Thursday, February 28, 2013

Lessons in Prepurchase Exams

Thehorse.com - Winning Edge Blog - Full Article

27 February 2013

Four years ago, before putting pen to paper and signing a bill of sale indicating I'd waived my right to have a prepurchase exam performed on a 5-year-old gelding, I hesitated briefly. It wasn't too late to call the vet out to give Helios a once-over. But impulse got the best of me. I had "vetted" many horses over the years before buying, and none had ever presented with a significant issue. The cost of a full veterinary work-up on this young "failed" dressage horse would nearly equal his purchase price, so I passed. Besides, I had been riding him for six months and he had yet to take a bad step.

Fortunately for me, Helios stayed healthy and sound for several years as he transformed into a nice show jumper. When it came time to sell him, however, a prospective buyer's prepurchase exam raised several questions: When did he have hock surgery, and why? Has his early stage ringbone ever bothered him? What about the arthritic changes in his front fetlocks?

This was all news to me. Maybe these brewing issues had not yet affected my young horse's performance, but had I known what was going on in his limbs and joints I could have managed them accordingly and taken steps to slow their development.

Helios still went on to a great new home, but his sale price plummeted and I learned a valuable lesson: When buying a horse for performance, always cough up the extra cash for a prepurchase exam...

Read more here:
http://cs.thehorse.com/blogs/winning-edge-performance-horse-health/archive/2013/02/27/lessons-in-prepurchase-exams.aspx?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=lameness&utm_campaign=02-27-2013

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Managing Dehydration, Exhaustion in Horses (AAEP 2012)

Thehorse.com - Full Article

By Erica Larson, News Editor • Feb 25, 2013 • Article #31371

Horses can lose up to 15 liters of sweat per hour during strenuous exercise, leaving them in a precarious metabolic balance that cold water hosing alone can't touch. At the 2012 American Association of Equine Practitioners convention, held Dec. 1-5 in Anaheim, Calif., Emma Adam, BVetMed, Dipl. ACVIM, ACVS, an equine practitioner performing research at the University of Kentucky Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center, described ways veterinarians can manage severe dehydration and exhaustion in the field setting.

Why Sweat?

"Muscular activity is the best engine ever designed," Adam began, in her overview of sweating's purpose and effects. However, like any engine, it generates a great deal of heat that the body must eliminate; it does this by drawing it to the skin surface and dissipating it in sweat...

Read more here:
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/31371/managing-dehydration-exhaustion-in-horses-aaep-2012

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Look to Excellent Nutrition for Better Hoof Quality

KER.equinews.com - Full Article

By Kentucky Equine Research Staff · February 5, 2013

A horse with poor-quality hooves can be a concern for its owner. Particularly in parts of the world with a hot, dry climate, horses may have hoof horn that is dull, brittle, and easily chipped or split. If hoof problems become severe, the horse is at increased risk for lameness that can impact its comfort and usefulness.

Rethinking a complete hoof management program for these horses often leads to hooves that look better and help the horse stay sound. However, just as owners can’t change the climate where their horses live, they also can’t expect quick results. Building strong hooves takes at least six to twelve months, and nothing can speed this process. Hoof growth is influenced by several factors. These include age, breed, genetics, metabolic rate, exercise, external temperature, environmental moisture, illness, trimming, and shoeing. Important nutritional influences include energy intake, protein and amino acid intake and metabolism, minerals such as zinc and calcium, and vitamins such as biotin and vitamin A. When faced with poor-quality hooves, the first thing to consider when evaluating a feed program is total energy intake. Meeting energy requirements may be the first and most important step in ensuring hoof growth and integrity for horses kept in any climate. A horse in negative energy balance will utilize protein in the diet or body to make up energy needs for maintenance or growth. This may create a secondary protein or amino acid deficiency.

Research has shown that hoof wall growth was 50% greater in growing ponies that were in positive energy balance than in ponies on restricted diets with reduced body growth rate. It is a common observation that when horses gain weight on lush spring grass, they also grow hoof faster. Recent research has shown that increasing the dietary intake of fat has little effect on hoof growth rate or strength, but fat can be a valuable addition to the diet in the role of maintaining positive energy balance...

