Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2018 i Equus

WHAT DARKER DAYS MEAN Dwindling hours of daylight may leave you feeling rushed and glum, but the shorter days of winter can have a different effect on your horse. Here’s what they mean to him: • A thicker coat. Winter hair coat growth is triggered as the number of daylight hours decline, a process that started way back in midsummer. By the time the sun is setting in late afternoon, your horse is probably plenty fuzzy. As days begin to lengthen again in mid-December, his body will begin receiving hormonal signals to shed his winter coat and new summer growth will begin, long before you’re thinking of spring. • Night vision. Although a horse’s eyesight doesn’t change in the winter per se, the shorter days allow him to put his…

“Ranger” was a gorgeous palomino colt, a grandson of a well-known stallion. Two brothers owned him and intended to make him their prized stud horse. Unfortunately, they were in over their heads and the long yearling had become unruly. Now, they wanted him gelded. Everything went fine with the surgery, and they went home with management instructions and advice to find a trainer to help them. A few months later, Ranger was back in our hospital because of a severe cut on his hind leg. We sutured and bandaged the limb and gave the brothers instructions for recheck appointments and bandage changes. Sadly, Ranger returned about two weeks later and the brothers wanted him put down. The original bandage was still in place. The brothers said the horse was kicking…

Use this ground-pole configuration to help your horse increase his symmetry, stride awareness and body control. A “raised pole fan” arrangement requires footwork that switches between the extensor and flexor muscle chains. This exercise targets the thoracic sling, stifle muscles and pelvic stability. It is not uncommon for horses to trip or bang the poles the first time through this routine until they make the proprioceptive improvements to go through cleanly. This deceptively difficult exercise does wonders for the horse’s stride awareness and control. 1. With the inside edge of the poles raised to a height of 12 to 16 inches, set up four to six poles in a fan shape as shown. Space the raised inside ends of the poles approximately one foot apart; set the wider ends 4…

This 1904 advertisement is ironic on many levels. Professor Harold Hill himself could not have produced better double-talk than it contains: “The silent horse power of this runabout is measurable, dependable and spontaneous. The horse power generated by supplies of hay and oats is variable, uncertain and irresponsive.” Say folks—when was the last time your horse was “irresponsive”? And when was the last time you saw a vintage auto at a county fair or a car show that ran “silently”? Or “spontaneously”? Those old engines had to be started with hand cranks that, if the car backfired while you were cranking, would kick back hard enough to break your arm; so much for “ladies and children.” The ad says there is “nothing to watch but the road,” but that is…

1 Sam’s daughter Hattie Watkins Thompson on a mare nicknamed “Old Bird” (who might in reality be Nora M, Sam’s oldest broodmare). 2 Hitched mare (might be the two-year-old Mollie D, Nora M’s daughter said to be by TB Tennyson but probably actually by Dan Tucker). 3 In the chaise are Sam’s son Walter with toddlers Lillian and Marie Thompson, Sam’s granddaughters. 4 Doc Thompson, Sam’s son-in-law, husband of Hattie; holding the very fast mare Butt Cut. The curious foal at foot, sniffing at the wagon wheel, might be Hi Henry. 5 Hired hand Crit Atterbury holding broodmare Bird; the foal at foot might be Pira (by Duke of the Highlands). 6 Sam’s cousin Hugh Watkins. 7 Sam’s son Edgar holding the stallion Dan Tucker. 8 Sam Watkins holding the…

BROUGHT TO YOU BY KINDREDBIO EQUINE Planning for the health and safety of the equine competitors at the FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) Tryon 2018 began long before the first horses started arriving through quarantine on September 1. And a tremendous amount of manpower went into keeping the horses healthy, safe and competing on a level playing field despite travel, heat, humidity and the remnants of Hurricane Florence. Every team for each country could bring a team veterinarian. Some teams had veterinarians who were “grooms” who kept a watchful eye on the horses. There were 60-70 FEI Vet Services volunteer veterinarians working at any time at the facility (depending on the event). Competitions such as Endurance, the cross-country phase of Eventing and the marathon phase of Driving all required extra…

Beddings of all types have the potential to be dusty. And dust can trigger chronic breathing problems, such as equine asthma (also called heaves). So, what is the best bedding for a horse with a respiratory condition? None at all, because those horses are best kept out of stalls entirely. The number one recommendation from veterinarians is to keep horses prone to heaves outdoors continually, in the fresh air and well away from all dusts and particulates associated with an indoor barn environment. And the recommendation works—numerous studies have confirmed that living on a pasture is far better for heavey horses than indoor living with any type of bedding, forage or intense management. (The notable exception is horses with pasture heaves, who are triggered by molds, but these are a…

He spooked. He cribbed. He was barely broke to ride. Bred to race with a career sidelined by unfortunate circumstance, Mystical Harbor, or “Fellow” (Harbor Man x Gambling Joy), was a highly reactive 4-year-old Thoroughbred gelding at the mercy of human decision. Enter Kimberly Godwin Clark and Thoroughbred Placement Resources, an A Home For Every Horse rescue in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Known for her knack with difficult horses, Clark was contacted by Fellow’s owner for help in 2013. “She was afraid of him, and she was afraid of what would happen to him,” said Clark. Understanding the precarious situation of notoriously difficult horses, she took the gelding sight unseen. Thoroughbred Placement Resources, or TPR, is home to Thoroughbreds with various abilities and backgrounds. Like she does with all horses at…

