PM #40009439 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Suite 202, 2400 Bevan Ave., Sidney BC, V8L 1W1
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10 Photo: Shutterstock/Anastasia Popova | 52 Photo: Shutterstock/Anastasija Popova | 60 Photo: Shutterstock/AnnaElisabeth Photography | 22 Photo: David Lees
b IN THIS ISSUE
60 SPECIAL FEATURES 66 Best Exercises to Resolve Crookedness
60 How to Care for Tack and Riding Equipment
70 Horsemanship with Jonathan Field
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Whether or not to blanket a horse is an often-debated question and there are many logical reasons to go either way.
Give your tack and gear some regular TLC and they’ll repay you with years of safe, enjoyable service.
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Create better symmetry by putting the horse in situations where he has to organize his own body.
Young horse pre-trailer training to instill trust, confidence, and thinking through challenges.
74 A Canadian Legacy Lives On In Jay Duke
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52 Rugging Up: The Wrap on Blanketing
Jay Duke followed the path of his parents, two accomplished equestrians in their own right, to become a true horseman.
ON THE COVER “In shape, in courage, colour, pace and bone… Look, what a horse should have he did not lack, Save a proud rider on so proud a back.” — William Shakespeare PHOTO: Alamy/WildlifeGmbH
b IN THIS ISSUE
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48
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HORSE HEALTH 10 Common Equine Spinal Problems
3 case studies: Wobbler syndrome, kissing spines, and pelvis problems.
18 The Horse’s Neck
Guide to everlasting cervical happiness for your horse.
22 Senior Senator’s Triumph
Steeplechaser recovers from a broken neck to win Maryland Hunt Cup for the second time.
32 Saddle Fit and Equine Back Disorders
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What role does saddle fit play in hunter’s bump and kissing spines?
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36 Diagnosis and Management of PPID
Advances in knowledge of Equine Cushing’s Disease allow well-managed PPID horses to live full lives.
40 How to Safely Refeed the Starved Horse
What is refeeding syndrome, and can a severely malnourished horse be returned to good health?
48 The How and Why of Soaking Hay Soaking and steaming hay
has many advantages, especially in a barn with hay that isn’t suitable for all resident horses.
DEPARTMENTS 3, 84-85
Country Homes & Acreages
8 Editorial 31 To Subscribe 79 Manitoba Horse Council News 80 Horse Council BC News 82 Product Review: Mare Support 83 Celebration of Horses Photo Contest 86 Canadian Therapeutic Riding Association News
87 Hitchin’ Post 88-90
Industry Products
91 Index to Advertisers 92 Book Review: Wild Horse Country
48 Photo: Shutterstock/Peter Titmuss | 36 Photo: Dreamstime/Nicole Ciscato | 40 Photo: Flickr
AUTUMN 2018
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EDITOR’S DESK
A Little Foal from the Ancient Past As we were finalizing this issue, we received news of a sensational discovery. A completely intact prehistoric foal that lived in Siberia between 30,000 and 40,000 years ago was discovered in the Batagaika crater in the region of Yakutia in northeastern Siberia. The foal is believed to have been about two months old, and 98 cm or 38 inches in height when it died. The carcass was so perfectly preserved in the permafrost that its dark brown hair, skin, mane, tail, internal organs, muscles, hooves, and even the tiny hairs in its nostrils and around its coronet band are completely intact. The colt was found by local residents in the massive Batagaika crater, a megaslump in the northeastern Siberian boreal forest measuring 800 metres wide and about 100 metres deep. Scientists from Russia and Japan excavated the fossil and took it to the Mammoth Museum at the NorthEastern Federal University in Yakutsk for study. There they hope to determine exactly when the foal lived, and how it died. The carcass has no obvious injuries or external wounds. The Batagaika crater was formed when the land began to sink in the 1960s as a result of climate change that accelerated melting permafrost. The crater grew and deepened with more flooding and in the process ice age fossils began surfacing around the rim, which continues to be unstable with more thawing and landslides. The crater is growing at an alarming rate,
providing insight into the impact of climate change on the permafrost. This massive hole in the ground is known as “the doorway to the underworld” to superstitious locals but, for passionate archaeologists, the crater is a treasure trove. The carcass of the ancient foal is a truly amazing find, in a region already famous for yielding fossils including mammoths, bison, and a woolly rhino. Earlier this year scientists discovered a perfectly preserved lion cub in the district of Yakutia. Like the foal, it was about two months old when it perished and had been frozen in permafrost for 50,000 years with its head resting on a paw. And also like the foal, there were no external injuries that might have indicated how it died. According to the Science Alert website, the researchers say that the foal belonged to a now extinct species Equus caballus lenensis (Lena horse), which roamed ancient Siberia during Pleistocene times. With no other space available in the issue, I wanted to share this news with you here on the Editorial page. For more information and some amazing photos, visit our website www.HORSEJournals.com — look for the article Prehistoric Foal Discovered in Siberia. Kathy Smith
b Your Horse b Your Passion b Your Magazine Published by Horse Community Journals Inc.
Volume 19 • Issue 1 Autumn 2018 Issue (September/October) of Canadian Horse Journal EDITOR / PUBLISHER Kathy Smith ACCOUNTS Chantal Patterson ADVERTISING April Ray-Peterson • Terry Andrucko SOCIAL MEDIA April Ray-Peterson SUBSCRIPTIONS Steve Smith ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR Nathan Reimer MARKETING Janna Reimer ART DIRECTION, PRODUCTION Elisa Crees CONTRIBUTORS Margaret Evans • Tania Millen • Shawn Hamilton April Ray-Peterson • Dr. Steve Chiasson • Alexa Linton Jec A. Ballou • Dr. Jaini Clougher • Shelagh Niblock Jennifer Ward • Jonathan Field Jochen Schleese • HCBC • MHC • CanTRA ADVERTISING, SUBSCRIPTIONS & GENERAL INQUIRIES 1-800-299-3799 • 250-655-8883 or email: sales@horsejournals.com ADVERTISING DEADLINE 4 weeks prior to issue date, e.g., Oct.1 for Winter (Nov/Dec) issue. ONLINE EDITION
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HEALTH
Spinal Problems in Horses By Dr. Lauren MacLeod
3Case
Studies
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The musculoskeletal system of the horse is an incredible machine — strong, fast, efficient, and capable of performing feats as varied as jumping obstacles and roping cattle. However, horse owners are all too aware of the fact that despite this amazing athletic ability, the equine body can be remarkably fragile. If one owns horses long enough, he or she is bound to encounter a disorder of the equine musculoskeletal system. For most of us, this conjures the image of a lame horse and many hours of cold hosing, bandaging, and veterinary visits. This is not without good reason as traditionally, the limbs have been the focus of equine musculoskeletal injuries. Veterinarians and horsemen alike have long considered lameness to be the hallmark of equine locomotion disorders. The limbs comprise the appendicular skeleton, and are complex, delicate structures that are
often subject to injury, resulting in heat, pain, and visible lameness. But what if a horse isn’t lame, but is also “not quite right?” Perhaps he just doesn’t perform as well as he used to, or is acting unfavourably under saddle. This vague and sometimes perplexing complaint is a common one presented to veterinarians when a horse fails to perform to his previous standard. While there are many medical or behavioural reasons why a horse may not be performing well, one of the more common causes is pain originating from his axial skeleton, or more specifically, the spine. Spinal pain in the horse can present with a variety of clinical signs, depending on which part of the spine is involved (see Equine Skeleton). Head tossing, inverting the neck, or resisting lateral or longitudinal flexion while
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/ANASTASIA POPOVA
being ridden are characteristic of pain in the cervical spine. Horses with thoracic and/or lumbar discomfort may resent being groomed or saddled, and may buck or rear when asked to collect in an attempt to escape the added pressure on their painful back. The signs of sacral pain include reduced engagement of the hindquarters, dragging the hind toes, or a “bunny-hopping” gait at the canter in which the hindlimbs move together rather than in a true three-beat canter. Occasionally, horses with primary spinal pain do present with a true lameness. These cases can be difficult to diagnose, as an appendicular cause of lameness must be ruled out prior to assuming primary spinal pain. Sometimes, all that is reported in a horse with spinal pain is a decreased athletic ability when compared with his previous level of performance. When any of these signs develop in a horse, it is important to rule out physical discomfort as a cause of poor performance. Having a thorough veterinary assessment to achieve an accurate diagnosis is crucial to determine the best course of treatment for the individual horse. The goal of this article is to describe some common equine spinal problems that may be encountered by the horse owner, and how they are best treated to get the horse back on track.
spinal issues we see is “wobblers.” Wobbler disease is a common name for a specific condition called cervical vertebral malformation, or CVM. This vertebrae malformation results in spinal cord compression. While all breeds are represented in case reports of wobbler syndrome, Thoroughbreds are the most commonly affected breed, with some studies estimating up to two percent of horses being affected to some degree. Both females and (more often) males are affected by this condition. Typically this problem is characteristic of young, rapidlygrowing horses less than two years of age. Clinical signs may not be apparent until the horse is several years old; however, a careful neurological examination can often detect subtle abnormalities that are present early in the course of the disease. While often attributed to young foals or yearlings just “being clumsy or learning where their feet are,” specific movements under different postures may be needed to differentiate the normal, unpredictable acrobatics of an excited yearling from the early stages of wobbler syndrome. Additionally, the age of clinical onset will vary with the C1
C2
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C4
CASE STUDY 1
C5
C6
C7
Thoracic Vertabrae
specific type of wobbler disease the horse has. The abnormal proprioception (the ability to detect where you are positioning your body, feet, and legs), gait movements, and balancing reactions seen with wobbler syndrome come from spinal cord compression. Generally, we do not see any overt pain at the site of spinal cord compression. Over time this compression does eventually cause some tissue damage and inflammation, which itself can be painful, but the abnormal movements of the horse are from direct interference with normal functioning of the spinal cord signals. Other causes of neckregion related “lameness” may absolutely be accompanied by pain, including soft tissue damage and facet joint arthritis. As a veterinarian, listening to the presenting complaint of the owner or trainer is one of the most valuable parts of the visit. Astute, knowledgeable owners spend the most time with the horse, and their history will often present that “golden nugget” of information if we listen carefully. This rings true with wobblers history as the syndrome often presents as two distinct
Lumbar Vertabrae
Sacral Vertabrae
Caudal Vertabrae
The Cervical Spine — Wobbler Syndrome
The neck, or cervical vertebrae, Axial Skeleton represents the first area of the axial skeleton where abnormalities can develop. The cervical region is amazingly similar across all mammals — shrews, humans, giraffes, and horses all have seven vertebra! While the length and anatomy obviously varies significantly among these species, the Appendicular Skeleton function of the spine in this area remains the same: to provide structural support for carriage of the head, and provide a protective tube for the spinal cord as it travels to the body. While there are several conditions affecting the neck area, one significant
Equine Skeleton
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PHOTOS: AGWEST VETERINARY GROUP LTD.
Neck radiographs of normal spinal cord (green) and abnormal angle with spinal cord compression (red)
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forms of the disease: static or dynamic. With static CVM there is compression of the spinal cord in a specific area that causes clinical signs regardless of the neck position. Most commonly this occurs in the lower neck involving the vertebral joints C5-C6 or C6-C7. Nerve deficit symptoms are noticed even when the neck is in a neutral position and are not typically worsened during flexion or extension of the neck. Dynamic CVM occurs when the clinical signs become apparent with specific neck movements. This can occur with either flexion downwards, extension upwards, or lateral flexion either to the left or right. The golden nugget in the owner’s history is the complaint of lameness, tripping, or abnormal posture only when specific movements are being performed. This may be described as the young weanling walking funny downhill, or the three-yearold warmblood gelding tripping in the left canter lead. Since the spinal cord compression is a process that takes time to develop, initially the cord may have
Clinical signs Horses with clinical signs of CVM may exhibit tripping, abnormal toe wear, asymmetrical limb movement, and proprioception deficits where the horse appears to be “searching” for where to place its feet. As the severity progresses, there can be swaying or leaning of the body to one side, and weakness or loss of muscle tone in affected limbs. As mentioned, since the compressive lesions can occur anywhere around the spinal cord, signs may be unilateral and affect only one side of the body. More commonly, the hindlimbs are affected first despite being quite far from the actual problem in the neck region. This occurs because the arrangement of grey and white matter nerve tissue within the spinal cord has the hindlimb white matter nerve fibres located around the most outside portion of the cord. As a result, they get compressed first. Diagnosis and treatment History, physical examination, and diagnostic imaging with radiographs and ultrasound are the basis for CVM diagnosis. Abnormal vertebrae joint angles are the hallmark of spinal cord compression. Unfortunately, once clinical signs develop there are very few treatment options with long term success. Control of inflammation and pain may give short term relief, but the disease is progressive in nature. Retirement from riding and safe turnout is a common recommendation.
CASE STUDY 2 The Thoracolumbar Spine — Overriding Dorsal Spinous Processes
In recent years, the term “kissing spines” has entered the common equestrian vocabulary, and many horses have received this potentially careerlimiting diagnosis. But how common is this condition, and how is it treated? Kissing spines, more correctly called overriding dorsal spinous processes (ODSP), is a condition in which the bony projections on the top of the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae are too close together, resulting in pain and inflammation when they make contact with each other. In a normal spine, the dorsal spinous processes are evenly spaced and separated by connective tissue.
Clinical signs In horses with overriding dorsal spinous processes, the bones contact each other and “kissing lesions” develop at these points of contact. These kissing lesions are characterized by bone resorption and remodelling, which is visible on radiographs. The inflammatory response at these sites of impingement contributes to pain, muscle spasm, adverse behaviour, and decreased ability to perform. A 2011 veterinary study found that over one-third of horses with no sign of back pain have radiographic evidence of ODSP. That is: Normal, non-painful horses can
have so-called “kissing spines.” Therefore, simply finding these lesions on radiographs is not sufficient for diagnosing this condition. However, the presence of ODSP lesions on radiographs is a predisposing factor for back pain, as horses with clinical back pain are almost twice as likely to have ODSP lesions than those with no back pain. It has also been noted that horses in dressage training are more likely to have clinical pain associated with ODSP, which is most likely due to the emphasis on collected work and engagement of the back muscles so desired in this discipline. Thoroughbreds
Keep it Simple. Keep it Basic. PHOTO: CANSTOCK.COM / MARIAT
adequate space within the vertebral column in a neutral position only. Eventually, the movement of the vertebral joints pinches the cord enough to cause the symptoms.
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PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/DENNIS W DONAHUE
are also more susceptible to this condition than other breeds. As a racing breed, the Thoroughbred has been selected for a back structure most suited to lengthening at a flat-out gallop. It is thought that when the Thoroughbred is then repurposed as a riding horse and expected to collect its frame, structural differences that promote galloping ability result in impingement of the dorsal spinous processes. Therefore, while more than one-third of horses have ODSP lesions, only some of them become painful, and they are more likely to become a problem in dressage horses and Thoroughbreds than in other horses.
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Diagnosis and treatment If a veterinarian suspects ODSP as a cause of back pain in a horse, he or she will use clinical examination and medical imaging techniques to confirm the diagnosis. This will likely include a standing musculoskeletal palpation examination, moving soundness evaluation, and radiographs. Depending on his or her findings, the veterinarian may also recommend further testing such diagnostic analgesia to confirm the source of pain, or more advanced medical imaging such as nuclear scintigraphy. Once the diagnosis of ODSP has been confirmed, a
Thoroughbreds are more likely to develop problems from ODSP than other breeds, which is attributed to their selection for back structure most suited to lengthening at a full gallop rather than collection.
treatment plan can be instigated. Treatment of ODSP is multifactorial, and there is no single effective therapy. Initial medical management may involve prescription anti-inflammatories (such a phenylbutazone or firocoxib) and/or muscle relaxants to improve the horse’s comfort. The horse’s saddle should be assessed by a qualified saddle fitter to ensure it fits well and is not contributing to the back pain and muscle spasm. It is often recommended to slowly rehabilitate the horse by gradual return to work in a low, stretching frame on the longe line. This helps strengthen the core and back muscles without the added weight and pressure of a rider. Other adjunctive medical therapies that can help reduce back pain are mesotherapy, extracorporeal shockwave therapy, and acupuncture. Some horses will require direct injection of the painful areas of the back with corticosteroids, which are potent antiinflammatories. Upon diagnosis of ODSP,
PHOTO: AGWEST VETERINARY GROUP LTD.
the veterinarian will design a tailored treatment protocol for each patient to help maximize the chance of success. For horses that do not respond to medical management of ODSP, surgical correction can be considered. A relatively new technique, called an intraspinous ligament desmotomy, involves cutting the short ligaments that run between the impinging dorsal spinous processes. This surgery can be performed in a standing horse, thus eliminating the risk of general anesthesia. In most cases, recovery takes a matter of weeks and postoperative care is minimal. Success rates for return to previous level of work have been reported to be as high as 80-95 percent with this procedure. While still new on the scene in the management of ODSP, this surgery appears to be a promising option. Although the diagnosis of kissing spines has been associated with careerlimiting pain, veterinary research has led to better understanding of the development of this condition and its management. Today, owners of horses affected by kissing spines have a wealth of options in the treatment of this condition, and many horses can return to their previous level of work.
Overriding dorsal spinous processes, or “kissing spine.�
CASE STUDY 3 The Pelvis
While the vast majority of hind endrelated musculoskeletal abnormalities will involve the actual limbs themselves, the pelvis is becoming increasingly diagnosed as a primary problem. This is in part to more widespread comprehensive training of veterinarians and the incredible advances in diagnostic imaging available for horses. With the combination of radiographs, ultrasound, and nuclear bone scans, we are able to effectively image the majority of the equine pelvis. The pelvis is comprised of several parts. There are five sacral vertebrae that are fused together to form the sacrum. At the front end of the pelvis the sacrum joins onto the lumbar (lower back) vertebra at the lumbosacral (LS) joint. This is where 90 percent of the vertical flexion and extension of the lumbar area occurs. Behind the sacrum is located the coccygeal or tail vertebrae, which vary in number. On each side of the spine, the sacrum joins onto the ilium (hip bones) at the SI joint. This SI area is a major cause of spinal pain in horses. SI disease involves the whole region around each SI joint. While there may be problems within the actual joint itself, the supporting soft tissue ligament structures AUTUMN 2018
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Diagnosis and treatment While diagnostic imaging with ultrasound, radiographs, and bone scans will help identify SI disease, the veterinary exam described above is the most integral part of the process. Treatment for sacroiliac problems is very rewarding. The gold standard method for relieving pain in this area are ultrasound guided injections of the SI region. Using long needles, we use the ultrasound to visualize delivery of medications to the front and rear aspects of the region. The joint and the surrounding ligaments are the general target area medicated. Additional therapies may also include acupuncture, mesotherapy, and extracorporeal shockwave therapy.
Sacroiliac Joint
PHOTO: THINKSTOCK/GLOBALP
are often involved in the disease process. Development of SI pain can occur from a point-in-time traumatic injury to the pelvic area such as a fall or collision, but more often it is a result of long term gradual stress-related damage to the region. This ongoing stress can be due to poor conformation, compensation for limb or lumbar back pain, or specific athletic movements based on riding discipline.
suspected SI disease. Back pain, stiff hind end gaits, and lack of propulsion for both flat and jumping disciplines are all commonly observed. Examination of the horse will reveal a painful response when palpating the tuber sacrale, reluctance for flexion of the hindlimbs, and flexion testing may actually result in worsening of an opposite hindlimb lameness. SI disease may occur from long term compensation for a specific hindlimb lameness such as hock arthritis, but often it will present as the primary clinical problem with no additional limb issues. This will be determined based on the exam findings, diagnostic nerve blocks, and motion evaluation. Interestingly, one characteristic gait abnormality seen with SI disease is the hindlimbs “walking a tightrope.” This tracking of both hind feet landing near midline reduces pelvic rotation and is more comfortable for the horse.
Presenting complaints There are many consistent details when owners present horses with
Conditions of the equine spine that reduce comfort or function can have drastic effects on a horse’s performance. The first and most important step in diagnosing and treating these issues is the detection of signs that suggest the spine as the source of trouble. Keen observation of changes in a horse’s behaviour or locomotion should alert the rider or caretaker to developing problems. If spinal pain or dysfunction is suspected, veterinary assessment should be pursued in order to achieve an accurate diagnosis. From cervical vertebral malformation to sacroiliac pain, a wide range of conditions exist that affect the complex axial skeleton of the horse. Recent years have brought more awareness of equine spinal problems, both in the general equestrian public and in the veterinary profession. This awareness, together with the development of effective treatment modalities, has given many horses with spinal disease relief from pain, and a second chance at their performance careers. b
PHOTO: AGWEST VETERINARY GROUP LTD.
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Pelvic palpation 16
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Dr. Lauren MacLeod was born and raised in Delta, BC, where she was an active member of the equestrian community. Prior to veterinary school, she completed a Bachelor of Science at the University of British Columbia with a major in Animal Biology. Lauren graduated with great distinction from the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon in June 2015. She then completed a one-year internship in equine medicine and surgery where she gained invaluable skills in both specialty and general equine practice prior to moving to Abbotsford, BC, to join Agwest Veterinary Group (www.agwestvet.com). Lauren’s main veterinary interests include reproduction, embryo transfer, sports medicine, and field surgery. Outside of work, she enjoys training and competing in dressage and exploring nature in the Lower Mainland of BC.
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HEALTH
neck PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/SVETLANA RYAZANTSEVA
THE EQUINE
The tale of this unsung hero and a guide to everlasting cervical happiness in your horses. By Alexa Linton, Equine Sports Therapist
T PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/OLGA I
During movement, the horse uses its head and neck for balance and stability, and to maintain a horizontal visual plane.
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here is something uniquely beautiful about the neck of a horse. That curve, the arch of the poll, the dip towards the shoulder. In function, those elegant lines came to be out of necessity, with such length required to balance out long limbs, allowing them to reach to the ground to graze for up to 20 hours a day. With the head and neck making up about 10 percent of their total body mass, horses use their neck to maintain balance, stability, and their spatial awareness when they are in motion. Over time, the equine neck has shifted in function and importance, and in the factors that impact and promote its wellbeing, but the fundamentals have stood the test of domestication. A horse pulls back in a trailer. A horse is held in constant and/or full flexion of the neck without release. A horse tends to travel with the head up and the neck and back in tension. Or, a horse has a poorly
fitting saddle. These examples are just a few of the reasons a horse may need support to bring their neck back into a healthy state. Thankfully, most neck injuries fall in the soft tissue category, as the more fragile parts of the cervical spine are quite well protected by a rather brilliant anatomical make-up. Although rare, spinal cord compression can occur in the cervical spine, signalled by a lack of coordination in movement, and a decrease in muscle strength and lower body awareness. In these cases, contact your veterinarian immediately. On that note, let’s get our inner geek on and find out what’s happening under the skin.
Atlanto-occipital joint (poll) – between the occipital bone of the skull and the atlas
Nuchal Ligament
Atlas vertebra (C1)
The Bones of the Matter
Just like us, horses have seven cervical vertebrae, functioning to protect the spinal cord, connect the head and the trunk, and allow for complex motor movements of the head. This S-shaped part of the spine is built to be adaptable and mobile, and plays an essential role in activities like balance, feeding, grooming, locomotion, and visual and auditory orientation. In most intervertebral joints of the horse, including most of the cervical spine, the joint is built like a shallow balland-socket, providing stability without limiting mobility, and allowing primarily the movement of flexion-extension, with side bending and axial rotation as secondary movements. The first two cervical vertebrae, commonly referred to as the atlas and axis, are atypical, with unique structures characteristic of their function — the intervertebral disks are replaced by a single synovial articulation and the atlantoaxial joint (between the first and second cervical vertebrae) is a pivot joint allowing substantial rotation, critical for visual and vestibular health. To create this pivot joint, the axis has a process called the dens or odontoid which projects upwards into the vertebral foramen of the atlas. The hinge joint between the occiptal bone of the skull and the atlas, called the atlanto-occipital joint, or in most horse circles, the poll, allows for maximum flexion and extension. The remaining five vertebrae (C3 to C7) are more typical, with facet joints creating an articulation between the vertebrae, a vertebral body, and an intervertebral disc sandwiched in between, and varying ranges of mobility depending on their form, with the most mobile and susceptible vertebrae being C6 and C7.
Atlantoaxial joint — between 1st and 2nd cervical vertebrae Axis vertebra (C2)
Lamina of the Nuchal Ligament
The Nuchal Ligament
Meet a key player in the neck! This powerful ligament begins at the nuchal line of the occipital bone and extends to the lumbar vertebrae via a thick cord of tissue called the funicular portion, with a sheetlike lamellar portion extending down to the second cervical vertebrae through the fifth cervical vertebrae (in the past it also extended to C6 and C7). It plays an essential role in suspending the head and upper cervical vertebrae and limiting axial rotation when standing and in movement.
