Vitamin and Mineral Nutrition of the Horse

Minerals are inorganic nutrients that are needed in relatively small quantities by the horse. The essential major minerals are calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, chloride, potassium and sulfur. The essential trace minerals needed are iron, zinc, copper, selenium, manganese, iodine, and cobalt.

A horse's mineral requirements will vary based on its body weight, age, physiological condition (e.g., pregnant, lactating) and activity level. For example, late gestation and lactating mares as well as young, rapidly growing horses have a proportionally greater requirement for some specific minerals e.g., calcium, phosphorus, copper, and zinc, than do other horses. The National Research Council (NRC) 2007 publication entitled, Nutrient Requirement of Horses lists daily mineral requirement as well as the mineral content of common feedstuffs. The mineral content of most grains and supplements are consistent enough that you can use values in the NRC tables; however, the quantity of minerals in forages can vary significantly with soil mineral content, plant species, stage of maturity at harvest, harvest conditions etc. Consequently, forages should be sent to a laboratory for mineral analysis.  This can be done for a small fee of $10 through NCDA&CS Farm Feed Testing Service.  Check with your Extension agent for more information.

Providing minerals at less than the recommended quantities can result in a dietary deficiency whereas providing minerals in excessive quantities can result in toxicity. In addition to the amount of mineral required daily, the ratios of minerals with each other and with other components of the ration are important due to effects on absorption, metabolism and/or excretion. In particular, a critical consideration in mineral nutrition of the horse is the calcium to phosphorus (Ca:P) ratio. 

Although the quantity of trace minerals required for normal growth, development and metabolism is very small, they are all absolutely essential.  Providing mineral supplementation can be accomplished in a number of different ways. You can use:

1.  Trace mineral salt, either in block or loose form containing Na, Cl and trace minerals but no Ca or P. This approach assumes that the Ca and P levels as well as the Ca:P ratio provided in the rest of the ration are appropriate. 

Photo Credit: myhorse.com

2.  Commercial complete mineral supplements containing major minerals such as Ca, P, Na, Cl, trace minerals etc. The mineral supplement should be chosen to compliment the mineral content of the remainder of the ration e.g., type of forage and concentrate if any. The complete mineral supplement is fed daily at the recommended rate to each individual horse. This method ensures that each horse consumes the appropriate amount of mineral. When using a complete mineral supplement horses should also have access to a white salt block that does not contain trace minerals.

3.  Commercial grain mix which contains major and trace minerals. If fed at the manufacturer's recommended rate, this method ensures that each horse consumes the appropriate amount of mineral.  When using a commercial grain mix, horses should also have access to a white salt block that does not contain trace minerals.

Vitamins are organic compounds that are needed in even smaller quantities than minerals by the horse, although no less critical. Vitamins can be divided into two groups, the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E and K and the water soluble C and B-complex vitamins. The National Research Council (NRC) 2007 publication entitled,Nutrient Requirement of Horses lists estimates of the daily requirements for vitamins A, D, E, and the B-vitamins thiamin and riboflavin. 

Vitamin A (or its precursor beta-carotene) and vitamin E are present in high concentrations in fresh green forages or newly harvested hay. Consequently, a horse grazing pasture will meet its vitamin A and E requirements. However, during the winter, when hay is stored, the levels of vitamins A and E in hay drop significantly, necessitating supplementation to meet requirements.  Sun-cured forages contain vitamin D. The vitamin D requirement is also met if the horse is exposed to sunlight for four to six hours a day because the ultraviolet rays of the sun will convert a precursor present in the skin to vitamin D.

Source: Marcia Hathaway, PhD. Department of Animal Science, University of Minnesota

To view the full article click here: http://www.extension.umn.edu/agriculture/horse/nutrition/vitamins-and-minerals/ 

Own a Horse? How About a Horse App!

No, I’m not talking about horse apples. Horse apps!  With the proliferation of electronic devices that will make and receive calls, send text messages, surf the internet, and run apps, it is only natural that there is are plenty of apps available to install on a phone, tablet, or pad that in some way pertain to horses.  Many of those apps are even useful as tools to help manage one’s horses.  Most of those cite the advantage of having your equine records in your pocket and always available.

There are a whole lot of those apps in the app stores that are games, wallpaper, or other mostly useless stuff, but there are also some likely gems when it comes to managing a stable and keeping financial records, keeping vet records, learning dressage, reining, or pleasure patterns, planning trail rides, training horses, or training a hippology or horse bowl team.  Any one of these needs might make an app on a phone or tablet worthwhile.

