Table of contents for Summer 2021 in Equus

Many years ago, I was a young person getting established in the horse industry. I’d worked as a riding instructor for years and had recently taken a job as an editorial assistant with my favorite horse magazine. I was full of the exuberance of youth and excited about the prospects for the future, both for myself and the horse world in general. My rosy outlook was soon put to the test when I found myself sitting in meetings where my elders repeatedly painted a bleak picture of the future. The problem, I was told, was that young people no longer had an agricultural background, and we didn’t grow up watching Westerns on television. We were physically and culturally distanced from farms, the argument went, therefore we wouldn’t connect with horses.…

A biological product under development at North Carolina State University (NCSU) shows promise as a therapy for osteoarthritis in horses. The treatment, called BIOPLY, is a specialized type of platelet-rich plasma (PRP), a biologic product made by processing whole blood to concentrate platelets and amplify healing and growth factors. An injectable therapy, PRP is generally derived from each horse’s own blood to treat inflammation associated with soft-tissue injuries or arthritis. While conventional PRP products have between two and 10 times the platelets of whole blood, BIO-PLY has 50 times more and undergoes extensive processing to include only certain proteins and platelets, according to Lauren V. Schnabel, DVM, PhD, DACVS, DACVSMR, who presented her research at the 2020 American Association of Equine Practitioners virtual convention. In addition, Schnabel says, the BIO-PLY…

Horse barns have always been a refuge for me. I love just being inside them. My favorites include a beautiful stone structure where I spent weekends and summers during my college years, and a barn owned by my riding instructor that was the setting for many happy hours both before and after lessons. Indeed, some of my best equestrian memories are associated with horse barns. Yet, you may be surprised to learn that, even though I have kept horses on my property for more than 30 years, I have never had a traditional barn of my own. The pattern started early. Growing up on a large farm in southeast Tennessee, my family’s acreage had many structures but no horse barn. We had milking parlors, haylofts and machine sheds, but nothing…

Standing in line at the grocery store one day, Army veteran Adam Halloran was so filled with rage that he bit down on his lip hard enough to draw blood. “I didn’t like how a customer was speaking to the cashier,” he explains. “But you can’t just fight someone in the grocery line.” Making the transition back to civilian life was difficult, and Halloran often found that everyday situations filled him with anger. “I swore an oath to protect people,” he says, “but I couldn’t do anything about it. I was just angry, all the time. And I found poor ways to cope.” That was years ago. These days, the man who once relentlessly tested himself in risky situations now enjoys tranquil pastimes: gardening, playing with his cat, doing pottery…

The footfall sequence and timing that characterizes the rack is very close to that of the Spanish trot; in other words, a horse performing Spanish trot is, in fact, racking—with very high energy and impulsion, higher than anything demanded in the modern Grand Prix de Dressage. For this reason, instead of rejecting the rack, those who practice dressage ought to be extremely interested in it. Change from rack to trot requires the horse to ground the forelimb earlier, so that it strikes down (and supports the horse) at the same time as the contralateral hind limb. This means that the horse must go in a level but not an uphill balance. The variant of “pure” or strictly “two-beat” trot that requires the most energy and impulsion from the horse is…

An observant visitor to our little barn might notice the odd mix of old and new: Fresh boards and shiny gates fitted to weatherworn posts. Colorful new feed pans set beside the old hay trough. New fences crisscrossing the pasture, breaking up once-larger sections. And in the corner of the far pasture, a small garden–dormant now in midwinter–marks the grave of a dear four-legged friend. The silver-sprinkled chestnut face no longer waits to be let out of the paddock each morning. Instead, two small, long-eared ones–one gray and one black–peer through the bars of the gate. For many, 2020 will be remembered as a year of hardship and loss. For me, it was those things but also a year of a different kind of loss. It was also a year…

