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Questions & Answers

While it is unlikely, it would still be possible to have live sperm within the remaining ductus deferens.  However, to result in a pregnancy, not only would live sperm have to be present, but these sperm would also have to be healthy and motile in order to fertilize the egg in the mare.  The risk is low, but not impossible.

 

There is definitely an advantage with respect to knowing the horse intimately for over a year.  You already know the mare’s strengths and weakness, not to mention how you would “get along together.”  So some of the uncertainty is not an issue.  A pre-purchase evaluation in this case would help investigate any conditions that might not be readily apparent and get a veterinarian’s perspective on the horse’s suitability for what you want to accomplish with the horse.  It is suggested that you speak directly with your veterinarian for guidance on what type and how extensive an examination you both deem appropriate before purchasing this horse.  It is always difficult to predict the future, particularly when working with horses.  In general, as horses age, a multitude of different issues such as arthritis, deteriorating teeth, digestibility of foods, weight gain/loss, etc. can become a problem.  Over the years, horses have been living longer.  You also need to consider the financial commitment when accepting this horse permanently into your family.  No doubt, your veterinarian can help you with all these questions and concerns.

The best way to move your horse without added stress is to minimize the things that will be different for a long as you can. For example, take some hay and grain from your old barn so the change to a new feed can be made gradually over 5-7 days. Slowly take away old feed and replace with new feed. If he is used to a certain bedding, do the same with the bedding. To acclimate your horse to new pasture and turn-out areas, the best thing to do is introduce your horse to these areas gradually as well. If there is a stall, he can be kept inside for part of the day and only turned out for short periods of time at first. You can increase the length of turn-out time over a period of several days. Also, if he will have new horse buddies, it is best to find him a single buddy that he can make friends with before turning him out in a larger group. This will help that transition so that he will hopefully have a companion to keep him from being by the entire group. If he is typically a nervous horse, it is a good idea to add 7-10 grams of vitamin C for the week prior and the week after the move. This is a good antioxidant to use for the short term during stressful times. However, when removing the supplement make sure your horse is not still stressed. The horse’s liver produces vitamin C except when getting it from an external source. High doses during stress cut down on the liver’s production and that production needs a few days to start back up again when the supplement is removed.

Weaning is going to be tough on both horses, especially when there are no other horses for companionship. It would be advisable to have company for both horses in this process. Therefore, if possible, you could borrow a friend’s horse to bring to your farm or send your mare to another farm (or both). Hopefully you will be able to find a temporary buddy for each horse during this process. Once the colt is weaned, you need to keep them separated until the colt settles down and is gelded. If the colt is not gelded, he will never be able to have a mare as a buddy. If a buddy is not an option, it will be difficult to get him to settle. However, keeping a good quality forage (with a legume mix) available free choice will help keep him busy during this process. As for the mare, she needs to dry up. To help with this, remove any grain she is receiving and just feed a good quality grass hay free choice.

As I understand your question, you are unsure whether you horse is swallowing the medications that you are administering. The first suggestion that I have is that you should administer the meds when the horse does not have hay or any other feed in his mouth. This will ensure that it does not fall out of the horse’s mouth attached to a wad of hay/feed. Also, you should try to make the medication more on the paste side so that it does not “drip out” of his mouth as much (add a little less water). Many horses will hold the medications in their mouth until you walk away and then simply spit it out. You can do a couple things to accomplish the task at hand. Consider combining the medications with something more palatable like molasses, or even a little bit of syrup. You will need to check with your veterinarian to ensure that you are “allowed” to use a sugar substitute with the medications. As a last resort, you can close off the horse’s nostrils for a few seconds, which might encourage him to take a swallow. The best way to ensure that the horse has swallowed the medications is to open the horse’s mouth. They cannot hold this in their cheeks when you open their mouth. Unfortunately, if it is still in their mouth, you will most likely wear some of it! I hope these couple tricks help you.

Herpes viruses in general are very unique in that they go through an infected shedding phase as well as a latent carrier phase. Much like a cold sore on a person’s lip, the individual is contagious when the skin lesion blisters. Usually they “flare” when the individual’s immune system is depressed or compromised. While in the latent (quiet – quiescent) phase, the individual is only a carrier but not contagious. This is no difference in Equine Herpes Virus. The neurological form of Equine Herpes Virus is rather unique in that it shows up in these brief outbreaks. In the abortion strain of this virus, there are similar outbreaks. On a large breeding farm, there would be “abortion storms” where a large percentage of mares abort. The challenge with preventing these outbreaks is that you have asymptomatic carriers, and you don’t know who those are. When those individual horses become stressed (such as pregnancy), the virus becomes symptomatic again. Herpes viruses are a very ubiquitous type of virus in all species. The cold sore example in people is a prime example. Think about how many individuals are carriers. This is similar in young horses being exposed, but not necessarily being symptomatic. All carriers have the ability to “flare up,” become clinical, and spread the virus to others at any horse at any time, but are more likely to show problems when compromised.

 Thumps, also known as synchronous diaphragmatic flutter, is a condition that is caused by a combination of dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. The cause is usually thought to be low calcium, however other electrolytes of concern include magnesium, potassium, sodium and chloride. The low calcium and other electrolytes lowers the depolarization threshold of nerve impulses. The phrenic nerve, which controls the diaphragm, is the most sensitive to depolarization and will start to fire rapidly.  Usually, the firing is in rhythm with the heart rate.  Sometimes this is not the case, but typically the ‘thumping’ will occur as rapid as the heart rate.

Some research has shown that horses on excessively high calcium supplements may have an increased incidence of thumps due to their inability to mobilize the excess calcium rapidly enough to be used for exercise demands. Therefore, horses on alfalfa-based diets tend to have problems with thumps more often than horses on grass hay-based diets because alfalfa is high in calcium.  Additionally, horses consuming large quantities of digestive supplements which contain high calcium can experience thumps.  Horses given diuretics may get thumps due to the dehydration induced. Therefore, the best prevention to maintain the horse on a balanced diet including grass hay and grain concentrate with electrolyte supplementation only during race days or when sweating profusely during training.  These electrolyte supplements should be formulated for horses (not humans, such as Gatorade) and have salt as the first ingredient.  Paste electrolytes are usually the best because they can be administered like a dewormer at a specific dose and only when the horse is sweating.

Herpes viruses in general are very unique in that they go through an infected shedding phase as well as a latent carrier phase. Much like a cold sore on a person’s lip, the individual is contagious when the skin lesion blisters. Usually they “flare” when the individual’s immune system is depressed or compromised. While in the latent (quiet – quiescent) phase, the individual is only a carrier but not contagious. This is no difference in Equine Herpes Virus. The neurological form of Equine Herpes Virus is rather unique in that it shows up in these brief outbreaks. In the abortion strain of this virus, there are similar outbreaks. On a large breeding farm, there would be “abortion storms” where a large percentage of mares abort. The challenge with preventing these outbreaks is that you have asymptomatic carriers, and you don’t know who those are. When those individual horses become stressed (such as pregnancy), the virus becomes symptomatic again. Herpes viruses are a very ubiquitous type of virus in all species. The cold sore example in people is a prime example. Think about how many individuals are carriers. This is similar in young horses being exposed, but not necessarily being symptomatic. All carriers have the ability to “flare up,” become clinical, and spread the virus to others at any horse at any time, but are more likely to show problems when compromised.