I will put the disclaimer in here:  I am not endorsing any specific apps for use with a horse, stable, or veterinary service.  With that said, there are some apps out there that are from .edu sources that should be trustworthy. 

Some of these apps might be useful in keeping feeding records, breeding records, registration papers, financial records, veterinary records, or other important information about your horse.  There are apps that will estimate a horse’s weight, though there are some measurements that have to be taken to make this one work.   There are apps that show that anatomy and physiology of the entire horse, and apps that only show the parts of a horse’s hoof.  There are plenty of “how to” apps also.  Of course, there are lots of equine game apps to help pass the time between classes at shows.

When choosing an equine app for your highly sophisticated communications device, be sure to do a little research.  Before downloading and installing any app on your phone or tablet, be sure to check out any reviews, see when the last update was made, or even if the app is still available. If it hasn’t been updated in a couple of years, it may not be one to use. If the reviews are poor, it may not be very useful.  Talk with friends and folks in the horse business to see if there might be any particular app that they like and how it is best used.  Adventurous folks might try a new app and write a review to share with other horse owners.  Most of these apps cost between $1.00 and $10.00.   That’s a lot less than buying a software package for the home computer, but folks should try to find some information that will help them make an informed decision.

I don’t know if there is a linear relationship or correlation between owning a horse and also owning an Apple product, but a lot of the equine apps are only available for Apple gear.  I did see several reviews of apps that said Android versions were planned or would be released soon.  Hopefully, the best apps are available to anyone.

The University of Minnesota has a couple of apps that Apple users may be interested in.  One is a “Hay Price Calculator” app that converts the per-bale price to a price per ton for a better price comparison.  The other is called “Healthy Horse” and is a body weight estimator that folks can use to see if their horse is over or under weight, or is at the ideal weight for that type of horse.  Adjustments to the feeding program can then be made to have horses gain or lose weight, or maintain the current weight.   These can be found at http://z.umn.edu/ituneshorsehay ($0.99) and http://z.umn.edu/itunesHealthyHorse ($1.99).

Have fun deciding which equine app or apps will be most useful.  Now I’m wondering how to best wrap one of these to put under the tree this holiday season!

Caring For Your Senior Horse

We’ve all heard the phrases “Well, I’m no spring chicken” or “I’m not as young as I used to be”.  The older we get, our joints creak and pop a little more than they used to, our eyesight is not as sharp and it takes a little bit longer to get moving.  With everything that happens to us on a daily basis, it’s easy to forget that they happen to our equine friends too.  As our horses get older, there are things that we can do, steps that we can take to help them age gracefully and comfortably.  Researchers from the University of Georgia and University of Florida have detailed some of the most common problems for senior horses and their solutions and compiled them in the article below.

Caring for the Older Horse: Common Problems and Solutions    

Equine Embryo Transfer

By: Margaret Ross

Adapted from: Embryo Transfer in Mares. Fred M. Hopkins, Professor, Large Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science; Doyle G. Meadows, Professor, Animal Science

Embryo transfer, also known as ET, is a reproductive technology that has various uses in the equine reproductive industry. These uses include:

·      Mares under 2 years old can have offspring

·      Show mares can have offspring without being removed from the show ring

·      Mares that are less fertile can have offspring

Embryo transfer has lots of advantages and well as disadvantages, including that it is a technical and time-consuming procedure that doesn’t always have a very high success rate. To add, some breed registries have restrictions for ET use. Each registry has different rules and registrations regarding embryo transfer.

When selecting a donor mare, one should look for a successful reproductive history and the mare should be gaining weight with a moderate body condition score. They should also be experiencing normal heat cycles and have a physical examination conducted to be sure they are in good health.

Recipient mares should be les than 10 years old and also be in good physical condition. They should also be prepared for the transfer dependent upon if they are intact or if they have had their ovaries removed. Intact mares can either be teased to determine heat cycle stage or they have their estrous cycle manipulated by giving hormones to synchronize their cycles. Mares without their ovaries have a different protocol that includes administering hormones. See the full article for more information.

Seven days after ovulation, the donor mare is collected. Only 1-2 embryos are typically collected, since horses cannot be superovulated like cows. Usually in healthy mares, an embryo is actually found in 50 to 80 percent of attempts.

Surgical implantation or nonsurgical methods are options for placing the embryos in the recipient mare. Most horse embryos are transferred by the nonsurgical option using an embryo transfer gun. The rates for recipient mares implanted with embryos determined to be of good quality range from 40 to 70 percent.

See full article here.

