Apr 24, 2015 | Ailments, Feet, Hoof, Hoof Care, Lameness, Laminitis, Leg issues, Shoeing
Part 2: Everything You Need to Know About Your Horse’s Feet
So they made me do a little work between blogs but here is Part 2 of my exclusive report from the All You Need to Know About Your Horse’s Foot Seminar.
When you hear ‘break-over’ you should think of thunderclouds parting and the sun coming out, angels singing, a drink of water when you are really thirsty. It’s that important. Horses have multiple break-overs, but we are going to concentrate on the one at the front of the foot for now. A break-over is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the point at which the hoof comes off the ground during movement. The moment of break over is the hardest on the hoof structures. Every bit of that force is trying to tear the foot apart.
A good trim, according to the guidelines I talked about in Part I, will set up a good break-over. This point should be about ½” to ¾” in front of the tip of the coffin bone. Wait a minute… how is my farrier supposed to know where the tip of the coffin bone is located?? I don’t think they come equipped with x-ray vision! Most of the time your farrier will set the break-over at a point about ½” to ¾” in front of the tip of the frog. Sometimes the foot doesn’t seem to be doing what your farrier expects. X-rays of the foot will help your farrier see what the bones are doing inside the hoof. X-rays let us see if there is arthritis, injuries, or laminitis going on which may require special shoeing.
Visual Aids!
Let’s look at some feet and see if you can spot the problem. First up:
This guy definitely doesn’t have his heels back to the widest part of his frog and that’s with the shoe on. And if you look at the branches of the shoe you will see they aren’t even. The shoe is twisted on the foot. His break-over is also too far forward.
Next up:
A line drawn down the center of this foot definitely won’t give you half inside and half outside.
This shoe…..Unless half this shoe was on one foot and half was on another foot it doesn’t make sense.
Now for the fun stuff. What happens when the foot has been trimmed and we can’t get the alignment the way we want it? We put a shoe on it!! So in answer to the barefoot question. Your horse can go barefoot if two things can happen: the foot can be balanced with a trim, and the work the horse is doing doesn’t unbalance the foot faster than it can grow to compensate.
This shoe is an extreme example of break-over manipulation. It starts with a regular shoe. Bar stock is then welded to the inside. Then the shoe is nailed to the foot. The end result is a shoe that allows this horse to break-over anywhere he wants.
This horse is an example of the opposite end of the spectrum. This foot has been allowed to grow long to bring the break-over forward but notice the principles have still been applied. Now this foot is extra long since this horse is due to be shod but notice the foot is balanced and well supported. We can manipulate feet to make gaits we find appealing but it must be done correctly or we jeopardize the horse.
Ever get tired of your young horse pulling shoes? Or have a horse with really sore heels? This shoe, affectionately called the flip flop, fully supports the foot but is very forgiving of the hind foot grab. Most short coupled young horses go through a shoe pulling phase until they learn to wear shoes. It’s normal and should not be blamed on your farrier. Sore-heeled horses need some support since they hurt too bad to not have a shoe underneath them, but metal shoes can be too hard on them. The heels on these shoes offer them soft support.
This shoe is an example of the compromises we have to make sometimes. This horse has a torn deep digital flexor tendon. This injury will heal best if we can take some of the tension off the tendon. A shoe like this helps reduce that tension but it has moved that pressure to the heels. Notice how the heel is curving under. This shoe can’t be used long term without causing significant hoof problems.
A quick note on some common Florida problems. This beautiful abscess is secondary to all the very wet weather we have been having. Using durasole, thrush buster, keratex hoof hardener or something similar on the foot will help it handle all that excess moisture. Sometimes no matter what we use on the foot they just stay way too wet. In that situation shoes may be the answer if only temporarily.
Along with abscesses, thrush is a common problem. The cattle mastitis ointment Today applied to the affected areas daily for a week and then every few days for three weeks will help clear it up. We have also recently started using a product called Keramend on some really really really bad thrush horses and have been very pleased with the results.
Our horses rely on a good foundation to stay happy and comfortable. I know I learned a lot about feet at this seminar, but Dr. Lacher and the entire Springhill Equine crew are happy to talk feet anytime! This is Tony saying may your food bowl be full and your litter box clean!!