Read more here:
http://ker.equinews.com/article/look-excellent-nutrition-better-hoof-quality

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Exertional Rhabdomyolysis: Not Just Tying-Up Anymore (AAEP 2012)

Thehorse.com - Full Article

By Erica Larson, News Editor • Feb 12, 2013 • Article #31322

Few things are scarier than watching a horse sweating, trembling, and twisting in pain during an episode of tying-up. Researchers have worked tirelessly to better understand this disorder and its cause, and they're continually uncovering ways to manage it.

Stephanie Valberg, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, ACVSMR, professor at and director of the University of Minnesota (UM) Equine Center in St. Paul, chronicled her work in unraveling the causes of tying-up, or exertional rhabdomyolysis (ER), during the Frank J. Milne State-of-the-Art Lecture at the 2012 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention, held Dec. 1-5 in Anaheim, Calif. In doing so, she also became the first female to deliver this prestigious lecture.

In her presentation Valberg covered everything from late 19th century observations about this condition to recent discoveries that could reveal the cause of one type of rhabdomyolysis--seasonal pasture myopathy...

Read more here:
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/31322/exertional-rhabdomyolysis-not-just-tying-up-anymore-aaep-2012

Action Hero Mary Ghargozlou – A Journey to Remember Mary – Saving the Asil Arabian

Horsereporter.com - Full Article

February 13, 2013
By Pamela@horsereporter

February 13, 2013, Iran ~Shirin Salartash, member of the Iran Asil Association, had a special kinship with the late Mary Leili Ghargozlou. Their farms were next door to each other near Kordan northwest of the capital, Tehran, 75kms away, at the foot of the Alborz Mountains.

A staunch defender of the rare Asil Arabian, every spring, Mary Gharagozlou supervised the 450 km journey to take her horses from Aghili on the lowland plains of Khuzistan to the summer pastures high on the Zagros mountains at Varkane, the trip taking 14 days each way.

Ms. Salartash submitted to Horsereporter her story and photos of one memorial ride, A Journey to remember our legendary Mary...

Read more here:
http://www.horsereporter.com/?p=5915

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Drug May Be Laminitis Breakthrough

KER.Equinews.com - Full Article

By Kentucky Equine Research Staff · February 11, 2013

Despite decades of research, laminitis remains a leading cause of death in horses. Many equines are humanely destroyed each year because their intense pain and crippling inflammation can’t be alleviated by treatments including medication, therapeutic shoeing, cryotherapy, and other management tools.

An anti-inflammatory drug discovered 40 years ago, but never used on large animals, may be the breakthrough that veterinarians and horse owners have been looking for.

The first horse to benefit was a laminitic mare being treated at the University of California Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Although she had been intensively treated with conventional methods, the mare was not responding well. As her condition worsened to the point that euthanasia seemed to be the only recourse, veterinarians decided to try an experimental anti-inflammatory drug called t-TUCB on the mare...

Read more here:
http://ker.equinews.com/article/drug-may-be-laminitis-breakthrough

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Losing Ground: The Greatest Threat
 Exhibit Opens at the International Museum of the Horse in Lexington, KY

The exhibit Losing Ground: The Greatest Threat, sponsored by EQUUS Magazine and ELCR (Equestrian Land Conservation Resource), opened at the International Museum of the Horse in Lexington, KY on October 29, 2012. The exhibit, which will run for three years with periodic updates, consists of an extensive mural, a video film and three interactive kiosks that dramatically show the threat of unplanned development on existing horse lands. As part of the exhibition, visitors receive a complimentary copy of a Losing Ground: The Greatest Threat an EQUUS special report on conserving land and trails for horses, sponsored by Pfizer Animal Health.

To view the exhibit video: click here

Folks Speak Out on BLM's Draft Resource Management Plan

by KREX News Room
by Danielle Kreutter

Story Created: Jan 30, 2013 at 9:02 PM MST
Story Updated: Jan 30, 2013 at 10:27 PM MST

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - The Bureau of Land Management has started drafting their new Resource Management Plan (RMP) to decide how the agency should handle public lands for the next 20 years.


An informational meeting was held Wednesday where folks expressed their concerns with some of the changes that may come with the new plan.
Land Access Advocate, Brandon Siegfried, was one of those who spoke to a crowded room of people concerned about the potential changes that may come with the BLM's Resource Management Plan.


