Horses are such trusting creatures. They willingly follow you humans into the dark black boxes you call trailers. Try putting me in a dark box (you call them cat carriers) and claws will fly, that I promise! There’s much protest when my minions ask me to get into a carrier, and often blood is drawn, but horses, horses just follow you humans into their horse carriers. I’ve seen a few protests, but with a little encouragement and some food, they comply and walk right on.

Since your horse trusts you as much as it does, there are some very important trailering safety tips we must go over to maintain that trust. From loading to unloading and everything in between, there are opportunities for things to go wrong. When things go wrong there is risk for injury, or even the death of your beloved horse. You’ll hear all kinds of differing opinions about trailering, and I’ll try to touch on many of these opinions, but it’s important to remember that you have to do what’s best for you and your horse.

 Training

As you know, horses like to injure themselves or colic at the most inopportune times. It’s often necessary to transport your horse to a clinic or hospital for treatment. During an emergency is not the time to be teaching your horse how to load or unload. Spend time in your usual day-to-day training teaching your horse to load and unload calmly and quietly. Take time to make sure that your horse is comfortable loading and unloading in all different conditions. Weather and time of day/night can affect your horse’s willingness to get on the trailer. Practicing trailer loading/unloading in normal circumstances will help to ensure your horse remains calm while loading in times of urgency.

 Maintenance

Maybe you and your horse are weekend warriors, maybe you go somewhere new every day, or maybe you haven’t left home in years. Whatever the situation, maintaining the functionality of your trailer is essential to the ease and safety of transport. Inspecting the floor of your trailer is an essential part of trailer ownership. Pull the mats up and check for wood rot, rust, holes, and broken welds. Areas of weakness increase the risk of your horse falling through the floor. As you can imagine, a leg through the floor can result is severe injury which could even be career or life ending.

Lights are one of my biggest cat peeves. Why would you put your horse, which you dearly love, in a trailer with no brake lights, or no turn signals? That increases the risk of getting rear-ended by about 1,000%. If you don’t think that’s a big deal, do a Google image search for “horse trailer accidents” and look at what has happened to other people and their horses. It’s not pretty.

The Florida sun is one of my favorite things. I love basking in it while taking my morning, midday and afternoon naps. However, the sun is not always good. For example, it causes dry rot of tires, even brand-new tires. Air pressure is also vitally important. Low air pressure is the number one cause of tire failure, and the easiest thing to avoid. A small air compressor is a lot cheaper than new tires!

Checking tires should be part of your trailer hook-up routine. A blowout can leave you stranded on the side of the road. It puts your horse at risk for overheating, colic, and dehydration, not to mention it just sounds miserable in the heat. Blow-outs can also cause accidents.

I also highly recommend yearly maintenance by trailer professionals. They can look at all the ins and outs of your trailer, repack wheel bearings, and make sure everything stays in tip top condition. Maintaining a safe trailer in good working condition will most certainly reduce the risk of accidents and make for smoother hauling of your most precious cargo.

 To tie or not to tie?

That really is the question, isn’t it? My docs get asked this question all the time. And even my docs are split on their answer.  Some say yes, tie your horse up while hauling, while others say not to tie. I feel like this is one of those personal preference kind of things. However, whichever way you chose, please do so with your horse’s safety in mind.

When your horse is loose in the trailer, they have the ability to maneuver and stabilize themselves in whichever way they feel safest. They are also able to lower their head and neck more easily which allows them to rest while on a long ride, and sneeze to clear dust in their nostrils and lungs.  Similarly, if choosing to ship your horse loose in a box stall, they have the choice to lay down if they are on a particularly long trip.  Some very small horses or ponies might be at risk of turning around in the straight stall of a trailer if they are left loose, or they may find themselves under a bar or panel where they could get injured by another horse. However, most horses find comfort in a bag of hay in front of them and the ability to move around as necessary.

Alternatively, you may choose to tie your horse up in the trailer. This is a feasible option as well, but there are some very important points that we must address.  First of all, if you choose to tie, please make sure you are using functional safety release cross-ties that will let go if your horse were to get itself in a compromising position. You may also choose to use a quick release knot when tying your horse. Whichever method you decide on, make sure the lead rope and any extra equipment is secured safely out of the reach of your horse.