Apr 13, 2015 | Feet, Hoof, Hoof Care, Lameness, Laminitis, Leg issues, Shoeing
This is Tony reporting from the Hoof Seminar on April 11, 2015. I am sure this will be a multi-part blog since I doubt I will be able to get all the information typed up without hitting the food bowl at least once so stay tuned if I stop mid-sentence. I will be back after refreshments….
Let’s start with the very true saying: “No Hoof No Horse.” Much like “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make them drink” this saying sticks around because it is so true. Our horse’s take off, land, turn, and stand on their feet. And it’s a pretty tiny foot on the end of a long stick so little changes make huge differences!
A bit of anatomy will help us all get our bearings for some good discussion later. The lower leg is made up of the cannon bone, sesamoids, long pastern, short pastern, navicular bone, and coffin bone. The most important thing to remember here is that we are manipulating the hoof since that’s the part we can change but it has to align with all those bone and tendons and ligaments above.
Moving on to alignment. Tires on your car have to be aligned a certain way so they wear evenly. Hooves aren’t much different. By following certain guidelines the hoof will fly through the air, land, and take off again in perfect alignment with the rest of the limb above, the other three legs, and the big body it’s moving along. Think about it: a horse trotting creates 1,500 pounds of pressure and that’s at the trot! It’s really important to get alignment right.
OK starting with the view from side…….A line drawn down the front of the hoof should lay against the entire hoof wall and front of pastern. A line drawn down from the center of the fetlock joint should lay against the heel bulbs. In a perfect world the fetlock and hoof wall line would intersect at the middle of the fetlock joint but that is where the word guideline comes in.
Now pick up your horse’s foot. When it is freshly trimmed the heels should be at the widest point of the frog. This is really, really, really important. Many of us where taught that heel should never be taken off. Like many things we heard in our youth, things changed. The heels must be at the widest point of the frog. Next draw a line across the widest part of the foot and a line at the toe. Half the foot should be in front of the widest point and half behind.
Draw a line down the center of the foot long ways and half the foot should be to the outside, half to the inside.
Set the foot back down and look at it from the front. A line drawn down the center of the hoof should divide the hoof in half with 50% to the inside, 50% to the outside.
Hold your horse’s hoof up and let it hang from your hand. Draw a line down the center of the heels and again this should divide the hoof in half. This line should also be perpendicular to a line drawn across the heels where they will meet the ground. I hope you are noticing a pattern here. The foot should be symmetrical!
Notice none of this involved touching the sole with a hoof knife! By allowing our horses to form all the sole they want we help them keep good cushion beneath their coffin bone! Horses will naturally wear off any sole they don’t need so we don’t have to do that for them.
All this work has set us up for a discussion about the perfect break over, which is our real goal but you will have to wait until next week since I hear the full food bowl and clean litter box calling. Stay tuned. I will finish writing soon!
Apr 7, 2015 | Uncategorized
We cherish our older horses. In some cases we have a long history and lots of wonderful memories with them. In others, we value their kind and quiet personalities with our kids and (not-so-horsey) spouses. However they came in to our lives, the Seniors often show us the best qualities of horses and as ambassadors for the equine world they deserve the best in care. Caring for senior horses is easier than ever with modern feeds, health monitoring, and medications.
Let’s start with health monitoring. Providing regular dental care to your young horse means good teeth for many years to come. Dr. Lacher posted a picture of her 30 year old horse to Facebook demonstrating his excellent teeth. Just last week she saw another 25 year old horse who had received great dental care her whole life and as a result had perfect teeth. A good set of chompers means these two horses can eat normal feed and roughage keeping feeding costs down, maintain a happier gut, and experience a higher quality of life.
If your older horse didn’t have the luck to have a fantastic owner is his younger years don’t despair. Senior feeds and leafy hays keep these guys in on the action for a long time. These horses do experience more dental problems such as loose teeth and tooth root infections. A call to Springhill Equine at the slightest hint of dental pain allows us to manage most of these problems quickly and easily.
