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

Composting

Composting - What is it???

Composting is the biodegradation of organic material, such as food, yard waste (leaves and grass), and manure. It may take a very long time for some material to biodegrade depending on its environment, but it ultimately breaks down completely.

The Four Basics of Composting

Oxygen – maintains proper temperature of the pile. Frequent turning equals quick compost!
Temperature – ideal is 140o F; piles should be turned above or below 140o F.
Moisture – pile should always be slightly moist, cover pile to maintain moisture. Should be similar to a wrung out sponge!
Carbon : Nitrogen ratio – ideal range between 20:1 and 40:1

Benefits of Composting

- Kills parasites/weeds within the waste for fly control
- Improves soil quality when applied = more food for your horse!
- Limits nitrogen depletion of the soil

Keeping these steps in mind will put you on the path to having a great batch of compost!

Fun Fact: A 1000 pound horse produces 31 pounds of feces and 2.4 gallons of urine a day adding up to a total of 51 pounds of daily waste.

Not Composting????  -  How to Properly Store Your Manure

Even if you are not composting or waiting to compost, you need to know how to store your manure so it doesn’t hurt the environment…
Consider the location of your manure pile and type of container (if any) it will be stored in:

Location: Manure containers or piles should be as far away as possible from water sources so there is no contamination! Always make sure there is at least 200 feet between water sources and the manure pile.

Removal: How the manure will be removed will determine what kind of container you will need. Trash cans or covered truck beds allow for easy removal of manure, while dumpsters require special equipment.

Whether you have one or many horses, it is easy to be more “green” by storing or composting manure!

Check out these composting websites:

http://polk.ces.ncsu.edu/content/Horse+Manure+Composting

http://faculty.berea.edu/clarks/documents/biocycle_43(7).pdf

http://www.sweeta.illinois.edu/composting-horsebedding.cfm\

http://www.sweeta.illinois.edu/pdf/Horse_bedding_compost_brochure.pdf

Choosing the Best Bedding - Safe for the environment AND the horse

As owners and care-givers, we must provide horses with the most comfortable and safe living arrangements. Choosing the most efficient and cost effective bedding can make all the difference to the horse as well as the stall cleaners
There are many factors in choosing bedding:
ABSORBENCY!!
Price
Biodegradability
Availability
Ease of disposal
Allergies

There are also various types of bedding to choose from, making it easy to choose the best type of bedding for you and your horse. Kinds of bedding and their pros and cons include:

Straw – Cheap, good for compost, low absorbency
Sawdust – Expensive, high absorbency, good for compost
Shavings – Cheap, bad for compost, readily available
Newspaper – Moderate absorbency, readily available (recycle!), ink could bleed
Wood pellets – Expensive, high absorbency, great for compost

Helpful Bedding Websites :

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/an034

http://ohioline.osu.edu/cd-fact/0123.html

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/efans/horse-research/2012/06/bedding-stall-cleaning-effects.php

Did you know?? Not all hardwoods can be used to make wood shavings; walnut and oak woods contain toxins that are harmful to horses.

Do Not Feed Moldy Hay to Horses!

That sounds like pretty good advice, and in fact is the title of a University of Minnesota Extension publication written by a host of specialists from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Idaho, and North Carolina.  Most of the time, it is pretty easy to tell if hay is moldy but if it is not obvious, then perhaps a forage test is in order to confirm the hay is free of mold and the accompanying spores and dust.   More on that later.

It doesn’t take much moisture for mold to grow in hay.  Moisture levels above levels above 14 – 15 % with no preservative added can result in moldy hay.  The mold process causes heat, which in turn reduces TDN and binds up protein molecules, making them non-digestible.  However, that isn’t the main problem with moldy hay.  Molds produce toxins – a whole host of them, including Aflatoxin (AFL), Deoxynivalenol (DON or vomitoxin), T-2 Toxin (T₂), Zearalenone (F₂), and Fumonisin (FB₁).  They are all bad news , but some can be tolerated in very small amounts.  However, FB₁ should not be present in hay.  Tolerance levels for the other four are:

AFL -      50 parts per billion (ppb)

T₂ -          50 ppb

DON -   400 ppb

F₂ -        100 ppb

As you can see, these are pretty low levels of concentration.  AFL is considered carcinogenic, DON causes reduced feed intake and is implicated in colic cases, T₂ causes digestive tract irritation and has been implicated in colic, F₂ reduces fertility and reproductive performance, and FB₁ is implicated in impaired immune function, liver and kidney damage, and a condition known as moldy corn poisoning, hence the recommendation for zero FB₁.   More details and definitions on these toxins can be found in the publication Horse Feeding Management; Feed Sampling and Analysis.