Under Saddle
Lowering or flexing the neck places the nuchal ligament under tension, and induces separation of the spinous processes in the thoracic region and an elevation of the spine, therefore creating a structure capable of supporting a rider’s weight, and freeing up the longissimus dorsi muscle for creating momentum rather than protecting the spine. This is just one of the many benefits
of allowing your horse to travel in a relaxed, unrestrained, and lowered neck position for portions of your ride, or in a position of self-carriage and relaxed collection. More extreme positions, such as extreme neck flexion or extreme low neck, could be potentially adverse to the horse and the health of their neck and spine. When you ride, take a moment to watch the movement of your horse’s neck. Their oscillations in gait are directly linked to the movement patterns of their trunk and legs. In fact, during movement, the AUTUMN 2018
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head and neck play a critical role in facilitating both balance and stability, helping to hold the visual field in a horizontal plane and supporting healthy vestibular function. It is natural for the added weight of a rider to cause head and neck elevation, often referred to as hollow neck, as horses attempt to find their balance. However, this type of carriage over extended periods can increase the possibility of arthritis and soft tissue compensations, such as an overdeveloped brachiocephalicus muscle at the base of the neck, or tenderness in the back, and indicates high stress levels in the horse. PHOTO: CANSTOCK/VIRGONIRA
Flexion of the neck places the nuchal ligament under tension, and extreme neck flexion can negatively impact the health of the horse’s neck and spine.
I love to do physical therapy and exercises with my mare, Diva, to improve her mobility and increase the strength in her neck stabilizers. These exercises should be done with care and awareness, and initially, with the guidance of your equine therapist or veterinarian. I use Diva’s favourite treats to help with motivation, holding each mobilization for three to six seconds to improve the stretch. Our three tried-and-true mobilizations are asking her to stretch down her knees and eventually into a bow, to mobilize over the whole neck to the withers and beyond (Figure 1); then I ask her to stretch to her chest to mobilize over the poll (Figure 2); then she stretches to each shoulder while maintaining verticality in her head rather than rotating her head (Figures 3A and 3B).
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To help promote a healthy, happy neck, remember to keep your rides interesting and varied, only riding in contact for a maximum of ten minutes, and altering the head and neck posture and routine frequently. For young horses, vary their head and neck posture more often while they build strength and stamina. Listen to your horse by watching the ears, feeling for a tight back both in and out of the saddle, and observing any tension in the jaw or neck. To build stability within the deep ventral muscles of the lower cervical region where the nuchal ligament is no longer present, equine anatomist Sharon May-Davis suggests emulating the action of browsing for short periods of time (10 to 20 minutes maximum) by hanging hay nets high up and encouraging your horse to reach. This is something I look forward to trying with my mare in the months to come. Most horses can benefit greatly from soft tissue release in the muscles, fascia, and ligaments of the neck, as this is an area where tension is often held. A regular equine therapy visit can help to free up the cervical region while releasing the whole spine. Need a recommendation? I’m happy to help guide you to a therapist that works for your needs. b
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF ALEXA LINTON
1
What Can You Do?
A modern-day cowgirl with a mission, Alexa Linton is known for lighting up her world with her infectious personality, bold facilitation style, often irreverent tongue-in-cheek writing, and her menagerie of a therapy practice. With over 12 years of experience working with horses as an equine sports therapist, as well as thousands of other animals and people, Alexa has developed a therapeutic style that is both intuitive and highly collaborative. She is a second-year student in osteopathy, the co-founder of the Cowgirl Reunion, the creator of the Whole Horse Apprenticeship, author of Death Sucks: A Straight-Up Guide to Navigating Your Pet’s Final Transition, and co-steward of Firefly Farm in the gorgeous Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island, where she lives with her horse Diva, dogs Reilly and Kia, and cat, Parker. > www.AlexaLinton.com
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species, Cannabis sativa, industrial hemp by law contains almost no THC [tetrahydrocannabinol], and products made from industrial hemp have no psychoactive effects when consumed. Sawley says that THC has not been in hemp seed in Canada for the last 15 years. Elite Three products will not test in standard substance testing used by Equestrian Canada, the International Federation for Equestrian Sports, and the United States Equestrian Federation. “We do not use human product that didn’t make the grade,” says Sawley. “We know where the hemp is grown, harvested, and processed.” The greatest satisfaction for Elite Three is constantly hearing from satisfied clients whose horses are improving physically and mentally on a hemp diet. Their High Performance Team is comprised of such an array of athletes over many different applications. “Our team is Canadian champions, Olympic riders, highly respected coaches, and up-and-coming stars,” she says. “It has been remarkable to see how these products have been successful at all levels of performance.” In addition, they boast a Youth Elite Performance team with young stars on the circuit. The company runs on the basis of having independent distributors across the country. Through them, they get to know their clients and what their horses need. As anyone knows, horses are not a one-size-fits-all. “Understanding what a horse really needs helps us tailor the best program for our customers.”
For more information, check out the Elite Three website at www.EliteThree.ca There is a very useful FAQ section that answers a lot of questions many customers have. This information was contributed by Elite Three.
Senior Senator’s
Triumph
Can a horse with a broken neck ever race again? PHOTO: DOUGLAS LEES
By Margaret Evans April 29, 2017, was a clear, sunny day in Worthington Valley, Maryland, United States. Crowds were gathering as restless Thoroughbreds full of anticipation were being saddled and warmed up for the 121st running of the Maryland Hunt Cup, a steeplechase over solid fences. On the board, 13 horses were listed as entered, but after three scratches, 10 horses lined up. This race is not for slouches. The Hunt Cup is one of a series of “timber races” run in Maryland in the spring and is known for the size of its fences. It is a grueling four miles long (6.4 kilometres) with 22 timber rail fences, some of which are close to five feet (1.5 metres) high. The race was first run on May 26, 1894 and since then, only 22
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eight horses have won it three times and no horse has won it four times. The race mirrors the hunt country of Maryland where racehorses are conditioned, and it is considered one of the most difficult steeplechase races in the world. Many successful horses continue for many years competing for the coveted title. In the line-up that day was Senior Senator, a seven-year-old bay Thoroughbred owned by Irvin (Skip) and Vicki Crawford of Boyds, Maryland. Crawford had purchased the horse as a three-year-old in 2013. Affectionately called “SS,” he had been trained by Joseph Davies and now, with jockey Eric Poretz in the saddle, the fiery gelding with challenging
behavioural issues in his past was back to defend his title after winning the 2016 Maryland Hunt Cup. Senior Senator was strong and powerful, but known to have panic attacks in confined spaces such as a stall. Davies found the antidote by keeping him in a field while he developed his greatest assets — his long stride and his love of jumping. He could sail over fences. That day, as Senior Senator galloped away from the start line, horses bunched as they cleared the first and second fences. But, caught in that crowd, a split-second clip of his back leg on the top rail at the third fence changed the course of his life for the next year.
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X-RAY IMAGES: PENN VET NEW BOLTON CENTER
Dr. Dean Richardson, Chief, Large Animal Surgery, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine.
PHOTO: PENN VET NEW BOLTON CENTER
Steeplechaser recovers from a broken neck to win Maryland Hunt Cup for the second time.
This X-ray photo before surgery clearly shows the fracture at the bottom of the fourth cervical vertebrae.
“He got caught in a crowd and, trying to get clear, he ended up at the bottom of the fence [at take-off],” says Skip Crawford. “He went straight up and hooked his back leg. How he got his front up and over it I don’t know. Then he did a flip. He landed in the most horrible fashion. Jockey Eric was okay. He too had a hard fall, but he didn’t break anything.” As Senior Senator went over the fence, his hind end flew high into the air and he landed heavily on the left side of his neck before doing a complete roll, completely throwing Eric. He scrambled to his feet and ran. “After the fall, Senior Senator jumped up and galloped to the receiving barn,” says Vicki Crawford.
This X-ray photo shows the screws placed to stabilize the fourth and fifth vertebrae, secured with a compression plate.
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“Because he was so quick to run off, we didn’t think too much of the fall. It really wasn’t until we saw close-up photos of the accident that we realized how serious it was.” Senior Senator’s veterinarian, Dr. Cooper Williams, was concerned immediately after the fall. “It’s not unusual with rotational falls involving the head and neck for a horse to appear relatively normal clinically,” he says. “Because of this, we strongly recommend X-rays of the neck after a major fall. Early diagnosis can prevent disasters.” The Crawfords took their horse home and Williams did the scan. That thoroughness paid off. Williams diagnosed Senior Senator with a
serious fracture involving the fourth and fifth cervical vertebrae. The images were immediately emailed to Dr. Dean Richardson, Charles W. Raker Professor of Equine Surgery at Penn Vet’s (University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine) renowned New Bolton Center. Richardson is one of the world’s top equine orthopedic specialists and an expert in surgical procedures involving complicated anatomical areas of the horse. “It was a pretty serious injury,” says Richardson. “There was a fracture at the bottom of the fourth cervical vertebrae. Two large pieces had broken off it. There was a slight amount of subluxation, meaning inappropriate movement between two of the AUTUMN 2018
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PHOTO: PENN VET NEW BOLTON CENTER
The large sling attached to an electric hoist allows control of the horse’s movement when the animal is anesthetized.
vertebrae, but it was not so severe that his spinal cord was damaged. That was so important. Your real key to your chances of successfully doing anything has to do with what happens to the spinal cord. In Senior Senator’s case, he had broken his bone and put his spinal cord at risk, but it wasn’t directly damaged. That is what helped me decide that surgery could do well. I saw a more than reasonable chance
of successfully repairing the injury. He was lucky. It could have been much worse. He could have displaced more, which could have led to him being euthanized.” Senior Senator was taken to New Bolton Center where Richardson used the school’s revolutionary robotics-controlled computed tomography (CT) system to obtain precise, 3D images of the injury. What makes this state-of-the-art
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equipment so unique is that the horse does not need to be anesthetized for the procedure but can be sedated so that clinicians can examine an awake, moving, and weight-bearing horse. “The tomography system is relatively new,” says Richardson. “We’ve had it a couple of years. We’ve been doing necks for just over the last year. It’s a huge advantage having the horse just sedated as you can get an accurate 3D resolution of the injury and an exact configuration of the fracture. You can get accurate measurements for knowing that if you put a screw in here [in the surgical site] you will know exactly how long that screw should be.” The New Bolton Center is the first veterinary teaching hospital in the world using the EQUIMAGINE roboticscontrolled 3D imaging system. The sedated horse stands on a platform laid on the floor and a towel may be draped over his eyes if necessary. To scan the head and neck, his head may be placed on a secured rest. During the procedure, two huge mechanical arms on either side of the horse, each fitted with scanners, move up and around the area of interest while a certified radiologist in an adjoining room interprets the scans in real time. Each scan takes about 30 seconds. The system is efficient and precise, and the resolution is much higher than other X-ray formats. The team can diagnose conditions at much earlier stages including such things as earlyonset stress fractures that can then be managed effectively and avoid a horse having a catastrophic breakdown on the track or during a competition. It can diagnose conditions that are difficult to detect with other imaging systems. “Providing 3D images, this technology offers us tremendous advantages over traditional X-ray and other imaging options,” says Richardson. “And we can evaluate our patient and plan for surgery without having to put the horse under anesthesia, which is a big deal.” On the day of the surgery, Senior Senator was fitted into a large sling attached to an electric hoist. The sling allows the team to control the horse’s movement when he’s given anesthetics so that he can transition from standing to lying down without injury. That same control is in place when the horse wakes
up. Once anesthetized, Senior Senator was placed on his back on the surgical table. “This is a fairly big group effort,” says Richardson. “In a neck case, there’s a lot of things happening. In this procedure we might have an extra person getting a bone graft at the same time. For the surgical team, we might have four or five people scrubbed in. Technically we would have two operating room nurses who are specialists in terms of managing the operating room and getting us our instruments. We also have a group of highly trained experts in anesthesiology. Senator was under anesthesia for about three hours. We do a lot of positioning and you need to get everything perfectly lined up. We have a very high-powered fluoroscopy unit, which is a real time X-ray unit. It allows us to take images as we’re doing surgery, so we know that everything is going as planned.” With the targeted area opened, Richardson used retractors to set aside highly vulnerable internal parts of the body so that he could reach the spine. “We had to move the trachea, carotid artery, jugular vein, and esophagus. Those are all things that have to be carefully managed when you do this particular approach.” Then, with intense precision, he reached into the neck at least the length of a forearm to do the repair. A large amount of painful disc material between the end plates of the fractured bone was removed, and screws were placed to stabilize the fourth and fifth vertebrae. While the team worked on the neck, bone was being harvested from Senior Senator’s sternum. That bone was then packed into the space between the vertebrae. Everything was then locked into place with a stainless-steel compression plate and the incision was finally closed. “The bone removed from the sternum was a pretty minor thing,” says Richardson. “We can get a large volume of bone from a small incision. It’s a minor procedure to do that. Everything went according to plan. Nothing in that surgery was unexpected, there was no bleeding and nothing broke. Nothing bad happened. But this does not happen every day. It can go sideways very quickly.” On the surgical team was Dr. Kyla Ortved who grew up in Toronto, Ontario, and pursued her goal of veterinary medicine at the University of British Columbia and the University of Guelph before her focus in equine orthopedic surgery and research led her via the
HE WAS A PERFECT PATIENT AND ACTED LIKE HE KNEW THEY WERE HELPING HIM. HE DIDN’T PUT UP ANY RESISTANCE. ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
universities of Georgia and Cornell to the New Bolton Center in 2016. “It is high risk surgery,” says Ortved. “A lot of things can go wrong. But Senior Senator’s surgery went quite smoothly. Going into it, we thought it would be quite challenging in terms of the fracture.” She says that using the fluoroscopy
during surgery was essential. “There’s such a small margin for error because the spinal cord is right there. You really rely on a perfect image to know that you are drilling in the right place. Where the plate is placed your visualization is limited so that is quite challenging.” Senior Senator’s eventful surgical day was not yet over. He was heading for spa
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Available in various catalogs and at your local tack shops, Greenhawk outlets, and through WeCan Sales distributors. Equiade Products • www.equiade.com • 1-800-413-3702 • (201) 568-5551 AUTUMN 2018
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PHOTOS: PENN VET NEW BOLTON CENTER
The EQUIMAGINE robotics-controlled 3D imaging system delivers accurate 3D resolution of injuries, and allows for diagnosis of conditions that are difficult to detect with other imaging systems. Penn Vet is the first veterinary teaching hospital in the world to use this technology.
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time. One of the most critically dangerous times for a horse postsurgery is when it returns to consciousness and instantly tries to stand before it has recovered its coordination and strength. It will stumble and fall and start to panic. In the process, a horse can do catastrophic damage to itself. “In our hospital we have a system of waking a horse up in a recovery pool,” says Richardson. “It’s a huge confidence-builder to know that the horse’s chances of injuring itself when waking up in a pool are pretty low. It’s a complex thing. You need a very robust monorail system with multiple one-ton hoists that operate while the horse is in the raft. It’s a very elaborate, very expensive piece of equipment. But it’s a key advantage for recovery at our hospital.” After surgery and while still asleep, the horse is lifted from the surgical room by the hoist and taken poolside where it is lowered into the raft. It looks like a large rubber dingy with four extensions for the legs. The horse, still with its sling in place, and the raft secured by the hoist are then lowered into the pool so that
they float comfortably on the surface. They are still secured in place by the hoist mechanics. An extension of the raft allows the horse’s head to rest comfortably. The horse floats there gently contained until it begins to regain consciousness by starting to move its head and legs. At all times the horse is kept dry. The water provides resistance and horses coming out of anesthetic seem to realize there is not a lot they can do. They wait as the grogginess wears off. The concept was developed in the late 1960s when Penn Vet’s Dr. Jacques Jenny (fondly referred to as the “father of equine orthopedic surgery”) recognized that there had to be a solution to the post-surgery risks to horses. He came up with the (then) farfetched idea of floating a horse in a raft in a pool while it regained consciousness and decreasing/ eliminating the risk of re-injury to the just-repaired limb. After many trials and errors and new developments, the pool today is an absolute life-saver. Known as the C. Mahlon Kline Orthopedic and Rehabilitation indoor anesthetic recovery pool, it is 22 feet
(6.7 metres) wide and 11 feet (3.35 metres) deep containing 30,000 gallons (113,562 litres) of continuously filtered brominated water kept at a steady 35.5 degrees C. A cantilevered deck surrounds the pool, which allows people easy access to the horse while at the same time preventing the horse’s limbs from hitting the pool’s wall during recovery. The raft is a US Navy six-man life raft modified to accommodate the horse’s limbs and head. Asleep and in the sling, Senior Senator was moved from the operating room to the recovery pool and lowered into the rubber raft. He was then lowered into the pool. “We keep the temperature of the pool very close to the horse’s body temperature,” says Richardson. “Otherwise, the animal will get chilled and not wake properly. Basically, to the horse, it feels kind of like a spa.” Senior Senator was placed in the raft for about an hour before showing signs of coming around. He adapted well in the pool and, once alert, he was lifted out of the raft and taken by monorail to his padded recovery stall where he was gently lowered 15 feet to
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> Still asleep after surgery, the horse is
the floor. Head and tail ropes helped to maintain his orientation in the stall and, once standing steadily, the blindfold was removed. “We don’t use it on every horse, only in specific types of cases,” says Richardson. “When you do it [recovery] in the pool, the horse comes out being upright in the sling and you set him down on his feet. They stand right up.” The pool and raft concept was a stunningly new feature to Ortved. “Before going to New Bolton I had never seen it,” she says. “I sort of had doubts that it would be as smooth as it can be, but for the majority of horses it’s a very smooth concept. It just takes quite a few people to make it work.” Senator was comfortable immediately after the surgery. Richardson says that his aftercare 28
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recovery could not have gone better. He was a perfect patient and acted like he knew they were helping him. He didn’t put up any resistance. “As a patient he was such a gentleman,” says Richardson. “He was not a problem at all. He was well trained, well behaved, and he did everything right.” At home, Senior Senator was able to relax and recover. His days of being difficult were gone and he had mellowed into a quieter horse. Maybe some of that could be credited to his pet donkey, Fernando. According to Crawford, trainer Joe Davies had bought the donkey from a charity auction a few years earlier, thinking his children would enjoy him. But Fernando bonded to SS, hung out with him in the pasture, walked in and out of the stall where SS was
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PHOTO: SKIP AND VICKI CRAWFORD
The injury site at seven months post-surgery, when Senior Senator returned to training.
“SS” out with his buddy, Fernando.
PHOTO: PENN VET NEW BOLTON CENTER
PHOTO: PENN VET NEW BOLTON CENTER
lifted by the hoist and taken to poolside, then lowered into the modified US Navy six-man life raft with extensions for the horse’s legs. The raft and horse are then lowered into the pool. The horse stays dry and gently floats while regaining consciousness.
contained with a simple rope across the entrance, and followed him during exercise runs. At feed time, though, the thoroughbred’s bucket had to be raised as Fernando would eat his ration and SS would shrug it off as the price of friendship. Everyone hoped that racing would be in Senior Senator’s future. He continued in rehabilitation for several months. Then, about seven months after the surgery, he began training with the hope that he would be able to compete in the 2018 season. But even though the 2017 racing season went sideways for him, he was still in many ways ahead of his game. “He won the Cup the first time in 2016 as a six-year-old,” says Crawford. “The last horse to win as a six-year-old was Jay Trump. That was 55 years ago. Normally their peak time is nine to
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twelve years. Those are their best years.” Crawford says that, because of these types of big fence races, Senior Senator’s schedule was to be running in the spring. “He would do four races, one at the end of March, the other in early April. Then a point-to-point and the Hunt Cup.” April 28, 2018 was a clear, sunny day in Worthington Valley, Maryland.
Crowds had gathered as nine restless Thoroughbreds were saddled and warmed up for the 122nd running of the Maryland Hunt Cup. In the line-up was Senior Senator, once more with jockey Eric Poretz. There was more than a little anticipation as the pair trotted to the start line. From the outset, Poretz kept Senior Senator to the outside and avoided
getting trapped in a bunch. By the first fence, the pair had taken the lead and, as they sailed over every jump, they held on to that lead. Four miles and 22 fences later, Senior Senator galloped triumphantly across the finish line in a five-length victory to win the Cup and capture the hearts of everyone who had a hand in helping this gifted horse return to the winner’s circle. b
PHOTO: DOUGLAS LEES
> Senior Senator on his way to a decisive win in the 2018 Maryland Hunt Cup, with jockey Eric Poretz.
> Vicki and Skip Crawford celebrate after their horse’s incredible accomplishment. PHOTO COURTESY OF SKIP AND VICKI CRAWFORD
PHOTO: DOUGLAS LEES
Senior Senator at the finish of the 2018 Maryland Hunt Cup, which he won by five lengths.
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The Role of Saddle Fit in
Equine Back Disorders By Jochen Schleese, CMS, CSFT, CSE This issue’s focus on equine back problems is an opportune time to examine the relationship between equine back disorders and saddle fit. The issue of “kissing spines,” or overriding dorsal spinous processes, is of concern to many riders. Kissing spines is closely related to saddle fit and specifically, to proper gullet width. While it is gratifying to see that more 32
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AUTUMN 2018
and more manufacturers have recognized that the gullet needs to be the width of at least three to four fingers evenly down the length of the saddle, there are unfortunately many older saddles still in use with gullet channels that are much too narrow. I have recently come across an inordinate number of horses with kissing spines, which was actually
exacerbated by poorly fitting saddles. I am not a veterinarian and would never presume to make this diagnosis openly to a client without a vet’s input; however, I do have an educated opinion based on the number of horses I have seen, and the fact that I have taught veterinarians about the ramifications of poor saddle fit. There are differing opinions as to
>
A horse in complete tension, such as when forced into an artificial position by the rider pulling on the reins. The rider action causes an incorrect arch at the third and fourth cervical vertebrae; the neck gets tight and the back drops, splaying the hind legs. This forced positioning results in the forehand becoming weighted because the back end is unable to carry weight properly, and can lead to long-term damage. IMAGE © HORSE COMMUNITY JOURNALS
Withers area
Saddle area – Thoracic vertebrae
PHOTO: ISTOCK/DAGAMON
FOUR DORSAL SPINOUS PROCESSES AFFECTED IN THE SADDLE REGION.
whether kissing spines is a disease with predisposition present at birth, or whether it is caused by something else, such as poor saddle fit or poor riding and training during the course of the horse’s life. Dr. Carol Vischer, DVM of New York has extensively researched this topic and concluded that kissing spines is a disease that some horses
PHOTOS: SCHLEESE SADDLERY
Withers
Significant reaction on bone surfaces with brighter white areas where bones are touching or “kissing.”
Loss of bone density in other areas where “holes” are present. AUTUMN 2018
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CANADIAN HORSE JOURNAL
33
IMAGE © HORSE COMMUNITY JOURNALS
Dip behind and in front of the sacroiliac joint.
are just prone to. In my opinion, it can definitely be caused and impacted by poor riding technique and improper saddle fit. To understand how saddle fit plays a role in kissing spines, we must first examine the possible underlying factors. Along with trainable or conditioned reflexes, both horses and humans have parasympathetic reflexes that are not consciously controlled, where muscles react to a stimulus of specific nerves without the need for conscious effort. Problems can be caused by a saddle that is too long, or one that pinches at the gullet, or is too tight over the
shoulders because the tree width or angle is incorrect and sits on one of the horse’s specific reflex points. The equine spinal column has nerve endings that protrude between each of the vertebrae. About five of these nerve endings are actual reflex points. Pressure between the 18th thoracic vertebra and the withers to approximate the feel of a saddle (under even a light rider) will cause the horse to drop his back. If the horse assumes this position the whole time under saddle, the formation of the condition known as kissing spines would result, presuming it is not already present. Pressure on these nerve endings
from a too-long gullet channel or saddle, or a saddle that twists during movement due to the horse’s natural asymmetry, with a gullet plate that has not been fitted to accommodate the larger shoulder, will cause the horse to reflexively lower his back to escape the pressure and/or resulting pain. The tendency of many incorrectly trained riders to neglect proper gymnastics of the horse at the lower levels while attempting to “bring the back under” has resulted in what is known as “leg movers” rather than “back movers.” These horses may look stunning to the untrained eye, but I believe that many of them are also suffering from kissing spines. If not yet present, the condition will develop from this type of riding because the back remains hollow rather than supple, causing the vertebrae to lean into each other. By changing the fit of the saddle and the way the horse is ridden, the existing condition can be improved. Hunter’s bump is another physiological issue that can result from poor saddle fit. I have even heard that it’s desirable for a hunter horse to have this special shape to its back —
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AUTUMN 2018
nothing could be further from the truth! A hunter’s bump is usually caused by poor riding, and exacerbated by poor saddle fit. Many horses in hunter classes are actually being ridden “upside down” — when the horse’s head and neck are being forced into a false frame without support from the back muscles, an incredible amount of negative pressure is placed on the vertebrae, sacrum, and pelvis. In simple terms, the sacrum falls forward and downwards, and because the spine follows this action, the lumbar vertebrae will create the hunter’s bump to compensate for the sacral dislocation. If the saddle is continually pushed to one side, this causes even more negative pressure at the sacroiliac joint. Many hunter saddles tend to sit this way. They generally cannot be adjusted at the gullet plate to accommodate the necessary shoulder width and angle; they have very narrow gullet channels, and their panels are generally either felt or foam (in other words they cannot be reflocked), which places even more negative pressure at the sacroiliac joint. This often results in lameness in
one of the hind legs. I have seen this over and over again, with the stoic horse doing its best to accommodate the rider’s wishes. Are frequent injections to cover the pain really the answer? Both kissing spines and hunter bump can be ameliorated with proper riding, training and equipment, but there is no quick fix. To help relieve your horse’s pain and improve performance, contact your veterinarian for an accurate diagnosis, and work with a professional trainer educated in the classical riding methodology, and a professional saddle fitter or ergonomist. b
////////////////////////////////////////// Jochen Schleese, Certified Master Saddler, Equine Ergonomist, is a leader in the concept of saddle fit, and teaches his Saddlefit 4 Life® philosophy worldwide. He is also the author of Suffering in Silence, The Saddle-Fit Link to Physical and Psychological Trauma in Horses.
