Getting Your Horse Back in Shape

Many horse owners will give their horse the winter off to have some rest and relaxation after a long show or trail riding season. As the next show and trail riding season approaches, it’s time to start planning an exercise program to get your horse back in shape. This is something that takes time and should not be rushed. If a horse is brought back too hard too quickly, there is a much higher chance there will be soreness and injuries. Develop an exercise plan that matches the event you are working towards.

When beginning an exercise program for your horse, it is important to note its resting heart rate and respiration rate. These should be 28-44 beats per minute and 10-24 breaths per minute. A horse will have a lower resting heart rate as its fitness level increases. Once an exercise program is started, it should take a horse less than 20 minutes of rest to get its heart rate below 60 beats per minute. If it takes longer than this, the horse was over worked and your plan should be re-evaluated.

It will take about one month to see significant cardiovascular improvements once you start exercising your horse consistently. Start out with lower speeds over longer distances three to five days per week. It is important to give your horse time off every third or fourth day to prevent fatigue. As the horse’s condition improves, heart rate recovery time will decrease. This is how you know you can begin to increase the workload.

Once the horse has some condition, start to incorporate interval training. Interval training for horses is just like that for humans, short intense exercise (approximately two minutes) with a period of rest. This type of exercise increases the body’s anaerobic work, which leads to an increase in the amount of work that can be done before fatigue.

Don’t forget to include a period of warming up and cooling down. Both of these will help minimize the chance for exercise related injuries. Warming up slowly increases body temperature and blood flow allowing the muscles and tendons to loosen up, increasing range of motion and avoiding tears and pulls. It is recommended to do five minutes of walking followed by five minutes of light trotting before moving into more demanding work. Cooling down gradually brings the horse back to its resting state. Do five minutes of light trotting followed by five minutes of walking.

During training, it is important to be able to recognize dehydration in your horse. Use the skin pinch method to test this. Pinch a fold of skin on the horse’s neck near the shoulder and release it. The skin should flatten immediately if the horse is properly hydrated. If the horse is dehydrated it will take five to ten seconds, possibly more, for the skin to flatten out depending on the level of dehydration. To prevent this make sure your horse has a diet high in fiber. For every 2.2 pounds of dry hay a horse eats, it should consume up to one gallon of water.

No matter what you’re doing with your horse, it’s important to make sure they are in shape and can handle what you are asking of them. Use these tips to get your horse back in shape after it’s had time off.

                                                     

                              

                                               

Stallion Management

In this day age age, many people are breeding horses for various reasons. Genetics, coat color/pattern, behavior, and discipline are a few considerations that a horse owner may be looking for when deciding about breeding. Whether you are breeding horses naturally, or buying frozen semen to use for artificial insemination, stallion management is a very important part of the equation when thinking about breeding.

Photo Credit: Virginia Cooperative Extension

 Stallions can have a variety of temperaments. Regardless of their behavior during non-breeding season, they still have to all be managed the same way because of what they are capable of. The first step in stallion management is figuring out what to look for in a good stallion, whether you are buying semen or the stallion. The first rule is selecting a horse with a desirable pedigree. If you are looking for a champion reining foal, you will want to look for bloodlines that have had proven winners come out of those horses. A second aspect to look for in a breeding stallion is his conformation and other desirable traits that he may pass on to his offspring. If the stallion is in bad shape, chances are that he can give some of those characteristics to his foals. Just think of it this way, half of your foal’s traits and characteristics will come from the stallion, so make sure he fits the profile.

Whether you are managing a stallion barn or just a single stallion, another thing to think about is the breeding fee. If you are the stallion owner, chances are you did not get that stallion for free so you will want to breed the stallion so that he will earn his keep in the barn. Whether you are just providing natural breeding services, or collecting and shipping frozen semen, there are several things to consider when you decide on your fee. You have to put a price on your product so that others who wish to buy it can know what to expect to pay for it. You will have to do research on your genetics and bloodlines to see exactly how much a reasonable fee would be for your stallion. You will also have to take into consideration the process of breeding that is being done and how much labor and equipment will have to be used. All of these things are helpful to think about when choosing to allow your stallion to breed.