"What is this going to do for our local economy? How are hunters going to react? How are recreationists going to react when they can no longer go out and enjoy the public lands they're been enjoying for decades," said Siegfried. 
Those against the plan's draft say that Mesa County Commissioners should join the other counties that have enforced the Revised Situate 2477. 
RS-2477 is a law that was active from 1866-1976 which would give the public the right to access any roads on public lands.
"[The roads were] built during that time period, we have a right to access and a right to continue to use those roads and access ways," said Siegfried.


Officials with the BLM say due to federal restrictions, pleasing everyone through multi-use lands and roads has become difficulty.
"We're doing it as a part of a process known as NEPA, the National Environmental Policy Act, and we have to adhere to that. We understand that everyone has specific interests and right now is the perfect time to be making those comments known," said Chris Joyner of the Bureau of Land Management.
"Mesa County has considerable history of working closely with the Bureau of Land Management to establish and assert our rights of ways across public lands," said Steve Acquafresca, Mesa County Commissioner.


Some folks are concerned that the BLM's new Resource Management Plan will restrict access to their public lands.
" The RMP is trying to close down 2100 miles of roads in the area and the BLM does not recognize RS-2477 as a legal right of way," said Siegfried.


"The matter being discussed is more on the designations of certain areas as opposed to being closed ... no BLM lands are going to be closed as a matter of the Resource Management Plan," said Joyner.


The BLM will be accepting public comment on their plan until April.
They will be holding a series of public input meetings before finalizing the Resource Management Plan.


The next meeting will be held at the Clarion Inn on Horizon Drive in Grand Junction on January 31. The meeting will run from 4:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom.



Click here to read the Resource Management Plan options and to get more information on how to leave a comment.

Saturday, February 09, 2013

Keeping Horses Barefoot: a Healthy Horse From the Ground Up

Eurodressage.com - Full Article

Sat, 02/09/2013

Hooked on the more natural form of horse foot health, well known US dressage competitor and trainer Shannon Peters made the move to barefoot or performance trimming for the health and long term soundess of her horses.

“My motivation to try barefoot trimming started because one of my FEI horses was chronically sore footed in normal shoes,” Shannon told Eurodressage. “However, we found that he would be perfectly sound each time we took him barefoot.”

What began with one problem horse evolved from there and today Shannon has almost all of her horses enjoying the benefits of barefoot and most of her student's horses as well. "It was my idea to try it in the beginning, my farrier at the time did not suggest it and it was definitely not the norm for performance horses," she admitted. "I switched over to a qualified barefoot trimmer Sossity Gargiulo and her husband Mario.”

Shannon advises that there is truly a difference in a “barefoot trim” and the "pasture trim" that most farriers use and that horse lovers must be sure to find a farrier who can perform the right one. “I believe barefoot trimming is good for all horses. Even horses with bad hooves -- mine being one of them -- can perform well if the foot is given enough time to heal...”

Read more here:
http://www.eurodressage.com/equestrian/2013/02/09/keeping-horses-barefoot-healthy-horse-ground

Friday, February 08, 2013

New Mexico Slaughter Facility Bill Rejected

Thehorse.com - Full Article

By Ron Mitchell • Feb 05, 2013 • Article #31313


New Mexico Slaughter Facility Bill Rejected

By Ron Mitchell • Feb 05, 2013 • Article #31313

The New Mexico House rejected a bill on Feb. 4 that would have authorized the state Department of Agriculture to study the feasibility of a slaughter facility to process horsemeat for human consumption.

The measure, HJM 16, introduced by Rep. Paul C. Bandy (R-Aztec), received 36 "no" votes, with 28 members voting "yes."

Late last week, the House Agriculture and Water Resources Committee approved and sent on to the Appropriations and Finance Committee Bandy's accompanying bill that would allocate $20,000 to New Mexico State University to undertake the feasibility study...

Read more here:
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/31313/new-mexico-slaughter-facility-bill-rejected

Thursday, February 07, 2013

Why the Anger Toward Shod Owners? Why the Hatred Directed at Barefoot Owners?

