Horse owner resources – Cooperative Extension and the NC Horse Council

Management of horses, farms and facilities can be very broad and complex.  Sometimes, it’s hard to know where to turn for support, information, and resources.  Fortunately in North Carolina, we have Cooperative Extension and the NC Horse Council, both dedicated to supporting our horse industry!

 

Did you know there are currently 36 equine publications available online through NC State Extension?  You can access these research based documents through any of our 101 Extension Centers in North Carolina, or online by visiting the NC State Extension website at www.ces.ncsu.edu.  From this site, you can visit any of our Extension Centers or select “topics” in the top right toolbar and find more resources than you’d imagine!  Alternatively, go directly to our NC State Extension Publications page at  https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/ and search for “equine”. 

 

While on the Cooperative Extension site, you can find your local county Extension Center and agricultural agents, who are a tremendous resource for your management questions, whether they are animal science related, land, farm and forage management, and otherwise.   For youth programs, our 4-H and livestock agents can help out.  Be sure to connect with your county Extension staff and let us know how we can assist.

 

The North Carolina Horse Council is another amazing resource for the horse industry.  Visit their website at: https://nchorsecouncil.com/. 2022 is the 50^th anniversary of the NCHC, and they are celebrating by offering a lifetime membership to horse owners for $100.  Be sure to check out the many resources offered by this amazing organization, including but not limited to the following:

 

·      Equine Business Directory

·      Many resources and documents to download

·      Farm liability signs

·      Grant opportunities and scholarships for organizations and individuals

·      Trail resources through “Ride NC”

·      Liability insurance

·      Legislative support and representation

·      Emergency preparedness

·      Horse owner assistance vouchers (safety net, euthanasia, and gelding)

 

 

 

Managing Flies Around Horses During Peak Fly Season

 Few things are worse than enjoying your trail ride or evening schooling only to be hounded by flies.  Fly management can be a tricky business. It can seem simple at first but often needs a multi-pronged approach. It is important to use a combination of methods to reduce fly levels. 

Identification 

The first action to take when trying to prevent any problematic species is identification.  The most effective use of your prevention methods is to know what you are up against.  Different types flies have different biology that can mean different life cycles, food preferences and identifying flies can be difficult. Using online resources and your local Extension office can help you with this task.  You can bring in samples of the insects to most Extension offices where the livestock or horticulture agents can help identify it. Stable flies and house flies are the most common flies found  around horses.  Once you have identified the culprits you can start your prevention methods. The best time to start fly prevention is before the flies are out for the season.  Early prevention reduces the overall number of flies you will have to deal with through out the season.  Peak fly season is between July and August. 

Management

Managing things like manure, mud, hay, straw, water and feed can all decrease shelter and food sources for the flies. Picking up manure in your paddocks and pastures can be a major pain.  It is time consuming, back breaking work. However these are where you will find most of your stable flies. It is important to pick or drag the manure in the fields weekly.  Mud, wet hay and straw are the perfect homes for flies.  When feeding we need ot be mindful of how of much hay waste we leave out and let get wet. Standing water in the exposed to the sun can be breeding grounds for flies and mosquitos.  Water troughs that are in the open are the perfect opportunity for these insects. Increasing your management of manure, mud, hay, straw water and feed you will decrease the flies around your horses. 

Physical and Chemical

Fly spray and fly sheets are helpful tools when managing for flies as a pest for your horse.  Fly spray is a chemical solution to our fly problems. It is a convenient short term solution for when we are working or riding horses.  Fly sprays do have an negative effect on pollinators that are needed for crops and grasses to grow.  Fly sheets and mask are a common physical barrier to prevent flies from landing horses.  These tools are helpful when the horses are in their stalls or pastures but cannot be used while riding and working the horses.  Another negative effect of the fly sheets is that they can increase the changes of heat related issues acting as a blanket trapping heat. 

Triple Threat

Using a combination of of the methods above is the most effective way to deal with flies in pastures and around barns during the summer months.  Try a combination of of the methods this July and upcoming August during peak fly season.

Equine Disease Communication Center

The Equine Disease Communication Center (EDCC) notifies the horse industry about the threat of infectious diseases in North America. This communication system is an industry-driven intiative designed to report infectious and vector-borne disease cases that are received from a state veterinarian, state animal health officialm or attending veterinarian and are confirmed and formed into comprehensive alerts. Real-time information on infectious disease alerts, quarantines, and regulations are essential to helping horse owners keep their animals safe and healthy and can help determine if you should travel to a certain area. Alerts are posted on the EDCC Outbreak Alerts page, soilcial media, and are sent out to subscribers by email. Check out the EDCC website for more information and to get signed up for the alerts! 

https://www.equinediseasecc.org/