 Thumps, also known as synchronous diaphragmatic flutter, is a condition that is caused by a combination of dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. The cause is usually thought to be low calcium, however other electrolytes of concern include magnesium, potassium, sodium and chloride. The low calcium and other electrolytes lowers the depolarization threshold of nerve impulses. The phrenic nerve, which controls the diaphragm, is the most sensitive to depolarization and will start to fire rapidly.  Usually, the firing is in rhythm with the heart rate.  Sometimes this is not the case, but typically the ‘thumping’ will occur as rapid as the heart rate.

Some research has shown that horses on excessively high calcium supplements may have an increased incidence of thumps due to their inability to mobilize the excess calcium rapidly enough to be used for exercise demands. Therefore, horses on alfalfa-based diets tend to have problems with thumps more often than horses on grass hay-based diets because alfalfa is high in calcium.  Additionally, horses consuming large quantities of digestive supplements which contain high calcium can experience thumps.  Horses given diuretics may get thumps due to the dehydration induced. Therefore, the best prevention to maintain the horse on a balanced diet including grass hay and grain concentrate with electrolyte supplementation only during race days or when sweating profusely during training.  These electrolyte supplements should be formulated for horses (not humans, such as Gatorade) and have salt as the first ingredient.  Paste electrolytes are usually the best because they can be administered like a dewormer at a specific dose and only when the horse is sweating.

Loss of pigmentation sometimes does respond to supplementation with copper and zinc, though there are several other causes that are not nutritional. If your horse is on a good commercial concentrate and has a trace mineral block I would doubt if it were a copper/zinc deficit. Loss of pigmentation also is more common in Arabians than Quarter Horses. There is a genetic disorder in some breeds, of which the Quarter Horse is one, that can cause a “spidery” loss of pigment on the body, but that is not usually restricted to the face. If the horse is on only minimal grain and locally grown hay or pasture (southern New Jersey’s sandy soils tend to be deficient in certain minerals), you could try using a trace mineral supplement. There are lots of supplements out there-read the labels and pick one that would provide 15 to 30 mg copper and 60 to 100 mg zinc per day for a few weeks to see if it helps.

 

The etiology of White Line Disease is truly not known. Unfortunately the literature is very confusing and filled with anecdotal information primarily. Much of this answer is opinion only and not scientifically based. Many veterinarians feel that the disease has a bacterial, fungal, mechanical, and an environmental component to it. It seems that some horses are significantly prone to the disease, especially during certain periods of their life. While some horses get a more superficial distribution of the disease on the hoof, others are deeply seated within the white line. There are a host of topical therapies out there with no strong evidence of effectiveness. Some cases appear to clear up with a topical therapy, while more severe cases require hoof wall resections. Some mild-moderate cases can respond to more frequent trimmings of the hoof. It seems likely that with the more superficial “infections,” any change in environment will help. You can change the salt concentration, the pH, or even the moisture content, and affect some cases in a positive direction. I don’t know if this is what you experienced with the lime. I have never treated the disease with lime. But again, if it made a difference, I suspect it was a relatively superficial distribution of the disease.

As for your question regarding the pH of the hoof, I don’t know that this has been completely characterized. I have not seen anything in the literature providing that information; however, it is possibly out there. In order to appropriately answer that question, you would need to take tissue samples at different depths of the hoof. The outer part of the hoof is made up of cornified tissues which are dead cells highly concentrated in keratin. If I had to guess, the pH on the surface would equal the outside environment. Also, as you move deeper within the hoof, closer to the coffin bone, the pH would probably mimic the physiological pH of the biological system of 7.4. Again, this is only speculative, and a thorough research study would be required to state one way or another.

Windpuffs, also known as windgalls, are swellings of the flexor tendon sheath on the back of the fetlock region. This is caused by inflammation of the synovial membrane (inner lining of the tendon sheath), which in turn, produces more fluid. It is very common in the hind legs of performance horses. In many cases, these are cosmetic and do not appear to have a clinical effect on the horse’s performance. In cases where clinical signs occur, injections within the tendon sheath can decrease the inflammation. It is difficult to decrease the swelling of windpuffs with topical therapies, wraps, poultices, or even oral anti-inflammatories, but their usage is warranted. You should consult your veterinarian on the clinical significance of windpuffs on your individual horse and the therapeutic options.

 

It all depends on what level of E you are giving. I usually recommend that horses with muscle problems be given a 5000 IU/day supplement of E. (Watch that selenium is not increased this much as well.) Studies have shown that groups of horses given vitamin E supplements of 10,000 IU/d had decreased beta-carotene levels compared to groups of horses given a lower (5000 IU/d) dose and control groups (not given a supplement). The levels of beta-carotene were not shown to be deficient (as no deficiency level has been determined), but they could eventually affect vitamin A levels.

I would try to see if your horse could go with 5000 IU/d and still maintain his soundness without muscle problems. If your horse needs 10,000 IU/d of vitamin E, I recommend making sure he consumes good quality pasture or gets a beta-carotene or vitamin A supplement.

I would also consider asking your vet to take a muscle biopsy and test for Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (PSSM). It sounds like he might have a mild case since he responded so well to the high fat and high E supplementation.

If your horse is incontinent and thus constantly dribbling, there could be a few diseases of concern. Equine Herpes Virus is one disease that can have this complication remain as a residual after the infection is cleared. However, there are other diseases to consider such as a urinary tract infection or bladder/kidney stones.

The excessive urination can be rather seasonal in some locations. Some horses will saturate their stall in the winter only. When tests are run, no reasons for the activity are found. However, some diagnostic tests can be considered for your horse.

The first recommended diagnostic is to perform a serum chemistry profile and a urinalysis. Depending on the results of these tests, a urine culture can be considered. Further evaluation of the urinary tract can be performed with a rectal examination and ultrasound of the bladder and urethra. One can also perform a cystoscopy (pass a camera up the urethra into the bladder). Be forewarned that after performing all these tests, results may still be inconclusive. However, under the circumstance described, some of these tests may be warranted. It is best to work with your veterinarian to decide which tests are most appropriate for your horse. Also be aware that some of these diagnostics can incur expense.

The best way to move your horse without added stress is to minimize the things that will be different for a long as you can. For example, take some hay and grain from your old barn so the change to a new feed can be made gradually over 5-7 days. Slowly take away old feed and replace with new feed. If he is used to a certain bedding, do the same with the bedding. To acclimate your horse to new pasture and turn-out areas, the best thing to do is introduce your horse to these areas gradually as well. If there is a stall, he can be kept inside for part of the day and only turned out for short periods of time at first. You can increase the length of turn-out time over a period of several days. Also, if he will have new horse buddies, it is best to find him a single buddy that he can make friends with before turning him out in a larger group. This will help that transition so that he will hopefully have a companion to keep him from being by the entire group. If he is typically a nervous horse, it is a good idea to add 7-10 grams of vitamin C for the week prior and the week after the move. This is a good antioxidant to use for the short term during stressful times. However, when removing the supplement make sure your horse is not still stressed. The horse’s liver produces vitamin C except when getting it from an external source. High doses during stress cut down on the liver’s production and that production needs a few days to start back up again when the supplement is removed.