Easycare Blog - Full Article

Tuesday, February 5, 2013 by Garrett Ford

I've seen many conflicts over the last couple of months between well-meaning horse owners who believe either in the shod horse or barefoot horse, but not both. The conflicts often escalate and end in heated debate. Barefoot-Shod, Guns-Anti Gun, Rich-Poor, Old-Young, Liberal-Conservative, Minority-Majority. The list goes on and on. Doesn't it seem like the world is becoming more polarized?

I personally find it disconcerting that the barefoot/shod debate often ends with the same red faced, opinionated arguments brought on by religion and politics. Are the people with barefoot horses really tree-hugging freaks? Are people that spend years learning to shoe a horse properly really abusive to horses and ignorant? What about a horse owner who uses hoof protection during the competitive season and then allows the horse to be barefoot during the winter? What about the horse owner that keeps a horse barefoot and uses hoof protection only when needed? "

"Human beings now face many complex and difficult problems that urgently require solutions. To deal with issues like global warming, nuclear proliferation and the international terrorist threat we must work together, but we cannot do this if polarizing conflict poisons our discussions. In polarized conflicts, combatants state and restate their own views while distorting and ridiculing those of their opponents. As the conflicts get more heated, partisans argue more loudly and their distortions of their opponents' assumptions get more entrenched in their own minds. We tend to think that the more people discuss their differing views the better they will understand each other. But when polarizing conflict is involved, the more people talk the less they understand each other." From http://polarizingconflict.buddhismandwork.com/.

There are many farriers that I respect greatly. At the same time there are barefoot trimmers that I believe have changed the way we think about the hoof...

Read more here:
http://blog.easycareinc.com/blog/hoof-boot-news/why-the-anger-toward-shod-owners-why-the-hatred-directed-at-barefoot-owners

Vets, Farriers Honored for Hoof Care Contributions

Thehorse.com - Full Article

By Edited Press Release • Jan 31, 2013 • Article #31291

A pair of farriers and three equine veterinarians earned hall of fame recognition during induction ceremonies during the recent 10th annual International Hoof-Care Summit. These five individuals were honored for outstanding careers in equine hoof care during the event held in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Farriers Marshall Iles, CJF, and Dean Pearson, CJF, were inducted into the International Horseshoeing Hall Of Fame. Veterinarians Sue Dyson, MA, VetMB, PhD, DEO, FRCVS; Nicholas Frank, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM; and Harry Werner, VMD, joined the International Equine Veterinarians Hall Of Fame.

Marshall Iles, of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, has shod high-level hunters and jumpers for more than 20 years. A graduate of the Olds College advanced farrier science program, he is well known for his commitment to farrier education through his work as a clinician and as a long-time volunteer with the annual World Championship Blacksmiths' Competition held during the Calgary Stampede.

Pearson, of Nottingham, Pa., has earned an international reputation for forging excellence while shoeing high-end performance horses. He has been a member of the American Farriers Team, shod for the Canadian Olympic Equestrian Team, and is known for his commitment to his clients and his profession.

Dyson is the head of Clinical Orthopaedics at the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket, England. Known for both her work with horses and extensive research, Dyson has published more than 190 papers on lameness and diagnostic imaging in scientific journals. She has co-authored several veterinary textbooks and has also trained and competed as a high-level rider in international events.

Frank is the chair of the Department of Clinical Sciences at Tufts University's Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in Grafton, Mass. Born in the United Kingdom and trained in the United States, Frank is known for his exploration and research into laminitis, metabolic syndrome, and endocrinology. He previously served on the veterinary faculty of the University of Tennessee and as a consulting member of the faculty at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom.

Werner of North Granby, Conn., has been practicing equine medicine and surgery since 1974, and his career has had a focus on lameness cases. He is a student of the equine foot and has been instrumental in emphasizing the importance of good hoof care to the membership of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, of which he is a past president.

The International Horseshoeing Hall Of Fame was established in 1992 to honor farriers around the world who have made significant contributions to the profession and who have left a permanent, positive impression on their peers and clients. American Farriers Journal and the Kentucky Derby Museum sponsor the program. Farriers are nominated by their peers, trainers, veterinarians, horse owners, friends, and family members. The names and qualifications of nominees are submitted to current members, who serve as the board of electors.

