Getting to Know Your Weeds...Sandspur

This is generally the time of year we notice sandspur problems in our pastures and hayfields. Maybe they were there last year too and they're still a problem. Sandspur can be aggravating for us to control and even more aggravating to a grazing animal. 

Sandspur is an annual grass weed and tends to grow well in fairly sandy soils. It must drop viable seed to reproduce. There is more than one type of sandspur – Southern, longspine and field sandspur can be found in our part of the country. Sandspur can tolerate poor conditions and is easy to spread via grazing or haying. At the early stages, sandspur can be a challenge to identify against other grasses. There are a few characteristics that can help you with identification early in its growth cycle. Sandspur has a fibrous root system and plants tend to be a lighter green than many other grasses.

Sandspur seedling (Photo courtesy Virginia Tech).

The leaves have several identifying characteristics. First, leaves tend to feel rough, compared to grasses such as ryegrass. Next, leaves appear flat but are folded when budding. Third, leaves usually have a raised midvein and have few or no hairs. The ligule is an outgrowth from the base of the grass blade and is very important in identification. Here's a photo of a ligule on a sandspur, which is only a fringe of hairs. Ligules on other grasses may be a thin membrane or may be non-existent.

Sandspur ligule is a fringe of fine hair, about 1 mm long. Photo courtesy Virginia Tech.

Sandspur stems can stand straight or spread, splaying outward. When you run your thumb over the stem it will feel flat, not well rounded like many other grasses. There can be many branches off the stem as well, particularly as the plant matures.

Another identifying characteristic for grasses is the presence or size of auricles. Auricles are projections at the joint of the leaf blade and sheath. Auricles are absent on sandspur.

Diagram explaining parts of the plant for identification purposes. Diagram courtesy University of Georgia.

The sandspur’s tell-tale burs are a common sight once the plant is maturing.

Sandspur producing seedheads or burs. Photo courtesy Virginia Tech.

Once you know you have sandspur, how do you control it? First, contact your local Extension Agent for herbicide options. They can give you information on rates, restrictions, and check products that will work at different plant growth stages. Second, avoid grazing the area that is infected to avoid injury to horses and livestock but to also avoid moving seed to a clean area. Third, when mowing, mow clean areas first before moving to infected areas. Clean equipment after mowing infected areas. Mowing can give temporary control to reduce potential for seedhead development but as plants are mown they typically produce seedheads closer to the ground to compensate. Controlling sandspur may take more than one season to accomplish particularly if seeds have banked in the soil and sandspur has been established for years. With multiple approaches to this weed, sandspur can be controlled.

Foot and Hoof Care

A quote that I came across recently is “No foot, no horse.”  That quote pretty much sums up the importance of the horse’s foot.  They are the foundation of any animal and care must be taken to reduce problems.  Each foot supports weight, resists wear, absorbs shock, provides traction, conducts moisture and helps pump blood.  Here are some diagrams from Wayne Loch, Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Missouri from the article Care of Your Horse's Feet.

Figure 1  Anatomy of the horse's foot.

Figure 2  Parts of the ground surface of the horse's foot.

 

Here is a video by Nate Allen, of Allen Farrier Service-Juanita, NE and Central Community Technical College-Hastings NE, that helps viewers understand how the equine hoof functions and gives suggestions for managing horses' hooves to maintain long term soundness.

You can also view other Videos on the Equine Hoof .   Resources on hoof care and laminitis are located My Horse University - Equine Laminitis:Cause, Treatment and Prevention.

Bahiagrass: Alternative Forage or Invasive Weed?

For those of us that are in bermudagrass country in Southeastern NC, bahiagrass is all too familiar a sight in our pastures.  Like bermuda, bahiagrass is a warm season perennial grass that grows in sandy soils.

If you're not sure if you have bahiagrass in your pastures or not, it is most commonly identified by the black "V" seed head it puts up every 12-14 days during the summer.

Bahiagrass, also referred to as Pensicola bahiagrass, was commonly used by the highway department as an erosion control several years ago.  It certainly offers some advantages to bermuda.  It establishes quickly, it stands up to hoof traffic well, and thrives much better under dry conditions and low soil fertility.  It also is more tolerant of continuous overgrazing.