> www.schleese.com > www.saddlefit4life.com
Visible results from a saddle too long for the horse that exerted too much pressure at and behind the 18th thoracic vertebra.
PHOTOS: SCHLEESE SADDLERY
The muscular development at the loins where indicated was due to a too-narrow gullet channel. The croup should be evenly rounded without a dip.
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UNDERSTANDING
Diagnosis & Management of PPID By Dr. Jaini Clougher, President, ECIR Group Inc. Equine Cushing’s Disease, more correctly called Pars Pituitary Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID), is a non-cancerous but progressive enlargement of the pituitary gland in the horse. It is estimated that 20 percent of horses over the age of 15 will develop PPID. Note that Cushing’s Syndrome in humans and dogs (when not due to giving too much steroidal medication) involves an actual tumour of either the pituitary or the adrenal glands, (either benign or malignant), whereas Cushing’s Disease in horses has a different cause. Cushing’s Syndrome in humans was first described in 1912 by the American neurosurgeon Dr. Harvey Cushing, who termed it “polyglandular disease.” The combination of an enlarged pituitary gland in horses, along with clinical signs such as polyuria/ polydipsia, was first described by German veterinary researcher and 36
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pathologist Dr. Georg Pallaske in 1933. The initial cause of the cascade of events that result in PPID is the loss of dopaminergic nerve cells (neurons that release dopamine) in the hypothalamus. These neurons are key in regulating the conversion of hormone precursors into hormones. When the dopaminergic neurons are lost or become nonfunctional, the pars intermedia of the horse madly produces hormones in an uncontrolled fashion, increasing in size as it pumps out more and more hormones. Key among these hormones is adrenocorticotropic hormone, or ACTH. ACTH targets the adrenal cortex, signaling it to produce more and more cortisol. Cortisol is an important hormone involved in all kinds of very necessary physiological responses, but unregulated and excessive amounts of cortisol can cause quite a lot of abnormalities. These include suppression of
the immune system, loss of muscle mass, thinning of the skin, abnormalities of other connective tissue resulting in tendon and ligament breakdown, increased urination and drinking, and insulin resistance (IR) in horses that are not normally IR or EMS (equine metabolic syndrome). PPID horses also show abnormalities in heat regulation, with abnormal sweating patterns; poor resistance to parasites (a result of immune system depression); and abnormal hair coats, with long, curly, and non-shedding coats (this occurs later in the progression of PPID, and is not related to excess cortisol, but rather to abnormalities in prolactin production and/or changes in sensitivity to it). Because the dopaminergic neurons in the hypothalamus are also involved in controlling the production of prolactin, PPID mares may lactate without being pregnant or having a foal at foot.
PHOTO: DREAMSTIME/NICOLE CISCATO
Equine Cushing’s Disease
The most devastating clinical sign of Cushing’s disease in the equine is laminitis, which can occur far in advance of any of the other signs. In fact, often the very first sign of PPID is unexplained autumn laminitis. PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/KATARZYNA MAZUROWSKA
Jack with uncontrolled PPID (above) and controlled PPID (right).
should be pulled before sedation). Note that the TRH stimulation test is not available in Canada. Heavy exercise and trailering can cause an increase in ACTH that lasts 24 to 48 hours, so avoid trailering the horse to get the blood pulled, and
Diagnosis of PPID
always wait a couple of days after heavy exercise. Severe pain can also cause a temporary increase in ACTH, so if the horse is suffering from acute laminitis or any other painful condition, it is best to wait a couple of weeks for that to subside. Dormosedan, commonly used
Circannual variation in plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone concentrations in the UK in normal horses and ponies, and those with pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction.
150
Seasonal adjustment of reference interval
125 100 75
Cushing's cases
50
Ref range
25
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Dec
Nov
Oct
Sept
Aug
July
June
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
0
Normal horses
Jan
RECREATED FROM LIPHOOK EQUINE HOSPITAL IMAG
Diagnosis of PPID is by blood tests (endogenous ACTH, plus insulin, glucose, and maybe leptin). Having said that, I will say that if a horse has a long, curly, non-shedding hair coat, loss of muscle mass, weight loss overall, and laminitis, which is worst from September to March, then it is reasonable to assume PPID and start treatment with pergolide, and then get blood tests done as soon as possible. However, it is better to run routine ACTH tests in September once a horse is over 15 years of age to be sure to catch PPID before autumn laminitis turns out to be the first sign that all is not well. This can coincide with the autumn dentistry visit (blood
ACTH pg/mL
All horses — and, in fact, most mammals that have been studied thus far — show seasonal variation in the production of ACTH and other hormones, controlled by day length. As the days grow shorter, species that have evolved in temperate regions show an increase in ACTH and a decrease in prolactin, which helps prepare for winter: A winter coat is produced, and the metabolism alters so that more fat is stored, which usually involves an increase in insulin. This increase in ACTH is essential for animals preparing for a long, cold winter. In the northern hemisphere (with some variations due to latitude), ACTH starts to increase in late August, and is on the downswing by mid-October. This is known as the “seasonal rise.” PPID horses have a greatly exaggerated seasonal rise that tends to start earlier and last longer. Early cases of PPID will only have abnormally high ACTH during the seasonal rise period, and will have normal ACTH at other times of the year, making diagnosis somewhat elusive. However, as the condition progresses, ACTH will be abnormally high at all times of the year. There will always be a grey area during the seasonal rise in which it is not possible to determine if the horse is truly PPID; a very, very early case of PPID; or not PPID but with a transiently high ACTH.
PHOTOS: ECIR GROUP INC.
ACTH and the Seasonal Rise
PPID horses have an exaggerated “seasonal rise” in ACTH in autumn that starts earlier and lasts longer. In early stages of PPID, the abnormally high ACTH will only occur from late August to mid-October, when all horses will have an increase in ACTH and a decrease in prolactin, which helps them prepare for winter.
CANADIAN HORSE JOURNAL
37
PHOTOS: DREAMSTIME/NICOLE CISCATO
for sedation, can cause an increase in glucose, and a decrease in ACTH and insulin, so it is best to collect blood before sedation. Blood is pulled into an EDTA (purpletopped) tube; a few serum-separator tubes of blood should be obtained as well, as serum will be needed to test for insulin, glucose, and possibly leptin. The blood is spun and separated as soon as possible (within two hours); then the plasma should be frozen and sent on ice. I always freeze the serum collected for the insulin, glucose, and leptin as well, although it is not strictly necessary. It just makes life easier to have all the samples in the freezer, and then if there is any delay in sending the blood, it is preserved until it can be sent.
Why Leptin?
In Canada, asking for leptin to be assayed adds a layer of cost and difficulty, because the only laboratory in North America that currently analyzes leptin is the Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory at Cornell University in New York. The Guelph University Animal Health Lab will send the samples on to Cornell, but so far Idexx (which many of us use) does not offer this. In Canada, Idexx sends the ACTH out to the Guelph University lab; in the United States, Idexx uses a variety of laboratories. The one reason that a leptin analysis can be useful is that it can help distinguish between high insulin due to baseline insulin resistance, and high insulin that is driven by uncontrolled PPID. It also gives you an idea of the degree of leptin resistance that may be occurring in your horse. However, it is not essential to know this. It may well be more economical to do several insulin, glucose, and ACTH samples to see how things are changing as the ACTH comes under control, rather than do single ACTH, insulin, glucose, and leptin tests. Further, if you have a non-IR prone breed, such as a Thoroughbred, Standardbred, or draft, then it is reasonable to assume that any hyperinsulinemia is driven by the PPID. If you have an IR-prone breed, then it is safest
The abnormally long, curly, non-shedding coat of the PPID horse.
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to assume that you have to implement the IR diet as well as to treat for PPID.
Management of PPID
PPID is a progressive disease; it is never “cured” but can certainly be managed to provide many, many years of quality life. This may well include even FEI competitive life, as the FEI is reviewing its prohibition of pergolide use during competition. PPID horses can certainly continue to compete in non-FEI events. Horses with PPID should follow the same dietary recommendations as horses with EMS/IR, unless or until blood tests show that the horse is not EMS/IR (see Equine Metabolic Syndrome & Equine Cushing’s Disease in the Early Summer 2018 issue of CHJ). The gold standard for managing PPID is the drug pergolide (marketed in Canada by Boehringer-Ingelheim as Prascend®, and available as compounded pergolide mesylate from a variety of compounding pharmacies). Pergolide attaches to dopamine receptors in the pituitary gland, mimicking the action of dopamine. However, because the dopamine-producing neurons in the hypothalamus will continue to be lost, the dose of pergolide will need to be increased over time. Pergolide doses can range from the
PHOTO: SARAH BRAITHWAITE, FORAGEPLUS
Fari, with controlled PPID.
standard 1 mg to as high as 30 mg or more per horse or pony. It is not dosed to body weight, as most drugs such as antibiotics or antiinflammatories are; it is dosed to the effect on the receptors in the pituitary. Dr. Eleanor Kellon, co-founder of the Equine Cushing’s and Insulin Resistance Group, states: “The correct dose of pergolide is the one that controls the ACTH.” My gelding, Merlin, was taking 25 mgs daily; Maggie is currently on 14 mg daily; and Gypsy is on 5 mg daily and has been well controlled on that dose for several years. Other horses or ponies have successfully maintained on doses of from 1 to 3 mg of pergolide for years at a time before having to increase. The Equine Cushing’s and Insulin Resistance Group has been maintaining a Pergolide Dosage Database for many years now; currently, it shows that 48 percent of equines on pergolide take more than 3.5 mg of pergolide daily. Like any drug, pergolide can have undesirable side effects, especially when starting the drug or increasing the dosage. The most common side effect is called the “pergolide veil,” a transient condition of lethargy, spaciness, and reduced appetite. This can usually be avoided by tapering the dose of pergolide by starting at 0.25 mg and increasing by 0.25 mg every four days, until you reach the initial target dose of 1 mg. The use of the adaptogen APF from Auburn Laboratories has been shown to effectively reduce or prevent pergolide side effects when starting or increasing doses. Use the APF from the day before until a couple of days after reaching the target dose. In Canada, APF is available from Gift Horse Gallery. To determine if the ACTH is controlled, pull blood to check ACTH levels three to
four weeks after reaching the target dose. A reasonable alternative to sequential blood testing (although clearly not as accurate) is to monitor physical signs. In order to do this, get a journal and be sure to write everything down, as one’s memory is never reliable past a day or two. Assign each physical sign a number from 1 to 10. The things to look at are fat deposits (especially above the eyes); crestiness of the neck; hardness or firmness of the crest; discharge from eyes (goopy eyes); weight; muscle (topline mostly); comfort on firm ground; amount of urination; water intake; general demeanor; and appetite. Assess these signs every seven to ten days. If you find that there is weight loss with no dietary changes, or the eyes are becoming goopy, the crest is hardening, the feet are getting sore, then it is reasonable to ask your vet for an increase in pergolide dosage. If you can only test your horse’s ACTH once yearly, then test in August to be sure the ACTH is controlled before the start of the seasonal rise. It is not good enough for the ACTH to be in the high-normal range in August and September, as it will continue to rise over the next few months. Therefore, if ACTH is above the middle of the range at this time, ask your vet for an increase in pergolide. Some PPID horses will start the seasonal rise even earlier; with these horses, test in July. Thirty years ago, the diagnosis of PPID in a horse was a virtual death sentence, with most horses being euthanized due to recurring laminitis or infections that would not come under control. Advances in knowledge concerning this condition now allow well-managed PPID horses to live full lives. b
//////////////////////////////////////////// Jaini L. Clougher, BVSc, BSc, joined the ECIR outreach group in 2009 when two of her then-three horses suffered laminitis within three weeks of each other and she started the ECIR recommended protocol for insulin resistant horses. With a focus on obtaining the correct diagnosis, the correct diet, appropriate hoof care and exercise, all three horses recovered. Dr. Clougher graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Management, and from Massey University (New Zealand) with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science. She currently works as a veterinarian at Babine Animal Hospital in Smithers, BC. A volunteer member of the board of directors, and the ECIR Group Inc. President, Dr. Clougher continues to maintain her special interest in equine metabolic issues, helping other equine caregivers who are now walking the same path. AUTUMN 2018
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HOW TO
Safely Refeed the
Malnourished Horse
By Shelagh Niblock, PAS Horse owners are familiar with the tragic pictures shared on social media of the emaciated horse rescued by the authorities, or the one that could not be saved due to its poor condition. Malnourished horses are a reality even in our affluent Western world. Sometimes these horses are the result of wellintentioned people trying to “save� unwanted horses, only to find they are unable to do so because of cost or scarcity of feed. Sometimes the malnutrition is the result of poor teeth, advanced age, parasites, or any disease condition that affects the horse’s ability to eat or metabolize feed effectively.
Can a Severely Malnourished Horse Recover? The prognosis for the malnourished horse varies with the severity of the body weight loss and the length of time the horse has been subjected to insufficient nutrient intake. Starved horses quickly run out of body fat reserves to mobilize, and then they begin to use muscle mass for energy. This can include skeletal muscle as well as protein from the breakdown of essential organs such as the heart, liver, and kidneys. When starvation goes on for too long, the damage to muscles and body organs can become catastrophic. Horses that are allowed to lose weight sufficient to drop them down to a body condition score of two or less on the Henneke scale of 9 are far less likely to ever return to health. 40
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In addition to acute body condition loss, starvation in the horse causes a multitude of symptoms including weakness, heart arrhythmia, and electrolyte irregularities. Starvation will exacerbate existing conditions such as arthritis or joint issues, and will reduce immune function. Horses that are thin but also plagued with parasites, such as ticks or lice, will have a more difficult time regaining health once on a suitable feeding regime. Horses that are senior or suffering from debilitating health conditions, such as lameness or poor teeth, can be even more difficult to refeed to health.
Bringing a Malnourished Horse Back to Health The most effective way to refeed a malnourished horse is to first establish a plan that includes your veterinarian. Horses that have been subjected to prolonged nutrient deprivations could have potential physical damage to body tissues and your veterinarian will need to assess the animal before a refeeding program is initiated. An assessment of current body weight and desired body weight is necessary, as is an estimation of current body condition. A weight scale for this kind of workup is the best, but a weight tape can also be used. Equine weight tapes are available at most stores that supply equine feed.
PHOTO: FLICKR
HEALTH
Monitor your horse’s weight loss or gain by estimating his weight using a measuring tape.
length
• Measure the girth by placing the tape over the horse’s back just behind the withers, and passing it around the horse over the girth groove. • Measure the length from the point of the shoulder to the point of the buttock.
PHOTO: MARY B/FLICKR
girth
When weight taping an emaciated horse, don’t be surprised if the tape suggests that the horse is heavier than expected. Weight tapes are best used for horses that are in “average” body condition and are not always accurate for the emaciated horse. Despite that, the use of one as part of your initial plan can be helpful in giving you a “baseline” weight measurement to use going forward. Pictures taken at the initiation of the refeeding program and at regular intervals during the course of treatment can be invaluable when assessing the progress of the horse. Do not undertake deworming or dental work on the horse at this point. Ask your veterinarian when it is safe to subject the horse to these kinds of stresses. Your goal must be to determine how badly the horse has been affected by starvation and how best to reintroduce food. As always with any horse, healthy or not, small meals fed often is the maxim for good horse health, and is of critical importance in refeeding the malnourished horse. Often starved horses are dehydrated and will need prompt attention to water intake. If the horse is clearly dehydrated but will not readily drink adequate water, discuss options for rehydration with your veterinarian.
HENNEKE BODY CONDITION SCORING CHART Condition
Neck
Withers
Shoulder
Ribs
Back
Tailhead Area
1 • Poor (extremely emaciated)
Bone structure easily noticeable, animal extremely emaciated.
Bone structure easily noticeable.
Bony structure easily noticeable.
Ribs project prominently.
Spinous processes pro- Tailhead, pinbones, ject prominently. and hook bones project prominently.
2 • Very Thin (emaciated)
Bone structure Bone structure faintly discernible, faintly animal emaciated. discernible.
Bony structure faintly discernible.
Ribs prominent.
3 • Thin
Neck accentuated.
Withers accentuated.
Shoulder accentuated.
Slight fat cover over ribs. Ribs easily discernible.
Slight fat covering over Tailhead, pinbones, base of spinous proand hook bones cesses. Transverse pro- prominent. cesses of lumbar vertebrae feel rounded. Spinous processes are prominent. Fat buildup halfway on Tailhead prominent spinous processes but but individual vertebrae cannot be visually easily discernible. identified. Hook bones Traverse processes appear rounded but cannot be felt. are still easily discernible. Pin bones not distinguishable.
4 • Moderately Thin
Neck not obviously thin.
Withers not obviously thin.
Shoulder not obviously thin.
Faint outline of ribs discernible.
5 • Moderate
Neck blends smoothly into body.
Withers rounded Shoulder blends smoothly into over spinous body. processes.
Ribs cannot be visually Back is level. distinguished but can be easily felt.
6 • Moderately Fleshy
Fat beginning to be deposited.
Fat beginning to be deposited.
Fat beginning to be deposited behind shoulder.
Fat over ribs feels spongy.
May have slight positive crease (groove) down back.
Fat around tailhead feels soft.
7 • Fleshy
Fat deposited along neck.
Fat deposited along withers.
Fat deposited behind shoulder.
Individual ribs can be felt, but noticeable fat filling between ribs.
May have positive crease down back.
Fat around tailhead is soft.
8 • Fat
Area along Noticeable thickening of neck. withers filled with fat.
Area behind shoulder filled with fat.
Difficult to feel ribs.
Positive crease down back.
Tailhead fat very soft.
9 • Extremely Fat
Bulging fat.
Bulging fat.
Patchy fat appearing over ribs.
Obvious positive crease down back. Flank filled with fat.
Bulging fat around tailhead.
Bulging fat.
Negative crease (peaked appearance) along back.
AUTUMN 2018
Prominence depends on conformation. Fat can be felt. Hook bones not discernible. Fat around tailhead beginning to feel spongy.
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PHOTO: FLICKR
If starvation continues for too long, the damage to muscles and essential organs will be catastrophic.
What is Refeeding Syndrome? Programs Include: Equine Science, Farrier Science, Equine Reproduction Technician, Exercise Rider & Jockey Training, Race Horse Groom Training Applications Open for Fall 2019: OCTOBER 1, 2018 Olds College Open House: OCTOBER 12, 2018
Refeeding syndrome is the term used to describe a metabolic condition affecting horses that are reintroduced to high-nutrient feeds too quickly after enduring starvation for extended periods of time. Starved horses that have lost in excess of 50 percent of their normal body weight are in acute danger of suffering from refeeding syndrome if they are not re-introduced to feed very slowly and carefully. Offering a starving horse unlimited quantities of high quality feed is tempting but not advisable. When a starving horse is offered large amounts of feed, the digestible carbohydrates are readily broken down to glucose in the stomach and small intestine. When absorbed into the blood stream, glucose initiates a cascade of metabolic responses that the starved horse is unable to adequately regulate. The outcome is frequently a severe disturbance in the electrolyte balance of the horse, resulting in loss of muscle function and strength, erratic heart rate, shock, and frequently, death. Starved horses can also have disrupted populations of hind gut microbial populations. Introducing large amounts of readily fermentable carbohydrates into this compromised environment can also have catastrophic health effects for the starved horse.
What Should the Horse be Fed? The safest and most effective way to initiate the safe refeeding of the malnourished horse is to offer it multiple small feeds per day of a good quality alfalfa or grass-alfalfa mix hay. Alfalfa hay delivers a safe source of protein and hind gut-friendly fibre for 42
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AUTUMN 2018
energy. The goal should be to offer meals of about one to one-and-a-half pounds of hay at intervals of three to four hours for the first few days. Avoid concentrates like grain initially. Starved horses often have compromised endocrine function and so may not cope well with the blood glucose and insulin swings generated by starch and sugar. Don’t worry about including mineral supplements until after at least the first ten days of refeeding the horse. A salt block can be offered free choice along with free-choice water. It is advisable to offer water in a bucket rather than automatic waterers initially to allow intake to be monitored. When the horse is progressing satisfactorily on this regime for three to five days, then it is safe to increase meal size and reduce the number of meals being fed. Horses that successfully make it to ten days on a feeding regime like this are at much less risk of developing refeeding syndrome. After ten days, it is safe to introduce small amounts of low non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) complete feeds, again keeping the meal sizes very small. Any manufactured feeds introduced should complement the hay intake of the horse, not replace it. Most horses who have been in a refeeding program for at least ten days can safely eat about one-half a pound of commercial complete feed, fed twice a day. This can be increased gradually as needed. Once you get the horse past the risk of refeeding syndrome, it may be advisable to consult with your veterinarian or an
PHOTO: ISTOCK/ARGHMAN
If this emaciated horse survives initial refeeding, it may take up to a year before he returns to a healthy body weight.
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CANADIAN HORSE JOURNAL
43
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Available in 1L spray bottle for easy and quick application to larger areas, or a 500ml rub bottle. A soothing combination of natural essential oils in a gentle cream base. Specially formulated with natural ingredients to assist in the relief of leg, mustle and joint strain.
Equiband-Aid
Antibacterial spray bandage for horses with Tea Tree Oil. Forms a flexible, breathable film which seals out water, dirt and bacteria, lasting up to 2 days. This spray bandage covers the affected area like a second skin and allows natural healing. Available in a 500ml handy-grip trigger spray bottle (non-aerosol).
National Distributor: Canadian Centurion • 1-800-361-3860 Local: Janian Imports • (604) 462-9238 PHOTO: FLICKR
Manufactured for: Integrated Bio Systems Inc., 8558 Chilliwack Mountain Rd, Chilliwack, BC V2R 3W8 Phone: 1-877-501-5003 • Fax: 604-391-0029 • E-Mail: intbiosys@shaw.ca
www.integratedbiosys.com
Give small feeds of quality alfalfa or grass-alfalfa mix hay every three to four hours for the first few days, along with a salt block and free-choice water.
equine nutritionist about a more targeted plan for safe weight gain. If the malnourished horse is destined for performance or breeding, you may want to have a better estimation as to how long the progression back to healthy body weight might take, and the nutritional plan needed to achieve it.
Should the Horse Have Pasture? The safe use of pasture for the malnourished horse will depend on the condition of the horse to begin with. Horses that are severely malnourished should be kept on stall rest with a feeding program of hay as already described. Horses who are not as severely malnourished can be allowed short periods of grazing under good weather conditions after they have demonstrated that they can handle walking around and foraging for themselves. Pasture can vary widely in quality and so be cautious in expecting a horse recovering from starvation to fend for himself in a pasture situation. Grazing should allow the horse to consume sufficient digestible energy from forage to assist in body weight gain. If he has to walk for three hours in order to find a small amount of grass, you will have done him no favour by pasturing. The malnourished horse should not be put out in a group situation until he is strong enough to fend for himself against other possibly more aggressive horses. Limit grazing for the malnourished horse to two or three hours at the most initially, and as with any horse, be very careful of grazing when spring pastures are at their most productive. 44
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Horses with Poor Teeth or Other Health Issues
Horses with poor teeth, parasites, or other medical conditions may not be able to eat hay easily and so a good choice for them is frequent small meals of soaked alfalfa cubes or pellets. After the first week of refeeding, horses with poor teeth can be offered small meals of low NSC complete feed in addition to forage meals. Ideally, these should be in a form where they can be soaked or softened for easier consumption. Avoid soaked beet pulp and/or soy hulls for the first seven to ten days until the horse is more metabolically stable and gaining strength and body weight.