Winter Dehydration

Even in cold winter months, dehydration can occur in horses. Dehydration occurs when horses lose too much water from their body and do not replenish it. Water is lost through urine, feces, sweating and moisture in breath exhaled from the lungs. 

Horses may reduce their water intake levels that can cause significant health problems. It is necessary to have adequate levels of water in the body because water is responsible for essential functions, such as, maintaining normal digestion, proper levels of moisture in feces, normal blood volume and the normal function of sweat glands. 

Insufficient water can cause decreased feed intake and impaction colic.

Decrease feed intake occurs because their is not enough saliva produced to mix with the food. A hydrated horse will produce about 10 gallons of saliva daily to help soften the food mass as it is chewed. Even if quality feed is offered, a horse will consume less if they are not drinking sufficient water. Less feed can mean less energy to tolerate cold weather and weight loss.

Impaction colic can be the most dangerous of the two. Feed material during digestion and fecal matter after digestion must have the appropriate moisture levels. If they become too dry, impaction (intestinal blockage) can occur because the feed material is not moved along the digestive tract in a timely manner.    

Horse owners should watch for the signs of a lethargic horse or decreased feed intake. Encouraging an increase in water consumption can prevent impaction colic.

Tips to encourage water consumption:

• Warm the water. Studies have shown when water was heated, water consumption increased by 40 percent per day.

• Additional salt. Increasing salt content will stimulate a horse to drink more water. A 1000 pound horse should be consuming about 2 ounces of salt per day. 

No matter the season, weather condition, or activity of the horse, good quality water should be provided at all times to prevent dehydration.  

Water and Hay: Critical for Cold Weather

With the brisk temperatures and frequent fluctuations of our North Carolina winter weather, it is always good to remember how critical these changes can be to our equine companions.  If you’ve been in the horse business long enough, you have probably encountered a horse experiencing colic due to temperature changes.  Keeping horses warm and hydrated in the winter, as well as in good body condition can be a challenge.  Key factors in achieving this are providing shelter from the wind and rain, along with plenty of clean water and good hay.  Here are some things to consider as the winter progresses.

Maintaining ample water intake is the most critical part of ensuring the health of your horse during cold weather.  The horse prefers a water temperature of 45-65°F.  Under normal conditions, horses will consume one gallon of water per 100 pounds of body weight per day.  An 1100 pound horse will consume 10-12 gallons of water daily.  But, as water temperature decreases, horses will consume less.  An 1100 pound horse may consume as little as 1-3 gallons of water per day when water temperature is 32°F. 

 Low water intake is directly related to the increased incidence of impaction colic.  Water intake can be encouraged by increasing the amount of forage being fed prior to a drop in temperature.  The resulting increase of dry matter encourages the horse to drink more water.  Concentrate mashes can also be fed during the actual cold period when water temperature is below 45°F.  Feeding 2-3 gallons of hot water mixed in a mash with a textured or pelleted concentrate mix will provide additional water intake.  To avoid gas colic, allow for the mash to sit for 15 minutes. This will permit the feed to expand prior to feeding.  If possible, offer 10 gallons of water (at 65°F or warmer) twice daily.  Break and remove ice from water tubs, making certain to provide water that is available free choice. 

Providing good quality, nutritious hay is another critical aspect to winter management of horses.  This is the time of year where hay supplies can get thin, so planning ahead and purchasing enough hay to get through the winter is critical.  When temperatures get below freezing, winter pasture growth reduces tremendously, and hay is our only forage option.  Horses, along with other grazing animals, need hay to stay warm.  Hay and other forages are digested in the cecum and large intestine of the horse, and this digestion process is the primary source of regulating body temperature. Many horses can maintain their weight through the winter with just an increase in hay consumption.  Those that are harder to keep weight on or older will often need a gradual increase of grain as well. Horses should consume at least 1.5% of their body weight in hay during cold periods.  For example, a mature 1000 pound horse should consume 15-18 pounds per day of hay to meet these temperature needs in cold weather.  It’s important to pay close attention to body condition during these periods, and actually “feel” your horse.  A long hair coat or winter blanket can often cover up thin spots on a horse, so be sure to examine your horse closely and get a feel for where your horse’s ribs, backbone, etc. are and how much fat or “cover” there is over and around them.  If a horse given plenty of hay is having trouble maintaining weight, increasing fat to the concentrate diet may also be helpful.  Many “high fat” feeds are on the market just for this purpose. 

These are just a few tips to help you and your horses get through the brisk winter days that are starting and will be here for awhile. For more information or advice, don’t hesitate to contact your extension agent or veterinarian.

