for a horse not to have continual "chew time", and thus horses fed on a twice a day schedule demonstrate significantly higher rates of stereotypic behaviors -- also known as "stable vices". Cribbing, wood chewing, weaving and pacing are just some of the behaviors that are caused by a combination of the physical discomfort of hydrochloric acid eating away at the stomach lining, and the lack of natural amounts of chew time.

What causes the ulcers to form is twofold:

Not enough saliva: This happens because horses only secrete saliva when they are chewing (again, the opposite of humans, who secrete it most of the time), and the bicarbonate in the saliva serves to buffer the stomach acid. When you have very few hours of chew time, that means very few hours of saliva. Without any saliva coming in, the acid in the stomach is not buffered, and the acidity quickly increases.
The lack of a protective barrier: Hay in the stomach forms a "hay ball" that prevents acid from splashing up onto the upper portion of the stomach, which is not designed for prolonged exposure to the acid. The stomach of a horse is quite small (only 4 gallons/15 liters on average), and it cannot hold a lot of food, so hay clears the stomach relatively quickly. Once the stomach is empty, there is nothing to act as a barrier.

If you feed grain in any significant amount, this will make the problem even worse, as grains form volatile fatty acids (VFAs) in the stomach, which alter the gut lining and make it even more vulnerable to erosion by hydrochloric acid.

There are other facts and studies I could throw around here, but you get the idea. So, what can you do about it if you don't have the ability to split your horse's feedings into multiple smaller meals a day? Two words for you: SLOW FEEDERS. Slow feeders are nets or feeders designed to only allow your horse to get a small mouthful of hay with each bite. They have to work at it, and thus it extends the time they spend eating. There are many, many slow feeders on the market, and some people build their own. I personally like the Nibblenet (choose the smaller hole sizes) and the Freedom Feeder nets, but to each his own. If you want more information on this WAY BETTER feeding strategy, Google "Paddock Paradise Slow Feeders" and you will find tons of useful information.

It is our responsibility to try to adapt our management practices to accommodate the horse's needs -- after all, they didn't ask to be domesticated. Thus, if you're feeding only twice a day, ask yourself if that is in the horse's best interests or yours.

P.S. I have an article coming out soon in EQUUS magazine on the concept of slow feeding...keep your eye out for it! : )

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COLIC QUIZ: Test YOUR knowledge about this common killer

2011-08-30T21:05:00.000-07:00

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Colic, a term used for any kind of abdominal pain originating in the horse’s gastro-intestinal tract, is one of the most common and most feared of any equine emergency. The high incidence of colic can be attributed to a number of factors including feeding strategies, environmental variables, and the physiology of the horse’s digestive system. The fear factor is due to colic’s well-deserved reputation as a killer of horses, and because many horse owners feel helpless when faced with the prospect of a colicking horse. However, despite its fearsome reputation, colic is usually not fatal, and most cases resolve without surgical intervention. A major study conducted by the USDA’s National Animal Health Monitoring System found that the incidence of colic was 4.2 events/100 horses per year, with a fatality rate of 11 percent. That means that less than one out of every 200 horses will die in any given year from colic.

Still, horse owners who have experience with this ailment know that each case is like an earthquake: when it starts, you simply have no way of knowing if it is “the big one”. Therefore, it is essential to understand the signs of colic – and what steps to take (and not take) until the vet arrives. It is also imperative to be familiar with the causes of colic, as some colics are preventable if the proper measures are taken.

Here is a quiz to help you test your knowledge of colic. Don’t worry, we’ve given you the answers, too – some of which may surprise you!

1. True or false: Curling the upper lip (flehmen) can be a sign of colic.

True. Most of us are familiar with the “classic” signs of colic – repeated or violent rolling, pawing, biting or kicking at the flank, and lack of bowel movements. However, colic can present with a whole host of symptoms, some of which often go unrecognized. These include:

- Decrease or total lack of appetite

- Listlessness or depression

- Kicking, biting or looking at belly or flank

- Pawing

- Swishing tail

- Sweating

- Rolling, especially violent rolling.

- Lying down with reluctance to get up, or repeatedly lying down and getting up.

- Groaning/Bruxism (grinding teeth)

- Lack of bowel movements

- Standing stretched out as if trying to urinate but not doing so

- Resting heart rate of more than 44 beats per minute

- Respirations greater than 30 breaths per minute

- Flared nostrils

- Lack of or reduced digestive sounds

- Excessive digestive sounds

- Pale, blue, or very red gums

- Abdominal distension (bloating)

- Curling the upper lip (flehmen)

- Increased or uncontrollable activity

2. True or false: I can reliably test my horse for sand accumulation in the gut by performing a fecal sand sedimentation test.

False. Sand accumulation is a major cause of colic in horses. Horses ingest sand from grazing, especially on overgrazed pastures, and also from being fed off the ground. Many veterinarians and diligent horse owners regularly perform fecal sand sedimentation tests to try to see if the horse has a large amount of sand in the gut. To perform this test, you take five or six fresh manure balls (ones that haven’t touched the ground), dissolve them in water (some use a large mason jar, while others prefer a bucket or large plastic bag), shake the slurry up, wait several minutes, then carefully pour out the floating and cloudy stuff. After repeating this process several times, you should be able to see any sand that has sunk to the bottom of your container. More than a teaspoon is generally thought to indicate a problem. However, as Charles Ley, Dipl ACVIM, PhD, of Uppsala University in Sweden explains, “Sand excretion in healthy horses has been studied by fecal sand sedimentation testing, but the method is flawed for two reasons: it does not provide a quantification of the intestinal sand content, and it has a low sensitivity as a test for intestinal sand accumulation with a large number of false negatives. Due to these factors, it should not be used as a gold standard for diagnosing sand impactions or other sand-related problems.” Therefore, not finding sand doesn’t mean your horse is free from sand accumulation, but if you test repeatedly and do find sand consistently, this would indicate a problem.

3. True or false: Switching from one type of hay to another can cause colic.

True: Rapid changes in feed are a common cause of colic in domestic horses. This is due in part to the fact that a significant portion of the equine digestive process is accomplished with the help of microbes that live in the GI tract, and different types of hay, grass and grain require a different balance of microbes in order to be broken down effectively. It takes time for the horse’s gut to cultivate a new “garden” of microbes, so most veterinarians recommend introducing any kind of new hay, grain or grass gradually over a period of two weeks. Rapid increases or decreases in the amount of feed can also lead to colic, as well as other problems. Increasing concentrates quickly is a proven risk factor for colic (as well as laminitis), while cutting a horse’s diet down suddenly can lead to ulcers, which are another common cause of colic. Any increase or decrease should therefore also be made gradually.

4. True or false: Poor dentition (tooth problems) can lead to weight loss, but does not increase the risk of colic.

False. Hay and grass are full of tough fiber called cellulose. In order to digest cellulose adequately, horses must first grind the fiber into smaller size fragments with their teeth. Horses with inadequate dentition are unable to properly masticate (chew) the hay – and this can lead to colic. States Elizabeth Carr, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, ACVECC, assistant professor in Michigan State University's Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, “Poorly ground fiber can end up forming a firm mass as the water content is removed in the gut, and it can result in an impaction of the distal intestine (large and small colon)”. Problems that can prevent a horse from chewing properly include the formation of points, ramps or waves on the teeth, all of which can develop as a result of day to day chewing. Older horses may also have problems with their teeth simply wearing down, as the teeth stop erupting when a horse is in its 20s. Having a veterinarian check your horse’s teeth at least once a year is the best way to avoid dentition-related colic.

5. True or false: Dehydration can lead to impaction colic, so this type of colic is more likely to occur in the summer, when horses are sweating profusely.

False. Although impaction colic can be seen at any time of year, it occurs more frequently during cold weather. This is often due to lower water consumption, which happens because horses are less thirsty in cold weather and may be reluctant to drink very cold water. Water is critical for normal intestinal function, and any level of dehydration can make it more difficult for the horse to move ingesta through its intestines. Basically, the drier and coarser the feed, the more likely it is to form a blockage.

6. Colic surgery these days has a very high success rate.

True. While it used to be true that 50% or more of horses undergoing colic surgery would not survive more than a short time, the reality of colic surgery today is much more positive. Reports L. Chris Sanchez, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, Associate Professor at the Island Whirl Equine Colic Research Laboratory at the University of Florida, “Colic surgery typically offers a very good prognosis for survival. Overall, approximately 85% undergoing surgery for colic survive to discharge from the hospital.

Many factors contribute to this success, including improvements in anesthesia, surgical technique, and aftercare. Also, transporting horses with surgical lesions to referral centers early clearly plays an important role as well. Of course, Some problems, such as a simple displacement of the large colon, offer a better prognosis than others.”

7. A colicking horse should be kept walking.

False. This myth remains widespread today, despite research that has shown that in most cases, the practice is of no benefit and may actually be detrimental. As Dr. Sanchez emphatically states, “It is very important to get the word out that it is absolutely not necessary to force a horse to keep walking. Doing so for long periods of time can actually tire the horse and increase dehydration. If a horse will lie quietly, it is fine to let it do so.” The only time it is advisable to get a horse up and walking is if the horse is rolling violently or thrashing in such a way that it may harm itself or others, In these cases, walking may help distract the horse from its suffering.

8. Diets high in concentrates increase a horse’s risk of colic.

True. Diets high in concentrates contribute to the extremely high incidence of gastric ulcers seen in domestic horses – and ulcers can lead to colic. Concentrates are rich in fermentable carbohydrates, which produce volatile fatty acids as they break down, and these can cause cell damage, inflammation, and ulceration in the tender part of the stomach known as the squamous mucosa. Concentrates also require much less “chew time” than hay, which means the horse produces less saliva to eat them. Since saliva contains bicarbonates, which act as a natural buffer against hydrochloric acid, less saliva means higher acid concentrations in the stomach. Alfalfa also appears to have a buffering effect, but whether this is due to its calcium content, specific proteins or a combination thereof is still being investigated.

9. The physiology of the horse’s GI tract makes it vulnerable to colic.

True. With an overall average length of 100 feet and the ability to hold about 48 gallons of water and ingesta, the horse’s GI tract must pack into a relatively small space. This is accomplished by a series of bends in the intestines known as flexures. “Unfortunately,” says Dr. Carr, “these flexures are often sites where food or other materials can slow down or accumulate, potentially leading to colic. Ingesta can also get held up or impacted in the cecum, the large ‘blind-ended’ pouch that takes food in after it passes through the small intestine, then empties it into the large intestine.” An additional source of potential problems is the rather tenuous way the intestines are held in place. Though it seems surprising, the entire mass filling the abdominal cavity is only anchored to the body in a few places, leaving the intestines vulnerable to displacement and torsion (twisting).

10. A colicking horse should not be allowed to roll, as this can cause a torsion.

False. This is another widely believed myth that has been disproved by science. Explains Dr. Sanchez, “A twisted segment of intestine is one of the most painful things a horse can endure. This typically causes severe rolling, rather than the other way around.” When a torsion does occur, it is often a complication of gas colic. Gas colic, although very uncomfortable for the horse, is generally not serious and the survival rate is very high. However, complications can arise and become life-threatening if a distended bowel twists or becomes displaced. Such complications are not likely to be caused by the horse rolling, but rather from the fact that the portion of the intestine filled with gas will have a tendency to rise to the top of the abdominal cavity. If rolling were likely to cause a torsion, it would be dangerous for a horse to roll at any time – not just during a colic episode.

11. Horses with colic will usually have an elevated heart rate.

True. Most horses with colic pain will have an elevated heart rate, meaning one greater than 44 beats per minute. The severity of the elevation usually correlates with the intensity of the colic. Heart rates above 60-70 should be considered significantly elevated and a veterinarian should definitely evaluate your horse as soon as possible. As individual horses may have a higher or lower heart rate than average, it is important to familiarize yourself with what your horse’s normal resting pulse rate is so that you can tell when it is elevated.

12. If you think your horse might be colicking, you should try to get it to eat something.

False. Some people believe that feeding a colicky horse will help “settle its stomach”. However, if a horse is colicking, it is recommended that you temporarily withhold giving feed and remove any leftover feed until the underlying cause is known or symptoms resolve. Says Dr. Carr, “If there is a serious problem like an impaction, introducing more feed into the horse’s system can make things worse. In addition, there are some forms of mild colic that may resolve by simply withholding food and giving one dose of pain relief. Examples include spasmodic or gas colics, which can occur when the horse ingests too much grain or undergoes a stressful event.”

13. Horse owners should keep pain relief medications for colic on hand, but should consult their veterinarian before administering them.

True. While it is often recommended to have some pain relievers like Banamine (flunixin meglumine) or phenylbutazone available in your first aid kit, it is very important to consult with your veterinarian before administering them to a colicky horse, as you may mask symptoms important to diagnosis and successful treatment. It is also extremely important that you do not overuse these medications. Banamine, Equiox, phenylbutazone and dipyrone are examples of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that are used to control pain in the colic patient. Repeated dosing of these types of drugs can result in toxicity, including ulceration of the GI tract (which may result in further colic signs) and kidney toxicity (which can result in kidney failure). These toxic effects can be more severe when a horse is dehydrated or the drug is given multiple times in a single day. Therefore, when giving these types of medications, it is always best to talk to your veterinarian prior to administration.

14. A rectal exam is the best way for a veterinarian to diagnose colic.

False. Although the rectal exam is an important part of the work up, it is only possible to palpate 25% or less of the abdominal cavity. Consequently, the rectal exam rarely results in a definitive diagnosis. Instead, it is useful to help determine the type of colic (large intestine or small intestine), the degree of distension of the intestine and the location of the affected bowel.

15. A horse that is psychologically stressed is at higher risk of colic.

True. Explains Dr. Carr, “Psychological stress brought on by changes in a horse’s physical environment (e.g. trailering, showing, moving to a new stable) or social environment (e.g. any change in herd dynamics, a different neighbor in the next stall, the absence of a buddy) has been associated with an increased risk of colic. This may be due to physiological changes triggered by stress, or to the fact that stressed horses often go off their food and water.” Either way, doing what you can to minimize such stresses will not only keep your horse happier, but may also help in the prevention of colic.

16. Allowing a hot horse to drink immediately after exercise can cause colic.

False. Chances are you have heard the old myth that a hot horse should not be allowed to drink after exercising until it has cooled down. However. recent research has shown that withholding water after exercise may be potentially harmful because it prolongs dehydration, and dehydration can lead to colic, as well as other problems. Horses are more likely to drink soon after exercise when their thirst drive is high, and they need that fluid intake to replace fluids lost to sweating. Therefore, it is a good idea to allow the horse to drink in most typical scenarios. If you want to err on the side of caution, provide access to water that is not ice cold, and walk the horse for short periods between allowing him to have a few good gulps.

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Suspensory Ligament Injuries: New Treatments, New Hope

2011-08-30T20:16:00.000-07:00

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Suspensory ligament injuries (SLIs) are a common and potentially career ending occurance in the world of performance horses. In the Western disciplines, reining and cutting horses are particularly vulnerable to SLIs due to the high speed, high torque maneuvers required of them. However, any horse performing an athletic activity can sustain such an injury, especially if they are working in less than ideal footing. Until very recently, the prognosis for horses with serious SLIs was not very good, as damaged ligaments are notoriously slow and difficult to heal. As a result, many horses with SLIs never became sound enough to return to their former level of competition, and those that did had a high risk of reinjury. However, several promising new treatments currently being investigated by researchers are significantly brightening the outlook for horses with SLIs, with some studies suggesting that even severely injured horses may have a good chance of returning to full use. Some of these new methods are already being utilized by practicing veterinarians, with very encouraging results.

Before one can understand why the new methods are so exciting, it is necessary to understand why traditional methods have so often failed. The difficulties stem from the fact that ligaments and tendons have a relatively tenuous blood supply, so injuries do not have much benefit from the healing components brought by the blood to other types of wounds. What healing does take place tends to be in the form of scar tissue, which does not have the same organization or elasticity as the original material, and is thus easily reinjured. Traditional treatment involves months of stall rest and administration of NSAIDs, followed by slow and very careful reintroduction to exercise. Moderate to serious injuries often take six months to a year to heal, though a large percentage of horses never return to their previous athletic capabilities.

Whether or not a horse will heal with traditional methods depends, to a great degree, on the severity of the injury. According to Nathaniel A. White II DVM MS, Diplomate ACVS, Jean Ellen Shehan Professor and Director of the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center in Virginia, “Suspensory ligament injuries vary from mild to severe. The mild injuries tend to heal readily with treatment, while the more severe injuries develop core lesions where loss of the fibers that make up the suspensory ligament create a weakened area with scar tissue which makes repair much more difficult. Severe injuries where the ligament attaches to bone -- at the origin at the top of the cannon bone and at the insertion on the sesamoid bone -- are the most difficult to heal. These sites of injury have the most frequent recurrence of injury due to chronic inflammation and excess scar formation, which is weaker than the normal ligament.”

Fortunately, even the most severe injuries will likely benefit from the new treatments being developed by researchers, which share the common aim of improving the quality of the healing, though they do not all claim to speed up the healing process. In order to help veterinarians and their clients to better understand this rather astonishing array of new developments, the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) recently published a review delineating the new therapeutic options currently available. Their list included the following:

1. Scaffold-Based Approach (ACell Vet® Powder)

ACell Vet powder is a pulverized form of the ACell Vet sheets that are used in wound healing applications. The material is made from the walls of pig bladders, which contain a mixture of proteins that form a three-dimensional scaffold upon which healthy tissue can grow. When injected into an injured ligament, the ACell material promotes the formation of new blood vessels, and also attracts bone-marrow derived cells that aid in the growth of new ligament tissue. The ACell material then essentially disappears, leaving healthy new tissue of the type normally found in the area. Richard D. Mitchell DVM, of Fairfield Equine Associated in CT, conducted a major study on the use of ACell Vet powder to treat ligament and tendon injuries in horses. His preliminary data showed an 81.6% recovery rate for horses with serious suspensory ligament injuries at six months or longer – a vast improvement over the results typically obtained by traditional treatments alone.

Says Mitchell, “The 60 day examinations consistently demonstrated good fiber pattern formation and minimal edema in treated lesions. The noted fiber pattern demonstrated good linearity along the lines of stress/loading.” Translation: the injured horses laid down normal, strong, elastic tendon tissue instead of disorganized, weak scar tissue. However, the AAEP review cautions that “additional laboratory evaluations and controlled in vivo studies are required to better document the efficacy and potential adverse effects of this product.” They point out that introducing proteins from another species could provoke a detrimental foreign-body response in treated animals, and there are some unresolved legal questions surrounding the use of ACell Powder for this application.

2. Growth Factors

Growth factors are naturally produced molecules that regulate cellular metabolism. They are important in the healing of tendon and ligament injuries because they increase cell proliferation and differentiation, and they also stimulate vascular growth. There are a number of different kinds of growth factors, but the only one studied for clinical use in the horse thus far is insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I). IGF-I can be injected into an injured tendon or ligament, or it can be administered through gene-therapy techniques. Either way, it seems to promote improved healing, leading the AAEP to state that this method “holds tremendous promise for the future.” There appear to be no detrimental side effects to this therapy, with the only drawback being that IGF-I is not readily available at this time for veterinarians in private practice.

3. Autogenous Bone Marrow Injection

Bone marrow harvested from a horse’s own sternum can be used to promote healing of SLIs. The bone marrow is thought to work in two ways: First, bone marrow contains mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which, when injected into the injured ligament, may turn into mature ligament cells called fibroblasts. This allows appropriate repair tissues to develop, instead of scar tissue. Second, bone marrow is believed to contain high concentrations of growth factors, which are thought to improve the healing of ligaments and tendons. Though this method has shown positive results in clinical testing without apparent adverse effects, the AAEP remains cautious about it, saying that there is little scientific evidence to back up the method. They also make mention of the fact that there are actually very low numbers of MSCs in bone marrow, and as a result, the large amount that must be injected (20-30 ml) may result in damage to the area. Furthermore, they point out that high levels of a growth factor known as TGF-ß may result in excessive scarring, which would be detrimental due to potential recovery.

4. Adipose-Derived Adult Stem Cells

One of the most promising new developments – and one that is readily available to the average veterinarian – is the use of stem cells harvested from a small sample of adipose tissue (fat) taken from the injured horse. Recent studies have shown that fat is a rich source of adult stem cells, and since fat samples can be easily and harmlessly removed, it is proving to be an excellent source of stem cells for therapeutic purposes. For the treatment of SLIs, the attending veterinarian removes a small piece of fat (about two tablespoons) near the horse’s tail head in a simple standing surgery, then sends this to a laboratory for processing. The lab isolates the MSCs, then sends them back to the veterinarian ready for injection. All of this can happen in as little as 48 hours, which allows for rapid treatment that may be beneficial in heading off the formation of scar tissue.