While most of these toxins are more closely related to wet grains, they can occur in moldy forages.  However, the biggest problem with moldy hay is that it is usually very dusty and full of mold spores.  Horses are particularly sensitive to mold spores and often develop respiratory problems similar to asthma when fed moldy, dusty hay.  This condition is known as Recurrent Airway Obstruction (RAO).    Affected horses don’t have elevated temperature and have a good appetite, but when exercising, breathing quickly becomes labored, and can even be labored while at rest. 

A list of tips on reducing the affects of moldy, dusty hay on horses is found in the University of Minnesota publication and is repeated here:

·      Do not feed dusty and moldy hay and grains.

·      Use dust-free bedding

·      Don’t use old moldy hay as bedding. (I added this one to the list!)

·      Place feed at a lower level so particles are not inhaled through the nostrils

·      Keep horses out of the stable when sweeping and cleaning to reduce exposure to dust

·      Feed hay outside

·      Soak dusty hay from 5 to 30 minutes before feeding and let the horse eat it wet

·      Store hay away from the horse as much as possible and keep hay dry to reduce the chance of mold growth

·      Make sure stalls and stables are well ventilated.

Horse owners should insist on seeing a forage analysis before buying horse hay.  That is an expensive commodity, and we want to make sure that we are getting a product that is worth what is being paid.  If a forage test isn’t available, it is a good idea to send a sample for analysis on each load of hay purchased. 

When submitting a sample for analysis, remember that the test for mycotoxins is free of charge if the nutritive value is not tested.  However, for $10, the information on protein, digestibility, and micronutrients in the hay is well worth the money.  Add in the “freebies” like mycotoxin testing and nitrate testing, well, that makes a good value a great value.

For more information on testing forages for molds and mycotoxins, contact your local Cooperative Extension Agent.

Managing the Overweight Horse

Adapted from "Trimming the Fat: Weight Loss Strategies for the Overweight Horse, Fact Sheet, Maryland Cooperative Extension." 

Horses that carry excess body weight are at an increased risk for many health problems. These include laminitis, decreased athletic and reproductive performance, and a greater risk for heat stress. In this overview, you can learn about ways to combat overweight horses. However, you should always work closely with your veterinarian to determine the cause of obesity in your horses. It may be related to their exercise level and diet or it could be related to their metabolic and physiological condition.

It is very important to periodically evaluate your horse's body weight and body condition score (BCS). There are three different ways you can measure body weight. 1) livestock scale 2) heart girth weight tape or 3) calculate body weight by using the measurement of the horse's heart girth (HG), and body length (BL). Use this equation: W = ((HG) squared x (BL)) / 330. Body condition score is also very important. It is measured from 1 - 9 with 9 being extremely fat. This score measures the amount of fat that a particular horse stores a different locations including withers, shoulder, ribs, loin, neck, and tailhead. Horses that are nearing a BCS of 7 are at a higher risk of developing health problems.

Various methods for reducing your horse's weight:

* Set a target weight loss
* Increase exercise level
* Reduce feed intake
* Change the type of diet
* Reduce access to pasture
* Feed horses separately
* Use drugs, medications, and supplements as a last resort

Horses need to lose excess weight gradually and over several months. Horses can safely lose one BCS per month (about 50 pounds). Horse owners need to be careful with their horses losing weight too rapidly, as they may develop bad behaviors (wood-chewing, bedding ingestion, etc.). Try not to monitor your horse's weight loss too often (weekly is too often) because it could discourage you. It is very important that a horse maintain it's ideal body condition once it reaches that weight / BCS. Horse owners should be diligent to watch their horse's rations, needs that arise that may change or alter the quantity of feed the horse receives, and the animal's overall health. Don't forget to contact your veterinarian to discuss the best weight loss plan for your horse.

See the full article here.

Submitted by: Margaret A. Bell, Livestock Agent
Craven and Jones Counties

Thrush in Horses

The old quote “No foot, no horse” 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.         
There are several foot problems that occur in horses such as thrush, white line disease, sole bruises, corns, abscess, sand cracks, navicular disease and laminitis.  This article will discuss thrush.

Thrush is the most common infection in horse’s hooves.  It is caused by anaerobic bacteria that affects the frog.  It is characterized by a black, foul smelling infection that eats away at either side of the frog.  If untreated, it can damage tissue and cause lameness.  It is similar to foot rot in ruminants but is not contagious.  Thrush usually occurs from unsanitary or wet conditions.

Diagram from Functional Anatomy of the Horse Foot from the University of Missouri Extension by Robert C. McClure with the College of Veterinary Medicine.