After dental disease, Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) and Cushings disease are the next most common issues we face with our older horses. EMS and Cushings go together like peanuts and peanut butter most of the time. Wait isn’t it peanut butter and jelly? Yes but in this case EMS affects younger horses (as young as 3-4 years old) and over time many of those horses develop Cushings. So just like you start with peanuts to get to peanut butter, we often see EMS first and then see Cushings.
There are ways to identify EMS horses using blood tests but often we simply evaluate your horse’s body condition score (BCS). Horses who are a BCS of 7 or higher on a scale of 9 are almost always afflicted with EMS. This disease is similar to Type II Diabetes in humans and is managed with similar diet and exercise life changes. EMS leads to Cushings if not well managed because these horses are in a Pro-Inflammatory State. That means the immune system is always looking for places to take out its aggression and it doesn’t always find the right place to do that. If we are unsure if a horse has EMS we have a very simple blood test which can be performed: you, the owner, give about 100cc of Karo syrup and then about 90-120 minutes later we come out, draw blood, and send it off for insulin levels.
Cushings disease is recognized commonly in horses, dogs, and humans. Of course, horses have to be special by developing the disease in a different area of the pituitary gland than humans or dogs. Humans and dogs have a problem with the back of the pituitary gland or the adrenal glands, while horses develop their problem in the middle of the pituitary gland. What’s the big deal you ask? 5,000 different possible hormones is the big deal. While humans and dogs primarily release cortisol (the nasty stress hormone), your horse might release any combination of the 5,000 different hormones controlled by the middle of the pituitary gland. These hormones are primarily responsible for maintaining status quo in the body. They let the body know if it’s hot or cold, hungry or thirsty, should we grow feet or stop, etc. This means we can’t look at any given horse and say “Yep, You’ve got Cushings.” Luckily we have two great blood tests that give us pretty good answers. ACTH levels are a simple blood draw and if elevated we can reliably say “This horse has Cushings.” Because of that whole 5,000 hormones thing sometimes we have a strong suspicion that a horse has Cushings but ACTH levels come back normal. In that case we go a second test know as a TRH stimulation. This test involves a shot of TRH, waiting 15 minutes, and then another quick and easy blood draw to test ACTH levels. Horses who have Cushings disease are managed with a combination of medications depending on ACTH levels and symptoms.
Last but not least: The Dreaded L Word. Laminitis has the power to strike fear in to any horse owner’s heart. Watching our horses hobble around is almost as painful for us as it is for them. Turns out most laminitis is secondary to EMS and Cushings so good monitoring for these two conditions will dramatically reduce your horse’s chances of developing laminitis. Here at Springhill Equine we also strongly recommend radio-graphs (x-rays) of your senior horse’s feet every year. Many EMS horses suffer from very low levels of laminitis which cause slowly progressive changes in the feet. Often they don’t show us signs until they have progressed quite far. By taking radio-graphs yearly we can identify subtle cases early and form a plan with your farrier.
Our Senior horses have worked hard for us, in return let’s give them a great retirement! Springhill Equine’s Senior Wellness Program has been designed to evaluate all the common problems we talked about in this newsletter. If you would like more information or have questions about your Senior horse contact any of the Springhill Team.
Jan 16, 2015 | Ailments, Breeding
The 5 Panel Genetic Test for AQHA registration
The AQHA offers its members a genetic test for a panel of 5 different genetic diseases affecting Quarter Horses. The panel tests for Hyperkalemic Periodic Paralysis (HYPP), Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy type 1 (PSSM 1), Malignant Hyperthermia (MH), Hereditary Epidermal Regional Dermal Asthenia (HERDA), and Glycogen Branching Enzyme Deficiency (GBED). All these diseases are genetic, and are caused by single mutations in DNA that are easy to test for. The University of California-Davis performs the testing for the AQHA, using mane or tail hair or blood samples.
The panel has been available for years, but just recently AQHA began requiring that results of the panel be on file for stallions before their foals could be registered. This applied at first only to stallions that were bred to more than 25 mares, but after January 1, 2015, ALL breeding stallions will need to have the 5 panel test results on file. This requirement doesn’t restrict the use of stallions that may test positive for one or more of the diseases, but it does give mare owners valuable information to consider when making breeding decisions. Although the requirements for the panel testing only apply to breeding stallions, owners may request testing of any horse if they are interested or have concerns.