Fall Forage Information

Winter is quickly approaching and if you're like me, you're always late getting your pastures planted. The following is a description of some of the forages planted in North Carolina for winter/fall grazing.  Before planting any seed always make sure you take a soil sample to know the fertilizer recommendations. 

In eastern North Carolina we are blessed to have a great climate to plant a wide variety of forages for the fall/winter months. In our area we can plant Oats, Wheat, Triticale, Rye and Ryegrass, Fescues, Brassicas, Winter Peas and many others. If you are looking at planting triticale make sure you have contacted someone about seed early as there is a shortage of seed for this fall. The seeding rate on triticale is between 100 to 150lbs per acre. Over the years we have seen an increase of producers planting ryegrass which is seeded at 35-40lbs per acre. Ryegrass grows quickly once it is planted and is a great source for producers to turn to during fall and spring months. 

Annual Ryegrass Pasture

There has also been an increase in producers planting mixes, (2 to 7 varieties) of forages together to help build soil health and used as grazing. These mixes have come about through the research done by the Amazing Grazing team at NC State University to promote a different way of thinking about pastures. We all want as much forage per acre to feed our livestock but we also must think about the soil health as well. Such mixes as the Ray’s Crazy Mix have several varieties of seeds that have different root systems to expand the pores of the soil to create less runoff and more nutrients that can enter into the soil. The Ray’s Crazy Mix needs to be planted at a minimum of 40lbs per acre. Fescues also work well in our area and can be planted from September through November depending on weather conditions. 

Any fescue needs to be seeded at 35 to 40lbs per acre. Fescue is suited more for a clay based soil and not a sandy base soil. It is also recommend to mix clover in with your fescue to promote an added nitrogen source to the soil. If you are going to inter-seed a clover the seeding rate would be 4 to 5lbs per acre.  Turnips and radishes are a great source to use for cover crops in our area. Not only do they work well to sustain the soil through the winter months but they also expand the root systems below the surface to increase nutrient intake into the soil. The seeding rate on these is around 14lbs per acre. With so many varieties to plant for our area make sure you talk to your local extension agent to see what would best suit your farm and the goals you have for each forage season. As a final note, talk with your agent to know the fertilizer recommendations to put on these forages to get the best grazing season that you can.

Written By: Jared Harrell

Nutrition and Reproduction

The relationship between nutrition and reproduction has been one of extreme interest to the animal science community.

 

The various gestational stages of the mare necessitate different nutritional requirements. What she eats prior to breeding may not be as important as what she eats when lactating (just an example). It is important to know and understand the differences in physiological status and how to feed accordingly; it is essential in providing proper nutrition for both mare and foal. The mare’s breed, age, stage of pregnancy, and the nutrient content of the feed/forage supplied must be taken into account when determining your proper feeding plan.

Gestation in the horse is approximately 11 months, or 338-345 days from the last breeding date. In the first two trimesters, the foal is not growing much at all. In fact, at month 7 the foal is only about 20% of its birth weight. The mare’s requirements in the first 7 months do not differ much from that of an adult horse at maintenance—about 1.5-2% of body weight, provided as good quality hay. It is important to make sure you don’t overfeed your pregnant mare; overly fat animals, of most species, have an increased rate of birthing difficulty (dystocia).

Late pregnancy, from month 7 to foaling, is the crucial time when you should ensure your mare is getting all the nutrients she needs. The foal is gaining about 0.75-1 lb. per day in this stage of gestation and the mare’s protein and mineral requirements increase dramatically. The energy requirements only increase by about 15% so again, it is important not to overfeed. Concentrated feed—formulated for gestating mares—will usually supply the appropriate increased amount of protein, calcium and phosphorous that she needs. Trace minerals are also necessary to the health of the mare and foal, most of the gestating mare feeds have this added (a “free choice” supplement may also be used).

Lactating mares also have increased requirements for proteins and minerals. She will also need an additional 10-14 lbs. of grain and forage per day. Be sure to increase the grain in her diet gradually over the last few weeks of pregnancy. Grain amounts can be decreased as the foal approaches weaning, approximately 6 months old, since she will no longer be needed for producing milk. 

It is important to have your veterinarian do a nutritional assessment on your mare before every breeding season. This will help you determine what to feed your mare and when, to ensure she has a healthy foal and can be rebred successfully. 

By Stefani Garbacik, Livestock Agent, Wayne County

Stallion Breeding Reports

Attention American Quarter Horse Association Stallion Owners:

Don't forget to submit your stallion breeding report by November 30th to avoid any late fees. It needs to be postmarked by that date or entered on-line.