So why is bahiagrass not used more than it is?  The answer is nutrition, yield, palatability, and ascetics.  While is does come pretty close to matching feeding values of bermuda in a low fertility (fertilization) scenario, if we compare bahiagrass to well fertilized, well managed bermuda pastures, it is clearly inferior.  While Pensicola (and especially the improved variety, Tifton 9) bahiagrass will out yield the older, unimproved common bermudagrasses, the newer, improved seeded varieties (Wrangler, Mohawk, etc.) and especially the hybrid bermudas (Coastal, Tifton 44) have much greater capacity for growth.  Finally, due to its capacity for seed production, (the prevalent seed head mentioned above) bahiagrass is not a  very attractive grass in a pasture setting.  The grass sends out a seed head all summer, and if you've ever tried to mow bahiagrass with a mower or bushhog, you know how difficult this grass is to mow.  Given a horses grazing behavior of skipping over mature, tougher grasses in favor of more lush, tender grass, bahia certainly does not match an equine's grazing habits very well either.

So why would you want bahiagrass in your pastures?  If you have very infertile soil. or if you are not going to fertilize your pastures every summer, then bahiagrass will have a much better chance of surviving under these conditions than bermuda will.  If you're like most of us though, then bahiagrass has unfortunately gotten into your pastures through bird droppings, deer, or even through purchased hay.  Once bahiagrass has gotten into a bermuda pasture, it will (over time) out compete the bermuda and basically take over your pasture if left to run its course.  Can you do anything to stop this from happening?  You can.  There are a few pasture herbicides that can control bahiagrass in a pasture quite well.  Any of the herbicides containing metsulfulron (such as Cimmeron Plus or Pastora) will do a good job of containing the growth of bahiagrass.  If you have a significant infestation, you very well may have to spray several years in a row to fully control the bahia. 

Before you decide to use these products, however, you need to take time to walk your pastures and make sure you want to remove the bahiagrass.  If the grass mix in your pastures is 50% or greater of bahia, then it's debatable if its worth the time and expense to first kill out the bahia and then wait for the bermuda to fill back in.  This can be a slow process and you will have a lot of dead spots with very little vegetation on them during this time. 

While the equine industry in Florida and Louisiana depends on bahiagrass for their main forage source in their pastures, in NC, more often than not, most animal operations prefer to keep it on the roadside and out of their pastures and hayfields.

Written by Randy Wood

Can Imprinting Go Too Far?

Imprinting is beneficial if done right, but dangerous if done wrong warns Dr. R.D. Scoggins, equine
Extension veterinarian at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine.  As soon as a foal is born, the mare starts nuzzling to teach the foal that it is a horse. Humans have learned
to use this time when a foal can be imprinted—the first 24 to 48 hours of its life—to benefit human-equine interaction as the horse matures.

Certain North American Indians spoke to horses before they were born and handled foals daily during the first few days after birth. California veterinarian Robert M. Miller has popularized this practice of imprinting through numerous publications including his book Imprint Training.
"He came to the conclusion—and a lot of equine veterinary practitioners agree with him—that foals handled directly after birth are quieter and easier to handle than foals with no immediate human contact," says Dr. Scoggins.  "Imprinting can prepare the foal to live in our world and tolerate a lot of the things we do to horses, such as inserting a nasogastric tube, placing a rectal thermometer, clipping the coat, working with the head, or trimming the feet. If you stop there, imprinting is not a bad thing.

But some people try to see how many things they can get their horse desensitized to until, eventually; they get the horse desensitized to life. Some foals get so submissive that they end up with no protective mechanisms. But we need those protective mechanisms in the training process. The flight syndrome, for example, is used to teach a horse to ride and go forward, and, for racehorses, to move out of the starting gate. If you take the horse's natural reactions away, you might as well ride a horse on a carousel that's not rotating.  "Some people don't like the fact that the foal has to be submissive for the short time required for imprinting.  When a foal struggles, these people release it, but they are only teaching the foal that it can struggle and get released. This idea gets imprinted on the foal and is extremely difficult to extinguish."  Poorly imprinted horses may be impossible to train. "I know a trainer who had never encountered a horse
he couldn't change until, in some of the western states, he ran into about 50 poorly imprinted horses in one year. They don't respond to the normal things that a horse responds to.

