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Winter: Keeping the Horse Warm
Nov 19, 2012
Now that the weather is becoming more chilly, it is time to consider how to keep your horse dry and warm, especially if you are working your horse into a sweat during the winter months. This brings up a few important points that I would like to discuss:
1. Clipping
2. Blanketing
In the past, I kept Ruby as she was: a mammoth. I let her winter coat grow out so that she could thermoregulate on her own. As a cold weather hater, getting out to ride was usually a bit of a struggle for me when the temperature dipped below freezing. However, my new trainer Connie has been pushing Ruby and I year round.
For a horse that is going to keep a winter coat, it is important to let him/her cool off slowly. Make sure you hand walk a sweaty/hot horse for about 15 minutes to make sure his/her breathing gets back to normal. I keep the tack on during this time (I do loosen my girth) to make sure Ruby isn't' shocked by the cold. After cooling off and un-tacking, I curry and towel the wet spots. This has worked well for us, and we have never had any issues. BUT...with the increase in our workload, I am considering clipping her this winter.
There are a few different types of clips that I have seen. A general rule of thumb is to use the most conservative clip that you can get away with. For example, I ride Ruby a few days per week but do not show, so she really only gets sweaty under her belly, girth area, and neck. I would probably choose a trace clip for her. Here is a basic list of common clips: Clip Options
When deciding to clip a horse, be sure to get the extra equipment- heavier blankets and cooling sheets are always good to have. If the neck is clipped, be sure to by a hood for you blanket! I love SmartPak's website for deciding what you need. Rhino blankets are expensive, but worth every penny in my opinion! For those on a tight budget, I have actually seen a fair number of these on ebay.
And this bring us to...blankets. When should you blanket your horse? If the horse is clipped, old, sick, changed to a cooler climate recently, or conditions are wet (rain/snow) or windy, you should definitely consider a blanket. Choose a blanket with the proper filling for your horse and your climate. Your vet can help you decide what is best in your case. Just remember, if the fill of the blanket holds less warmth than the horse's natural coat (the horse's hair will stick up and trap heat to keep the horse warm), then you are actually making the horse colder by putting on a blanket. For clipped horses, keep a few different weights of blanket for layering. Remember to size up a little so your blankets will fit if they are layered!
If you ride lightly in the winter, your horse is healthy, and you have not moved to a colder climate within the past year: don't bother. Now, I have said this to fellow riders at the barn and have gotten the "BUT IT'S COLD AND MY HORSE GETS COLD TOO!" response. Let me make this very clear: horses are NOT people. Just because you are miserable does not mean your horse is! A horse does not undergo physiological change until the weather drops below 15 degrees Fahrenheit, assuming the horse is getting enough food (feed extra hay in the winter- the metabolic processes involved act as an internal furnace and keep your horse warm). Most horse owners who do blanket their horse do it for their own "peace of mind," but they are not actually helping the horse. Please do your research! There are horses living quite happily in Russia blanket-free.
Finally, one of the most ridiculous things I hear about blanketing is this "well if I blanket my horse, he/she won't grow a winter coat!" Although not entirely "untrue," there are some significant distinctions that must be understood between how the horse's hair growth cycle works and how hair coat can realistically be managed. Your horse's winter coat actually starting growing a lot sooner that you thought- sometimes as early as late August. So what DOES cause this? The light! As the days begin to get shorter, the horse's brain responds by signaling to the body to start getting ready for winter. As the days begin to get longer again, the winter coat sheds and the summer coat begins to grow- as early as January! Your horse is hard-wired to do this; adding a blanket to "keep the hair from growing" will not keep this cycle from occurring. However, if you keep the horse constantly blanketed (both body and neck 24/7), the winter hairs will not grow as long and will lie flat, thus giving the appearance of "no coat" (but remember, the winter coat is still there, just not quite as long or fluffy as it would be without the blanket). If you really wanted to control the hair cycle (really prevent the hair from growing), you would have to put UV lights in your horses stall and keep the horse in all winter (which is miserable for your horse and probably a fire-safety hazard). There is actually an article on how this can be done safely Here.
*Note: Ruby and I live in Virginia, so the winters here are generally mild. For more extreme climates, talk with your vet if you are unsure what is best for you and your horse!
From "Chronicle of the Horse"
Winter: Proper Barn Ventilation- Resist the Urge to Close Your Horse in!
Nov 20, 2012
With the cold weather coming in, it is even more tempting to board up the barn, shut the doors and windows, and help keep cold air out. However, there are a few important points I would like to make before you decide to do this.
Back story: I boarded at a facility in Chesterfield that was an old chicken farm that was converted into a horse boarding facility-with the addition of stalls. It was not made for horses. In the winter, the barn owner would insist on closing all of the doors and all of the windows (one door at each end of the barn, and a window in every stall). When horses started coughing (and I went home and was constantly blowing thick brown snot out of my nose), I got worried and did some research on barn ventilation and the effects of particulates on the horse respiratory system (thanks to MCVs medical library). I put my findings together and presented them to the owner and the other boarders. There was a split: those that agreed with me that the horse's windows should remain open since horses were able to deal with the cold, and those that thought their horses would get too cold and a warmer barn was more important than one with clean air. Ultimately, I lost the argument despite my research, vet recommendations, and degree due to political issues. So, I removed the window board from Ruby's stall and was promptly kicked out of the barn. Those who supported me left when I was thrown out, and this barn is now out of business (ha, karma).