It was January and the snow came up around my boot tops as I traipsed across the yard and knocked on the door. Rose and Dan, an elderly couple, were wearing coats inside the frigid house. People had been calling the authorities about a thin mare they owned and before a horse is confiscated, a veterinarian must examine the animal. That was the reason for my visit. As we walked to the barn, Dan explained how they had unexpectedly had to move several years ago when retirement funds were lost in the crashing economy. They had tried to sell “Cookie,” but when she became thin, nobody wanted to buy her. They had also talked to the local horse rescue, but the rescue was already overflowing. Rose had been told there…

There’s a lot to love about horsekeeping in the winter months: a lack of insects, adorably fuzzy ponies and sparkling snow-covered pasture scenes. Taking care of horses in the colder months has its challenges, though. Even if it never dips below freezing in your area, you’ll need to contend with your horse’s changing nutritional needs, housing requirements and more. Plus, you’ll have to keep yourself warm through it all. Nonetheless, with a little bit of preparation, you can manage whatever winter sends your way. Read on for tips and tricks for tackling the challenges of the season. Nutrition 1. Many horses lose weight once pastures die back. For an easy keeper coming into the season with extra pounds, this can be a good thing. But you’ll want to keep an…

Proprioception, a term used frequently in physical therapy, refers to how an individual ”reads” the position, motion and equilibrium of his body parts and the amount of effort employed during movement. You can think of it as the way a body interprets and makes adjustments to the demands of any given moment. Proprioception is responsible for shifting your balance when you sense the terrain change underfoot or for modulating muscular effort when you need to work harder to get up or down a hill, for example. An athlete with well-developed proprioception has good coordination and quick reflexes and balance control. Many factors can interfere with proprioception, including over-specialization in any discipline, injury or too many idle daytime hours. For many horses, poor proprioception arises from health problems, stall confinement or…

Canadian hotel owner William H. Edwards and his wife perform for a photographer in Nova Scotia. Apparently an animal trainer and something of a sideshow man, the “trick” shown in this tableau was carefully staged: Note the sturdy boxes to support the horse’s weight placed under and on the running board of the car. On the hood of the car sits an “organ grinder’s” monkey, placidly grooming itself; and under Mr. Edwards’ left arm, there is the stuffed head of a crocodile. The beautiful and intelligent horse appears to be an American Saddlebred, the worldwide number one choice for solo-performance circus and High School exhibition. Already by 1895, Italian cavalry captain Federico Caprilli had become dissatisfied with the way jumping was handled in the military. He decided to ignore the…

In this shot, Peter McCue is 4 years old and still in racing condition. A big horse at 16-plus hands and 1,400 pounds, he had plenty of “bone” with substantial knees, ankles and hocks. Long-bodied, Peter McCue is quite different in conformation from the punchy, ponylike Missouri Rondos and Texas Billys featured in previous articles, and yet his physique is, like theirs, very muscular. His big hindquarters are given extra leverage by a long, prominent ischium (the part of the pelvis behind the hip socket). The picture of racing aptitude is completed by a spectacular elastic shoulder, prominent withers that carry well back, well-shaped neck, quality head and the small, pricked ears which are often found in Quarter Horses. Readers of this series will recognize the sprinters Old Billy, Dolly…

DERMATOLOGY The case of the curious coat pattern Q: My horse Leo develops an unusual coat pattern over his whole body every summer. The length and texture of the hairs are all about the same, but the hairs grow in different directions. His winter coat appears to be normal, and after he sheds out, I don’t really notice the pattern until the end of June. Once it reappears, the pattern is fairly similar each year, although it does change a bit. Leo is 13 now, and his coat has done this every year since I got him when he was 8. He is healthy and sound, with no prior injuries that we know of. He is not itchy, and he has no lesions, no sensitivities to insects, no hives. My…

If you’ve ever lit a scented candle to help yourself relax after a long day, you may not be surprised to learn that the smell of lavender can help calm stressed horses. Researchers at the University of Arizona recently measured cardiac parameters in eight dressage horses before, during and after they inhaled humidified lavender essential oil. Each of the horses was also tested with plain water to serve as a control either one week before or one week after the lavender trial. The experiment was then repeated with the chamomile essential oil. During the study periods, the horses wore monitors that collected data on heart rate as well as heart rate variability (HRV), the time intervals between heartbeats. HRV is an indicator of the parasympathetic response of the nervous system,…

