Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Tips for Managing Gastric Ulcers in Performance Horses

Thehorse.com - Full Article

Up to 93% of performance horses suffer from gastric ulcers. Is yours one of them? Here’s how to manage the condition.

By Nettie Liburt, MS, PhD, PAS | Aug 24, 2018

It’s not a secret that many performance horses suffer from gastric ulcers. In fact, said Frank M. Andrews, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) is present in up to 93% of performance horses. What’s worse, this condition is a real problem for training, nutrition, and overall health. Thus, successfully managing EGUS is key to ensuring horses can perform at their best.

Recently, Andrews, LVMA Equine Committee professor and director of the Equine Health Studies Program at Louisiana State University’s School of Veterinary Medicine, reviewed advances in treating and managing gastric ulcers in performance horses during the University of Maryland’s Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources’ 2016 Mid-Atlantic Nutrition Conference, held March 23-24, in Hunt Valley, Maryland.

Gastric Ulcer Basics
Most ulcers occur in the non-glandular mucosa (the upper portion of the stomach), which lacks protective elements to keep it safe from acid, such as thick mucus and bicarbonate layers...

Read more here:
https://thehorse.com/17675/tips-for-managing-gastric-ulcers-in-performance-horses/

Monday, August 27, 2018

London cavalry counting down to commemorative First World War trek

LFPress.com - Full Article

London’s Europe-bound troop is counting down the days to a monumental trek to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War.

JENNIFER BIEMAN Updated: August 26, 2018

Ten riders, five crew members and three weeks to go — London’s Europe-bound troop is counting down the days to a monumental trek to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War.

The local group is joining at least 50 other riders from across the globe Sept. 14 to trace the path Allied forces took when pushing the Germans back from Cambrai, France to Mons, Belgium during the final 100 days of one of the deadliest conflicts in human history.

The riders will cover the same distance in only 10.

“We’ve been training every day or every second day for the past three weeks. Out doing a lot of distance riding, endurance riding,” said Maj. Allan Finney, the officer in command of the cavalry troop. “It is three weeks away and everyone is so excited...”

Read more here:
https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/london-cavalry-counting-down-to-commemorative-first-world-war-trek


Friday, August 24, 2018

Siberia: Preserved paleolithic baby horse emerges from permafrost

CNet.com - Full Article

Scientists unveil a 40,000-year-old foal found in Siberia's "Mouth of Hell."

by Amanda Kooser
August 24, 2018 11:41 AM PDT

A crater in Russia known as the "Mouth of Hell" has regurgitated a highly unusual find: a perfectly preserved baby horse whose kin roamed Siberia around 30,000 to 40,000 years ago. The state of the tiny horse is remarkable. You can even see the individual hairs on its body.

The Siberian Times first reported on the foal's discovery earlier this month and covered the detailed unveiling of the body this week. Semyon Grigoryev, head of the Mammoth Museum in Yakutsk, estimates the horse was just two months old when it died.
siberianhorsehooves

The horse belonged to an extinct group known as the Lena Horse (Equus lenensis). The Siberian permafrost is responsible for the foal's impressive state of preservation...

Read more here:
https://www.cnet.com/news/preserved-paleolithic-baby-horse-emerges-from-permafrost/

Thursday, August 23, 2018

Taking pictures in dangerous places

Trailmeister.com - Full Article

August 21, 2018
by Robert Eversole

I recently received a private message on facebook about taking pictures while in dangerous places. The sender said that she had seen accidents firsthand and that she felt that taking pictures detracted from the full attention that we should be placing on riding. I agree wholeheartedly. I’ve seen firsthand what can happen if a rider is inattentive (Remember my accident last August!)

However, I’m still going to take as many photos of awe inspiring areas as I can. My job is to try to inspire horse and mule owners to escape the arena and take the trail less traveled. A glorious photo can help get more people out onto the trails and into horse camps, much better than any words that I could write.

That being said after having my own traumatic riding event I have become much more careful about when and where I take my pics...

Read more here:
https://www.trailmeister.com/taking-pictures-in-dangerous-places/

Monday, August 20, 2018

Adventures on the trail: An essential guide to life in the saddle

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

August 20, 2018
Neil Clarkson

The Encyclopaedia of Equestrian Exploration, hardcover, in three volumes, by CuChullaine O’Reilly. Published by the Long Riders’ Guild Press. Reviewed by Neil Clarkson.