Possibly the most important thing to remember when tying your horse in the trailer is what type of halter you use. Please, listen to this old cat on this one. Please, please, please put your horse in a leather halter, or at the very least, a break-away halter. Halters that don’t break, including rope halters, are incredibly dangerous whether your horse is tied or not. If a horse slips and falls or there is an accident, and your horse is tied with a rope halter or one that doesn’t break, you risk him breaking his back or neck. Similarly, if your horse is in the trailer and has a halter on that is not breakable, you risk him getting caught on a part of the trailer, panicking and injuring himself. And if your trailer is on its side or upside down, it can be nearly impossible to get them out if they are too securely attached. The longer it takes to get them out, the more they will suffer, and the less likely they are to survive. Trust me, this is something that is so easy and can prevent CATastrophe.

 Other Tips

By no means have I even begun to touch on everything that’s involved in trailering your horse safely. And these are just a few other tips and tricks I have learned along the way. Before we get to them though, I just want to remind you that my docs are more than happy to discuss your trailering routine with you and help you develop the safest plan for you and your horse.

Over the years, I have learned that lead ropes like to grow legs and walk off. You’d think that in a horse trailer they wouldn’t go missing, but they do. For this reason, and others, keep an extra lead rope or two in your vehicle. If you’re in an accident, for example, you may need a new one when your horse gets out.

We’ve already talked about the Florida sun and how hot it can get out there. A trailer on the side of the road full of horses can get dangerously hot very quickly. I recommend always carrying extra water with you while you are shipping your horse. You may be going five minutes away or five hours away, but either way, extra water is very important. I’ve found that a five-gallon jug from those office water dispensers works well. They fill easily with a hose, and while they are heavy, they’re fairly easy to maneuver and you can recap them, preventing a mess. Just don’t forget a bucket to pour the water into. I haven’t met a horse yet who can drink out of one of those things.

Last, but definitely not least, let’s talk about your first aid kit. First of all, make sure it’s in a safe, easily accessible place. In your kit, have the phone numbers of your veterinarians handy. That way anyone who may need to use the kit knows exactly who to call if for some reason you are not around. You also want to make sure you have plenty of bandage material. Baby diapers, vet wrap, and duct tape will do just fine. Baby diapers are super absorbent, vet wrap will help you apply pressure to any wounds, and, well, duct tape fixes just about anything.

Veterinary prescribed banamine or bute is also an asset to any first aid kit. As always though, please make sure to check with your veterinarian before administering any medications. A stethoscope and thermometer are useful to have on hand as well. While you wait for assistance you’ll be able to monitor your horse’s vitals and provide your veterinarian with accurate information. There are several other items that can go into your first aid kit, and if you are wondering more about this, check out our video on first aid (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzdQHrRyJxk) or give my clinic a call. They will chat with you about what all is in our very own Springhill Equine First Aid Kit, which you can purchase directly from us.

I know you all love taking your horses with you. Just remember your horse is trusting you to keep it safe every single time it steps on that trailer. So please take the time to check out your trailer and do whatever you can to keep your horse safe and happy while traveling. As always, my docs are ready, willing, and able to chat with you any time about your trailering questions.

Until next week,
~Tony

P.S. If you want a really deep dive into trailering, check out the Trailering episode of our podcast! You can find it over on the Podcast Page, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Tuesdays with Tony – How to prevent a tendon injury

You know my docs are there to help if your horse were to injure a tendon. They have the training and tools to diagnose and rehabilitate an injury. But you know what they like even better than that? Helping prevent a problem in the first place! While there isn’t enough bubble wrap to prevent all injuries (they are horses after all), here is my purrrspective on how you can reduce your horse’s risk of damaging a tendon or ligament.

 Start strong with good conformation

When you’re looking for a new horse, we know there are a lot of factors to consider, such as temperament, training, and talent for the job you want him to do. It’s important to consider his conformation as well, as certain conformations can predispose a horse to injury. For example, a horse with a very straight hock angle may be prone to suspensory problems, while a horse with low heels may put extra stress on his navicular area. I’m not saying every horse must have perfect conformation – most of us have to make some compromises when horse shopping. But if you can purchase a horse whose conformation won’t be working against his future soundness, you’ll probably have an easier time achieving your riding goals. A pre-purchase exam by my doc can help you determine what will work for your individual situation.