Q: It may seem as if a horse on pasture is constantly eating, but he’s not. According to research on the topic, how long does the average horse spend actively grazing when turned out? a. four to six hours b. seven to 10 hours c. 10 to 17 hours d. more than 17 hours For the answer, turn to page 10. POP QUIZ ANSWER c. According to research published in 2013, horses spend between 10 to 17 hours grazing. This total time, however, is broken up among 15 to 20 eating sessions, between which horses will nap and socialize with others.…

Recent research underscores the difficulty in identifying “silent carriers” of strangles–horses who can continue to infect herdmates months after an outbreak seems to have subsided. Caused by Streptococcus equi bacteria, strangles is characterized by a high fever, depression, appetite loss and enlargement of the lymph nodes between the jawbones. Thick, yellow pus may drain from the infected horse’s nostrils, and abscessed nodes in the throat may burst and drain. In severe cases, large abscesses may obstruct the airways, causing the horse to struggle to breathe, hence the disease’s descriptive name. Strangles can spread rapidly through a herd as S. equi bacteria are shed in mucus and airborne droplets. Isolating sick horses is a key part of controlling an outbreak, but some infected horses do not show signs of illness, making…

A preliminary investigation suggests that some horses may inherit a tendency to develop the condition commonly called kissing spines. Technically known as overriding spinous processes, kissing spines refers to closely spaced bony prominences (spinous processes) at the top of vertebrae that touch or rub against each other as the horse bends and moves. The resulting discomfort can lead to performance problems including bucking and/or an unwillingness to flex in a particular direction or hold a lead at the canter. Analysis showed that a single gene location on the chromosome was associated with a kissing-spines diagnosis. A kissing-spines diagnosis is typically based on the horse’s clinical history and radiographs of the spinous processes, although clinical relevance of the imaging findings can be difficult to interpret. Treatments involve a combination of corticosteroid…

Italian researchers are investigating how eating from a hay net affects a horse’s posture and, potentially, his health over time. Nets and bags that hold hay off the ground have been available for decades, but they have become increasingly common with the introduction of “slow feeder” styles that regulate how quickly a horse can eat. Concern that elevated feeders require horses to adopt unnatural postures led researchers at the University di Torino to design a study to quantify the effects of feeding hay from nets at various heights versus ground level. For the study, six Warmbloods were filmed as they ate hay offered at three different levels: Placed loose on the stall floor, in a slow-feeder style mesh net hung to align with the horse’s cannon bones, and in the…

One issue that all horse owners who choose to keep their horses at home face, regardless of whether or not they have a barn, is providing safe and adequate fencing. Of course, people have personal preferences, but any traditional horse fencing installed properly will work. There are several types to choose from, including woven or v-mesh wire, traditional wood, PVC, panels or electric tape. Fencing systems span the range of budgets, from the very affordable to significant investments, and have different levels of maintenance associated with them. When choosing fencing, I’d recommend not rushing. Take time to research all your options and consider your present and future needs: Do you want to be able to re-configure turnout spaces? Do you anticipate getting more horses? How handy are you at making…

Between sun and sweat, your horse’s skin can bear the brunt of summer conditions. Take a few steps to protect his skin–for the sake of his looks and his overall health. • Shield it from the sun. Prolonged exposure to harsh sunlight will not only fade a horse’s coat but can lead to serious health conditions. Protect your horse’s skin just as you would your own: with sunscreen and clothing that blocks ultraviolet light. Some fly sprays incorporate sunscreen and work well for whole-body application. For more specific areas, you can also use a sunscreen lotion formulated for horses or humans with sensitive skin. Thick creams like zinc-oxide are a bit messy but work very well to protect delicate pink skin on the muzzle that tends to get burned. To…