There is also no risk of an immune response to the injected material, as it is derived from the horse’s own body. According to the AAEP review, “Adipose-derived adult stem cells seem to have an anti-inflammatory and normalizing effect on tendon architecture. Ultimately, the architecture of the remodeled tissue is crucial to the mechanical properties of the tendon and its ability to withstand repetitive strains without reinjury.” They state that initial indications are that horses treated with this type of stem cell therapy are successfully returning to competition, and conclude by saying, “The use of adult stem cells to enhance tendon and ligament healing is an area with tremendous potential that requires further rigorous investigation.”

5. Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy

Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) is another new therapy that is rapidly gaining popularity in the equine performance horse industry. Shock wave therapy is being used to treat many disorders in performance horses, from suspensory ligament injuries to stress fractures. Though the mechanisms by which ESWT promotes healing are not entirely understood, it is thought to work by inducing blood vessel growth, increasing the expression of various growth factors, and attracting stem cells. Horses treated with shock wave therapy can potentially return to competition sooner than those treated with traditional rehabilitation programs, though this depends on the severity of the injury. The increasing demand for shock wave therapy is due to this potential for faster healing, improved recovery rates, and reduced costs associated with layup and rehabilitation. However, the AAEP cautions that “potential side effects include hemorrhage, mechanical cell disruption, and marked histologic changes.”

There are also new surgical options that may be appropriate and beneficial to horses with SLIs that are not responding to less invasive treatments. These include desmoplasty (surgical splitting of the ligament), and fasciotomy (incisions through the fascia). Says Dr. White, “The goal of the desmoplasty and fasciotomy is to decompress the swollen ligament and allow a new blood supply to grow into avascular areas which persist in the non-healing ligament. The surgery increases the inflammatory response, which encourages new fibroblasts or tissue stem cells to form new ligament cells.” These techniques have resulted in an 85% recovery rate for proximal suspensory desmitis.

Ultimately, future treatment for SLIs will likely involve a variety of approaches which will work synergistically to promote faster and better healing. Recovery will still be a relatively lengthy process, as returning to exercise too quickly or too aggressively significantly increases the chance of reinjury, regardless of what kind of treatment is being used. As Dr. White observes, “It is apparent that some severe suspensory injuries require a full year to heal even with the newer treatments.”

Still, Dr. White agrees that the overall outlook for horses with SLIs has improved over the last few years. He believes there is great promise in the new treatments being developed, but adds that there are other reasons why progress is being made. “The prognosis is better because we understand some of the reasons why the suspensory ligament doesn't heal. The greater the initial inflammatory response, the more likely scar tissue will form. By understanding the inflammatory response and the response of the scar tissue to surgical treatment the outcome has been improved. Ultrasound has also made a great difference in diagnosis and monitoring healing, thereby preventing over use during the remodeling phase.”

The outlook for any individual horse may also depend on how soon the injury is recognized, and what is done or not done in the hours, days and weeks immediately following the injury. Left undiagnosed and untreated, an SLI will start to develop scar tissue, which will make any treatment more difficult and less likely to succeed. While some SLIs can be hard to detect, here are some things you can look for, depending on what type of SLI you are dealing with:

Proximal suspensory desmitis: This is an injury to the uppermost quarter of the suspensory ligament, seen with equal frequency in front and hind legs. There is often no swelling apparent because of the bony structures surrounding the ligament in that area. Horses may be very lame, or may simply not be performing at their best, but lameness will usually become more pronounced if the horse is trotted in a circle with the affected leg to the outside. Flexion of the fetlock joint may also increase apparent lameness.

Suspensory body desmitis: This is an injury to the main body of the ligament, between the proximal section and where it branches off at the fetlock. Swelling is usually evident, and there will be pain on palpation. Lameness is usually not evident, with swelling typically being obvious long before any lameness is noted.

Avulsion (tearing) of the origin of the suspensory ligament: Usually seen in the front legs, this injury to the attachment of the ligament does not always produce visable swelling because the origin of the suspensory ligament is surrounded by bone on three sides. Lameness can vary from acute and severe to something that seems to come and go. As is the case with proximal suspensory desmitis, lameness is usually worse if you trot the horse in a circle with the injured leg to the outside.

Desmitis of the branch of the suspensory ligament: This injury is the easiest to recognize, as there will be obvious swelling that fills the normally hollow space between the ligament branch and the cannon bone. This area will be painful to the touch, though lameness is usually not a symptom.

Suspensory breakdown: Severe over loading of the fetlock can lead to complete failure of the suspensory apparatus, and/or breaking of the sesamoid bones. Lameness is instant and severe, with dropping of the fetlock joint.

If you suspect a possible suspensory ligament injury of any nature, it is best to apply cold hosing or ice packs immediately, followed by the application of a support wrap. The horse should be confined to a stall until a veterinarian can assess the injury. These first aid procedures may make a difference in the long run, setting your horse up for the greatest possible chance of making a complete recovery. If an SLI has gone undiagnosed for some time, recovery may be more difficult, but is not necessarily impossible. Consult with your veterinarian regarding the best options for your horse. You may be in for a long haul, but the road to recovery is getting easier to travel all the time.

CASE STUDY: Compassion and Courage save a Severely Abused Mare

2011-08-29T14:01:00.000-07:00

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WARNING: The details of this case may be disturbing to some readers.

Gail Jewell, DVM, CAC, is a holistic veterinarian who practices in the Lower Mainland and Okanagan areas of British Columbia. With her emphasis on chiropractic and homeopathy, she is used to dealing with devoted horse owners willing to do most anything to help their horses. In 1998, however, when she was called out by the SPCA to examine an injured horse in Aldergrove, BC, she became a central player in an animal cruelty case that brought her face to face with the worst of human nature.

The horse was an Appaloosa filly now named Kessie, approximately 1 ½ years old, who had gotten a leg caught in a piece of derelict farm machinery left in a field housing a number of horses and cows. “The place was wall-to-wall junk”, says Jewell, “so it’s amazing more animals didn’t get hurt there.” As for Kessie, she was unable to get free and eventually went down, where she lay panicked and struggling for at least 24 hours.

A neighbor alerted the owner that he had a horse down, whereupon the owner assessed the situation and decided the filly wasn’t worth saving. However, as Jewell recounts, “Rather than call out a veterinarian for humane euthanasia, the owner attempted to kill the horse himself – by smashing her head in with a sledgehammer. Apparently, the massive blow caused her to make a colossal effort to free herself, and she managed to untangle herself and get to her feet.”

Perhaps too cowardly to go after a horse that was now standing – albeit on three legs – the owner led the severely injured filly into a filthy cow shed that was several feet deep in manure. At that point, he did call in his cow vet, who administered a shot of long-acting penicillin but was not allowed to do anything else. Jewell believes it was this veterinarian who contacted the SPCA, but she is not entirely certain. What is known is that the SPCA send a second vet to examine the horse, but he was not allowed to do so.

The SPCA then sent Jewell – but this time they provided an RCMP escort to ensure that she would get to see the horse, and to provide for her own safety. “It was actually very frightening,” recalls Jewell, “because the owner was rabidly angry, a real loony toon just screaming his head off and calling me every name in the book. If we hadn’t had the police there, I think he would have assaulted me.”

By that time, Kessie was about four days into the injury – and she was in bad shape. “When I walked in there,” says Jewell, “what I saw was a mare who was three-legged lame on her left front leg, which had an almost 360 degree de-gloving injury where the hide had been stripped right off the leg. Several muscles in the front and the inside of the leg were severed and shredded – they looked like hamburger. The wound was already full of maggots, just crawling with them.

“Then there was the injury from the sledgehammer: a skull fracture with bare bone sticking out of the wound and a large depression just below the left eye, sort of left center. The whole bony orbit of the eye was crushed and pressed down, and she’d obviously been bleeding quite copiously from the left nostril. In addition, she had a full-blown, full-thickness ulcer the size of a quarter on her left cornea, which had been abraded against the ground as she struggled repeatedly to get to her feet.”

It was obvious that the mare was in a tremendous amount of pain. She was also not even halter broke and was understandably wary of people, which wasn’t helping. Remembers Jewell, “It was a very bad situation, any way you looked at it. I was thinking there might even be a leg fracture, and you have to realize that the whole time, the owner was screaming at us, but the police were keeping him from interfering with my exam. Taking all factors into consideration, my recommendation was to put the mare down – there was no question in my mind.”

Jewell had already sedated Kessie for euthanasia and drawn up the euthanol, when something happened that stayed her hand. “Just as I was getting ready to administer the injection, she looked at me in this way that said, ‘I’m a fighter, I want to try’. I can’t explain it – something shifted in me. She just looked me right in the eye and right through my soul, and I simply couldn’t do it.”

Instead, Jewell took advantage of the sedation to do an initial cleaning of the wound, then bandaged it and started the horse on some antibiotics and pain relief. Afraid to leave the mare for fear of what the owner might do, she and the RCMP escort stayed on until a hauler came to pick the horse up and transport her to the Abbotsford SPCA. “From that point on,” says Jewell, “the mare’s response to everything we had to do was simply amazing. She actually followed me right into the trailer like a little orphan dog, even though it was the first time in her life she’d even had a halter on her, and despite the fact that she could barely put any weight on her leg.”

Jewell rode with Kessie in the trailer, where the young horse seemed to really bond with the veterinarian who was trying to save her life. Kessie’s attachment to Jewell became apparent once they reached the SPCA and got her inside. “It was like if I was there she was okay,” says Jewell, “but she got quite anxious when I walked away. I cancelled my calls that weekend and stayed with her at the SPCA, I think for 36 hours straight.”

Now that Kessie was in a safe, clinical environment, Jewell was able to start more aggressive treatment, but it was highly intensive work – and the outcome was far from certain. Recalls Jewell, “It was really touch and go for a while. I was sort of going 12 hours by 12 hours in terms of whether we were going to keep treating her or euthanize. The danger of bone infection was very real, and she was not eating. We also had her on IV fluids because she was quite dehydrated from her ordeal. I’d treat her through the day between other cases, then stay there overnight because her eye required treatment every two hours.”

Though Jewell was exhausted, her dedication was rewarded when the mare finally seemed to stabilize. “She began eating, and physically she started looking a bit better. I think Kessie’s personality and the connection we shared had a lot to do with her surviving that initial phase of treatment, because with everything I had to do to her, she just totally put her trust in me and said, ‘Okay, let’s do this’. She loved attention, she loved being groomed, loved company. She was obviously a real people horse, despite what had happened to her. It was pretty amazing.”

Jewell decided to adopt Kessie, waiving all payment in exchange for the little horse that had touched her soul. She wanted to take Kessie home and continue treating her there, but she kept her at the SPCA for about a week to allow the filly to gain strength, as Kessie had really struggled in the trailer the first time.

Once she did get her home, however, her recovery was anything but a smooth ride. Explains Jewell, “After I got her home there were a couple of rough times. She went three-legged lame again due to reinfection about three weeks into treatment, and I thought, that’s it – this horse can’t be saved. I actually felt relieved, because I was completely exhausted, trying to run a practice on my own and having this mare that needed round the clock care. So, I drew up the euthanol one more time – but same thing happened: Kessie somehow communicated to me that she wasn’t ready to go, and I just couldn’t do it. The next day, Kessie rallied again, despite the infection, and we bonded even more. It was a real emotional roller coaster for a while, for sure.”

The battle Jewell was fighting had two main fronts: the eye, which she still wasn’t sure she could save, and the ever-present specter of an incurable bone infection. Both the skull fracture and the damaged leg were vulnerable to such infection, but the leg was actually a much greater concern,. “If there was a sequestrum (dead, separated bone that antibiotics can’t reach) in the head area, we could have just taken it out, but if she developed a primary infection in the humerus, well, that probably would have been the end.”

To deal with the soft tissue infection and try to prevent it from spreading to the bone, Jewell switched to a regime of two totally different antibiotics from what she had used initially, and went with that for two weeks. In addition, Jewell started using some homeopathic remedies, as well as herbal concoctions in the wound – a treatment modality Jewell was just beginning to explore. “Fortunately,” says Jewell, “Kessie started responding to that regime, but we were still not free and clear. She had IV catheters in both jugulars because both antibiotics were IV, and she had to be rewrapped all the time – it was an extremely labor intensive treatment. It was a good month before she was out of the woods by any stretch of the imagination.”

Kessie did eventually turn the corner for good, and Jewell was even able to save her eye. Today, Kessie is a happy, healthy mare, though her face retains a noticeable depression below the left eye, and her third eyelid does not function normally on that side. However, her leg healed beautifully. “It’s pretty unbelievable,” says Jewell, “because if you could have seen that de-gloving injury -- she had no hide on about 80% of her leg, and it all grew back in.”

Though the time, expense and emotional energy Kessie’s treatment required was more than most veterinarians would have taken on, Jewell’s heart compelled her to do. As she states, “It truly was a labor of love -- I simply fell in love with her. As soon as I decided that we were going to take her from the owner’s property, nothing else was really a decision, it was just something I had to do. The initial plan was that I would treat her and the SPCA would reimburse me for the medical expenses and such, but in the end I just basically traded the SPCA the medical bill for her.”

Kessie’s treatment also provided Jewell with a new perspective, in a number of ways. “I had just begun my study of homeopathy and chiropractic, and Kessie was kind of my guinea pig horse that I tried a lot of things on. I truly think that there were a couple of homeopathic and herbal remedies that really helped turn her around. She was my first really serious case where I integrated Western medicine and holistic medicine, and I was impressed with the results.

“Dealing with Kessie also made me braver – I’m totally unafraid of taking on tough cases. I think that animals have way more innate ability to heal than I understood prior to that, and I’ve certainly seen that in my practice since. If you just give them a chance and give them the care they deserve, they can, in many cases, come back from some pretty horrendous injuries. In Kessie’s case, she really let me know that she wanted to keep fighting, and I had to listen. It was a decision that she was very much a part of.”

Jewell kept Kessie until last year, when she made the difficult decision to part with the mare for Kessie’s benefit. As she explains, “About four years ago we got really heavily involved at a high level in endurance riding, and we’ve got ten endurance horses now. I went from having little time with Kessie to having no time for her, and she’s a horse that really craves attention. I tried to get a free lease situation arranged so that she could stay here, but nothing really worked out.

“Then a client of mine, Lori Clewlow of Roberts Creek, BC, lost one of her horses, and she ended up taking Kessie. If you know Laurie – gosh, I want to be adopted by her! She looks after her animals so incredibly well, and I thought that if they clicked, that would be a great place for her to be. Jimmy, one of Laurie’s other horses, used to belong to me, and he and Kessie had been together before for about 3-4 years, so it was kind of a reunion for them, too.” Kessie is now Queen of the Clewlow pasture, enjoying excellent care, lots of grazing and leisurely rides through the lushly wooded coastal trails.

The one lingering sour note is the fact that Kessie’s original owner was never brought to justice. Says Jewell, “We tried extremely hard to have him charged with animal cruelty. We had a trial date and I was all set to go testify, then the case was dismissed. What the SPCA told me was that one of the other veterinarians refused to testify, and so the owner was let go without so much as a fine. That was a really sad time, especially as it wasn’t the first time for that guy.” There is still emotion in Jewell’s voice when she adds, “I must say, it’s embarrassing to be human sometimes, to see the stupidity and the cruelty that our species can inflict upon other animals.”

Embarrassing and disheartening, without a doubt. When faced with such cases, we can only hope that the goodness and selflessness of people like Dr. Jewell will triumph in the end, as it did in the case of one small appaloosa filly – who was clearly willing to forgive us all.

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HORSE SHOPPING 101: (Part 1) Choosing an Appropriate Horse

2011-08-22T16:00:00.000-07:00

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Congratulations! You are thinking about buying a horse, which is a fun and exciting prospect. The fact that you have chosen to read this article bodes well, as it indicates that you want to make an informed, responsible decision in your purchase. That tells me that you are also likely to be an informed, responsible horse owner, which will allow you and your horse to have a happy, safe and healthy experience together. Here is some information to help you choose the right horse for your needs -- enjoy!

A) Determine your goals:

· Do you want to show? If so, at what level? If you have big ambitions for the show ring, you will need a big wallet to match. Horses with the breeding, conformation, talent, temperament and training to succeed in the show ring cost plenty. Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you can buy a promising youngster and train it up yourself unless you are highly experienced and skilled. Most people require the help of professional coaches (for the rider) and trainers (for the horse) to make it in competition – starting with choosing an appropriate horse. However, if “showing” to you means the occasional local or schooling show just for fun, you may do just fine with a less expensive horse.

· Do you want to trail ride? If so, how seriously? A horse that would be perfectly well suited to an hour or two weekend trail ride may not be up for endurance competition or multi-hour rides five days a week. For most people, a good trail horse is one that has a quiet, sensible, willing nature, does not spook easily, has comfortable gaits and strong, healthy feet, and is sound enough for your purposes, meaning it will hold up for the amount of hours and miles you intend to ride on a regular basis. A good trail horse should load easily and travel well (in case you need to trailer to the trails), cross through water without balking, go calmly over bridges of various kinds, be non-reactive when things brush against its legs and belly, not kick at other horses close behind it, and be tolerant of dogs – even rushing, barking ones. VERY IMPORTANT: Many people think that a trail horse doesn’t need much training, and as long as it knows go, stop and turn, it should be fine. While it is true that the horse does not need to know piaffe and passage, it is EXTREMELY useful for a trail horse to move well laterally (sideways) off your legs. Why? Because if you are going through trees, gates, etc., it is handy to be able to get your horse to move over quickly and easily so that you don’t lose your kneecaps! I personally like my trail horses to have quite a bit of training, as this can save your life when unpredictable situations crop up.

· Do you have a specific discipline in mind? Far too many people select a horse that is simply not built to do the job they want it to do, then get frustrated with the horse. A downhill, short-necked Quarter Horse is going to struggle with jumping or dressage, while a heavy-boned draft cross will never be suited to endurance riding. The old expression “there are horses for courses” is very apt! The true “all-arounder” – a horse that can do multiple disciplines well – is quite rare.

· Do you want a breeding animal? In general, it is best to leave the breeding of animals to those for whom it is a consuming passion, science and art. There are already FAR TOO MANY horses on the market, and there is no truth to the idea that you should let a mare have at least one foal to “make her happy”. Breeding is also expensive, and raising a baby has its own demands. If you are considering getting a mare with the idea of breeding her somewhere down the line, you need to STUDY, STUDY, STUDY when it comes to bloodlines, genetics, heritable characteristics and diseases, conformation, marketability, etc. You need to be sure you have a facility that can safely house a mare and foal. You need to have plenty of cash to purchase a quality mare that is worth breeding, and for the stud fee of a proven and marketable stallion that will cross well with your mare, not to mention money for vet bills. If, for some reason, you are thinking about getting a stallion with the idea that you’re going to make oodles of cash in stud fees, I have one thing to say: DON’T DO IT!!! You need to be an expert horse handler to safely deal with a stallion, as well as have special facilities to house one, and you need marketing expertise, the time and money to compete/campaign your horse, and LOTS of cash for advertising. Then there are the precise and expensive demands involved in artificial insemination (collection, as well as testing and shipping of cooled and/or frozen semen), complex insurance needs if you are doing live cover – the list goes on and on. Please do not buy a young colt and leave him ungelded to “see how he turns out because maybe he’ll be stallion quality”. You are asking for trouble, both for yourself and the horse, and even a little bit of research will show you that the market is saturated with quality stallions owned by big money breeders with whom you will never be able to compete.

· Do you want a “companion” animal? If you are looking for a horse to be a companion to another equine and nothing more, bless your soul. However, you need to be aware that just because you are not riding a horse does not mean you can care for it any less. Companion horses still need regular hoof care, dental care, and veterinary care. Many horses sold as companion animals are also older, and senior horses often require special food and “extras” such as blankets, more frequent dental checks, etc. They may also have lameness or health issues, so think carefully and investigate fully. I do not advise forgoing a vet check on such a horse, as you may be taking on a huge liability and much potential heartache if it has major health problems.