 Know how to feel for abnormalities

While some injuries happen due to sudden overload on a previously normal tendon, many injuries don’t just come out of nowhere, but are the result of cumulative damage that progressively weakens the tendon. Pay attention to your horse’s legs every time you are with him, so you are familiar with what his normal tendons feel like. Run your hands down all four legs before and after you ride. Feel for heat, swelling, and asymmetry. Are there any changes after a ride, such as swelling? Is the left front a little warmer than the right? These slight abnormalities may show up before he takes any lame steps. The goal is to catch a minor injury with only subtle signs before it turns into major damage. An inflamed tendon often has a little heat and mild swelling that lasts for a day or two and then subsides. Your horse may not yet be lame. But if exercise continues, the injury can progress to tendon fiber damage with lameness and a long recovery time. So if anything feels amiss, call my doc.

 Quality hoof care

Imbalance in a horse’s feet is one of the most common risk factors for tendon and ligament injuries. It’s really important to keep your horse on a regular schedule for trimming or shoeing. That’s around 4-6 weeks for most horses. As well as keeping on schedule, it’s important that your farrier keep the hoof well balanced. When the toes get too long, it puts excess stress on the tendons and ligaments at the back of the heel and up the leg. That can cause cumulative long-term damage as well as increase the chance of a major blow out of the tendon. Negative palmar or plantar angles also put undue stress on the soft tissue structures and increase the risk of injury. It’s especially important for horses with conformational challenges to stay on top of their hoof care, since they are at increased risk for damage.

Fitness

To avoid injury, condition your horse appropriately for the job he’s being asked to do. Haven’t ridden your horse in a few weeks? He’s not ready for the 20-mile trail ride this weekend. There are 2 factors here – first, the overall fitness of the horse, and second, the strengthening of the tendons and ligaments themselves.

 A horse that is unfit and becomes fatigued during the ride is less able to stabilize his tendons. It’s easy for a tired horse to take one bad step and bow a tendon. The more fit he is, the less chance he will reach muscle exhaustion and be unable to protect his limbs during movement. If your horse seems tired during your ride, don’t push him past his boundaries.

 Warm your horse up at the walk for 10-15 minutes to prepare his tendons and ligaments for the ride. These soft tissue structures benefit from long, slow work to stretch and strengthen them. Consistency in his work schedule is key. A regular schedule of 30-45 minutes of walking and trotting will build a stronger tendon than infrequent fast work.

 The more turnout time you can provide, the better. It’s much more natural for the tendons to be moving around and stretching while your horse walks his field than to be still in a stall for hours at a time.

 Footing

Consider the footing you ride in. Deep or uneven footing puts extra stress on the tendons and muscles and can set your horse up for an injury. This applies to the arena you ride in every day but also to the facility you haul to for a one-day show. If you arrive for a trail ride or a show and the footing is excessively deep, wet and soupy, or slick, remember that one day’s ride isn’t worth the risk of an injury. Boots, wraps, or shoes won’t protect your horse from bad footing either. You have my permission to load up and drive home again so you get many more years of good rides with your horse.

Keep in mind, you don’t have to ride your horse in the same perfect groomed arena every time. Cross training is a good idea – ride in the ring, out on the trails, up and down hills and on different surfaces. This will improve your horse’s fitness and strengthen his limbs so he will be better able to handle the places you go together. Just avoid any footing that looks suspicious!

 With these simple concepts and a little bit of preparation on your part, you can help to protect your horse’s tendons and ligaments from avoidable injury. Check in with my docs about it next time you see them. As much as they love using their high-tech treatments, what they would prefer is to see you and your horse, happy, healthy, and out there riding!

Until next week,

Tony

P.S. – As always, if you are looking to enhance your horse knowledge, don’t forget my docs work tirelessly on their podcast. You can find that right here!

This week we’re going to talk about vaccines. What, this topic isn’t new and exciting? Well guess what? I agree. I wish everyone did so well at getting their horses vaccinated that I never had to talk about it again. But some of you are still not protecting your ponies! All horses need vaccines. Yes, your horse! Were you about to say that that he never leaves the property or that he had vaccines for years so he must not need any more? You’ve got to be kitten me! Let’s me purr-suede you why your horse absolutely needs vaccines.

 There are certain vaccines that every horse should receive (called “core” vaccines”) and some that are risk-based. The core vaccines are necessary for every horse, no matter where he lives or what you do with him. In Florida, that means Rabies, West Nile Disease, Eastern Encephalitis, and Tetanus. The risk-based vaccines (for example, influenza and strangles) are optional and are recommended if your horse will be exposed to those diseases. Best way to figure that out is to talk to my doc about your individual situation.

