Table of contents for Winter 2022 in Equus

IS IT FLU SEASON FOR HORSES, TOO? Winter is flu season for people. Not only do we tend to gather indoors more during cold weather, which makes transmission of pathogens easier, but cold, dry conditions are thought to aid the spread of the influenza virus. When, though, is flu season for horses? Like most other viral diseases, equine influenza is spread via direct contact or through the inhalation of aerosolized droplets dispersed through coughing. The greatest risk factor for horses is close proximity to others of unknown health or vaccination status. In other words, the equine version of “flu season” has less to do with the time of year and everything to do with the likelihood of travel to events where horses will encounter others that are infected. For example,…

When jogging a horse to check for lameness, look for footing that is as flat as possible. New research from England shows that even a slight incline can alter the horse’s gait enough to confound a lameness diagnosis. For the study, University of Nottingham researchers affixed inertial sensors at the poll, withers, sacrum and points of the hip on 10 horses with previously diagnosed forelimb lameness and eight horses with hind-limb lameness. Each horse was then jogged in hand on a level surface as well as up and down a gentle slope of 2.4 degrees. The captured data was then analyzed for significant differences in asymmetry associated with the surface slope. The researchers discovered that horses with known hind-limb lameness exhibited less gait asymmetry when trotting downhill, as opposed to…

Antibiotics can disrupt the delicate balance of microorganisms in a horse’s gut for as long as a month, potentially leading to colic, diarrhea and other digestive disruptions. Those were the findings of a new study from the Ohio State University. A healthy horse’s hindgut is populated with a wide variety of bacteria and other organisms that aid in essential digestive functions, such as metabolizing nutrients. A side effect of certain antibiotics is the destruction of some of these lead to poor digestive function and increased risk of some diseases. For the study, the Ohio researchers administered a five-day course of one of three types of common antibiotics---or saline to act as a placebo---intravenously to 16 healthy horses. Fecal samples taken from ASTHMA each horse were analyzed through bacterial DNA sequencing…

Confederate General Robert E. Lee aboard his gelding Traveller 1857, by Grey Eagle 1835, out of the Morgan mare Flora sired by Blue Jeans—who sired many horses now considered to be Saddlebreds. Grey Eagle, a Thoroughbred, is by Woodpecker and traces in sire-line to Sir Archy; in tail female he goes back to *Morton’s Traveller. Lee was not stingy in praising Traveller’s goodmindedness, courage, steadiness and willingness, as well as his easy gaits and physical endurance. Officers on both sides of the conflict rode horses with “saddler” conformation and breeding. The most famous of these on the Union side is General Philip Sheridan’s mount Rienzi (later renamed Winchester). Sometimes said to be a son of the original Black Hawk 1833, this is problematic because Rienzi was foaled in 1859—whereas Black…

The American Saddlebred is closely related not only to the Quarter Horse and Standardbred, but also to the Morgan. Some of the earliest Saddlebred progenitors are Morgans. Jowett’s Copperbottom is an own son of Justin Morgan, foaled in 1809. He is a half-brother to the more famous Woodbury, Bulrush and Sherman Morgan sons of the famous foundational horse, and shares with Sherman Morgan the bright-red chestnut coloration common in Spanish-Caribbean stock. Copperbottom’s dam may have been that, or else a Narragansett Pacer with some Spanish in her background. My reconstruction is based on contemporary descriptions and woodcuts. Note the heavy, waved mane and tail characteristic of the Morgan, along with the well-shaped neck, excellent shoulder and “waterspout” carriage of the tail. The pedigree of Brinker’s Drennon, another stallion on the…

Coping with a nervous horse can feel like trying to parent an amped-up toddler crossed with a moody teen. You love them dearly---you truly do!---but some days you wonder why. Whether it’s through epic spook-and-spins, a vehement refusal to stand for the farrier, or sitting back to break yet another set of cross ties, a “difficult” horse tests your patience and may make you worry for your safety and sanity. Like a developing child, a horse doesn’t misbehave to irritate or defy you. In fact, it isn’t about you at all; it’s about him and his specific situation. Understanding that is the key to helping your horse keep his cool. First and foremost, remember that horses don’t want to be bad---or good, for that matter---they just want to be safe…

