Table of contents for Autumn 2023 in Equus

Are horses ever “too old” for supplements? Nutritional supplements aren’t just for hard-charging, young equine athletes. Many older horses—even those living in peaceful retirement—can benefit from the boost a supplement can provide. Here’s a look at some types of supplements that might be especially helpful to aging horses: Joint health: A product designed to support joint health could help an older, arthritic horse feel less “creaky.” Most contain some combination of glucosamine, hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulfate. Other common ingredients you may find listed on the label are methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), avocado/soybean extracts, yucca, boswellia and resveratrol. Most joint supplements are fed daily and some may call for a larger “loading dose” at the start. Read the directions on the label carefully to ensure your horse is getting the greatest benefit from…

The list of B-reel cowboy heroes from the 1930s and 1940s begins with Tom Mix and Ken Maynard and continues with Gene Autry and Roy Rogers, who were in turn followed by others too numerous to mention. The movie heroes were followed again (see next sidebar) by more cowboy heroes on television. After about 1965, however, the big-budget TV cowboy shows—“Rawhide,” “Bonanza,” “Wagon Train,” “The Big Sky,” “Have Gun. Will Travel,” “Gunsmoke”—as well as the ones primarily aimed at kids—“My Friend Flicka,” “Sky King,” “Fury,” “The Cisco Kid,” “Zorro,” “The Lone Ranger” and “Roy Rogers”—fell out of fashion. One of the last TV shows to feature a horse was the whimsical “Mr. Ed.” By the mid-1980s, however, there was a revival of sorts, prompted in part by the nostalgia of…

Cannabidiol, otherwise known as “CBD,” is the latest alternative health trend to go mainstream. CBD products are gaining popularity as alternative or complementary treatments for a variety of conditions in people and animals, including epilepsy, anxiety and osteoarthritis. Yet many questions about CBD use in horses remain. How does it affect a horse’s physiology? What’s the best mode of administration? Can you trust claims that CBD can soothe your horse’s stress and even relieve his pain? Researchers are still working to understand CBD and investigate its potential benefits and risks. But that doesn’t mean you have to wait to explore whether it can keep your horse calm or comfortable. To help you determine whether a CBD-based product might be right for your horse, we’ve enlisted the help of holistic veterinarian…

Have a question about your horse’s health, care or training? Our experts offer solutions for a range of equine-management problems. Write to EQUUS Consultants, P.O. Box 7510, Falls Church, Virginia 22040; email: EQLetters@equinenetwork.com. Send photos when helpful. PHYSIOLOGY Do horses have superior night vision? Q: Just how well can a horse see at night? I’ve been told they have excellent night vision, but I wonder if that’s true. Because of an unusual work schedule, I’m often at the barn before dawn or well after dusk. I’ve noticed that my horse navigates his pasture very cautiously in the dark—he won’t come trotting up to me as he does during the daytime. And when I take him from the lit barn to the dark pasture, he will stick by the gate for…

The scariest day of my life began nicely enough. I was 12 years old and had just ridden my horse, Duhomy, in the Columbus Fourth of July Parade. When we were done, I slipped her halter on so she could enjoy some hay and relaxation. My family was nearby enjoying a holiday picnic. So I tied Duhomy up in between our two horse trailers, where I could keep an eye on her. Then some noisy kids came by and asked if they could pet Duhomy. At first, I didn’t mind at all, because she loves the attention. Little did I know where this would lead. Before I knew it, the kids were petting her a bit too roughly, pushing her halter over the top of her ears. Suddenly, my mare…

If you have ever had an urge to run away to join the circus, this article is for you. Since the mid-1930s, for reasons I’ll explain later, there has been an anti-circus bias, especially in dressage circles—this despite the fact that the circus is one of the great repositories of knowledge concerning how to train for the High School. Out of the ranks of the old circus families of Europe have come coaches and numerous successful upper-level competitors. The High School is as ancient as the mounted bullfight—which is to say that it extends back to Roman times in Europe and probably earlier in Asia (see “The World’s Most Important Horse Breed,” EQUUS 446). As American horseman Chuck Grant observes, “Many people do not stop to consider the fact that…

I have heard several classical-music radio program hosts—Lynne Warfel, Scott Blankenship, Jeff Esworthy, Victor Forman—relate something that jibes with my own experience, and I would guess also with the experience of many other people: Their first exposure to classical music came when they were children, not because they grew up in a musical household surrounded by great recordings or live performances, but from the TV—notably, Buggs Bunny in “What’s Opera, Doc?” where Elmer Fudd hilariously intones “Kill the Wabbit” to the tune of Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries” and Buggs Bunny stars in “Rhapsody in Rivets,” which plays to Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody no. 2. Another very important example comes from “The Lone Ranger,” starring Clayton Moore (1914 to 1999) as the masked man and Jay Silverheels as his faithful Indian…