Should Fat or Oil be Fed?
Although fat has about 2.25 times the calories of carbohydrates, you should avoid feeding high fat feeds or oil for at least two weeks after initiating the refeeding program. Fat is digested and absorbed in the small intestine of the horse, and fat that escapes digestion in the foregut will negatively affect hind gut function. Severely malnourished horses can have problems digesting fat. Feeding high fat feeds too soon after initiating your refeeding program can reduce appetite. Remember that while oil provides calories to horses it does not provide protein, which is one of the more important nutrients in a refeeding program for a malnourished horse. Protein is the nutrient that will help the horse rebuild muscle. If you are going to supplement fat for calories, it is useful to consider feeding a high fat concentrate like flax, rice bran, or a high fat manufactured feed. Remember as well that if you are feeding the horse supplemental fat, it MUST be fed in very small meals. Keep the inclusion of ground flax or rice bran to no more than one-half a cup per feeding, with a maximum intake of not more than one or two cups per day depending on the progress of the horse. Feed manufactured high fat concentrates according to the manufacturer’s directions. If you are going to feed supplemental fat to the malnourished horse it may be wise to discuss it with a veterinarian or equine nutritionist first.
Refeeding Pregnant or Lactating Mares
The protocol for refeeding the starved pregnant or lactating mare is the same as for feeding any horse, but consideration must be given to the extra nutrients the mare will need for lactation or gestation. If the mare is lactating, it is advisable to wean the foal as soon as it is safe to do so. When refeeding a malnourished pregnant mare you are providing nutrients and energy for her foal in utero as well, and so consideration when calculating nutrient requirements must be made. The most important considerations for the mare are to initiate a feeding program where you can minimize stress for her and encourage slow but healthy weight gain.
Timeline to Return to Work or Breeding
The time it takes to bring a horse back to a healthy body weight after being malnourished will depend on the severity of the body weight loss and the length of time it was allowed to persist. It can take as little as two or three months or as long as ten to twelve months. Most horses that survive the initial refeeding will go on to be healthy and productive, but some malnourished horses may never be able to get back to their previous health. Long term damage to heart, muscle, and endocrine function can change the expectations for the horse. Once the horse is back to a healthy body weight, it is advisable to consult with your veterinarian about the prognosis for the horse AUTUMN 2018
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If caring for a malnourished lactating mare, the foal should be weaned as soon as it is safe to do so. Due to extreme drought conditions in southern Nevada in late August 2015, about 200 of the area’s wild horses were gathered up by the Bureau of Land Management, assessed by a veterinarian, and given access to hay and water. Most were given a body score of 3 or less. This wild horse was observed browsing on the bark of a Joshua tree and other desert shrub, which provide no nutritional value.
> PHOTOS: FLICKR
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to go back to work, especially if it is a performance horse or breeding stallion or broodmare. Bring the horse back to work gradually, paying particular attention to slow but consistent improvements in strength and cardiovascular fitness. Harsh Western Canadian winters and summers beset with drought conditions and rampant wild fires that consume harvestable feed won’t help to reduce the numbers of severely malnourished horses. If you are faced with the prospect of refeeding a 46
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malnourished horse, remember that slow, steady weight gain is the goal. Don’t be discouraged when at times the horse seems to stop gaining weight. Expect some issues like occasional mild diarrhea and possibly picky feeding behaviour. Consistency and the minimization of stress are key to a successful refeeding protocol. And remember to always consult with your veterinarian quickly, especially in the first week if the horse goes down and can’t get up, shows unusual aggression, or any neurological problems. b
Shelagh Niblock PAS is an equine nutritionist with an extensive background in both ruminant nutrition and forage science as it relates to both horses and ruminants. She has spent more than 35 years in the feed industry in BC, and her lengthy experience working initially as a dairy nutritionist piqued her interest in the contribution made by forages to the diets of our horses. Her work in ruminant nutrition has given her some unique insights into equine hind gut health and its impact on equine performance and health. Shelagh currently practices as an equine nutritional consultant, offering advice on the successful feeding and husbandry of horses. Shelagh is a horse owner herself and an enthusiastic pleasure rider who is especially interested in the disciplines of dressage and three-day eventing. A 4-H horse leader for many years, Shelagh is still active as a volunteer in the 4-H program in BC, as well as BC Pony Club. She is a member BC Pony Club as a Horse Master, and a member of the Equine Science Society, the American Dairy Science Association, the American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists, and the American Society of Animal Science.
HORSE
HEALTH LINES Veterinary Medical Centre
Western College of Veterinary Medicine FALL 2018
‘Lea Riddell, equine vet’
Protein panacea? Lifesaving support
Equine air flow in 3D Townsend
Equine
H e a lth
RWestern e s College e a rofcVeterinary h Medicine Fund a
Horse Health Lines is the news publication for the Western College of Veterinary Medicine’s Townsend Equine Health Research Fund (TEHRF). Visit tehrf.ca for more information. Send comments and article reprint requests to:
INSIDE
Myrna MacDonald, Editor, Horse Health Lines WCVM, University of Saskatchewan 52 Campus Drive, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B4
1 On the equine research front
Six WCVM research teams are tackling a halfdozen equine health issues with the support of the Townsend Equine Health Research Fund (TEHRF).
horse.health@usask.ca
2 Protein panacea?
WCVM researchers are investigating the use of a glycoprotein to treat mares that are susceptible to persistent breeding-induced endometritis.
Veterinary Medical Centre
4 ‘Lea Riddell, equine vet’
Dr. Lea Riddell’s life didn’t begin with horses, but the equine field service resident has certainly made up for lost time in the past few years at the WCVM.
6 High-tech tool harnesses air flow in real time
Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) can give real-time images of air flowing through a horse’s lungs — all in real time.
8 Lifesaving support
The heartbreaking loss of her horse has fueled graduate student Samantha Steinke’s passion for helping to build a better equine rehabilitation harness.
9 Hours in the saddle help in the clinic
Dr. Alex Wales firmly believes that his time spent with horses on the polo field or on mountain trails has helped him become a better equine veterinarian.
10 Equine air flow in 3D
Two SCI-FI VetMed campers learn more about a horse’s vital signs during one of the weekly camp’s activities.
Researchers hope a 3D model of an equine larynx will help them find a more successful surgical therapy for recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN) or roaring.
12 Galloping Gazette
Equine news from around the WCVM.
Taryn Riemer
Corrections in our Spring 2018 issue • In “Gift horse” on page 3 (top of third column), the following sentence should read: “The horse comes with three sets of ovaries modelling different reproductive stages so users can conduct a rectal exam and understand what each phase of equine ovulation feels like.”
• In “First aid, equine style” on page 6 (bottom of first column), the following bullet should read: “Listen for gastrointestinal sounds (GIT). Normal gut sounds should be almost constant.”
On the COVER: Equine field service resident Dr. Lea Riddell (WCVM ’16) and her horse Fame — an 18-yearold Oldenburg-Arabian gelding. Christina Weese
On the equine research front Six WCVM teams have received over $107,500 from the college’s Townsend Equine Health Research Fund in support of their research. Visit tehrf.ca to learn more. How can computer models improve treatment for roarers? David G. Wilson, James Carmalt and Michelle Tucker, WCVM
Researchers will create a three-dimensional computer model of the larynx of a horse to better understand the airflow dynamics of a horse’s airway. If successful it will allow them to create individual surgery plans and possibly design a more effective surgery. How can a new technique provide real-time pictures of lung ventilation? Tanya Duke, Maria de Rocio Fernandez Parra, Joe Bracamonte and Masako Fujiyama, WCVM
WCVM researchers are investigating the differences in lung ventilation while a horse is sedated versus anesthetized. By passing currents between 32 electrodes on a special belt that’s strapped to the patient, researchers can develop a pixelated image of the horse’s lung inflation. The EIT will allow the team to develop strategies to prevent lung compression during surgeries. Can a new protein eliminate breeding-induced inflammation? Stephen Manning, Dinesh Dadarwal, Kate Robinson and Lea Riddell, WCVM
A WCVM team is investigating the ability of a glycoprotein called granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) to reduce breeding-induced inflammation (endometritis). Researchers hope that the increased production of white blood cells from the injection of G-CSF will allow the horse to naturally reduce inflammation and recover at a normal rate. Is serum amyloid A a reliable biomarker for septic arthritis? Joe Bracamonte, Elemir Simko, Seiji Yoshimura and Roman Koziy, WCVM; and George Katselis, U of S College of Medicine
Researchers at the WCVM are hoping that a protein called serum amyloid A (SAA) can be a reliable biomarker for
Scientists are investigating why a lungworm normally found in donkeys is showing up in the lungs of dead Sable Island horses. Christina Weese
septic arthritis. They plan to experimentally induce septic arthritis in six horses then treat aggressively to find out if SAA levels can be a reliable indication that the disease is gone. What is killing Sable Island horses? Emily Jenkins and Bruce Wobeser, WCVM; Phil McLoughlin, Dept. of Biology, U of S; Todd Shury, Parks Canada; Trent Bollinger, WCVM/Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative; and Jocelyn Poissant, University of Calgary Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
In this follow-up study on the horses of Sable Island, researchers from the WCVM will collect samples from the horses that died over the winter. The researchers are investigating the role and prevalence of parasites in the island’s wild horses. The
results could also help to determine better deworming strategies for horses How can an electronic pill provide real-time data of a horse’s gastrointestinal tract? Julia Montgomery and Joe Bracamonte, WCVM; Khan Wahid, U of S College of Engineering
Researchers at the WCVM, in collaboration with the College of Engineering will be using a SmartPill to explore the gastrointestinal (GI) tract of horses. This pill can measure temperatures, pH, and pressures inside a horse. They are also looking into a similar pill equipped with a camera that can provide real-time imaging of the GI tract.
Western College of Veterinary Medicine
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Protein panacea? By Harrison Brooks
As part of the study, researchers are assessing the effects of breeding mares with dead frozen semen without any pre- or post-breeding treatment. Harrison Brooks
Inflammation of the uterus or endometritis affects a variety of mammals, including female horses. Researchers at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) are working on a non-invasive therapy for affected mares using a glycoprotein called granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) that could reduce costs and disappointment for their owners. “It could be an inexpensive, readily available, single treatment that’s easy to give, well tolerated and has a beneficial effect on uterine health post-breeding,”
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says Dr. Stephen Manning, the study’s lead investigator and a theriogenologist in the WCVM’s Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences. “Ultimately, if it works, it will lead to increased pregnancy rates in these socalled problem mares.” Mild endometritis happens in most mares after breeding when debris and fluids are present in the uterus — but the condition normally clears up within two days. When the uterine inflammation lasts more than two days, it starts to become a problem for the affected females.
Between 15 and 20 per cent of mares are prone to persistent breeding-induced endometritis (PBIE) and are described as susceptible mares. According to Manning, older mares that have foaled numerous times and have had difficult births or reproductive injuries are more susceptible to developing endometritis. When injected, G-CSF increases the bone marrow’s production of neutrophils — a type of white blood cell that acts as the body’s main line of defence against infections. The hope is that there will be increased neutrophils within the uterus
to help decrease the inflammation. “G-CSF has been shown to cause increased neutrophils in the peripheral blood within 12 to 24 hours and these high numbers are sustained for six to 10 days,” says Dr. Dinesh Dadarwal, a WCVM theriogenologist who is collaborating on the study. “Besides neutrophils, we have observed that G-CSF also increases the number of monocytes, which are important [because they ingest] pathogens.” Clinical teams in human medicine have used G-CSF to treat cancer patients during chemotherapy, but the product has only been used in a few studies on horses. Equine field service resident Dr. Lea Riddell, whose work on on G-CSF is part of her Master of Science program, hopes the therapy can have the same positive effects on horses as it does on people. “In horses, there’s a few projects where they used [G-CSF] to see if it would prevent any respiratory disease with longterm transport, and there’s a few case reports using the G-CSF to help when [foals] have low white cell counts and it seems to be helping,” says Riddell. “It sounds very promising for use in a variety of different applications in horses, dogs and cats.” Current options for treating endometritis include flushing a mare’s uterus with saline, administering medications to help contract the uterus and push out debris, and infusing antibiotics directly into the uterus. Veterinarians often use a combination of these therapies and the process may need to be repeated multiple times over several days. Using these options is expensive for the owner and more invasive for the horse. “If you have a true problem mare and the owner has the resources to let you be as aggressive as possible, 50 per cent-plus will be successful. But there is a lot of failure, which is why we keep looking for improvements,” says Manning. “If we were able to give them a single injection [of G-CSF] at the time of breeding,
Harrison Brooks
Dr. Lea Riddell: “If we were able to give them a single injection [of G-CSF] at the time of breeding, that would reduce the cost ...” that would reduce the cost to the owner and improve the welfare of the mares as well,” adds Riddell. After completing two safety trials to verify the dosage of G-CSF, the team began the study’s research trials in early August. During the first phase, the scientists are confirming the grouping of mares classed as normal (no previous history of PBIE) or as susceptible. They’re also using this phase to assess the effects of breeding mares with dead frozen semen without any pre- or post-breeding treatment. The study’s second phase focuses on how G-CSF treatments affect susceptible mares in comparison to mares that are considered normal.
The project is on track to be completed this fall, but it may need to extend to next year to enrol more mares in the study. Although G-CSF could be a less invasive and cost-effective way to treat endometritis, the money and time needed to conduct research and verify the therapy’s effectiveness makes it difficult for clinical researchers — especially when breeding is seasonal. “We are in a clinical practice that is really busy at the same time we need to be doing the research trials,” says Manning. “If [horses] were fertile all year round, we could do the research in the winter … but we can’t do that, so that’s a real challenge.”
Western College of Veterinary Medicine
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Dr. Lea Riddell goes nose to nose with Finnick. Born on May 18, the Oldenburg-Paint cross colt is owned by Islabrook Farms. Christina Weese
‘Lea Riddell, equine vet’ Dr. Lea Riddell has never really fit the mould of an equine veterinarian. A self-proclaimed “city girl,” Riddell was born and raised in Winnipeg — far from any farm or acreage and with no horses nearby. It wasn’t until she was given a pony riding lesson for her eighth birthday that she discovered her true love for horses. That set the path for Riddell’s plans to becoming an equine veterinarian — save for a few twists and turns. “I actually have a picture, [I] don’t know when I made it, but it was from elementary school and it’s a collage of me as an equine vet,” says Riddell. “It says, ‘Lea 4
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Riddell, equine vet.’ So I wanted to do this forever.” One of those twists came during high school. Riddell still knew she wanted to be a vet, but because most of her experience was with dogs and cats, she volunteered at a local small animal practice and assumed that a career as a small animal veterinarian might be a better fit for her. While completing her undergraduate degree in biology at the University of Manitoba, Riddell volunteered with a local equine surgeon, Dr. Chris Bell (WCVM ’06). That experience changed her focus and set her back on the path to
By Harrison Brooks
becoming an equine specialist. It wasn’t an easy journey to make: only 15 Manitoba students are annually accepted to the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM), and fulfilling all the requirements before applying is a rigorous process. “Once in a while you think this is a lot of work to get into a program. But honestly, there were never really any alternative options that I was interested in,” says Riddell. Riddell’s next big step came in 2012 when she moved away from home for the first time in her life to begin school at the WCVM in Saskatoon, Sask. Luckily, she lived with a fourth-year veterinary
student who helped her until she got to know some of her classmates. “I knew another girl from Winnipeg who also got in so she and I stuck together. But you meet a lot of people really fast because you spend so much time together,” says Riddell. “The adjustment was kind of hard, but everyone else is in the same boat, so you make friends pretty easily.” After graduating in 2016, Riddell stayed on to complete a one-year clinical internship in the WCVM’s Equine Field Service and then began a combined residency-Master of Science program with Dr. Stephen Manning as her supervisor. Her research project focuses on the effectiveness of a specific glycoprotein at reducing uterine inflammation in mares after breeding. “All of the veterinarians who I work with on Equine Field Service are very knowledgeable and skilled clinicians, and I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to learn and work with them,” says Riddell. “While I was an intern I worked closely with the residents. I had insight into what their residencies were like, so I had a pretty good idea of what to expect.” During her first year as a resident, Riddell has taken on various cases in many different areas including surgery, medicine and reproduction. She’s also learned how to cope with working outside in Saskatchewan. “I think the most difficult thing to adjust to within my internship and residency was learning how to work outside when it is minus 40 [degrees Celsius],” says Riddell. “That isn’t something you learn in vet school!” Even though Riddell didn’t grow up with horses in her back yard, they’ve always been part of her life one way or another. Horses started out as the source of her childhood infatuation, then turned into an interest and a passion for her veterinary career. Now going out for a ride on her horse is one of her favourite stress relievers when Riddell needs a break from school and work. And when her fiancé asked her to marry him, it was fitting that her horse was standing right beside him during the proposal. Riddell isn’t quite sure where she will end up working after she finishes her program in 2020. But wherever she goes, there will be opportunities for her — thanks to the wide range of experience she is gaining at the WCVM.
“This residency opened up more doors for me. I love it here because there is such great mentorship all the time.”
- Dr. Lea Riddell
Harrison Brooks
“This residency opened up more doors for me. I love it here because there is such great mentorship all the time. There’s a surgeon down the hall, a radiologist down the hall and an ophthalmologist down the hall, which is amazing as a
resident to have all those resources available to me,” says Riddell. “When you are out in private practice that’s not always the case, but that’s why I am doing [this residency] … so I have all the knowledge I can for the future.” Western College of Veterinary Medicine
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High-tech tool
harnesses air flow in real time By Harrison Brooks
Researchers at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) are collaborating with Andy Adler, a Canada Research Professor in Biomedical Engineering at Carleton University, to use a new technique called electrical impedance tomography (EIT).
EIT technology allows anesthesiologists to better understand breathing pattern changes in sedated or anesthetized horses. Christina Weese
EIT, a non-invasive technology, appeals to veterinary specialists because it will allow them to better understand the changes in breathing patterns happening in sedated and anesthetized horses. The WCVM is one of only a few places in the world working with this new technology on horses, including research institutions in Vienna, Zurich and London. One of the biggest difficulties when performing surgery on a horse is its massive
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size. Surgery can be done while the horse is standing and sedated, but it’s easier for veterinarians to perform surgery while the horse is anesthetized and lying down. However, this can lead to complications for the animal. “[Horses] are prone to changes in ventilation patterns when they are anesthetized,” says Dr. Tanya Duke, a specialist in anesthesia at the WCVM. “Their lungs get compressed because horses are not
designed to be positioned on their backs for long periods of time.” In research publications, EIT is described as using direct contact electrical stimulation and measurement at the body surface to image the electrical properties of internal tissues, such as lungs. When used on horses, researchers place a belt of 32 electrodes around the thorax, or chest, of the animal. As electrical currents pass between the electrodes, they detect air flow in the
horse’s lungs (within the belt’s range). Using specialized software, these measurements create an image of the horse’s lung aeration in real time. It also shows the formation of atelectasis — a partial or complete collapse of a lung or lobe of a lung. Right now, veterinary anesthesiologists can only measure how efficiently an anesthetized horse’s lungs are performing by taking arterial blood samples and analyzing them for oxygen and carbon dioxide levels — a process that takes time and money. “Putting a catheter into an artery to get access to the blood is an intermittent measurement, whereas the other method [EIT] is continuous so you are constantly getting a picture,” says Duke. “With blood samples, you have to physically take the sample to an analyzer and you only get a snapshot of what’s going on.” Adler, who developed an EIT belt for equine patients, is internationally known for his extensive EIT research with horses and people. In May 2017, Adler visited the WCVM and demonstrated the belt’s use on a standing, sedated horse for Duke and her colleagues. Duke says the biggest obstacle is learning how to use the technology to get the best results. As a first step, she and her team are using the EIT belt to track lung compression in a standing, sedated horse while carbon dioxide is pumped in to inflate the abdomen for laparoscopic surgery.
“Once we know if it can pick up that amount of lung collapse [in a sedated horse], it will definitely pick up the lung collapse in an anesthetized horse, which is going to be so much more,” says Duke. The researchers’ eventual goal is to develop a reliable way to use the belt on an anesthetized horse without it slipping or shifting as the animal is hoisted off the ground. “We’re just developing the technology in the standing horses and learning how to use it, to move on to using it in the anesthetized horse. But that will be down the road,” says Duke. “The Vienna group [researchers] have done a couple of cases where they’ve used it on anesthetized horses and you can see that there is lung collapse on their images.” Another challenge is the electrode belt’s size. It’s only a couple of inches wide and has just one or two rings of electrodes, which means the area it monitors is only a small portion of the horse’s entire lung and airway. “We’re only looking at one segment of the lung whereas we really would like to be looking at the whole lung, so that would mean lots of rings of electrodes and a bigger belt,” says Duke. Since Adler’s visit in 2017, more work has been done so the technology covers a larger area of the horse’s airway. Duke credits Dr. Charlotte Marly-Voquer, a former clinical associate in the WCVM’s Veterinary Medical Centre, as the person who was instrumental in connecting the
WCVM with this exciting new area of research. “It’s a sad story, actually,” says Duke. “Charlotte joined us a few years ago and she had done her anesthesia residency in Zurich and had used the belt over there. She wanted to continue that research while she was here and she asked me to be the faculty co-investigator for her to get research funds. “Charlotte unfortunately had a brain tumour and she’s passed away from it, so her replacement Rocia [Dr. Maria del Rocia Fernandez Parra] joined us and was also very keen to take this on and so I stayed involved that way.” Fernandez Parra has since left the team and is now working in Paris, but she plans to return to Canada in 2019 to continue helping with the research during the next round of trials. Until then Duke aand her co-investigators — Drs. Shannon Beazley, Joe Bracamonte and Masako Fujiyama — are continuing work on the research project with Adler’s collaboration. The WCVM team’s efforts are supported by a research grant from the WCVM’s Townsend Equine Health Research Fund (TEHRF). Harrison Brooks of Fort Qu’Appelle, Sask., is a third-year student at the University of Regina’s School of Journalism. Harrison was the summer research communications intern at the WCVM.
EIT images of a sedated horse during relaxed and then forced breathing. The lower figure show lung air volume versus time (seconds). The upper figure shows the EIT images over time (during time between the indicated dashed lines). Image: Dr. Andy Adler.
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Veterinary student Paul Thiessen holds Mama, a mare that is helping WCVM researchers improve the design of a rehabilitative harness. Brendan Loewen
Lifesaving support By Brendan Loewen
When a person breaks a leg, it’s highly unlikely that this injury would lead to death. But when a horse injures one of its limbs, the all-too-common result is euthanasia. The heartbreaking experience of losing an equine companion to a leg injury is a familiar one for Samantha Steinke, a graduate student in biomedical engineering at the University of Saskatchewan. In 2016, her horse Cash stepped on a piece of metal and severed a tendon in his lower leg. Soon after, he had to be euthanized. 8
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“That is what everybody is hoping for — to find a solution — and [to] be able to treat horses that weren’t able to be treated before.”
- Samantha Steinke
Research in print
A round up of WCVM-related equine research articles that have been recently published in peer-reviewed journals Husulak ML, Manning ST, Meachem MD, Burgess HJ, Epp TY, Montgomery JB. “Does antimicrobial therapy improve outcomes in horses with severe equine asthma and a positive tracheal wash bacterial culture?” Canadian Journal of Veterinary Research. July 2018. 82(3):184-191. Montgomery, JB, Husulak ML, Kosolofski H, Dos Santos S, Burgess H, Meachem MD. “Tumour necrosis factor-alpha protein concentrations in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from healthy horses and horses with severe equine asthma.” Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology. Aug. 2018. 202:70-73. doi: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2018.06.014. Epub June 24, 2018.
