Foal Nutrition

Nutrition plays an important role in the health of any animal but it is of particular in young, growing animals. Proper growth and bone development are only ensured by meeting the foal's nutritional needs.

It starts while the foal is still in utero. Broodmares should maintain adequate body condition (5.5-6.5 on the 9-point Henneke Body Condition Scale), more calories are required to maintain a good weight, protein is key to maintain BCS and muscle of the mare, and proper mineral intake is critical for mare's bone and liver stores.

It is essential that the foal receive colostrum within the first 24 hours of life. It will provide the foal with protein and antibodies needed to fight off infections! Breeders should be prepared for any suckling issues by having a supply of frozen colostrum on hand; it is better to be prepared for situations like this rather than wait until something goes wrong.

In the first 30 days to 3 months of life the foal depends on the mare for nutrition; milk is the foal's sole food source. They should consume milk 7-10 times per hour because drinking frequently helps prevent digestive upsets. Make sure the mare is maintaining weight and body condition, lactation takes a lot of her.

At 3-4 months of age the foal can begin having forage and concentrated feed added to the diet. Soft hay is preferable to coarse hay for these young animals and a hay test is recommended before offering to your foals.

Make sure you provide your foal (and mare) with proper nutrition! Starting early and maintaining this nutrition will make it more likely that your animals will live a long and healthy life. Contact a trusted equine professional, veterinarian, or extension agent for further tips and advice, or if you have any questions.

Ticks and Horses

In addition to making sure that your horse is given all the vaccines needed for a locality, horse owners should practice an effective external parasite control program.  I recently read an article where the question was asked “Why do ticks infest my dark bay horse worse than my chestnut?” The response went into the immune response of individual horses and how ticks select their meal options.  I won’t try to recreate that here, but did think about tick control as part of the health management plan we use in keeping horses healthy.  We vaccinate horses to reduce the risk of them contracting certain diseases, but an important component of the health care plan is keeping biting insects (including ticks) from being a problem.  There was an article written about controlling ticks in this blog back in 2014 (Tick Control in Horses) that has some great information, so please review that.

Ticks can transmit diseases very easily since they do take several blood meals through their life cycle.  The deer tick is one of the primary vectors for Lyme Disease, which affects many horses each year.  I’ll just use this example of diseases that can be spread via an insect that takes multiple blood meals from different animals during its growth and development.  While Lyme disease may not cause horses to die, it certainly affects joint health and increases veterinary costs and horse care expenses.

Most Lyme disease is spread during May and June by adult ticks.  Adults take longer to attach and take longer to fill up and drop off than the nymph stages.  Anything we can do to prevent ticks from attaching in the first place significantly reduces the chance of transmitting a disease. 

Most products recommended for use in horses contain pyrethrum or permethrin, and are spray and wipe materials.  Coumaphos is a spray mixture that can be used on horses (Read the label!), and permethrin can be a spray, used in a back-rubber, or as a pour-on or spot-on.  Cypermethrin can be used as a dust or powder.  Pyrethrum is mainly a spray and wipe material. 

The North Carolina Ag Chem Manual has a section for insect control for horses, but does not mention controlling ticks on horses specifically.  There is a reference to using products recommended for cattle and other livestock regarding fly control, and many fly control products also provide some degree of control for ticks.    All I will say to that is for horse owners to be sure to check the product label to make sure it is registered for use on horses to control the target insect before purchasing.

Horse owners should work with their veterinarian to discuss controlling insects/external parasites as part of the overall herd health program.   Tick are certainly out in force now, so plans and action for minimizing their effect on horses need to be done now!

HYPP in Performance Horses

Written By: Lindsay Riddell, Alamance County Livestock Advisory Committee Member

Pictured above left is the famous halter stallion Impressive, pictured right is a cute paint doing dressage.  My cute paint!  As someone who specialized in English riding disciplines at an early age, I never thought I would need to know much about a World Champion halter stallion, but then an APHA registered yearling called Peppy came into my life.  I am still learning about Impressive to this day.  Although they look nothing alike they are related through Peppy’s sire, Ima Classy Solis, who is a grandson to Impressive.  Why does this lineage matter?  Impressive carried a gene for a disease known as HYPP that he passed to all his many descendants, including my horse. 