B) Match your horse to your abilities:

· Don’t “overhorse” yourself. As a trainer, I have encountered many, many people who bring me their “problem horses” in hopes that I can fix them. Most often, the problem is not with the horse at all, but rather with an owner who does not have the riding or horse handling skills to successfully work with the horse they have bought. One of the most common scenarios is the “green horse, green rider,” in which someone bought a horse with little or no training for a rider who is equally experienced. The idea was that they would “grow together”, but in reality, this is a bad and dangerous idea all around. Green horses require the utmost skill and knowledge from a rider, and if you aren’t up for the task, you could easily get seriously injured or cause a training issue for the horse that may be difficult to undo. For example, a rider who is just learning to jump will often accidentally bump a horse in the mouth over a fence, and while any horse will resent this, a green horse may become so frightened that it will start refusing fences entirely, perhaps even bucking and rearing in protest – tough to handle for a pro, let alone an inexperienced rider! A green rider is far better getting themselves a “school master” type horse – one that has been there, done that, has lots of training, and is going to be forgiving of your mistakes.

· And another thought: Don’t “overhorse” yourself, even if you are an experienced rider! Sadly, it’s not just inexperienced riders who buy ‘more horse’ than they can handle. Even very experienced riders may not know how to cope with the needs of a green horse, or a very sensitive horse, or a horse that has some issues. It is easy to get seduced into buying an extremely beautiful or talented horse, but if that horse ends up scaring you, you are not going to enjoy your riding time and may be setting yourself (and your horse) up for failure or injury. Best to leave that gorgeous horse that is usually good but occasionally throws an insane bucking fit to someone who is truly comfortable riding and working through insane bucking fits! Yes, many issues like that will go away with proper training – but be sure you can handle what that horse is likely to throw at you before you get things sorted out.

· One more thing: Don’t let someone else “overhorse” you! Trainers make most of their money from their clients. However, they make their reputation, in many instances, by the results they obtain in the show ring. They do want to put their clients in the ring and see them win, but they will also often show their clients’ horses themselves. I’ve known more than one trainer who urged a client to buy a horse that was great for the trainer to have in the barn and show, but totally inappropriate for the owner to ride at all. If you enjoy just being the bankroll behind a competitive horse, that is fine, but if you want to ride your own horse now (not in some nebulous future when the trainer gets it rideable enough for you), don’t get talked into a horse you don’t feel safe on today.

C) Pick a horse that is an appropriate age:

· Don’t buy young if you are inexperienced. In general, an inexperienced rider should look for a horse no younger than about 8 yrs. Though there are exceptions, horses younger than that are less likely to be settled and experienced enough to be ideal for greener riders. The “ideal” age range I usually recommend for the less experienced rider is 8-12. These horses are most likely to be past all the silliness of youth, but still young enough that you can realistically hope to have a number of years of solid use out of them.

· Beware of the super-well-trained youngster! Many horses these days, particularly those in the Western disciplines, are started under saddle far too early. It’s not that they can’t learn what they’re being taught, it’s simply that their bodies are not mature enough to handle intense training. Noted equine physiology expert, Dr. Deb Bennett, has demonstrated that a horse’s skeleton is not fully mature until about the age of six. Before that time, intensive training is potentially harmful to the immature bones, ligaments and tendons. Shoeing early has also been shown to be detrimental to the development of strong, large, healthy feet, as the feet also keep growing well into at least the fourth or fifth year. Sadly, the horse industry is perfectly happy to train up these youngsters, make the big bucks off them in the show ring when they are three to six, then dump them when they start having lameness issues. I have personally seen radiographically confirmed arthritis in several three year olds – arthritis caused by excessive strain on a young body. These were beautifully trained youngsters with high price tags being sold as show prospects. In each case, I urged the buyer (whom I was assisting) to x-ray the horse. The buyers were hesitant to do so, not believing that a horse that young could have problems of that nature. They all thanked me afterwards. I now recommend that buyers simply not even bother looking at 2-3 year olds that have any significant amount of training. Yes, I understand that this goes against what the Western show world wants and does. But I personally don’t like seeing horses break down by the time they are six or seven because they have been ridden into the ground by someone wanting to rack up wins. And I sure don’t want to own one that has been set up for such early problems. Just my opinion, folks.

· Be careful and realistic when buying older horses. Older horses (15+) can be great mounts. They have usually had plenty of experience, may be very well trained, and are generally less reactive than younger horses. However, it is unrealistic to expect an older horse to be perfectly sound. By that age, most horses have at least some minor aches and pains, a bit of arthritis, or have sustained an injury or two along the way. There are exceptions, of course, and some older horses can remain extremely active well into advanced age. Still, it is wise to assume that an older horse will have some limitations. What you need to keep in mind is that a horse with some limitations may nonetheless be completely suitable for your needs, even if it would not be suitable for serious competition or hard-core riding. I always recommend a vet check prior to purchasing a horse, but it is an absolute must if you are considering buying an older horse. While you may be fine with a horse whose arthritis makes him a little stiff at the beginning of a ride, you do not want to buy a horse with any issues likely to cause debilitating lameness now or any time soon. You should also be aware that even a healthy older horse may require a more expensive special diet at some point, and senior horses (18+) should have their teeth examined at least twice a year to try to optimize dental function as long as possible.

Okay -- now it's time to read part two of this series: "Conformation Faults and What You Need to Know About Them"!

HORSE SHOPPING 101: (Part 2) Conformation Faults and What You Need to Know About Them

2011-08-22T15:18:00.000-07:00

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Conformation refers to how a horse is built and how his parts fit together. It affects balance, movement, athletic ability and soundness, so it is an important consideration when buying a horse. You are much more likely to have a mount who takes to its job easily and remains sound if it has good conformation for the type of work it will be doing. Though there is some variation in what is considered desirable in different breeds, it is a simple fact that form follows function, and function follows form. This means that well-functioning bodies will necessarily have a certain form, and the form they actually have will determine how well they function. Please be aware that conformation is a huge topic which can only be touched upon in a class like this. It takes years of study to become a truly good judge of conformation, but you can learn to look for certain good points and weak points. However, it is important to realize that there is no such thing as a “perfect” horse, and some horses with considerable flaws may be perfectly well suited to you and your needs.

Faults of the Axial Body (parts that are not the legs)

While some conformational faults, such as overly large ears, have more to do with aesthetics than biomechanics, others are well known to predispose a horse to lameness. Conformational faults of the axial body that can lead to lameness include:

Coarse or thick throatlatch: Though most people think of a thick throatlatch as a problem that may interfere with a horse’s breathing, it can also lead to lameness by causing a horse to travel with its nose poking out and its head up. This, in turn, leads the neck to drop, the spine to “invert” or hollow, and the hind legs to “trail” rather than move up and under the belly to help carry the weight of the horse and rider. In this position, the back of the horse is more vulnerable to injury.
Ewe neck: A ewe or “upside down” neck is one that attaches low to the chest, creating a undesirable curve or bulge downwards along the underside of the neck, a concave profile along the crest, and an abnormal dip in front of the shoulder blade. A horse with this conformation will have a difficult time shifting weight from the forehand to the rear legs, resulting in increased stress on the front limbs and feet. Ewe-necked horses are typically limited athletically.
Steep/short shoulder: The degree of angle in the shoulder determines the forward reach of the horse’s front legs. The shorter and straighter the shoulder, the shorter and quicker the stride will be. This is not only uncomfortable for the rider, but has the more serious consequence of transmitting more stress and concussion to the forelimbs.
Long back/Weak loin: A long back is a weak back. However, many horses referred to as "long-backed" actually have a reasonable back length, but are long and weak in the loin area. Such horses tend to hollow their backs and have more trouble supporting the weight of a rider, predisposing them to back-related lameness.
Steep croup (“goose rump”): A horse with a “goose rump” has a very steep croup that places the hind limbs in an unnaturally forward position, resulting in greater strain on the lumbar spine, pelvis and hocks. While this can allow the horse to come under from behind, creating what appears to be good, “reachy” movement, the additional strain can make a horse sore up more easily.
High croup (“downhill”) : While many young horses go through periods where they are “croup high” or “downhill”, a highest part of the croup of a mature horse should be level with or even slightly below the highest point of its withers. A downhill topline places the horse's center of gravity forward, causing the horse to travel more heavily on the forehand with consequently increased concussion and stress. A downhill build also makes saddle fit more difficult and more critical, as the saddle will have a tendency to ride forward on the horse, potentially pinching the withers and shoulders.

Faults of the Limbs (Appendicular Faults)

Front Limb Problems:

Carpus Valgus (Knock Knees): The knee of the horse is a complex structure consisting of eight carpal bones that connect to various other bones, as well as muscles, ligaments and tendons. With so many parts needing to fit and function as one, its not surprising that the knee has a whole host of possible conformation faults associated with it. One of the most common is carpus valgus, also known as “knock-knees” or being “in-at-the-knee”. In a horse with this conformation, the horse’s knee (carpus) falls to the inside of the plumb line, creating what is called an “angular deformity”, because there will be an unnatural angle where the knee connects to the forearm (radius) and/or the third metatarsal (cannon) bone. It is common to see some degree of outward rotation of the cannon, fetlock and foot associated with this deviation. Horses can have carpus valgus in one or both front legs.

Carpus valgus can result from a number of different types of abnormalities, including:

a) problems with the growth plates or other parts of the distal (lower) end of the radius, particularly one side of the growth plate producing faster bone growth than the other.

b) abnormal development and alignment of the carpal and metacarpal (splint) bones

c) incomplete ossification of the carpal bones

d) excessive laxity of the carpal joint

It is quite normal for a foal to be born with a mild carpal valgus and toed out appearance. As the foal grows and the chest widens, the limbs typically straighten out with no intervention. However, if significant carpus valgus is allowed to go uncorrected and lasts into maturity, it can predispose the horse to soundness issues. The deviation puts strain on the inside aspect of the knee, as well as the structures connected to it. This continual strain can result in tendon and ligament injuries, as well as osteoarthritis. Carpus valgus horses may also wear down the inside part of their hoof or shoe more than the outside. Please note that this condition cannot be corrected at all in a horse over 2 yrs. old, and attempts to do so through trimming or shoeing are likely to cause lameness.

Is it a deal breaker? It depends on the degree and your intended use. If you plan to ride and train hard, jump, or compete at all seriously, avoid horses with this fault. If your use will be less demanding, a mild to moderate degree of carpus valgus might be okay, but you should have a vet examine the horse carefully.

Three knee faults best viewed from the side:

Back at the Knee (aka calf or sheep knee): This is a serious fault in which there is a slight to marked ‘bowing’ backwards of the leg from a lateral view. A plumb line would fall closer to the front of the knee and further behind the heel bulb. This puts similar strain on the limb as if the horse were continually traveling downhill. Such conformation can put excess strain on various parts of the limb, including the flexor tendons, inferior check ligament, and suspensory ligament. Horses with this fault may not move well and may be prone to stumbling, as well as bone chips in the knees and soft-tissue injuries such as bowed tendons. Working these horses in deep footing should be avoided, and it is worthwhile to x-ray the knees of any horse that is back at the knee before purchasing it. Unfortunately, many horses with this structural fault do not remain sound.

Over at the Knee (aka buck or goat knee, knee-sprung, forward at the knee): Over at the knee is the most common of the “lateral view” structural deviations. Horses over at the knee will demonstrate a slight to marked ‘bowing’ forward of the leg, when viewed from the side. A plumb line falls closer to the back of the knee and slightly forward of the heel bulb. In some cases, the limb may vibrate or shake, and it may buckle easily if you push it from behind. The strain placed on the limb is similar to what the horse would experience if constantly traveling uphill. You may see a shortened stride, and the horse may place excessive strain on the superficial flexor tendon, suspensory ligament, and sesamoid bones. Riders often report feeling that they are “lurching” forward and backwards when mounted on these horses. In severe cases, horses may actually buckle at the knee and go down, putting both themselves and their riders at risk. However, many horses with this condition have long, productive performance careers.

Tied in Knee (aka tied in behind or below the knee): From the side, this conformation fault will appear as an indentation under the back of the knee at the top of the cannon bone. It is actually caused by an abnormally small carpal canal, a structure through which several tendons and ligaments must move. The result is inhibited forward movement, as the soft tissue structures behind the cannon bone – the superficial and deep digital flexor tendons and the suspensory ligament – are prevented from moving freely. Be aware that some horses may have a thick or heavy fetlock that can give the appearance of the knee being tied in, when it really isn’t. Tied in knees typically do not present the same sort of lameness risks as the previous two.

If your adult horse has any type of knee deviation, it is important to realize that you cannot change it, and efforts to alter or improve his balance through corrective shoeing are more likely to cause harm than good. The best strategy is to go cautiously with any activity, and back off if your horse starts to show any signs of soreness. Stay out of deep footing that can cause extra strain, and be avoid steep hills if you have a horse that tends to trip or buckle. If your horse is getting sore and backing off on work isn’t providing relief, talk to your veterinarian about pain medication or joint injections, both of which can be helpful in some cases. Remember that faulty conformation does not automatically mean a horse will go lame – it only shows us potential areas of weakness. It is probably best to avoid young prospects with moderate to severe knee deviations, but if you are looking at a proven campaigner with a slight fault, and the horse has not shown signs of lameness, the horse will likely continue to do just fine.

Toed in: Horses that are toed in have a rotation in the pastern area that turns their toes toward each other. This condition often occurs in conjunction with other abnormalities, such as being base wide or base narrow. Horses that toe in are predisposed to splints, fetlock and suspensory ligament problems.

Toed out: In toed out horses, the pastern area is rotated outwards, so the toes turn away from each other. Mild toed-out conformation is not considered a serious problem and can often be corrected in foals. In more extreme cases, horses may injure themselves due to the “winging in” that this problem can cause, which can make them strike the opposite forelimb when moving. Winging in is when a horse’s feet do not travel in a straight line during the forward movement of the limbs, but instead swing in an inward arc.

Rear Limb Problems:

Sickle Hocks: Small hock angles, also known as sickle hocks, is a conformation fault in which the point of the hock lines up under the buttock correctly, but the canon bone angles forward so that the horse is standing under from the hock down. In profile, the leg appears to curve forward, giving it some resemblance to a sickle. This conformation places the plantar (rear) aspect of the hock under great stress, predisposing the horse to sprain and strain of the soft tissue structures that support the back part of the hock. Most experts agree that any horse with hock angles of less than 53 degrees is sickle-hocked.

At one time, it was thought that sickle-hocked horses had some advantages in Western performance sports. As conformation expert Dr. Charles Hutton of Murray State University states, “There was a time when people, including some judges, would say that they wanted a horse whose hocks ‘set up under him’ because it made it easier for him to stop. To a limited degree, that’s true, because when you’re starting a sickle-hocked horse in training, they often do seem to have an advantage stopping. But the problem is that they get sore, and once they get sore, they quit.

“Horses with this problem are often not clinically lame – they just can’t perform all that well because it’s uncomfortable for them. Some of them do become clinically lame with what’s called a curb, which is an inflammation in the ligament of the accessory metatarsal bone on the rear of the hock. But typically, unless they’re worked real hard, they just have performance weaknesses because of soreness.”

Is it a deal breaker: Again, it depends on the degree and your use. In general, horses with severe sickle hocks should not be subjected to intensive training and competition, but if the problem is mild, you may still be able to aim high if you are careful. Explains Dr. Hutton, “If a horse is only a little bit sickle-hocked but I felt that it was a horse that was otherwise going to make it, I would ride that horse a bit differently. By that I mean that I would put less pressure on its hocks in training and slow down my progression of exercises.

“It is also very important to work with a farrier who understands that your horse has this weakness, and who would be particularly careful to keep the hoof angle in agreement with the pastern angle. I wouldn’t exaggerate it by standing the horse up, but the toes must not be allowed to become long. If you let a sickle-hocked horse get long toed in the back, you’re going to exaggerate the stresses that the sickle hock already creates.”

So, a potentially manageable problem, especially if your use is not so intense, but best avoided if you are serious about any work that involves really working the hocks – which is just about everything, from dressage to jumping to reining to barrel racing.

Straight Hocks: Straight hocks, also known as “post legs” or being “straight behind”, is a conformation fault in which the angles of the stifles and hocks are larger than normal, while the fetlock angles are smaller than normal. The result is hind legs that look straighter than normal from a lateral (side) perspective. This a particularly serious conformation fault that predisposes the horse to a variety of problems including:

· Distal tarsal osteoarthritis (bone spavin): Non-inflammatory degeneration of the lower, narrower part of the hock joint. Usually shows up as chronic, intermittent lameness that worsens with increasing athletic demands. Other signs may include reduced performance, reluctance to work off the hind end, and back pain.

· Tarsocrural effusion (bog spavin): Inflammation and presence of excessive and/or abnormal fluid in the large upper part of the hock. .Most often appears as sudden swelling of the joint, but the swelling may become chronic if the problem is not treated appropriately. Signs include variable amounts of swelling in the hock accompanied by varying degrees of lameness, though some horses will not be noticeably lame.

· Proximal suspensory desmitis: Inflammation of the upper part of the suspensory ligament. Symptoms tend to be subtle, with little or no heat or swelling, and often no obvious lameness. The horse may exhibit poor performance, changes in gait, or other signs often mistakenly attributed to other ailments. The condition is frequently bilateral and will worsen with work, when circling or in deep footing.

· Upward fixation of the patella (locking stifle): Partial or complete inability to unlock the stifle (knee) joint. Most often affects one hind leg at a time. Affected horses will have varying symptoms depending on the severity of the condition, ranging from a slight clicking, hop or hitch in the affected limb to a total inability to bring the leg forward.

· Thoroughpin: Enlargement of the tendon sheath of the deep digital flexor tendon in the hollow space between the point of hock and the back of the joint. A sign of strain, but considered a “blemish” that does not affect performance or require treatment. Takes the form of a spongy bump that may go down over time.

Horses with straight hocks are at greater risk for these problems because the straighter angles of the hock and stifle make those joints less able to dissipate concussive force as it travels up the hind limb. As Dr. Hilary Clayton of the Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences at Michigan State University explains, “The initial 20% of stance [the period in which the foot is in contact with the ground during movement] is known as the impact phase. During impact, the hoof is decelerated and the limb is loaded passively. The joints assist in shock absorption through compression of the joint angles, and the amount of tarsal (hock) flexion affects the amount of energy absorbed. Our studies have shown that there is less flexion and, consequently, less energy absorption, in straight tarsal joints.”

Is it a deal breaker? Some horses with straight hocks will start showing problems very early in training, yet others perform quite well and are never seriously affected by the problem. Nonetheless, all horses with straight hocks should be monitored closely for developing problems. Keeping them in a consistent, moderate exercise program can help them stay sound, but activities that put excessive concussion or strain on the joints put them at a higher risk than average for injury.

Camped out: Horses that are camped out have hind legs that are well behind the point of buttock when the cannon is perpendicular to the ground. This condition is rare, but results in short stridedness and poor athletic ability. It may predispose the horse to a variety of lameness issues involving the hind limbs and lower back. Some horses may appear to be camped out if not positioned properly for examination.

All Limbs:

Pastern Angles: Ideally, the pastern should be moderate in length and angle. The front pasterns should range in angle from 45 – 50 degrees, while the hind pasterns will appear slightly straighter with an angle range from 50 – 55 degrees. The angle of the pastern plays a significant role in determining the amount of load placed on the lower limbs.

Short, steep pasterns are undesirable and are associated with a short, choppy stride. In addition, this may predispose a horse to navicular disease by increasing the concussion on the navicular bone. Horses with this conformation may also be more prone to superficial digital flexor tendonitis.

Long pasterns are often accompanied by excessive sloping pastern angles. This places excessive strain on the tendons and ligaments of the lower limbs, as well as on the fetlock joints. Such pasterns are weak and more prone to breakdown.

Hoof Angles: While bone structure dictates pastern conformation, the hoof angle can be changed to a great degree – for better or for worse – through trimming and shoeing. In general, the angle of the hoof follows the angle of the coffin bone and should follow the angle of the pastern, creating a straight pastern-foot axis.

In horses that have rotation of the coffin bone due to founder, the angle of the coffin bone may deviate significantly from the outside angle of the hoof, thus creating a broken pastern-hoof axis that can only be observed with radiographs.

Another problem is when a horse has low heels accompanied by long toes, which breaks the foot axis forward. This hoof shape also delays the breakover of the foot, changing the way the horse moves and putting strain on the suspensory system. Breakover refers to the motion of the horse's foot as the toe leaves the ground. Breakover also refers to the point at which this motion occurs. Once thought to occur at the front of the toe, the work of Dr. Robert Bowker (MSU) has shown it actually occurs just in front of the coffin bone.

Hoof Size: For a long time, there was a trend in the stock horse world (Quarter Horses, Appaloosas and Paints) to breed big, muscular horses with tiny feet. THIS IS BAD, and most people now realize it. You want to see a nice, big, strong foot under the horse, as it needs to support a whole lot of weight! Many other aspects of the hoof can be improved with good trimming practices, and appropriate nutrition, and even the size can increase in some cases. However, genetics will determine the size of the foot to a large extent.