Weaning is going to be tough on both horses, especially when there are no other horses for companionship. It would be advisable to have company for both horses in this process. Therefore, if possible, you could borrow a friend’s horse to bring to your farm or send your mare to another farm (or both). Hopefully you will be able to find a temporary buddy for each horse during this process. Once the colt is weaned, you need to keep them separated until the colt settles down and is gelded. If the colt is not gelded, he will never be able to have a mare as a buddy. If a buddy is not an option, it will be difficult to get him to settle. However, keeping a good quality forage (with a legume mix) available free choice will help keep him busy during this process. As for the mare, she needs to dry up. To help with this, remove any grain she is receiving and just feed a good quality grass hay free choice.

There are many ways to reduce the stress horses experience by being shipped. The first step in solving any problem is to deduce where in fact the problem is emanating from. A horse being shipped can be stressed for a myriad of reasons: nervousness, dehydration, depletion of certain vitamins and electrolytes… and colic itself has an infinite number of possible causes as well, making this quite the conundrum.

Some answers about stress in horses can be found in the fact sheet called “Are you ‘Stressing Out’ Your Horse?”

Travel products are all different in some way. Some do not have much information written about them; some appear to be electrolyte supplements and may cost you more than they are worth. The recommendations in the fact sheet mentioned above are a good starting point.

I am concerned that your horse might be colicking because of the change in diet when taking him from one barn to another. Do you provide a slow transition between types of hay and feed? Some horses cannot tolerate a rapid switch of both grain and/or hay so I would always recommend that you keep some of your regular feed with you at all times, especially when changing barns. Horses should have a gradual change of about 2-3 weeks from one feed to another.

Feed-related aggression can be tough. First, make sure no one hand feeds the filly treats.  When feeding her, reprimand her; you don’t have to be violent, just a firm vocal “no” and and/or slap for pinning her ears, threatening to bite. Do not give her feed until she pricks her ears forward and stops the threat – timing is everything. Basically let her know that an attitude is not going to get her more feed, just the opposite…she sounds smart so it is important to be very consistent with the reprimand/reward.  Another solution to prevent injuries to innocent passerby’s is to put a top grate on the door so she can not stick her head out into the aisle.

 

It is possible that you do not have the collar adjusted tightly enough if your mare can still crib while wearing it; however, for some horses, the collar simply does not work.

Cribbing can be a learned behavior, usually at a young age. One theory is that the act releases endorphins, which makes the horse feel good. It can also be caused by boredom, stress or large intakes of high starch/sugar feeds.

Cribbing can have negative impacts on horses and fences. It can wear down the horse’s front teeth and has been associated with ulcers and certain types of colic, but whether cribbing is a cause or effect of the abdominal malaise is uncertain. Removing the cribbing strap, especially since it is not effective in preventing the activity, will not cause colic. One should have a veterinarian check for ulcers if concerned about them. Be aware, if the top front incisors are worn down, the mare will be less effective at grazing because it will not be able to properly bite off grasses. This horse will do fine on hay and processed feeds because the grinding molars will not be affected.

It is also recommended to make some changes to the horse’s diet and routine that may help reduce the stress level that causes it to crib in the first place. Try housing the horse outside as much as possible and/or keeping it with a companion horse or other animal. One should also increase the amount of forage offered and feed smaller meals more frequently. Feeding more hay away from the fence or place of cribbing will keep the horse occupied longer and will be better for its digestive health. Reduce grain intake to the minimum necessary to maintain good body weight. If the horse is not in work and otherwise healthy, it is likely that its nutritional needs can be met with good quality forage alone.

To further deter wood chewing and cribbing, there are a few more mechanical options. Try putting a muzzle on the mare. Look for a muzzle that would allow the horse to eat and drink normally, but would prevent it from getting the fence rails in its mouth. There are also a number of products on the market that are supposed to taste unpleasant to horses. Use one of these products to coat the fence boards.

Using the term “high” is a bit of a slang term. Cribbing or wind-sucking actually produces endorphins, which give the horse a good feeling, kind of like a “runner’s high” in humans. This feeling is purely natural and produced in the body. Many people confuse wood chewing with cribbing. Wood chewing is simply chewing on stalls, fences, trees, etc. The air sucked into the throat of the horse during cribbing is what causes the “high.” Cribbing in horses can become an addiction because horses feel good after doing it, kind of like obsessive-compulsive disorders in humans. The behavior is usually initiated by boredom or a diet low in fiber. Horses will find a means of entertaining themselves and once they realize that the endorphin release makes them feel good many horses will continue the habit even after the boredom or diet is altered.

 

This sounds like normal dominance behavior in horses. Dominance and subordination, passive and aggressive behavior, stages of life, size and strength in the wild or in captivity are some components that establish a herd’s “pecking order”. Social interactions between horses are affected by the ranks of the individuals involved in the interaction. Without a social hierarchy, or even without socialization, a horse and herd cannot fully function successfully. A social hierarchy is an establishment of avoidance where each individual must know its place relative to others and maintain it in activities such as eating, drinking, sleeping, mating, recreation and day-to-day interaction. The instinctive nature to establish ranking through social interaction is crucial to the mental and physical well-being of the individual horse and to the herd.

Social interactions are governed by the positions of the interacting animals in the pecking order, which is already well-established when a horse is introduced into a group either by birth or placement. The ranks of the horses encountering each other in a social situation determine how either dominant or subordinate responses will be exhibited in the interaction. Aggressive and persistent horses regardless of weight, height, sex or length of residence in a herd achieve higher rank than more passive individuals. Stable relationships become evident by six months; death or removal or divided herds do not cause a change to the dominance order. No step is taken in a certain area or near a certain individual without completely being established by this “pecking order”.

Once in a group, a horse’s dominance is asserted passively or aggressively. A horse gains a dominant position over another individual by exhibiting enough superiority so that the other individual yields or withdraws. A new horse placed into a group will typically fight it out physically. Within 1-2 days, its place in the hierarchy is usually well established. This rank then becomes fixed and any attempt of the subordinate individual to not yield on its own is responded to with threatening gestures from the dominant individual, which usually results in the withdrawal of the subordinate. Aggression helps in establishing dominance, but once rank is set very little aggression is shown. When dominance is well-established, the subordinate will either tend to avoid the dominant individual or defer to him when one approaches the other.

Once a newcomer’s rank is established, it will rarely ever change. Dominance can shift, but for only brief periods of time according to special circumstances. For example, a mare with a newborn foal by her side will often become more aggressive out of her natural protective instinct, and as a result may temporarily move up the dominance hierarchy. Other situations such as extreme hunger or the presence of a certain type of desired feed can cause an abrupt surge of aggression and temporarily bump a normally subordinate individual to a dominant status.

The composition of a herd of horses can also change the pecking order. In domesticated herds, it is often observed that males do not necessarily rank above females during maintenance activities. In social groups containing geldings, sometimes a gelding will occupy the alpha position (and even assume the role of harem stallion) with mares ands stallions subordinate to him.