A horse's respiratory system is very sensitive. Breathing in too much dust (from sand, hay dust, and shavings) can actually lead to career-ending complications. If you walk into a smoggy barn, something is not right. Proper ventilation keeps the air circulating, so that dusty air can leave and clean air can come in. It is important to note that ventilation does not mean "draft." Air must be able to come in AND go out.
For information on ventilation for horses, read here: Proper Ventilation in Horse Barn
For those with a more scientific background, this is a good resource for structural engineering when designing a horse barn with ventilation in mind: Barn Ventilation Design. Likewise, the following company actually specializes in horse barn ventilation systems: Ventilation Fans.
Keeping the horses healthy should be a top priority, barn politics or no! If you feel your facility is not equipped to give your horse the best possible environment, speak up.
Hoof Care: Dealing with Thrush
Nov 21, 2012
If your fields get as wet as ours do, then thrush (and rain-rot, but I'll address that later) are both concerns. I had absolutely no idea that Ruby had thrush (usually you can see dark smelly goo in the foot, but this was not present with her) until I sent a picture of her hoof to Jason McClure (see sites tab of my blog). There was a crack in the sulcus of her hoof- which was, unbeknownst to me, full of thrush.
Thush, for those who have not had to deal with it, is an anaerobic bacteria that loves dark, wet places (the term anaerobic means that the bacteria does not need oxygen). What better place than in the crevices of a horse hoof?
The two most widely used thrush products that I know of are Thrush Buster and No Thrush. I tried both. First I used the Thrush Buster- a blue liquid consisting of Formalin (4%), poviodine iodine, gentian violet, isopropanol, and water. I will say this- it does work. However, I was told that Thrush Buster works sort-of like chemotherapy: it kills all the cells. So yes, it will get rid of the thrush, but you are actually damaging the cells in the hoof as well. Formalin is also considered a bio-hazard and an irritant, so the "green" folks out there probably won't approve of this product. Gentian violet is an anti-fungal; thrush is not a fungus, but I suppose it can be used to prevent fungal infections during treatment of the thrush.
Since I was not sure if the Thrush Buster was irritating to her, I switched her to No Thrush. No Thrush is a powdered combination of "clays an silicates salts of copper, iron, oregano powder, and diatomaceous earth (No Thrush)." A powder made more sense to me because you want to dry out the hoof to remove the moisture that the bacteria needs. I inserted the tip of the tube into the sulcus crack, deposited the powder, and then dusted the rest of her hoof. In my case, the No Thrush worked very well, and within weeks, the crack was healing and new tissue began to grow.
Some tips:
1. Horses will stand in wet spots to soothe the pain from the thrush...including urine spots. When treating thrush, pay extra attention to your horses stall, and keep it as clean as possible.
2. Keep treating the hoof even after it looks like the infection has cleared- just because it looks okay in the surface, does not mean all the thrush is gone!
3. Have you farrier visit: he/she may want to remove some of the tissue to allow the thrush to air out. Your farrier can also assure you when the thrush is fully gone.
4. "At-home cures:" please be careful when deciding to use these methods. Some people have mentioned that using apple cider vinegar or hydrogen peroxide helps clear thrush. If you choose this route, make sure you are not mixing products together- you never know what combinations could backfire. Here is a site for holistic methods: Holistic Equine.
5. Be patient. No Thrush and Thrush Buster do not claim to be magical cure-alls. Depending on the severity of the thrush, it can take well over a few weeks to finally get rid of it (I used No Thrush for about a month). When you scrape out the tissue around the frog, it should scratch out white. If not, you have more work to do.
What to do if your Horse has Hock Issues
Dec 28, 2012
About two years ago (August 2010), I left for vacation for a week and allowed a fellow rider to work Ruby for me while I was gone. The day I got back, Ruby was not quite right- she felt very stiff and short-strided. After months of working with the vet, hand walking, and stall rest, we started back at square one: ground work at the walk-trot and hill work. To this day, however, she has not been quite the same.
The vet determined that Ruby's issues were hock-related (based on chiropractic back tests, neurological tests, flexion tests, and nerve blocks). She pushed (and I mean PUSHED) for hock injections. I refused. Why? Well, here is the thing about injections: they are a short-term (and expensive) solution. An injection essentially inserts fluid (if you go this route, most vets will recommend hyaulronic acid) into the joint to act as a lubricant. However, the body will eventually absorb the fluids, and an injection will have to be done again to get the same effect. After your first injection, be prepared to accept the financial cost of getting these injections done on a regular basis for the rest of the horse's career. Also, injections are not proven to prevent arthritis, so using this as preventative medicine is not appropriate. Since my issues with Ruby, there have already been medical advances in regards to injections, such as having the option of using the horses blood as an injection base. An article that describes this method can be found here Hock Injection Options.