Samantha Steinke with her beloved horse Cash. Supplied Photo
“If there was an ability to get him to recover, I would have given anything,” says Steinke. “People with animals usually understand that the connection is unexplainable ... I don’t have kids, so I don’t know. But to me [he was] like my kid — having to put my kid out of [his] misery ... I would have done anything to save him.” This experience could have been solely negative, but for Steinke, her pain in losing one of her closest friends has fueled a passion to help find a solution. As a first step, Steinke joined a research group at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) that’s working to build a rehabilitation harness for equine patients recovering from serious limb injuries and other problems resulting in ambulatory difficulties such as laminitis. Led by large animal internal medicine specialist Dr. Julia Montgomery, the WCVM research group had previously teamed up with RMD Engineering Inc., a Saskatoon engineering firm, to develop a new harness design. That project began with the development and installation of a dynamic horse lift system by RMD at the WCVM in 2014. The hope is that veterinarians can use RMD’s new harness design and computerized dynamic lift, which is located at the WCVM, to assist in the recovery of horses with leg injuries. The reason why limb injuries are so deadly for horses is because of the way they’re built: the equine species requires all four legs to support their enormous weight. Another complicating factor is that when one limb is injured, the horse’s weight is distributed disproportionately to the other three legs. The extra weight can often lead to secondary complications, such as supporting limb laminitis. Until RMD’s dynamic horse lift system was developed, ambulatory support of horses was limited to mechanical lifts and rescue slings. However, these types of slings are meant for short-term use, such as applications in rescue or recovery from anaesthesia. Combining experts in veterinary medicine and engineering is the perfect dynamic for developing the new rehabilitation harness. And for Steinke, working within both areas is something special: “It’s
Verhoef JNC, Allen AL, Harding JCS, Al-Dissi AN. “Metallothionein expression in horses with chronic liver disease and its correlation with Ki-67 immunoreactivity.” Veterinary Pathology. Jan. 2018. doi: 10.1177/0300985818777802. [Epub ahead of print]. amazing to be involved in a project with such variety and discipline.” To combat complications seen with other commercially available slings, WCVM researchers and RMD plan to develop their harness in two stages. They’re now working on developing the front portion of the harness, which includes a novel breastplate system with inflatable air cushions. They hope that this system will minimize the development of pressure sores on horses during long-term use. Once testing of the front breastplate is completed, the focus will shift to the back portion of the harness to further support the weight of the horse. The new harness has undergone multiple adjustments and redesigns. The newest version, based around the breastplate, has team members extremely excited about its potential. This is particularly true for Steinke who hopes that her dream of helping to make a difference may have a chance of becoming a reality. “There are many applications that we can use [the harness] in. It just has endless opportunities.” But there’s still a lot of work to do, points out Steinke. “This is all stuff that’s never been done [before], so we don’t know what’s going to happen. We hope it’s going to work, and we are very optimistic in it working — but there is always that chance that it won’t.” It could be many months or even years before the rehabilitative harness is perfected, but throughout the process, the goal will always remain the same — finding a way to give horses and their owners a second chance. “That is what everybody is hoping for — to find a solution — and [to] be able to treat horses that weren’t able to be treated before,” says Steinke. Brendan Loewen of Radville, Sask., is a second-year veterinary student at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) and the 2018 Townsend Equine Health Research Fund summer research student. His story is part of a series of articles written by WCVM summer research students. Western College of Veterinary Medicine
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Research students Paul Thiessen (left) and Brendan Loewen take CT scans of an equine larynx while air is being blown through the imaging unit. Dr. Michelle Tucker
A three-dimensional reconstruction of a larynx model, created with the use of CT scans.
A Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) research team is going back to the drawing board to find a better way of treating recurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN), also known as roaring, in horses. Last year surgical specialists Drs. James Carmalt and David Wilson, along with surgical resident Dr. Michelle Tucker, were working on a new procedure that could replace a laryngoplasty — the current treatment method for RLN. Surgeons can tie back the collapsed part of the horse’s larynx with a suture (laryngoplasty), or they can perform a partial arytenoidectomy (removing the arytenoid cartilage). But these procedures can cause complications: the laryngoplasty’s permanent suture can often become infected, and the arytenoidectomy can lead to feed contamination of the upper airway and pneumonia in some cases. As an alternative, the WCVM researchers tested a corniculatectomy. As Tucker explains, the procedure is “less radical” than the arytenoidectomy because it only removes a small piece of the horse’s arytenoid cartilage. “If you think about the larynx as a cartilage tube, [the arytenoidectomy] basically 10
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takes out one of the walls of the tube. So one of the concerns with that is that it destabilizes some of the airways,” says Tucker. With the corniculatectomy, the researchers speculated that if they removed only the front part of the arytenoid and made a smoother surface, that would improve airflow. They tested this theory by using larynges from equine cadavers. Once the experimental procedure was done, the researchers put each larynx into a box attached to a vacuum to simulate the airflow of a galloping horse. While the researchers found that the corniculatectomy didn’t improve the air flow in the equine larynges, they also noticed that the models using the arytenoidectomy performed just as poorly. Based on these results, the WCVM team members believe there’s a chance that the corniculatectomy could be effective in live patients. “Basically, because it’s a dead structure, it collapses,” says Tucker. “So our suspicion now is, if we actually did it [a corniculatectomy] in a horse that recovered from surgery, it would work based on the fact that the arytenoidectomy worked. As well, our model can only account for so many factors.”
After receiving more funding from the Townsend Equine Health Research Fund this year, the WCVM team is collaborating with researchers from the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Engineering to develop a more precise computer model of a horse’s airway. The engineers will create the computer model using the same physical model that was used during the previous study. The larynx model is placed in a CT (computed tomography) scanner while air is being blown through the imaging unit. Using the CT scans, the engineers can create the computer model with the proper dimensions and reactions to airflow. Next, the researchers can use the computer model to build a correlation between how the airway and the airflow interact. “The engineers have a way that we can model based on the inflows and outflows … what the individual pressure is like at a lot of different points along the larynx. So hopefully, that will help us better understand what’s actually happening with the airflow in the horse’s throat,” says Tucker. Before taking veterinary training at Texas A&M University, Tucker received her undergraduate degree in biosystems
Share your views! Researchers at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) have set up two equine health-related surveys for horse owners across Western Canada. Check out the following information, and if one or both online surveys relate to you, please take a few minutes and contribute your perspective to two important equine health topics.
Note: your participation in either survey will remain anonymous.
engineering and biology at the University of Kentucky. Tucker’s background has proved to be important, in more ways than one. “It’s helped me a lot in being able to collaborate with the engineers,” says Tucker. “It has also contributed to the direction of the project because a lot of my ideas about doing the CTs and things like that came from some of the studies that they do over in engineering on other kinds of airflows.” As Tucker explains, the CT scans let the researchers see the larynx move in three dimensions, while the computer model allows them to understand how the pressure and airflow change at different points along the airway. Combined, this information contributes to the team’s understanding of how these surgeries are actually working. “We’re hoping that it’s going to change the way we approach surgery in some of these horses, especially given the fact that our first project kind of showed that individual horses are different,” says Tucker. “What this may contribute to is a better understanding that one surgery doesn’t fit all.”
Equine oil supplementation survey
Led by Dr. Julia Montgomery, a WCVM research team is studying how horse owners use oil supplements in their horses’ diets. This is a preliminary step for a project that will investigate whether certain oils can help horses with insulin resistance. While supplement companies market dozens of oil-based product for a variety of supposed health benefits, little research is available to support those claims. By participating in this survey, your answers will help researchers gain a better understanding of how horse owners use oils in their horses’ diets. Visit the survey link: https:// www.surveymonkey.ca/r/NTYYWGX
Warmblood fragile foal syndrome survey
Montgomery and her team are also hoping to gain more insight into how much horse owners know about warmblood fragile foal syndrome (WFFS) — a newly-described recessive genetic disease that affects the skin and joints of warmblood horses. The disease is lethal and causes abortions, stillbirths or severely debilitated foals that must be humanely euthanized shortly after birth. If you own or breed warmblood horses, please complete this survey so WCVM researchers can gauge how much horse owners know about WFFS and how much needs to be done to create more public awareness of the disease. Visit the survey link: https://www.surveymonkey.ca/r/NTCHKQ6
For more information about either survey, please contact Dr. Valentina Ragno (valentina.ragno@usask.ca; 306-966-7178).
Western College of Veterinary Medicine
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Dr. Alex Wales (WCVM ‘78) of Kelowna, B.C.
Hours in the saddle help in the clinic
Dr. Susan Wales
By HenryTye Glazebrook
There’s a certain mystery to working in veterinary medicine, where each new patient can come as a kind of puzzle to solve — discovering the ins and outs of what makes them tick, unlocking whatever issue is at hand and sending them out the door happy and healthy once again. This process is also part of the reason why Dr. Alex Wales, an equine veterinarian with Panorama Veterinary Clinic near Kelowna, B.C., is so involved in horseback riding outside of his veterinary practice. Scoring a goal in a polo match or exploring the B.C. mountains on horseback are great pastimes, but for Wales, they’re also a way of maintaining a healthy connection to the animals that he works with each day. “Doing things with the horses helps us to understand their needs and ways and frustrations,” Wales says. “By being around horses outside of just working on them as a veterinarian, it does give you a more complete understanding of them as an animal. Just doing veterinary work, you can become very focused on the diagnosis, the disease and the treatment without ever really getting involved much with the animal itself.” Wales has had an interest in animals ever since his childhood when he was surrounded by creatures of all shapes and sizes on his family’s farm in rural Alberta. But it wasn’t until he attended the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) that this curiosity began reshaping into a specific eye for equine health. At the University of Saskatchewan, he found faculty and researchers whose passion for horses proved instrumental in moulding his own aspirations. “Obviously, WCVM has been the centre of equine health, research and education for Western Canada — the only source, even, up until the time when the University of 12
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Calgary’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine opened,” he says. Even though it’s been 40 years since he was a student at WCVM, Wales has maintained a connection to the college by serving on the advisory board of the Townsend Equine Health Research Fund that supports horse health research and specialized training. The goal, he says, is to stay informed about what’s going on at his alma mater and to help guide the way that the next generation of veterinarians will grow and develop. “It gives me the opportunity to keep track of what’s going on at the university on the equine side of things, and also what’s happening with the curriculum changes that are involved,” Wales says. “It’s certainly different than when I graduated, but I’m not one to pine for the old days. I think the changes have been progressive and good, and I think the students at WCVM get a great education. “I have had the opportunity to interact with graduates from other universities, and I think the graduates from WCVM are strong and holding their own in our profession.” Wales practises alongside two other WCVM alumni: his wife Susan, who graduated from the college in 1980, and their daughter Jessica — a 2010 graduate. Although the family-owned practice doesn’t formally accept externs, Wales says he regularly encounters WCVM students in his professional life. And when these paths do cross, he makes a point of trying to impart some of the wisdom that’s helped his career in veterinary medicine remain fulfilling even after so many years. “I’ve enjoyed, and still do enjoy, my career,” Wales says. “I’m one of those people who can say I don’t feel like I go into work
each day even if I do go to work every day. I try to let them see that the work can be rewarding and interesting and something that you might want to do for a long time. “The medicine and the surgery — everyone learns how to do that. But if one can find a way to practise that is rewarding? That’s the best you can do.” HenryTye Glazebrook is a freelance writer based in Vancouver, B.C.
Equine honours On June 7, two members of the WCVM Class of 2018 received awards that highlighted their dedication to equine health care. Dr. Danica Wolkowksi of Saskatoon, Sask., was awarded the “Dino and Dr. Ashburner Award in Equine Care” while her classmate, Dr. Claudia Koch of Calgary, Alta., received the “Vandi Award for Excellence in Equine Care.” Both awards, each worth $9,000, were created by Saskatoon horse owners Heather Ryan and L. David Dubé who wished to honour their horses’ memories and highlight excellence in equine health care at the WCVM. In addition to these two awards, the Equine Foundation of Canada also presented its $3,500 award to graduate student Dr. Valentina Ragno for her research work, “Investigation of novel biomarkers for early detection of equine metabolic syndrome.” Ragno, who is originally from Italy, is completing a Master of Veterinary Science degree in combination with a residency in large animal internal medicine under Dr. Julia Montgomery’s supervision. In March, four WCVM residents gave updates on their equine health research projects to members of the Townsend Equine Health Research Fund’s advisory board. (L to R): Drs. Suzanne Mund (surgery), Valentina Ragno (internal medicine), Ronan Chapuis (internal medicine) and Masako Fujiyama (anesthesia). Myrna MacDonald
Equine link to Vanier award Julie Colpitts, a PhD student of biology, will receive $150,000 over the next three years to study Sable Island horses and develop conservation strategies for other animals. Working with biology professor Philip McLoughlin in the University of Saskatchewan’s College of Arts and Science, Colpitts will study how the combination of environment and genetics has been influencing the body size, inbreeding and health of Sable Island horses. Colpitts is one of four U of S students who received Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships — a federal program that recognizes top-tier doctoral students at Canadian universities.
ACVIM award In June, WCVM large animal internal medicine resident Dr. Ronan Chapuis won the American College of Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology graduate student research presentation award at the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) Forum in Seattle, Wash. Chapuis, whose combined MSc-residency program is jointly supervised by veterinary pharmacologist Dr. Trisha Dowling and large animal internist Dr. Fabienne Uehlinger, gave a presentation titled “Pharmacodynamics of doxycycline in a Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus infection model in horses” at the international conference. In March, Chapuis received third place for the same presentation at the annual WCVM Graduate Student Poster competition.
Kudos for surgeon Dr. Joe Bracamonte, associate professor of large animal surgery in the WCVM’s Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences, recently received the title of American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS) Foundation Honored Mentor in recognition of his dedication toward the surgical training provided to all residents. Bracamonte was also named an ACVS Founding Fellow in Minimal Invasive Surgery (equine laparoscopy) by the internatational organization. Western College of Veterinary Medicine
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HEALTH
The How & Why of
Soaking Hay By Shelagh Niblock, PAS Horse owners have been wetting or soaking hay as a feed management practice for many years. Soaking hay for horses can be invaluable when feeding a hay that is a little dusty as a result of soil contamination or where it was stored in the barn. Horses that have allergies and are sensitive to the natural dust and particles in hay can benefit significantly from wetting or soaking hay. In recent years, horse owners have become more aware of the impact of rapidly digestible carbohydrates in the diets of their horses. We now know that high intakes of water soluble carbohydrates (as indicated on a lab analysis as WSC or water soluble carbohydrates and including sugars and starches) can be a liability for some horses. Not all hay has high WSC, and not all horses need to consume a diet with limited starches and sugars. But the fact is that as our horses live longer and are fed forages with better nutritional quality, we are seeing more and more of them who are overweight or 48
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afflicted with metabolic conditions such as Insulin Resistance (IR), Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS), or Pituitary Pars Intermedia Deficiency (PPID or Equine Cushings Disease). Horses with Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (PSSM), a genetic condition that affects how the horse stores glucose as glycogen in the muscle, also need a diet low in sugar and starch. Too much sugar in the diets of these horses causes them to “hit the wall” when working hard. They often have no energy and can even go into a metabolic crisis and experience painful tying-up episodes if consuming a diet with too much rapidly digestible carbohydrate. The hay we feed our horses has undergone years of genetic selection so as to provide commercial forage growers with grasses that have superior nutrient content, high yield, and good stress tolerance. The agronomic practices including cultivation, and water and fertilizer applications under which these forages are grown, all
affect their nutritional analysis. Increasing numbers of horse owners are availing themselves of this superior forage in the form of hay, only to find that it’s almost too good for the average horse. Grass hays in Western Canada are known for their superior digestibility and excellent energy content. At least part of that energy is due to high sugar content. The potential impact of this on our horses has focused more scrutiny on how to better manage a potentially high sugar hay as part of a healthy diet. Soaking hay before consumption has been proven in peer reviewed research trials to be an effective way to reduce the content of water soluble carbohydrate in the hay. What is the Best Way to Soak Hay? Soaking hay is as simple as that. Before feeding, the hay is submerged in water for a prescribed period of time, then pulled out of the water and fed. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? It actually is simple once you have a
As horses live longer and consume better quality forage than in the past, more of them are becoming overweight or suffering from metabolic conditions. Horse owners are seeking to better manage the intake of water soluble carbohydrates in their horses’ diets, and an effective way to do that is by soaking the hay in water.
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/PETER TITMUSS
PHOTO: CANSTOCK/HANATIPPLOVA
An easy method of soaking hay is to fill a hay net, then submerge it in a large garbage or plastic tote filled with clean water. Research has shown that soaking grass hay in cool water for 60 minutes before consumption will effectively reduce the content of water soluble carbohydrates by 30 to 40 percent.
good routine down for doing it, but there are many questions about how best to do it, and plenty of misinformation out there about expected outcomes. A research trial was conducted by Dr. Krishona Martinson, an equine forage specialist at the University of Minnesota, on how long hay needs to be soaked to remove significant levels of WSC. Her experiment included several different kinds of hay, including orchard grass at different maturities. In her research, Dr. Martinson was able to establish good practical guidelines for soaking hays. She found that soaking for 60 minutes in cool water removed 30 to 40 percent of the WSC in the grass hays depending on the maturity of the hay, without removing significant amounts of other nutrients such as phosphorous, magnesium, and potassium. Soaking for longer than one hour removed more WSC, but it also removed more of the other nutrients we feed hay to provide. She found that
protein was not significantly changed no matter how long the hay was soaked, and calcium was also somewhat resistant to loss by soaking. Researcher Katy Watts of Safer Grass suggests that the more water you use when soaking hay, the more you can influence the dilution gradient. This means you can potentially remove more WSC in the same period of time. In other words, more water means more removal of WSC from your hay. A word of caution though, more water can also result in higher removal of other nutrients as well. All soaked hay will start to spoil when wet. This is particularly true in hot weather, therefore, more management is required when feeding soaked hay in the summer. Meals need to be smaller and fed more frequently to avoid the risk of feeding hay that is close to spoiling. Be scrupulous about your soaking protocol, using only clean potable water and a soaking container that is AUTUMN 2018
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PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/SHANNONJORDAN
Both soaking and steaming hay can be of significant benefit to horses with allergies or sensitivities to dust. Steaming hay for 50 to 90 minutes improves palatability and significantly reduces mold spores and dust. Steaming hay also removes far less of the nutrients that are leached out by soaking.
clean and free of soil, refuse or manure. If you are feeding soaked hay in very cold weather it will freeze in the net more quickly. This again calls for more management for the horse owner, including feeding smaller meals more frequently.
What’s the Most Practical Way to Soak Horse Hay? For sheer convenience, it’s hard to beat soaking hay in a hay net submerged in a large garbage can or plastic tote. Remember, water volume is important. Stuffing several
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hay nets into one large container with minimal water will not be as effective at removing WSC as one hay net in abundant water. Choose a container that is easy to keep clean and can be stored in a clean place when not in use. After one hour of soaking, the submerged hay can be pulled out and the water disposed of on the manure pile or down a drain. If you pour it out on the ground it can attract flies and wasps in warm weather, or create an icy patch in winter. The hay can be further rinsed under the tap to remove any residual soaking water. Choose a hay net with smaller holes to avoid losing a lot of leaf in the water. As much as possible, feed the soaked hay immediately, and feed in a cool, well-ventilated place in the summer. What are the Advantages of Steaming Hay? Steaming hay in a commercial hay steamer is popular in the United Kingdom, and is gaining in popularity in North America. One significant advantage of feeding steamed hay instead of dry hay is the reduction in dust and mold spores that may be present. Horse owners know well to avoid feeding musty or moldy hay, but it does happen sometimes despite our best efforts. Steaming hay for 50 to 90 minutes in a commercial steamer will reduce the particulate matter in the hay, making it easier for some horses to eat. It will also render inactive many of the mold spores and possibly mycotoxins that may be present in a hay that is not the best. Is Steaming a Replacement for Soaking Hay? Steaming hay is very effective at increasing palatability of a dry hay and it does reduce the WSC of hay somewhat, but it is not as effective as soaking for removing sugars from a hay. The good news is that steaming removes far less of the other nutrients when compared with prolonged soaking. The effects of steaming on the availability of some of the carbohydrates sources are not yet fully understood. From a nutritional perspective, it’s logical to assume that “cooking” by steaming the hay may well be making some of the complex sugars that are typically utilized in the hind gut of the horse more digestible and therefore more likely to be utilized in the foregut. This could potentially increase blood glucose and consequently stimulate an insulin response, something we want to avoid in a metabolic horse. Until more research is completed it may well be advisable to continue to soak the hay of your IR, EMS, or PPID horse, or any horse with sugar sensitivities.
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/CHELLE129
In cold weather, soaked hay should be given in smaller meals more often so it does not freeze in the net.
Just like soaked hay, steamed hay must be fed quickly before it spoils, especially in hot weather. Soaking hay for the metabolic or overweight horse can be a helpful management tool, especially if faced with a barn full of hay that isn’t suitable for all horses in the stable. But if not done correctly, it can also be a recipe for a messy yard and a horse off its feed. If you decide that soaking hay makes sense for your horse, keep in mind that soaking longer is not always better, hot water isn’t necessary, more water increases the dilution gradient for ALL nutrients, water and containers must be clean, and the spent water should be discarded in areas horses can’t access. And remember, soaked hay won’t keep fresh forever. If it smells bad — don’t feed it. b
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Shelagh Niblock PAS is an equine nutritionist with an extensive background in both ruminant nutrition and forage science as it relates to both horses and ruminants. She has spent more than 35 years in the feed industry in BC, and her lengthy experience working initially as a dairy nutritionist piqued her interest in the contribution made by forages to the diets of our horses. Her work in ruminant nutrition has given her some unique insights into equine hind gut health and its impact on equine performance and health. Shelagh currently practices as an equine nutritional consultant, offering advice on the successful feeding and husbandry of horses. Shelagh is a horse owner herself and an enthusiastic pleasure rider who is especially interested in the disciplines of dressage and three-day eventing. A 4-H horse leader for many years, Shelagh is still active as a volunteer in the 4-H program in BC, as well as BC Pony Club. She is a member BC Pony Club as a Horse Master, and a member of the Equine Science Society, the American Dairy Science Association, the American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists, and the American Society of Animal Science. AUTUMN 2018
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Rugging Up
The Wrap
Whether or not to blanket a horse is an often-debated question and there are many logical and justifiable reasons to go either way.
I
n normal weather conditions, many horses do not need a blanket, especially if they have access to food and shelter and have grown a healthy, thick winter coat. But for horses with special needs such as older or geriatric horses, pregnant mares, horses with compromised health conditions, or horses that have been clipped, blankets are certainly appropriate. Consideration should also be given to the horse’s breed, hair coat quality, feeding routine, and its acclimatization to the existing conditions.
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on Blanketing
By Margaret Evans
PHOTO: CLIX PHOTOGRAPHY
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/RICHARD WHITCOMBE
When temperatures drop, the horse’s long, thick natural hair coat will fluff up to trap air close to the skin, thereby providing an insulating layer against the cold.
Horses have been adapting to the climate for millennia and they still depend on ancestral ways to regulate their own temperature. In the fall, the horse’s coat will start to grow longer and coarser, and its density will thicken. In cold temperatures, this thickness will fluff up with the long guard hairs standing out rather than lying close to the skin. This traps air close to the skin, providing an insulating layer to protect from the cold. It’s sort of like a down jacket. Additional oils accumulate in this thicker coat, especially in pastured horses, providing extra insulation. In addition, horses generate internal heat when they eat hay, so free access to hay or forage add to their ability to regulate their body temperature, while shade and shelter provide protection against the elements.
“People seem to forget that we have only had blankets for horses recently and they have been domesticated for 6,000 years,” says Gayle Ecker, director of Equine Guelph at the University of Guelph, Ontario. “We have to remember that horses have developed their own ways to thermoregulate and we have to respect that. There are certainly times when a blanket will be beneficial to a horse for specific reasons and for specific time periods, but many horses do not need the blanketing that they are given by their owners. In fact, at a recent welfare meeting, there was a presentation on the welfare implications of over-blanketing, and we should take some time to seriously think about our actions. Are we really helping? Or do our interactions interfere?” All too often, well-meaning horse
owners throw on a blanket and it’s there for months. But it may be ill-fitting. It may be too big so it slips around the horse’s back and pulls on the neck. It may be too small with tight strapping that starts rubbing and causing skin abrasions. Or it may be the wrong type of blanket for the weather conditions. “An ill-fitting blanket could set your horse up for injury,” says Ecker. “Horses get their legs caught in the straps, the blanket can shift and hang down one side which can irritate or spook the horse, or sometimes it encourages other horses to nibble and chew on the blanket which can cause other issues.” Knowledgeable tack store owners can provide excellent advice on the kind of blanket best suited to specific conditions and the best fit. Deciding to blanket the horse means checking out a host of styles and functions to meet many needs. They include rain and fly sheets, coolers, summer sheets, liners, stable blankets, and an array of turnout blankets. Regardless of style and function, blankets need to be durable to withstand rough horse play, chewing, tugging, rolling, and running around. While some horses are easy on blankets, others definitely are not. The decision to blanket a horse usually means that several different kinds of blankets may be needed to meet the changing day and night conditions. There is also a rotational need. Every time a dirty, wet blanket is removed for cleaning, there needs to be a clean, dry one ready to put on. So, an investment in blankets really means an investment in a wardrobe of them. AUTUMN 2018
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Blanketed horses should be checked regularly, as some w ill try to get undressed on their own.