Generally newcomers have an uphill battle and will rank lower on the totem pole. However ranking is not always a straight line upward. Some horses can dominate others while being dominated themselves. Horses generally have a clear unidirectional dominance order, which may not be linear from end to end. In this, “a” might dominate “b;” “b” might dominate “c;” and “c” might dominate “a,” giving an overall triangular dominance order. Regardless of its direction, the social hierarchy is kept in place by subordinates and their behavior. Subordinate individuals keep the order by avoiding conflict above all things. Indeed, the frequency of aggressive encounters would be higher but for the fact that subordinate animals, once they learn and accept their position, will make a strong effort to avoid higher ranking animals altogether so that threats are unnecessary.

Grazing accounts for the majority of a horse’s time and energy and is one of the strongest ways to observe the social hierarchy. The more dominant individuals will always eat first and as much as they want. Subordinate animals that choose to argue will receive a stern reminder of their place and often eat less and last.

Space often can become a problem if it is too limited. Horses forced into small spaces for long periods of time do not have the room they need to move out of range of aggressive behavior from dominant individuals. If personal space is invaded and dominance must be established there are certain violent and non-violent behaviors involved. Non-violent actions include pushing with the head and neck bumping. Violent actions involve kicking, striking or biting.

Immature horses often exhibit snapping (tooth-clapping) when approached or challenged by adults other than their mother. This submissive gesture is especially obvious as foals approach the dominant stallion. Foals normally rank low in dominance, however, while near their mothers they share the mare’s dominance rank. Foals of dominant mothers will not be bothered by subordinate mares as long as the foal is close to its mother. If it moves then it can be threatened.

Age is most evident in the lower part of the hierarchy where the immature members tend to fill the bottom positions and older individuals fill higher positions. Age plays a role in gaining a social position but is not necessarily decisive. Size is also a factor in dominance. However in a large group age does play a key role. When they live in bands a clear social hierarchy becomes established in which the older and larger animals are usually found to be high in the dominance order.

When we attempt to introduce ourselves into a herd’s social hierarchy, or even to one individual, the bond between horse and human must be appropriately developed and maintained. Our status as the dominant member of the pair or herd must be asserted from the very beginning but in a non-violent fashion. This requires that the human supplies all necessary protection against hunger, thirst, fear, discomfort, pain and environmental stress. Only when the animal becomes defiant must a human force the horse to submit. It is important to remember that once a social hierarchy is established, with humans holding a dominant position in that system, the animals can carry on in a manner that is safe for them and us.

For more information on equine behavior see the Rutgers Cooperative Extension fact sheet “The Basics of Equine Behavior.”

While it is unlikely, it would still be possible to have live sperm within the remaining ductus deferens.  However, to result in a pregnancy, not only would live sperm have to be present, but these sperm would also have to be healthy and motile in order to fertilize the egg in the mare.  The risk is low, but not impossible.

 

There is definitely an advantage with respect to knowing the horse intimately for over a year.  You already know the mare’s strengths and weakness, not to mention how you would “get along together.”  So some of the uncertainty is not an issue.  A pre-purchase evaluation in this case would help investigate any conditions that might not be readily apparent and get a veterinarian’s perspective on the horse’s suitability for what you want to accomplish with the horse.  It is suggested that you speak directly with your veterinarian for guidance on what type and how extensive an examination you both deem appropriate before purchasing this horse.  It is always difficult to predict the future, particularly when working with horses.  In general, as horses age, a multitude of different issues such as arthritis, deteriorating teeth, digestibility of foods, weight gain/loss, etc. can become a problem.  Over the years, horses have been living longer.  You also need to consider the financial commitment when accepting this horse permanently into your family.  No doubt, your veterinarian can help you with all these questions and concerns.

As I understand your question, you are unsure whether you horse is swallowing the medications that you are administering. The first suggestion that I have is that you should administer the meds when the horse does not have hay or any other feed in his mouth. This will ensure that it does not fall out of the horse’s mouth attached to a wad of hay/feed. Also, you should try to make the medication more on the paste side so that it does not “drip out” of his mouth as much (add a little less water). Many horses will hold the medications in their mouth until you walk away and then simply spit it out. You can do a couple things to accomplish the task at hand. Consider combining the medications with something more palatable like molasses, or even a little bit of syrup. You will need to check with your veterinarian to ensure that you are “allowed” to use a sugar substitute with the medications. As a last resort, you can close off the horse’s nostrils for a few seconds, which might encourage him to take a swallow. The best way to ensure that the horse has swallowed the medications is to open the horse’s mouth. They cannot hold this in their cheeks when you open their mouth. Unfortunately, if it is still in their mouth, you will most likely wear some of it! I hope these couple tricks help you.

Most of the problems that occur in young horses that start their racing careers too early are developmental in nature.  Bucked shins or hairline fractures of the cannon bones are common, however fractures of other bones are more likely as well, including carpal bones and coffin bones.  Very young horses can also have joint conditions that will inhibit optimal performance like osteochondrosis, which is a malformation of the cartilage. The added wear and tear on the cartilage can cause early arthritis and a possible need for surgery.  Many horses do race as 2 year olds, but this is why a good diet and good training foundation are a must.


There is no hard scientific proof that the “whorls” (hairs arranged in a circular or oblong fashion) on the neck or forehead of horses indicate anything about their personality, though there is a lot of “folklore” about it. Dr. Temple Grandin (Colorado State University) did do a study of beef cattle over 20 years ago wherein she concluded that the placement of whorls commonly found on the forehead/face did seem to be correlated with “flightiness” or reactivity. A brief, unsubstantiated study in horses suggested that a single whorl right between the eyes was very common and correlated with normal horse behavior. Whorls lower or higher, and especially double whorls (two side by side) were not as common and seemed to correlate with more flightiness in some or “quirkiness” in others. However, the study did not examine neck whorls. Very old textbooks may refer to a long whorl on the bottom of the neck as a “Wheat Whorl.” “Allah’s thumb” is a whorl on Arabian necks that supposedly indicated a superior animal. And the list goes on! Rather than looking at hair patterns, assess your horse’s behavior yourself. If you are having difficulties with a stubborn or hard-headed horse, consider consulting with an experienced horse person, preferably a licensed trainer, who can help make the decision whether or not this is the correct horse for you.

 

Typically the weaning age for foals is about 6 months. This will vary slightly depending on your management of the mare and foal and their nutrition. If the foal is eating hay and other feed on his own and only suckling occasionally it can probably be weaned sooner, however, some foals need to learn how to consume their own feed before they are weaned. Minimizing the stress of weaning is probably the most important factor for maintaining the foal’s health and preventing any growth slump during this time.

 

Horses will drink 2 quarts of water for every pound of hay they consume. This is true for all horses regardless of size. So the amount of water a miniature horse will drink each day depends on how much hay it is eating daily. Other varying factors include ambient temperature, relative humidity and activity level. Horses exercising in hot or humid weather can consume up to 3-4 times the amount they normally would in cooler weather.

 

Pastures can be planted immediately after fertilizing.  Some fertilizers used for lawns contain a pre-emergent herbicide, which by nature could prevent germination.  This pre-emergent is usually only active on broad-leaf weeds or warm-season grasses that are normally considered weeds such as crabgrass.  However, any such fertilizers labeled for lawn use should not be applied to pastures.  It is illegal to use these products on pastures or lawns that are intended for grazing.  It should be safe to plant immediately after application of any agricultural fertilizers.