      

Sounds like devastating news on a performance horse doesn’t it?  It’s been a journey that I would like to share with you in case you also have a horse of this lineage or know someone who does.

1.   THE DISEASE:

What exactly are we talking about?  When I bought my horse the breeders said he was tested for HYPP and the results were heterozygous (h/n).  They assured me he had never had an attack in the 18 months he’d been alive and that he probably never would.  At that time I had no idea what that meant or how it could effect his life as a performance horse.  I don’t think the breeders did either.  

This disease is an inherited defect of the muscles in affected offspring.  While it may seem unlikely that a horse suffering muscular disorders could ever be a high performance equine, it can be done.  Peppy does it every day!  

1. THE 

A.     Hyperkalemic Periodic Paralysis (HYPP) – hyper means high or in excess, kalemic refers to the amount of potassium present in the bloodstream.  Periodic paralysis is self explanatory.
                     i.            Impressive (#0767246) – AQHA Appendix stud born in 1968.  Impressive was a proven champion in the early 1970’s winning all 31 of his classes. He achieved World Champion Open Aged Halter status with 48 halter points in 1974.  With Championship status came many breeding contracts, unfortunately it wasn’t until the 1990’s that the disease and genetic link to Impressive came to light and even longer before research study results and testing were in place.  Testing was not required by AQHA until  Jan. 1^st of 2007 at which time they also enacted a rule refusing registration to homozygous horses testing h/h. The Appaloosa and Palomino horse registries put similar rules in place that year, as well.
                   ii.            The Genetics – HYPP is an autosomal dominant gene mutation, which means it is not gender linked, all offspring are affected and will pass the gene on to their offspring.  Horses of the Impressive line that do not show symptoms still carry the gene and will pass it on.  Basically, while not all offspring suffer visible illness, all offspring are “carriers”.  It is not a result of “inbreeding,” it is a mutation.  Unfortunately the progenitor of this mutation (Impressive) was not identified until after Championship status created a large generation of affected offspring.  It is estimated that Impressive has more than 100,000 descendants and the number continues to grow.  Testing is available from UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory.  These tests look for a specific gene pair that can be homozygous, heterozygous, or normal.  Results are express h/h, h/n, and n/n respectively.  Horses testing homozygous h/h are most likely to experience the severe symptoms and are at highest risk of death early in life. The heterozygous horses testing h/n are more moderate and may not suffer visible attacks at all.  Horses testing normal n/n are at no risk.  As far as breeding goes the inheritance possibilities look like this.

Breeding Outcomes
N/H x N/H have 25% chance of producing normal offspring, 50% chance of producing heterozygous carriers and 25% chance of producing homozygote offspring			N/H x N/N have 50% chance of producing normal (NN) offspring and 50% chance of producing carriers (NH).
	N	H		N	H
N	25% NN	25% NH	N	50% NN	50% NH
H	25% NH	25% HH

Diagram from www.vgl.ucdavis.edu

For the full article please click here.

Equine Disaster Preparedness

There are many disaster scenarios that horse owners may face.  Tornadoes, ice storms, fires, hurricanes, and flooding are just a few of the disasters that may possibly affect North Carolina.  It is critical to have a plan for dealing with disasters that might affect you in your area of the state in order to give yourself and your animals the best chance at survival.  When disaster strikes, horses will rely on two things:  owner readiness and their natural instinct.  Oftentimes an owner will have 20 minutes or less to prepare for a disaster;  are you ready?

Below is a link to an incredibly informative video hosted by My Horse University where Dr. Karen Waite, PhD of Michigan State University and Dr. Scott Cotton of the Extension Disaster Education Network discuss the ways in which we, as owners, can prepare for a disaster.  This particular video focuses on the steps that horse owners can take to become actively prepared to have the best chance of survival for their horses, including evacuation planning and procedures, how understanding horse behavior should influence your planning, and how to allow horses to have the best chance of survival based on their instincts.