HYPP
HYPP stands for Hyperkalemic Periodic Paralysis. This disease affects the electrical impulses within the body that control muscle contraction. The defective gene results in clinical signs of muscle tremors and fasciculations. In some severe cases, horses may be unable to stand, or even unable to breathe. Horses can show symptoms with only one copy of the defective gene, but symptoms are often more severe if they have two copies of the mutation. This disease affects mostly halter horses, and can be traced back to the prolific stallion ‘Impressive’. Since Impressive lines were also used in Paint and Appaloosa halter breeding programs, HYPP is found in those breeds as well. AQHA does not allow registration of foals that test positive for two copies of the defective gene (H/H), but will allow registration of foals that are H/N: one defective and one normal gene.
PSSM 1
PSSM stands for Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy. This disease causes changes in the way sugars are stored and used by the muscles. It causes frequent episodes of ‘tying up’ if not properly controlled by a special diet and regular low intensity exercise. There are two types of PSSM. Type 1 is caused by a genetically identified mutation, which is testable. Type 2 is suspected to be genetic, but that mutation has not yet been identified by researchers. Most Quarter Horses with PSSM have type 1. Horses will show symptoms of PSSM type 1 with one or two copies of the mutation. Like HYPP, PSSM type 1 is more common in halter QHs than in other lines. Some QHs have been shown to have mutations for both HYPP and PSSM.
HERDA
HERDA stands for Hereditary Epidermal Regional Dermal Asthenia. Horses with HERDA have defective collagen, an important protein that is part of skin, cartilage, muscles, and tendons. The major clinical sign is skin that is easily injured, torn, or even sloughed off. The skin is also very slow to heal. There is no treatment for the condition, and horses that have it are often euthanized. Horses will only show symptoms if they have two copies of the mutation for HERDA. Horses with only one copy of the mutation are clinically normal. These animals are called ‘carriers’. They can pass copies of the mutation to their foals, and if one carrier is bred to another carrier, the foal might inherit the mutation from both parents and be symptomatic. HERDA is limited mostly to horses with reining and cutting horse bloodlines.
GBED
GBED stands for Glycogen Branching Enzyme Deficiency. Like PSSM, this disease also affects how sugars are stored, but in a different and more severe way. It results in abortions, stillborn foals, and foals that are alive but weak at birth and die or are euthanized soon after. Like with HERDA, horses may be carriers for GBED – if a horse has only one copy of the mutation it will be clinically normal. Paints and Appaloosas can also carry the GBED mutation.
MH
MH stands for Malignant Hyperthermia. This disease changes the way muscle cells handle calcium, and thus the metabolism of the cell. Horses with MH will appear normal most of the time, but have specific occasions when they show symptoms. During an attack, horses will have a very high fever, profuse sweating, high and irregular heart rate, high blood pressure, and rigid muscles. Attacks are triggered by certain anesthetic agents or stress, and are sometimes fatal. MH is believed to be less common than either HYPP or PSSM, but the percentage of affected horses is not yet known. Several breeds including Quarter Horses and Paints can be affected. Horses may be positive for both PSSM and MH together, and these animals appear to suffer from more severe episodes of tying up than horses that have PSSM alone.
Dec 23, 2014 | Breeding, Uncategorized
White Horse
Is there really such a thing as a white horse? Many gray horses start out nicely dappled, but then fade to nearly white as they age, and are incorrectly called ‘white’ by non-horsey folks. However there are a handful of other colors, each genetically different, that can result in a horse that looks white.
Blue-Eyed Creams Blue-eyed creams, (cremellos and perlinos), are horses that inherit two copies of the ‘cream’ gene. This gene is a color dilution factor, and when a horse inherits two copies, the result is a horse with blue eyes and an off white or cream colored coat. In the summer when they are slick and shiny these horses can appear white. Cremellos and perlinos can be difficult to tell apart without a genetic test to detect the differences in their underlying coat color. Cremellos are genetically chestnuts with two cream genes, and perlinos are genetically bay with two cream genes.
