If you are a horse owner, you will have seen a similar process at work on your pastured horses. Yet if you keep your horse in a warm stable, you will find that this gift of Mother Nature may be somewhat unwelcome. Thus, more and more horse owners reach for the clippers to accommodate their horses, yet before you do so, be certain that you know the best methods to use for your particular horse! A trace or hunter clip is fine for most working horses, but quite often you will want to do a bit of extra work.

For example, show horses require a different grooming regimen than workhorses ridden regularly. Nonetheless, the tools will most likely be the same: you will need well-oiled clippers with properly sharpened blades, a shedding blade, curry comb and finishing brush as well as plenty of energy!

Training a horse to be groomed will take a bit of time, and if you choose the wrong approach you will make your job harder than is necessary. Instead, introduce the animal to the clippers – while they are still turned off – and then turn them on while you are not actually clipping. This will permit the animal to become acclimated to the sound. For the very skittish animal it may help to have a trusted friend stand by the horse’s head to reassure it.

When you are ready to begin your grooming regimen, you will want to form a bridle path first. Keep your horse’s breed in mind when beginning to remove portions of the mane. As you clip downward, make sure that you make a straight cut and keep the remaining mane at a defined edge. Generally speaking, you will want to keep at least ½ inch on the occiput bone. Next you will want to clip the hair around the edges of the ear. It is usually a good idea to clip from the top to the bottom of the ear while folding it vertically. You will be able to clean up behind the ear by pressing it flat.

The muzzle might be a bit trickier, so you will want to be very careful when trimming. Remove the long hairs around the nostrils, edge of the mouth and eyes first, and then continue on with the underside of the muzzle. Make sure to blend the cut at the cheeks, so that it does not look choppy.

As you move down to the legs, you will want to begin by removing the hair above the coronet and then clipping the fetlock hair over the ankle. The back of the leg is groomed by working your clippers against the growth by tracing it up from the ergot mark until you reach the knee. Show horses will require extra attention, since their coronet hair will usually be removed and thus the hooves will need dressings to prevent moisture loss.

Horses need less water during the winter, and therefore, naturally drink less. However, often they drink too little. Researchers have discovered that this tendency to drink too little water can be countered by simply offering your horses warm water during the winter.

But does it really make that much difference how much water your horse drinks?

Absolutely. According to research done at the University of Pennsylvania, there are anecdotal correlations between decreased water and fecal impaction colic. Increasing the amount of water a horse drinks is an easy and inexpensive way to keep your horse at the peak of health during the winter.

A research project completed at the university’s New Bolton Center proved that ponies, when offered warm water or near-freezing water, drank a whopping forty percent more warm water. This statistic remained constant whether the ponies were offered water that was kept warm constantly, or if their drinking buckets were simply filled with warm water twice daily. The ponies drank the most within three hours after feeding, or after the water containers were refilled.

This study also showed that the ponies actually drank more water than indicated in previously published maintenance requirements when they were offered warm water. The ponies in the study group drank an average of 9.9 liters daily, or about two and a half gallons. This is sixty-two percent more than the maintenance guideline of only 6.1 liters per day.

Providing warm water is relatively easy for horses that winter indoors, but turn-outs provide a bit more of a challenge.

Automatic waterers are a good solution for outdoor wintering horses. There are many different models available, including some constructed of rust-proof polyethylene plastic. Making sure that the waterer is correctly installed is the most important key in preventing problems later on.

When installing the automatic waterer, make sure that the water pipes to the unit are below the frost line. Also, check the waterer’s reputation for reliability of the heating unit before purchase.

However, don’t rely entirely on your automatic waterer. Problems and malfunctions happen, even in the most expensive or reliable models. The waterer should be checked, and the water pan cleaned, daily.

If an automatic waterer is not an option, consider carrying buckets of hot water out twice daily to the horses. Mix a little cold water from the barn tap before offering it to the horses, creating a nicely warm drink. If you are wondering how warm or cool to make it, remember, if you would not drink the water, don’t ask your horse to drink it.