A layer of fresh, clean bedding in a stall eventually ends up as a pile of not-so-fresh bedding. What you do with it after that can be quite the quandary. Dirty, uncomposted bedding spread directly onto fields not only has the potential to distribute parasite eggs all over your horse’s grazing space, but the bedding material itself can kill the pasture grasses. Fully composted bedding is safe and even beneficial to spread on your fields, but different materials compost at different rates. “The fertility value of the end product is definitely a consideration in bedding choice if you are composting, along with how long the material takes to break down to where you can spread it on your pastures,” says Jenifer Nadeau, PhD, an equine extension specialist at the University…

The arrival of a new horse in your life is always exciting. The possibilities for your partnership stretch ahead like a sunlit road waiting to be traveled together. Acquiring a rescue horse, however, is very different from buying a healthy, sound horse who has had excellent care throughout his life. A rescue horse with an unknown past may behave in surprising ways, and his health may be compromised in ways that can never be fully restored. An owner of a rescued horse recently put it this way, “I guess that is the hard thing about rescue. You never know what is going to happen.” The road ahead may have a few clouds along with that sun, and it may take some unexpected turns. Through my veterinary practice, I have been…

I watched as the veterinary student assigned to “Sweetie” presented her medical case. A mare of average build, Sweetie was chestnut with a little bit of white, 15 hands tall, middle-aged with a quiet demeanor. She had sustained a bad laceration, and her loving (but neophyte) owners were willing and able to do whatever it took to fix it. The student explained about the surgery Sweetie had undergone and relayed information about her treatment plan. Then, the veterinary technician asked when Sweetie was due to foal. The student looked puzzled. The other students were quiet as the attending veterinarian informed us that the mare was not pregnant. The experienced technician and I looked at each other in surprise—we had both foaled out a number of mares for clients, as well…

Skilled riding is often all it takes to improve a horse’s athleticism, performance and overall well-being. But just as often, even good dressage-based training programs fail to fully root out the habits and patterns that prevent many horses from reaching optimal movement and correctness of their gaits. Anything from a poorly fitting saddle to inconsistent exercise schedules to an injury or stress, or past postural imbalances can create compromises. These quickly become deeper impediments to a horse’s movement mechanics that persist even with good, regular riding schedules. The body’s way of taking care of itself during physical imbalances is to put up defenses. These defenses take the form of muscular spasms, adhesions, tightened muscles, restricted joint motions and signals to and from the central nervous system to move differently. Curing…

The Gay Nineties in America were a decade of enormous optimism, when technology, mechanization and the rise of unions materially improved the lives of millions of white middle-class wage-earners. Progress came at a cost, however. Industry in this era depended for its energy needs largely upon coal; the foggy, smoggy London in which Sherlock Holmes sleuthed is an accurate description of the real Gay Nineties town in which Arthur Conan Doyle lived and worked. As a new century dawned, “environmentalism” was unheard-of in the industrialized West and the concept of sustainability was on nobody’s mind---rather the thrust was toward maximum exploitation of natural resources. Yet the long-standing effects of air pollution created by burning coal were palpable to me even during the 1970s when I was a student worker at…

Army Remount Service stallions foaled in 1920 or earlier: All of the Thoroughbreds are handsome, useful, well-bred horses, but after their racing days for one reason or another most were not considered successful at stud, and this is a major reason why their owners donated them. Gunrock was a dark palomino with high white, not a fashionable color for flat-track racers but just fine with ranchers out West. Gordon Russell is remembered most as an outstanding sire of jumpers and of the remarkable Army-bred eventing mare Jenny Camp. Three influential non-Thoroughbreds are also included in this group. The Arabian Ribal (see page 88) was, like the better-known Astraled, a sire-line descendant of the Crabbet-bred Mesaoud, a chestnut with “snowflake” patterning. Both Ribal and Astraled had long careers west of the…

Finer-limbed and more upright through the shoulder than Peter McCue, Della Moore nonetheless proved herself to be a tough, sound mare of indomitable courage, who produced several important foundational Quarter Horse sires mentioned in the text. Della Moore’s pedigree in many ways parallels that of Peter McCue. Like him, she is close to three-quarters Thoroughbred and also carries the same even balance of Herod vs. Eclipse sire-lines, with one line to Matchem. She presents multiple lines to high-quality horses known for soundness as much as speed: Touchstone, Sir Peter Teazle, Lexington and Sir Archy. An excellent chalk rendition by Cheri Luce of Della Moore’s sire, Dedier or “D.J.,” which was made in consultation with many Louisianans who knew and remembered the stallion. Note the big hindquarters, fine neck, substantial hocks,…

Montana is big country. Big mountains, big landscapes, big animals, big ranches, big distances between neighbors, and, certainly, big sky. This is a place—like many lands of the West—that breeds people tough. The iconic embodiment of this toughness is found in the oft-perpetuated but largely mistaken cowboy stereotype, where strength equates to stoicism and looks like minding your own business, holding in the hurt, and pulling your hat low over your eyes when tears threaten to fall. However, at the Bonanza Creek Ranch—a 25,000-acre working cattle and guest ranch located in South Central Montana—strength looks a little different. Here, for three days in July, 2017, 10 women have gathered to attend the annual Cowgirl Retreat facilitated by Melisa Pearce of Touched By A Horse, founder of a unique therapeutic approach…