Dealing with Winter Aftermath

Does your farm look like this right now?

  

This is a photo of a hay feeding area from this past winter.  In most of NC we received a
lot of rain so many of you are left with a similar situation coming out of the winter.

If so, you may want to keep reading.  We had a very wet fall which turned into a very wet winter that left our fields looking like the photo above.  Do not be discouraged, you can turn this mess into a productive grazing area in no time.  My first suggestion is to drag out any remaining hay residue so you do not create a fly breeding ground.  Next, PLANT SOMETHING!  It really doesn’t matter what you plant but you may want to choose a quick growing warm-season annual and then think about permanent cool-season grass in the fall when planting is more optimal for good establishment. 

Some of your warm-season annual options are: millet, crabgrass, sorghum-sudangrass hybrids, sudangrass, and teff grass.  The wonderful thing about an annual is how fast it germinates and grows so you minimize a weed invasion!  If you do not plant something, something WILL GROW!  I can promise you it will be weeds and you will be very unhappy. 

For planting recommendations, make sure you check out NCSU’s all new forage website: http://www.forages.ncsu.edu/production-info.html

For planting techniques, you can use a sod drill or in most cases (if the pasture is chewed up enough) you can broadcast and get great seed to soil contact.  You will need moisture and warm weather (which should not be a problem) before you plant.  Most warm-season annuals are planted in May and you can usually start grazing in June depending on the variety and actual planting date.

The photos below show one of our farm’s sacrifice lots where our horses are fed hay each winter.  The field always gets torn up and buttercups are to follow (remember to spray your buttercups NOW).  The April photo shows the field after the winter (not this year’s winter but the previous year) and the June photo shows the same field after being planted in crabgrass.  For those of you that are curious about the variety, we use Quick-N-Big®.  We then grazed feeder calves and horses on the crabgrass all summer off and on to allow rest and growth.  This is just one of many options!

April

June

Foal Weaning Management

Weaning can be a very stressful time in a young animal’s life. There are steps that can be taken before, during, and after weaning to help decrease the stress levels of the foal and mare. Having a plan for how and when to wean will aid in lessening the amount of stress they experience.

Pre-Weaning

Foals who are accustomed to eating grain generally will continue to eat during the weaning process. Creep feeding supplies a separate feed source for the nursing foal. Creep feeding can begin as early as two weeks after birth. During this time there will be little consumption; the foal will mainly nibble and play with the grain. As the foal gets older and its nutritional needs increase, it will increase its feed in-take. The amount of feed a foal will eat in a day can vary greatly, from one to five pounds. It is best to provide small amounts of feed throughout the day versus large single feedings. The grain the foal needs has a much higher nutrient content than what the mare needs. Because of this, it is important to restrict the mare from accessing this grain. Using a creep feeder is one way to accomplish this if there is a larger group of mares and foals. If there are only two or three mares with foals, tying the mare in a stall while she eats and feeding the foal in a separate feeder may be easiest. Creep feeders should be designed for easy and safe entry and exit by the foals. Creep feeders should be made to restrict the mares’ access and large enough to hold at least two to three foals. There should be multiple entry and exit points to reduce stress for the foals. Location is key, especially in larger pastures. The creep feeder should be put in an area that is frequented by the foals and mares, such as a loafing, feeding, or watering area. Most commercial creep feed rations will contain all the nutrients the foal needs in the correct amounts. The feed should be highly palatable. Using pelleted or extruded feed will decrease the amount of sorting of individual ingredients of a textured feed.

During this time, a deworming and vaccination program should be discussed with your veterinarian to ensure a healthy foal at weaning. Thirty to 45 days before you plan to wean, the mares and foals should be moved to the area where weaning will occur. This will allow the foal to become familiar with its environment and will help decrease stress levels.

Weaning

Most foals are weaned at four to six months of age. At four months the mare’s milk is no longer providing adequate nutrition, the foal should be eating grain and forages, and shouldn’t be as dependent on the mare for protection and emotional comfort. There are, however, certain circumstances where weaning would happen earlier or later.  If a mare has vices or temperament issues it may be beneficial to wean early so the foal does not learn that behavior. If the foal is in poor health around normal weaning time, it may be beneficial to wean later once the foal is healthy again. Your situation will dictate when will be the best time to wean.