As for other aspects of the hoof, as long as there is no underlying issue such as chronic laminitis (see below), a “bad” foot – one with thin, shelly walls, long toes, contracted heels, underrun heels, etc. – can often be transformed into a “good” one with proper trimming and nutrition. Still, it is nice to start with great feet. A healthy foot will be quite round in shape, especially the fronts. The heel will be wide, and the frog will contact the ground and be of a healthy, rubbery consistency. The toes will be short – not “dubbed” by a farrier, but actually short. The wall and heel height will be determined by the live sole plane of the bottom of the foot, but typically, a truly healthy foot will have a front wall no longer than 3” from coronet band to the ground. We typically see hooves much longer than that, especially in shod horses. Leading hoof researchers now believe that what we are used to seeing as “normal” in the hoof is in many, many cases actually hooves with pathologically long toes, high heels, contracted heels and contracted frogs.

The foot on the left is healthy. Notice the round shape, the wide heels, and the thick, wide robust frog that makes contact with the ground. Notice also that most of the foot is behind the white dot marking the true apex of the frog. Ideally there should be 2/3 behind that dot, and only 1/3 in front. The foot on the right has contracted heels, an atrophied frog that does not touch the ground (and therefore cannot absorb shock, which is its natural purpose), and at least half the foot is in front of the white dot.

GAITED HORSES for the WESTERN RIDER

2011-08-20T21:58:00.000-07:00

WHY GAITED HORSES ARE FOR MORE THAN JUST A SMOOTH TRAIL RIDE

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As a Western rider, your favorite mount is almost certainly a Quarter Horse, Paint, Appaloosa – or if you’re a bit on the daring side, maybe an Arabian or a Morgan. More than likely, you’ve never ridden a gaited horse, and would never have thought that you would want to. You might think that a cowboy would look odd or just plain silly on a gaited horse, or that such horses are really only suitable for English disciplines. It might surprise you, therefore, to learn that two of the most iconic Western horses of all time – the Lone Ranger’s “Silver” and Roy Rogers’ “Trigger” – were both gaited horses, (Tennessee Walking Horses, to be specific), and that gaited horses can do just about anything the more traditional stock breeds can do. In fact, a growing number of Western riders are discovering the joys of riding gaited horses for a variety of activities, from ranch work and pleasure riding to sports like barrel racing, competitive trail, cutting and reining.

Although gaited horses come in many shapes and sizes, and the various breeds originated in very different parts of the globe, they all have one thing in common: a remarkably smooth and comfortable way of going that many riders say is like “floating”. Developed to allow horsemen to stay in the saddle for long hours over many miles with little fatigue, gaited horses are gaining in popularity, especially among people who need or simply want a less jarring ride than non-gaited horses can provide. Of course, a well trained stock horse of any breed can do a slow jog that is often quite smooth and comfortable, but the difference is that a gaited horse’s smoothness is natural, and they can maintain it at speed. Sort of like getting a Cadillac and a Ferrari all rolled into one. Add to this the fact that many of the gaited breeds are used as stock horses in their countries of origin, and suddenly, they don’t sound so odd after all.

The gaited breeds we’ve profiled below are only a few of many, but they will give you an idea of what these wonderful horses are capable of.

THE PASO FINO

With a history that traces back to Christopher Columbus’s exploration of the New World, the Paso Fino has been bred in Columbia for over 500 years, but is now found throughout Central, South and North America. Used by the Conquistadors for travel and battle, and by the vaqueros for herding cattle, the Paso Fino was prized for its stamina, its catlike athleticism, its great beauty, and its spirited yet gentle temperament. Most of all, however, it was valued for its natural and incomparably smooth, four-beat lateral gait, the paso fino (“fine walk”) for which it is named. All of these qualities are still readily apparent in the Paso Finos of today.

Camilla Willings, of Fina Vista Farm in Damascus, Ontario, is a breeder, trainer and exhibitor of Paso Fino horses. “I used to ride a variety of different horses,” she says, “but when I first rode a Paso Fino, I almost fell off laughing! Wow...those feet were going to beat the band, and I was just flying around the ring. I felt like I was riding a magic carpet – no bouncing, just gliding. I was hooked! I then began investigating the various gaited breeds, but was drawn back to the Paso Fino for their naturalness, their beauty, their energetic spirit, their unparalleled smoothness and their wonderful temperaments and personalities.”

Willings has seen a steady growth in the popularity of the Paso Fino in Canada, which reflects the over 60% growth in membership the Paso Fino Horse Association in the U.S. has seen since 1992. She attributes the rising interest in Paso Finos and other gaited breeds in part to the increasing age of the Baby Boomers. As she explains, “The majority of my customers are 45 or older, pleasure riders who are either looking for their first horse, or their first horse in a long time, or a horse to replace the one they are no longer physically comfortable riding. Whether it is a sore back, sore neck, sore knees, hips or tushes, it is often the pain of riding a trotting horse that leads them to the pleasure of a gaited one. The funny thing is, they may come to the breed because of their age
or the pains they feel with trotting horses, but when they get here, they wonder why they waited so long and why everyone doesn't ride a gaited horse.”

One thing that may put some people off of the Paso Fino is its small stature – 13hh to 15.2hh, with the average being a little over 14hh. However, they are exceptionally strong for their size and are generally considered capable of carrying roughly 25% of their body weight. Says Willings, “Most good sized Paso Finos can carry all but the very largest riders without difficulty. This is possible because the nature of the Paso Fino gait is such that at least one and up to three feet are on the ground at all times. This lack of ‘air time’ is what makes the horse so smooth (no period of suspension
equals minimal or no bounce), and what makes them capable of carrying a lot
of weight for their size with less stress to their own structure.” Still, she advises that larger riders should seek out Paso Finos with more substantial frames (they range from delicate to stocky in frame), larger bone, and healthy, strong suspensories. Despite its relative smallness, the Paso Fino can look like a lot of horse, due to the breed’s active and spirited way of going. But for those who fear that this might be too much for them, Willings says, “Within the Paso Fino breed there is a wide range of temperament, from the 'very spicy, not for beginners' type to the 'gentle as a lamb, safe for the whole family' type. For the prospective buyer of a Paso, or any horse for that matter, I think it is important to find an honest, reputable breeder whose priority is matching horse to rider. Additionally, it is always important to be honest with yourself – how quiet or spirited of a horse do you really feel comfortable on? Are you capable of doing some training yourself, or do you need to invest in a fully trained animal? Answering such questions truthfully will help you find the Paso that is right for you.”

As for its gait, if you haven’t seen a Paso Fino moving, it can be difficult to imagine, but the Paso Fino Horse Association describes it as follows: “The gait of the Paso Fino horse is an evenly-spaced, four-beat lateral gait with each foot contacting the ground independently… Executed perfectly, the four hoof beats are absolutely even in both cadence and impact, resulting in unequaled smoothness and comfort for the rider. The Paso Fino is capable of executing other gaits that are natural to horses, including the relaxed walk and lope or canter. The Paso Fino gait is performed at three forward speeds (Classic Fino, Paso Corto and Paso Largo) and with varying degrees of collection..”

Regarding the Paso Fino’s suitability as a Western mount, Willings urges people to not to assume that the Paso Fino can’t do something because it is gaited. “Paso Finos and other gaited breeds are like other horses in their ability to do whatever they are trained for,” she says, “and they are only limited by the expectations and experiences brought by their owners.” She acknowledges that you are not likely to see a Paso Fino competing at the highest levels in the stock horse sports, but says, “I know of lots of Paso Finos performing cattle work, racing barrels or doing reining at a local or fun level. I personally had a blast doing some team penning a few years back with my Paso Fino mare.”

Willings had a chance to put her horse’s “cowiness” to the test recently when she and a friend took two Paso Finos on a cattle drive on a large working ranch. Though the pair got some strange looks at first, their horses ended up impressing even the most skeptical cowboys. As Willings recalls, “We spent the day rounding up and moving a large herd of Angus cattle, and over the course of the day our horses were the focus of much scrutiny. However, Paso Finos really are great at this work. They are so quick and nimble that they have no trouble making the speedy maneuvering required in cattle work. Their quickness to learn and eagerness to please also helps with this work – and their smooth gait and tremendous stamina certainly make it a pleasure for the rider. We loved it and so did our horses, and by the end of the day they had many enthusiastic admirers. People seemed impressed at their ability to do the job and were also struck by their beauty.”

THE ICELANDIC HORSE

Another interesting breed that can make a fun Western mount is the Icelandic Horse, which is the oldest gaited breed in the world. Small but stocky and phenomenally strong for their size, Icelandics were developed in an extreme environment of cold, ice, lava and rocks. They were highly valued by the Vikings and their descendents, who used them to round up sheep and as the main form of transportation of both goods and people. As one can imagine, the Icelandic horse’s tremendous endurance, its legendary sure-footedness, and its unique “tolt” – a four-beat gait which a quality horse can perform at a thrillingly high-speed – were particularly prized, as they made it possible for people to quickly cross great distances over some of the coldest, harshest terrain in the world.

Lisi Ohm of Vanderhoof, BC, is a trainer, breeder and judge of Icelandic Horses. Originally from Germany, Ohm grew up doing dressage and jumping on German warmbloods, but even as a child, she was drawn to Icelandic horses. As she recalls, “I read about them and was fascinated by the age of the breed and their aura of hreggfaxi (wind in the mane), meaning the head proudly up, the legs flying, the rider sitting at ease and motionless, and the huge mane flying like rays around the horse’s head and neck - power and fun in motion!” She started working with Icelandics in 1989 and hasn’t looked back since.

Having been involved with the breed in both Iceland and North America, Ohm has observed differences in people’s perception of the breed on this side of the pond. “Here,” she says, “Icelandics get marketed as fluffy, easy-going guys that anybody can ride. You do have that kind within the breed and they are cherished, but the goal of an Icelandic breeder is a fine, responsive horse with speed in all gaits, which can be intimidating for beginners. We clocked one of our competition horses at 30km/h in tolt and in trot – and he wasn’t even trying hard! There certainly are some really nice once for the beginner rider, but if you want to truly experience what Icelanders call the ‘gaedingar’ ( the perfect riding horse ), then work to become a good, balanced rider, get on an Icelandic that can really move, and I promise, you will have the time of your life!”

Ohm recommends that those new to Icelandics should buy a well-trained horse secure in its gaits, because the unique Icelandic gaits can disappear with constant rider mistakes. Icelandic horses can be four or five gaited, with speed, consistency, and high leg action being desirable. Says Ohm, “From the talented Icelandic horse, you would expect to see a powerful, long-strided walk; a fast trot with good suspension and stride length; a round, jumping, three-beat canter and also a fast, spirited gallop; the famous tolt: a four-beat gait with high action and beautiful carriage in various speeds – from slow and collected with expression to high speed with high front leg action and the hind legs stepping well under; and the exhilarating ‘flying pace’, a two-beat gait in racing speed with a clear ‘flying’ phase between the lateral leg movements.”

While Icelandic horses are traditionally ridden in saddles that look something like a hybrid of an endurance saddle and a dressage or park saddle, they can be ridden and enjoyed in Western tack. Elaine Sanderman, an Icelandic trainer and breeder in Bowden, AB says, “We always ride Western, and I do everything with my Icelandics, from driving to cattle penning.” She finds that Icelandics are no different than any other breed when it comes to their ability to do Western sports. “Some are really good at things like penning, and some are scared of cows. Some of them are really quick and agile, and some are slow.”

Like Camilla Willings on her Pasos, Sanderman sometimes gets strange looks when doing Western sports on her Icelandics, but she says, “Icelandics can do whatever you train them to do. One of our clients did roping and everything with her Icelandic, and we’ve participated in a reining clinic, so it’s really up to you.” The only thing you have to take into consideration, Sanderman says, is the type of Western saddle you put on an Icelandic. “Because they have a shorter back,” she says, “the larger saddles get in the way of their hind ends going down hill, so you want a rounder, shorter skirt.”

Sanderman first got into Icelandics by way of a boarder, who asked Sanderman to exercise the two Icelandics she had boarded there. “I told her that I would, but they were going to have to take a Western saddle,” Sanderman recalls. “She said that was fine with her, and I just couldn’t believe how much fun I had on those things! I went out and got some for myself, and now we’ve sold all our Paints and just have the Icelandics.” Even Sanderman’s husband has been won over, although it wasn’t an easy sell at first. Says Sanderman, “He took a look at them and said, ‘I’m not riding a little pony.’ Then one day, we were out on a trail and the horse he was on was acting up, so I told him I would ride that one and he would have to ride my Icelandic. At the end of the ride, I noticed that he wasn’t asking for his horse back, even though it had calmed down. I asked him why, and he kind of looked at me and said, ‘Because I like riding this horse.’”

Sanderman points out that while her husband is “not a small man,” there is no problem with one of the larger Icelandics carrying a bigger rider. “When we were at the reining clinic, the clinician actually said that my husband and his horse suited each other very well. I’m not small myself, and I’m on them all the time. You have to keep in mind that Icelandic men are good sized, and we find that the only real difference with these horses being shorter is that they are easier to get on. You really have to ride them to know – don’t judge them before you ride one, because you just can’t imagine it if you’ve never experienced it.”

THE TENNESSEE WALKING HORSE

If you like the idea of a gaited horse, but you just can’t see yourself on something as exotic as a Paso or an Icelandic, the Tennessee Walking Horse (TWH) might be the perfect horse for you. As previously mentioned, many Hollywood cowboys have been mounted on TWHs because they needed something smooth, gentle and good looking, but the TWH also makes an excellent “using” horse out in the real world. They are a good size, ranging from 14.2hh to 16.2hh, and though they make flashy show horses, they are also tough, outdoor horses that can carry a big rider all day. Historically, the breed was an all-rounder used for plantation work, riding stock, and transportation. They became widely popularity for the ease of their gait, their versatility, their docile temperament and their ability to stride all day over the rocky middle Tennessee terrain. Today, the TWH is the second fastest growing breed in the world.

Kim Pringle, D.EqSc, of Pringle Farms in Arden, ON, is a breeder, trainer and exhibitor of TWHs who is not surprised at their increasing popularity. She was attracted to the breed for their proven versatility, as well as the variety of established breed programs for people to enroll in. “I show my horses in all breed shows, compete in TWH Dressage Testing, and do demonstrations throughout Ontario,” she says. In addition, Pringle started reining last year and has fallen in love with the sport. “I am hoping to compete at some NRHA shows next year,” she says, having no doubt that she can hold her own on a TWH. As she explains, “Due to their athletic ability and their to-die-for balanced canter, Walking horses are competitive in many Western disciplines such as reining, cattle penning, endurance riding and speed events like barrel racing.”

Indeed, TWHs are one of the few gaited breeds that you do sometimes see going head to head with the stock breeds in Open competitions – and sometimes coming out on top. In addition, the TWH’s smooth gaits, good mind and desire to please also make them a natural fit for Trail Obstacle Classes, and for Search and Rescue work known as “Ride for Rescue,” for which they are used in Western Canada. Perhaps most revealing of just how much these horses can do is the TWH Supreme Versatility Program. In order for a horse to earn the title of Supreme Versatility Champion, they must earn points in Gaited Riding Classes, Reining, Dressage, Jumping, Barrel Racing, Pole Bending, Trail Obstacle, Halter, Promotion Events and Driving. Now that’s versatility!

The TWH is also known for is its exceptionally gentle nature, which makes them an excellent mount for less experienced riders. Says Pringle, “The TWH is a perfect ‘First Horse’. They are user friendly and forgiving, and their people loving disposition will win you over. TWHs are an amazing combination of ‘GO’ without being hot headed, which is why they are said to be ‘Smooth, Sensible & Safe’. And, as the population ages, people are looking at the TWH because that ‘glide ride’ enables them to ride for many more years. That said, they are also wonderful horses for more advanced riders, who discover that they can continue to develop and test their riding skills in so many disciplines with these horses. Of course, trail riders love them because they are bold, not spooky, pleasant to be around, oh so smoooooth and fast. I’m telling you, if anything else is going to catch me out on the trail, it will need to have wings!”

As for tack for the TWH, Pringle says, “Saddle fit is always important. A TWH should have a saddle that frees up the shoulders. You do not have to have a special saddle, but do make sure it fits you and the horse. The “Tennessean” was made exclusively for the TWH, and they do fit other gaited breeds. It is a good quality Western saddle, and they also have a great light weight endurance saddle for long distance riding. The Tucker is very comfortable with its gel seat, and the Brenda Imus ‘4 beat saddle’ is popular with many pleasure gaited Western riders. I like close contact reining saddles for riding & training TWHs. My personal saddle is a Circle Y Ladies Reining saddle.”

OTHER BREEDS

There are other breeds of gaited horses that are equally worth attention, including the American Saddlebred, Rocky Mountain Horse, Peruvian Paso, and Missouri Foxtrotter. There are even gaited mules, for those who are fans of the “long-ears”. If you are considering going gaited, the best thing to do is to leave your assumptions in the truck and just try as many different kinds and individuals as you can. Do keep in mind that gaiting is natural to these horses, and while training can enhance their movement, you want to stay away from trainers and breeders who utilize unnatural methods or shoeing techniques to achieve more extravagant gaits. Stick with the beauty and smoothness that generations of careful breeders have given these horses, and you will know why people say that to ride a gaited horse is to own one.

ASK THE EQUINIST: How to Catch a Reluctant Horse

2011-06-13T14:01:00.000-07:00

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In "Ask The Equinist", blog readers are invited to submit their questions, and I will do my best to provide a well-researched answer. Here is the latest reader query:

QUESTION: My horse lives out in a five acre field, and I have a heck of a time catching him when I want to do anything with him. He'll let me walk up to him and pet him if I don't have a halter, but if I do have the halter, he runs off as soon as he sees it. I can catch him only if I carry a bucket of grain out there, but I don't want to have to do that. Is there any other way?

Sheila, OR

ANSWER: I agree with you that bribing a horse into letting you catch it is not a good practice. Fortunately, there is an extremely effective way I like to deal with this issue, though it sometimes takes a little patience at first to make it work. It utilizes two very important training concepts:

making the right thing easy and appealing, and the wrong thing just a bit difficult
pressure on the unwanted thought/action; release on the desired thought/action.

What I want you to do is pick a day when you have all the time in the world, the weather is pleasant, you are in a calm, focused state of mind, and you are not planning to ride. Make yourself a "flag", which is just a white, plastic grocery bag tied to the end of a stick or whip. My favorite is a light, cheap, somewhat rigid fishing pole about 5' long, as they are easy to move quickly. This is the only tool you will need.

Head out to your horse's field with your halter in plain view and your flag in the other hand, but held low to the ground. If your horse stops what he's doing and looks at you, stop your feet and says some words of praise. After a few moments, start walking towards him, keeping your body language neutral -- meaning you are not sneaking up to him, acting meek, or marching like a drill sergeant.

As soon as he starts to move away, continue walking towards him in the same manner, but start shaking your flag a bit or hitting it on the ground, enough so that he can hear it and see it. You may have to raise the flag in the air if he is far away. Very important: the idea here is not to chase him or make him speed up at all, but to use the flag to pressure the thought of moving away from you. If he seems to get genuinely alarmed by the flag, reduce the intensity of your shaking so that you don't send him flying around in a panic -- but keep shaking it to some degree if you feel it is safe to do so. You want to use just enough pressure so that he's aware of it, but not so much that you are causing him to flee in fear. If he just moves a little faster but is not truly scared when you start shaking the flag, that's okay.

Now, here is the critical part: as soon as your horse stops his feet, your are going to release the pressure by stopping the flag, dropping it down to the ground, and standing still. Better yet, if you can tell that he is thinking about stopping, stop the flag and stand still, and he'll probably stop (if he doesn't resume walking/flag). If your horse was moving around pretty actively but then slows down (e.g. goes from a trot to a walk) without stopping, you want to reward that as a step in the right direction, so stop the flag and stand still for a few moments (maybe 5 seconds), then begin again and keep going until he actually stops. Once he has stopped, you will just stand there in a relaxed posture doing nothing for about 30 seconds, which gives your horse time to process what just happened.

Once you have waited the half minute, start walking towards him without shaking the flag. As long as he stands there, no flag, just kind words. If at any point he starts to move away again, start shaking the flag again as you approach. You will repeat this as many times as necessary until you are able to walk up to him and put the halter on.

What typically happens is that the horse soon figures out that he can "turn off" the pressure of the flag by standing still, and it is not long before they will let you walk right up to them. Some horses, however, may keep moving away for quite a while, so this is where the patience comes in. You need to hang in there for as long as it takes, without getting mad or upset in any way. Personally, I have never had it take more than about 45 minutes in the toughest cases. Keep in mind that you are not trying to corner your horse, change his direction, or force him to stop. You are trying to get him to choose to stop by making the right thing (stopping) easy, and the wrong thing (moving away) just a little bit uncomfortable through your use of flag pressure.