“Definitely there are more people blanketing, but, with the variables, they really need to look at having a rain sheet or lined rain sheet, a medium weight blanket, and maybe a heavy weight blanket, too,” says Ellen O’Reilly who owns The Horse Habit in Kemble, Ontario. “Know where you horse is in the herd. Is it out by itself? Then a lighter denier will work. Is he the boss horse? Then a medium denier is fine. If he is at the bottom of the pecking order you need a higher count denier, or do something like put a Kensington fly sheet over the top to protect it. Also, how much does your horse move around? If your horse moves around and runs a lot, then breathability is a big factor. Ask about the breathability of the denier in the blanket.” “Denier” refers to the threading of the blanket material and how tightly woven the fabric of the blanket is. The higher the number, the tougher the outer shell. Generally, higher denier blankets tend to have more waterproofing, but that is really dictated by the technology used by the blanket’s design and manufacturing company. A higher denier blanket is a good choice for horses that may be tough on blankets. One made of ballistic nylon is more durable and less likely to tear than one made of, say, polyester. In terms of weight, a lightweight one such as a sheet has no fill. A medium weight has a moderate amount of fill up to 200 grams. A heavyweight blanket may be up to 400 or more grams of fill. Blankets that have 100 grams of fill may be ideal for horses that are not always blanketed but might need some extra protection on particularly cold days. Weather conditions are defined not only by temperature but also by the level of humidity, which is the amount of water vapour in the air; this can be an influencing factor on a horse’s comfort level, especially when the wind blows. Checking out blankets means determining the best fit. “Fit is always a tricky one,” says Samantha Saunders with Summerside Tack & Equestrian Wear in Comox, BC. “I often go out to barns with a variety of styles of blankets to help customers know what to look for when fitting. When deciding on what type of blanket is best for your horse, it is important to keep their conformation in AUTUMN 2018
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PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/EUDYPTULA
mind. Narrow, high withered horses will fit blankets differently than mutton-withered downhill conformation. I know of smaller Quarter Horses that end up taking an 81-inch simply due to their width and muscling. Perception of fit can be subjective, too. It isn’t uncommon for people to think their horse is bigger than it is. I always recommend talking to the staff at their local tack shop to see what they recommend and their experiences with different brands.” Both Saunders and O’Reilly get asked similar questions by first-time buyers. Both of them have noticed that, given the weather conditions of the past few winters, more customers are blanket shopping. Saunders will ask specific questions about the horse such as age, breed, fitness, metabolism, and their stable environment. The answers help her give advice to the customer on what type of blanket may be the best for their situation. “I do find I have more customers who are coming in blanket shopping when they haven’t felt the need in the past,” says Saunders. “Especially as we are getting stronger storms and colder winters, like the one in 2016-2017. For
those who are only just starting to blanket, I always recommend [a blanket of] at least 100 grams which would be a lightweight blanket. As for rain sheets, they will flatten the hair and not allow the horse to properly insulate. They will make them colder during our damp, cold December storms. The 100 gram [blanket] is the perfect weight for those who only blanket during worst weather.” Buying a blanket that fits properly means taking the proper measurements. If you already have a blanket that fits well but it’s getting old or you want to complement it with other variable style blankets, then O’Reilly suggests keeping to that blanket line. Every line has a good, better, and best blanket, she says. “Measuring from the centre of the chest to the side of the tail gives a good basic size to work with,” says O’Reilly. “Also know whether your horse fits a Quarter Horse-type blanket or a more European-type blanket - this is very noticeable in the sizes 74 to 76 range. Possibly 50 percent of horses fall in that range. European styles are usually every 3 inches and just don’t work well on some horses in that size range. It is also a good idea to measure the top of the back from the withers to the top of the tail. Also, if you have a blanket that fits well, bring it in and size the other blankets with it. Having a couple of pictures 56
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of your horse from the side also helps. Especially on mares, make sure the blanket isn’t too big — you want the seam at the top of the tail flap at the top of her tail.” To properly measure for a blanket, have someone hold the horse on level ground. Using a flexible cloth tape, hold it at the centre of the chest. Keeping it level and tight, measure around the widest part of the shoulder, along the barrel to the widest part of the hindquarter and around to the tail. Whatever that length is from chest to tail — say 76 inches — is the blanket size for your horse. If the length is an odd number, go up to the next higher even number. However, blankets fit differently and your horse’s breed and build will be deciding factors on the exact size. Given the challenges of wetter or snowier winters, waterproofing is a big issue. In recent years there have been advancements in the waterproofing qualities that customers constantly look for. “[Some blanket designs] allow the blanket to keep the breathability and allow sweat to evaporate while still being waterproof on top,” says Saunders. “This is incredibly important for our The clipped horse customers on the wet west coast. As for will need the design, there are always new ideas warmth provided coming to market. However, I find the by a blanket, as will tried and true classic cuts always hold those with special their value and are dependable.” needs such as the When we make the decision to sick, elderly, or blanket our horses, how do we know they thin horse. appreciate the effort? Well, what if they could tell you? Just as in North America, blanketing horses in the Nordic countries is very common, but it is a still-disputed management routine. In 2013, a study was conducted by researchers with various agencies including the Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Norwegian Institute of Life Sciences, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, and Trondheim Hundeskole. The aim of the study following initial training was that each horse, when placed in a free choice situation, would be able to communicate whether it wanted a blanket put on, taken off, or stay unchanged. The importance of the free choice level signalled that the horse had not only learned the criteria but understood that it had options and consequences unique to its own idea of comfort. Twenty-three horses of varying ages and breeds including 13 cold-blood and 10 warmblood horses were selected. All were riding horses living on neighbouring properties in mid-Norway and they were used for dressage, jumping, and recreational riding. A few were also carriage horses. The average age was 10. All were accustomed to wearing a blanket according to the preferences of the owners. Some wore a blanket consistently while others were only blanketed when the weather was extreme. The horses were trained to recognize three symbols painted on white, wooden display boards. One board had a black horizontal bar meaning “put blanket on.” One was plain white with nothing on it meaning no change. And one was a white board with a black vertical bar meaning “take blanket off.” Training was conducted in January 2013 and fall 2013 for temperature variations. It was a ten-step process starting with each horse learning to approach and touch the board with its muzzle in return for sliced carrot treats. The training advanced
to teaching each of them to distinguish between the blanket-on and blanket-off symbols and how that related to their own thermal comfort. When a horse pointed to the blanket-on board, a blanket was put on it, and vice versa if the horse pointed to the blanket-off board. Within 14 training days, all 23 horses grasped the meaning of the symbols and responded to them, communicating they understood that the symbol of choice would result in an outcome that would affect their own comfort. They learned it so well that, when advancing to the free choice tests with the boards attached to paddock fences, they participated with their choices correlating their desire to be blanketed, or not, according to the weather. The research provided valuable information on a horse’s cognition and learning ability. The study was published in 2016 in the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science. Horses are highly adept at responding to changing conditions in their immediate surroundings. Years ago, we owned a Palomino mare, Zona, who was herd leader. The horses were not usually blanketed, although in her aging years Zona wore one. When the wind really picked up, she would lead the others to a very precise spot just off-centre from the middle of the field and not far from some old, unused barns. Even when the wind howled, this wide-open spot had little wind as the nearby barns disrupted the wind’s strength and direction. Even though Zona has long since passed away, the horses in her company retained that memory of reading the wind. They passed that knowledge down through the generations of horses we still own, and stand in the same spot when the wind blows. Whether or not to blanket should be decided based on some important criteria starting with a good body conditioning score (BCS). The Henneke Body Scoring System is based on a scale of 1-9 with 1-4 being in poor or thin condition. A horse in good condition will score from 5 to 6 while horses with excess fat will be in the 7-9 range. “A healthy horse in good BCS (5-7) with a good winter coat, and with a place to get out of sleet, freezing rain, and cold winds may not need a blanket at all over the winter,” says Ecker. “Horses that are not growing a winter coat, or that are clipped or fall into the vulnerable categories (BCS 4 or lower, illness, limited mobility, etc.) may benefit from a winter blanket. But before buying, try feeding more hay first (add 10 to 15 percent on very cold/windchill days) as the ‘furnace’ of digestion is often enough to keep them sufficiently warm and they will often move around a lot more to help keep warm by exercise.” Ecker says, if you decide to blanket remember that you need to monitor the weather throughout the day and during the season. “There are far too many examples of inappropriate blanketing such as a heavy winter blanket that is left on the horse whether it is night or day, or if the horse is standing in the sunshine and the day has warmed up but the heavy blanket is still left on and now the horse is overheating,” she says. “The horse is sweating for hours during the day (which may not be noticed by absentee or inattentive caretakers) and now the inside of the blanket is wet. Nighttime comes with dropping temperatures and now the horse is standing in a wet blanket with dropping temperatures and this sets the horse up to be easily chilled during a time when no one is watching. Signs to watch for in winter that could signal the need for a blanket include shivering, weight loss, unusual appetite and aggressiveness for food, and huddling with other horses. “If we choose to blanket our horses, we must be prepared to thoughtfully use the blanket as needed and monitor the warmth of the horse (by feeling not only the chest under the blanket but also under the lower abdomen to get a true sense of inner body heat). We need to realize that the blanket needed for nighttime cold weather
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Blankets should stay in place during vigorous activity and allow for complete freedom of movement.
will be different than a blanket suited for higher temperatures during the day, if in fact needed at all.” Daily inspections should be done for injury, entanglement, blanket damage, and the horse’s comfort level. Weekly inspections cover any changes to the horse’s condition or blanket fit. Some horse owners may be too casual about blanketing and not check the horse frequently. A neighbour of mine had his horses blanketed during the winter. One of them, though, had been standing by our fence line too long. No one had come looking for him. On checking, I found that his belly strap was undone and had somehow become hooked to the wire fence. He was stuck. Once freed, he trotted off happily to rejoin his buddies. Luckily, he was a quiet guy and hadn’t panicked at being alone. It is wise to keep a regular check on a horse’s behaviour when rugged. There are times when horses may be trying to remove the blanket by rolling or biting at it, but cannot remove it. A horse may be turned out with a fly sheet or a rain sheet, which may keep flies off and rain out but not let the heat escape, causing the horse discomfort as it overheats. Horses turned out in a group may have their social interactions such 58
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> Healthy horses with a thick
hair coat are comfortable in cold temperatures provided they have shelter from wind, snow, and rain.
as grooming compromised because of a blanket. The desire to groom, which is driven by a strong social bonding emotion, can result in damaged and torn blankets. If a broodmare is turned out with a nursing foal, she should not be blanketed. It is far wiser to allow the foal to freely nurse than risk its head getting caught up in a leg strap and the mare panicking. I recall being told of one owner insisting her mare give birth while still being blanketed. Really? Apart from the obvious overheating she’s going to suffer, the potential hazards to the foal are unbelievable. “Sadly, some boarding facilities have unrealistic blanketing policies where they will put a blanket on in late fall but not remove and check it daily until the ‘blanket removal date’ in the spring,” says Ecker. “This is not in the best interests of your horse, so you need to carefully consider if this is the right place for your horse. Checking and removing blankets daily is a time challenge for boarding facilities, but such a policy is for convenience and not for the health and welfare of the horse. “Leaving the blanket on for weeks at a time prevents you from checking the BCS of your horse. If the horse is gaining or losing weight, this will be missed. There are some owners
who have had a rude shock in the spring [due to] a big change in the BCS during the last few months. An obese horse will not need the blanket and can benefit from using those extra stored calories to burn up body heat. A thin horse may have a health issue underlying the weight loss which has not been noticed for weeks, or it may need an increase/change in feed to maintain its weight at a healthy level. Prolonged blanketing may prevent you from effectively monitoring your horse and that can lead to welfare issues.” Working with blankets means keeping the wardrobe in good repair. When repairing a torn blanket with a waterproof outer shell, do not attempt to sew it as this will compromise the waterproofing. And duct tape doesn’t cut it. Have the blanket professionally repaired. Some blankets, such as sheets, can be machine washed at home but double-check the capacity of your washer and its specifications. Brush off excess dirt and mud with a stiff brush and scrape off any hair to avoid plugging up the plumbing. Place the blanket in a large mesh bag to contain all straps and fasteners and protect your machine from damage. Machine wash in cool water on a gentle cycle using a very mild soap. Be sure it is thoroughly rinsed as some soaps can irritate the skin. Avoid detergents and fabric softeners. Line-dry the blanket or lay it over a rack. For heavier blankets, source a local professional laundry service that offers horse blanket services but be sure to do the basic cleaning first. In winter, the challenge is to get a wet blanket clean and dry before it needs to be put back on the horse. In the average tack room there are only so many hooks for hanging up blankets, so a blanket rack is a great addition, especially when several rotating blankets are needed. Maintaining the waterproofing quality requires care. According to Equine Guelph’s resource site, the Horse Blanketing Tool, all modern blankets have a permanent membrane on the inside surface of the outer blanket shell. “A separate waterproofing wash is applied to the outside surface of the outer shell to protect it from absorbing water. This waterproofing wash is either a silicone or a PTFE (Teflon) and has a limited life and will need reproofing. The usual practice is to have the blanket washed and repaired annually (if necessary) and then reproofed before the start of the next season of use.” Investing in blankets is done over time and maintaining them well protects that investment. A blanket in need of repair calls for immediate attention. Gaping holes can be a hazard, not only should the horse get its hoof caught when rolling, but if a paddock-mate or foal becomes entangled. Make a habit of regularly checking stitching, fasteners, and belly/leg straps. At the end of winter blanket season, have blankets cleaned and repaired as necessary before storing, ideally in a warm and dry location away from rodents that will use it as a bathroom or tear off segments for their own nests. If a blanket needs replacing, try to capitalize on deals as they come along, including checking out good, used blankets. “When budget is an issue, I always recommend trying to find the best value,” says Saunders. “Do your own research on what brand is going to work best for your needs. Shop sales, purchase blankets in the off-season. But I find when people try to save too much and go too cheap, the blanket ends up needing repairs faster and doesn’t stay waterproof for as long, which ends up costing more in the long run.” b AUTUMN 2018
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CARING FOR
Tack & Riding Equipment For anyone born with the horse-crazy gene, the tack room is ground zero. This isn’t just a place to park the saddle. This is the room where riders lay out their plans, craft their goals, and visualize their dreams all amid the trappings that help make it happen. In the tack room, the aroma of leather kindles the excitement to ride. The anticipation is buoyed by the racks and hangers and hooks all filled with bridles, bits, halters, shanks, lead lines, long lines, lunge lines, saddles, pads, wraps, hackamores, fly masks, and blankets, rugs, and sheets of every kind. In the corners are buckets and grooming tool organizers stuffed with brushes, combs, hoof pick, sponges, chamois, sprays, shampoo, sweat scraper, and braiding supplies. Halters, shanks, bridles, and blankets hang ready to use. In another corner is a storage box for things that won’t hang, hook, or drape. And in the cupboards are cleaners, conditioners, polishes, rags, and sponges to maintain all that tack and equipment. The cost of all that tack and gear amounts to a significant investment. Taking proper care of it will not only protect that investment but enhance the tack’s look and lifespan so that it gives not only long-term enjoyment, but comfort and safety for both horse and rider. As much as tack should be cleaned regularly and the bit and stirrups washed and wiped dry, ideally after each ride, the challenges of keeping tack in perfect condition are driven not just by cleaning but by the conditions in the tack room and the changing seasons. 60
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The trappings of a safe & enjoyable ride.
“In our northern climate [Canada and the northern US], our biggest challenge is tack care in the winter,” says Sabine Schleese, director of corporate By Margaret Evans affairs, Schleese Saddlery Service in Holland Landing, Ontario. “First of all, it’s often too cold to be standing in the tack room and cleaning your tack. And if you don’t have a heated or airconditioned tack room or locker, your tack can get damp and moldy in any climate, as heat, cold, damp, and dry are not ideal conditions for any leather product. My best suggestion is a well-ventilated, temperate tack room or locker, and if you don’t have one then take your tack home — especially if you are storing it and not using it for an extended length of time. Cleaning should be done at least superficially after each use; more detailed washing and conditioning at least weekly, depending on how often you ride.” Leather is treated skin that is tanned so that it retains about 25 percent of its moisture. Today’s tanning process, which takes about six weeks, permanently alters the protein structure in the skin, making it more durable and less susceptible to damage from bacteria. The very term “tanning” is derived from tannin, an acidic chemical compound that, back in the day, came from oak or fir trees. During the Industrial Revolution, tanners turned to the use of
chromium(III) sulfate as it was more efficient and effective. Tack care is a year-round commitment and starts after every ride. The saddle and bridle should be wiped over, then cleaned thoroughly once a week if you ride regularly. The cleaning starts with a good wash and the use of a saddle soap. The soap should be thoroughly rinsed off after cleaning (just as you would rinse off the soap when washing your hands). Follow up with a leather moisturizer, ideally one that does not contain cleaning ingredients. The saddle and bridle cannot replenish the moisture content themselves. Saddle soaps are simply that. Soaps for cleaning only. According to Jochen Schleese, Certified Master Saddler, soap (usually somewhat basic in its pH level) and sweat (which is more acidic) are the two greatest enemies of skin, including leather. They will impact leather longevity and appearance if they are not washed off. While soap rids leather of sweat and grime, if left on the leather it will cause the saddle and bridle to become brittle and eventually start cracking. Soaps that contain glycerine or include moisturizers are more beneficial as they will remove less of the natural lubricants in the leather, but they too should be rinsed off. It is much better, he advises, to just use water rather than leave a layer of saddle soap on the surface. Leather oil should be used sparingly and should not be allowed to soak into the seat where it could cause damage to
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/ANNAELISABETH PHOTOGRAPHY
PHOTO: CANSTOCKPHOTO/IRINIA88W
Tack should be wiped down after each ride, and thoroughly cleaned weekly or depending on how often you ride. Clean moldy tack outside to avoid filling the air in the tack room with mold spores.
the laminated glued layers of the tree. Oils should not be used anywhere the leather comes into contact with your own clothing to avoid discolouration. If you plan on storing your tack for a period of time, keep it at room temperature, never cooler than five degrees Celsius with 30 to 40 percent humidity to maintain suppleness. Ideally, if you are putting it away for the winter, consider keeping your leather tack in your home, especially if your tack room does not have any form of heating. “Many tack rooms are damp and cool, perfect for little nasties to start growing on the dirt and sweat that accumulates on your tack,” says Gayle Ecker, director, Equine Guelph. “The sudden ‘sprouting’ of mold and mildew on a saddle can be annoying and the leather needs care. Clean up the tack room
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PHOTO: ISTOCK/KELLYJHALL
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/ANNAELISABETH PHOTOGRAPHY
Saddle soap is good for cleaning sweat and grime, but if not thoroughly rinsed off it will cause leather to become brittle and crack.
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once a week and do a visual assessment of your tack to look for mold, excessive moisture, rodent droppings, dust, and cobwebs. Once mold builds up, it will spread quicker to other tack.� Rodents, both mice and rats, are definitely worrisome both from a health point of view and a destructive one. Rat populations across Canada are on the increase and managing them is becoming more and more challenging. Snap traps and bait traps all work to some extent, but they don’t eliminate the problem as more rats will move in. According to a recent University of British Columbia study that examined the feces of rats caught at an Abbotsford, BC, poultry farm, scientists discovered that all the rats carried avian pathogenic E.coli, a bacteria that can infect chickens and possibly humans. Lead author of the study, Dr. Chelsea Himsworth, writes that the findings support the theory that rats act as a pathogen sponge, soaking up bacteria from the environment then spreading the pathogen to infect others. More than one quarter of the rats caught were carrying multi-drug resistant strains of the bacteria yet the rats themselves were unaffected, ultimately making them carriers. Rats gnaw and chew. They can chew through concrete and will make short work of leathers and fabrics if left unchecked. To protect a tack chest or box, a foam anti-pest blocker can help. They contain a pesticide that prevents attack by mice and other pests. A barn cat that is a good mouser and ratter may also help, but extreme caution must be taken to protect cats if you choose to use any poison-baited traps, which should be placed in a protected, controlled site. A rodent problem is the reason Ecker urges that alongside tack cleaning should be a weekly tack room cleaning that will eliminate rat and mouse feces Tack needs extra care after rainy and muddy rides. Before giving it a thorough cleaning and reconditioning, allow it to dry in a warm room to minimize the risk of mold.
and help you decide on the need for a trap or other forms of rodent control based on the guidance of a professional pest controller. While cleaning the tack room, wash the grooming tools and scrub out the totes, brush boxes, and caddies where mice will venture. One of the challenges of the tack room is storing damp saddlery after a ride in the rain. I have found that a space heater really helps to warm the room and hasten drying so long as the door is kept shut. Monitor it and don’t leave it for long periods. If saddlery is left to dry in a cool room, the risk for mold jumps sharply. “Definitely living on the ‘wet coast,’ I find in fall and winter the most challenging thing is rain,” says April Ray-Peterson, EC certified coach. “Leather and rain do not mix but sometimes it’s inevitable, and it takes a lot of work to restore the leather. I have found the best thing to do is let the tack fully dry and then a good cleaning and conditioning is in order. The last time my new saddle got rained on, it took several conditioning sessions to restore it back to its pre-rain condition.” Ray-Peterson uses soap and conditioner for her calfskin leather saddle. “I am a huge fan of scented saddle soap, possibly more for my enjoyment than anything else. I find it makes the task of cleaning tack much more enjoyable and I have found a few local ones that work very well. For conditioning, I use a neatsfoot oil if I need something more intense, but on a more regular basis I really like a simple beeswax conditioner. “To aid with drying the saddle after cleaning, I will place a dry rag under the saddle flap and over the billets to absorb moisture until the saddle is completely dry. A rolled up rag lets a bit of air get under the flap to aid the drying process.” Everyone interviewed for this article agreed that the ideal condition of a tack room is that it must be warm and dry. “Tack should be stored in a dry area away from direct sunlight,” says Jeff Williams, national advertising manager with Tandy Leather in Fort Worth, Texas. “Direct sunlight will darken the leather and dry it out over
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/VESPA
Your tack room should be warm, dry, and clean, and inspected weekly for moisture, mold, rodent droppings, and cobwebs. Store your tack in your home if it will not be used for a period of time.
time. Dampness in the storage area will certainly encourage mold to grow on tack. A clean area for storage is very important. A messy area will be an invite for rats and they will certainly enjoy chewing on some leather.” According to Shay von Hauff with Strathcona Ventures, Sherwood Park, Alberta, modern leathers today are made with less potential for mold and mildew to grow, and cleaning synthetic saddles can be a very straightforward soap and water job. “Without routine care, saddles and
bridles can become too dry,” says von Hauff. “While these items may not grow mildew, they may be in danger of breaking and causing injury to horse or rider. Take moldy leather out of the tack room and clean it outdoors. That way you’ll avoid filling the air in the tack room with mold spores that will simply infect other items in the confined space.” She recommends using old rags that you can throw out after wiping away the surface mold. “Don’t rinse and reuse your rags,” AUTUMN 2018
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PHOTO: ISTOCK/AMR IMAGE
Buying used tack can stretch your budget, but should be carefully inspected for worn or loose components, and before bringing it to the barn it should be thoroughly cleaned to prevent the spread of contagions
hang them out in the sun to dry thoroughly before being stored or reused on the horse. A real bonus is to use special heated or drying racks, especially in winter. “I pre-clean [to remove debris, hair, and sweat] then wash my saddle pads, wraps, and blankets in the washer with a mild soap, then throw what I can into the dryer,” says von Hauff. “If the equipment is not covered with hair or saturated with sweat, I hang on my racks and turn on the POG on a three-hour setting and shut the tack room door. This kills any odours, mildew, and bacteria and is a very helpful and quick tool for sanitizing.” PHOTO: ISTOCK/FILEDIMAGE
she says. “That only spreads the mold spores.” For saddle pads, wraps, and other fabrics, they can be hand washed or machine washed in a mild soap, then hang dry in a warm place. A mild soap is preferable given that some horses can have a skin reaction to harsh detergents. “I also recommend using a half cup of vinegar in the final rinse of any washing done for your horse to remove any soap residue,” says Schleese. “Line-dry pads so they don’t shrink or curl up from dryer use.” As for saddle pads, Schleese recommends not placing a damp pad over the saddle but hang them up or
A POG is a portable ozone generator used to eliminate bacteria and the related smells. It’s excellent for eliminating the unpleasant smell of wet blankets. “Traditionally, knowing when to condition leather is as important as not over-conditioning,” says Heidi Allen, vice president marketing, Nikwax North America in Seattle. “The first sign it’s time to condition is when the leather no longer feels smooth or is noticeably dry to the touch. If leather is over-conditioned, then you risk the leather becoming too soft and stretching out.” Allen has worked as a professional groom and, after a daily routine of exercising 15 polo ponies, the biggest task was making sure that all the tack was thoroughly cleaned, and all sweat, dirt, and residues were removed to prevent the leather from drying out and cracks appearing. “For all full grain leather, bridles, reins, stirrup leathers, martingales, etc., using leather cleaners and waterproofers is an excellent way to care for all those smaller components that are prone to stretching and/or drying out,” she says. Once cleaned, saddles do best stored on a saddle rack, ideally one that is the same length as the gullet. “The panels of the saddle should not be touching the saddle rack to maintain the form of the wool/air,” says Schleese. “When you are riding your horse the panels heat up from the horse’s back. The warmed leather and wool could actually change shape to the shape of the rack if not allowed to cool before storing. The best materials for a saddle rack are materials that do not retain moisture because you do not want the leather to be damp while being stored as this could cause mold. Saddle racks should not have anything that protrudes into the gullet causing scuffing of the leather.