Lethal White Lethal white is an inherited condition usually seen in paint horse foals. These foals are born either all white, or mostly white, and like the name implies, they heartbreakingly will all die or have to be euthanized shortly after birth. The all white coat color in these foals is associated with a genetic mutation that also produces a problem in the nerves to the gastrointestinal tract, which interferes with motility and causes severe colic. There is no treatment for the condition. Usually, but not always, these foals are a product of breeding two overo paint horses. There is a genetic test available to screen potential breeding animals as carriers for the condition, and all responsible paint breeders should know the status of their breeding stock.
Sabino White Sabino is a description for a collection of white markings, and the word is used by multiple breeds. Horses labeled as sabinos often have extensive roaning, belly spots or large face markings and high white on the legs. Geneticists believe that there are probably several different genes that produce sabino type markings, but one mutation in particular has been identified, and named Sabino1. The Sabino1 gene is found mostly in Tennessee Walkers and Miniature horses, but also in some Paints, Shetland Ponies, and Pony of America’s. One copy of the Sabino1 gene produces the typical roaning, belly spots, high leg white, and large face markings. However, horses with two copies of Sabino1 are at least 90% white, and are referred to as ‘Sabino-white.’ These horses usually have pink skin and dark eyes. Sabino-white foals can look identical to Lethal-white foals, but they will be completely healthy, so it is important not to assume that all white foals should be euthanized at birth.
Dominant White Dominant white is caused by a variety of genetic mutations that affects pigment cells in skin and hair follicles. These mutations produce a horse with pink skin, white hair, and usually dark eyes. One particular such mutation, from the QH stallion GQ Santana, has been identified, and there is now a test available for it. Since it is a ‘dominant’ trait, only one copy of the mutation is needed to produce a white coat color. So far no horses with two copies of the mutation have been identified, so it is not known if foals/fetuses with two copies would be ‘viable’.
Nov 24, 2014 | Athleticism, Competition Horses, Exercise, Hoof Care
Managing your horse for a long athletic career I listened intently Tuesday evening to Dr. Lacher and Dr. Bourke discussing athletic horses and their needs. I like to think of myself as an athlete and I want to be around a long time so here are notes from the cat.
A long career starts at the beginning. A solid education as a youngster gives our horses the right skills to fall back on in a pinch. By spending time putting good footwork and consistent response we set our horses up to succeed later in life. Footwork allows a horse to properly use each of its four legs to balance when we ask them to suddenly change direction to cut a cow, or spin, or jump, or pirouette. Just like football players have to practice footwork so its second nature during a crucial play, our horses have to be very good at the basics. Ask any high level rider what they practice most of the time and the answer will be the basics. Ask any high level rider what they don’t practice and it will be the big tricks whether that be spins and slides, big jumps, extreme collection or extension.
Apparently not only should our horses be educated but the riders should be too. You humans can really affect what happens with your horse. Getting the best quality lessons, using all that technology has to offer, and always learning help you influence your horse in a positive way.
Fitness is not a subject I’m particularly fond of. I like to hold down the counter at the office and be sure everyone in the office offers me a bit of their lunch. But I digress. Different types of horses require different levels of fitness. A rail horse, for example, will need stamina to keep consistent gaits both directions of the rings and potentially come back for a final but is unlikely to need extreme cardiovascular fitness. An event horse or a reiner, on the other hand, will need to be cardiovascularly fit to perform at even modest levels. Designing an appropriate fitness program for your horse’s career will keep tendons, ligaments, muscles, and lungs ready to handle anything we throw at them. Spoiler alert: there will be a bit about injury later on. Mental fitness should also be taken in to account. Horses, just like people, like to cross train. Oh and they like a vacation every now and then too. Personally, I like summer to vacation. As a black cat summer gets a bit hot so I stay inside, listen to the latest tunes, and catch up on Facebook.
Fitness is again important for the humans. You are more likely to make all the right moves if you aren’t too tired to make the right decision at the right moment. Assess your own strengths and weaknesses. Most of us favor one side or the other. Do you find all the horses you have ever ridden on a consistent basis are similarly one sided? Do you have a go to move when you get in trouble? A few sessions with a personal trainer every now will help you manage those weaknesses. Oh and don’t forget mental fitness for humans. Ten Minute Toughness by Jason Selk and other similar books are great introductions to sports psychology.