Forms can be found at: http://www.aqha.com/About/Content-Pages/About-the-Association/Services/Submit-Stallion-Breeding-Reports.aspx

Is Breeding Your Mare the Right Decision?

Babies are soooooo cute! Don’t you just want one? Everybody does.

You really love your mare, and she would make you such a cute baby.

She’s your most favorite horse, you’ve had her since you were both young and she’s not getting any younger. They don’t make them like her any more.

They are all valid points of consideration, but are they enough in this world of unwanted horses. Everyday you hear about neglected and abused horses. See horrific pictures of horses in starved and awful conditions. Sometimes even from so called rescues. Does your mare have the right stuff to make a baby that will have a future?

To consider taking on the responsibility of a foal should require careful thought that includes the future of the horse beyond being that cute fuzzy little foal into a rambunctious yearling and two year old and on into a productive adult. What will this foal’s job be as it ages? What is the market for this foal if you don’t keep it? Can you afford to care for, train, and develop the horse for the market?

All things to think about, but seeing those cute fuzzy little things playing in the new spring grass can cloud person’s judgment.

Some breed associations have gone so far as to structure the selection of the mares and stallions for breeding, such as the Hanoverians. Their selection criteria can be found at http://en.hannoveraner.com/home/breeding/breeding-program/breeding-programme-for-show-jumpers/selection-criterias/

Selection Criteria for mares

1. Mares with a breeding value evaluated from the data of the mare performance test of at least 125 points and with a score of at least 8.0 for free jumping or

2. Mares, whose dams and sires take part in the program for breeding Hanoverian show-jumpers and who received a score of at least 8.0 for free jumping in the mare performance test or

3. Dams and full sisters of horses which are internationally successful and are ranked by the World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses (WBFSH) or

4. Mares with own show records and/or with show records of their offspring.

The Friesian horse registry is even more selective and the rules can be found at http://www.fhana.com/regulations/details.php?unid=72, and are very detailed about the levels of registry for both the mares and stallions including show record and pedigree considerations as well as designations of registry in the Foal Book and the Stud Book, Star Mare and Model Mare, all in the efforts of improving the breed.

The 6666 Ranch of Texas, known for it’s production of cow horses for the working ranch, race track and the show pen has gone so far as to publish a list of criteria on their website that includes:

The decision to retain a broodmare is based on the following:

1.Conformation

2.Pedigree

3.How well (gelding) siblings perform, usually on the ranch

4.Her show or race record, if shown or raced

5.Siblings' show or race records

6.Quality and performance of offspring (retention over time)

Further information about their breeding program can be found at 6666ranch.com/quarter-horses/quarter-horse-mares.html

In an effort to bring this subject to a more personal and local level I asked to a few of my friends, that have experience with breeding, raising and showing horses, for their opinions.

The first breeder I spoke to is Elizabeth O’Briant, owner and operator of “In Time Arabians” of Mingo, NC.  She named her farm this back in the 70’s with the hopes that “In Time” she would breed, raise, show and sell national quality Arabian and half Arabian horses. In pursuit of knowing a quality horse she is also an open show judge and is certified to judge in hunt seat, saddleseat, western and non trotting horses. Most recently she has also started her raising own racing quarter horses.

She started breeding Arabians back in the 1980’s, at a time when the market was flourishing and Arabians were selling for large sums of money.  Many people were in the breeding business, but In Time Farm is not a big farm, and had to be quite selective in the 2 to 3 mares that she bred every year.  Through trial and error she learned much about the breeding game. Most importantly, just because you have a beautiful mare and you breed her to a beautiful stallion it does not mean that you will get a beautiful baby.

“I think the mare contributes more to the baby than the stallion, so therefore I spend more time finding the best mares. Although no horse is perfect I try to find mares with very few faults.  I study the pedigrees first.  The most important lineage in a pedigree is the “female tail line” or the mares dam line.  I want to see what these mares have produced.  If they have produced champions then I’m off to the next step.  What kind of faults does my mare have?  Does she have crooked legs or club feet?  If so I don’t breed her because they will pop up sooner or later.  I consider these major faults.  If I am breeding for a saddleseat horse then the mare I am breeding had better have a nice high set on neck with plenty of leg action.  If not, then I will not get a saddleseat prospect.  What about a western pleasure prospect?  I want a horse that is extremely quiet and built to do the job.  I would never cross a high headed horse hoping that her baby would have a western pleasure frame or I would never take one of my race horses and breed it hoping for a western pleasure horse.  Disposition and trainability are as important to me as conformation.”