In New Jersey, the best seeding time in the spring is around the 15th of March. If you plant any later, the seed will not have enough time to germinate through the spring and will take much longer to establish. In the fall, September 15th is the guideline. Planting later in the fall runs the risk of frost damage to young plants that have not developed extensive root systems, potentially killing the plants.

A good horse pasture mix should contain Kentucky Bluegrass, Orchardgrass and Tall Fescue (if not breeding mares or use endophyte free or friendly varieties). If the seed mix does not contain these or contains high percentage of clover or timothy, I would not recommend it. Also check if the seed mix guarantees low weed seed content. Some cheaper seed has weeds in it, which you do not want. You could also ask your local Cooperative Extension Agent for a good place purchase pasture seed in your area and for any information regarding rental equipment.

As far as gradually increasing grazing time, it would be safe to increase it faster than 30 minutes per week.  Since the horse is an easy keeper, being cautious is a good idea but it won’t be harmful to increase grazing time by an hour every few days until the horse is up to its total desired grazing time.

For the pastures that are empty, mowing would be a great idea.  Ideally, they should be mowed right when seed heads start to grow.  This will take the grass back to the leafy vegetative stage and it will grow more leaves instead of mature, fibrous seed heads.  It is recommended that you walk the pasture to find out what stage of growth your grass is in, and if seed heads are visible then it’s time to mow! Avoid clipping lower than 4 inches to keep taller forage grasses like fescue healthy.  Mowing pastures also helps with weed control!

The plant species doesn’t have much to do with attracting ticks other than providing height.  Ticks need to climb up as high as possible to attach to passing animals. Therefore, trimming grass around the perimeter of the pasture as low as possible will help; however trees in the pasture could contribute to the tick problem.

If some of the field is wooded and ticks have been found on horses, it may be safest to fence them out of the woods.  There are pesticides that can be sprayed on vegetation, even pastures, though they do have grazing restrictions.  Other pesticides can be safely sprayed on the perimeter around fields where no animals graze.

See the summary on tick control from NC State University below.

“DEET can be used for personal protection. Any of the pyrethroids labeled for ticks in the yard are good to use. Keep grass and other vegetation cut short under fencing and in a ten foot wide outside perimeter buffer. Carbaryl (Sevin) may be used to treat open areas and the perimeter. Cyfluthrin (Tempo 20WP or 2L), bifenthrin (Talstar) and esfenvalerate (Asana XL) may also be used only as a perimeter spray in noncropland areas where livestock do not graze. Treat in spring when temperatures begin to exceed 60 degrees F. Treatment may need to be repeated in the Fall. Adhere to grazing and preharvest restrictions as stated in the labelling. Direct treatment to the animals may also be part of a pest management program. Consult the NC Agr. Chemicals Manual for those recommendations.”

From http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/forage/past&for/past&for.html by Stephen Bambara & Wes Watson, Department of Entomology.

Sevin (carbaryl) is labeled to be applied to pastures for tick control, but the pasture cannot be grazed for 14 days after application.  If spraying pastures with pesticides, read the labels extremely carefully and follow the directions exactly to ensure safety and compliance with pesticide laws.

If the farm hasn’t had any problems with ticks yet and the owner is just being cautious, select a fly spray for horses that also controls ticks.  Sprays should contain permethrin to control ticks, so look for that active ingredient on the label.  There are also pour-on products that last longer; make sure they are labeled for equine use.

One note on homemade or natural remedies- use at your own risk.  We never recommend these if they have not been scientifically tested and proven to be safe and effective on horses.

I suspect the speaker’s statement made sense in context, but composting manure with wood shavings is a common practice.  It may take longer to fully compost bulky shavings in comparison to straw or other bedding materials, but it can be done.  The key is to keep the carbon:nitrogen ratio between 20-25 regardless of the carbon source.  Wood is very high in carbon, so a pile with a lot of shavings will need a large source of nitrogen, such as manure or vegetative waste, to balance it out.  If the compost pile is already balanced at a C:N ratio of 20-25, then adding a lot of wood shavings will definitely increase the ratio too much.  There are online calculators that will take the amount of each material added to a compost pile and determine the overall C:N ratio. Other practices, such as providing adequate aeration and moisture, will ensure full composting. See http://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/publication.asp?pid=E307 for more information.

If waste is being applied to cropland, it is important to note that uncomposted wood shavings can compete for nitrogen with the plants and slow plant growth, so fresh shavings spread on the land should be avoided.

Water intake in horses, as in humans, has a great impact on the horse’s health and affects fluid balance, temperature and exercise control. It is the most important nutrient for horses – the good news is that it is also the cheapest! When evaluating a water source, two factors should be considered: temperature and cleanliness.

The temperature of the water is important because some horses do not like to drink water if it is too hot or too cold. Water temperatures will increase or decrease with the weather. Stock tanks or automatic waterers usually have heaters in them to prevent freezing in the winter and keep the water temperature palatable. In the hot summer months, stock tanks and buckets need to be changed and cleaned as they accumulate dirt and algae.

Water quality is also very important. Algae often contaminates ponds, and blue-green algae can be toxic to horses. Scrubbing tanks and buckets with bleach can help. However, if you are only using streams or ponds as a water source, this is not an option. The potential problem of having a stream or pond as a sole source of water is that if the water is contaminated, it will be a problem for the horse. County Health officials can test your pond or stream, unless it is public, in which case it is constantly tested.

Another potential problem: in the dry months the stream runs the risk of drying up, leaving your horses with only muddy algae-filled puddles to drink from. You will need to check the stream every day to provide another option in case this occurs. You might want to familiarize your barn owner with the Nutrient Waste Management Regulations that are currently under review. Farms that allow their horses (or other livestock) to defecate in streams will be in violation of these regulations. Any farms that allow their animals access to running water will be considered an Animal Feeding Operation (AFO) and be required to have a Nutrient Management Plan. For more information on this please see the press release and fact sheet at https://esc.rutgers.edu/news_more/File/CAFO.htm .

We recommend using bluegrass in the turf mixture as the bluegrasses don’t have endophytes. Even using tall fescue with endophytes in the turf should not be a terrible problem. The endophytes do not move from plant to plant. Endophytes are transported on the seed, so the best defense would be to not allow the turf in the lawn to produce seed which could enter the pasture (i.e. keep the lawn in a nice mowed state!).

 

Pastures can be planted immediately after fertilizing.  Some fertilizers used for lawns contain a pre-emergent herbicide, which by nature could prevent germination.  This pre-emergent is usually only active on broad-leaf weeds or warm-season grasses that are normally considered weeds such as crabgrass.  However, any such fertilizers labeled for lawn use should not be applied to pastures.  It is illegal to use these products on pastures or lawns that are intended for grazing.  It should be safe to plant immediately after application of any agricultural fertilizers.