There are other ways to heat water for your horses. One water heater model is created to float in a stock tank. Completely enclosed in Styrofoam and plastic, the heater is controlled by a thermostat and has an automatic shut off. This is a popular option for cattle, but given horses’ tendency to play with objects, it may not be practical for horses.

Other types of heaters and de-icers don’t float. Some, equipped with automatic shut-off and thermostat control, are designed to sit on the bottom of the tan to prevent the livestock from disturbing them. Others attach to the side of stock tanks, clamping securely on to prevent playful horses from removing them from the water. The heating elements run along the bottom of the tank, to prevent accidental burns. Thermostats are adjustable and replaceable in case of malfunction.

Other heaters are not able to be immersed, and can be more affordable. These are for use under metal buckets, waterers, fountains, or other water holders. There are also de-icers designed for use in buckets, but since they can heat the water all the way to boiling, they cannot be left in place or unattended.

One of the newest heaters available is a drain plug de-icer made to be used with the popular Rubbermaid stock tanks. This unit installs, as the name suggests, through the drain plug opening. This keeps the electrical cord out of the way. The unit is also controlled by a thermostat.

Other watering devices require no electricity. These can still prevent water from freezing by limiting its exposure to the air, or by using the heat from the ground. These do not tend to keep the water as warm as electric heaters, however.

Common sense and time is required to cool off a horse. After a workout the horse should always be walked that last mile home. Then when you return to the barn it is important to get the horse’s temperature, pulse rate and respiration rate down to a normal level. The first step is to remove the saddle, but you can leave the pad in place until your horse cools down slightly if you don’t have a blanket or cooler available. A blanket or cooler is highly recommended over anything else when the weather is cold and windy. Your horse should then be offered twelve to fifteen swallows of water. A hose should be used to apply cool water to the horse if it is a hot day and then rub them down with a towel. Vigorously rub the entire horse and pay special attention to the area where the saddle was as well as the areas on their neck and flanks, then you should start walking them a bit. Make sure the horse is moving at a good working walk since a sluggish horse will cool too quickly.

A Turkish towel should be used to vigorously rub down the horse if the weather is cold and then you should place a wool cooler on them while they are being walked until they are almost completely cool.

There are many factors that go into the equation for cooling a horse including their condition, the weather, the wind chill and how hard the horse has worked. To decide the best way to cool a horse you should use your best judgment. A horse’s comfort should always come before your own.

Probably the first step in any kind of elimination program is the goal in preventing the next generation of flies from occurring. To inhibit breeding you will need to control the moisture in your stable as well as the manure. This translates into daily stable duty chores involving the removal of manure as well as uneaten feed. The manure should be spread very thinly to have it dry out quickly which will further destroy the habitat for fly larvae.

These steps notwithstanding, you will still have to deal with the flies that do manage to breed. Since some flies – mostly houseflies – lay their eggs in your horse’s stool, you may add feed-through products which will effectively impair the flies’ favorite breeding ground by sterilizing it, thus killing off any hatching larvae in the manure. The feed-through itself is non-toxic to the horse, but it will have a distinctive effect on the flies. It is imperative that every horse in your barn or pasture will eat this substance, since otherwise the flies will simply zero in on the untreated animals.

Other kinds of flies will prefer other living environments. For example, stable flies prefer to breed in manure that is combined with straw, but also in wet straw, grass clippings, moist soil, and even grain. Since these kinds of flies are hard to control, some horse aficionados have begin to utilize parasitoids, minute wasps which do not bother horses or people, yet effectively decimate the fly population by using the larvae as a food source. If you choose to go this route, you will need to ensure that they parasitoids population remains high to combat the flies, which generally means replenishing them. Whatever flies do manage to make it past those little wasps need to be captured with bag traps that are laced with a fly attractant and which will capture large number of these insects. These fly traps come in many varieties, so be sure to use the kind that will work best for you. Generally speaking, the disposable kind may be the best route to go.