Well that’s a wrap for this blog since I need to go supervise the office. Stay tuned for my next installment about the equine athlete. Until then may your litter box be clean and your food bowl full.
Nov 10, 2014 | Breeding, Uncategorized
Welcome to part 2 of Equine Coat Color Genetics: Gray, Roan, and Dun
This blog builds on the information presented in the previous blog: Equine Coat Color Part 1. We recommend you read that post first to best understand this one.
The Gray Gene
We all know that gray horses aren’t born gray, but they are not all born black. A gray horse can start out any color at birth, and then they fade as they age, sometimes slowly, and sometimes rapidly. The ‘gray’ gene is simple. ‘G’ stands for ‘gray’, and ‘g’ for ‘NOT gray’.
GG = horse goes gray
Gg = horse goes gray
gg = horse stays whatever color it is at birth
The color that a gray horse is born with is determined by the other color genes. For example:
EE or Ee (black-based), with aa (unrestricted black), with GG or Gg (gray) = Horse born black, then goes gray.
EE or Ee, with AA or Aa (restricted black), with GG or Gg (gray) = Horse born bay, then goes gray.
ee (red-based) with GG or Gg (gray) = Horse born chestnut, then goes gray.
Roaning
The roan gene is a color modifier that causes an intermixing of white hairs with the base coat color, with more white over the neck and body and less white on the head and legs. Black based horses with roan have black and white hairs, and are called blue roans. Chestnut based horses with roan have red and white hairs, and are called red roans. Bay horses with roan have brown and white hairs, and are either called bay roans or strawberry roans.
The roan gene is a dominant trait, meaning that ‘Rn’ for ‘roan’ is dominant to ‘rn’ for ‘NOT roan’. The famous cutting horse mare Royal Blue Boon is an example of a blue roan, and her son, the famous sire Peptoboonsmal, is a red roan.
EE or Ee (black-based), with aa (unrestricted black), with RnRn or Rnrn = Blue Roan
EE or Ee (black-based), with AA or Aa (restricted black), with RnRn or Rnrn = Bay Roan
ee (red-based), with RnRn or Rnrn = Red Roan
Dun Dilution – Dun, Red Dun, and Grulla
The dun gene is a color dilution factor that causes a horse to have a diluted coat color, a dorsal stripe, and other ‘primitive’ markings, such as bars on the legs, and sometimes dark marks near the withers. The dun gene is responsible for grulla, dun, and red dun horses. Dun is a dominant trait. ‘D’ for ‘dun’ is dominant to ‘d’ for ‘NOT dun’. The other color genes determine what shade the base coat color is.
A grulla is a black horse with the dun dilution factor.
EE or Ee (black-based) with aa (unrestricted black) with dd (not dun) = Black.
EE or Ee (black-based) with aa (unrestricted black) with DD or Dd (dun) = Grulla.
A dun is a bay horse with the dun dilution factor.
EE or Ea (black-based), with AA or Aa (restricted black), with dd (not dun) = Bay.
EE or Ea (black-based), with AA or Aa (restricted black), with DD or Dd (dun) = Dun.
A red dun is a chestnut horse with the dun dilution factor.
ee (red-based), with dd (not dun) = Chestnut.
ee (red-based), with DD or Dd (dun) = Red Dun.
Look for the next installment of Equine Coat Color Genetics coming soon for info on Palomino, Buckskin, and Smokey Black!
Oct 31, 2014 | Ailments, Events, Herpes, Vaccines
Why Vaccines are SO Important for your horse!
“Do I really need to vaccinate my horse?” YES. Absolutely. In an era where more and more people are turning to a more holistic approach to health care for both themselves and their horses, it is important to remember that vaccines are still an extremely important part of protecting your horse from harm.
All horses in Florida need at minimum to be vaccinated against Rabies, West Nile Virus, Eastern Encephalitis, and Tetanus. These are called ‘core’ vaccines because ALL horses should have them, regardless of their age, use, travel, or geographic location. The list of core vaccines and recommended vaccine schedule is put together by experts in immunology and equine medicine within the American Association of Equine Practitioners, the nationwide organization of horse vets. Why these four, and not others? Here’s the criteria used to qualify a vaccine as ‘core’, or a ‘MUST have’:
The disease causes severe symptoms or death.