Photo Credit: University of Florida

 Location is also a factor when deciding to own a stallion. Many people often buy stallions wishing to breed them, but live in places that are so far away that no one can afford to get there, much less get a mare there. You will want to keep this in mind when managing a stallion at your farm. Also, you will want to be in a place that is dominated by the same breed as your stallion. For example, you would not want to have a Thoroughbred stallion in a state or region that is dominated by Quarter Horses. The same would be true for the opposite, a Quarter Horse stallion in a place that has numerous Thoroughbred mares. All of these things will affect your profitability on your stallion.

Managing a stallion also takes a certain kind of facility. The first thing is that you want to maintain a clean and attractive breeding farm so customers will want to bring their mare there for breeding. As a breeding farm manager, you will also need to make sure that the layout and accessibility of your farm is appropriate for a breeding program. If you are collecting a stallion, you will not want the cooler or storage room across the farm, etc. You will also want to maintain adequate facilities to house your stallion because they can be very powerful and destructive if they choose to be. Your facilities should be extremely secure and tough to withstand any number of circumstances.

There are so many other things that go along with managing and breeding a stallion that it is a science all by itself. There are numerous publications available on maintaining breeding farms, just make sure you are getting the right information. You may also want to check out this publication for any other information you may need. http://trace.tennessee.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1030&context=utk_agexani

You can always contact your local Cooperative Extension Service for more information as well.

Written By: Taylor Jones, NCSU Intern, Alamance County

Spring Vaccinations and Deworming

The best way to combat infectious diseases is to prepare and boost your horse's immune system with annual vaccinations.  The vaccinations administered by your veterinarian will protect your animal from a whole host of problems including tetanus, influenza, rabies, strangles, encephalomyelitis, West Nile virus, and Potomac Horse Fever to name a few.  Whole health programs are essential and should be discussed with your veterinarian to optimize not only vaccination schedules, but also deworming for your horses.  In some studies, 80% of colic cases are associated with parasites, so it's important to have a good deworming program in place.  Most farms deworm quarterly, however, farms with high stocking rates will have an increased parasite load on their pastures and may want to deworm more often.  Assessment of how well a deworming program is working is important.  Yearly targeted fecal flotation is useful to monitor parasite loads and dewormer efficacy.

For more information on recommended vaccinations and deworming schedules, see these articles used as references:  University of Minnesota Extension and American Association of Equine Practitioners.  Also, be sure to use your local veterinarian and county livestock extension agent as resources.

Spring Forage Management Reminders

It's finally starting to look and feel like spring is coming!  I'm sure many of you share my excitement and eagerness for warm weather after such a long, cold winter.  If you manage a hay field or pasture for your horses, or are planning to plant one, now is the time to make some management decisions.  What you do now will ensure spring pasture growth starts off right and leads into a productive summer.

For those wanting to plant a new pasture or hay field, your first decision will be what to grow.  Is bermudagrass the ideal forage for your land?  Are you interested in growing hybrid bermudagrass, or maybe a seeded variety?  There is a difference, starting with when and how to get this done.  Hybrids spread and reproduce by stolons (above ground growth) and rhizomes (below ground growth).  Any seeds seen on a hybrid plant are sterile, so we must start a field by planting "sprigs" which are small plants that have been dug from an established field and then re-planted to a new field.  Hybrid bermudagrass, such as "Coastal" or "Tifton 44" should ideally be planted anywhere from mid February to mid March, but can be into April.  There are sprig suppliers in the area that sell and will deliver sprigs to your field.  Our office can assist with contacts to sprig suppliers if this is your choice.  Seeded varieties of bermudgrass are also available and may be a better choice for small acreage locations or the flexibility of later planting dates. Examples of seeded varieties would be "Cheyenne" or "Wrangler" and can also be found fairly local by forage seed distributors.    

Of course, there are other forage choices you might decide to plant.  Bermudagrass is a perennial plant, which will grow throughout the spring and summer and become dormant during the winter months but come back again the next year, and that is one reason it is often preferred.  However, there are annual grasses that could be planted, such as pearl millet or crabgrass, and these will grow well and provide plenty of grazing throughout the warmer months too.  If you want the flexibility of planting something new each season, an annual such as these may be a better choice for you.  

