Soil Samples Being Accepted Again At State Lab

As of April 27, 2020 the North Carolina Department of Agriculture began accepting routine soil samples again; however there are a few caveats.  Public access is restricted to the building’s interior and the front door remains closed to the public.  The entrance gate at the rear of the facility will be open from 8am – 5pm, Monday – Friday so samples can be dropped off on the loading dock anytime during normal business hours.  Please note that even though they are working “normal” business hours, they will not be operating with a full staff.  With reduced staffing comes extended turnaround times so they are urging clients to be patient as they work to prioritize and complete all samples submitted during this time.

For those of you that were planning on soil sampling to amend your pastures, you again have the GREEN LIGHT to go right ahead and submit those samples.  Even though the COVID-19 closures delayed the process, the sooner you get them in, the quicker you will get the results back which will help you make the needed improvements you were hoping for.  Of course these results will also help you start planning for your Fall Pasture Amendments. 

For more information on soil sampling your pastures and how to read/interpret your soil sample results please contact your local Agriculture Agent at Cooperative Extension.

Getting Ready for Foaling

Mares that are allowed to follow the natural progression of estrus through foaling should start having their foals soon.  The season runs from about May 1 through the summer months.  If you have decided that it would be great to have young horses born on your farm, you may want to take stock of the supplies to have on hand for foaling.

Decide whether a foaling stall or a clean paddock will be used.  In either case, the key word is CLEAN!  If using a stall, be sure that the walls, feeder, and waterer are all cleaned with soapy water and then disinfected.  Ideally, the stall should not be used until the mare is ready to foal.  Add a thick layer of fresh straw bedding just before she starts.

If using a paddock, it does not need to be large.  It should be securely fenced, especially if predators or the neighbor’s dogs are a problem.   Ideally, the paddock should be grass and should not be used until the mare is ready to foal so there aren’t any manure or urine spots.

Here are some things to have handy for when the mare gets ready to have her foal.  This list is not exhaustive, and others may have some items to add, but this covers most scenarios:

-       Stainless steel bucket (clean and disinfected)

-       Access to water (warm water preferred)

-       Towels

-       Soap

-       Gauze

-       OB sleeves

-       Scissors

-       Twine or strong string

-       Enemas – in case the meconium does not pass right away

-       Antibacterial solution for dipping the navel

-       Small container to use for dipping the navel

-       Umbilical clamp or rubber bands

-       Disposable latex gloves (good luck finding any right now!)

-       Obstetric lubricant

-       Blankets

-       Flashlight or headlamp with fresh batteries

-       Cell phone

-       Phone numbers for the veterinarian or a neighbor with experience with foaling

-       Tail wrap or gauze

Be sure to have these items ready before the mare starts to get restless, the udder starts filling out, the muscles over the tail heal and around the croup start relaxing, and/or a mucus discharge is noticed.  Other signs of impending parturition include watching the calendar to see when 340+ days have passed since breeding, milk calcium levels reaching 200 parts per million – mares usually foal within 48 hours of reaching this level - or waxing of the teats.  Again, when this is noticed, parturition will usually occur within 48 hours.

Being prepared will help reduce the potential of problems when the foal decides it is ready to see the world.  As was mentioned above, the operative word is clean to reduce the chance of bacterial infection.  The cleaner the stall, paddock, and checklist items are, the better chance the newborn and the mare have to avoid unnecessary infections or stress. 

Some of the items on the list may not be needed, but if a situation occurs and one or more of those items are needed, there won’t be a delay while the item is found, and cleaned.  Time is critical during foaling and delays add to the stress that is already pretty high for the mare and her foal. Being prepared and avoiding problems help insure that the foal is healthy and the mare recovers quickly.  There are few sights more picturesque than a mare with her newborn foal in a clean paddock. Being prepared helps put that picture together. 