- Rabies: A variety of neurologic symptoms leading to certain death.
- West Nile: Muscle twitching, hyper excitability, in-coordination, sometimes inability to stand or death.
- Eastern Encephalitis: Fever, severe in-coordination, inability to stand, seizures, coma, death.
- Tetanus: Muscle spasms/rigidity, inability to eat or drink, inability to rise, death.
The disease is difficult or impossible to treat.
- Rabies: 100% fatal regardless of treatment.
- West Nile: Supportive care only. Up to 1/3 of horses die despite treatment, and others have lasting neurological problems.
- Eastern Encephalitis: Supportive care only. Up to 90% of horses die despite treatment.
- 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.
- Rabies: Through bites from rabid animals.
- West Nile: Spread by mosquitoes.
- Eastern Encephalitis: Spread by mosquitoes.
- Tetanus: Bacteria lives in the soil, horses exposed through wounds or hoof abscesses.
The vaccine is safe and effective.
- Rabies vaccine: 99% effective in preventing disease
- West Nile vaccine: 95-99% effective in preventing disease
- Eastern Encephalitis vaccine: 95-99% effective in preventing disease
- Tetanus vaccine: 95-99% effective in preventing disease
“But 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 bit by a raccoon, a mosquito, or injure himself.
“But I’ve never heard of a horse getting Rabies.” Yes, Rabies in horses is rare. But when it does, there’s 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. Just this year there have been 10 cases of EEE in horses in central Florida (Alachua, Gilcrest, and Levy counties). Our practice personally diagnosed 3 cases of EEE this season, all of course in un-vaccinated animals. The reason there haven’t been even MORE cases is because we have done a good job protecting horses by vaccinating them.
“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, then it may be safer to withhold that vaccine from that individual 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. To be properly protected, horses in Florida should be vaccinated yearly against Rabies and West Nile Virus, and every 6 months against Eastern Equine Encephalitis.
Oct 7, 2014 | Ailments, Breeding
Cloning!
In 2008 the National Cutting Horse Association voted to allow cloned animals to compete in their aged events. There were at least 2 clones entered in the 2009 NCHA Futurity show for 3 year olds, but neither ended up competing in the event. Cutting horse trainer Phil Rapp trained both fillies – Playboys Ruby Too, a clone of Playboys Ruby, and what’s on Tap, a clone of Tap o Lena. Neither filly was ever on the top of his list for the Futurity, and he called their abilities “average”, even going on to say that What’s on Tap “did not progress as a cutting horse”, and that Playboys Ruby Too was the stronger filly, but “needed to do more than turn both ways”. The mediocre performances of these two clones confirms that genetics alone don’t make a superior athlete, and that cloning a world champion or Olympic medalist doesn’t ensure success in the top levels of competition.
In 2012 the FEI (International Equestrian Federation) made a statement that clones and/or their offspring would be allowed to compete in international events, including the Olympics. The decision came too late for it to effect the 2012 summer Games. Horses in Olympic disciplines like eventing, dressage, and show jumping are often considered ‘aged’ – older than 10 – before they are experienced enough for the international stage, so even if clones were being aimed at the Olympics, they probably wouldn’t have been ready yet. Maybe in 2016?
Polo may be the one exception where we should expect to see cloned horses competing on a regular basis. Polo ponies are being cloned at a faster rate than any other type of horse. By 2013, one owner alone, top polo player Adolfo Cambiaso, is reported to have cloned his top horses almost 100 times! Adolofo says that his goal is to one day complete an entire polo match riding only cloned animals. In 2013 he took a step toward this goal by riding one of his clones, a mare named Show Me, during the Championship match of the Argentine National Open, which his team won. He scored two goals while riding the mare, who is a clone of an American Thoroughbred, named Sage. Cambiaso currently has over 50 clones in training, and more will be coming of age for competition soon.
Registered Clones? Cloned racehorses?
You won’t be hearing about clones of Secretariat, Man O War, or First Down Dash any time soon. Why? Both The Jockey Club, which registers Thoroughbreds, and the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) have policies that ban the registration of clones or their offspring. Thoroughbreds have to be registered with the Jockey Club in order to race, and similarly, QH racehorses must be registered with the AQHA. For this reason, it doesn’t make sense to go to the effort to clone racehorses, at least not until the rules on registration change, and those changes may be coming soon.