There are a number of different weaning methods that can be used. Abrupt or complete weaning is when the mare and foal are completely separated from all contact (sight, sound, smell, touch). This method requires little labor and management, however is very stressful on the mare and foal. Incomplete or fence-line weaning separates the mare and foal with a common fence line. This method allows for visual and olfactory (smell) contact, but not physical contact (nursing). After several days to a week the mare and foal should be moved completely away from each other. Gradual separation is also an option, but requires more labor and management. With this system the mare and foal are separated for a certain amount of time each day, with the frequency and length of visits being shortened over five to ten days until finally the foal never returns.

No matter which system is used weaning multiple foals at the same time can help decrease stress. If there are no other foals to be weaned, using a companion animal like a goat can help provide comfort to the foal. During the weaning process, especially with in the first 12 to 24 hours, the foal should be monitored closely. They should be in an area that is free from protrusions to prevent possible injuries. Also keep in mind that any opening larger than the foal’s hoof has the potential to trap the whole leg.

Post-Weaning

Once the foal is weaned, it is important to keep it on a good nutrition, exercise, and health program and be handled regularly. Foals should be kept in a moderate body condition and should avoid extreme shifts in body weight and diet. This will allow the weanling to grow at a consistent rate and have less structural problems. Pasture turn-out with weanlings of similar ages has several advantages including exercise. Free access to regular exercise has been shown to be important for proper bone growth and strength and hoof development. How weanlings are handled will vary depending on the use of the weanlings. Weanlings should be taught how to accept their handlers and how to behave for routine experiences, like having their hooves trimmed and standing to be brushed. You should also talk with your veterinarian and come up with a health program, to include vaccinations and deworming.

Mare Care During Weaning

Weaning is also a stressful time for the mares. Most mares will calm down quicker than their foal, especially if they have had foals in the past. If a mare still has significant milk production at the time of weaning, you should decrease the amount of grain about five days before weaning. Increasing exercise can also help decrease the amount of milk production. If the udder becomes tight, a small amount of milk can be milked by hand. Repeated milking should be avoided because it will continue to stimulate milk production, and the goal of weaning is to stop milk production.

Weaning can be very stressful but by having a good weaning program in place, that stress can be minimized. Contact your County Extension Agent if you have more questions about foal weaning management.

Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM)

Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis (EPM) is a central nervous system disease that is caused by the protozoal organism Soarcocystis neurona.  EPM can affect equines of any age, sex, and in any location in the United States.  The organism reproduces in the opossum and is passed out in the feces.  Horses pick up the organism by eating opossum feces dropped in feed or hay.  The horse is noncontagious, but can develop the disease.  Not all horses exposed to EPM will show clinical signs and some may develop an immunity and fight off the disease.

Soarcocystis  neurona can be located anywhere in the central nervous system, so a range of signs may be seen.  Sometimes these signs mimic other neurological diseases.  The disease can take from 2 weeks to 2 years from exposure time until symptoms are seen.

Clinical signs include:

• Incoordination, stiff movements, abnormal gaits or lameness
• Incoordination and weakness is worse when going up or down slopes or when the head is elevated
• Muscle atrophy along topline and large muscles of the hindquarter
• Facial paralysis
• Difficulty swallowing
• Seizures or collapse
• Abnormal sweating
• Loss of sensation along the face, neck or body
• Head tilt with poor balance

There are tests available to diagnose EPM.  There are pros and cons for each of them, so consult with your veterinarian to determine the best test for you and possible treatments.  There are two treatment options available.  About 60% of affected horses will improve and some will recover completely.  As with most diseases, earlier treatment is more effective.  There is not a vaccine for EPM.

Prevention of EPM includes controlling the contact between opossums and horses in and around the barn.  Keep all feed covered and out of reach (including cat feed).  Know the signs of the disease and involve your vet early if your horse starts having symptoms.

Here are two articles with more in-depth information: University of Minnesota Extension and Horse eXtension.