As a University program, we cannot recommend the use of “home remedies” which are not scientifically tested for safety and effectiveness, especially around horses. However, after a bit of research on using vinegar as an herbicide, I have come across some University-published information that would be useful. Kitchen vinegar is a solution of 5% acetic acid and 95% water and other compounds. This solution is too weak to control mature plants; it may injure very young seedlings. However, it does not go through the plant, so it only injures above ground parts of the plant and has no effect on the roots. This means that the plant may regrow. You can find stronger acetic acid solutions, but since they are highly acidic, they are corrosive and dangerous to handle. It is recommended to find a commercial product that has been tested and approved for this purpose. There are a few commercial herbicides out there that contain acetic acid. See the links below for University-published information on using acetic acid as an herbicide. As you may be aware, one product that is very effective at killing all vegetation that it touches is glyphosate. This will quickly take care of your weed problem and it does not persist in the soil. Whatever you choose to use, make sure you read and follow label directions carefully. With any pesticide, the label is the law.

Oregon Department of Agriculture

“Fact Sheet for Vinegar/Acetic Acid Recommendations.”

University of Illinois Extension

“Using Vinegar as a Herbicide.”

All nitrogen fertilizer materials are salts and have the potential to burn grasses. Urea is an unstable form of nitrogen. The nitrogen in urea quickly hydrolyzes to ammonium and will volatilize into the air and be lost until at least 1/2 inch of rain falls. The conditions for your application sound ideal, since you received rain immediately after the application.

Because all of the nitrogen in urea is in the ammonium form, it has the potential to temporarily “burn” grass. Spring nitrogen recommendations for pastures are normally 50 pounds of nitrogen per acre – so 100 pounds of urea should be sufficient. Higher rates increase the chance of burning the grasses. The effects are temporary, and with repeated rainfalls, the grass should recover and start to benefit form the nitrogen that was applied.

It is essential to know exactly what weed this “prickler” bush is before you spray anything. A given herbicide will vary in its effectiveness on different weeds. The type at your Co-op may not be the appropriate herbicide for this specific weed. Get a positive identification on the weed first, and then find out which herbicides are most effective. Your local county Cooperative Extension agricultural agent can help determine the best herbicide for your pasture.

In most (if not all) states, pesticide applicators must be licensed. Pesticide is a broad term which includes herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, etc. In New Jersey, one must take an exam administered by the Department of Environmental Protection- Pesticide Control Program to obtain a license, which is valid for five years. Training manuals can be purchased from your county Cooperative Extension office. One may either attend courses and workshops throughout the five-year period to accumulate a certain number of recertification credits. This enables an individual to maintain a valid license status. Another method would be to simply retake the exam at the end of the five-year period. If one does not intend to spray pesticides regularly, it may be more time and cost effective to hire a licensed pesticide applicator for a one-time application for the “prickler” bushes. Commercial applicators for hire have more extensive licensing requirements.

Check with your state’s Department of Agriculture; it should have the pesticide applicator guidelines listed online. Another option would be to contact the Cooperative Extension office in your county. County agents should be able to answer questions and offer guidance and suggestions on procuring the services of licensed commercial applicators.

No fertilizers or weed control products that are labeled for lawn use should be used on grasses that are used for grazing. They are not labeled for pasture use and it is illegal to use these products on pastures or lawns that are used for grazing.

Lawn fertilizers are frequently time-released products. The nitrogen is often encapsulated to allow a slow release of fertilizer. Slow release nitrogen fertilizers can remain in the soil for many weeks. Nitrogen is toxic and horses should not graze in areas that have received fertilizers marketed for lawns.

Lawn weed control products also cannot be used on grasses that are being grazed either. The products have not been subjected to the rigorous testing that is required when the products are used for pastures.

If you truly need to graze your lawn, then you should manage it as a pasture and only use agricultural fertilizers and herbicides that are labeled for pasture use.

Horses should be removed from pastures when nitrogen based fertilizers are being applied and should not be returned to the pastures until adequate rainfall has removed the fertilizer from plant tissues and leached all nitrogen from the soil surface into the ground. Generally, approximately ½ inch of rainfall is sufficient to dissolve granular nitrogen; less is needed when the fertilizer is in liquid form. Under ideal circumstances, it is best to leave the horses off of the pastures for at least 2 – 3 weeks after fertilizing the grasses to allow time for the grass to regrow.

Liquid fertilizers are becoming increasingly popular. The major disadvantage when comparing liquid fertilizers to dry formulations is that they are generally higher in price and usually have a lower analysis. Remember that when making calculations of liquid fertilizer, the analysis is given on a weight percentage, NOT on a volume or “per-gallon” basis. Most fluids weigh between 10 and 12 pounds per gallon. As an example, if you choose a liquid fertilizer with a 10-34-0 analysis that weighs 11.4 pounds per gallon, the gallon will contain only 1.14 pounds of nitrogen (11.4 x .10) and 3.87 pounds of phosphorus (11.4 x .34). Approximately 48 gallons of this liquid fertilizer would be needed per acre to supply the 50 pounds of nitrogen that is recommended for spring applications to pasture grasses. Depending on the productivity of your pastures and your grass species, additional nitrogen applications should be considered in early and late summer. Conducting a soil test will allow you to determine if you need to add lime to maintain proper pH conditions or add any potassium or phosphorus to your pastures.

 

It sounds like your pastures are in need of some care. For several reasons outlined below, we do believe that it is worthwhile to invest in improving your pastures. It is recommended to apply lime and nutrients as shown in the soil test. Fixing the soil’s pH and nutrient levels encourages grass growth rather than weed growth; many weeds thrive in poor soil conditions. It would also be wise to eradicate the weeds because certain common weeds can be toxic to horses. See this fact sheet for more information on toxic plants: https://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/publication.asp?pid=FS938 Maintaining a healthy stand of grass is also environmentally friendly, because when your horses defecate and urinate in the pasture, they are depositing nutrients that can flow off your farm in rainwater and potentially contaminate local water bodies. Having a well-vegetated pasture, or even a vegetated buffer strip around your pasture, allows the plant roots to take up the nutrients deposited by your horses before reaching waterways. In terms of your horses, many easy keepers benefit from a grazing muzzle for at least part of the day, which allows them to drink water and perform normal grazing behavior, while not actually consuming enough grass to put on weight. When horses eat overgrazed pastures, they prefer the very short young grasses because they contain the most sugar. Especially for an overweight horse, this is not ideal. Allowing the grass to mature before letting your horses graze will increase the fiber content of the grass, making it more appropriate for your horses to eat if they are easy keepers. When implementing new feeding management practices, you should use a weight tape and/or body condition score your horses every few weeks to monitor for weight loss or gain. It sounds like this setup could benefit from a rotational grazing system. Briefly, you would establish a “sacrifice lot” with the shed and water that horses can access at all times, and you would not try to grow grass there. Then you could split the remaining acres into two or three smaller lots and give them access to one at a time. This way, you can control your horses’ pasture access without stalling them, plus you will improve the grass stand by letting it rest for a few weeks (approx. 21 days) after being grazed. Once horses have grazed down one smaller section, you move them into the next section and allow the first to regrow. You can also remove the horses from pasture when it is too wet or frozen so that they do not damage the plants. Many farm owners use lower-cost electric tape to section off larger pastures. The “Establishing and Managing Horse Pastures” fact sheet contains more information on best pasture management practices and rotational grazing.

