Foundation for ranch horse health

Veterinarian shares aspects of equine care.

By Chrissy Fly

The 2021 Pro Rodeo Cowboy Association’s Veterinarian of the Year, Dr. Ben Espy, was recently featured on the Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association podcast, TSCRA Talk.

The King Ranch veterinarian and head of veterinary services for San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo shared advice and strategies when caring for ranch horses.

At the top of his list: maintaining vaccines and deworming. Espy said it is important to keep up-to-date with these practices since most horses are going to be mixed with others or could be leaving the ranch to go work at another location.

The next area he watches is a horse’s feet. Lack of proper hoof care can lead to neglected feet, especially during extreme weather like what is experienced in Texas and the Southwest.

“The hoof is a dynamic tissue,” Espy said. “Meaning that it swells and contracts depending on the weather, weight and activity of the horse, so hoof care is pretty essential. It doesn’t necessarily have to be shoes, but it does need to be managed with trimming.”

In addition to hooves, Espy said teeth are significant to overall horse health. He reassured people shouldn’t stress about having a horse’s teeth floated all the time, but to keep an eye on sharp points on the animal’s teeth and remove them as necessary.

“There are people that float teeth every nine months, and then there are people that don’t float teeth at all,” Espy said. “You have to find that happy medium.”

Epsy also addressed a common misconception about nutrition and feed.

He said many horse owners used to always feed highsugar sweet feeds and avoided high-fat diets. However, high-fat feeds have proven less detrimental than once thought and can actually be better for overall health.

Espy said horses can metabolize high-fat feeds really well, and he advised owners not to be concerned about heart attacks and cholesterol problems.

“With a high-fat diet, you don’t have all the of foot problems and endocrine problems,” he said. “Those are all carbohydrate-based diseases, and if you convert your main food source to fat, it can help.”

Monitoring body condition score is another key aspect of keeping horses healthy.

Espy gave a simple explanation. He said to look at the horse and make sure their ribs can be felt but aren’t visible, their back is flat, and the top of their spine isn’t showing.

The best way to manage ranch horse health, Espy summarized, is to keep them in a natural environment as much as possible and to be aware of their temperament. Since you are working with the animals one-on-one, you will be the best judge of potential issues.

For more of the conversation, download TSCRA Talk via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher. T C

Chrissy Fly is a freelance writer and graduate student at Oklahoma State University.

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1Stromberg BE, et al. Cooperia punctata: Effect on cattle productivity. Vet Parasitol. 2012;183(3-4):284-291. 2Merck Animal Health National FECRT Database. MAHCattle.com • 800-521-5767 © 2022 Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA and its affiliates. All rights reserved. US-SFG-20040000