A new study confirms the reliability of the EquiSed scale, a scoring system to determine a horse’s level of sedation after the administration of calming medications. Although the tranquilizers and sedatives used in horse care have similar effects, they differ in action and use: Sedatives provide pain relief and are generally administered by veterinarians to prevent movement during standing medical procedures. Tranquilizers help control a horse’s anxiety while leaving him aware of his surroundings. Accurate assessment of medication-induced calming is important not only to standardize studies of the pharmacological effects of various drugs, but also to keep veterinarians and bystanders safe during procedures. “A standardized scale can guarantee that a veterinarian or anyone who wants to perform a clinical exam, image diagnosis, or a dental or surgical procedure will be…

No one is going to fault you for not wanting to think too much about flies. You probably already spend a good amount of each summer day dealing with them. With the repeated spraying and wiping of repellents and the endless cycle of putting on and taking off masks and wraps, no one wants to spend time dwelling on these pests. Yet, chances are, a question or two has crossed your mind as you’ve waged your battle against bugs, all ultimately amounting to “What can I do to make this work better?” Read on for help answering that question as well as some facts about the nature and habits of winged pests to consider when implementing fly-control measures. In many cases, it’s possible to not only maximize your efforts but…

Last summer, we were driving to Johnson City, Kansas, to pick up a new horse trailer. The small town is about 50 miles east of Blue Rose Ranch, our horse rescue and adoption facility in southeastern Colorado. A few miles outside of Johnson City, we passed three horses wandering loose on the side of the road. They were in poor shape and one was emaciated. We drove directly to the sheriff’s office to report the lost horses and let the officers know we could pick them up and take care of them until the owner was found. Ten minutes later, while we were getting our trailer, a sheriff’s deputy called and requested we do just that. With minimal difficulty, we loaded the three horses and headed back to Blue Rose…

From the content and style of Tom Bass’s exhibitions, he may be considered Bauchériste. It makes little difference whether this influence came from de Bussigny’s riding manual or secondhand through observation of other men who had been influenced by French horsemanship. Nor does attribution take away from the individuality and uniqueness of Bass’s personal style (and the same may also be said of Hiram Tuttle). I confess that my own practice of horsemanship is also highly influenced by the teachings of Baucher; they have helped me to produce several delightful, finished riding horses who have also been boon companions. This explanation of Bauchèriste basics is thus coming from someone who has actually practiced them with success. As a first principle, Bauchériste training for the High School assumes the great intelligence…

These sequences show ordinary canter and canter with a single flying lead change. The key moment in the flying change sequence is what happens between frames 4 and 5, when the horse accelerates the right hind leg so that it grounds sooner than the left hind. Compare this to frames 6 and 7 in the ordinary canter, where the horse does not switch hind legs because he intends to simply continue cantering on the same lead. This comparison highlights the fact that, in order to change leads in this manner, the horse must carry enough weight upon the hindquarter to enable it to produce significant suspension, so that it has time to switch the hind feet. “Non-flying” but useful changes of canter lead are often seen in Western Riding and…

MANAGEMENT The myth about parasites and weight loss Q: How likely is it that parasites are keeping a horse from gaining weight? I have a 9-year-old gelding who is a very hard keeper. I’ve dewormed him regularly and had his teeth checked, but he’s still not picking up weight. Will a fecal egg count reveal if he has parasites that are robbing him of calories? Name withheld by request A: The short answer to your question is “extremely unlikely.” Parasites rarely exert any sort of negative effects in well-managed horses. It may be an uncomfortable thought, but we have to come to terms with the fact that parasitism is a normal state for our horses. Every horse has parasites. We can never eliminate them, nor is it wise to try.…

For a long time after the pandemic began, nothing seemed right. And even this far in, you wake up, and there’s always something that’s not quite as it should be. Covid restrictions have eased, but I’m still getting over the desolation I felt early on when they prevented me from seeing my Paint mare, Sugar. She lives at a boarding barn and at the outset of the Covid-19 crisis experts didn’t know how the virus spread. “High-touch areas” like pasture gates were considered risky. Local laws had us staying at home. The barn was off limits. I had never been barred from seeing my horses before–or even imagined that it was possible. In fact, my friends used to joke that in a post-apocalyptic society–say, one brought about by a calamity…