CuChullaine O’Reilly is proof that great feats of equestrian endurance are not limited to the saddle.

His three-volume Encyclopaedia of Equestrian Exploration is a literary tour de force and an important contribution to the collective wisdom of equestrianism.

We should never forget that much of the world was first explored on foot and on horseback. Frontiers were tamed thanks to our partnership with the horse.

Our relationship with these remarkable animals has been recorded through the millennia. They are depicted in ancient cave drawings and described in some of our earliest texts.

It is a rich and varied history.

O’Reilly, in what can only described as a Herculean feat, has distilled the wisdom of more than 400 equestrian explorers, known as Long Riders, into his three-volume encyclopaedia, comprising some 1750 pages...

Read more here:
https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2018/08/20/adventures-rail-guide-saddle/

Friday, August 17, 2018

Riders4Helmets International Helmet Awareness Day 2018 Set to Break Records

Riders4Helmets.com

July 21, 2018 by lyndsey

The 2018 Event is On Track To Have More Than 700 Participating Retailers in 19 Countries

Six hundred retailers in 17 countries have already registered to participate in the ninth Riders4Helmets International Helmet Awareness Day, to be held August 18th and 19th. With two weeks to go before the event, Riders4Helmets is on track to exceed the 680 retailers in 19 countries that participated in 2017, with 20% more retailers having already registered than by the same time last year.

“It is a testament to the continued need for educating equestrians on all aspects of helmet wearing that sees this year’s event on track to be our biggest event to date,” said Lyndsey White, Riders4Helmets. “I am absolutely overwhelmed at the continued support shown to the Riders4Helmets campaign by helmet manufacturers, retailers, and equestrians around the globe.”

“Back in 2010 when Riders4Helmets was founded and we hosted the first International Helmet Awareness Day, I never imagined that the campaign would inspire tens of thousands of equestrians to wear a helmet for the first time, and serve as a continued reminder to those who were already wearing a helmet, to ensure it is fitted correctly and that they replace it when appropriate.”

Riders4Helmets.com has teamed up with 22 helmet manufacturers this year, that will offer discounts on their helmets for two days only, via their global retailer network. The helmet brands that have committed involvement are Champion, Charles Owen, Dublin, EQ3 by Back On Track Canada, Eurohunter, Gatehouse, GPA, International Riding Helmets (IRH), Jin Stirrup, JPC, Kask, KEP Italia, Kwesta, LAS helmets (Leslie Sutcliffe UK), One K, Ovation, Samshield America, Tipperary, Trauma Void, Troxel, Uvex and Zilco.

Retailers in Australia, Canada, Denmark, England, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, USA, and Zambia have already registered to participate in this year’s event.

International Helmet Awareness Day was founded in 2010 as a direct result of US Olympian Courtney King Dye’s accident, with the aim of educating equestrians on the benefits of wearing a properly fitting, secured and certified helmet.

Retailers around the globe who wish to register to participate in the event may register free of charge at this link and will then be added to the participating retailer map. Only retailers who register with riders4helmets will be eligible for restocking discounts from the participating helmet brands (please note – participating brands vary by country). You must register with riders4helmets and not with the helmet brands. Further information for retailers and rules with regards to participating can be found at this link.

Equestrians may visit this link to learn more about International Helmet Awareness Day and can search for participating retailers by “Name” or “Geographic Location”. Equestrians are encouraged to visit the site on August 18th and 19th, 2018, to view the most current update, as participating retailers will continue to be added on a daily basis.

For more information on the Riders4Helmets campaign and more information on rider safety, visit www.riders4helmets.com. You can also follow the campaign at www.facebook.com/riders4helmets, www.instagram.com/riders4helmets, and www.twitter.com/riders4helmets.

Media Contact:
Lyndsey White
lyndsey@equiseen.com

Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Feeding the Ulcer-Prone Horse

Thehorse.com - Full Article

Learn how to craft a diet for the horse with painful lesions in his stomach.