Last but not least in your attempt to control the fly population should be the use of insecticides. The goal of the entire fly management program is to have as few flies left to kill as possible. You will need to be cautious around your horses and it is a good idea to read the manufacturer’s label and follow the directions closely. Once again, there is a wide variety of insecticides available; there are topical sprays, foggers, and also misters. Some come in the form of strips laced with insecticide but they may not be safe to use in enclosed areas. Fly bait will work on the insects that do not feed on blood – as is the case with stable flies – thus it will only work on house flies. Another important method of fly management is proper weed and vegetation control. Whatever insecticide you may decide to use, make absolutely certain that it is labeled for the use around horses, and that it is safe to use on bedding, inside stables, inside enclosed areas, or wherever you will plan to use it.

A final mode of control program involves repellants that are applied directly to your horse. These may take the forms of shampoos, lotions, and other kinds of applications that will bring the repellant in contact with the horse. Effectiveness of the repellant depends in large part on its staying power; the latter depends on its base substances. For example, oil based products may stay on longer than water based repellants, and so you will need to be aware how often you will need to reapply the substance. Mechanical repellants include clip-on repellent strips that are attached to the bridle, fly masks, and also fly shakers.

Also, we are used to a clear field of vision in front of us.  Horses, however, have amazing peripheral vision with two blind spots—one directly in front of its nose extending around four feet in front of it, and the other behind the tail, about ten feet long.

When you consider the front blind spot, the abilities of jumping horses seem all the more incredible. The horse loses sight of the obstacle when it is a few feet away and has to rely totally on the rider to tell it when to jump.

Horses also are unable to focus their eyes the way humans and most animals can. Have you ever seen a horse raising and lowering its head as it looks at an object? It does that to adjust the focal length, moving until the object comes into focus on its retina. Also, since the horse’s field of vision doesn’t overlap—the right eye sees what’s happening on the right side of its body, and the same on the left—it’s amazing that the horse isn’t confused all the time by two images that don’t match up at all.

The horse’s eyes also act something like a human’s bifocals. If the horse lowers its head and looks up, gazing through the upper portion of the eye, it can focus on the horizon. However, if it needs to look at something closer, it will raise its head to regard the object through the lower portion of the eye, where it can focus more clearly.

When you see a horse startled by a sudden movement just behind or beside it, its peripheral vision has sighted the movement but it has not yet had time to focus on it. Even when the horse is traveling a familiar path, such as to the stable or pasture, it can be startled by something as small as a paper blowing past.

Horses’ night vision is generally superior to that of humans. Horses have a reflective panel on the retina that helps to gather all available light at night. However, horses have a much lower sense of color than people. While they can distinguish green and blue, a horse’s sight is mostly in shades of gray.

A horse with Cushing’s usually develops the condition in the mid to late years of life (average age, 20 years), although it is sometimes diagnosed in horses as young as seven.

Symptoms of Cushing’s Disease

The symptoms of Cushing’s disease in horses can be noticed easily, they are:

Blood test

This test may bring out results like increased blood sugar level.

Urinalysis

It may reveal a very high level of glucose and ketones in urine.

DST- Dexamethasone Suppression Test

There are two steps involved in this test. First the blood sample is taken to know the level of cortisol. Then dexamethasone is injected. The dexamethasone suppresses the adrenal gland to secrete less cortisol. The blood sample is taken again after 24 hours of injection of dexamethasone. Both samples are compared to check the change in level of cortisol. In normal horses, there is a marked reduction in level of cortisol whereas horses with Cushing’s disease show very less reduction in the cortisol level. This test is most commonly used by veterinarian to detect Cushing’s disease. Recently a new test is carried out which involves combination of DST with TRH (thyrotropin releasing hormone) stimulation test.

ACTH stimulation test

It’s another method of testing cortisol level. One unit of ACTH is injected per kg of body weight. Horses affected by cushing’s disease show a four times rise in cortisol, while normal horse shows only doubled rise. This test is not that reliable when compared to others.

• The coat should be trimmed in summer, since the horse is unable to shed it.
• If the horse has skin infections the use of antibacterial gel is recommended.
• The blood test may help in deciding the diet of the horse so as to avoid increase in sugar level.
• Proper dental care and vaccinations.

 A pony with Cushing’s Disease

Fungal keratitis is a serious and painful eye disease that is caused by fungal infection. Under the best circumstances, the disease requires prolonged and expensive treatment; whereas under the worst circumstances, it can result in blindness.

