Table of contents for August 2018 in Equus

A wild ride “Self-Defense for Trail Riders” (EQUUS 489) reminded me of something that happened to my mom while she was out riding in the Santa Susana Mountains in California in the late 1960s. A man approached her and grabbed the reins, trying to get control of her horse. Luckily, the horse we had then, Freckles, was about 16 hands and had been a calf roper, so he took off up the mountain when my mom kicked him. The man who’d grabbed at her, along with some other people, chased my mom and Freckles on dune buggies, but they just kept running until they were safely back at the ranch where we boarded our horse. At the time, everyone thought my mom had simply encountered a bunch of hippies. It…

Aural plaques—the white, crusty growths that some-times appear on the inside of equine ears—can contain several types of equine papillomavirus (EPV), according to a new study from Brazil. Also known as papillary acanthoma or ear papillomas, aural plaques are harmless but can be unsightly. They are thought to develop when EPV is spread by black flies, which deposit the virus on the inside of the ear’s pinna0 while feeding. The growths are notoriously difficult to treat, and the most effective method—topical application of the antitumor drug imiquimod—is lengthy and difficult to deliver. EPV is associated with a variety of skin growths in horses, ranging from warts to sarcoids0. So far, eight different varieties of the virus have been identified, based on their genetic structure. To learn which EPV varieties might…

Even though I use a mounting block, the left stirrup leather on my English saddle eventually stretches a bit from the extra strain of mounting. This made my stirrups uneven, even when they were set on the same holes. I’ve solved this problem by “rotating” my leathers; I switch their sides every week when I clean my tack. Send your suggestions for inexpensive P.O. Box 7510, Falls Church, Virginia 22040; email: EQLetters@aimmedia.com. Senders of published items will receive selected EQUUS merchandise.…

Southerners value easy-gaited horses who yet often, through their Hobby ancestry, possess a turn of speed. Nineteenth-century breeders deliberately used good Virginia Hobby or Mountain Horse mares with Thoroughbred stallions to produce half-bred Colonial Quarter Running Horses. But the CQRH was often also an ambler that made a comfortable travelling horse. For example, after the Civil War, Lock Alsup got out of racing and used his broodmare band to produce horses now considered foundational for the Missouri Fox Trotter. Our review of Thoroughbred history (EQUUS 448 through EQUUS 453) brought out the fact that many early Thoroughbreds were ambler-gallopers. By about 1800, however, most successful racehorses were bred from trotters, and after 1830 ambling Thoroughbreds were almost impossible to find. Plantation owner Gen. John Hartwell Cocke wrote newspaper articles out…

EASY-TO-APPLY LINIMENT ▸ Product: Farnam Vetrolin Liniment ▸ Description: A camphor-based formula, Vetrolin Liniment contains five essential oils to stimulate blood flow and soothe stiff, sore muscles and joints after a workout. It now comes in a new Equi Veil 360° continuous spray bottle for easy, no-mess coverage. The bottle is designed to spray at any angle, including upside down, and it will continue spraying until completely empty, avoiding waste of any of the liniment. ▸ Price: suggested retail, $23.49 for a 20-ounce continuous spray bottle. Also available in 32-ounce ($18.81) and one-gallon ($55.43) jugs ▸ Source: www.farnam.com CLEAN AND SHINY ▸ Product: Exhibitor’s Quic Shampoo and Quic Conditioner ▸ Description: Intensify your horse’s shine with Quic Shampoo, which is formulated to alter the way light interacts with a horse’s…

Q: A slip of the scissors while cutting out a burr took an extra four inches off your horse’s tail. About how long will it take for that to grow back–days, weeks or months? POP QUIZ ANSWER You’ll need to wait nearly six months for your horse’s tail to grow four inches. Studies have shown that it takes between 13 and 19 days for equine tail hair to grow one centimeter, which means it would take about a month to six weeks for it to grow an inch. This rate, of course, assumes the horse is in good health, receives adequate nutrition and has no further run-ins with burrs or scissors. Also, this is just an average; some individuals will have faster or slower growth rates.…

Wound care in the summer months has a season-specific challenge: keeping insects away. Studies have found that a single fly can carry more than 350 kinds of bacteria. By one estimate, a single insect can carry 6,000 salmonella organisms at a time. Each insect walking over the surface of a wound has the potential to deposit those pathogens, stalling healing and spreading disease. Fortunately, you have a number of options for protecting minor wounds on your horse from flies. Bandaging, if the location allows it, is an effective insect defense. You can also put a layer of ointment over the wound, creating a barrier to keep them out. Another option is to surround the wound area with an ointment that includes an insecticide; such preparations are available through your veterinarianas…

Finding ways to prevent, treat–and, one day, even cure–laminitis has been a goal of mine since the very beginning of my career. When I was a third-year veterinary student in the late 1960s, one of the first patients I met was a pony named Sugar Bear. He was having difficulty walking, and his hooves were oddly shaped. X-rays revealed he had foundered–his coffin bones had separated from the hoof wall and rotated severely due to laminitis. Sugar Bear would likely be in pain for the rest of his life, and the veterinarian in charge of the case recommended putting him down. The news was devastating. You enter veterinary medicine hoping to save lives–and already, here we were ending one. I was shocked at how little else we could do. My…

