Spring Vaccination Tips

Have you remembered to vaccinate your horse this spring?  Some of us may have remembered that it's time, but still not checked the task off our list! Everyone has their own system and situation, but we all should have a list of "must dos" on our vaccine list.  First and foremost, make sure you consult your horse's veterinarian for their recommendations.  Variations in a vaccination plan may be due to your horses age and exposure to other horses, and travel plans.  

The "core* diseases (vaccines)": 

According to the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, the following are diseases we ALL should make sure our horses are protected from. The following recommendations are if the horse has been previously vaccinated, and is greater than one year of age. 

·      Tetanus - Annual vaccination with tetanus toxoid, with a booster if a penetrating (puncture) injury occurs 

·      Rabies - Annual vaccination

·      Encephalomyelitis (Eastern and Western) - EEE and WEE should be vaccinated for each spring and fall. With the mild winters we generally have (especially this year) this is critical to protection from the virus carried often by mosquitos

·      West Nile Virus - Similar to Encephalomyelitis, West Nile vaccination is also needed each spring and fall

*Core vaccines are named such because they protect against diseases that are endemic to a region, virulent or highly contagious, pose a risk of severe or fatal disease, have potential public health significance, and/or are required by law.  

The next vaccines are "non-core" but risk based vaccines, meaning that they are selected based on assessment of risk performed by, or in consultation with, a licensed veterinarian, and may vary between individuals, populations, and/or geographic regions.  

·      Equine Herpesvirus (EHV)

·      Equine Influenza

·      Potomac Horse Fever

·      Strangles

There are many factors which influence the right vaccination protocol for your horse.  Stages of life, such as age, reproductive status, activity and exposure to other horses are all considerations.  Always make sure to consult your veterinarian for the best vaccination protocol to ensure the well-being of your horse. 

Information source: UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital for Updated Vaccination Guidelines for Horses in North America (March 2015)

Posted by Eileen A. Coite, County Extension Director, Sampson County 

Cost Share Assistance Programs

Written by: Jamie D. Warner

Adapted from a presentation by: Kaitlyn Johnson, Randolph Soil and Water

Many Cooperative Extension offices get phone calls every year about help with funding farm projects such as well drilling, pasture renovation, watering device installation and more.  While Extension can provide valuable technical assistance, it does not have a pool of funds to aid in the installation of any on-farm practices.  For monetary cost share programs, farmers should contact their local Soil and Water Conservation District to see if they qualify for the programs available.  There are three programs that horse owners could potentially be eligible for:  NC Agricultural Cost Share Program (NCACSP), Agricultural Water Resources Assistance Program (AgWRAP) and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).  Below are a few bulleted points on each program.

NC Agricultural Cost Share Program (NCACSP):   

·      The NCACSP helps address nonpoint pollution to improve or protect water QUALITY on Agriculture lands.

·      Eligibility: Landowners or renters of existing agricultural operations that have been operating for MORE THAN three years.

·      Applicants should work with their local Soil and Water Office to develop and approve individual conservation plans that identify the best management practices (BMPs) for their particular operations.  Plan designs should include how to ensure the longevity of the specified BMPs.

·      Applicants could be reimbursed up to 75% of the cost of a predetermined average for each BMP installed.

·      Some projects that could be covered under this program include:  stream exclusion fencing, drinkers with piping or grassed waterways.

·      Depending on the practice you are installing, some specific rules may apply so please consult with your local office before making any decisions.

Agricultural Water Resources Assistance Program (AgWRAP):

·      The AgWRAP is for help installing practices that increase the water capacity or QUANTITY on Agricultural lands.

·      Eligibility: Landowners or renters of an existing agricultural operations that have been operating for MORE THAN three years.

·      Applicants should identify opportunities to increase water use efficiency, availability and storage; implement BMPs to conserve and protect water resources; increase water use efficiency and increase water storage and availability.

·      The Soil and Water Conservation Commission allocated 45% of available BMP funding for district allocations for all approved AgWRAP BMP’s. The remaining 55% will be allocated for new ponds and pond repair/retrofits applications through a competitive regional application process.  Standard reimbursement rates differ by county/district.

