HEALTH & EDUCATION

Health & Education

We all want the best care possible for our horses. The Heath & Education section covers both Learning Institutions, Organizations as well as many sources for equine assistance including Veterinarians and Farriers.

For those who want a to formally study horses, the Education section includes College Riding, Equine Studies, and Veterinary Schools. Learn about the wide variety of horses in the Horse Breeds section. Supplements and Treatments Therapy are also included in the section.

Everyone can learn from Fine Art and there are some specialty Museums that might surprise you.

Horses as a therapy partner enrich the lives of the disabled. These facilities are listed in our Therapeutic Riding section. To help children and young adults build confidence and grow emotionally, please see the resources available on the Youth Outreach page.

Looking for a place to keep your horse? You can find it in the Horse Boarding section. Traveling? Find a Shipping company or Horse Sitting service if your horse is staying home!

Want to stay up to date with the latest training clinics or professional conferences? Take a look at our Calendar of Events for Health & Education for the dates and locations of upcoming events.

Do we need to add more? Please use the useful feedback link and let us know!

by Dr. Eleanor Kellon, VDM

It's never bad to be aware of things that may be toxic to your horse, but precautions can be carried too far if you don't know the details. Yes, selenium is a potentially toxic mineral (they all are) but deficiency is much more common.

An owner contacted me because she had a hay selenium assay done which showed she was feeding about 3 mg per day from the hay, but she was horrified to realize the horse had been receiving another 2 mg per day on top of that. The bare minimum requirement for an average size horse is 1 to 2 mg/day.

However, bare minimum requirements are a long way away from toxic and even the 5 mg/day is considerably below any intake that would be dangerous. It is estimated an average size horse would need to take in at least 20 mg/day to be at risk for chronic toxicity - i.e. toxicity that takes weeks to months to show up. Acute toxicity takes over 1500 mg/day.

Naturally occurring chronic toxicity can occur with hays having over 5 ppm selenium ( = 50 mg in 22 lbs of hay) but this is rare. Natural toxicity is more likely in animals grazing on very high selenium soils where wild selenium accumulator plants, which contain several hundred ppm selenium, are growing. The highest selenium soils in the USA occur in pockets of Wyoming and South Dakota. These soils are high saline shales with an alkaline pH.

Acute toxicity causes a neurological derangement called "blind staggers" and is fatal. Chronic toxicity, "alkali disease", causes loss of mane and tail hair plus disrupted hoof growth resulting in separation of the hoof capsule at the coronary band. Another symptom of selenium toxicity is a DMSO or garlic-like odor on the breath. Recovery from chronic toxicosis takes up to 10 months if the hooves slough off. Again, both of these are rare.

Does omeprazole have any benefits?

Yes, particularly for ulcers that are found in the upper squamous region of the stomach that is not protected by a mucus layer. Short term usage is usually not problematic as long as care is taken to wean the horse off of it, lest there be a rebound acid effect.

But usage beyond 4 weeks, or giving your horse omeprazole for other reasons, is not a good idea. Firstly, it almost completely eliminates stomach acid. Stomach acid should not be treated as a nuisance and removed! It is absolutely necessary for protein digestion. Without it, your horse can experience protein deficits, which can result in loss of muscle, depressed immune function, poor digestion, and hormonal imbalances.

In addition, stomach acid is your horse’s first line of defense against damaging microbes that he may pick up off the ground.

Furthermore, omeprazole inhibits calcium and magnesium absorption, as well as other minerals, potentially damaging metabolic pathways and bone health.

But there is a better way

Tetanus: Your Horse’s Risk May Be Greater Than You Think — Photo courtesy of Zoetis

By Kevin Hankins, Senior Veterinarian, Equine Technical Services, Zoetis

Unvaccinated horses face a fatality rate of 75%

All horses are at risk for being exposed to tetanus. If your horse has exposure to soil, other animals and manure, he is at risk. Tetanus is easily transmitted, and if contracted, can be devastating to horses, with a fatality rate of 75%.¹

What is tetanus?

Tetanus is a bacterial disease caused by the invasion of Clostridium tetani in puncture wounds, open lacerations, exposed tissues or surgical incisions. Present in the intestinal tract and feces of horses, other animals and humans, the bacteria can be abundant in soil and can survive in the environment for years, creating a constant risk for horses and people. Clinical signs begin with hyperresponsiveness to noise or movement and progress to a horse having erect ears, third eyelid prolapse, flared nostrils, elevated head, stiff or erect tail, and a stiff-legged gait. Symptoms can advance to muscle spasms, convulsions and death by asphyxia.

“I’ve recently seen tetanus cases in a few horses, and it is devastating to lose a horse from a disease that is very preventable,” said Leslie Schur, DVM, Desert Pines Equine. “Whether you have a young foal, a recently purchased horse or a horse with an unknown vaccination history or a horse that isn’t current on their annual vaccinations, their risks for contracting tetanus significantly increase.”

It is crucial to work closely with your veterinarian to ensure your horse has received protection against tetanus.

by Eleanor M. Kellon, VMD

Equines with uncontrolled Primary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID) are often more prone to high parasite burdens related to immunosuppression from the disease, so diligent deworming — and control of ACTH — is essential. The fecal egg count (FEC) has become the method of choice for determining when to deworm a horse but there are many shortcomings.