"Do not attempt imprinting on your own unless you accept the consequences, which may be an unusable horse," Dr. Scoggins warns. "I recommend Dr. Miller's approach, which is a less aggressive imprinting technique. When you first begin, have an experienced imprinter on hand to remind you what things you should do and when to stop.  "The mare should be present so you don't create foal rejection problems. Someone ought to handle the mare and hold her, rather than tying her to the wall. She should face the foal and be so positioned that the people working on the foal will not be endangered if the mare gets upset."  Imprinting can be done as soon as the foal is dried off. Everything you do to the foal should be continued until the foal submits. If you flex a leg and tap on it, imitating shoeing or trimming, do not let the foot loose while the foal struggles. After the foal submits and totally relaxes, then release the foot. If you release it when the foal struggles, you're teaching the animal to take the foot away from a farrier.  "You can do the techniques associated with imprinting for two or three days in a row. It takes about half an hour each time. After the first 24 hours, though, it really isn't imprinting; it's more habituation," Dr. Scoggins explains. 

Imprinting is a learning process, occurring during the critical time soon after birth, in which a long-term behavior pattern is established. Habituation, by contrast, is the process of repeatedly exposing an animal to something until that thing no longer causes the animal to react.
Imprinting is not a substitute for handling and training your new foal. With supervision and moderation, imprinting merely provides a window of time in your foal's life that can be used to make the horse easier to handle and train. Before attempting to imprint your own foals, consult an experienced imprinter, a veterinarian who understands the subject, and Dr. Miller's learning aids.

Written by Sarah Probst, Information Specialist at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine.
Posted by Michelle Shooter.

Horses and Stomach Ulcer Disease

Stomach ulcer disease has shown to be highly prevalent in horses, especially with activities that are common this time of year, such as recreational showing.  Strenuous exercise and intense training can increase the likelihood of ulcer development.  Prevention is the best control method of stomach ulcer disease.  To learn more about stomach ulcer disease and to learn how to prevent or treat it, please read this publication from the Deleware Cooperative Extension Service: http://ag.udel.edu/extension/agnr/pdf/Stomach%20Ulcer%20Disease.pdf

Run-In Sheds Make Happy Horses and Help with Fly Control

By Marti Day

Extension Area Specialized Agent

Agriculture – Dairy and Horses

 In our part of the country, I have always believed that barns are for people.  Having grown up in Pennsylvania where we spent better than 2/5’s of the year plowing snow, busting ice on water tanks and stumbling over frozen ground, I’ll concede that there are places in the country where barns are more than just a nice place to store your tack and hang out before and after you ride.  Fortunately for us North Carolinians, a big snow is 4 or 5 inches, melts in two days and all we’ve got left is mud.  Healthy horses are not bothered by most weather or temperature variations, and they can usually be kept outside in a wide range of climates. In extreme conditions, however, pastured horses should have access to some type of shelter. Natural landforms and vegetation may offer some respite from inclement weather. A pasture that has tree lines, hedgerows, creek valleys, or hills can provide a measure of relief from sun, rain, and wind.

In the south, possibly the most important reason for providing shelter for horses is to help us in our efforts to provide relief from biting insects.  Properly built and managed a simple run-in shed can be very beneficial in reducing fly predation.  A typical run-in shed is a three-walled structure that is open on one side. The shed offers protection from the elements while allowing horses to move in and out as they please.  Understanding that everyone has their own “horse keeping” philosophies, I recently heard an analogy that should make us all stop and think:  adjusting for size and weight, keeping a horse in a 12X12 stall is like making a person live in a porta-potty.  Just a bit of food for thought…. Most arguments for keeping a horse in a stall can be lined up in the “easier for the owner”column. Few, if any, fall into the “better for the horse” category.

Keeping the run-in clean and free of fly breeding sites (manure and bedding) will aid in providing a fly-free zone.  Fly baits, sticky traps, automatic spray equipment and fans will also help in keeping fly populations down.  In conjunction with other methods, fly predators can also help us come closer to winning the war.  Several different types of horse fly traps are available commercially to help knock down the number of the big bombers as well.  With the knowledge that the horse fly is the primary insect vector responsible for the transmission of Equine Infectious Anemia, every fly you kill is one less out there laying eggs and potentially contributing to a devastating disease. 