·      Projects could include an agricultural pond, agricultural pond cleanout or well installation.

Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP):

·      The EQIP program is enacted by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) which uses federal dollars to complete projects.  They typically get much greater amounts of funds to disperse and use an application ranking process that is slightly different than Soil and Water.

·      EQIP is a voluntary conservation program that helps producers promote agricultural production and environmental quality by implementing structural and management conservation practices to optimize environmental benefits on working agricultural land.

·      Eligibility:  Agricultural producers and owners of cropland, rangeland, pastureland, non-industrial private forestland and other farm or ranch lands. Socially disadvantaged, beginning and limited resource farmers and veterans could be eligible for an increased payment rate and may receive advance.

·      Practices that could be covered by this program include:  prescribed grazing, grazing management plans, controlled livestock lounging areas, exclusion fencing and more.

If you have any more questions about these programs or any others that you may have heard about, please contact your local Cooperative Extension Agent so that they can get you in contact with the appropriate person.

Handling Foals Today to Prepare for Tomorrow

It's never too early to start teaching your foal good manners.  In fact getting them use to being handled and haltered early in life will make your life much less stressful!

The best time to begin conditioning foals to halter is when they're 1 week old - any earlier and you could accidentally damage their necks by pulling on them.  However, before you ever put a halter on your foal, they should learn how to stand quietly and accept being "caught".  One good method is to place your left arm under the foal's neck and around its chest and grasp their tail 6-8 inches above the tailhead with your right hand.  Usually foals will stand quietly if their tails are slightly bent over their croup.  The best place to do this is in a box stall or closed pen with the dam nearby.  If the dam is calm, you can use her to help position the foal in a corner so it will be easier to catch.  However, it can be difficult to use this method if the foal is large or rambunctious, so remember to start early!

These training sessions should be very short (2-5 minutes) and done 2 to 3 times a day.  Once the foal stops struggling and submits to being touched, gently rub its body - including the face, ears, belly, and legs - before releasing it.  Never release the foal if it is still struggling!  This will teach the foal to continue to struggle instead of submit.  It can be frustrating, but remember to be patient and gentle, with the foal.  They're learning too!

During the training sessions, remember to keep an eye on the mare while handling the foal.  Even normally gentle mares can become aggressive if they think their foal is in danger.  Consider tying the mare in a corner of the stall or pen until you know how she will react better.

Below is a short video from Clinton Anderson with some suggestions on how to handle your foals and prepare them for future trainings and care.

Safe Grazing for at-risk Horses

When a horse suffers from certain metabolic conditions, unmanaged grazing can be detrimental to their health.  A horse suffering from Cushing’s, insulin resistance or other metabolic conditions often needs to limit their intake of carbs, specifically non-structural carbohydrates(NSC) i.e. sugar, to keep their symptoms under control.  Plants store their energy in the form of sugar, so grazing when the plants’ energy stores are at their lowest is a good way to keep NSC consumption to a minimum.  The time of year, time of day and type of grass should be taken into consideration before turning your horse out.  

Grasses use sunlight to create carbohydrates (photosynthesis) and store them to use as energy for growth overnight.  This means the NSC content is highest in the evening since they are storing energy to be able to keep growing overnight.  Typically the best time of day to turn out an at-risk horse is early in the morning since at this point the grass should have used up most of its energy stores overnight and has not had a chance to make more yet.  This can vary with the time of year and environmental conditions; if the grass is in a drought situation, excessive heat or an overnight freeze, then growth is slowed, therefore less energy is used and the grass will have a higher than usual NSC content in the morning.  Cloudy conditions can also affect how much NSC is made by slowing the process of photosynthesis, decreasing how much sugar is made.   

The type and variety of forage you are growing will also affect how much NSCs are being stored.  Cool season grasses, such as Orchard, Timothy or Ryegrass are typically higher in NSCs than warm season grasses such a Bermuda; however it can still vary greatly between varieties of the same grass.  It is unclear as to exactly what the effects of legumes in the diet of an at-risk horse are, so they should be grazed with caution.

Grazing management is an important tool in managing certain metabolic disorders and under the supervision of a vet can help get your horse back to a happy and healthy life.