Your tack and gear works as hard as you do and represents a considerable investment. For safety, peace of mind, and the satisfaction of using quality equipment, choose the best tack you can afford and maintain it well. 64
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Overall, the saddle rack should not interfere with the panels or the gullet, it should support the saddle from pommel to cantle. It is also a good idea to use a saddle cover to keep out excess dirt and moisture while the saddle is not in use.” Buying a new saddle can be an economic stretch for many riders and they will often turn to the used tack market. But there is a cautionary tale to be aware of when exploring second-hand markets or buying from an online site like eBay or Craigslist. “As horse owners, we love to go to tack swap sales to see what bargains we can find, but we do have to be careful,” says Ecker. “Before getting excited about that bargain, take a good hard look at the condition of the tack. Spotting cracks in the leather of the saddle, bridle, halter, or any other tack is important. Identifying weak or loose hardware/worn snaps or shanks, etc. may just prevent a serious injury down the road to you or your horse due to breakage. And then it is important to ensure the tack is really well cleaned. Dirt, old sweat, and moisture can harbour all kinds of bad bugs and possibly bacteria that is capable of spreading skin disease to your horse. Any tack you bring home should be fully scrubbed and cleaned before bringing it to the barn or in contact with other tack just to be sure you are not bringing anything to your barn.” Bacteria, viruses and fungi can be transmitted through used tack or the same tack that is used on several different horses. The risk when buying used equipment from an unknown source is the shelf life of agents that can cause skin diseases such as ringworm, which is highly contagious. The virus can survive for weeks under the right conditions. A thorough cleaning of any tack bought used is the first line of defense against a contagion risk. And that goes for saddle pads, blankets, coolers, girths, and anything that will touch the horse. For sheepskin products, follow the directions on the label. If a fabric item can’t be laundered, putting it in the dryer on the hot cycle can kill germs as well as mites and lice. Cleaning should extend to nylon and rope halters, lead ropes, lunge lines, and long lines. Caring for tack should only take a few minutes after each ride, and should be part of the habit of untacking and putting saddlery away. After all, safe, clean tack is our gateway to a safe and enjoyable ride. b
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TRAINING
Downhill Walking
Best Exercises to
PHOTO: JEC A. BALLOU
Resolve Crookedness At some point, we have all found ourselves atop a horse moving crookedly while wishing for a more balanced ride, but feeling as if the solution to the problem was like a jigsaw puzzle. Sometimes the crookedness creates soreness in one of our hips or knees when we finish riding, or it can feel like the horse’s body is a stiff rod that will not bend in a particular direction. Almost always, a horse moving crookedly and not using both sides of his body equally results in a disorganized ride that falls short of your goals. No matter how uncomfortable these alignment issues are for us, they can be damaging for the horse. Unless a horse moves forward with equal 66
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force and range of motion from each hind limb, his muscular-skeletal system becomes twisted. His joints get torqued from misalignment, and his muscles grow stronger with imbalanced patterns. He wears his feet unevenly and strains ligaments, and he constantly wiggles his rider out of position. No matter what his job, any horse needs to travel as symmetrically-aligned as possible through his spine and joints. This is the only assurance for his comfort during performance and his longevity as a riding horse. Resolving crookedness sometimes feels complicated or futile for riders, but in actuality the job can be simple with a few exercises that alter the
By Jec A. Ballou
horse’s ingrained patterns of sidedominance. Many riders get stuck riding around their arenas giving a complicated series of half-halts or adjustments to bend better to the right or left, but never make measurable progress day-to-day. A few weeks later, their horses will still be drifting or leaning their shoulders into each turn. Generally, lots of confusing niggling little aids from the rider attempting to create better symmetry do not work as effectively as putting the horse in situations where he has to organize his own body. The following exercises create changes in the horse’s movement by altering his patterns of side dominance, while inputting new
CREATE BETTER SYMMETRY BY PUTTING THE HORSE IN SITUATIONS WHERE HE HAS TO ORGANIZE HIS OWN BODY. ////////////////////////////////////////////////
sensations and muscle recruitment. In this way, they lead the horse to newer, straighter use of his body and limbs. Because they are done outside the stress sometimes associated with the arena, they also ensure that the horse is a willing partner in these changes.
Downhill Walking
One of the simplest and most effective ways to help a horse travel straighter is to ride downhill with slowness and precision. First off, negotiating the gradient causes the horse to equalize efforts between his forehand and hindquarters for balance. It interrupts his ingrained tendency to travel by loading more weight on his dominant forelimb. Secondly, when walking slowly downhill, the horse rotates his scapulae back to prevent himself from falling forward. This creates symmetrical use of his forelimbs and can also help stimulate new muscle recruitment. Not only are slow, precisely-placed steps a vital part of any potential benefits from walking down hills, but so is the horse’s alignment. I often encourage riders to think about riding their horses down a balance beam or a narrow corridor. Crooked horses will want to shift their hips over to one side as they come down the hill. Instead, think about holding the horse’s body straight between the guiderails of your legs. You do not need a steep hill for success. In fact, a gradual hill is often better since the horse will find it easier to maintain a rhythmic walk when the terrain is not too extreme.
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Sideways on Hills
Another simple exercise using terrain is to traverse sideways across the face of a slope. As you can see in the photo, you can use either a hillside or an incline such as a berm, or even a ditch with tall sides. Practiced regularly, this can help correct side-dominance, hindquarter stiffness,
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Straddle a Single Pole PHOTOS: JEC A. BALLOU
Straddle a Single Pole Sideways on Hills and lack of coordination in the hind limbs. If your horse has a weak left stifle, for example, place that side of his body on the uphill direction of the slope and walk sideways across it in a straight line. In this example, the horse’s hindquarter joints on his left side will have to flex more exaggeratedly than his right for the duration of the slope, which can build strength. Moreover, traveling off-camber like this leads to neurosensory stimulation and proprioceptive changes, which lays the groundwork for postural changes. When a horse has been persistently crooked, he may find it difficult to keep his balance walking across a hill like this. He will likely wobble around or try to drift down off the slope to flat ground. Be sure you remain centered in the saddle and not leaning toward the high side of the hill. Keep your body perpendicular to the trees around you. 68
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In order to create new, straighter movement patterns, we need to interrupt the habituated ones that have held the horse in crooked alignment. By interrupting these embedded patterns, we cause the horse’s brain to read and send new signals to his limbs. Exercises that utilize ground poles are an excellent way to do this. In particular, I have found that straddling a single pole successfully interrupts movement patterns contributing to a horse’s asymmetry. As the horse coordinates his limbs to abduct and straddle the pole, he releases tension from his bottom muscle chain. He also activates the deep hip stabilizing muscles, which play a cybernetic role communicating to the brain about a limb’s position and tonicity. To do this routine, place a 10- or 12foot pole flat on the ground. Lead your horse to approach the pole from one end. Gently, one step at a time, lead him forward with the pole remaining directly under his midline. His left front and rear leg should stay on one side of the pole; his right front and rear leg should stay on the opposite side. At first, he will likely shift his hindquarters to one side of the pole to
avoid keeping his hind legs planted on either side. Or he may stand momentarily on top of the pole with a foot before fumbling around and drifting away from it. This is all normal, so be sure to give him time to stumble around like this. By doing so, he will remain relaxed, explore a new stance, and eventually find his balance. Try incorporating the exercises above at least three times a week as part of your warm-up or in addition to your regular riding routine. After two or three weeks, chances are good you will start to notice your horse moving more symmetrically through both sides of his body. And both your body and his body will be grateful. b
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Jec Aristotle Ballou trains in Santa Cruz, CA, when not giving clinics around the United States. She is the author of 101 Dressage Exercises for Horse and Rider, Equine Fitness, and 101 Western Dressage Exercises for Horse and Rider. For further resources on the above topics, she recommends the following books: Equine Fitness by Jec A. Ballou, and Beyond Horse Massage by Jim Masterson. Jec's newly published book, 55 Corrective Exercises for Horses, helps resolve chronic postural imbalances and challenges that inhibit many performance horses.
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Young Horse Pre-Trailer Training Instilling trust, confidence, and thinking through challenges.
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In last issue’s article, A Foal’s Safe Trip Home, the challenge was to get my colt from Innisfail, Alberta to Abbotsford, BC as safely and stressfree as possible. At the time he didn’t lead and had never been in a trailer, and he was weaned the moment we left the property. Under these circumstances, I was concerned that the experience would be a lot for him to take in. In the previous article, I described the steps I took to give him a great ride home and a good experience that would set him up well for successful trips in the future. In this article, I will share some of
By Jonathan Field
the key steps I took to prepare him for safe handling in general, and get him ready for some specific trailer training. For his first trip, he was herded into the trailer and rode loose in a minibox stall with another horse on board. Even a big trailer trip like his first one is not enough to consider him a trailer-trained or prepared horse. Once home, I brought him to a friend’s place, taught him to lead, and now he was ready for more specific training. There are still many steps needed to teach him to be led or sent into the trailer by himself, and to stand in the divider area.
1 Safety through gates
Have you ever been squashed in a gate? It’s not fun! I teach all my horses to be patient around gates and box stall doorways. I want them to wait for me. Sometimes I send the horse through first just like into a trailer, and other times I go through first and ask the horse to wait and come when invited, even stopping a few times midway. It’s amazing how even an older horse will slow right down and learn to wait with only a few sessions like this.
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2 Sending the horse through first
This is good simulation for sending a horse across or towards an obstacle such as a log, a bridge, or a horse trailer. It’s easy and the objective is clear.
3 Side lesson opportunities
2
As soon as we got into this round pen, we had the opportunity for another lesson. A friendly and excited dog was jumping around on the other side of the fence. Typically in these situations I will continue to ask the horse to move around and listen to my requests. Only when I have done a few circles and minor asks will I let him stand and observe the area of worry. In this case, the friendly pup meant no harm and the colt relaxed quickly. Each opportunity is a lesson that helps us set up for more confidence in the future. The main thing we must be
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5 willing to do is adjust our plan and take the time to overcome each obstacle as it presents itself. Every great horseperson I’ve met has the ability to help a horse when needed and still remember what they had originally wanted to do. When you approach a horse this way it’s a win-win situation.
4 Bridge and squeeze I set up this bridge-and-squeeze obstacle with the trailer in mind. A main tip for success here is to keep my feet still. Oftentimes
as the horse resists and moves around the handler moves too, and ultimately both end up further away from the obstacle. Stepping up and onto something will be important for many things he will face in the future in addition to the trailer. Leading with my left hand to point him in the direction I want him to go, the colt’s immediate reaction is to go the opposite way. Keeping a constant light feel on his head through the halter, I raise the flag to block him and wait for him to take a step to his right. The moment he does he must
7 get a full release of pressure with the flag lowering and the lead rope going slack. The timing of the release is key to teach the horse and encourage him to keep trying to sort this out and stay in a thinking mode.
5 Allow for curiosity
Now that he is “getting warmer” it’s time to allow curiosity to build confidence. Allowing a horse to have some time to sniff and look around will be time well spent versus getting into a contest of escalating pressures.
6 Watch the learning happen
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7 Pressure is human-made
Here is another nice moment when the colt has two front feet planted and is reaching back for a sniff while standing in a confined space. Throughout this process, I have kept my feet in a very small area. If you find yourself being pulled around by a young horse, the likely cause is the pressure you are applying. Sometimes older horses have more resistance and we need to move more with them to be effective. But even as you do, remember that the pressure was human-made. This little guy didn’t come with enough resistance to humans to drag me around, and I don’t plan on putting it in there.
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It’s fun to watch young horses learn. Here he is figuring out where his feet need to go, and I have my flag lowered and no tension on the rope to allow him to sort himself out. It’s extra important here to not rush through anything but to really allow him to become a teachable, thinking, and confident horse.
8/9/2018 10:32:32 10:32:32 AM 8/9/2018 AM
8 Building trust and confidence
After several passes both ways the colt’s
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8 confidence had really improved. After this success, I would head for the trailer. In the final installment in the next issue, I will ask him to both lead and send into a trailer, and we’ll answer more questions about trailers. At this point, I am not thinking about a specific discipline for this young horse. I’m very keen to prepare him for a super bright future, and more specifically, to trust me and learn to handle what life throws at him. In any discipline, training holes are often found when something new shows up and the horse has not been taught to handle a variety of situations and to look to their person. With that in mind, my main focus until this horse is at least three years old will be teaching him to think his way through many different challenges. This is only about teaching him to learn how to learn. If your goal is to become a horseman one day, you will open up a door to your horse’s mind and be amazed at how quickly he can learn and how much he can do. I like to think at all horses like masters waiting for a good enough horseperson to come along. b PHOTOS BY ANGIE FIELD.
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A Canadian Legacy
LIVES ON In
Jay Duke
PHOTO: JOHN ANDERSON, COURTESY OF STARTING GATE COMMUNICATIONS
Jay Duke with Grappa after winning the Five-Year-Old Division of the Western Canadian Young Horse Championships at the Rocky Mountain Classic II in Calgary, Alberta.
Jay Duke with Grappa after winning the Five-Year-Old Division of the Western Canadian Young Horse Championships at the Rocky Mountain Classic II in Calgary, Alberta. Jay competing at Spruce Meadows with Grappa, now known as Mindful. The horse went on to become one of the winninge st High Performance Hunter and Derby horses in North America.
Growing up, not every child dreams of one day being just like their parents. They may find inspiration in the accomplishments of their mother and father, or strive to overcome the challenges they faced. For Jay Duke, following the path of his parents was never a question or a conscious choice. That path was one that led to a lifetime as a true horseman. For Jay, there was never any doubt that it was exactly where he belonged. Horses are in Jay’s blood and an uncanny ability to communicate with the horse seems woven into his family’s DNA. Born into a lineage of horsemen and women in Calgary, Alberta, Jay is a former member of the Canadian Equestrian Team in show jumping, renowned clinician 74
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PHOTO COURTESY OF JAY DUKE
By Lindsay Brock/Jump Media
PHOTOS COURTESY OF JAY DUKE
Jay and Fred Duke.
throughout North America, and senior course designer with Equestrian Canada. “It was a natural progression and there was never any consideration that I would do anything else with my life,” says Duke, 49, who started riding soon after he could walk and began competing on the A-rated show jumping circuit at eight years old. “The goal for me, and for many of my peers, was to ride on the Canadian Team and then go to the Olympics. That was the whole reason we rode. Unfortunately for me, only part of that dream worked out, but there was never any doubt in my mind that this sport was where I belonged.” Starting his show career on the hallowed ground of Spruce Meadows in Calgary, success came quickly for Jay. In 1986, he was a member of Alberta’s bronze medal show jumping team at the Continental Young Riders’ Championships, as it was then known. Before attending the University of Alberta in Edmonton to study business marketing, Duke capped a successful junior career in 1987 by winning the Junior Jumper Championship at the Spruce Meadows National tournament and the Junior Grand Prix at the Masters. Additionally, Jay was a four-time Canadian Junior Champion in both the hunter and jumper rings. Jay’s dreams and accomplishments were big, but he was also equipped with support from his parents, two accomplished equestrians in their own right. He drew from the influences of his mother, Cheryl Anderson, who coached several notable Canadian riders, including the On several occasions in the 1960s, Fred Duke travelled to England to demonstrate the sport of cutting before Queen Elizabeth II. He is pictured performing bridleless cutting in England in 1964.
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Fred Duke grew up in an era with no specialities — if you were a cowboy you did all the disciplines. Fred is pictured roping in Edmonton in 1966.
likes of Mark Laskin, former Canadian Show Jumping Team member and now its Chef d’Equipe, as well as Jay's father Fred Duke, who established a name for himself in rodeo circles competing and teaching all disciplines from barrel racing to cutting. Recently, Fred was selected as a 2018 inductee into the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame, further solidifying the family’s respected reputation within the equine industry. “Those influences shaped me as a rider,” says Jay, whose daughters, Karter and Halle, have also followed in the family’s footsteps with show careers. “Both my parents were integral to my riding and now to my coaching. Learning to be an all-around horseman is such a skill and it takes so many years of real life experience. Horses at the base level, no matter what discipline you’re in, are the same. “It’s an exceptional skill in the horse world to have the basic knowledge about the horse as an animal and how to communicate with that animal by reading body language,” Jay says. “I always know where my horses are emotionally and physically, and I feel lucky that I had the opportunity to learn that from my parents.” Being a true horseman at his roots was a pillar that Jay based his entire career around. The skills guided him to the top of show jumping sport in North America and gifted him with the ability to find the best in every horse he worked with. According to Jay, that skill is one that comes by way of versatility and confidence, both tools that he learned from his father. Fred started and still sits at the helm of Duke Ranches in Edmonton, Alberta. A lifelong cowboy, Fred got his start training horses as a teenager when neighboring ranchers 76
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF JAY DUKE
and farmers began sending him young horses to start. He competed at rodeos from a young age and was named Canadian Tie-Down Roper Champion in 1966, inspiring him to continue climbing his way to success in the horse world. A former president of the Canadian Cutting Horse Association, Fred was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 1991. Fred’s involvement with the Canadian Cutting Horse Association even allowed him to cross oceans with his horses. In the 1960s, he traveled to England on several occasions to showcase the sport of cutting before Queen Elizabeth II. When asked what valuable lessons he learned from his father, Jay says, “To ride horses with your body and your leg as opposed to with your hand. In Western riding that’s very key. There are pictures of my father competing in front of the Queen of England and there’s no bridle on the horse, so obviously you’re not using your hands too much to make that horse perform. “The biggest downfall of show jumping is riders riding primarily with hand,” Jay says. “That goes for all aspects of interacting with horses as well. Whether it’s lunging, grooming, loading on and off trailer, body position is important to creating a situation that is as safe and comfortable as possible.” Jay credits both his parents for Fred also found success supporting his dreams and for training show jumping their positive influences which mounts for Jay, and produced shaped him as a horseman. several horses that he competed into the international ranks. Together, Fred and Jay proved that good horsemanship is universal and constantly crosses the boundaries set by discipline categories. “My father grew up in an era when you did everything; there were no specialties,” says Jay. “If you were a cowboy, you did all the disciplines, and that is exactly what he did.” Jay utilized the principles that his father taught him while developing an uncanny talent for producing young horses in the jumper ring. Throughout his career, he purchased or found horses in unusual circumstances, whether in a field or on the racetrack, and transitioned them into successful competition mounts. Such horses include Mister Brown, who Jay competed internationally for Canada, and Grappa, now known as Mindful, one of the winningest High Performance Hunter and Derby horses in North America. “Bringing horses along from such a young age is a process that requires a lot of patience, but is very rewarding to see them develop,” says Jay. “When you see horses have long careers at whatever level, it is a testament to your program because if you didn’t do it right in the first six months, you will end up with nothing.” Adaptability and a supreme dedication to the horse not only helped the Duke family to be successful in the competition ring, but also in the overall care of the horses under their supervision. According to Jay, there has not been
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Tennessee Walking Horses
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at STUD
HERD REDUCTION SALE! PHOTO COURTESY OF JAY DUKE
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Horses make a landscape look more beautiful
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ALICE WALKER
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a single case of colic at Duke Ranches since 1972. “He’s doing something right!” says Jay about his father’s track record of healthy and happy horses. “He’s very good about working through a horse’s problems and helping it be the best it can be. He has confidence in his knowledge and his ability, and horses recognize that confidence. From cutting horses to show jumpers and even heavy horses, he can get a horse to do pretty much anything you want it to do.” Jay has channeled his father’s drive into the work he now focuses on. In 2014, he hung up his show coat for good and retired from competition to shift his focus toward other endeavours. It was then that he began sharing his, and his father’s, knowledge of training, riding, and competing across all levels at clinics throughout North America. “Anybody that has a positive attitude and wants to learn can be successful, and that is what I find most enjoyable about clinics,” says Jay, who regularly travels to conduct clinics in the United States and Canada from his home base in Whistler, BC. “Often the lessons are not so different from the lower level to the higher level; it’s the expectations and technicalities that vary. When I teach a clinic, I ask every rider two questions: ‘What’s your biggest struggle?’ and ‘What’s your biggest strength?’ From
there, I try to get the most from that horse and rider and produce a positive result where both did something they didn’t think they were capable of doing.” Earlier this year, Jay’s familial legacy within the horse sport industry grew even more storied when Fred received the unexpected phone call from the Board of Directors at the Canadian Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame notifying him of his selection as a 2018 inductee. In another feather in the cap of a decorated career, Fred’s name will be added to the list of historic riders in a ceremony taking place on Saturday, October 20, in Calgary. “He was shocked — it was not a call he was expecting!” Jay says of his father’s reaction. “This selection is the ultimate honour, and as far as achievements go, there is nothing better than that. I have a great amount of pride and happiness for him because it’s really a special thing to have that level of recognition from your peers.” Fred is a man who lives his life by two mottos. One is: “The best thing for the inside of a man is the outside of a horse,” and the other is, “An hour in the saddle is an hour well spent.” His philosophy regarding horses and life has been passed down to Jay and will live on in the horses and riders they continue to mold. While some say Fred is a legend, if you ask him, he responds, “I’m a simple cowboy with passion and a dream.” b
Manitoba Horse Council Serving Manitoba’s Equine Community
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f you love horses and you’ve thought about riding, or if your child is asking you for riding lessons, this amazing equestrian sport offers not only the excitement and thrill of the ride in a wide variety of disciplines but many health benefits, no matter what your age. Being mounted encourages balance, coordination, improved strength, motor skills, better hand-eye coordination as well as developing focus, concentration, good judgment, self-esteem and confidence. Riding is recognized as having excellent therapeutic benefits. Being outside in the fresh air and working in partnership with a horse is a secondto-none stress buster. The experience opens up a rewarding relationship with your mount as you enjoy the freedom and responsibilities of setting goals and advancing through your chosen riding discipline. And unlike many other sports, there is no age limit, as riding offers opportunities for anyone whether recreationally or competitively. The bond and mutual trust between horses and humans can be truly amazing! But if getting started seems complicated or a bit overwhelming, the Manitoba Horse Council (MHC) is able to help with advice on every stage of the equestrian journey. There’s no need to start your journey by buying a horse. Ideally, you can begin with riding lessons at a facility offering school horses. MHC’s website page at the Coaches link gives many helpful hints on how to get started, and what to look for in your first coach. The Current Coaches Directory at the same link lists the Equestrian Canada coaches in Manitoba, the type of riding they specialize in, and their geographical
How to Reach Us
location. Some coaches are not linked to one barn, but will travel to their clients. The horse world isn’t just about riding. You or your child will be able to learn all aspects of horsemanship including caring for a horse, grooming, tacking up and care of saddlery, and what you should wear when riding, including the essential ASTM-approved helmet, boots with a heel, and appropriate pants. Once you start to advance, you can take advantage of a variety of certified programs. Learn to Ride is a non-competitive national program for both English and Western riders to teach safe horsemanship and practices. For younger riders, P’Tit Trot and other kid-friendly programs make learning fun. Each discipline offers advancing skill levels designed to help each rider become more proficient and achieve greater accomplishments not only in the training arena but at the competition level. If you used to ride and want back in the game, then joining MHC will give you access to many options available to help you pick up your skills and advance in your chosen discipline. The Council has over 2,000 members who enjoy the benefits of services and information and members include professionals, amateurs, competitors, and recreational riders in all disciplines. As well, MHC is committed to horse welfare and advocacy. Importantly, membership includes public liability insurance coverage at preferential rates, free e-newsletters, and information on equine events and news. You can also take advantage of clinics and workshops as well as exclusive offers from both MHC and Equestrian Canada. b
Manitoba Horse Council, 145 Pacific Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3B 2Z6 PHONE (204) 925-5719 • EMAIL mhc.exec@sportmanitoba.ca WEBSITE www.manitobahorsecouncil.ca FACEBOOK Manitoba Horse Council; Manitoba Recreational Riders
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CANADIAN HORSE JOURNAL
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NOTES FROM THE OFFICE BY JOCELYN ADAMS
Jumpers getting ready to go!