The AQHA is in the midst of a long standing legal battle over clone registration. A group of cloned QH owners filed a lawsuit against the AQHA in April of 2012, arguing that clones (and therefore their offspring) should be allowed to be registered. The AQHA refused to give in, stating that over 85% of their members were against the registration of clones. In July of 2013 the court ruled against the AQHA, but the organization is appealing the decision, and opening arguments of the appeal begin this very week.
Oct 2, 2014 | Breeding, Uncategorized
Equine Coat Color Genetics, Part 1: Black, Chestnut, Bay
If I breed a gray mare to a bay stallion, what color will the foal be? If I bred two palominos, how did I end up with a chestnut foal? Equine coat colors actually follow some fairly straightforward rules – in fact, the same ones discovered by Mendel and his infamous peas that you may have learned about in biology. The first thing to understand is that each horse has two complete pairs of chromosomes – one that came from its sire, and the other from its dam. This means it has two copies of every gene, one from mom, and one from dad. The way the two copies of each gene interact with each other, as well as the interaction between separate genes, is the basis for all things genetic, including color.
We use letters to identify which types of each gene (which allele) the horse has inherited. Capital letters identify the dominant allele, and lower case letters stand for a recessive allele. Most of the time, recessive traits or characteristics are only observed if the horse inherits the recessive allele from both parents.
If for example there was a single gene for speed, (there’s not, but for example), then the letters we might use would be ‘F’ for fast, and ‘f’ for slow. If a horse was ‘FF’ (got ‘fast’ from both parents), it would be fast, and if it was ‘ff’, (got ‘slow’ from both parents) if would be slow. But if it was ‘Ff’ (got ‘fast’ from one parent and ‘slow’ from another, then it would still be fast, because ‘fast’, big ‘F’, is dominant to ‘slow’, little ‘f’. The dominant allele trumps the recessive one.
Another way to look at this:
FF = fast horse
Ff = fast horse
ff = slow horse
The ‘extension’ gene: Black, or Red.
The first gene you have to understand when talking about horse colors is the ‘Extension’ gene. Never mind its name, think of this gene as the “black or red” gene. The letters are ‘E’ for black, and ‘e’ for red (chestnut). Black, big ‘E’, is dominant to red, little ‘e’. All horses have this gene, (all horses have every gene), even ones that are colors other than black or chestnut. The other colors exist because of the way other genes interact with the extension gene.
EE = black-based
Ee = black-based
ee = red (chestnut)-based
You might be wondering, if black-based is dominant to red-based, why are there so few black horses compared to bays or chestnuts? Keep reading.
‘Aguti’ makes Bay.
The ‘Aguti’ gene controls black distribution across a horse’s body. Since red-based horses have no black, they will have two copies of this gene, but they won’t play in role in determining the horse’s color. On a black-based horse, the aguti gene determines whether the black will be all over the horse or only on certain parts (like the mane, tail, and legs). There are three alleles for this gene: ‘A’ restricts black distribution the most, (black main, tail and legs only), ‘At’ restricts black a little, and ‘a’ does not restrict black at all.
AA = black restricted to main, tail, legs
Aa = black restricted to main, tail, legs
AtAt = somewhat restricted black
Ata = somewhat restricted black
aa = black is unrestricted, black all over the body
So, combine this with what you know about the extension gene and you get:
EE or Ee (black based) with AA or Aa (restricted black) = Bay horse.
EE or Ee (black based) with AtAt or Ata (some black restriction) = Seal brown horse.
EE or Ee (black based) with aa (unrestricted black) = Black horse.
The reason for few truly black horses is that there are many black-based horses, but most of those turn out bay. Why? Because the big ‘A’, which restricts black, making bay, is dominant to the little ‘a’, and there happen to be a lot more big ‘A’s floating around in the horse population than little ‘a’s.
Remember, the aguti gene does not matter on red-based horses.
It only controls black. So:
ee (red-based) with AA, Aa, or aa (or any combination of aguti alleles) = Chestnut horse.
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