By Kristen M. Janicki, MS, PAS | Aug 13, 2018

How to craft a diet for the horse with painful lesions in his stomach
Which horses would you traditionally consider “ulcer-prone”? Racehorses in training? Western pleasure horses showing competitively on the American Quarter Horse Association circuit? Pony Clubbers’ games ponies? Injured horses on stall rest? Truth is, you could be right with any one of these.

Equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) can plague any age, breed, or sex, and the risk factors are many—certain types of training and exercise, nutrition, feeding practices, and stabling, to name a few. Let’s take a look at one very important aspect of preventing and managing ulcers: diet...

Read more here:
https://thehorse.com/19510/feeding-the-ulcer-prone-horse/

Sunday, August 12, 2018

Dramas in the saddle: Encountering a crazy, chaotic world

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

August 9, 2018 CuChullaine O’Reilly

Armed escorts, roadside shootings, searing temperatures, chaotic traffic and mind-blowing bureaucracy. Despite it all, Filipe Leite completed a two-year 10,000-mile journey on horseback from Canada to Brazil. He chronicles his journey in his new book, Long Ride Home. The founder of the Long Riders’ Guild, CuChullaine O’Reilly, talks to Filipe about his remarkable journey, and the many challenges the Long Rider describes in his new book, which even included the need to befriend drug lords to get through.

You contacted the Long Riders’ Guild is 2011 in search of advice on how to make an equestrian journey from Canada to Brazil. You subsequently completed a 10,000-mile ride that lasted two years and took you and your horses through 10 countries. Can you explain how a childhood story sparked your desire to become a Long Rider?

The first story I can remember as a child is Tschiffely’s epic equestrian journey across the Americas. In the beginning of my book, Long Ride Home, I explain how I was a very scared child and when my dad turned off the lights in my room, many nights I cried, afraid of the dark. My dad would come in and tell me a part of the book Tschiffely’s Ride and use it as an example of how fear is a monster we create in our minds that we must learn to push aside. I loved the story so much. I remember sitting on my horse as a kid imagining what it would be like to cross all of those countries with the same animals. I spent the rest of my life dreaming of going on my own Long Ride...“

Read more here:
https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2018/08/09/dramas-saddle-crazy-chaotic-world/

Thursday, August 09, 2018

Senate Passes One-Year ELD Extension for Livestock Haulers

Drovers.com - Full Article

Wyatt Bechtel
August 2, 2018

An amendment added to the Senate’s “minibus” spending bill would grant livestock haulers another year-long extension to implement Electronic Logging Devices (ELD).

The amendment was proposed by Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) to delay implementation of the ELD mandate until Sept. 30, 2019. Fischer says the legislation is important because livestock haulers face different challenges from other transporters who are currently using an ELD under regulations from the Department of Transportation.

“With this extension, we will have more time to bring common-sense to these rules and provide additional flexibility,” Fischer says...

Read more here:
https://www.drovers.com/article/senate-passes-one-year-eld-extension-livestock-haulers

Monday, August 06, 2018

Veterinary Toxicologist Warns of Blue-Green Algae Dangers

Thehorse.com - Full Article

Health problems can arise when animals—including horses—and people come into contact with the various toxins produced by blue-green algae.

By Edited Press Release | Jul 8, 2018

Summertime is known for its heat. Add some rainy days to the mix, and this combination can be the recipe for the development of blue-green algae, says a toxicologist at the Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, a part of Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, in Manhattan.

Also known as cyanobacteria, blue-green algae can bloom in fresh water where environmental conditions—warm weather, lots of sunlight and the presence of nutrients in the water, which often are the result of agricultural runoff—make it possible for these organisms to grow and replicate rapidly.

Steve Ensley, DVM, PhD, a clinical veterinary toxicologist at Kansas State, said health problems can arise when animals—including horses—and people come into contact with the various toxins produced by cyanobacteria...

Read more here:
https://thehorse.com/159222/veterinary-toxicologist-warns-of-blue-green-algae-dangers/

Friday, August 03, 2018

Looking Beyond Frequent Hoof Trimming as the Magic Fix for Hoof Rehab

Easycare blog - Full Article

Tuesday, July 31, 2018 by easycare admin

By Hoof Care Practitioner David Landreville of Landreville Hoof Care

If you’re struggling with hoof issues, don't fool yourself into thinking that merely trimming more frequently is going to be a magic fix. There’s always a learning curve and there are often kinks in that curve.