In Time Farm has bred horses that have won over 10 national titles with over 20 top ten awards.  These awards were in halter, western, hunter and saddleseat.  The competition and the quality in the show pen gets tougher every year.  The first thing she breeds for is quality and conformation.  It takes a very pretty horse to win unless it is a timed or scored event. She has crossed American Saddlebred mares on Arabian stallions, liking what each breed has to offer. With this cross she hopes for a halter horse that will go on to make a performance horse.  Saddlebreds tend to be a little long backed so therefore she is going to cross on a shorter backed Arabian stallion.  She also hopes that the stallion will pretty the head up. Saddlebreds usually have great length of necks and although an Arabian does not have the length that the Saddlebred does, the Arab has a nice shape to its neck so the foal will hopefully get a long neck with a nice shape to it.  The American saddlebred has beautiful movement so by breeding the mare to a very big moving “English type” Arabian stallion she hopes to get the movement too. No one stallion or mare will give you everything.

Further she explained “If I’m crossing for a Half Arabian western pleasure horse then I’m going to cross the Arabian on a quarter horse because the quarter horse is a more stock type breed. If I am breeding one of my quarter horse race horses then I am going to breed a mare that has a great speed index to a proven race horse stallion. I’m not breeding because the stallion is sweet or because I like his color. I’m breeding for the racing discipline. When it comes to selecting the right stallion you need to research his pedigree as well. How well has he produced and what has he produced.  Have his babies been marketable?”

The second breeder I spoke to is Amanda Benton of Rowan Creek Farm, Ivanhoe, NC. Amanda began showing in 1987 in the stock breeds in the varied classes of all-around, western pleasure, hunter under saddle and driving, as well as some hunters, dressage. She then moved on to breeding and showing her own quarter horse foals. She recently moved into the miniature arena with great success, showing to 4 American Miniature Horse Association World Championships, 3 reserves and multiple regional championships.

Amanda explained, “When looking at broodmares a good mind is first and foremost. A bad minded mare will typically result in a bad minded, difficult to train foal. I believe it's not all genetics as much as it's what the mare teaches her foal from birth to weaning. Conformation is second. Some flaws I can overlook but a good mind I cannot. A mare needs to be suited to purpose. I am especially picky when it comes to feet, legs and gait. A crooked legged foal may get around the show pen a year or two but eventually limb deformations, even minor flaws, can and will cause soundness issues and eventual retirement from the show pen. Beyond mind and conformation I prefer mares that are pleasing to the eye overall, balanced and correct. A kind, soft eye to me is very telling of a mare's personality as well.”

When asked how a mare’s pedigree figured into her choices she said, “Pedigree is often a deciding factor for a lot of breeders and while a strong pedigree can be a plus when selling a prospect it's not a deciding factor for me when choosing a mare. Many world champions have been bred to a world champion only to produce a mediocre performer. And the other side of that coin are the stellar performers who came from no-name parentage. I don't put a large amount of emphasis on pedigree.”

Over and over again you can see that there are several factors in common when people and organizations consider breeding and the selection of the mare. When you’re thinking about breeding your own mare, other considerations can be the cost of maintaining your mare and then the foal, loss of productive time while your mare is carrying and caring for the foal, and then the training and continuing care of the foal until it is of an age that it can be usable, and the possible loss of that mare. What is the cost of all that compared to shopping for a foal that is what you want already delivered and ready to go at weaning? As a yearling? Two year old? Finished adult horse that is ready to go down the trail or into the show pen?

Babies can be a fun and exciting experience that I know personally, but I also know that it is an expensive hobby and if you don’t have a market for your animals you shouldn’t be breeding. Some people can actually make money in the industry, but usually it’s the law of averages has finally worked in their favor. Think long term for your horse. Where do you want it to be in 5, 10, 15, 20 years? With good care horses can live a long and fruitful life being enjoyed at all stages of their life if they are a horse people want. Think carefully when you consider breeding, are you creating a horse that people will want, visit some online rescue sights to look at the pictures, and make sure you want to make the commitment of bringing another horse into this world. 

Written by Anne Wicke, Sampson County Extension REINS Volunteer

 

Take Our Survey

NC Cooperative Extension wants to provide horse owners with up to date, relevant information.  Please take a few minutes and fill out of survey, so we can help make the Horse Blog even better.  Thanks!
 