Symptoms

Dull eye, greying of cornea, swelling, phobia of sunlight, closed eyelids, conjunctiva is enflamed possibly with ulcers.

Treatment

The three major goals for treating fungal keratitis are to iradicate the fungal infection, to prevent secondary bacterial infection, and to eradicate the pain. Fungal infection, however, is very difficult to treat for several reasons. Few topical antifungal drugs have good corneal penetration as many are irritating, and some are expensive.

Medical treatment can be effective, provided that suitable drugs are administered appropriately. Medical therapy alone may be adequate but usually involves prolonged treatment of 4 to 8 weeks. Combinations of surgical and medical treatment usually reduce the duration of therapy, although surgical treatment can produce more scaring. Surgery is often chosen because of the shorter recovery time and potential better prognosis.

Stone bruises generally are the product of your horse’s environment. Traveling on hard, rocky ground can batter your horse’s soles, especially if he’s used to more manicured conditions. But a hard knock against a solid object – a fence rail or a tree root, for instance – can have the same effect.

So can shoes that are too small, or those equipped with caulks, grabs or trailers that alter the foot’s natural flight path? Hooves that grow up and around a shoe that has been left on too long also can bruise, particularly if the shoe is loose and bangs on the sole with every step.

Certain types of feet seem to be more vulnerable to bruising than others. The classic battered hoof has a flat sole and thin walls – a conformational fault seen in many horses with thoroughbred breeding. A horse with soft feet – common on the wet and rainy West Coast of North America – may be likely to bruise if he’s ridden on firmer ground, but a horse with hard, dry hooves also may be a bruising candidate because his foot has less natural ‘give’ than most. Small, upright feet, especially those designated clubfeet, can gather more than their fair share of bruises too.

Diagnosing Stone Bruises

So if a stone bruise isn’t visible for a month or more, how do you diagnose a fresh bruise?

“Finding them is largely a matter of experience and gut instinct,” says certified journeyman farrier Wes Goff of Canada. “A horse whose feet appear to be sensitive without any other obvious cause often has a stone bruise – and I suspect it especially if the horse has a flat foot or thin walls. I ask about his history too: where has he been ridden recently, and what has he been doing.

“I can usually differentiate a stone bruise from a brewing abscess by the feel of the sole. If it’s soft, mushy or is carrying heat, or if the horse is very sore, I start thinking abscess,’ while a stone bruise is more subtle,” explains Goff.

Treating Stone Bruises

There’s not much you can do to treat a sole bruise, says Goff, other than rest your horse if he’s sore and take care not to ride him on punishing ground.

Generally the sensitivity will dissipate in a few days. But if you’re in dire straits and need your horse sound immediately, you can consider using a sole-numbing paint, such as Sole Freeze, that will allow your horse to perform pain-free for a few hours. The active ingredient in these paints is phenol, which Goff says you can buy directly from any well-stocked drugstore. Because phenol is fairly corrosive to skin, however, you’ll want to wear gloves when you apply it – and be sure to keep it securely capped and well out of the reach of children.

Protection and Prevention

If your horse seems prone to stone bruises it may be time to consider some shoeing changes to minimize the time he spends languishing in his stall instead of being ridden.

You may want to ask your farrier to remove less of the sole when he trims your horse. The result won’t be as ‘pretty,’ but the callus left there “will leave him something to walk on,” says Goff.

Wide-webbed shoes that cover more of your horse’s feet are the next line of defense. If your horse’s feet still appear sensitive you might outfit him with pads that cover the sole and protect him from the elements. In winter, when the ground can freeze into crippling spikes and craters where horses have walked pads can be very helpful – especially if they’re the kind that also help keep snowballs from forming.

There are dozens of designs of hoof pads on the market, from basic leather, to various plastics, to amazing high-tech shock-absorbing pads that, while cleverly designed, are expensive and may provide so much flex that they cause shoes to pop off prematurely. Goff has had his best results with ordinary plastic pads that are affordable and easy to shape. A squirt of silicon packing underneath the pad helps ’seal’ the area between the foot and pad and prevent thrush from sprouting in the damp places you can no longer reach with your hoof pick.