I suspect the speaker’s statement made sense in context, but composting manure with wood shavings is a common practice.  It may take longer to fully compost bulky shavings in comparison to straw or other bedding materials, but it can be done.  The key is to keep the carbon:nitrogen ratio between 20-25 regardless of the carbon source.  Wood is very high in carbon, so a pile with a lot of shavings will need a large source of nitrogen, such as manure or vegetative waste, to balance it out.  If the compost pile is already balanced at a C:N ratio of 20-25, then adding a lot of wood shavings will definitely increase the ratio too much.  There are online calculators that will take the amount of each material added to a compost pile and determine the overall C:N ratio. Other practices, such as providing adequate aeration and moisture, will ensure full composting. See http://njaes.rutgers.edu/pubs/publication.asp?pid=E307 for more information.

If waste is being applied to cropland, it is important to note that uncomposted wood shavings can compete for nitrogen with the plants and slow plant growth, so fresh shavings spread on the land should be avoided.

The best way to kill parasites on pasture is with dry heat. Since parasites don’t actually “live” in the soil, proper spreading of manure in fields combined with cooperating weather is best. Spread/drag empty fields when temperatures are above 80 degrees and sunny, with no rain in the forecast. The Strongyle larvae cannot survive high heat without any moisture. If fields are dragged, manure piles will be spread and dry quickly, and will not hold moisture for the parasites to live. Parasites will not survive on grass or soil alone unless another horse comes along that is shedding parasites and starts the cycle again.

As for the horse with the Strongyles, it sounds like the parasites are resistant to anthelmenthic. It is best to work with your veterinarian to develop a deworming program based on routine fecal egg counts and dewormer rotation.

New Jersey actually does not have any laws that address the practice of spreading near property lines. The law is that manure storage (the permanent pile) must be at least 100 feet from surface waters. It is recommended that the storage be at least 50 feet from property lines, but again that is for storage and not spreading. However, laws do come into play when manure runoff contaminates surface water. If contaminated runoff is coming on to a farm, then farm owners should talk to neighbors and explain why the runoff is a concern. There are a few practices manure spreaders could adopt to reduce this runoff: 1) leave a 15 foot buffer between the property line and the manure spread, or 2) constructa berm on the side where the water runs off. If steps are not taken to reduce the runoff, it could be a municipal issue. If a farm has more than 7 Animal Units (1AU = 1000 lbs of animal weight), it is required to have an Animal Waste Management Plan and adhere to the five general requirements of the law. Click on “Agricultural Waste Management Practices” for more information. On this webpage, the “What is Required” pdf provides basic information.

 

New Jersey Legislature required the New Jersey Department of Agriculture to develop a comprehensive animal waste management program in order to provide for proper disposal of animal waste, establish standards for storage, handling, and disposal, and establish penalties for non-compliance. The draft underwent an informal industry review in 2004, and three public meetings were held in 2005 for input from the public. An Animal Waste Advisory Committee, made up of farmers, Rutgers University personnel, New Jersey Farm Bureau, and state government, reviewed the rule before it entered a 60-day public comment period in 2008. It was approved by the State Board of Agriculture on February 9, 2009.

There are two parts to the rule: the first is the five General Requirements that apply to every livestock farm in New Jersey.

Requirement 1 states that animals in confined areas shall not have uncontrolled access to waters of the state. A confined area is one that does not have vegetative cover, such as a dry lot, exercise yard, “paddocks” and stables. A true pasture with 70% or more vegetative cover is not considered a confined area.
Requirement 2 states that manure storage areas must be at least 100 feet away from state waters.
Requirement 3 states that manure must be spread in accordance with the principles of the NJDA BMP Manual and the USDA-NRCS Field Office Technical Guide. The BMP manual may be found here: http://www.nj.gov/agriculture/divisions/anr/pdf/BMPManual.pdf and the FOTG may be found here: http://efotg.nrcs.usda.gov/efotg_locator.aspx?map=NJ.
Requirement 4 states that no livestock that have died from a reportable contagious disease listed in N.J.A.C. 2:2-1.1 or as a result of an act of bio-terrorism shall be disposed of, composted or made part of any land application without first contacting the State Veterinarian.
Requirement 5 states that any person entering a farm to conduct official business related to these rules shall follow bio-security protocol.

The second part of the rule is the creation of an Animal Waste Management Plan (AWMP) by any farm which is required to do so. Farms are divided into four categories based on the number of Animal Units (1 AU = 1,000 pounds of animal weight, or 1 average sized horse) and Animal Density (number of AUs per acre). Farms receiving manure may also need to file a plan. Every farm in every category is responsible for following the five General Requirements as well as:

1 to 7 AU: Encouraged but not required to develop and implement a self-certified AWMP.
7 to 399 AU: less than or equal to 1 AU/acre: Must develop a self-certified AWMP and submit a Declaration Page to their local Rutgers Cooperative Extension office.
7 to 399 AU: greater than 1 AU/acre: Must develop a high-density AWMP and submit the plan to their local Soil Conservation District for approval.
300 or more AU: Must develop a Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan (CNMP) in consultation with Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), a Technical Service Provider, or other appropriate agent, and submit the CNMP to the local Soil Conservation District for review and approval.
• Farms receiving less than 142 tons of manure/year: Encouraged but not required to develop and implement a self-certified AWMP.
• Farms receiving 142 tons or more of manure/year: Must develop a self-certified AWMP and submit a Declaration Page to their local Rutgers Cooperative Extension office.

All farms were required to comply with the five General Requirements by March 2010, complete their AWMPs (if required) by September 2010, and complete all BMPs in their AWMP by March 2012. There are penalties for noncompliance; however, a farm owner will not be penalized for submitting an AWMP after the deadline. Any farm owner who would like assistance in preparing an AWMP can contact their local Rutgers Cooperative Extension, NRCS, or Soil Conservation District office or the New Jersey Department of Agriculture. A paper or online template to create an AWMP is available for download at http://njaes.rutgers.edu/animal-waste-management/preparing+your+awmp.asp.

 

Unfortunately, there are no easy solutions when you have so many horses in an urban/suburban area. The easiest solution with so many horses would be to bed with straw. If you did this I am sure you could dispose of your manure with Pennsylvania mushroom growers at no or low cost.

 

If this is not an option, then composting may be if you have enough space and an appropriate site. A proper compost site should be level, well drained, and at least 100 feet from any bodies of water. Storm water runoff should be controlled and there should be an abundance of vegetative cover or buffers surrounding the site to prevent any contamination of surrounding water bodies, wetlands and the environment. It should be built on an impervious base. This can be earthen but more likely will have to be concrete depending on the soil type, drainage, etc. You can get advice from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) about composting sites. Unfortunately, you will still have to dispose of your compost off-site. This may necessitate other regulatory approval. Farmers can produce their own manure compost for spreading on their own farms, but as soon as it is disposed of offsite (above a certain amount) it will be regulated and may require a permit. There is discussion on the state level to ease the regulations on manure composters disposing of their product off-site.