Once you get the halter on, I strongly recommend that you do nothing more that first day other than stroke your horse (no neck slaps -- horses don't actually like this) or give him a favorite scratch, then let him go and leave. If you want to, you can give the horse a treat as a reward before you let him go, which is not the same thing as using treats/grain as a bribe. A reward is given after the horse has already chosen to do the right thing. Since the horse already did the right thing, you don't need the treat to make it happen, but it tends to help reinforce the behavior. A bribe is offered to try to induce the horse to do the right thing, and you will usually need the bribe every time because the bribe is the trigger for the action.

You may need to repeat the flag exercise for a number of days, depending on your horse. Pretty soon, you should be able to walk right up to him and halter him with no problem. Carry the flag each time for a week or so after you have accomplished this, just in case, but after that, you can leave the flag in the barn, as you shouldn't need it.

I do also recommend that you sometimes go out to the pasture, halter your horse, and do nothing more than praise, pet and reward before letting him go again. This lets him know that getting caught isn't always about hard work!

I hope this methods works for you, but always remember that if you are uncertain or the situation seems to be getting dangerous for you or your horse in any way, stop what you are doing and look for a different solution.

FOAL IMPRINTING: Benefit or Bane?

2011-05-28T21:56:00.000-07:00

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Animal behavioralists use the term “imprinting” to describe the process by which many species of newly born animals become quickly and strongly bonded to the first “social object” they see, normally a parent. When people talk about “foal imprinting”, they are referring to the practice of handling newborn foals in specific ways that are said to make a permanent, positive impression on the foal, making subsequent handling and training much easier. This is not technically imprinting, in the scientific sense, and for this reason, some proponents of this method have come to prefer the term “early learning”. However, as the term “early learning” can be very broadly interpreted, we will use “imprinting” for the purposes of this article.

Like most things having to do with horses, the practice of foal imprinting has its advocates and its critics. Those who swear by it say that it produces friendly, easy to handle youngsters who grow into well-adjusted, extremely trainable horses. Those against it assert that it often does more harm than good, creating horses that can be overly flighty, or so dull to pressure that they are downright dangerous and nearly impossible to train. Some also believe that imprinting can interfere with mare-foal bonding and other natural processes. If you are a foal-owner-to-be, it is therefore prudent to look at both sides of the argument before deciding what you want to do when your new equine baby arrives.

Dr. Robert M. Miller’s Approach: a brief overview

The practice of foal imprinting has been popularized to a great extent by the work of Dr. Robert M. Miller (www.robertmiller.com) , a retired veterinarian and author. Though he doesn’t claim to have invented the idea (and no longer favors the term “imprinting”), Miller has delineated a very specific methodology of training newborn foals that is the basis for most of this type of training today. His 1991 book, Imprint Training of the Newborn Foal, and his more recent DVD, Early Learning, provide step by step guidelines to the methods he employs. Anyone thinking of trying to imprint train a foal would do well to study these materials and see if they agree with and feel capable of doing what Miller recommends.

Miller’s methods start out with an immediate post-partum procedure that is designed to habituate or “desensitize” the foal to a variety of stimuli. These include touching its head, legs and most of the body; inserting a finger into the nostrils, mouth, ears and anus; and the sound, sight and feel of items such as a plastic sheet, a piece of newspaper, electric clippers, a blow dryer and a spray bottle. Basically, anything you don’t want the foal to be afraid of or move away from in the future can be introduced at this stage.

Miller specifies exactly how one should go about the desensitization process, emphasizing that you must repeat each stimulus until the foal is completely relaxed before you stop. Otherwise, you risk sensitizing the foal and teaching it to struggle, instead of desensitizing it. He finds that using rhythmic, quick succession repetitions known as “flooding” works best, and says, “You can never do too many repetitions, but you can do too few.” You can also be too gentle, according to Miller, so you should strive for a firm, purposeful contact.

Miller also recommends specific ways to position and restrain both the mare and the foal during this first session, as he feels it is extremely important that the foal not get away from the handler during any of the procedures. If it does get away, it may always use struggle and flight as a way to deal with the things humans present. He therefore suggests that those inexperienced with imprinting should have two assistants: one to hold the haltered mare, and a second to help restrain the foal. According to Miller, none of this will interfere with mare-foal bonding. “In 45 years,” he says, “I have never seen or heard of a mare rejecting a foal because of these methods being used, and in fact, it often help first time mothers accept the foal more easily”.

Once the foal is steady on its feet and has nursed, Miller does a second session in which he continues desensitization to things like pressure on the girth and saddle areas, lifting the feet and tapping on the soles. He also begins the very important sensitization training at this point, using his hand to teach the foal to move forward in response to pressure on its butt, backward in response to pressure on its chest, and to move its haunches over in response to pressure on its flank. He also halters the foal, though he doesn’t use the halter for restraint. The third session is where the halter and butt rope come into use, with Miller beginning to teach the basics of leading and tying in ways designed to keep the foal safe and calm.

“It Works”

There are those who don’t agree with some or all of Dr. Miller’s style of imprinting, but veterinarian and Canadian Warmblood breeder, Dr. Heather Smith of Taber, AB, is all for it. “What’s not to agree with?” she says simply, “It works.” After attending a 1989 conference where Dr. Miller was a featured speaker, Smith decided to try imprinting her own foals, and she was so pleased with the results that she has been doing it ever since. “I find the foals easier to approach and touch,” says Smith, “and halter breaking at 24 hours is way safer than waiting until weaning.” She also finds that foot care, groundwork and trailer loading are all easier as a result of imprinting.

Because of her perspective as a veterinarian and breeder, Smith pays particular attention to desensitizing the groin and perineal areas of both colts and fillies. “I check them for any abnormalities, as well as desensitizing the scrotum, penis, udder and vulva, as well as the anus. These animals tend to accept procedures such as sheath cleaning, foals nursing and rectal examination much better down the road.” Smith also believes that properly imprinted youngsters are less likely to get injured. “As a veterinarian, I have observed that most young horses that get hurt seem to do so because of the tremendous and instinctive flight mechanism. Anything that can be done to prevent a horse from running blind in avoidance is a good thing, and imprinting helps with that.”

Potential Problems

Many people, like Smith, find imprinting beneficial, but there are certainly those who believe that it can cause serious problems, especially when done incorrectly. This includes a number of prominent trainers, including respected clinician, Josh Nichol. “Horses communicate through directing each others’ space,” says Nichol, “and what I have found with many imprinted horses is that they lack this spatial understanding. This places humans in a vulnerable position, because if a horse won’t soften to our space – or worse, tries to direct ours – we can easily get hurt. The imprinted horses I’ve seen have often been labeled pushy, impatient or even belligerent, but really, this is a trained response situation.”

Nichol sees the potential benefits of imprinting and understands the need to be able to handle and doctor a young foal, but he feels that the long-term negative effects he has witnessed outweigh the benefits. “Most folks already struggle to understand the spatial mind of the horse, and imprinting, as it is often done, seems to desensitize the horse to its own natural way of communicating, creating a dulled sense of space. I’ve seen this get quite dangerous, and while I realize that this is not the intention of imprinting as it is taught, it is often the result.”

Other equine professionals, such as trainer and author Cherry Hill, have concerns about aggressive or invasive imprinting possibly interfering with certain natural post-partum processes, as well as potential injury to foals if carried out by inexperienced handlers. On her website, www.horsekeeping.com, Hill says, “More than one vet has told me that they think handling the foal extensively at an hour of age can interfere with the mare expelling her placental tissues. And some foal's legs are wobbly or have deviations that excessive handling might stress or harm.” Her latter concern is echoed in a study on imprinting conducted by Pennsylvania State University researcher Nancy Kate Diehl, MS, VMD, who states “The handler in this study was experienced with foals and found the potential for trauma to the foals, as a result of the intervention, to be undesirable.”

Dr. Miller is aware that such concerns are out there, but he says, “It is unfortunate that people are making such statements because they simply aren’t true, and they’re going to scare some people away from an extremely safe and effective training method. I have talked to literally thousands of people who have used my methods, and not once have I heard of a foal being injured – not ever. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but it’s just not happening. Believe me, I would have heard from people – and their lawyers – if my methods were leading to injuries.” He adds that his early training methods are being used extensively and increasingly throughout the horse industry all over the world, which would not be the case if they were creating a significant number of problem horses.

For those who remain uncomfortable with immediate, intensive post partum handling of a foal, there are other options that can still have great benefits. Hill has outlined an early handling method in her book, The Formative Years, that she has found very effective in producing friendly, easy to handle and trainable foals, without the necessity of intensive intervention during the first hours of life. However, she is not critical of Dr. Miller’s style of imprinting, if carried out correctly by competent handlers. As she explains, “If properly done, ‘imprinting’ can lead to a confident horse that would not fear the touch, sound and sight of things he would encounter in man’s world.” She does caution that improperly imprinted foals can become hypersensitive, resentful or fearful, “the opposite of the goal,” but points out that any kind of training, if done poorly, can create problems.

Ultimately, it is the decision of the foal owner whether to imprint or not, but if you are thinking about doing it, be sure that you are well educated about the process and its alternatives. In addition, make sure that you have the time and determination to see the whole program through, and that you have experienced help on hand.

FOAL CARE: The First 24 Hours

2011-05-28T21:50:00.000-07:00

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A WELL-TIMED ENTRANCE

You have a nice mare, you’ve succeeded in getting her bred, and you are now excitedly awaiting the arrival of her foal. However, as thrilled as you are, you are no doubt a bit nervous too, as you know that giving birth can be dangerous for both the mare and her baby. If you are an inexperienced mare owner, this might make you very anxious indeed, as you’re not sure you will be able to distinguish what is normal from what is problematic, once the big event gets underway. For those of you who fall into that category, we have put together a timeline of what to expect when a mare foals out, and what should occur within the first 24 hours of the foal’s life. We’ve also indicated what you might see if there is a problem, and what you should do if a problem arises. While this guide is not meant to take the place of veterinary care or advice, we hope it will help calm your pre-baby jitters by familiarizing you with the foaling process.

LABOUR

The entire process of labour in a mare probably lasts about 12 hours, though the first signs may be very subtle. During this time, the mare may be agitated, cranky, walk around more than usual, and she may eat more or uncharacteristically skip her grain. If you have not already moved her into a foaling stall or other safe area, now would be the time to do so, and you will want to check the mare frequently – approximately every two hours or even less – to see how she is doing. A foaling monitor and/or a web cam is very useful at this stage, as it can allow you to keep track of the mare’s progress without having to repeatedly trudge down to the barn. Since most foalings occur at night, make sure that there is enough light to enable your camera to work if you are using one – but don’t go overboard on the lights, as a stall that is too bright may disturb the mare and delay her foaling.

During the last four hours, the mare will exhibit behaviours that make it obvious that the birth is impending. According to Claire Card, DVM, Phd, diplomate ACT, a Professor of Theriogenology (animal reproduction) at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, “A mare in the last four hours of labour will typically sweat and exhibit signs that look like mild colic such as tail switching, looking at her flank and getting up and down. She may exhibit a Flehmen response (raising the upper lip and lifting the head), and you will probably observe that she is dripping milk. Uterine contractions gradually intensify, stimulating the foal to get into the diver-like birth posture, and the cervix dilates to prepare for the passage of the foal.”

One problem to look for at this stage is an excessive loss of milk, as the first milk the mare produces – called colostrum – contains very important antibodies that help the foal fight infection. If the mare is streaming milk, it should be collected and frozen so that it can be given to the foal later. If you see excessive colic-like signs – such as repeated rolling or thrashing – get help. “Most mares do roll a bit prior to foaling,” says Laurie Takoff, a veteran breeder with 25 years of foaling experience, “but if you see a mare rolling a whole lot, there could be problems with the position of the foal. Of course there is discomfort during foaling and mares will sweat and sometimes paw and such, but any excessive signs of pain or abnormal behaviours like throwing themselves into a wall or attacking a trusted caregiver can indicate trouble.” You should also get help if the mare goes down and is seriously straining for more than 30 minutes without anything happening.

What should happen, if all is well, is that the cervix eventually dialates enough that the placenta ruptures, releasing the allantoic fluid or “water”, which is clear or slightly yellow. As Dr. Card explains, “After the water breaks, the foal – still in the whitish opaque sac called the amnion – is pushed forward into the birth canal. The forefeet, inside what looks like a white bubble, usually begin to protrude from the mare’s vulva within five minutes of the water breaking, with one leg typically 4-6 inches ahead of the other. It is entirely normal for the foal’s feet to appear and disappear at this stage as the mare gets up and down. Once the foal's legs and nose appear, the mare will go down and she will use her abdominal muscles to push out the foal.” The foal is usually completely out in about five minutes once the head clears, though in some cases it takes a few minutes to push out the foal’s hips. The whole birth process generally takes less than 30 minutes from the time the water breaks.

During the birth, the mare will strain and groan when she is having contractions, but she is usually fairly still. If she rolls or thrashes about, something is likely not right. Other signs of trouble in the active labour stage include any discharge of discoloured or foul smelling fluid; expulsion of detached red parts of the placenta; bowel showing (tiny bowel belongs to an abnormal foal; larger bowel belongs to the mare); and a ‘red bag’ instead of a bluish, opaque amnion (premature separation of the placenta) protruding from the vulva. Says Dr. Card, “In the case of a red bag presentation, you will need to open the membrane to assist the delivery and prevent suffocation of the foal. You should also evaluate the mare if no foal parts are showing 20 minutes after the water has broken.

“In addition, you want to be aware of any signs that the foal is malpositioned. These include only one forefoot and the nose showing (retained forelimb); rear end and no legs or hind legs showing (breech); all four feet and the abdomen coming, or only the foal’s back and no legs coming (transverse); or the bottom of the hooves facing up, which mean the foal is either upside down or backwards. When a foal is malpositioned, labour does not progress and intervention is required, so get help.” As a general rule of thumb, if the mare ever goes more than five or ten minutes with no further progress of the foal through the birth canal, you may have a malposition problem.

After the foal is on the ground, the third stage of labour involves the expulsion of the placenta, which usually happens within about 30-40 minutes. If the placenta is hanging out of the mare but is not fully detached, do not pull it out, as this can cause serious problems, including hemmorhaging and infection. The best thing to do in such cases is tie the placenta in a knot and let the weight of it and her natural contractions do the work. However, if the placenta is not out within 3-4 hours, you need to get the veterinarian out to begin treatment right away, as a retained placenta tends to cause infections very quickly – infections that can be fatal or compromise the mare’s future fertility.

Once the placenta is out, you should examine it for tears or missing pieces, which may mean that some of it has been retained. Because it can be difficult for inexperienced people to tell if the expelled placenta is whole, it is a good idea to have someone knowledgeable look it over. It may also be advisable not to remove the placenta from the foaling stall until the mare and foal have successfully bonded, as studies at Cornell University have indicated that taking it away too soon may be a factor in some cases of mares rejecting foals. The reasons for this are not entirely understood, but it is thought to be related to the olefactory aspect of the mare-foal bond.

THE FOAL’S FIRST 24 HOURS

If left undisturbed, it is normal for the mare to stay down for five or ten minutes to recover from her efforts after giving birth. As for the foal, he should be breathing within 30 seconds of birth with a respiratory rate of 60-70 breaths per minute. The normal heart rate for newborns is 60-120 beats per minute. Mucous membrane color (easily seen on the gums) should be pink one minute after delivery, and capillary refill time should be two seconds or less, which you can tell by firmly pressing on the gums for several seconds (which will make the gums go white under your finger), then releasing and timing how long it takes for the pink color to come back. The foal should notice stimuli such as touch and noise, and begin to show a suckling reflex within about five minutes – though it may not nurse for a couple of hours or more.

At this stage, the umbilical cord may still be attached. Allow the cord to break on its own, but once it does it should be immediately dipped in 0.5% chlorhexidine or undiluted povidone solution. It is best to wear clean rubber gloves during this procedure to prevent infection of the cord. You should expect to see some bleeding from the cord when it breaks, but this should slow to a drip within a minute or so.

Within about ten minutes, the foal should sit in a sternal position (on its chest, legs folded) within ten minutes of being born. If the foal remains flat out for much longer than this, there may be something wrong with it such as a neurological problem, or it may be weak or experiencing some kind of distress. Check its vital signs and let your vet know what is going on. On average, the foal will stand within 30 minutes, but don’t be surprised if the baby falls a few times before it manages to stand on its wobbly new legs. You may be tempted to get in there and help the foal to stand, but it is best to leave it alone if everything appears normal. The mare and foal should be in an area that is appropriately bedded (soft, but not excessively deep) and free from anything that the baby might injure itself on as it learns to stand and move.

A healthy baby will have a strong sucking reflex and will start fumbling about trying to nurse as soon as it is steady enough to move – usually within two hours. It may take the foal a little while to figure out which part of the mare is the all-you-can-eat buffet, but if it is not up and nursing within four hours you should get help. Says Dr. Card, “If the foal does not learn to nurse by 6-12 hours, it will usually follow the mare but it will lose the drive to nurse. In the first 24 hours, the foal should nurse at least once per hour, and if it is not nursing it will usually be sleeping. Make sure you see it nurse, and that it is swallowing milk – not just playing around. If it is sleeping and you wake it up, it should right to the udder.”

It is a good idea to purchase a Colostrometer to measure the mare’s colostrum. The specific gravity of the colostrum should measures 10.6 or higher. If it doesn’t, donor colostrum should be given. The foal’s intestines can only absorb colostrum for the first 24 hours, so if there is a real problem getting the foal to nurse, the mare should be milked and the colostrum should be tube fed to the foal by a qualified individual. It is not a good idea to try to pour or syringe the colostrum into the baby’s mouth, as the baby may aspirate it (inhale it), which can lead to lung infections. Tube feeding should never be attempted by anyone not specifically trained to do it, as it is far too easy to get the tube into the windpipe instead of the stomach, which can kill the foal.

Sometimes – particularly if this is the mare’s first foal – the mare will not allow the baby to nurse. In this case, you may need to intervene to get the process started. Marj McKay, of Maromac Quarter Horses in Langley, BC, recalls an interesting case in which such intervention was necessary. “It was a maiden mare and a difficult birth because the foal’s shoulders had been really stuck. I thought it would be dead by the time we managed to get it out, and I was so exhausted I could hardly breath. To my surprise, however, the foal was very much alive and – this was a first for me – he got up within minutes. A minute later, he was walking, a minute later he was trotting, and the next minute, he was galloping around this 40x20 stall with his freaked out maiden mother hot on his tail. He loped and trotted for 20 minutes non-stop, and the poor mare was freaked and confused. He finally stopped and you could almost see the ‘I need a drink’ look on his face. He turned towards the mare, she got this wide eyed ‘now what?’ look, and the tides turned as she kept away from him while he followed her relentlessly. Every time he touched her, she squealed and left.

“When maidens won't let a baby nurse we hold, twitch or lipchain the mare (least force first, working up if one doesn’t work) until the baby nurses. Once the baby nurses, the action releases hormones in the mare and gives her a feeling of relief, so then they usually accept the baby’s nursing. This normally sweet mare was so worked up that we did finally have to twitch her. The baby walked over, found the udder right away, drank, looked at us like we were his servants, and then laid down. We had to twitch the mare two more times, but once everything settled down she went back to being her wonderful self and was an excellent mom. The good news is that even if you have to do this with maidens, they are usually totally fine with the next foal.”

Once milk is getting into baby, things will eventually start coming out of baby at the other end, but typically not for a while. It generally takes more than six hours before a foal urinates or passes its meconium – the dark, sticky feces that builds up inside it while it is in the womb. The foal should pass the meconium within 24 hours, but many breeders and veterinarians like to help this along with an enema to make sure there is no impaction. Your veterinarian can teach you how to do this beforehand so that you will be comfortable with the technique. Male foals are more prone to meconium impaction, but keep an eye out for signs of distress regardless of the foal’s gender. Says Dr. Card, “If the foal strains to defecate give it an enema, and if you see signs of colic get help immediately.”

Hopefully, all will go well with the birth and first day of your foal’s life, but it is recommended to have a veterinarian examine the baby as soon as possible after birth, especially if you are not experienced with newborns. The vet will be able to check for any signs of abnormality or distress, and early intervention often makes all the difference if there is a problem. More than likely, everything will be fine and you will soon have the joy of watching your healthy, happy foal grow into an fine, strong horse. Good luck!