Horse Nutrition

When determining a nutrition plan for your horse don’t forget about forages! Now that spring is here, the forages in your pasture should be starting to take off. Pasture is the best and most natural way for your horse to get nutrients. A good quality pasture is more than adequate to meet the major nutrient requirements of most classes of horses. Having a good quality pasture is key though. You need to have good weed control, plenty of forage available for them to graze and making sure that your horse doesn’t overgraze the pasture. Pastures are typically inadequate in certain minerals like salt, copper and zinc so supplying your horse with a salt block and a forage balancer or vitamin-mineral supplement is a good idea. The nutrient content of a pasture is highly variable as seasons change. There are cool season grasses like tall fescue, orchardgrass and timothy that grow in the fall and spring and there are warm season grasses that grow in the summer like bermudagrass, dallisgrass and crabgrass. You can take clipping of your pastures to determine the quality that is there for your horse to graze. You might notice shifts in your horse’s body condition as your pasture quality changes throughout the year. Horses will typically gain weight in the spring and summer and then lose weight when pasture quality is the lowest, in the winter. If you feed supplements or offer hay then you might not notice a shift in body weight since they can maintain with supplements. One thing to remember if your horse has insulin resistance then choosing the time of day that you allow your horse to graze is important. Through the afternoon hours until the early evening, non-structural carbohydrates are at their highest in the plant so consider grazing you horse first thing in the morning or letting them out at night. You can also manage non-structural carbohydrates in hay by soaking it in water for at least 30 minutes but remember to dump put the water before feeding. Also, with obese horses you might need to limit their grazing to only a few hours, limit the space they are allowed to graze, put a grazing muzzle on them or even dry lot them depending on severity.

Consult your livestock agent for pasture management, establishment or grazing recommendations.

Tips for Equestrians as We Manage Through COVID-19

 As I thought about what I could focus my article on with so much uncertainty in our world these days, the following simple tips came to mind on how we can locate resources and spend our days as we have more time at home.  You may have an additional ideas that are just as helpful, but here’s a start:

1.     Consider a virtual lesson.  If your horse is not boarded with your trainer, this may be an option if you have someone to tape your ride.  A friend or family member can practice social distancing with you, have a chance to get outside and enjoy the sunshine, and you can still connect with your instructor/trainer!  Google “virtual riding lesson” and you’d be amazed what interesting stories are out there.

2.     Dust off those training DVDs.  We’ve all got them…and often a collection, series or assortment from many different trainers.  Now might be a good time to review some great ones and brush up  on your knowledge.

3.     Are you a young person who depends on a parent or grandparent to get to the barn?  Now is not the time for socializing, but hopefully you can still visit your horse occasionally while mom or grandma reads a book or watches you ride, from the car. 

4.     Check out NC State Extension Equine Husbandry’s resources for youth.   The state horse judging contest will be virtual this year, and on Wednesdays, they are hosting the “Quarantime” lessons for youth on judging.  So many great resources!

5.     Find resources at the NC Horse Council, including great links to the American Horse Council and NC Department ofAgriculture.  The NCHC also offers grants to horse owners in times of need, also found on their website.

6.     Clean and organize.  Most of us have tack or a set of brushes that can use a cleaning, maybe even a horse trailer, tack or feed room, barn loft, etc.  Getting our equipment and barn area organized is not always at the top of our list, but it’s a good use of the extra time.

7.     Goal setting and planning.  Once we get past these days of quarantine, what will be first on your list?  A show, trail ride, clinic?  Now is a good time to really consider what’s next for you and your horse.  Where do you want to be in your riding a year from now?

8.     Spend lots of quality time with your horse.  Now, more than ever, time with our equine friends is so valuable to keeping our spirits up!  With the days getting longer, winter coats shedding out, they will enjoy the extra grooming.  The warm weather and sunshine and exercise will be an added boost to us all. 

Again, these are just a few ideas to consider as you find yourself with extra time. 

Take advantage of it and create your own list.  Enjoy your spring as you staying safe and healthy spending time with your horse!