Most labs do simple flotations, which means manure is mixed with a concentrated sugar or salt solution then allowed to sit. The eggs will float up and attach to a microscope slide at the top of the container.

The first problem with FECs is they were designed to reduce contamination of the environment, not to make sure the individual is parasite free. Eggs passed in the feces is how parasites spread from horse to horse. However, only adults pass eggs so you know nothing about other life stages, or parasites not laying eggs, or eggs not mixed evenly into the manure.

Any of the following can be undetectable or easily missed:

Immature or tissue forms of parasites
Tapeworms
Bots
Pinworms

Carole Herder, President of Cavallo Horse & Rider, shares her thoughts.

Q: Carole, you often talk about leaning on your horses during times of stress. The constant news about COVID has me worried and downright fatigued. What’s the best way that you have found for horses to help during this ongoing pandemic?

A: Horses provide a quiet connection to nature and help us all connect and quiet our minds. We live in the country and enjoy a rural setting. We all have our animals to keep us from feeling too much isolation. They are often the best companions anyway. During this time of pandemic, people are out riding their horses, and they are calling us for advice about how to keep their horses moving and feeling great.

Pandemic Panic

Unfortunately, not everyone is doing as well. For example, my neighbor is negatively affected by this pandemic. By the news, the fear, and the anxiety around COVID. She's not alone. Constantly judging the correct distancing and checking to see whether people are wearing masks has many people upset.

These folks are placing their frame-of-reference on the external forces around them and forgetting to nurture their own internal states. They're letting the news run the show. My friend has a hard time looking inward and is continuously being distracted by the media. She lost her horses last year, and I now see how important they were to her happiness. They helped her focus, be quiet and connect with nature. That's what horses do.

The pregnant mare has the same basic needs for water, nutrients and exercise, but with different targets.

The calories are the easy part. If you have a good quality hay (DE at least 0.9 Mcal/lb on hay analysis) she will need to eat only about 19 lb of hay/day in her 5th month, up to 24 lbs in the last month if her prepregnancy weight was 1100 lbs - and proportionately less or more if she is below or above that weight. This is definitely a reasonable consumption. If she won't eat that much, supplement her with a balanced commercial feed at the rate of 1 lb of feed for every 2.5 lbs of hay below her target intake.

Protein may be more problematic. She can still meet protein needs if the hay is at least 11% protein. This is possible but by no means guaranteed. If your hay is 8% protein instead of 11%, it is lacking 14 grams of protein per pound. For 20 lbs of hay that's about 280 g of protein.

If you are feeding grain instead of hay for part of the ration, there is also a protein deficiency. One pound of grain = approximately the calories of 2.5 pounds of hay. If the grain is 14% protein it supplies 64 g of protein. Even an 8% protein hay yields 91 g of protein in 2.5 pounds and at 11% it is 125 g compared to the 64 g in the grain.

The body makes proteins by stringing together amino acids. Essential amino acids are those that need to be adequate in the diet because the horse cannot make them. Lysine is the most important in pregnancy and supplementing at least 10 g/day is advisable, either as part of a protein supplement or separately if not supplementing protein.

What is Ebony Horsewomen?

Founded by Patricia E. Kelly in 1984, Ebony Horsewomen, Inc. was initially conceived as a cultural enrichment organization. Made up of African American female equestrians who operated community programs and rode in rodeos, EHI has morphed over the years into a comprehensive equine educational and therapy program.

A Grocer and a Horse and Wagon

In the early 1950s, Patricia’s parents moved to a new neighborhood. There, their neighbor was a Jewish grocer who owned a horse and wagon for his business. Mr. Fisher, the grocer, allowed Patricia to groom and ride the horse until its unfortunate death 2 years later in a fire. However, this short timespan was long enough to ingrain her desire for the equestrian lifestyle. Growing up as a horse crazy youth, many people thought it strange for a colored girl to fancy herself a cowgirl, with no visible representation to inspire her to it.

Marine Corps, a Men’s Group and New Beginnings:

Patricia joined the USMC after high school, and after she left the Corps, she yearned to rejoin the equestrian community. She connected with a men’s group in Hartford, CT - the Ebony Horsemen - a noted and long-standing group of African American horsemen.

Based on her experience with that group, Patricia and her youngest daughter organized the Ebony Horsewomen, which immediately started attracting skilled equestrians from Alaska to Maine, women who appeared in parades, rodeos, and horse shows all across America. They became the first African American all-female equestrian organization to be invited to participate in the Tournament of Roses Parade in 1990, and the State of Connecticut Legislature proclaimed them as Goodwill Ambassadors.

This video is Part 1 of a 3-part series that takes viewers on a journey through the horse’s digestive tract. Parts 2 and 3 will be released in Equine Guelph’s monthly communications in November and December. You can sign up here: https://www.equineguelph.ca/news/signup.php to catch their release.

These videos feature Equine Guelph's director, Gayle Ecker, and a rising standardbred star named Jack. Make sure to tune in as we learn what the horse’s digestive system looks like, how big it actually is, what makes it unique and how nutrition and management strategies can keep it healthy and happy!