The best control for thrush is clean and dry hooves.  Good hoof cleaning (daily) and eliminating a wet environment for the horse are keys to preventing thrush.  Clean and remove manure from stalls and run-in sheds frequently.  If horses are in a pasture, make sure they are able to get out of the wet areas of the field. 

Click here to see steps to cleaning your horse’s hooves from eXtension’s Horse Page. 

Click here to see how to diagnosis and treat thrush from North Carolina State University Vet School.

Here is a video from Horse.com by Dr. Morrison about thrush in horses.

  

The use of this video does not imply endorsement by the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service. 

Early Ultrasound Pregnancy Examination Is Critical to Sound Breeding Program

       After a mare is bred, waiting to determine if the mare returns to heat before having her examined for pregnancy may appear to be a way to save money by avoiding "needless" pregnancy evaluations, but may ultimately result in greater costs. The use of ultrasound enables us to diagnose pregnancy at an early stage, 12 to 14 days after ovulation. Ovulation usually occurs approximately one day before the mare goes out of heat. The advantages of early pregnancy diagnosis are numerous, whereas the disadvantages are negligible. In this article the principle reasons why early pregnancy examinations are so important to a well-managed breeding program will be discussed.

By knowing that a mare is not pregnant before the time she is due to come back into heat, plans can be made to prepare for another breeding. Although the length of time a mare is in estrus or "heat" varies somewhat between mares and according to the time of the year, the length of time a mare is out of heat is fairly consistent, approximately 15 days. By checking a mare for pregnancy two weeks after she goes out of heat, if she is not pregnant, plans can be made to either take her back to the stallion for rebreeding or prepare for another shipment of semen for artificial insemination. This time frame allows for arrangements to be made before she comes back into heat, thereby providing ample time so that the next cycle is not missed and valuable time is not lost. This advanced warning is also helpful to the manager of the stallion who may need to work the mare into the breeding schedule. If pregnancy examination is delayed until 18 or 21 days after breeding, the mare may be too close to ovulation (or even just past ovulation) for rebreeding during that cycle.

Because the length of time between heats is fairly consistent, if a mare is showing strong signs of heat at the time of pregnancy examination 12 to 14 days after the last breeding, it is an indication of some problem causing her to "short cycle." Short cycling, or coming back into heat before expected, may result from a uterine infection. Uterine infections cause the release of a hormone, prostaglandin, that results in a mare returning to estrus. This will result in her having a shorter than normal interval between estrus periods. Mares that come back into heat before they are due should be examined for abnormal conditions of the reproductive tract, including poor conformation, urine pooling, and endometritis, which could be responsible for the abbreviated diestrus. Likewise, examination for pregnancy in late diestrus may reveal fluid in the uterus, another abnormal condition that should be further evaluated.

Article provided by Louisiana State University Equine Veterinary Research Program; 

Early Ultrasound Pregnancy Examination Is Critical to Sound Breeding Program

Written by: Dale Paccamonti, DVM, MS  Diplomate, American College of Theriogenologists, Associate Professor of Theriogenology 

View the entire article at http://evrp.lsu.edu/06pregus.htm

Dental Health Important for Equines

Suffering in Silence.  It’s what many horses do when they have dental problems.  Even though they cannot tell us in words that they are hurting, they can tell us with actions.  As a responsible horse owner, it is up to you to know your animal well enough to tell when something is amiss.  Most equine specialists recommend that equines have a complete dental check-up once a year, every year.  However, if you notice any of the following signs, have them checked as soon as possible.

·      Changes in appetite

·      Taking longer to eat

·      Very slow chewing

·      Lacerations to the cheek, tongue or lips

·      Swelling of the mouth area

·      Unusually bad breath

·      Holding head at an odd angle when eating

·      Only using one side of the mouth when chewing

·      Noticeably large, un-chewed food particles in stools

·      Excessive drooling

·      Bleeding from the oral cavity

·      Missing or loose teeth

·      Foul smelling discharge from one side of the nose

Dr. Jenifer Nadeau, Equine Extension Specialist at the University of Connecticut, suggests that dental exams be performed at the following times in a horses life:

Age of Horse	Frequency of Dental Exams
Birth – 18 months	At least once a year
18 – 52 months	Twice a year
4 – 18 years	Once a year
18 years and older	Frequent dental exams to keep mouths healthy and to determine when a geriatric diet may be needed.

Proper dental care allows our horses to live longer, healthier lives and maintain their body condition.  For questions about equine dentals, or for more information contact your local equestrian veterinarian or extension agent.