Either way, if a soil sample has not been taken in the past 2-3 years, it's time to take one. Ideally, a soil sample is taken prior to the growing season, but anytime is better than none. Soil fertility changes over time and may not always be optimum for forage growth. Both establishing and planting forages for new pastures and maintaining fertility on existing pastures require soil sampling.   Pastures in southeastern NC will need to maintain around a 6-6.5 pH for maximum productivity.  Soil pH tends to drop off over time and additional lime may need to be applied in order to bring these levels back to normal. The soil sample will provide useful information with both lime recommendations and fertilization needs. Stop by the Extension office to pick up a soil test kit and instructions on sampling.   

Another important step to starting off spring growth is fertilization.  Meeting the needs of the plant will allow for the optimum production of the crop, whether for grazing or hay.  Fertilization for warm season grasses should be applied in split applications throughout the growing season, generally with the first application in April or early May.  Again, the soil test is a handy tool in knowing what the nutrient needs of your pasture are, being based on what is currently available in the soil and depending on the type of pasture you are growing.  

Along with the spring growth of our pastures, comes the growth of various weeds.  There are several products on the market to help with this.  Emerging warm season weeds, such as pigweed, dogfennel, bitter sneezeweed, sicklepod, and horsenette can be effectively controlled as long as they are treated while still immature.  At the same time, chemical herbicides generally work best when applied in moderate temperatures (60 degrees or better). A precaution to note: some herbicides are damaging to neighboring crops, such as tobacco and cotton, so be careful to select a safe product if these crops have been planted close by. Choosing to apply herbicides during calmer days or times of the day is also a good idea as wind will carry these chemicals farther than you might think.  

In addition to controlling broadleaf weeds that invade our pastures and hay fields, there now are more options for grass-type weeds.  Many fields battle competition from crabgrass, bahiagrass, goosegrass, and vaseygrass just to name a few.  Once you've identified the weed or weeds you are dealing with, a selection can be made of the most ideal, appropriate, yet economical method or chemical to achieve this goal.   

For your copy of an updated list of herbicides labeled for forages or for assistance selecting a product, contact your local Extension Center.  Someone there will be glad to assist you in decisions to get your spring pastures started off right. 

Eileen Coite, Sampson County Extension Director 

Virginia - North Carolina Horse Festival

The Virginia and North Carolina Cooperative Extension Services, Person and Caswell County Horseman's Associations, Averett University Equine Program, SouthEastern Farriers and Horseowners Association are hosting a VA-NC Horse Festival on Saturday, March 7th, 2015 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Olde Dominion Ag Complex Center in Chatham, Virginia at 19783 Hwy 29 South. 

Thanks to our major sponsor, Southern States from the Chatham-Gretna Cooperative and other vendors, sponsors, and supporters. FREE ADMISSION! Hourly demonstrations include:

• Dressage and Long Lining
• Parade of Breeds (Over 20 different types of breeds)
• Hunter/Jumper 
• Mounted Shooting

Averett University Equine Program will be there that day participating in this event. Some well known national show horses and their trainers will be there as well. This event is fun for all ages! Several sponsors and vendors will have displays that will include: face painting, barn safety, boots/wraps, western wear, door prizes, UTV's, horseshoeing, tail braiding, food concessions, grooming, tack, displays, ATV's, fencing, buying your 1st horse, compact tractors, truck dealerships, horse trailers, and much more. Whether your are a horse expert, novice, or just want to learn more and see what's going on, plan to spend the day and join the fun!  Call the Person County Cooperative Extension office at 336-599-1195 for more information or if you have questions.

Horse Behavior Management Tips

Horses love to spend their time grazing, socializing and moving around. Modern horse management systems don't always allow horses to experience their normal behavior. Problem behaviors can develop that pose a risk to the horse and to the owner. Problem behaviors can, include cribbing, weaving, bucking, aggression, wood chewing, and rearing. Below are a few management tips to prevent unwanted behaviors:

• Allow horses to spend time outside the stall. Giving horses plenty of turnout and exercise will reduce unwanted behaviors, resulting from boredom.
• Keeping horses in herds and not alone is a good practice to reduce the cause of problem behaviors. If horses cannot be kept in a herd, introducing them to other animals, such as sheep, goats, or donkeys can be an option. Horses are social animals.
• Design horse housing so that horses can see each other.
• Feeding horses a high forage diet and meeting their nutritional needs will deter some of the problem behaviors mentioned above. Limiting forage intake or feeding a high amount of grain can cause colic. 

Providing horses a stress free environment will make for a happy horse and a happy owner.