How Horses See: Facts and Fallacies about Equine Vision

2011-05-28T18:13:00.000-07:00

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If we could see the world through the eyes of a horse, what would it look like? Most of us have probably wondered about this at some time – especially when our horses spook at something we can’t see, or something the horse has already seen and apparently accepted when going the other way. Unfortunately, many of the “facts” we have been told about equine vision are anything but factual, and there has been little in the way of hard evidence to dispel the myths, assumptions, anecdotes and old wives’ tales that permeate the horse world. The good news is that there are now a number of scientists working to unravel the mysteries of the equine eye, and their research is giving us a better understanding of how our horses see the world.

A leading researcher in this field is Brian Timney, PhD, of the University of Western Ontario. A professor of psychology and associate dean in the faculty of social sciences, Timney has been studying vision for more than twenty years. With the help of both graduate and undergraduate students at the university, Timney has undertaken a systematic study of equine vision that is shedding new light on the horse’s visual acuity, depth perception and color recognition.

Nearsighted, Farsighted or 20/20?

Depending on who you listen to, you will hear that horses are nearsighted, farsighted, neither or both. This is one of the many areas in which Timney found previous scientific literature to be both “sparse and contradictory”, so he set about devising a way to test the visual acuity of horses. This was a rather tricky proposition, since horses can’t read an eye chart and tell us what they see.

What Timney and his team came up with was a method using an apparatus that had two swinging doors on which different visual displays could be placed. A treat could be placed behind either door, and the horse could get the treat by pushing the door with its nose. Once the horses had learned how to do this, the researchers placed a visual display on each of the doors, one that had a pattern of black and white stripes, and one that was plain grey. The treat was always to be found behind the striped door, though the striped door might be on the left or the right in the various trials.

The horses quickly learned to choose the striped door with nearly 100% accuracy, and that is when the testing really began. As Timney explains, “Over several days, we increased the difficulty of the task by making the stripes finer and finer, until eventually they were so fine that the animals could not distinguish between the stripes and the grey.” The accuracy of the horses went down to about 50% at that point, as they were just choosing at random.

The results of this study suggest that horses are slightly nearsighted compared to a person with normal vision. Timney rated the horses at about 20/30 on the Snellen scale, which uses 20/20 to denote normal human vision. This means that to a horse, an object that is 20 feet away would appear about as clear as an object that is 30 feet away to a human with 20/20 vision. As animals go, this is pretty good (cats, for example, have 20/75 and rats 20/300), and Timney believes that horses can therefore likely see most of the things that we see.

Plumbing the Depths

Another common fallacy about equine vision is that horses have poor depth perception. How a horse could clear a course of jumps, run at speed over all kinds of terrain, or even avoid bumping into walls if this were true defies logic, yet the myth persists. This is largely due to the fact that the majority of the horse’s field of vision is monocular (meaning that objects are viewed with only one eye), and there is a common misconception that binocular (two eyed) vision is necessary for depth perception.

Horses do, in fact, have a substantial field of binocular vision (55-60 degrees in front of them), but as Timney points out, even monocular vision is not necessarily flat. “There are lots of monocular depth cues,” he states, “and anyone can judge for herself whether the world looks flat when one eye is closed.” Humans use both monocular and binocular cues for depth perception, and Timney suspected that the same was true for horses. To test this, he and his team once again devised a series of ingenious experiments, with some surprising results.

The first experiment tested the horse’s ability to perceive monocular depth cues, which are sometimes called pictorial, as they are the ones that allow us to recognize depth in pictures. As Timney explains, “We set up a monocular test that takes advantage of a well-known visual illusion called the ‘Ponzo effect,’ in which the sense of depth is conveyed by a flat image when lines that appear as separate at the edge of the picture converge near the center.” The classic Ponzo effect image used by the researchers was that of a set of receding railroad tracks with two horizontal bars superimposed upon it. One bar was higher on the page and therefore overlapped the converging rails; the other was lower on the page and was therefore well between the two rails. The two bars are actually the same size, but the pictorial depth cues create the illusion that the higher bar is longer.

The team first taught the horses to choose between two pictures that had no depth cues, one that showed two horizontal bars of equal length, the other that had horizontal bars of unequal length with the longer one on top. The horses were rewarded only for choosing the picture with unequal length bars, and they soon learned to do this consistently. Next, the researchers superimposed two sets of equal-length, horizontal bars on two different photographs. The first lacked strong depth cues, so to the human eye, the bars appeared of equal length. The second superimposed the horizontal bars on a photograph of railroad tracks taken specifically to illustrate the Ponzo illusion, and thus the upper bar appeared longer to the human eye.

Shown these two images, the horses overwhelmingly chose the picture with the bars superimposed over the railroad tracks, indicating that they perceived those bars to be uneven. “Not only could they recognize depth in pictures,” Timney says, “but they also must be susceptible to the same kinds of visual illusions that we perceive.”

Timney also wanted to test the role of binocular vision in equine depth perception. In a series of several experiments, the researchers utilized random-dot stereograms, which are pairs of pictures that look like flat patterns of dots when viewed normally or with just one eye. “However,” explains Timney, “if you direct one image into each eye, a shape jumps out in depth if you have stereoscopic capability.” In human vision testing, one picture is tinted green and the other red, and colored filters over the eyes allow the images to be viewed separately (similar to those 3-D glasses you get to watch a 3-D movie).

Timney and team devised comparable colored goggles for the horses and showed them two sets of stereograms, one with depth cues and one without. “Much to our surprise,” he says, “they responded to the images as if they saw depth in the appropriate one.” Though this doesn’t definitively prove that horses have stereopsis comparable to ours, Timney concludes that “Horses apparently have many of the same depth-detecting skills that we have, despite the lateral placement of they eyeballs.”

Is the Grass always Greener?

There has been research looking into whether or not horses have color vision as far back as the early 1950s, but once again, the data and conclusions had not led to any definitive answers. Some studies indicated that horses could see certain colors but not others, while other studies seemed to show that some horses could see more colors than other horses. Anecdotal evidence from horse owners who had animals that preferred to drink from certain colored buckets or would run away if people wore a certain colored clothing seemed to indicate that horses could see at least some colors, but no one was absolutely sure.

In looking at many past studies in this area, Timney realized that one of the problems that rendered them so inconclusive was that they didn’t adequately control for brightness cues that might have skewed their results. “For example,” Timney states, “an animal may be trained to discriminate a blue from a yellow light. But if one of these appears brighter than the other, the animal may be using this difference in luminance, rather than chromatic information, to make its choice.”

Timney and team therefore incorporated careful controls for luminance in their experiments. “We tried to control for these brightness problems by asking the horses to choose a color on a gray background that we could vary from light to dark,” he says. “When we did this, we found that they could always pick out a red or a blue, no matter what the background was like. However, they could pick out yellow and green reliably only when these colors were brighter than the background; once the brightness was equal, the horses could no longer discriminate the colors as easily.” Timney’s results tell us that horses do have some color vision, but he stresses that it will be a long process to really learn how their color vision compares to our own.

Show it to him on Both Sides

Another well respected researcher who has done myth-shattering research into the vision of horses is Evelyn B. Hanggi, MS, PhD, of the Equine Research Foundation in Aptos, California (www.equineresearch.org). As a life-long horseperson, Hanggi was aware of the widely held belief that horses cannot transfer information from one side of the brain to the other, and that therefore, they must see something with both eyes before they can recognize it as the same object. As a doctor of biology and an equine cognitive behavioralist, however, Hanggi knew that this didn’t make sense.

The two reasons most commonly given as to why horses would be incapable of interocular transfer of learning are their lateral eye placement and the misconception that horses have a minimal or nonexistent corpus callosum, the structure that connects the left and right hemispheres of the brain. In reality, anatomical data disproves both of these assumptions. Animals with laterally directed eyes (like horses) have more crossed optic nerve fibers than animals with frontally directed eyes (like humans), which indicates that information is transferred from one side to the other. In addition, horses do in fact have a substantial corpus callosum. Yet as Hanggi says, “Old beliefs persist, even when physiological evidence is presented.”

That is why she set out to devise and carry out a behavioral experiment that would demonstrate and quantify the degree to which horses were capable of interocular transfer. In her experiment, each horse had an eye patch fitted that completely blocked the vision of one eye, and in a series of trials, was taught to choose a specific shape from a pair of black and white images. This was done with four pairs of images. In each case, the horses started out choosing the correct shapes at a rate that suggested pure chance, but they soon improved as they learned which choice would be rewarded. Once the horses were correctly choosing the desired shape 90% of the time, the researchers switched the patch to the other eye.

If the horses were incapable of interocular transfer, their success rate with the second or “testing” eye would have been the same as it was with the first or “trained” eye. It would start off at around 50%, and then gradually improve over the series of trials until it reached the 90% goal (criterion). Contrary to what many in the horse world would have expected, this was not at all the case. Says Hanggi, “When the trained eye was covered, both horses reached criterion with the testing eye immediately except for one horse on one pair of images. However, even with this pair, that horse responded at near criterion levels from the start and did reach criterion within a couple of sessions.”

With the results of Hanggi’s experiment, there can be no doubt that horses are capable of transferring information from one side of the brain to the other. Why, then, do horses so often react in ways that appear to the contrary? The answer may be as simple as the fact that things look different when approached from different angles. Adds Hanggi, “We can guess forever on this but my take at this time is more based on training history. Horses that have been exposed to all sorts of sights, sounds and smells in a variety of environments and situations do not startle nearly as much as horses that are housed in stalls, rarely turned out, isolated from other horses, stuck doing the same routine every day, not exposed to desensitization and generalization training, and not allowed to ‘be horses’. These horses are, in my opinion, more likely to become upset or startle when something changes or looks different.”

Seeing in the Dark

One area that has yet to be scientifically examined is the degree to which horses have night or “scotopic” vision. The common view, based on anecdotal evidence, is that horses have better night vision than humans. As Hanggi says, “Simply watching the behavior of horses in dim light provides insight into this. Whereas humans have difficulty moving around in dim light or darkness, horses do much better and many a rider has had to rely on his/her horse when caught out after dark.” We also frequently hear that it takes horses longer to adjust to changes of light, but neither Timney nor Hanggi knows of any research to support or disprove this, either. What we do know is that the retinas of horses have a large number of rods, which are necessary for good night vision. Horses also have a tapetum (the structure that makes the eyes of cats shine at night), which should also help them to see a little better in very dim light.

However, as Timney explains, “The question of what is ‘better’ night vision is an ambiguous one. Individual human rods are as sensitive as they possibly could be; a rod will react to a single quantum of light. But we don't see details very well at night because of the way that the rods are wired up. Many feed into a single ganglion cell, which means that the cell will respond to light very well, but will not necessarily distinguish its location. This means that scotopic acuity is very poor. For horses we don't know the wiring diagram, but it's not likely to be much different from humans. The story is a little more complicated than that, but I suspect that they won't be that much ‘better’ than humans.”

As for the response to changes in illumination, Timney says, “I think that all rods contain the same kind of photopigment, and so the way that changes in response to light would be the same for all species.” In other words, all eyes need time to adjust to light changes, and horses are not likely to need more time than we do. Therefore, if horses seem hesitant to move from a light area to a dark one – such as they often have to when going into a trailer – it may have nothing to do with their vision. It could be their general mistrust of the situation, a training issue, or they may have some deep instinct that tells them that predators often lurk in the shadows.

The Ongoing Quest

Though science has taught us much about equine vision in recent years, we clearly still have a great deal to learn. Fortunately, researchers like Timney and Hanggi are continuing to push the boundaries of knowledge in this area, and we may soon know much more. Hanggi has recently concluded a study of her own on equine color vision, and her results will soon be available to the scientific community. Timney’s work is also ongoing. For now, many functions of the equine eye remain cloaked in mystery, reflecting, perhaps, the great and unfathomable mysteries of the equine soul.

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SADDLE FIT FRUSTRATION: Why Breeding may be to Blame

2011-05-28T11:43:00.000-07:00

(This article focuses on Western saddle fitting, but has many points relevant to other types of saddles, as well.)

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In the old days, a cowboy had a favorite saddle, and every horse he ever rode was likely ridden in that tried and true piece of equipment. He didn’t spend his time fretting about whether the saddle fit a particular horse perfectly or not – he was too busy working in it. Nowadays, responsible horse owners take great care to ensure that their saddle fits their horse properly because we know that a poorly fitting saddle can not only cause pain, but can also diminish performance. With all this concern, our advances in technology and our greater knowledge of biomechanics, you would think that we should be able to fit a saddle far better than our forefathers did. In reality, however, many of us struggle to find a saddle that doesn’t pinch, poke, bridge, rub, slip or tip on our horse’s back. Veterinarians and equine chiropractors report that back issues caused by poorly fitting saddles are extremely common, even though most of us don’t work our horses all that much. In contrast, those old-time cowboys rode their horses harder and longer than the average modern horse owner ever will, yet those horses were able to keep doing their extremely demanding jobs for years on end, despite the fact that nobody paid much mind to saddle fit. What gives? Is there simply something wrong with the saddles we are making and marketing for today’s horses?

According to custom saddle maker Vic Bennett, of Sherwood Park, AB, the reason for the high frequency of saddle fit problems we are experiencing has little to do with saddles and a lot to do with horses. As he explains, “When people have a problem, they often immediately look to the saddle and think the problem is there, but they really need to look at the whole picture, starting with their horse. If people had horses that had good saddle backs, meaning a nice wither, a level back, and higher in the wither than the hip, we would have much, much less conversation about saddle fitting. But the truth is that we’ve bred a lot of horses in recent years that are just not very suitable for saddles. We’ve bred for the big hip and hind leg for so long that we have these nice, round, muscular, pretty horses with no back. They have hardly any wither, a very muscular wither pocket, and they’re also high in the hip, hence the big butt end and the hind leg. Now, I’m not saying they’re not good performers – because I’ve got some like that myself and they can slide 15 feet – but they’re hard to put a saddle on.”

Kym Slater, a horse owner from Langley, BC, knows first hand how difficult it can be to fit a saddle on such horses. “I would definitely say that my saddle fitting problems are most directly related to lack of wither and too much thickness through the shoulder. My QH gelding has very little wither, a very rounded shoulder, a fairly wide back and a bit of a back dip. My other horse is hard to fit as well due to being mutton-withered and thick through the shoulder. I didn't realize that withers were so important until trying to fit my two horses.”

One would think that solving this fitting problem would be simple enough – just change the shape of the saddles we’re building to fit the shape of modern horses. However, as Bennett points out, “You would like to think that we could just change the shape of a saddle and solve all the problems a person has fitting their horse, but it often doesn’t work that way. For example, the most common complaint we hear from people is that their saddle is pinching the horse in the shoulders. Why, then, aren’t saddle makers smart enough to just make extra-wide saddles? Then nobody’s saddle would pinch, right? The only trouble is, if you do that, and the horse is downhill, the saddle is going to end up on the horse’s neck, or it’s going to sit down on its wither. It’s like every action has an equal and opposite reaction, so sometimes adjusting one thing that would appear to be a simple solution may cause another problem. You have to take the thing as a whole, and also consider what purpose the horse is put to.”

Even custom built saddles can sometimes do no more than make the best of an imperfect situation. As Bennett states, “If you’ve got a problem horse, and it’s recognized that this horse needs some special kind of a tree or some kind of adjustment to the saddle, we can often solve a problem or help them quite a bit – but not necessarily. Maybe what you do is make the horse more comfortable, but that horse will always need management. If you have a real round backed horse with a thick, heavily muscled wither pocket, yes, we can build a tree that will sit on that horse and not poke him. But you will always have to cinch this horse tighter than another horse with a good wither. You’ll have to be careful getting on and off him, and you’ve got to sit in the middle of his back because you can’t change the fact that he is round and roly-poly. So I always caution people about a custom fit, because what is their expectation? Often times it is a process of making the horse owner aware of the horse’s limitations, because many people just assume that the saddle doesn’t fit, and that if they had the right saddle built the right way, it would be perfect.”

There are other factors Bennett feels are worth considering before one assumes that the saddle is to blame for a problem one is having. “I’m not saying there aren’t genuine problems with how some saddles fit,” he says, “but in my experience, there can be other issues that can make someone think they have a saddle fit problem when they really don’t. For example, you need to ask yourself if the horse is in condition. Do you have this horse on a program where you’ve been riding him regularly? Is his back firmed up? Are his muscles developed to the point where he can carry a saddle properly? Or, have you just gone and taken this horse out of the pasture and gone riding with your friends in the mountains for three days, and now this horse is sore or rubbed or whatever. In that instance, the lack of condition might be the explanation, not the saddle.

“Then you have to ask, does the rider ride properly? Do they sit on the saddle square with their weight even, or are they a poor rider bouncing up and down and banging the horse on the back? Is this rider overweight, leaning to one side – there are a lot of things that can influence what that back looks like or feels like before you get to the saddle. I’m not trying to make an excuse for the saddle, but you never hear much about these things, and they are very significant.”

If you have looked at all these variables and still suspect that you have a saddle fit problem, it is best to seek the help of a professional in order to determine what the problem is and what you can do about it. However, there are a number of steps that you can take yourself to help evaluate whether or not your saddle fits well. Veterinarian Joyce Harman, of Flint Hill, VA, has written a book, The Western Horse’s Pain-Free Back and Saddle Fit Book, and put out a DVD, Western Saddles – How to Fit: Pain-Free, both designed to help the horse owner get a handle on this complex issue. (Note: Harman also has materials on fitting English saddles.) Harman, who specializes in treating horses with back problems, describes a variety of techniques that include examining the saddle off the horse, looking at the saddle on the horse, and looking at the rider in the saddle.

Harman recommends that evaluation of a saddle begin with an examination of the saddle itself. As she explains, “Many saddles have manufacturing defects or have gotten worn or broken during use. You need to check for symmetry both underneath and on the top side of the saddle. You need to check for nails, lumps or bumps in the fleece. You must also look carefully to try to determine if the tree is cracked or broken. It can be hard to tell, as even a broken tree may not have much give, but sometimes you can feel or hear a difference on one side when you push or pull on it.” One nifty trick Harman describes for checking symmetry is to put the saddle on a stand, then loop a piece of string around the horn, which you then use to check if the girth and billet dees are in the same place on both sides. Hold your thumbnail on the string where a dee is on one side, then keep it on the string while you turn the string to the other side and see if your thumb comes to the same place at the opposite dee.

The next step is to look at the horse’s back to get a sense of the shape, existing pain issues, and potential problem areas. Says Harman, “Feel the back muscles for anything hard or knotted, and to see if pressure from your hands elicits a pain response. Start by palpating softly at first, then a bit more firmly, and see if the horse is bothered by pressure in any specific area. Look for any white hairs on the back, which are indicative of an area that has been exposed to excessive pressure. Also look at the type of muscling and overall shape of the back. If the horse’s back is dropped down, this can be a sign of pain or discomfort. Horses will often hollow or drop their back down to protect it from pain caused by a poorly fitting saddle. Try to notice any muscle atrophy or depressions.”

The third step is to sit the saddle on the horse without any padding underneath to see how well the shape of the tree matches the shape of the horse. What you want to see and feel is no excessive pressure or binding on the shoulder, and even contact of the bars all along the back, except for a slight upwards flare at the back end to prevent pressure on the lumbar (loin) area. These can be a tricky things to judge because all the skirting and fleece lining hide the tree to some extent. Therefore, if possible, get your hands on some bare trees of different types and see which is the closest match. When you are looking at a bare tree or a saddle on the horse, the problems you are keeping an eye out for include:

- The saddle is too low in the front and lifting at the back. This indicates that it is too wide and would cause pressure on the withers. A saddle in this position will tend to tip the rider forward and cause your legs to slip back.

- The saddle is too high in the front. This indicates that it is too narrow and will therefore put pressure on the shoulders. It may also tip the rider back or push you to the back of the saddle, causing your legs to slip ahead of you. This also puts excessive pressure on the horse’s loins.

- The saddle is bridging (has a gap over the center of the horse’s back). This indicates that the saddle is either too narrow, and/or is too flat (not enough rocker front to back) , causing pressure points on both the shoulders and the loins.

Before you judge the tree, however, be sure that you place the saddle in the right place – something many people fail to do, according to Harman. “Placing the saddle too far forward is the most common error people make,” she states, “and correct placement is probably the most important aspect of fitting. When you have a rigid structure on top of the shoulder blade, it prevents the shoulder from moving freely. The result is that the horse starts to shorten its stride, and it hits the ground harder with its feet – something I believe is a contributing factor to some of the foot pain we see in our horses.” Harman explains that the front edge of the saddle tree must sit slightly behind the shoulder blade, though the flexible skirting should overlap the shoulder. The skirting, however, should not press down on the shoulder blade, as it can poke or rub – another common problem. Of course, you also want to avoid the opposite error – placing the saddle too far back. When this happens, the saddle will tend to tip forward in front and lift at the back. Says Harman, “What you need in many cases is more flare at the front of the tree and skirting to allow proper placement of the saddle – neither too far forward or too far back – and enough room for the shoulders to move freely without any pressure, poking or rubbing.”