Established in 1997, the International Equine Veterinarians Hall Of Fame honors veterinarians who have contributed to the knowledge and recognition of proper hoof care for horses. Veterinarians are nominated either as practicing equine vets who work closely with farriers in the field, or as college and industry vets involved in teaching, research or other important aspects of equine veterinary and hoof care.

Wednesday, February 06, 2013

Colic Researchers: Tight Junctions Crucial in Gut Function

Thehorse.com - Full Article

By Stephanie L. Church, Editor-in-Chief • Feb 01, 2013 • Article #31289

Colic remains a preeminent focus among equine researchers, and a North Carolina State University research team is breaking it down to the nitty gritty by examining how infectious disease and inflammation impact cells in the horse's gut. Specifically, they are focusing on the "tight junctions," or the spaces between microvilli--microscopic cellular membrane protrusions--in the intestinal mucosal lining.

"Sessions on tight junctions at the (human) medical conferences are packed," said Anthony Blikslager, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVS, professor of equine surgery and gastroenterology at the university's College of Veterinary Medicine. It's only appropriate that veterinarians examine the same structures in horses. Blikslager described his team's progress at the Ninth International Conference on Equine Infectious Diseases, held October 2012 in Lexington, Ky...

Read more here:
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/31289/colic-researchers-tight-junctions-crucial-in-gut-function

Monday, February 04, 2013

Equine Nutritian Course at coursera.org (free:)

Equine Nutritian - Jo-Anne Murray (University of Edinburgh)



This course is designed to provide knowledge of equine digestion and nutrition for those with an interest in this area. The anatomy and physiology of the equine alimentary canal will be studied to provide students with a detailed understanding of the equine digestive system. Nutrient sources for horses will be discussed, with emphasis placed on the health and welfare issues surrounding the inclusion of various types of feedstuffs in equine diets. Students will also discuss recommendations on rations for horses and ponies performing various activities and should feel equipped to make recommendations on rations for horses and ponies, in health and disease.



Sunday, February 03, 2013

Crabbet Arabian Horses News from VCAHG Inc. January 2013

31 January 2013

The Crabbet Arabian Horses Newsletter from the Victorian (Aus) Crabbet Arabian Horse Group Inc. - January 2013

http://issuu.com/vcahg/docs/vcahg_newsletter_january_2013

Blood Tests for Performance Horses: How Helpful Are They?

KER.Equinews.com - Full Article

By Kentucky Equine Research Staff · January 17, 2013

Owners and trainers of performance horses are always looking for ways to evaluate the condition, fitness, and overall health of the equines in their care. Are managers feeding the right hay and grain in the right amounts at the right times? Are they working the horses too much, or not enough? Does a particular horse have some hidden problem of which the owner is unaware?

Blood analysis seems like a way to answer these questions. After all, the result will reveal practically everything that’s going on with this specific horse, right? Maybe, maybe not. A blood test can be helpful in determining a horse’s status, and a series of blood tests can be even more helpful. Unfortunately, however, no analysis of blood chemistry can provide a definitive answer to every nutrition, training, and performance question.

Per Spangfors, a veterinarian with Euro-Vets AB in Simlangsdalen, Sweden, submitted a paper for a Kentucky Equine Research (KER) nutrition conference on the topic of blood analysis and its relationship to feeding performance horses. According to Spangfors, there is a great danger with blood analyses in that what the owner ends up with is a set of figures on a piece of paper...

Read more here:
http://ker.equinews.com/article/blood-tests-performance-horses-how-helpful-are-they

Hoof Radiographs' Role In Practical Farriery (AAEP 2012)

Thehorse.com - Full Article

By Nancy S. Loving, DVM • Jan 15, 2013 • Article #31210

Radiographs are an often overlooked but indispensible tool for assessing a horse's feet and developing a hoof care plan that will maximize his soundness. At a recent in-depth seminar titled "The Foot from Every Angle," Randy Eggleston, DVM, of the University of Georgia's School of Veterinary Medicine, described how to optimize use of radiography.

"It is important to assess the relationship between the coffin bone and the hoof wall..."

Read more here:
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/31210/hoof-radiographs-role-in-practical-farriery-aaep-2012