Construction options for run-ins include having the shed professionally designed and built, doing your own design and construction, purchasing a run-in kit or even retrofitting an existing building.  An old tobacco barn, with a little work for horse-proofing, can make a great run-in.   Regardless of your choice, you can avoid mistakes by looking at existing run-ins in your area and talking to local horse owners about good and bad features of sheds on their properties. This is especially helpful if you have recently purchased land and are unfamiliar with weather patterns in the region. Before you build a run-in shed, give some thought to the following considerations.

Use

Besides its primary use as a shelter, the run-in can be a feeding and watering station. It may have a stall or loft to store hay.  It might be the back half of a divided structure that houses farm equipment on the other side. Whatever its use, let the safety of your horses direct the design and materials. Look at all aspects of construction with an eye to preventing situations in which a horse could be trapped, injured, or allowed access to stored feed or machinery.  Be sure to check with your insurance provider before making the decision to store hay in your run-in - some will not allow it due to fire hazard.  Loft hay storage is questionable as it increases particulate matter in the air and may lead to respiratory issues if ventilation is not adequate.   

Location

The construction site should be sloped or graded to allow drainage away from the structure. If the shed will be on a flat area, build up the site with clay or gravel before construction starts. Avoid low spots or areas where water collects after a rain. Place the open side away from prevailing winds. While sheds may adjoin a barn or fence line, building the shelter in an open area of the field ensures that there will always be at least one side that is shady and out of the wind. Situate the shed at some distance from the house to minimize problems with flies or odor. Place the shed closer to existing
buildings if you want to run water or electric lines to it or if you will need to carry hay or grain to the shelter. If possible, situate the shed so you can easily see the interior from outside the field.

Design

Size depends on the climate as well as the number and temperament of the horses that will be using the shed. While 150 square feet per horse is a general rule, you will need more space if your herd contains especially dominant or timid horses. For only a few horses or for those that tend to get along well, somewhat less space can be considered. Standard depths are from 12 to 24 feet (deeper sheds are darker and provide more relief from flies), and common lengths are 24 to 48 feet. If this size will not accommodate all the horses in a field, it may be more practical to put up a second shed than to build one very large shelter. If you plan to use the run-in for feeding hay or grain, allow plenty of space so that all horses can have access to feed racks or buckets. Keep in mind that it is difficult to monitor intake by an individual horse if feeding is done this way.

Materials

The typical run-in shed is made of treated support posts, a frame of 2 x 4 lumber, and a sloping metal roof that allows at least 10 feet of head space. Walls can be made of a variety of materials. Safety is the primary consideration. Metal siding is affordable, strong, easily cleaned, and not subject to rot or mold. A run-in shed with
metal walls must be lined with thick boards or plywood to a height of four or five feet to ensure that a horse cannot be injured by kicking through the wall. Wood sides are strong and safe. Boards must be thick enough to resist breaking if they are kicked. Horses tend to chew boards, and wooden sheds will need more maintenance than metal buildings.
Wood that touches the ground will eventually rot. PVC panels are more expensive than other types of siding, but they last longer, do not need wood lining, and may be the most economical choice over the life of the shed. PVC is safe, easy to clean, and requires less maintenance than other materials.

Ventilation

How can one building provide a shady, breezy loafing area in the summer and a snug, non-drafty shelter in the winter? Situating the shed to block prevailing winds should take care of winter needs. To catch breezes in hot weather, consider adding windows or removable panels high on the back wall. The roof overhang needs to be long enough to keep out blowing rain. Another way to provide summer shade and take advantage of moving air is to extend the roof at the front of the shed, providing a non-walled area where horses can get out of the sun.

Footing

 For a few horses in a dry climate, it may be possible to build the run-in shed without any special surface preparation. Where there is more precipitation or if a larger number of horses use the shed, the ground in and around the shelter will become muddy from rain and waste. To avoid this situation you can put down six inches of gravel covered by crushed rock or dirt, or pave the floor area with rubber blocks, blacktop, or rough-finished concrete.