In addition to inadequate flare, Harman sees many saddles with bars that are too flat front to back. Such saddles are not able to follow the shape the many horses’ backs, leading to painful pressure points. Having the rocker of the saddle match the horse’s back as closely as possible is very important, but you do want to see that bit of extra upward flare at the rear of the saddle to protect the lumbar area. Saddles that are too flat often end up being too long, as well, as the lack of rocker and rear flare can cause the weight-bearing area of the saddle to extend onto the loin area – the weakest and most vulnerable part of the horse’s back. Even skirts that are too long can cause a problem if they don’t flare up at the back, as they may rub or put pressure on the spinous processes, as well as possibly interfere with the movement of the hips and hind legs. For this reason, Harman is a fan of rounded skirts. “A rounded skirt is functional,” she says, “giving more room for horses with heavy muscle or short backs.”

If you are encountering problems like bars that are too flat, too long, or don’t have enough front flare, it could simply be a reflection of the quality of saddle you are looking at. Says Bennett, “You can see those sorts of problems with certain types of saddles out there, but you won’t see those things in a good performance saddle, or even the saddles we make for non-performance riders, because we put the performance features into all our saddles. Performance riders have valuable horses that have to be able to move well and look good doing it, so we build in features to ensure the best fit possible with the greatest comfort for both horse and rider. We try to put as much of the bar surface on the horse as we can to distribute the weight, while leaving the edges of the bars off the horse. On a good tree, that means it flares open at the front so it allows the shoulder to move, and at the back, the end of the bar comes up off their back so that when you sit on it you’re not poking them. You don’t want to just make the bars shorter, unless you’re talking about barrel-racing saddles with the short trees, because short bars can dig the horse right in the loin. What the longer bar does is that it allows you to gradually taper the weight off the horse, so in a sense it doesn’t matter how long they are. That’s why I would argue against shorter bars – I dislike shorter bars and I think you can sometimes cause a lot more problems that way.”

For Kym Slater, getting the right fit – or at least something close to it – was a process of education, coupled with a whole lot of searching. As she recalls, “I started doing research via the internet, watching saddle fitting videos, emailing saddle fitters for advice and asking the help of some experienced horse women who were trainers as well as coaches; I figured that they would have the best eye for correct movement and fit. Through all of these things, I learned how to feel along the shoulder blade following the curve, sliding my hand along feeling for uniform snugness or loose spots, or very tight spots. I also became aware of what a saddle looks like when it tips forward or slides back.”

Slater ended up using an old Western Rawhide saddle that served her well for many years with her mare, but when it came time to get a new one, the search was on once again. “It is now time to upgrade for my mare, she says, “and I’ve discovered that full bars with the right spread are very hard to come by. As for my gelding, he takes the QH bar, but only one brand/style of at least ten I tried really seemed to fit. It has different angles than others of the same size, so you can’t just go by size alone. I have come to the conclusion that there must be many, many horses out there who have to endure a poor fitting saddle because like me at one time, their owners don’t know what to look for or how to look for it. I am not 100% confident that I am getting it right, but for the most part things are looking good.”

One pitfall Slater avoided was the often-tried method of attempting to fix a saddle fit problem by adding more padding or buying the latest ‘back saver’ pad. While pads are necessary, they are rarely the answer to a saddle that doesn’t fit. “We’d love to buy a pad and have it fix all our problems,” says Harman, “but when we add a pad to a poorly fitting saddle, we often just move the pressure to a different area. With a thick pad or extra pads, we usually end up unbalancing the saddle and making it too narrow up by the tree. Think about how you would feel if you put on a pair of thick socks inside a close-fitting boot: you would end up squishing your feet. Therefore, if you add an extra pad or go to a thick pad, you have to recheck every parameter.” Harman points out that a thicker pad can be beneficial if you have a saddle that is a little bit too wide, but in general she recommends a simple 1”, wool felt pad if the saddle fits well.

Bennett also tends to stay on the slim and simple side when it comes to padding. As he explains, “There has been lots of innovation in pads, and that’s fine, but one thing I know is that there is going to be another jet-age pad next year, and then the next year. Maybe they’re all good, but they’re all pretty expensive. I’m not against the high dollar pads, but personally I don’t use them. I use a light wool pad and I put a double weave blanket on top of that. I used to rope, and when I was going roping I would pad a little differently, but I still wouldn’t pad as much as some of the guys do. If your saddle does fit and you jam a lot of pads in there, you may change the fit of the saddle, so you must use discretion.

“Also, some of these pads are quite firm, and if you have a firm pad, the movement of the horse causes the lining under the saddle to move the pad, and the pad is going to move the skin of the horse, which can irritate the horse. If you have a soft pad, like a blanket or something, then that movement can be absorbed by that soft material and not move the skin of the horse so much. Another potential problem is that some of those pads are full of rubber which might seem like a good idea, but they can move the skin of the horse a lot, and they can also hold heat. They can be useful for shorter training sessions, but if you’re in the saddle for 6-7 hours going up the continental divide or something, you might scald that horse pretty good.

As a rule of thumb, Bennett likes to use the least amount of padding he can get away with. He says, “People tend to like soft fuzzy things and lots of padding for themselves, so they assume that’s what the horse would like. Therefore, they think that if one pad is good more pads are better, but it doesn’t really work that way. If their saddle is tight at the front, half the time people put on more pads – but if your boots were tight you wouldn’t put on an extra pair of socks, would you?”

Ultimately, says Bennett, the fit comes more from the tree than the padding. “Nonetheless,” he states, “you do want some cushion, and on that point I think that people keep their pads too long, which causes the pads to become packed out under the weight-bearing areas of the saddle tree. The outside of the pad will appear to be nice and thick, but if you reach under that spot where the saddle actually sits, sometimes it’s packed right out. When the pad is in that condition, you’re more likely to get a dry back and what have you. Sometimes I just turn my pad around and ride it backwards to extend the life of the pad.”

Like Harman, Bennett notes that there are some cases where specialized padding can be helpful, for example, in some instances of bridging. “If the saddle is bridging,” he explains, “you may want to do something like I did with this filly that my wife rides. The saddle was bridging on her, so I took a felt pad and thinned out the areas where the saddle had more pressure – just worked it with a wire brush until it got thin. Then in the middle under where the bar would sit I glued on some fairly dense, shock-absorbing foam and just contoured that to make it custom fit. This is what I would have done if I had taken the saddle apart – I would have used leather on the bar to create the shape I needed – but I didn’t want to do that because she rides other horses in that saddle. If you don’t want to customize your own pad as I did, there are some pads that have pockets in them and you can monkey around with various shims and things, and those are kind of neat. You just have to keep playing with them until you get it right.”

Playing with it until you get it right pretty much sums up the whole adventure of saddle fitting, as it is a process that often requires a considerable amount of trial and error. Hopefully, you will be able to notice any fitting issues before they cause you or your horse any real problems (see sidebar: “Symptoms of Saddle Fit Problems: What Your Horse is Trying to Tell You). Just remember that there may be no such thing as a perfect fit, and as Vic Bennett says, “Nobody knows how to fit a horse 100% anyways.”

SIDEBAR:

Symptoms of Saddle Fit Problems: What Your Horse is Trying to Tell You

Although most horses are good natured enough to endure the discomfort of a poor-fitting saddle without repeatedly dumping us in the dirt, there are usually some symptoms that all is not well. Signs that may indicate a saddle fit issue include:

· hollow or “inverted” back

· raised head

· reluctance to turn, especially in tight circles

· reluctance to pick up the lope

· short, choppy or heavy stride

· pinned ears or swishing tail when cinched or mounted

· moves away or walks off when you try to mount

· humping up the back or bucking

· reluctance or inability to work off the hind end

· rushes or is very slow downhill

· stumbles when ridden

· becomes increasingly tense the longer you ride

· bites at your leg or the saddle

· heavy on the forehand

SIDEBAR: Treeless Saddles

Mike Lane, at 6'2" and 200 lbs., has no trouble riding his wide-shouldered
horse in his FreeformWestern Saddle. "The horse loves it and moves great
in it," he says, "and it's the most comfortable saddle I've ever ridden in."

Treeless saddles are another option that some riders with hard-to-fit horses are exploring. While not suitable for roping, they are used extensively in endurance riding and are making inroads into some of the Western disciplines. Says WPRA barrel racer Tammy Key-Fischer of Ledbetter, TX, “I started riding in a treeless saddle in 1998, when I was having trouble finding a saddle to fit a horse. I found the treeless option to be fabulous because they conform to the horse’s back and they are light weight. They allow your horse more flexibility in movement because there is not a hard tree to get in the way. Now, I only ride treeless.”

Two concerns that people often have about treeless saddles are that they won’t distribute weight well, and that they won’t provide clearance for the spine. While these problems may have been more of an issue in the past, makers of modern treeless saddles have designed them to address these concerns. In fact, independent testing using the Port Lewis Impression Pad (considered the gold standard for assessing weight distribution) found that the treeless saddles tested distributed weight as well as or better than the treed saddles tested.

So, if you’re just not finding a treed saddle that fits, or you simply like the idea of going treeless, here are a few websites where you can get more information:

Freeform: www.actionridertack.com

Barefoot: www.actionridertack.com

Bob Marshall: www.sportssaddle.com

Torsion: http://members.shaw.ca/equinesolutions

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EQUINE OBESITY: Can You Tell FAT from FIT?

2011-05-28T10:54:00.000-07:00

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These days, most of us don’t have to look too far to find someone whom we think could stand to lose a few pounds – often more than a few. We have no difficulty recognizing obesity in humans, and we generally understand that overeating and a lack of exercise are the major culprits in our growing propensity to pack on the pounds. In addition, we know that being overweight can have serious consequences for human health. When it comes to our horses, however, we are apparently failing to notice that there is a widespread and rapidly increasing problem with equine obesity, and many of us are not aware that overweight horses also face many health risks – some of which can be devastating.

A Bigger problem than most think (pun unavoidable!)

A recent study by a team of researchers at the Virginia-Maryland regional College of Veterinary Medicine and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech is shedding new light on the prevalence of equine obesity, and the numbers are startling. While a 1998 owner-reported study conducted by the USDA’s National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) suggested that only 5% of horses were overweight, the Virginia study found that 51% of the 300 horses studied were overweight, and 19% were obese. While it is possible that obesity (used here to mean any degree of excess fat) has increased dramatically in the last ten years, a more probable explanation is that horse owners tend to underestimate the degree of obesity in their own horses; therefore, any study relying on owner reporting is likely to be inaccurate.

Still, even the researchers were surprised by the scale of their findings. Says Dr. Craig Thatcher, a professor in the veterinary college’s Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences and Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Nutrition, “We thought it was at a level of at least 15 percent, higher than the NAHMS study, but we did not expect the numbers to be as high as they were.” One person who is not surprised by the Virginia team’s findings is Canadian scientist Shannon E. Pratt, PhD, PAS, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Animal Science at North Carolina State University. Explains Pratt, “We did a similar study and obtained remarkably similar results. In our study, two graduate students and I drove all over North Carolina to more than 50 different farms and took blood samples, body measurements, feed samples, weights, etcetera from 366 horses. We found that 48% of the horses had body condition scores greater to or equal to 6 on the 1-9 Henneke scale (5 is generally considered ideal; see sidebar) and 20% were considered “obese” (greater than or equal to 7). I’m sure if this was repeated in other states or in countries like Canada, we’d see similar results.

Evidence from England certainly suggests that the equine obesity problem is not just an American issue. The International League for the Protection of Horses (ILPH), based in Norfolk, UK, reports that in comparing 2006 to 2007, they had a 100% increase in the number of calls received from people concerned about overweight horses, and they also had a 1,000% increase in reports of laminitis – a serious health issue linked to equine obesity. These massive increases prompted the ILPH to launch a series of “Right Weight Road Shows” in which veterinarians and nutritionists travel to different locations to educate horse owners about obesity in horses. Their work is supported by the British Equine Veterinary Association, whose president, Dr. Josh Slater, believes that obesity in equines is under-recognized. “Obesity is certainly becoming more of a problem,” says Slater, “in part because people tend to see a fat horse as a healthy horse.”

Why Equine Obesity is on the Rise

As Slater suggests, misconceptions about what constitutes a healthy amount of fat on a horse are definitely a factor in the obesity equation – but just where do these misconceptions come from? The answer may lie in part in the influential realm of the show world. States Robert Eustace, FRCVS, founder of the UK’s Laminitis Trust, “The type of horse considered suitable to win a show class today is in fact obese. This ‘ideal’ then filters down the line.” Here in North America – particularly in Canada – we see a similar type of horse winning in certain classes. Says Amberlee Ficociello, a Quarter Horse breeder, competitor and owner of the Five Pine Ranch in Peachland, BC, “Obesity is rewarded in some aspects of the horse world. In particular, the stock horse breeds are famous for their overweight halter horses. These animals have been selectively bred for heavy muscling as well as certain conformation characteristics. They are supposed to be representative of the ideal breed type, but in today's halter classes, weanlings on up to aged horses are fit up to body condition scores of 7 and up! Heavy grain diets, limited outside turnout, and limited exercise all combine to create an overweight stock horse that is rewarded in the show pen for their size. The bigger the better, as they say.”

However, while some people point the finger squarely at the judges for pinning overweight horses, Ficociello says there is more to it than that. “It is the responsibility of the exhibitor, owner, breeder, trainer and judges to change this. We are completely responsible for the choices we make, and for the goals we have for our animals. The judges can certainly choose to not reward the heaviest horses but the most fit. However, it is pretty difficult when five horses stand in a class and all five are overweight. If each and every person involved in this aspect of the industry woke up tomorrow morning and decided to start their day with a more healthy and fit horse, we could change this.”

Some in the industry feel that change is already underway. Breeder and trainer Laurie Takoff, of Laurian Quarter Horses in Kelowna, BC says, “Years and years ago halter horses used to be very, very fat. Nowadays, leading trainers and judges want an extremely fit horse; however, in saying that, up here in Canada and the Pacific Northwest we are behind the times. People are still trying to show these soggy, fat horses in hopes of doing well. For myself, I want my halter horses to look beautifully fit with good flesh, but also able to move so well that the judge can't wait to see the horse move, or better yet ride. You can't have a Sumo wrestler move and look like a fit athlete or dancer! Still, folks in the know are well experienced that fat can hide a lot of flaws.”

While the tendency to reward fat horses in the halter ring – and in hunter shows, as well – remains an issue in some places, there are clearly other factors at play. It is probably obvious that diet is a major contributor to equine obesity, yet many people don’t realize that the feeds and forage their horse is consuming may be far in excess of the horse’s actual caloric requirements. This is especially true when it comes to grass. Because horses are grazing animals, we generally believe that it is perfectly natural for them to be out in a field of grass, munching away to their heart’s content. This scenario, however, is far from natural, for several reasons. Firstly, the horse evolved in areas where forage was sparse. This had the effect of limiting the overall amount of forage consumed, but it also required the horse to walk many miles a day just to find enough to eat. Modern feral horses have been observed traveling up to 25 miles a day in their foraging efforts, and that kind of exercise, along with a more limited feed intake, keeps the metabolism of free-roaming horses revved up, and their weight down. By contrast, domestic horses on pasture often have as much as they can eat within easy reach, requiring very little expenditure of energy.

When you couple this easy access with the fact that today’s grasses are also anything but natural, you have a recipe for disaster. Explains Dr. Pratt, “Today’s grasses have been designed for cattle – not horses – so they are definitely richer than what a horse needs.” Specifically, the agricultural industry has created “improved” grass varieties that are significantly higher in sugar and protein than many native grasses. This is a great benefit if you are trying to put weight on beef cattle or get higher yields out of dairy cows. Unfortunately, that same benefit becomes a liability for horses, who are simply not equipped to deal with such nutrient-dense forage.

High sugar grasses – and the high sugar hays produced from them – can be especially troublesome for some horses, causing them to pack on the pounds and putting their health at risk. Part of the problem is due to the fact that many horse owners simply have no idea that “plain old grass hay” can actually be up to 30% sugar. Even those who are aware of the harmful potential of high sugar hay may not realize that even coarse, first cut, or yellowed hay can still be high in sugar. Ken Wilkinson, nutritionist at the Otter Co-op in Aldergrove, BC, used to be comfortable simply recommending coarser, first cut hays to people with overweight horses or those prone to laminitis, but now he prefers to test it first. “We’ve done a lot of hay testing over the last few years,” he explains, “and I’ve been very surprised at some of the numbers that have come back on what I was pretty sure would be low sugar hay. The bottom line is that there is just no way to know by looking at a hay whether it is high or low sugar.”

Wilkinson also points out that environmental variability and changes in farming practices can cause even hay from the same field to vary in its sugar level from year to year or cutting to cutting. This assertion is born out by hay grower Gordon McEachern of Chilliwack, B.C., who says, “I recently cut three fields of the same type of grass on three different days, and because the weather was cloudier one day and I cut at a different time of day on another, all three hays tested out differently. Not only did the sugar fluctuate, but even the protein and mineral content were different. I’ve also found that you can cut one field all on the same day, but if you leave some of it longer before you bale it, the sugar tends to go down a bit.”

McEachern aims to produce hay that is more geared towards the needs of horses than cattle, and as a former dairy farmer, he knows the difference. “A lot of the hays you see out there are really not appropriate for horses and will definitely put too much weight on them,” he says. “It’s sad because people want to do the best for their horses, yet they are quite literally killing them, in some cases, with these rich hays.” McEachern explains that there are things you can do when growing and cutting hay to try to produce a lower sugar, more horse-friendly product. “You want to make sure you prevent stress from drought or other factors, but you don’t want to over fertilize. You also get a lower sugar hay if you cut when it is cloudy or during the night due to the longer drying time, and I’ve found that it pulls down the protein and sugar some if you wait a little bit longer than usual between cuttings, say seven weeks instead of five.” Even so, he tests every cutting, as he knows that even a small difference in sugar can have a significant impact on some horses, especially those with metabolic disorders or those prone to laminitis.

As for grain, the Virginia study found that improved forages are likely a more significant contributor to equine obesity than grain, even though grain is what most often comes to mind when we think of overfeeding horses. In fact, the majority of the horses assessed in the study received little in the way of grain or concentrates, with the bulk of their diet consisting of pasture and hay. Nonetheless, any horse that has even a slight tendency to put on fat should likely have the grain removed from its diet. Says Dr. Pratt, “I think most horse owners have been trained to feed grain, even if their horse doesn’t need it – and most don’t. In general, a horse at maintenance can get all of his nutrient requirements from good quality hay, a salt source and water.” Adds Wilkinson, “We’re using a lot less grain for horses now, as the hay analyses we are doing are giving us a more accurate picture of what is in the hay. With the richer hays, you just don’t need to supplement like that.”

Another reason why we are seeing so many fat horses these days is that many people don’t work their horses hard enough to burn up the calories they take in. As Dr. Pratt states, “People tend to overestimate how much feed horses need, and they often underestimate how much exercise they need.” The very light work load most horses are asked to do, coupled with the fact that many horses are kept in stalls or small enclosures for part or all of each day, has forced our horses to become the equine equivalent of couch potatoes. And, as in humans, the lack of exercise not only means that calories go unused, it also has a negative impact on the horse’s overall metabolism, making weight gain even easier.

Why it matters

Whatever the reasons for a horse’s weight gain, the consequences can be extremely serious. As Dr. Pratt explains, “Being overweight is definitely a big health risk for horses. First off – a horse is already carrying 1000 lbs, give or take, on four relatively small hooves. Any excess weight just adds more concussion to the joints and feet, which increases the risk of bone, tendon and joint injuries. But more importantly, adipose (fat) tissue is now known to be an endocrine organ – not just a storage place for energy – producing hormones and even inflammatory proteins. As such, obesity is considered an inflammatory state. Obesity is also associated with insulin resistance and laminitis, though research in this area is ongoing.”