Finally, consider the role of nutrition in your horse’s hoof health. If he has chronically thin soles and weak hoof walls he might benefit from getting a supplement containing biotin, methionine and/or zinc – nutrients that encourage good hoof horn growth. The results probably will be slow – expect to wait 6 to 9 months to really notice a difference – but the pay-off might be a horse with healthier feet.

The equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) is categorized as a lentivirus: it contains genetic RNA material, which it uses to produce DNA. This DNA is then incorporated into the genetic makeup of infected cells.

Identified in France in 1843 and first tentatively diagnosed in the United States in 1888, EIA has commanded a great deal of attention over the years.

No vaccine or treatment exists for the disease. It is often difficult to differentiate from other fever-producing diseases, including anthrax, influenza, and equine encephalitis.

EIA is significant historically because it is the first disease of horses proven to be caused by a “filterable virus” – one that can survive a special laboratory filtering procedure and remain infectious. EIAV is the first lentivirus-induced disease proven to be transmitted by insects. And EIA is the first persistent virus for which antigenic drift was defined. (Antigenic drift is the virus’s ability to change its form sufficiently so that it is no longer vulnerable to existing antibodies.) Finally, EIA is the first lentivirus-induced disease for which a diagnostic test was approved.

Degrees of Infectiousness

Acute – When horses are exposed to EIAV, they may develop severe, acute signs of disease and die within 2 to 3 weeks. This form of the disease is the most damaging and the most difficult to diagnose because the signs appear rapidly, and often only an elevated body temperature is noted. One-fifth of a teaspoon of blood from a horse with acute EIA contains enough virus to infect a million horses.

The clinical signs of the acute form of EIA are nonspecific; in mild cases, the initial fever may be short lived (often less than 24 hours). As a result, horse owners and veterinarians may not observe this initial sign when a horse is infected with EIAV. These infected horses often recover and continue to move freely in the population. The first indication that a horse was exposed to, and infected with, EIAV may well be a positive result on a routine annual test.

Chronic – If the horse survives this first acute bout, it may develop a recurring clinical disease with these signs:

Fever: An infected horse’s temperature may rise suddenly to about 40.5ºC (105ºF) or, rarely, as high as 42.2ºC (108ºF). Then it may drop back to normal for an indeterminate period until the onset of another episode.

Petechial hemorrhages: Minute blood-colored spots appear on the mucous membranes. Depression: The horse appears more or less dejected (head hangs low) and generally listless. Weight loss:The horse may refuse feed or may eat an inordinate amount but still continues on an obvious decline from normal weight.

Dependent edema: The horse may develop swelling, which is evidence of fluid collecting under the skin in the legs and under the chest and other underbody surfaces.

Anemia: The horse’s blood may experience a marked drop in its red corpuscle count and appear thin and watery. The animal may also have an irregular heartbeat, and a jugular pulse may become evident.

The horse with chronic EIA is the classic “swamper” who has lost condition, is lethargic and anorexic, has a low hematocrit, and demonstrates a persistent decrease in the number of blood platelets, especially coincident with fever induced by EIAV. One fifth of a teaspoon of blood from a chronic case during a feverish episode contains enough virus to infect 10,000 horses.

Inapparent – By far the majority of horses are inapparent carriers: they show no overt clinical abnormalities as a result of infection. They survive as reservoirs of the infection for extended periods. Inapparent carriers have dramatically lower concentrations of EIAV in their blood than horses with active clinical signs of the disease. Only 1 horsefly out of 6 million is likely to pick up and transmit EIAV from this horse. All horses infected with EIAV are thought to remain virus carriers for life.The inapparent form may become chronic or acute due to severe stress, hard work, or the presence of other diseases.

Transmission

EIA is considered a classic bloodborne infection. People have played an important role in EIAV transmission over the years by using blood-contaminated materials on different horses. The EIAV most frequently is transmitted between horses in close proximity by large biting insects, such as horseflies and deerflies. The bites from these flies stimulate defensive movement by the horse, which often results in an interruption of the blood-feeding. When interrupted, the fly is motivated to complete the feeding as soon as possible. It then attacks the same or a second host and feeds to repletion. In this manner, any infective material from the blood of the first host that is present on the mouthparts of the insect can be mechanically transmitted to the second host.