Maintenance

Even with the sturdiest initial construction, horses will eventually damage any building by chewing, rubbing, and pawing all surfaces and edges. Check frequently for loose boards, protruding bolts or nails, exposed metal edges, and other hazards.

Excerpts from Kentucky Equine Research

Is Fescue the Right Choice for Your Horse Pasture?

This time of year, calls start coming in on pasture management.  What to grow, when to plant, how and when to fertilize, control weeds, etc.  One of the common questions I have experienced this year has been specific to fescue, and whether or not it is a good grazing choice or a concern in pastures.  There are many things to consider if fescue is part of your established pasture or a possible choice for a future pasture. 

Tall Fescue is a very widely used forage, often said the most commonly found pasture grass across the United States.  Fescue is a cool season perennial grass, and even though it is one of the oldest, most commonly found grasses, it has experience many changes and improvements throughout recent years.   Much of the discussion and literature you will find about fescue is regarding an “endophyte” fungus that often comes with the plant.  The word endophyte means that the fungus grows inside the plant, instead of growing on outer portions of the plant as with many other fungi.  The endophyte most often of concern with fescue is Acremnium coenophialum or more recently known as Neotyphoidium coenophialum, and it can only be detected by laboratory analysis.   The problem we often discuss with considering fescue is that the fungus can have an adverse affect on animals grazing the forage, while it does not harm the plant.  Actually, the endophyte is good for the plant, because it helps the grass be more tolerant to close grazing, drought, and pests.  Infected fescue has better seed germination rates, improved tillering, and is more competitive with other plant species than non-infected fescue.    

Preventing Problems with Horses Grazing Fescue: 

Fungus infected fescue is known to cause many problems in grazing animals, specifically referred to as “fescue toxicity”.  For horses in particular, there are many concerns, mostly with regard to broodmares.  Some of the adverse affects of broodmares grazing fescue include abortions, prolonged gestation, dystocia (difficult birth), thick or retained placentas, agalactia (poor milk production), and in worst cases foal or mare death from foaling complications.  Research regarding fescue and a complication from the endophyte fungus began in the 70s and has progressed throughout many land grant universities, revealing similar results.  The overall consensus when managing broodmares is to determine  if endophyte infected fescue is in the pasture and replace this fescue with an alternative, non-infected grass. There are low or non-infected fescue varieties and “endophyte friendly” or “novel” varieties available that are safe for feeding the mare, which contain an edophyte that is non-toxic to the animal but also provide the same benefits to the plant as the toxic endophyte fungus.   The other obvious and sometimes quicker solution is to make sure pregnant mares do not graze these fescue pastures.  Horses in particular (over other livestock species) tend to be extremely sensitive to the endophyte.  Recent studies have indicated that removing the pregnant mare 30-45 days prior to foaling will greatly reduce problems with foaling and lactation, while initial research recommended removal for 90 days prior to foaling.  In the event that a mare must remain on a fescue pasture, research has shown that she can be treated with a daily oral dose of the drug domperidome for 10-15 days prior to foaling.  Treatment can also be conducted after foaling to assist with milk production if preventative treatment wasn’t offered. Be sure to contact your veterinarian for guidance and advice on treating mares with domperidome.

How do I know if I have infected fescue?

If your pasture is primarily fescue grass and you want to determine what percent is infected, sampling is the best method.  Samples of plant stems should be taken randomly throughout the field, and sent for laboratory analysis.  The NC Department of Agriculture offers a fescue endophyte testing service for fescue grass or seed.  Grass samples in NC are $15, while seed is $15 or $25 depending on the seed crop.  For specific instructions on how to take and send a sample for analysis, horse owners should either contact their local NC Cooperative Extension office or contact the NCDA at 919-733-3930 or visit the website: http://www.ncagr.gov/plantindustry/seedandfertilizer/seed/Endophyte.htm .  A descriptive brochure is available with details on sampling and submission of the sample.  Once you have determined what percent of the pasture is infected, steps can be taken to remove or replace the infected fescue with more desirable forages, depending on the situation.

I hope this has helped explain the concerns with horses and other equines grazing fescue, and how to prevent or solve associated problems.  For additional assistance, contact your local county Extension Center.