Who besides a racehorse fancier needs a fast horse? An outlaw queen. Born Myra Maybelle Shirley, after marrying Jim Reed and then Sam Starr, both members of the infamous James-Younger gang, Belle became the gang’s de facto leader in Missouri and Oklahoma. A crack shot, and with a flamboyant sense of style, she often rode out sidesaddle as we see her here, dressed in a black velveteen habit. Along with the James boys, Belle grew up in Carthage, Missouri, and certainly would have known Jack Alsup, from whom she might have gotten this handsome and undoubtedly speedy gelding. Belle was murdered in 1889 when only 40 years old. The case is officially listed as unsolved, but there is strong evidence that she was killed by her 14-year-old son, whom she…

adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)---a hormone released by the pituitary gland that regulates the release of cortisol by the adrenal glands. arytenoid cartilage---ladle-shaped, movable cartilage in the larynx to which the vocal cords are attached. carbohydrates---large group of carbon-based compounds, including starches, sugars and cellulose, that are found in plants and form the largest class of animal foods. Carbohydrates, together with proteins and lipids, are principal components of cell protoplasm, the viscous fluid that fills plant and animal cells. cribbing---undesirable habit of grabbing objects with the upper incisor teeth and sucking a gulp of air. deep digital flexor tendon---tendon connecting the deep muscles at the back of the forearm and gaskin to the coffin bone in the foot. eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE, encephalomyelitis)---brain and spinal-cord inflammation in horses, caused by a specific…

The data showed that, in cases of forelimb lameness, a horse’s head and withers both dropped when the sound foreleg was on the ground and rose when the lame leg was bearing weight. The movement of a horse’s withers can signal whether lameness originates in a front or hind leg, according to a new study from Sweden. The process of detecting lameness in a particular limb typically begins by watching movement of the head and pelvis. Generally, a forelimb lameness causes a head nod, while a hind limb lameness causes asymmetries in pelvic movement: The mid-pelvis will drop more on the sound hind limb compared to the lame limb. Often, however, a horse will develop a “compensatory” head nod in a hind limb lameness as he redistributes his weight to…

Areas of mineralization seen in tendons and ligaments during ultrasound exams are not necessarily associated with lameness, according to a new British study. In ultrasound examinations, high-frequency sound waves are used to produce images of organs and other structures within the body. Areas of mineralization (calcification or ossification) in soft tissues appear as bright spots on ultrasound images, but their clinical significance is often unclear. To explore the implication of soft-tissue mineralization, researchers at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), London, examined the ultrasound images and clinical records of 27 horses brought to the RVC Equine Hospital over a 16-year period because of lameness. The most common location for mineralizations was the deep digital flexor tendon, found in 10 of the study horses. Eight horses had mineralizations affecting the suspensory ligament…

Your mare is reluctant to cross the gravel drive and takes “ouchy,” mincing steps when forced to. Is this cause for concern? The answer depends on whether this behavior is new. A horse who consistently hesitates to walk on rocky ground may simply have thin soles. Your farrier can confirm if this is natural characteristic of your horse’s hooves. Thin soles aren’t a problem if the horse doesn’t regularly have to cross rough terrain---just let him move slowly and carefully when he does. If rocky going is a regular challenge to a thin-soled horse, however, talk to your farrier about the potential benefits of shoes or pads. A thin-soled horse who doesn’t have some form of protection runs the risk of hoof bruises or deeper bone bruises, which can take…

After your next family picnic, don’t throw out the watermelon rinds. Instead, take them to the barn for your horses. Watermelon rinds don’t have much nutritional value, but they are a tasty treat that many horses relish. To feed watermelon rinds safely, first ensure the whole fruit wasn’t spiked with any type of alcohol. Then cut the rinds into small pieces—no bigger than an alfalfa cube—and give them only to horses who have teeth strong enough to chew them completely. As much as your horse might love them, limit feeding rinds to a cup or less at a time. Any more could trigger digestive troubles just as any significant dietary changes would.…

During my four decades as a practicing veterinarian, my clients would often ask me, “Is it safe to let my horse out in the pasture? Will grazing cause him to founder?” These questions are rooted in deep concern for the welfare of their horses. After decades of study (see “Progress and Challenges,” page 37), we now know that the sugars in pasture grasses can greatly increase the risk that certain horses will develop laminitis, the painful inflammation of the connective tissues within the foot. And we know why: Consuming even “normal” amounts of sugars and starches greatly increases the amount of insulin in the blood of these horses. We know that high levels of insulin are a direct cause of pasture-associated laminitis. Fortunately, we have also learned that pasture-associated laminitis…

The summer before eighth grade, the barn where I’d learned to ride closed down. The owner offered the lesson horses for sale, and the resident horse girls scrambled to buy their favorites. I was torn. I loved a slow, sleepy buckskin named Barney, but I recognized he wouldn’t be the right horse for me. I would soon outgrow his plodding paces. Gradually, the atmosphere of the barn changed as the bustling activity subsided. There had been anywhere from 10 to 20 girls who mucked stalls in exchange for lessons or trail rides on swift horses with names like Starfire, Inflight, Morocco, Spirit. But as these girls vacated the property with their horses, headed to other stables across the valley, the aisles grew quieter. I dutifully went to the quiet barn…

When I was a little girl, my father gave me a tattered old book for Christmas, one that his mother had given to him when he was little---Billy and Blaze, by C. W. Anderson. It’s about a boy and his pony and the adventures they share. I read it over and over until the cloth binding turned shiny from wear. I couldn’t imagine anything in the world better than to have what Billy had: a pony, a barn, a dog and woods to ride in. I never got my pony or barn---only the dog. I grew up, went to college, found a job and settled gently into urban life. I married, had children, grew older. The dream of owning a horse and barn had retreated to some dusty back shelf…