Insect transmission of EIAV is dependent on the number and habits of the insects, the density of the horse population, the number of times the insect bites the same and other horses, the amount of blood transferred between horses, and the level of virus in the blood of the infected horse from which the initial blood meal was obtained. The rate of transmission cannot be predicted accurately because of these variables.

Preventing the Spread

Diagnosis of EIA and of infections with EIAV was not possible until an effective test for antibodies specific to EIAV was described in 1970 by Leroy Coggins. The agar-gel immunodiffusion (AGID) or Coggins test was shown to correlate with horse innoculation test results for EIAV and, therefore, could be used to identify EIAV carriers. Although other serologic tests have been defined and approved for the diagnosis of EIA, the AGID test is recognized internationally as the “gold-standard” serologic test. The use of AGID and additional tests has assisted in the control of EIA.

Controlling the spread of EIAV involves minimizing or eliminating contact of horses with the secretions, excretions, and blood of EIAV-infected horses. This has been carried out in most areas of the world by testing and segregating test-positive horses from those with negative test results. Once the reservoirs of EIAV are identified, separated, and maintained a safe distance from the other horses, the transmission of EIAV is broken. Until all horses are tested, one must assume that each horse is a potential reservoir of EIAV and take precautions to see that his or her horses commingle only with horses with impeccable backgrounds is impeccable (ie, they came from farms with only test-negative horses and have never been exposed to test-positive horses).

What horse owners can do to help

Horse owners can take a number of precautions to reduce the risk of infection:

Use disposable syringes and needles. Follow the rule of one horse-one needle.

Clean and sterilize all instruments thoroughly after each use.

Keep stables and immediate facilities clean and sanitary.

Remove manure and debris promptly, and ensure that the area is well drained.

Implement insect controls. The local veterinarian or animal health official can provide information about approved insecticides and other insect-control measures. Avoid habitats favorable to insect survival.

Do not intermingle infected and healthy animals. Do not breed EIAV-positive horses.

Isolate all new horses, mules, and asses brought to the premises until they have been tested for EIA.

Obtain the required certification of negative EIA test status for horse shows, county fairs, race tracks, and other places where many animals are brought together.

Abide by local laws that govern EIA.

Typically, one of the first clinical signs noted by an owner is an occasional cough. As the disease progresses the clinical signs will become more apparent and include exercise intolerance, an increased respiratory rate, nasal discharge, wheezing and flaring of the nostrils. Due to the obstruction of the small airways, a horse with heaves works harder to pull air into and expel air from the lungs than a healthy horse. This increased respiratory work forces the horse to use its abdominal muscles during the late phase of exhalation. Over time, the additional workload results in the visible enlargement of the abdominal muscles and the formation of a heave line. With progression of the disease it becomes increasingly difficult for the affected horse to expel the air from the lungs at the end of exhalation and the lungs may remain over-inflated, which is called emphysema. If left untreated, non-reversible damage to the lung tissue may occur resulting in the permanent loss of lung function.

Horses with heaves ideally should be at pasture with fresh grass as the source ofroughage, supplemented with pelleted feed. If horses must be stabled they should be maintained in a clean, controlled environment and fed a dust free diet (for instance, a complete pelleted feed) to minimize dust exposure. Although a common practice, soaking the hay in water prior to feeding is often not sufficient to control clinical signs in highly sensitive horses.

Decreasing dust exposure does not only encompass eliminating hay and straw from the horse’s stall, but also requires the careful evaluation of the animal’s environment, stable management practices, and stable design and ventilation. While horses with heaves are not allergic to outdoor dust, for example road dust, their airways are hyperreactive to nonspecific stimuli. Therefore, horses with airway inflammation should not be kept near a dry, dusty road or paddock.

Long-term, the course of the disease depends largely on the effort that is put into improving the air quality of the environment in which the horse is kept. While there is no permanent cure of the disease, complete or near complete recovery from the clinical signs may be achieved with appropriate management.