If you’ve been involved with horses for even just a few years, chances are you’ve encountered at least one with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID). Also known as Cushing’s disease, this endocrine disorder is common in older horses. In fact, studies estimate that 20 percent of horses over the age of 15 will develop PPID. Add in the fact that horses are living longer than ever before and it’s not surprising that most of us have some familiarity with the disorder. The prevalence of PPID has made it a focus of research efforts. Almost 150 scientific papers on the topic have been published in the past decade alone, a body of work that has yielded significant advances in PPID diagnosis and management. While some equine diseases remain stubborn mysteries, more…

I received a phone call from an old college friend, Mattie Alewine, who was in need of finding a home for an abandoned horse in the spring of 2022. Mattie then posted the horse in a local community group on Facebook, and she had been claimed by her original owners. I assumed Mattie did not need my help anymore and that was the end of that. If only every story was so simple. Unfortunately, we soon found out that Cheyenne’s owners didn’t want her back. Mattie offered to haul her back home for them, and they insisted it was impossible to load her on a trailer. Each additional suggestion was followed with more excuses. Even worse, their story led us to believe that Cheyenne hadn’t escaped their home but had…

The deep roots of the American Saddlebred extend to the founding of the Thirteen Colonies. The Saddlebred shares its 18th and early 19th century gene pool with its sister breeds the Standardbred and Quarter Horse, whose histories have already been covered in previous series. Saddlebreds are capable of numerous gaits involving either lateral or diagonal coordination, and many individuals are as appropriate and attractive in light harness as they are under saddle. Historically they were full-bodied horses possessed of almost incredible stamina and soundness, and they were counted among the world’s beautiful horses. Let us begin the fascinating story of the Saddlebred, a uniquely excellent American creation, by considering the momentous events of a particular Sunday morning in the spring of 1865…. WITH MALICE TOWARD NONE Exhausted and disheartened, Confederate…

This reconstruction is of the Chickasaw-bred stallion Hiatoga, founder of the earliest strain that contributed to formation of the American Saddlebred. The Chickasaws were knowledgeable horse breeders and their produce was a cross of ambler-galloper Thoroughbred (obtained from the English colonists) and Spanish mustang (obtained from tribesmen who brought them east across the Mississippi River from Texas). Horses of very similar appearance are still bred in Oklahoma, the home of the Choctaw-Chickasaw nations after forced removals between 1830 and 1850 (the “Trail of Tears”). This reconstruction could also represent one of the Saddlebred root pedigree “mystery horses,” Ammerman’s Irish Roan—“medicine hat” or “frame overo” coloration might have been what 19th century Southerners meant by using the term “Irish.” My painting is based on a photograph of a Choctaw-Chickasaw stallion from…

Coleman’s Eureka, a very handsome chocolate-brown stallion foaled in 1864, is by Young’s Morgan, tracing in sire-line to Woodbury Morgan, he out of a mare by the Thoroughbred heat-racer Lexington. Coleman’s Eureka is out of Mary Boston, both top and bottom a Sir Archy mare but with tail female to *Jolly Roger, Gimcrack and other easy-gaited gallopers. Like Cabell’s Lexington, this horse is an approximate 50-50 mix of Morgan and Thoroughbred, but in appearance takes much more strongly after the Morgan side. My reconstruction is based on a contemporary engraving. Yellow Jacket, foaled in 1877, represents a relative latecomer who does not appear on the Saddlebred progenitors list, but who nonetheless shows up with fair frequency in root pedigrees. He is by Wells Yellow Jacket by Morgan Tiger by Bulrush Morgan…

FEEDING Do nutritional deficiencies cause a horse to eat dirt? Q: My horse constantly licks the ground at one spot in his paddock. As far as I can tell, the area is just the clay-like soil we have in this area. I’ve had people tell me he’s looking for some particular nutrient his diet is missing, but he’s on a well-regarded commercial feed and gets lots of grass in spring and summer and hay in winter. He also has a salt block. Other people have told me that it’s a stereotypy like cribbing, but he doesn’t seem stressed out to me and he doesn’t have any other bad habits. The dirt patch is in the middle of the field, so it would be hard to fence off. If I had…