 So why are some vaccines considered “core” and the others optional?  Here are the criteria for a core vaccine:

 The disease causes severe symptoms or death.

1. Rabies: A variety of neurologic symptoms leading to certain death.
2. West Nile: Muscle twitching, hyper excitability, in-coordination, sometimes inability to stand or death.
3. Eastern Encephalitis: Fever, severe incoordination, inability to stand, seizures, coma, death.
4. Tetanus: Muscle spasms/rigidity, inability to eat or drink, inability to rise, death.

 The disease is difficult or impossible to treat.

1. Rabies: 100% fatal regardless of treatment.
2. West Nile: Supportive care only. Up to 1/3 of horses die despite treatment, and others have lasting neurological problems.
3. Eastern Encephalitis: Supportive care only. Up to 90% of horses die despite treatment.
4. Tetanus: Antibiotics, muscle relaxants and supportive care are used. 50-75% of horses die despite treatment.

 The way the disease is spread puts all horses at risk, regardless of the horse’s lifestyle.

1. Rabies: Through bites from rabid animals.
2. West Nile: Spread by mosquitoes.
3. Eastern Encephalitis: Spread by mosquitoes.
4. Tetanus: Bacteria lives in the soil, horses exposed through wounds or hoof abscesses.

 The vaccine is safe and effective.

1. Rabies vaccine: 99% effective in preventing disease
2. West Nile vaccine: 95-99% effective in preventing disease
3. Eastern Encephalitis vaccine: 95-99% effective in preventing disease
4. Tetanus vaccine: 95-99% effective in preventing disease

 Here are some common misconceptions my docs hear about vaccines:

 “My horse doesn’t ever leave the property or interact with other horses.” Doesn’t matter.  Your horse doesn’t have to go anywhere to get bitten by a mosquito, a rabid raccoon, or be exposed to tetanus through a small wound. All of those things will find him right in his own pasture. The only protection is a vaccine.

 “I’ve never heard of a horse getting Rabies.” Horses absolutely get rabies, though it is rare. But if it happens, it’s 100% fatal and puts your own human family at great risk. There is always a long list of people who get exposed in the process of diagnosing and caring for the horse prior to its death. Those people then have to go through the expensive and painful process of post-exposure therapy. Vaccinating your horse is a $20 insurance policy to protect you and your family from the possibility of exposure.

 “But there haven’t been any cases of West Nile/Eastern Equine Encephalitis in my area recently. Those diseases are not here anymore.” WRONG. Our practice sees several cases of encephalitis every year. Don’t get lax on this vaccine – we see positive cases on horses that are only a couple of months overdue from their last vaccine. They are terrible neurologic diseases and often fatal despite expensive treatment. This vaccine needs to be given every 6 months in Florida, because our mosquitoes never go away.

 “But I’m worried about vaccine reactions.” This is a valid concern. Like all decisions in veterinary medicine, the decision to vaccinate should be one of risks-versus-benefits. For most horses, the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risks of vaccine reactions. The most common form of vaccine reactions are very mild – either a brief fever or local swellings, easily controlled by a few days of anti-inflammatories. If your horse has a history of a more severe reaction, talk to my doc about whether to withhold that vaccine from your horse.

 “My horse has had vaccines plenty of times before. He doesn’t need any more. My small animal vet says we only need to vaccinate my dog every 3 years.” Horses are not dogs. Unfortunately, horses do not mount the same level of an immune response to vaccination as people or dogs. The scientists who did the research on extending the time between vaccines for small animals are clear that this won’t work in horses because of the different way their immune systems function. Unfortunately, your 20-year-old horse still needs his vaccines as often as he did 15 years ago. To be properly protected, horses in Florida should be vaccinated once a year against Rabies and West Nile Virus, and every 6 months against Eastern Equine Encephalitis.

 So if your horse is even a little overdue for his core vaccines, call my doc to make your appointment! Vaccines are simple and inexpensive compared to the CATastrophe of your horse contracting a dangerous and easily preventable disease. Better yet, sign up for one of Springhill Equine’s Wellness Plans and let us keep track of his schedule for you.

 Now, be a good human and subscribe to my blog so you don’t miss out on my impressive cat knowledge. It’s the purple box right down below; you can’t miss it.