The key to lameness prevention, rehabilitation, and continued development is keeping the outer wall off of the ground.

To accomplish this, I believe that optimum weight bearing is when the inner wall is loaded at the Four Pillars. I don’t try to make it happen in one trim. It’s built over years of frequent trims. After trimming to the inside of the inner wall, it takes three weeks for the inside of the outer wall to make it to the ground (with this kind of trim), which is why I try to keep them on no more than a 3-week trim schedule. The second and third weeks are the optimum comfort weeks for the horse. The inner wall, through its attachment to the sole, is set up to support the weight of the horse. The strength of the outer wall is not in its ability to support the weight of the horse, but in its ability to contort while simultaneously resisting the forces of contortion.

Frequency is only part of the equation...


Read more here:
http://blog.easycareinc.com/blog/easycare-admin/looking-beyond-frequent-hoof-trimming-as-the-magic-fix-for-hoof-rehab

Wednesday, August 01, 2018

10 Things to Remember on International Helmet Awareness Day

Lexington, KY (July 31, 2018) - The weekend of August 18th and 19th, 2018 marks the ninth annual Riders4Helmets International Helmet Awareness Day — a campaign event designed to educate people about the importance of wearing a hat, following dressage Olympian Courtney King-Dye’s accident from which she suffered a brain injury.

To mark the occasion, the campaign’s Lyndsey White shares 10 important messages that all riders should remember on a daily basis:

• If you have a hard impact blow while wearing your hat, immediately replace it with a new hat. There may be damage to the hat that is not visible to the naked eye.
• Hat manufacturers generally recommend replacing your hat every four to five years. Hats take a beating over time from sweat, heat, dust and rain, and the Styrofoam in the hat relinquishes its ability to protect the head over time. “So, replacing your hat sooner than four to five years may in some circumstance be necessary,” says Lyndsey.
• A ponytail or different hairstyle can affect the fit of your hat. When you try on hats prior to purchase, wear your hair in the style that you expect to wear it when riding.
• If you purchase your hat online, check the date of manufacture. Purchasing a used hat can be very risky and is NOT recommended. The hat may have sustained previous damage that you aren’t able to see.
• There is no statistical correlation between skill level and injury likelihood. Professional riders are just as at risk to sustain injury due to a fall as less frequent riders.
• Even a fall from a standing horse can be catastrophic. Your injury risk depends on the height from which fall, as well as the speed at which you’re traveling.
• Head injuries are cumulative. An original head injury can be made much worse by additional concussions.
• Riding is considered more dangerous than downhill skiing and motorcycling.
• Approximately 20% of accidents which result in head injury happen while the person is on the ground.
• It is best if you invest in your own hat regardless of whether or not you own a horse. “It is a personal purchase. Your hat is designed to fit your head,” says Lyndsey. An incorrectly fitting hat offers very little, to no protection. In addition to wearing a correctly fitting hat, you must have the harness correctly fastened on your hat. If the harness is not fitting snugly, the hat can rotate should you have a fall and it won’t be able to protect your head to its fullest intention.


To celebrate International Helmet Awareness Day, Riders4helmets has teamed up with leading manufacturers to offer special discounts on safety headgear around the globe, via their retailer networks.

Retailers around the globe who wish to register to participate in the event may register free of charge at this link and will then be added to the participating retailer map. Only retailers who register with riders4helmets will be eligible for restocking discounts from the participating helmet brands (please note – participating brands vary by country). You must register directly with riders4helmets and not with the helmet brands. Further information for retailers and rules with regards to participating, can be found at this link.

Equestrians may visit this link to learn more about International Helmet Awareness Day and can search for participating retailers by “Name” or “Geographic Location” on our participating retailer map. Equestrians are encouraged to visit the site on August 18th and 19th, 2018, to view the most current update, as participating retailers will continue to be added on a daily basis.

For more information on the Riders4Helmets campaign and more information on rider safety, visit www.riders4helmets.com. You can also follow the campaign at www.facebook.com/riders4helmets, www.instagram.com/riders4helmets, and www.twitter.com/riders4helmets.