Where are you staying tonight?” asked the lost baggage lady at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in the Netherlands. “The Horse Hotel,” I said, referring to the stable, with hotel rooms attached, located a few miles from the airport. She stared at me. “The Horse Hotel?” “It’s where horses go after they fly into this airport.” She gave me a strange look, then scanned through a list of hotels. “I don’t have a Horse Hotel.” I showed her my paperwork, which included the name of the place in Dutch. But this did not help. The Horse Hotel wasn’t on her list in any language. Shifting gears, she asked “Well, where is your final destination?” “Durham, England,” I responded. “Are you staying anywhere between your night here and your arrival in Durham? When…

The key to tracking the spread of the neurological form of equine herpesvirus (EHV-1) at large show grounds may be testing stalls rather than the horses in them, according to a recent study from the University of California, Davis. EHV-1 is one of the five types of herpesvirus that most commonly infect horses. While this strain most often causes only mild-to-moderate respiratory illness, EHV-1 infection occasionally leads to the life-threatening neurologic disease known as equine herpesvirus myeloencephalopathy (EHM). The mechanisms through which EHV-1 infection leads to neurologic disease are not yet understood. In February and March of 2022, there was an outbreak of EHV-1 at Desert International Horse Park in Thermal, California. “This isn’t just any show,” says Nicola Pusterla, DVM, PhD. “This is one of the biggest show grounds…

Nearly every horse owner eventually confronts the uncomfortable question of how to dispose of a horse’s body. Now, a group of researchers at the University of Minnesota are working to evaluate a practical, environmentally friendly answer: “mortality composting.” “Horse owners have limited mortality management options, which include burial, incineration, rendering, and composting,” says Minnesota graduate Hannah Lochner. “Most prefer burial over other methods. However, site restrictions to protect water and soil quality and lack of feasibility during winter months in Northern climates can present barriers to burial.” In addition, many renderers (plants that process carcasses) no longer accept chemically euthanized animals. Composting a horse’s body---allowing it to naturally break down above ground under controlled conditions ---is an option many horse owners may have never considered. “Composting is often used in…

This reconstruction of Young Roebuck, foaled about 1810, has been made from a contemporary painting by William James Hubard. Young Roebuck is by Old Roebuck, a Thoroughbred (see accompanying pedigree), and was bred on the Virginia plantation of General John Hartwell Cocke Jr., A personal friend of Thomas Jefferson, Cocke was one of the first to sound the alarm that the easy-gaited Thoroughbreds of the Colonial era were fast disappearing. This horse is almost certainly an ancestor of the Saddlebred progenitor Varnon’s Roebuck, foaled shortly after the Civil War in Missouri, but the Roebucks, heavily inbred to *Janus, are also important ancestors of the Quarter Horse. This horse represents a nice blend in conformation: Note the exceptionally muscular build, deep chest and powerful hindquarters combined with a beautifully carried neck,…

Therapeutic riding centers make a difference in the lives of many. Thanks to the tireless and passionate work of staff, volunteers and horses, these centers are often where equestrians with disabilities take first steps and speak first words, where emotional connections are forged and where limits are left in the arena dirt. To help shine a spotlight on the incredible work being done by therapeutic riding centers, Hope in the Saddle, along with prize sponsors Nutrena® and Tractor Supply Co., host multiple contests throughout the year to recognize these organizations. The 2022 winner of the Tack Room Makeover contest was Equi-Ed, a therapeutic equestrian program in Santa Rosa, California. Equi-Ed was nominated by Katie Moore, who helped house Equi-Ed’s displaced therapy horses during multiple wildfires. Here’s what Moore had to…

I generally don’t like to tell my barn friends that I’m a writer and editor for EQUUS. My hesitancy stems from a generally reserved personality, but mostly a fear of being asked my opinion on equine injuries or illnesses; I’m not a veterinarian and never want to be considered a substitute for one. A few people do know what I do, though, and occasionally an in-the know friend will ask me what I’m currently writing about. This happened recently. As we cleaned adjacent stalls early one morning, the conversation floated over the wall between us. “So, what are you working on this afternoon?” “I’m in the middle of editing an article about weighing hay.” “What?” “Weighing hay. You know, how to make sure you’re feeding the right amount of hay…