 Until next week,

~Tony

 P.S. If you want to know more about equine vaccines and the diseases they protect against, the humans have a great podcast episode (actually 2 or 3, I think) that covers way more detail. You can find it over on the Podcast Page.

What’s up with the title this week, you ask? Eighty degrees is the temperature of the air at midnight this past weekend. I know this, not because I was out prowling about, but because one of my Docs was up seeing a colic. Most horses don’t love this weather. I don’t blame them. Even I spend more time inside and less on the clinic driveway blocking traffic when it’s this hot out. This week let’s talk about summer fun with horses! 

The dreaded skin funk

There’s nothing like heat, humidity, and afternoon rain showers to create the just right environment for all kinds of crusts and crud on horse skin. You humans have about a million myths and legends for mystical potions to apply to the skin. Most of these don’t work, and, even better, aren’t great for the skin. 

#1 on that list: Listerine. Definitely should not be put on skin. A good hose off daily, along with time in front of the fan drying off, will go far to reduce summertime skin funk. If things have gotten out of hand, or your horse is a delicate thoroughbred who saw a raindrop and is now covered in crusts, reach for an appropriate therapy like Equishield CK Shampoo or spray. 

Now look, my Docs aren’t ones to walk around like a TV commercial selling you all manner of things. They use this product because it works! It’s made for horses so a little dab will do you, and also, there’s that it really works thing. For skin funk on the legs, it comes in a salve. Pro Tip: CK Salve is also the greatest thing in the world for removing that cannon bone funk they all get on their hind legs. 

Anhidrosis, or Non-Sweaters

There is a magical sweet spot around 78 degrees for the low temperature, and humidity consistently in the high 90% range that makes the equine sweat gland stop functioning. As a cat, I do NOT lower myself to something as mundane as sweating, but I also avoid work, so that helps. Not sweating in summer heat is a really bad plan. These horses are miserable! Luckily, we’ve got Dr. Abbott here, and she does acupuncture. I have no idea how tiny needles put in certain places makes sweat happen, but I am here to tell you I have seen it work with my own cat eyes. It’s pretty impressive. 

Since it can take a couple weeks for acupuncture to get these guys going, we also recommend a really good fan, or even better, one of those swamp cooler thingies, and frequent hosing. The less these horses need to sweat, the better they do. On this topic, Dr Patterson-Rosa at our very own hometown University of Florida recently published a paper on the genetics of non-sweaters. Hopefully this helps researchers come up with even better solutions to this problem, and helps breeders avoid making them!

Summer sores

The fancy term is habronemiasis. These things are a giant pain in the behind of all involved. My very best cat advice is to get my Docs involved early! They usually start with some topical treatments, but if that’s not working they quickly go to injecting the summer sore with medications. The best thing you can do to prevent them is fly management. Those pesky flies carry the organism responsible for this around on their feet. Working to reduce your flies with fly predators, feed-through growth regulators like Solitude, and manure management will go a long way to reducing summer sores. 

Getting Cool

Here is a shining spot of Old Wives Tales in the horse world. When I was just a tiny kitten the absolute RULE was only tepid water on the underside of the neck, and legs. My other favorite is the post that goes around Facebook this time of year: if you turn your horse out after hosing them without scraping the water off they could die of heat build up! They can’t. In fact, the single best thing you can do to cool down a hot horse is to hose their entire body off with LOTS of cold water. 

If possible, hit them with VERY cold water. No need to scrape. Just keep hosing until they have cooled off. Put them in front of a fan after hosing to get air moving across that wet, hot body of theirs. If a fan isn’t an option, walk them around to accomplish that same breeze across the body. If in doubt about the level of coolness, hose again. It’s never a wrong answer! You can even hose your horse off before you get on to “pre-cool” them. 

Summer is rough. I recommend getting through it in the air conditioning. Heck bring the horses inside. I’m sure they’d like the AC too! If you can’t bring them in, and you need help managing all the fun things summer brings, give my Docs a call. They are full of strategies to manage summer!

Until next week,

~Tony

P.S. The humans have an entire podcast episode about managing horses in hot weather. If you want to listen to that, head over to the Podcast Page on my website and scroll down through the episodes until you find it. It’s good stuff. But before you go, make sure you subscribe. It’s the purple box right below here. Scroll down a bit more. There you go. Good human.