Take our survey 

Fecal Egg Counts

Fecal egg counts can be performed on any species, but they are especially important for horses.  Parasite resistance to dewormers is starting to be a problem in horses.  You can learn how to do the process yourself at most Extension Offices. 

Most people use fecal egg counts to figure out if their dewormer is still working on their farm.  They will perform a count, deworm the animals that need it, and then two weeks later, do another count.  If the worm egg load has not decreased by 90%, then the dewormer you are using is starting to lose its effectiveness.  You have severe resistance issues when your egg counts show less than a 60% reduction.  There are three classes of dewormers and in this case, you would have to switch.  You cannot just switch to another brand name of dewormer because it could be in the same class, you must look at the active ingredient when switching dewomer classes.

When counting, you are checking for strongyles in horses, because they are the parasite that causes most of the problems.  However, there have been a few cases when other parasites are the real culprit such as liver flukes or coccidia.  They require different treatments, so it’s important to first figure out what you are dealing with.  You may have some animals on your farm that have problems, but when you check the fecal eggs in the microscope, they may not have a heavy worm load.  This is important to find out as you are trouble shooting, because you can eliminate parasite pressure as being a possibility.  The animals may have a disease that you will need to treat.

When checking fecal egg counts, you may discover a few animals in your herd that always have high worm loads.  This is why keeping good records is really important.  At that point, you may decide to cull those high worm load animals off your farm.  Parasite resistance is moderately heritable, so it’s a good idea to sell those animals instead of breeding them since they can pass on the problem to their foals.

Several farmers have gotten serious about fecal egg counting after getting trained and have bought their own microscope and supplies to do their own counts on the farm.  If an animal is doing poorly, that is often the first step they take towards troubleshooting the problem.  Some farmers chose to only run samples every once in awhile and in that case will bring their samples to the Extension office to run them.  Some farmers will bring their samples to a local Veterinarian to analyze.  Which ever way you decide to go, fecal egg counts can be very beneficial to your farming management plan.

You can work with your Veterinarian on threshold limits, so that you know when deworming is needed.  Just a few worm eggs in every sample is normal.  Parasites like warm, wet weather, so you may need to do fecal egg counts more frequently during this time, but you can check them all year.  Some supplies that you will need are a microscope that is able to magnetize 100 times, a measuring vial or scale, a McMaster slide (preferably with green lines for more visibility, cups, fecasol, a strainer, popsicle sticks, a timer, gloves, and an eye dropper.

If you need help with deworming information or would like to learn how to do your own fecal egg counts, please call your local Extension Office. 

Preparing for Winter Feeding

Fall is in full swing and winter temperatures are right around the corner.  As temperatures dip low during the winter, a horse's nutritional requirements change along with the seasons.  The ideal situation is to have a horse entering the winter acclimated to the cold with a thick hair coat and fat cover.  The lower critical temperature (LCT) for a horse is the temperature below which the horse will start to use more energy for maintaining body warmth than their normal expenditure.  This will vary from horse to horse and by location depending upon what the horse is accustomed to and if shelter is provided or not.  For example, a lean horse stabled in a heated barn in NC with a clipped hair coat may be have a LCT of 50F, where a shaggy, heavily conditioned horse accustomed to living outdoors in Minnesota my have a LCT of 30F or lower.

Some horses will need extra energy supplement in addition to their forage intake to help them maintain their body temperature without losing body condition or undergoing cold stress.  For each degree Fahrenheit below the horse's lower critical temperature, the caloric needs will generally increase by about 1%.  Some signs to look for to tell if the horse has reached it's LCT:

• If the horse is shivering
• If the hair coat is standing on end instead of lying flat
• Seeking shelter from wind or precipitation

If you see these signs, there's a good chance that your horse's energy needs are not being met and they need some energy supplement to offset that deficiency. 

In winter months, horses should have access to at least 1.5-3% of their body weight in some form of quality forage (long stem hay, chopped hay, cubes, or a combination).  They should also have access to salt at all times and unlimited ice-free water.  To avoid impaction colic, a horse will require a lot more water when consuming dried hay instead of grazing lush pasture.  If cold stress is an issue, the situation may warrant supplementation with grain to maintain weight through the cold months, however, grain shouldn't constitute a majority of the horse's diet.  Many people believe that feeding more concentrates will help keep the horse warmer, however, there isn't as much heat produced as a byproduct of digestion, absorption, and utilization of grains as there is from the microbial fermentation of forages. 