A preliminary study ducted at Oklahoma Statecon-University investigated the pharmacokinetics of CBD in horses. “We looked at one of the products being used as a supplement, to see how much CBD and THC the horses absorbed,” explains Todd C. Holbrook, DVM, who is now at the University of Florida. For the study, seven healthy horses received either a low or high dose of a CBD pellet product for seven consecutive days. “We pulled blood samples daily to look at the pharmacokinetics [the movement of the drug within the body], to see if the horses absorbed the CBD and how much; how long it takes to reach peak concentration in the plasma; and what the half-life was—how long it stayed in their system,” says Megan Williams, DVM, who worked on the…

I was another brutally hot day in Maryland. Haze from the California wildfires stretched clear across the country that week, coloring the setting sun dark red. I stood with my horse Luciano in the growing dusk, hosing him off for the fourth time that day. His nostrils worked faster than I wanted to count, but I estimated that his respiration was upward of 50 breaths per minute. His skin was hot to the touch, but he only sweated in small patches behind his ears and around his nostrils. I pictured the struggle that went on in his body each day. Foremost was PPID (pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction), a metabolic condition affecting the hypothalamus and pituitary glands that causes a whole host of problems, from abnormal hair growth to insulin resistance.…

Equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS)—widespread condition characterized by erosions and ulcers in the distal esophagus, stomach and entrance into the duodenum; Most closely associated with horses involved in performance disciplines, changes in housing or social interaction, and illness. equine metabolic syndrome (EMS)—endocrine disorder characterized by increased fat deposits in specific locations of the body or overall obesity; insulin resistance, which leads to abnormally high levels of the hormone circulating in the bloodstream; and a predisposition toward laminitis in the absence of other recognized causes. gastrointestinal flora—beneficial one-celled organisms normally residing in a horse’s gut and playing an important role in digestion. glucose—a carbohydrate, the principal form of sugar found in the blood; a source of energy when metabolized. insulin resistance—metabolic disorder, similar to type 2 diabetes, that occurs when certain…

Buckwheat, aka Bucky, and his siblings, Spanky, Alfalfa and Darla, came to Terolyn Horse Rescue at 3 months old. The group fondly became known to friends and supporters as "The Little Rascals." Bucky was adopted as a yearling but unfortunately was returned to the rescue soon after. He required a person who could provide the time and training he deserved to help him find his forever home. When he was about 3 years old, he was enrolled in Terolyn Horse Rescue’s Trainer Cooperative Program. This program allows local professionals to come to the rescue and pick out a young or unstarted horse to train. Once the horses are started and ready for adoption, the trainers find the young horses their forever homes. Bri Graf is a hunter/jumper trainer who often…

The curiosity of a California horse breeder about the origins of white markings in his Quarter Horse herd has led to the discovery of a previously unknown genetic variant associated with white spotting in horses. Some white spotting in mammals results from mutations in KIT, a gene that influences migration of melanoblasts, the embryonic precursors to pigment-producing melanocyte cells. In horses, more than 30 variants in the KIT gene have been linked to white coat patterns. But in 2022 a Quarter Horse breeder sought to explain unusual markings in his herd. Genetic testing by Etalon Diagnostics showed that the stallion did not carry KIT mutations, and subsequent testing revealed that some of his offspring didn’t either. Searching to explain the herd’s white markings, the Etalon geneticists teamed up with Samantha…

The story of American Saddlebred horses who have exhibited great aptitude for High School performance begins with Tom Bass (1859-1934). A trainer so brilliant that he succeeded during the height of the Jim Crow era despite being Black, Bass had three famous High School horses: the mare Miss Rex, the gelding Columbus (discussed below) and the mare Belle Beach, pictured here. Foaled about 1898, she is by Forest King (Black Squirrel) and out of a mare by Black Squirrel. (See “A Great American Horseman,” EQUUS 504, for Bass’ history and “Old Glory,” EQUUS 505, for a full description of the many movements Bass’ horses exhibited). This famous image shows Belle Beach in an expressive passage upon the large circle. In this photo taken in 1907, William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody…

The title “wonder horse” has been claimed by numerous equines over several centuries. The earliest in Europe was Marocco (ca. 1586-1606), also known as “the dancing horse,” “the thinking horse,” “the politic horse” and “Bankes’s horse” after his owner William Bankes. Marocco, an English Hobby (see “The World’s Most Important Horse Breed,” EQUUS 446) performed many feats, such as climbing more than a thousand steps to the flat roof of the top tower of St. Paul’s cathedral in London, and there giving a performance. He would urinate on command, could count coins by tapping a hoof, lie down on request and sit up. When ordered to bow to the Queen of England, Elizabeth I, he would bow; but when ordered to bow to the King of Spain, Philip II, he…

For both people and horses, the air quality index (AQI) is an important number. The AQI indicates that level of pollution in the air, which is influenced by ground-level ozone and particulate matter as well as heat and humidity. The AQI scale runs from 0 to 500 with corresponding color codes. Higher values and certain colors are associated with more pollution and greater health concerns. For a quick check on your local conditions, go to www.airnow.gov, which reports on air quality at locations across the country. On days with low air quality, children, the elderly and people with asthma or similar conditions are advised to limit their physical activity. All of this also applies to horses, so it’s a good idea to check the AQI daily and adjust your horse’s…