After working with Connie in October 2011, Ruby did show some improvement despite the fact that I did not change anything medically- I simply began making sure we walked around the ring for a solid 15 minutes before each ride to make sure she was thoroughly warmed up. In March of 2012, I had a chiropractor come out to check Ruby, just to see if there was anything I could do for her besides injections. We discussed two options: oral supplements or shots. Oral supplements are the most cost effective way to give supplements...or so you think. The problem with using oral supplements is that you never really know how much the horse is absorbing: this is dependent on how much the horse actually ingests, the way the individual horse digests, and the amount the horse actually absorbs into the body before being passed through. So, you could be paying for a supplement that your horse isn't actually receiving. For this reason, I decided on shots.
Since this meeting, I have been using Adequan IM. The first month, Ruby was given one shot per week, then switched to one shot per month. I have seen some improvement in Ruby's flexion since, and believe this is due to these shots. Information about Adequan can be found here Adequan IM. If you are not comfortable giving your horse a shot, your vet can come out and do them for you. However, Adequan is an intra-muscular shot (hence the IM), which means you do not have to give the shot through the vein- just stick it in the muscle, and you should be good to go. As far as cost goes, each dose is about $45, but you will also have to buy syringes and needles for each application (NEVER reuse needles or syringes- I do not care how much money you think you are saving! NEVER EVER do that!).
Need some help figuring out how to get started? See this video: Intramuscular Injections.
1. Insert the needle into the syringe (the needles my chiropractor recommended were 4inches)
2. Pull back on the syringe to allow some air into the tube
3. Holding the fluid upside down, insert the needle into the top
4. Push the air in, and move the needle down below the air line
*Note: I do this because the bottle acts as a vacuum and make it really hard to pull the fluid out
5. Pull out the correct dose (for Adequan IM, this is typically 5 cc's)
6. Remove the needle from the bottle
7. Hold the needle and syringe (now with the fluid) with the needle facing up- tap the syringe to make sure all the air goes to the top
8. Push the air out
*Note: make sure all the air bubbles are out before administrating the shot
9. Follow the arch of your horses neck near the shoulder but below the vertebre
10. Give your horse a slight pinch to let him/her know you are about to give the shot
11. Insert the needle all the way and draw back slightly to check for blood: if you see blood, remove the needle and choose another spot. If no blood, continue
12. Insert all medication into your horse: you don't want to do this too fast, but you don't want to make your horse stand there any longer than he/she must. Give the shot as quickly as possible without feeling too much pressure
13. Remove the needle
14. Give your horse a treat
Fortunately for me, Ruby is very good about getting her shots- I can ground tie her and stick her without her making any sort of fuss. If your horse is not as good about taking shots, make sure you have a friend there with you to hold your horse for you.
July 23, 2013 Update: Adequan is on back order until Spring 2014. Visit Woodside Equine for information on alternatives. Ruby and I have decided to try the Pentosan (we had our second loading dose yesterday). Hoping for positive results!
March 2015 Update: The vet here in Alabama is hesitant to prescribe Pentosan, citing instances where some horses develop blood clots. I have gone back to using the compounded generic IM (glucosamine/chondroitin). Although I have not noticed as much benefit as I did with the Pentosan, I will continue to use this as an alternative. It can't hurt right?
Rain Rot: What Works for Me!
July 8, 2013
With all the rain we have been getting, it's a wonder the rain rot didn't rear its ugly head earlier! I went out to the barn and notice Ruby's back and flanks were covered in little spots- which I initially assumed were bug bites. Upon close inspection...no...it was definitely rain rot.
Rain rot is caused by a bacteria called Dermatophilus Congolensis. There are both winter and summer variations, but Ruby has only had issues with the summer breakouts. Rain rot is easy to spot- your horse will have dark, slightly sticky scabs that are easily picked off. Sometimes there is some heat, and your horse will flinch away when you touch it. If the rain rot has been present and not treated, it can actually scar the tissue and leave bald spots where hair will refuse to grow!
How to get rid of it:
I have used MTG with great success. My procedure is outlined below:
1. Give your horse a bath, using a mild shampoo. Some people like to use some iodine solution here as well.
2. Soften and remove the scabs. It sounds gross, but gently remove scabs once they become soft. Do not try to scrape them off otherwise, or it will not be pleasant for your horse! Continue hosing/shampooing until the scabs are removed.
3. Dry your horse with a towel and sun dry. This is a great time to hand graze your horse while he/she dries (bonding time anyone?)
4. Apply MTG. It looks disgusting and smells even worse (your horse will smell like rotting eggs due to the sulfur content), but it really works!
5. Take precautions to prevent rain rot. As a general rule, do not share brushes or grooming supplies with other horses, and groom your horse at least twice a week. Keep your horse as dry as you can- I have even seen some people vacuum their horses dry, but I have not tried this. Some horses are more susceptible the others, but practicing good hygiene and treating right when the first signs occur can make difference.
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