The take home message should be to evaluate the status of your horses (body condition, hair coat, environment, etc), evaluate your pasture for forage availability, figure out how much hay/grain supplementation will be needed, and prepare for the upcoming change in weather.  Making these preparations will hopefully prevent you and your horse from having any problems through the winter!  

For more information on Winter Feeding, see these two articles used as references:

   Rutgers Extension: Winter Feeding for Horses

   University of Minnesota Extension: Feeding Your Horse in Winter

Are You Prepared?: Putting Together a Basic First-Aid Kit

Horses are accident prone. It seems no matter how hard you try they always manage to injure themselves, whether it be a swollen knee from a well placed kick or a cut from that nail that wasn’t there yesterday. Having a well stocked first-aid kit will take some of the stress out of caring for your horse’s minor injury or health problem. Remember, you should not expect to fix any major medical crises with your kit. If you cannot easily and confidently treat your horse’s injury, consult your veterinarian right away.

Here are the “essentials” when creating your kit:

• Choose an airtight, waterproof container to keep supplies and equipment sterile and dry, like a fishing tackle box with lots of little compartments or a clear kitchen container. The more organized your kit is the easier it is to find things when you need them!
• Label the container and put it in an easy to find place so no matter who is in your barn will know what it is.
• Make sure you have a list of emergency phone numbers, i.e. your veterinarian, your farrier, the closest veterinary and human hospital, a horse rescue or ambulance service (if there is one in your area), the fire department, and the police.
• Taping a list to the lid of what’s inside the kit will help keep you organized and you’ll be able to look quick to see if the kit has what you need. When an item is used, cross it off the list and be sure to replace it!  
• A rectal thermometer - a digital plastic one is safer than glass and will give you a quicker reading.
• Petroleum jelly for the rectal thermometer. It can also be used to help heal chapped skin.
• A stethoscope. Use this to listen for gut sounds and monitor heart rate.
• Safety scissors with blunt ends to ensure you do not cut yourself or your horse when snipping bandages.
• Small, sharp scissors - can be used for suture removal among other things.
• Latex gloves.
• Self-sticking bandage, like Vetwrap.
• Gauze squares at least 3 inches by 3 inches. It’s helpful to have a variety of sizes.
• Gauze bandage roll, like Kling, is also handy to have. It can help cushion an area.
• A roll of sterile cotton. This can also help cushion a wound and can be used to apply direct pressure to a bleeding wound.
• Thick sanitary napkins or disposable diapers are also useful when applying direct pressure to a bleeding wound.
• Paper towels. The blue shop towels are strong and very absorbent.
• Medical adhesive tape like the type people use.
• A cold pack for when cold hosing is not an option. A chemical cold pack is good because you don’t have to worry about keeping it cold.
• Standing wraps/stable wraps - make sure you always have an even number. You NEVER want to wrap only one leg.
• Antiseptic wound cream, like furacin (yellow).
• Spray-on wound treatment, like Wound-Kote or Scarlex.
• Hydrogen peroxide for cleaning fresh wounds. It can also help when treating thrush (a fungal infection in the hooves). Don’t apply to healing wounds because it will inhibit the healing process.
• Antiseptic scrub, like Betadine or Nolvasan.
• A flashlight.
• Saline solution for cleaning wounds around the eyes. A bottle of contact solution with a squirt nozzle works great.
• Pre-moistened alcohol swabs for cleaning small cuts and preparing a clean injection site. Rubbing alcohol and cotton balls also work for this situation.
• Rubbing alcohol for sterilizing equipment.
• Epsom salt, which can be found at the pharmacy. Mix with  warm water to soak an abscessed foot.
• Forceps or tweezers for removing splinters, ticks, and other hard to grab things.
• Iodine shampoo can help treat various skin conditions. Use as directed by your veterinarian.
• Poultice that can be used hot or cold. This is good for taking heat out of a swollen leg or bee sting.
• Clear plastic wrap. It can be used as a barrier between poultice and standing wraps as well as an ice pack.
• A hoof pick.
• Farrier’s tools, like a rasp, nippers, and hoof knife. These are good to have if you ever need to pull a shoe. Ask your farrier if they have any old ones they'd be willing to part with.
• Duct tape because duct tape can fix anything! It’s very useful as a hoof wrap because it’s water resistant, moldable, and pretty durable.

When putting together your horse first-aid kit, don't forget about the humans. It’s always good to keep some things handy, like antibiotic cream, band-aids, sunblock, aspirin, and any allergy medications your barn people may need. They say two are better than one, right? That goes for first-aid kits as well. Make one for home and one for the road! You never know when you'll need something.

By: Liz Joseph