It was, in fact, the recent increase in pasture-associated laminitis (commonly referred to as “grass founder”) that first inspired the Virginia study. Dr. Scott Pleasant, another member of the Virginia team, notes that “Laminitis is one of the most devastating and debilitating problems that we see with the horse. It occurs when there is a failure of the connective tissue bond between the horse’s hoof and the bone within the hoof – typically due to some form of inflammation. When that bond fails, and the hoof and bone start to separate, it is extremely painful to the horse.” The team theorized that overweight horses may have chronic inflammation, imbalances of insulin and glucose (sugar), as well as oxidative stress, which results from changes to metabolic processes that are related to the destruction and creation of new cells in the body. All of these are believed to be factors in laminitis, which is a leading cause of death among horses, second only to colic.

Unfortunately, the bad news doesn’t stop there. According to Les Burwash, Manager of Horse Programs for Alberta Agriculture in Airdrie, AB, “In addition to having an increased risk of injury, overweight horses tend to be less athletic and perform at a reduced level. They fatigue more easily and have increased sweating because the fat acts as a layer of insulation, reducing the body’s ability to cool down. This also makes them more susceptible to hyperthermia (overheating) during exercise than horses with body condition scores of less than 7.” Owners of young stock should also be aware that growing horses allowed to become overweight may be at increased risk for developmental orthopedic disease (DOD).

What you can do

The first step in preventing your horse from falling victim to the health problems associated with obesity is making sure that you recognize what a healthy weight looks like. One of the best ways to do that is to get familiar with the Henneke scale, then assess your horses on a frequent basis to make sure they are staying within the desired range for their usage. Keep in mind that heavy winter coats and blankets can make it harder to assess the horse visually, so you may have to rely more on feel.

If you do have an overweight horse, it is important not to put the horse on a severe crash diet, as this can create problems too. “Overweight horses must have their weight reduced slowly and carefully,” states Dr. Pratt. “I would recommend that the owner work with a nutritionist to take a close look at the hay, weigh all of the feeds, figure out if any nutrients need to be included in a concentrate, and set up a plan to slowly reduce the energy intake to facilitate weight loss.” When working with a nutritionist, however, be sure to choose someone who is not obligated by their employer to push certain products which may not always be the most appropriate for your horse’s needs. Also make sure that any increase in exercise is introduced gradually, and consult with your veterinarian before encouraging any exercise with a horse that has acute or chronic laminitis.

Obesity in horses is a preventable problem, but it requires both education and dedication. It might make you feel good to dole out great quantities of hay, grain and treats, and sure your horse will look content standing shoulder deep in rich green grass. But in the end, there is no getting around the fact that if you really love your horses, you will do what it takes to make sure they are maintained at a healthy – not hefty – weight.

Sidebar: The Henneke Scale

The Henneke Body Condition Score (BCS) system, developed as part of a research project at Texas A&M University in the early 80s, has become the most widely accepted method of evaluating the amount of fat a horse is carrying. Using both sight and touch, the evaluator assesses six specific areas on the horse. These areas were chosen because they are not places where one could confuse fat with muscle. Each area is ranked on a scale of 1-9, then an overall score is assigned based on the number that appears most often in the six areas. In general, a score of 5 is considered ideal, but studies have shown that broodmares conceive and maintain a pregnancy more easily and have fewer post partum problems if they have a score no lower than 6 and up to 8. Breeding stallions also fare better if they start off the season at a 6-7. However, if the individual is at risk for laminitis or other weight-related problems, maintaining body condition above the 5-6 range may not be worth it. Note: Though not widely used, there are other BCS systems out there that have different ranges for assessment. The Carroll and Huntington version, for example, goes from 0-5. Be sure you know what scale is being used when discussing body condition scoring.

Below are the six areas used to assess a horse, along with a description of what you are looking and feeling for.

1. Neck

a. Bone structure of the neck is easily noticeable (1-2)
b. Bone structure of the neck is accentuated (3-4)
c. The neck ties smoothly into the withers (5-6)
d. Fat deposits are found along the neck (7)
e. Neck thickened/bulging fat showing around the crest (8-9)

2. Withers
a. The withers are easily noticeable or discernable (1-2)

b. Withers are accentuated (3-4)
c. Withers appear rounded over spinous processes (5)
d. Fat may be deposited along sides of withers (6-7)
e. Areas along withers filled with fat (8-9)

3. Crease down the back
a. Spinous processes projecting prominently (1-2)

b. Spinous processes easily discernable or accentuated (3-4)
c. Appears rounded over spinous processes/slight crease (5-6)
d. may have a crease showing down the back (7)
e. Obvious crease showing down the back (8-9)

4. Ribs

a. Ribs are prominent (1-2)

b. Slight fat over the ribs or discernable by faint outline (3-4)

c. Ribs are not distinguishable by sight (5)

d. Fat over ribs feels spongy (6-7)

e. Difficult to feel ribs due to patchy fat (8-9)

5. Tailhead

a. Tailhead projecting predominantly (1-2)

b. Tailhead prominent but individual vertebrae not seen (3-4)

c. Fat around tailhead is soft or spongy (5-6)

d. Fat around tailhead is very soft (7-8)

e. Bulging fat around tailhead (9)

6. Behind the shoulder

a. Bone structure of the shoulder is easily noticeable (1-2)

b. Shoulders are accentuated (3-4)

c. Shoulders blend smoothly into body (5)

d. Some fat is deposited around the shoulders (6-7)

e. Fat is easily seen behind the shoulder (8-9)

To view example photos of horses that fall into the 1-9 assessments, go to:

http://www.admani.com/allianceequine/images/bodyconditionscoring/horse%20body%20condition%20score%20card.pdf

Sidebar 2: Fat Horses and Insulin Resistance

(See complete article on Insulin Resistance on this blog)

In recent years there have been a spate of studies examining insulin resistance (IR) in horses, a condition in which the cells in the body become insensitive to the action of insulin. Horses with IR are extremely vulnerable to laminitis and must be treated accordingly. They are also usually extremely easy keepers and are very often overweight.

While there appears to be a close link between obesity and IR, some people have mistakenly come to believe that virtually all fat horses must have IR. However, as Dr. Pratt points out, this is simply not the case. “I think the insulin resistance bandwagon is likely a bit overdone,”she says. “Not all obese horses are insulin resistant – and I think it is important for horse owners not to assume their overweight horse is IR, but rather to find out by working with their veterinarian. A vet can get a blood sample taken (the horse should have no grain/concentrate or exercise within 6 hours; hay is fine) to look at insulin and glucose concentrations. While not indicative of IR on their own, a single blood sample can usually pinpoint a problem if the numbers are off. Ideally, the vet will take a couple of samples under similar conditions over a few days). Then the vet can work to do more complicated tests to confirm IR if warranted.”

It is worth noting that horses with IR often have abnormal fat distribution that shows up in the crest, which becomes thick and hard, and in extra “pads” of fat behind the shoulder, around the tailhead, in the sheath of males, or as a “fullness” above the eyes.

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ASK THE EQUINIST: Trying to go Barefoot...What am I Doing Wrong?

2011-05-26T22:28:00.000-07:00

QUESTION: I've been trying to transition my horse from being shod to going barefoot for over a year now, and I'm wondering if I should just give up. I have a professional barefoot trimmer coming every six weeks, she keeps the heels low and the toes short, says his angles are all at the measurements they should be, and she trims the sole to increase concavity. I soak the horse's feet for an hour every day, as she recommends. I'm trying to do everything right, but my horse keeps getting abscesses and seems more sore now than when I first took him out of shoes. I don't know what else to do and am thinking of putting his shoes back on. We never had these problems when he was shod, and I'm starting to believe that maybe he just can't go barefoot. I know you have a special interest in barefoot hoof care, so I would like to get your thoughts on this. Thank you.

Lori G. in TX

ANSWER: I'm sorry you are having such difficulty, Lori, as you are obviously a diligent and caring horse owner. I hate to say this, but I think the problem may be the style of trimming and hoof care your trimmer was taught to do. Your story sounds eerily familiar, as I once knew a woman in a very similar situation to yours. She had two horses, both of the breed called the Canadian. She had a barefoot trimmer working on her horses, and both were abscessing regularly and so sore that she had not ridden either one much for two years when I met her. This was shocking to me, as Canadians are generally "gravel-crunching machines" with feet like tempered steel.

I asked her who her trimmer was, and when she told me, I immediately knew what the problem was: her trimmer, while a lovely person who truly meant well and believed she was doing the right things to help horses, had learned a very invasive style of trimming that has caused many, many people to give up on keeping their horses barefoot because, like you, they think their horses "just can't handle it". I begged this woman to consider trying a different trimmer, a good friend of mine whose methods would allow her horses to heal and develop as they should. She agreed, and when my friend took a look at her horses, she could barely contain her outrage when she saw what damage the previous trimmer had done. Later, in private, she told me, "That damn trimmer took off so much live sole that the poor horses' coffin bones are nearly coming out the bottoms of their feet -- you can actually see the outline of the bone bulging through. It's no wonder they can barely walk!"

My friend explained to the owner that you should never remove live sole -- the horse needs this material for protection, and the thicker the better. When you thin this, you weaken the entire foot, leaving the horse extremely vulnerable to developing the kinds of cracks and bruises that so often lead to abscesses. She also pointed out that you cannot -- absolutely cannot -- create concavity by carving it out from the bottom. Concavity is something that develops naturally as the whole hoof capsule, interior and exterior, becomes tighter and healthier -- and even then it will only develop to the degree that is natural based on the shape of that horse's internal structures. She then made an analogy: "Let's say that for some reason, it was a good thing to be bow-legged, and you took a person with straight legs and tried to turn them into a bow-legged person by carving off their calf muscles. That person might look bow-legged, but the bones are still straight underneath. When you carve off live sole on a horse, you create an equally false appearance of concavity, but all you've done is weaken the sole."

I will also tell you that Gene Ovnicek once told me that he feels trimmers who use such invasive methods should be put in jail for cruelty to animals. He then said, "I've literally held the bones of the horses they've maimed in my hands, when the bones have come through the bottom of the foot because of their continual carving away of the live sole. It's criminal."

Another problem may be the daily soaking you've been told to do. This practice is also taught by the same people who advocate removing live sole, and it is equally problematic. Pete Ramey once told me that the healthiest feet he had ever seen, hands down, belonged to a herd of horses on a ranch in Arizona -- and these horses got their feet wet maybe a couple of times a year when it rained. This started him thinking about external moisture and hooves, and over the years his observations have led him to conclude that external moisture is the enemy of a healthy hoof. Hard, dry, well-developed hooves tend to be the ones you most often see on the horses that float over rocks like they are not there -- and these horses are also not prone to thrush, abscesses, or many of the other problems that are far more rampant in moister climates.

I have personally recommended that people try to keep their horse's feet as dry as possible. I have seen no evidence whatsoever that soaking is necessary to keep the hoof "flexible", nor have I ever seen a horse that did better with daily soaking than it did without. Where I live now, it is very wet for a few months in the winter, then extremely dry for most of the spring, summer and fall. I have seen firsthand how my horses seem to laugh at the hard ground and rocks at the dryest, hottest times of year -- the longer it's been dry, the better they move on the ground that is at its most unforgiving. The research that has been done on moisture levels in horse's feet support the idea of keeping them as dry as possible. Data shows that the moisture necessary for proper flexibility of the hoof does not come from outside the hoof, but from the body itself. Moisture drawn in from the outside does nothing beneficial, but in fact weakens the integrity of the hoof material, causing a variety of problems. If you want to read a more thorough explanation of this, see the article "Managing Wet Feet" at thehorse.com:

http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=5695&src=fav

So, to make a long story a bit shorter, I would really encourage you to ask around for another trimmer, and to stop soaking your horse's feet. The moisture will only encourage cracking and bacteria -- and thus the continual abscessing. I would also recommend that you check out Pete Ramey's website: hoofrehab.com , and read up on how to use hoof boots to help your horse transition to barefoot.

The last thing I would like to say is that these "angles" your trimmer talks about are not necessarily what your horse needs. Dr. Bowker of the Michigan State Hoof Lab says that there is a natural variability in these angles, and that trying to force every foot to conform to some preconceived ideal is a mistake.

Please keep in mind that there are widely varying opinions out there on how to trim and care for a barefoot horse, and what I've said here is just my own. However, as I said to the lady with the Canadians, "While a fool will keep banging his head against the wall in an attempt to go through it, a wise man moves on to a different spot and eventually finds the door."

Oh, and just to let you know: under the care of my friend (no trimming of the live sole, no soaking), the two Canadians became sound almost immediately and never had another abscess. They are now both the "gravel-crunching machines" they should have been all along, and the owner literally wept in my arms, as she felt so guilty that she had "tortured" her horses for those two years by using that other trimmer. I told her not to blame herself -- she simply didn't know any better, but now she does.

Please let me know how things go with your horses, and good luck!

FAVORITE PRODUCTS: Cashel Crusader Fly Masks

2011-05-25T23:10:00.000-07:00

Fly season is upon us, and it seems that the extended cool and wet we've had this Spring is just giving the wee nasties a helping hand. There are A LOT of flies out there, and midges too. I've already had to break out the "pink goo" I use to help my morgan's sweet itch (see the "Ask the Equinist" post for more on that topic), and it soon became apparent to me that I was going to have to bite the bullet and get some more fly masks.

I have not generally been a fan of fly masks, as I have had bad experiences of them causing rubbing around the eyes, and also trapping dirt inside the mask, leading to eye infections. Plus, my horses would rub their faces on trees and such (irritated by the masks, I surmised), tearing holes in the material and letting more dirt and even bugs in. Add to that the fact that I seemed to spend more hours hunting for the dern things after they fell off than the horses spent wearing them, and I pretty much concluded that fly masks were more trouble than they were worth. I tried several brands, to no avail.

Fortunately, sheer desperation drove me to try the Crusader masks made by Cashel, and I think I've finally found a real winner.

Obie and Gryphon model their Cashel Fly Masks

The design of these masks is far superior to any I've seen, holding their shape away from the eyes yet fitting nicely around the face. The material is very sturdy, yet they've managed to keep the masks comfortable by covering all the edges in soft, low-loft material that does not attract dirt and burrs like that cheap, fuzzy stuff you see on some masks. The front of the mask even has a little slit for the forelock to come out of, a huge advantage for a horse like Gryphon, who has tons of forelock and would roast if it was all plastered against his forehead here in the Redding heat. Someone was really thinking of the horse when they went to the drawing board for this product!

The masks I got were the ones with ears, which look a little funny IMO, but definitely help with all those awful bites I was seeing in my gang's ears -- both inside and out. These particular masks have orange ears -- a special edition Cashel has put out with part of the proceeds going to benefit various animal rescue organizations -- yeah, Cashel! I hope more companies are inspired to follow suit with that kind of charity, as our animal friends need all the help they can get these days.

One unexpected benefit of the bright orange ears is that you can find the masks easily if they do come off. Yes, I had ONE come off, and I know why: My bratty little donkey, Rogie, gets really miffed at times when he can't see Gryphon's face, and he will rear and grab and pull for as long as it takes to get the mask off, if the mood so hits him. This is definitely a problem, but I honestly don't think any mask could stay on under an assault like that, and I am surprised at how hard Rogie has to fight to get the Crusader off.

Rogie finally succeeds in pulling Gryphon's mask off!

It's kind of pathetic that my normally extremely dominant horse lets that tiny monster get away with stuff like that, but it's been that way since day one: Gryphon adores Rogie and Rogie can do just about anything he wants to Gryphon, who would KILL another horse for even entertaining the notion of imagining the type of things Rogie does to him every day.

I'm hoping Rogie will get used to the mask idea in time and get bored with pulling it off, but meanwhile, I keep dusting it off and putting it back on. At least Gryphon gets some protected time! As for the other horses, I have yet to see either Obie or Twister get their own masks off or even try, and Obie was always one to rub his off on trees pretty much instantly, so this bodes well.

I hope your crew makes it through fly season unscathed!

ASK THE EQUINIST: Sweet Itch Help?

2011-05-25T22:07:00.000-07:00

In "Ask The Equinist", blog readers are invited to submit their questions, and I will do my best to provide a well-researched answer. Here is the latest reader query:

Question: In all of your research, have you come across anything useful for sweet itch? My Welsh Cob has it and generally tries to rub all the hair off his belly. Last year we kept it managed really well by just spraying him with a good fly spray in the evening. This year, even though we are doing this he is already rubbing his belly. I bought a Boett blanket but it is just too heavy to keep on him -- any ideas?

Jill A. in BC

Answer: Hi Jill. Sweet itch is the common name for hypersensitivity to the bites of Culicoides midges. Horses affected by this problem can do themselves serious harm by rubbing incessantly to try to rid themselves of the terrible itching caused by these tiny "no see ums". As you have discovered, the belly is the most common site of attack, though people may see their horse rubbing its mane or tail.

Unfortunately, there is presently no cure for this uncomfortable ailment, so dealing with it successfully requires a combination of preventative measures and treatment for symptoms. If using fly sprays and a good, midge-blocking sheet like the Boett isn't working (or even if it is), you may want to consider stabling the horse from dusk to dawn, as midges are most active during the transitions between light and dark.

In my personal experience, putting an ointment on the high-risk areas of the horse's body that will block and repel the midges, while also helping to soothe and heal the bites is a huge help. The best product I've found is made by my own vet, Dr. Jen Powers of Above and Beyond Animal Care in Palo Cedro, CA. It is a "pink goo" she calls RWD -- Repellent Wound Dressing, and from what I've seen it is quite unique and very effective. Dr. Jen's RWD has helped a lot of horses, including my morgan, who was rubbing his tail raw before I started using her concoction last summer. I just dabbed a little on every few days, and the problem completely disappeared.

The down side is that the goo itself doesn't disappear so easily: your horse will have pink spots that will indeed attract some dirt. However, I would personally much rather deal with the pink and a bit of dirt than have a horse that is being tortured by itching, rubbing off his beautiful hair, and making himself sore.

I know you don't live around here, but if you want to try this stuff, contact her office and get them to sell you some and pop it in the mail, which they have told me they would be happy to do. It is not overly expensive and a little goes a long way, so perhaps that is an option worth considering.

Please let us know how your pony does!

- Susan Kauffmann, aka "The Equinist"

CONFORMATION FAULT: Three Common Knee Problems

2011-05-25T15:17:00.002-07:00

No Perfect Horse: Three Knee Problems

As we mentioned in the last installment in this series, the knee of the horse is a complex structure that is subject to a great variety of conformation faults. Today we’ll take a look at three knee deviations, all of which are best observed from a lateral (side) view.

Back at the Knee (aka calf or sheep knee)

This is a serious fault in which there is a slight to marked ‘bowing’ backwards of the leg from a lateral view. A plumb line would fall closer to the front of the knee and further behind the heel bulb. This puts similar strain on the limb as if the horse were continually traveling downhill. Such conformation can put excess strain on various parts of the limb, including the flexor tendons, inferior check ligament, and suspensory ligament. Horses with this fault may not move well and may be prone to stumbling, as well as bone chips in the knees and soft-tissue injuries such as bowed tendons. Working these horses in deep footing should be avoided, and it is worthwhile to x-ray the knees of any horse that is back at the knee before purchasing it. Unfortunately, many horses with this structural fault do not remain sound.

Over at the Knee (aka buck or goat knee, knee-sprung, forward at the knee)

Over at the knee is the most common of the “lateral view” structural deviations. Horses over at the knee will demonstrate a slight to marked ‘bowing’ forward of the leg, when viewed from the side. A plumb line falls closer to the back of the knee and slightly forward of the heel bulb. In some cases, the limb may vibrate or shake, and it may buckle easily if you push it from behind. The strain placed on the limb is similar to what the horse would experience if constantly traveling uphill. You may see a shortened stride, and the horse may place excessive strain on the superficial flexor tendon, suspensory ligament, and sesamoid bones. Riders often report feeling that they are “lurching” forward and backwards when mounted on these horses. In severe cases, horses may actually buckle at the knee and go down, putting both themselves and their riders at risk. However, many horses with this condition have long, productive performance careers.

Tied in Knee (aka tied in behind or below the knee)

From the side, this conformation fault will appear as an indentation under the back of the knee at the top of the cannon bone. It is actually caused by an abnormally small carpal canal, a structure through which several tendons and ligaments must move. The result is inhibited forward movement, as the soft tissue structures behind the cannon bone – the superficial and deep digital flexor tendons and the suspensory ligament – are prevented from moving freely. Be aware that some horses may have a thick or heavy fetlock that can give the appearance of the knee being tied in, when it really isn’t. Tied in knees typically do not present the same sort of lameness risks as the previous two.

CONFORMATION FAULT: Three Common Knee Problems

2011-05-25T15:17:00.000-07:00

No Perfect Horse: Three Knee Problems

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Back at the Knee (aka calf or sheep knee)

Over at the Knee (aka buck or goat knee, knee-sprung, forward at the knee)

Tied in Knee (aka tied in behind or below the knee)