That’s a wrap on the 2018 BC Summer Games Cowichan! Thirty-eight equestrian athletes from all over the province took to Cowichan July 19 to 22 for the 2018 BC Summer Games. It was a successful games with ten vaulters, fifteen dressage riders, eight jumpers, and five para-dressage athletes. BC Summer Games Athletes for Equestrian are for athletes between the ages of 11 and 18. Athletes from eight zones throughout the province qualify to compete both individually and for overall team medals for their zone team. Thank you to all the coaches, officials, athletes, parents, grooms, and volunteers for helping to make this wonderful weekend of sport happen. And thank you to Susan Harrison for your hard work as Provincial Advisor for Equestrian.
PHOTOS: SUSAN HARRISON
In para-dressage, Kim Scott (standing in front), and Amanda List riding Island Queen, assisted by Rachel Brears (in black).
The stables – featuring Heidi! 80
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AUTUMN 2018
Jumper Rachel Currie with Punch Buggie.
Overall Team Results: Gold: Zone 3 (Fraser Valley) Athletes: Danae Moore, Bailey Jayne Chapman, Hailey Besse, Emily Besse, Ashley Dykstra, Emma Donegan Head Coach: Eleonore Elstone Silver: Zone 6 (Vancouver Island – Central Coast) Athletes: Leslie Therriault, Rachel Currie, Alice Jones, Mya Paugh, Gracie O’Connell, Charlotte Webster, Rana Harris Head Coach: Selena Pellizzari Bronze: Zone 5 (Vancouver-Coastal) Athletes: Brianna Yellowley, Jessa Girard, Sarah Marshall, Shea Labrenz Head Coach: Jeanine Ellingham
HOW TO REACH US OFFICE HOURS:
Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm OFFICE ADDRESS:
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administration@hcbc.ca
AGRICULTURE & INDUSTRY:
industry@hcbc.ca
MEMBERSHIP:
membership@hcbc.ca
Individual Standings by Day:
COACHING & EDUCATION:
Show Jumping – Day 1 Gold: Zone 5, Jessa Girard. Silver: Zone 8, Katya Zanozin. Bronze: Zone 4, Tiana Pavan. Dressage – Day 1 Gold: Zone 7, Emma Buhr. Silver: Zone 8, Maegan Friess. Bronze: Zone 4, Shannon Sutton. Para-Dressage – Day 1 Gold: Zone 6, Tyler Woolley. Silver: Zone 6, Kelsey Highsted. Bronze: Zone 6, Zachary Lahay.
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS:
continues on page 82
HARASSMENT POLICY:
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JoinHorse Horse Join CouncilBC BCToday! Today! Council Horse Council BC (HCBC) is the Provincial Organization for Equestrian Sport & Recreation in the Horse Council BC (HCBC) is the Provincial Organization for Equestrian Sport & Recreation in theBritish province. HCBC also represents the interests of the equine industry in all sectors throughout province. HCBC also represents the interests of the equine industry in all sectors throughout British Columbia and connects and strengthens the BC horse community. Columbia and connects and strengthens the BC horse community. By joining HCBC, you show your support for: By joining HCBC, you show your support for: • • •
• The Right To Ride RightWelfare To Ridein BC •The Horse Horse Welfare BC • The BC HorseinIndustry The BC Horse Industry
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• A Nationally-Accredited Coaching Program Accredited Coaching Program •A Nationally Financial Support for the Industry Support forofthe •Financial The Preservation BCIndustry Trail Systems The Preservation of BC Trail Systems • Quality Science Based Education Quality Science Based Education
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT WWW.HCBC.CA FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT WWW.HCBC.CA
Horse Council BC 27336 Fraser Hwy., Aldergrove, BC V4W 3N5 tf: 1.800.345.8055 p: 604.856.4304 f: 604.856.4302 Horse Council BC 27336 Fraser Hwy., Aldergrove, BC V4W 3N5 tf: 1.800.345.8055 p: 604.856.4304 f: 604.856.4302
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NOTES FROM THE OFFICE
CONT.
continues from page 80
PHOTO: SUSAN HARRISON
In vaulting, L-R: horse “Sam I Am” with Stella French (hidden), and vaulters Alice Jones, Rana Harris, and Charlotte Webster.
Two equestrians were among the 16 BC Summer Games Athletes recognized for outstanding leadership with the Coast Capital Savings Leadership Bursary! The bursary recipients were chosen from over 200 applicants for their significant achievements in sport and education, and most importantly for their leadership contributions to their schools, community, or sport associations. The recipients are from communities across the province and their leadership involvement includes service with student councils, community events, food banks, fundraising, coaching, and officiating, to name a few. Way to go, Hailey Besse and Leslie Therriault!
Vaulting – Day 1 Gold: Zone 3, Danae Moore. Silver: Zone 1, Cloe Comstock. Bronze: Zone 3, Haley Bessie. Show Jumping – Day 2 Gold: Zone 6, Rachel Currie. Silver: Zone 5, Jessa Girard. Bronze: Zone 6, Gracie O’Connell. Dressage – Day 2 Gold: Zone 7, Emma Buhr. Silver: Zone 4, Shannon Sutton. Bronze: Zone 4, Owen Blackwell. Para-Dressage – Day 2 Gold: Zone 6, Kelsay Highsted. Silver: Zone 6, Zachary Lahay. Bronze: Zone 6, Tyler Wooley. Vaulting – Day 2 Gold: Zone 3, Danae Moore. Silver: Zone 1, Cloe Comstock. Bronze: Zone 3, Haley Bessie. Show Jumping – Day 3 Gold: Zone 6, Rachel Currie. Silver: Zone 4, Zoe Vallee. Bronze: Zone 5, Jessa Girard. Dressage – Day 3 Gold: Zone 5, Brianna Yellowley. Silver: Zone 7, Emma Buhr. Silver: Zone 6, Leslie Therrault. Para-Dressage – Day 3 Gold: Zone 6, Zachary Lahay. Silver: Zone 6, Tyler Wooley. Bronze: Zone 6, Amanda List. Vaulting – Day 3 Gold: Zone 3, Danae Moore. Silver: Zone 1, Cloe Comstock. Bronze: Zone 3, Haley Bessie.
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REVIEWED BY APRIL RAY-PETERSON if feeding over 40 percent of alfalfa in their daily forage. Transitioning Fire from a more traditional feeding program to this supplement was easy, and as suggested by the knowledgeable staff at SciencePure, I added to the powder some alfalfa pellets, salt, and mixed it with soaked beet pulp. It is very palatable and I had no issue with Fire eating the powder, and since putting Fire on this supplement I have noticed a considerable change. Not only is she easier to work with, she seems happier and less stressed in general. Even my coach has seen a significant difference in her performance and willingness to work and learn new things. I highly recommend this product to anyone with a mare, even if they aren’t tricky like mine! It’s nice to know that with
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AUTUMN 2018
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20.32 acres with magnificent 5-stall heated show barn with beautiful 80’x120’ indoor riding arena attached. Viewing area over arena, hay loft, shavings area, hay shed, irrigation system and reel, 200 USGPM well. 165’ outdoor roundpen. 30’x48’ workshop with 22’x48’ lean-to. Three heated automatic pasture waterers. 7.5 acres of irrigated hay fields. Main residence with great views, 3,729 SF, 4 Bedroom, 2 full bath. 1 BR/1 bath 2nd residence. 3 mins to town. ARMSTRONG, BC • MLS 10165249 • $2,125,000
JOE RICH (12751 Three Forks Rd)
Stunning 10.9 acre property surrounded by crown land on 3 sides. Nearly 800’ of high bank frontage on Mission Creek. Flat areas for building, room for horses, hobbies & all the toys. Outdoorsman’s paradise. Drilled well has excellent drinking water plus water rights for Mission Creek. MLS® $599,000
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81 ACRE OFF GRID HORSE PARADISE
81.12 Acres! Timber, hay, shop, sheds and home. Sensational view. Live off grid and in comfort! Water well and a 24 volt 9 panel solar system power the house with a 6500 watt diesel generator for backup. Public road access. 72’x45’ insulated, heated and powered shop with its own solar system. A productive 7 acre hay field and a 24’x32’ hay shed. A flowing creek travels down to the lower horse pastures and orchard area and pond. Perimeter fenced and a cattle guard at the entrance. Huge TIMBER value. FALKLAND, BC • MLS 10165028 • $799,800
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OFFICE PHONE: 250-717-5000 AUTUMN 2018
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Get ready to create your masterpiece
Canadian Therapeutic Riding Association News BY DAPHNE DAVEY
"Striking the Balance" in Dublin
PHOTOS: DAPHNE DAVEY
Join the millions of adults around the world who are rediscovering the artist within
In an equine-assisted learning exercise, delegates try to keep a unified line while walking the two horses around the ring. When the line hesitated, it lost connection with the horses, who failed to respond. Delegates from Australia, Canada, China, and Finland celebrate their success in teamwork exercises during the psychoeducational vaulting workshop.
• 32 quality designs provide hours of entertainment • Single-sided pages removable for framing • The perfect gift for a horse lover, or treat yourself! Only $15.99 each • • FREE Shipping within Canada when you order 2 Colouring Books, or when 1 Colouring Book is ordered with a Canadian Horse Journal subscription
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The 2018 Horses in Education and Therapy International (HETI) 16th Triennial Congress in Dublin was an event of almost Olympic proportions: Nearly 400 delegates from 44 countries mingled in festive spirit to learn about the newest research and practices in a wide range of equine-assisted activities. The theme, “Striking the Balance,” placed strong emphasis on the welfare of the therapy horse alongside the welfare of the human participants. While the Four Canadian delegates find each other. L-R: Anne Barnfield, researcher (ON); Eliane Trempe, CanTRA president (QC); Daphne Davey, CanTRA past president (PEI); and Melodie Gerbier, CanTRA Intermediate Instructor (BC).
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Congress was based at the Royal Dublin Society in the city, field trips to the host centre, Festina Lente (make haste slowly), Without batting an eye in provided a welcome front of several hundred delegates, break from the over Adam Farelly (12) and 100 presentations Rachel Doak (8), and workshops the participants in the delegates had to Festina Lente program, choose between. Two each commentated their highlights were HRH stories through video Princess Anne’s presentations. remarks to the assembly based on her thorough knowledge of the subject, and the Dr. Gillian Lawrence Memorial Lecture, sponsored by CanTRA and delivered by Marian Drache from Germany, on the subject of hippotherapy for patients with multiple sclerosis. For more information on HETI, visit > www.hetifederation.org and > www.festinalente.ie
ENJOY PHOTO: ANGIE TURNER
RIDE • DRIVE
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The ThinLine® saddle pads employ a unique, open-cell technology that distributes shock, weight, and heat laterally along the pad without compressing. ThinLine® products are 100 percent breathable and do not trap any heat or moisture. As horses develop in training, their shape can change. Some ThinLine® pads offer shimming ability to help adjust the fit of the The ThinLine® Western Premium Pro-Tech Wool Pad.
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AUTUMN 2018
saddle to the changing athlete. Shims are available for the front (wither relief), centre (to help with bridging/swayback), and the rear (to lift the cantle). ThinLine® Canada provides tack to improve the comfort of all equestrians and their horses, and ThinLine® saddle pads are the most-recommended pad among saddle fitters. The pads provide a non-slip surface that fits The Trifecta Cotton Half Pad with sheepskin rolls.
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Vantage Trailer Sales reduction for up to three years. All this happens because, at the microscopic level, AEGIS Microbe Shield® is like a destructive bed of nails, tiny spikes drawing in the organisms and fatally rupturing them. Recovery and adaptation are not options. The unique nature of the product means that it is neither a chemical nor a toxin but an actual physical structure, which is what makes it so unique and so effective against microorganisms. It works on all surfaces where mold and mildew grow including wood, rubber, metal, glass, and masonry, and on all leather items such as boots, tack, and harness, as well as helmets, wraps, and bandages. In 2013, Health Canada approved AEGIS as a surface protectant. It meets biosecurity protocols and is widely used in boarding and show barns, commercial livestock farms, kennels, veterinary clinics, and hospitals. For more information, visit > www.strathconaventures.com
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horses of all shapes, and work well for all saddles including English, Western, endurance, and even treeless. Enjoy additional rider comfort with their wide selection of tack including reins, seat savers, and more. Ask your local tack shop for ThinLine® or visit the shop online at > www.ThinLineCanada.ca
Reliable trailers for the long haul. Vantage Trailer Sales in Lethbridge, Alberta, is the go-to dealership for horse trailers. They offer several brands including Lakota, Titan, Barrett, 4-Star, and Hart trailers, all featuring safety, comfort for the travelling horse, and efficiency for the rider. But if Vantage prides itself on product quality and competitive pricing, it distinguishes itself with customer service. The company was started in 2010 with two people in a home-based office. Today the dealership, owned by Els Van Hierden, has four sales people with different focus areas including trailers for horses, cattle, and RV campers. The most common questions customers ask are about the brands of trailers that Vantage sells, warranties, trade-in options, and advice on which trailer will fit what size of horse. They also have a full-service shop and parts department. “We service everything on wheels in both RV and the horse industry,” says Van Hierden. This commitment and attention to detail has resulted in many repeat customers and the recent expansion with the service shop means they can provide a wide range of one-stop services. “We specialize in finding the right trailer for the customer that meets the needs of the horses and their discipline,” he says. “Our typical [equestrian] customer is looking for a trailer to fit a specific need [such as] a warmblood trailer, a show trailer with extensive living quarters, or a rancher wanting a stock combo to put a bull or cow in the front and horses in the back.” This year, Vantage developed an Ambassador Program to help sponsor youth in the agriculture industry. The program encourages youth to strive toward their goals, both financially and with guidance, support, networking, confidencebuilding, and work opportunities, helping them build skills as a team member. “The applicants write an essay pertaining to what facets they compete in, previous volunteer roles and opportunities, their career goals, their goals within the agriculture industry, associations/organizations they compete in, and how they want to volunteer within their community with the help of Vantage Trailer Sales,” says Brittany Beyes, marketing specialist. “These applicants are our agriculture industry’s future [as are] each of our customers.” At the heart of Vantage Trailers, though, is customer service and they believe in striving for continual improvement in all they do. Edward Van Hierden, general manager, does not hesitate when asked what sets Vantage apart from its competitors. “Service that blows your socks off,” he says. “That’s what we strive for.”
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HORSE INDUSTRY PRODUCTS
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The Ultimate Gloss The future’s so bright you’re gonna need shades!
ReitenRight Equestrian Inc. Premium Footing. Everyday Soundness. “Our goal at ReitenRight is to provide our customers with a premium footing product that delivers consistency, quality, longevity, and daily soundness,” says Alysha Sauve, sales and marketing manager, ReitenRight Equestrian Inc., in Delta, British Columbia. “ Everyday Soundness’ is more than a slogan, it’s our mission,” she says. “We believe it is the little decisions, made each and every day, that ultimately lead to success as an equestrian.” ReitenRight was built with the soundness and performance of horse and rider in mind. The materials are non-toxic and anti-microbial, and the footing is formulated of natural rubber that provides superior cushioning, energy return, and stability. What’s more, its moisture-retention qualities aid in reducing dust. ReitenRight is the top pick for many international competitors, Olympians, and trainers alike. Whether you are training for the international arena or simply want the best for your equine partner, ReitenRight Equestrian Footing will be along for the journey. ’
For more information, visit > www.ReitenRight.com
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Mane ‘n Tail Ultimate Gloss Shampoo and Conditioner puts a radiant shine on a horse’s coat, mane, and tail. Isn’t that what every horse person wants — a horse with a healthy, natural feel and brilliant shine? Mane ‘n Tail has been bringing high quality grooming products to the equine industry since 1970. Now, Ultimate Gloss is the winning combination to get your horse looking its best for any event or competition, or if you just want him looking marvelous! Mane ‘n Tail Ultimate Gloss Shampoo provides gentle, deep cleansing, leaving the coat soft and silky with a premium, reflective shine. The pHbalanced formula is gentle enough to use every day, and leaves coats, manes, and tails shiny, silky, and residuefree. The shampoo helps to eliminate dry skin and dandruff. The rich lather gets rid of the toughest dirt and rinses easily, while leaving the horse with the ultimate gloss. A deep penetrating formula that moisturizes while building volume, Mane ‘n Tail Ultimate Gloss Conditioner restores elasticity and strength to the horse’s mane and tail, and helps to detangle, leaving the
mane and tail easier to comb out. The formula’s pH balance is safe for everyday use and may be rinsed out or used as a leave-in treatment. Moisturizers help to condition dry, brittle, damaged manes and tails, leaving them feeling soft, luxurious, and silky. Since 1970, Straight Arrow Products, Inc. has been creating and providing exclusive hair and skin care products renowned for quality and performance in both the equestrian and personal care markets. Their roots were honed under the brand names Mane ‘n Tail®, Hoofmaker®, and Mineral Ice®. As the equestrian audience discovered the valuable secret that the products they were using on their horses created remarkable results when
used on themselves, Straight Arrow’s products were naturally expanded to accommodate people. Mane ‘n Tail is now a leading brand in the personal hair and skin care world. Straight Arrow continues to manufacture all products in the USA, adhering to strict quality assurances, guidelines, and consistently meeting a high-performance standard. As their business grew, they expanded their variety of equine products to include the brands Cowboy Magic and Exhibitor Labs. Their credo and tradition since day one has been “Satisfy the Customer.” Straight Arrow currently sells its products in over 175,000 locations throughout North America and internationally.
For more information, visit > www.straightarrowinc.com
IMAGERY BY MANE FRAME
Circle F Horse Rescue
Caring for horses, old or young, that have been abused or neglected, and providing an alternative to auction or slaughter. We place horses in screened, loving adoptive homes and provide follow up. Abbotsford, BC • www.circlef.ca • 778-858-7301
THOROUGHBRED RETIREMENT
SOCIETY
Finding Permanent, Loving Homes for Retired Racehorses. Do you have room in your heart and home for a new friend? See our web page for horses available for adoption.
Volunteers are always welcome! Donate Today – Help a Retired Racehorse! Follow us on Facebook:
Gunningforfranks, LongRun Graduate
LongRunTB
www.longrunretirement.com
Award-winning content REVSTER (REV) • 16 hh • 2009 • Mare Revster is back in our program — her skills are a little rusty but she’s loving the daily attention. Will do almost anything for the human she can trust. Pretty and affectionate, with 3 lovely smooth gates, picks up both canter leads nicely.
ADOPT • VOLUNTEER • DONATE
Dedicated to finding adoptive homes and new careers for former Thoroughbred racehorses. 778-985-5673 • www.newstride.com
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>>>> INDEX TO ADVERTISERS<<<< 5 Star Equine Products..........................................................61 AFAB .............................................................................................. 73 Affordable Barns......................................................................61 Armstrong, Russell — Century 21.....................................85 Bar-Bar-A Horse Drinker .....................................................12 Basic Equine Nutrition..........................................................13 BC Appaloosa Centre............................................................. 78 Bear Valley Rescue................................................................. 91 Belarian Arabian Horses .....................................................77 Big Bale Buddy.........................................................................65 Brattebo, Amy — ReMax Little Oak Realty......................3 Canadian Horse Journal .................................................... 31 Canadian Warmblood Fall Classic Sale........................ 35 Celebration of Horses Photo Contest..........................83 CF Fence....................................................................................... 24 Circle F Horse Rescue........................................................... 91 Circle Z Ranch........................................................................... 57 Coastal Equestrian — Building Division....................... 29 Country Homes & Acreages...................................... 84-85 Cowboy Magic...........................................................................26 Delta-Mustad............................................................................ 43 Dubarry of Ireland..................................................................45 Dynamint.....................................................................................44 Easy Build Structures............................................................34 EcoLicious Equestrian........................................................... 67 El Ranchito................................................................................. 78 Elite Three....................................................................................21 Equanimity Edge......................................................................44 Equiade — Body Support.................................................... 25 Equine Choice...........................................................................39 Equine Connection.................................................................50 Equine Cushing’s & Insulin Resistance Group Inc..............76 Equine Essentials.................................................................... 73 Equine Foundation of Canada.......................................... 91 Equiwinner................................................................................. 42 EQyss Grooming Products....................... Inside B/Cover Flaman Sales Alberta............................................................ 14 Ford Super Duty..........................................................................7 Geen, Jerry — ReMax Kelowna...........................................85 G’s Formula ................................................................................51 Hammond Realty....................................................................84 Head 2 Hoof............................................................................... 67 Heart Reins.................................................................................59 Horse Council BC..................................................................... 81 Horse Council BC — Community Talks.......................... 72 Horse Habit, The...................................................................... 79 JJ’s Place....................................................................................... 73 Jonathan Field Horsemanship...........................................77 KIOTI.................................................................................................1 Kix’N’Bux Cowbow Clothing Co.........................................65 LongRun Thoroughbred Retirement Society............. 91 Mane ‘n Tail................................................................................54 Maple Lane Equestrian Trailers........................................51 McCaugue, Kelly — Royal LePage.....................................84 NAG Bags......................................................................................51 New Stride Thoroughbred Adoption Society............. 91 Noble Outfitters ........................................Outside B/Cover Okanagan Ribbons................................................................. 67 Olds College............................................................................... 42 Original Dr. Cook Bitless Bridle, The.............................. 57 Otter Coop.................................................................................... 9 Pferde Traum Farms............................................................... 79 PureForm (SciencePure Nutraceuticals).........................5 Purica.................................................................. Inside F/Cover RCMP Foundation - Horse Auction................................. 55 ReMax Land Exchange Ltd..................................................85 RK Animal Supplies Ltd........................................................59 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, The....................................2 Schleese.......................................................................................27 Sports Saddle............................................................................ 55 Tandy Leather Factory..........................................................65 ThinLine Canada.......................................................................15 Tribute Equine Nutrition.......................................................17 ULTRA-KELP................................................................................ 73 Vantage Trailer Sales............................................................. 67 Vetoquinol.................................................................................. 47 Wachter Horses........................................................................69 We Cover Structures..............................................................45 Willson, Catherine — GSNH................................................ 55 AUTUMN 2018
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BOOK REVIEW IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII SUBSCRIBER SERVICES
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The History, Myth, and Future of the Mustang
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By David Philipps W. W. North & Company Non-fiction ISBN 978-0-393-24713-8 368 pages • Hardcover, Kindle REVIEWED BY MARGARET EVANS “There were no wild horses in North America when the Spanish arrived,” writes author David Philipps. “Three centuries later when American settlers reached the West, horse numbers may have been in the millions. Mustangs on the Great Plains stretched from horizon to horizon. Whole areas of West Texas were marked on early maps with two words: wild horses.” In his fascinating book Wild Horse Country published in October, 2017, Pulitzer prizewinner David Philipps traces the rich history of the wild horses whose ancestors evolved in North America 55 million years ago, disappeared from the continent at the end of the last Ice Age, then were reintroduced to their homeland by Spanish explorers. “It was the quickest, most widespread, and most successful introduction of a species in the history of the world,” he writes. But then, as he also points out, evolution can have a long memory. Grasslands today are pretty much the same as when ancient horses ran on them millennia ago. Despite being gone for some 10,000 years, that niche persevered. “After developing together for so long, they still remember in their DNA what it was like to live together.” Few wild animals grab the imagination as the sight of wild horses on the range running in a small band with a lead mare, fleet-footed foals, and a stallion hustling up the rear. The wild horses define American culture, American history, American literature through the writings of Zane Grey, and American movies Hollywood style. Horses brought a profound change to native Americans. Apache, Navaho, Comanche, Ute, Kiowa, Arapaho, Cheyenne, and many others all sought the status of being mounted warriors, and the desire for horses impassioned the 92
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desired for more. Horse stealing, Philipps writes, became a positive feedback loop. The more they stole, the more they needed to steal. The more they relied on raiding, the more they needed to raid. It became the age of the Horse Nations, which would last 200 years with the horse the most important article of their trade, a defining status, and the currency of the plains to be banked on as long as the blonde grass grew. But dark clouds rolled in on the heels of the wild horses. Philipps’ narrative ventures into the dark side, remembering all those wild horses that served the dog food industry and went to slaughter by the thousands as animal rights activists voiced their outrage. Today the management of the wild horse remains a dilemma. Philipps recounts in great depth the complications of managing wild horses, meeting the expectations of ranchers and hunters, state policies that keep up the need for predatory wildlife control, and the staggering economy of trying to maintain all of it in some semblance of balance. He points out, with raw common sense, that a lot of money could be saved and a lot of fragile land better maintained if predator control programs were dropped and mountain lions were left to keep horse numbers in check. At many levels, wild horses still have a rich hold on all who cherish their freedom, their beauty, and their endurance through time. Yet their future trots a thin line between decisions on what to do with thousands of horses held by the federal government through their management by the Bureau of Land Management and the confrontational ideals of horse lovers, activists, ranchers, scientists, and all levels of government officials. Wild Horse Country is a terrific read and it gives pause for thought on the history and our responsibility for such a cherished species.
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