Depending on what you use for bedding, the manure may have more fertilizer value. If you bed heavily with wood products (shavings, chips, etc.) the product will have value as a soil amendment providing organic matter to the soil, but will not be as valuable as horse manure without bedding. Unfortunately the wood products can make the nutrients in the horse manure less available in the soil. Straw-bedded manure would be somewhat more valuable but would also be available for disposal on mushroom farms.

The upshot is that if you bed with wood products and if you don’t have much space for a composting or storage facility, you may not have a lot of options other than what you are already doing. I would suggest you contact the local NRCS; they will visit your farm and may have some helpful suggestions.

Depending on its location and management, horse manure could be a concern to water quality; however, I consider it to be a small if not insignificant concern given your situation.

It is unlikely that horse manure from horses on trail rides poses a great risk to ground water. Nitrogen present in urine will most likely be volatilized to ammonia gas very quickly and lost into the atmosphere. Nutrients in feces will be associated mostly with organic matter. Nitrogen will be converted (mineralized) to ammonium or nitrate slowly over several years. Nitrate could leach to the ground but it would be a slow process, and given the number of horses, would probably be an insignificant source. The leaching risk from other nutrients (phosphorous, potassium) would be much less. Your main risk to water quality will come from runoff, not leaching, particularly if your trails follow streams and/or cross streams regularly and if runoff from steep hillsides leads to water. Then there will be a greater concern.

My suggestion is to take precautions to prevent contact between horses and water (streams, lakes, etc.). I realize that this is not always possible, but if you can, design or modify trails in such a way as to prevent defecation in streams, and minimize the risk of contamination around streams by the use of vegetation, buffers, etc.

I would agree with your assessment that the risk is low, especially given the small quantities of horse manure that you are dealing with. Wildlife (deer, elk, etc.) and livestock (beef cows, sheep) may be more of a water quality risk on public lands than trail-riding horses.
I have included below a brief overview of pathogens in horse manure and risks to humans.

Pathogenic Microorganisms in Horse Manure

Salmonella

According to the National Animal Health Service, Salmonella is believed to be present in horses at very, very insignificant levels. According to this report, Salmonella was found on 0.08% of the operations sampled and in 0.02% of the horses in the northern region of the United States, including New York and New Jersey. What this translates to is 1 in 125 farms had at least one animal shedding salmonella but only 1 in 500 horses shedding salmonella. (Please see Salmonella in the US Horse Population, 2001, USDA-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/ceah/cahm/Equine/eq98salm.pdf).

E. coli

While E. coli from a number of species, including humans, can cause intestinal disease under certain conditions, no incidence of human disease from E. coli of equine origin has been documented. The bacterial pathogen of greatest concern is E. coli 0157:H7. Research conducted at the University of California has indicated that insignificant amounts of E. coli 0157:H7 were found in adult horse intestines. For more information, you can contact Dr. Rob Atwill at the University of California at Davis, Veterinary School, or Dr. Patrick McDonough, Cornell University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.

Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia

Cryptosporidium is present only at very low levels in horses. One study found 0.33% of horses were carrying Cryptosporidium parvumand in the same study they found 0.66% of horses carrying Giardia. This means that 1 horse out of 300 was carrying Cryptosporidiumand 2 horses out of 300 were carrying Giardia. Work done by other researchers has also found low levels of Cryptosporidium andGiardia. (Please see the following publications: Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigations, “The prevalence of shedding of Cryptosporidium and Giardia spp. Based on a single fecal sample collection from each of 91 horses used for backcountry recreation.”Volume 9, pages 56-60, 1997.Proceedings of the 15th Equine Nutritional Physiology Symposium, “The prevalence of Cryptosporidium/Giardia in the trail horse population utilizing public lands.” Proceedings, pages 223-237, 1997.)

Another paper looks at the use of buffer strips to filter Cryptosporidium and shows that when slopes were less then 20% with good ground cover (they used tall fescue grass), and when the length of the buffer strip was 3 meters in length or greater, this was sufficient to remove 99.9% of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts. (See the article at the Journal of Applied and Environmental Microbiology, “Transport of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts through vegetated buffer strips and estimated filtration efficiency,”Journal number 68, issue 11, pages 5517-5527, 2002.)

Campylobacter

I know of no linkage between campylobacter in the horse gut and human health. The Merck Veterinary Manual, Eighth Edition, 1998, makes no reference to Campylobacter disease in horses.

Leptospirosis

Not a bacteria, Leptospira is a spirochete that can infect horses, occasionally causing abortion or uveitis (an eye infection). It is not transferred in the feces but in other bodily fluids, e.g. urine. No known incident of human disease as a result of equine infection. Proper control of water runoff and maintenance of pastures as well as appropriate animal health treatment will eliminate any risks. For more information contact Dr. Rob Atwill at the University of California at Davis, Veterinary School, or Dr. Patrick McDonough, Cornell University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory for more information.

While horse manure may not be attractive, it should not be harmful to human health nor pose a significant health risk to people when they come across it on trails.

Have you tried approaching your neighbor to discuss your concerns? They may not be aware that the poor care for their horse is a problem. Get someone knowledgeable about horse care (local extension agents, 4-H leaders, etc.) to assess the situation with you.

You need to check with local officials regarding regulations on keeping livestock in residential areas. Townships that do not ban all livestock vary in their regulations. The table below gives a general guideline for minimum recommended distances from manure accumulation:

Minimum distances between manure accumulation/storage/composting areas and other activities

Sensitive Area Minimum Separation (Feet)
Distance (feet) from property line 50-100
Residence or place of business 200-500
Private well or other potable water source 100-200
Wetlands or surface (streams, pond, lakes) 100-200
Subsurface drainage pipe 25
Water table (seasonal high) 2-5
Bedrock 2-5
(Adapted from On-Farm Composting Handbook, NRAES 54, 1992)

Please remember that these are suggestions. You also might want to go to your township and let them know of your concerns, especially if your neighbors are resistant to changing their practices.

E. coli is ubiquitous in the environment, so it is hard to tell if your neighbors’ horse was responsible. In general, horses do not excrete the most toxic forms of E. coli, nevertheless any coliform is of concern and you should make your test results known. Your neighbors probably share the same acquifer as your well so the contamination should be of concern to them too. Some kind of berm or buffer to channel all waste away from your property will need to be installed. In addition, any manure that is stored should be at least 100 feet from property lines and/or any water sources.

The free roaming horse is also a major problem in a densely populated area. Not only is it a potential danger to you and your children but also to the horse, which could wander onto a road or other areas where it might get stuck by a motor vehicle or injured. It is very likely that unfenced livestock will violate township ordinances. If nothing changes, you may want to consider fencing in your own backyard for your children’s safety.

In New Jersey, the best seeding time in the spring is around the 15th of March. If you plant any later, the seed will not have enough time to germinate through the spring and will take much longer to establish. In the fall, September 15th is the guideline. Planting later in the fall runs the risk of frost damage to young plants that have not developed extensive root systems, potentially killing the plants.

A good horse pasture mix should contain Kentucky Bluegrass, Orchardgrass and Tall Fescue (if not breeding mares or use endophyte free or friendly varieties). If the seed mix does not contain these or contains high percentage of clover or timothy, I would not recommend it. Also check if the seed mix guarantees low weed seed content. Some cheaper seed has weeds in it, which you do not want. You could also ask your local Cooperative Extension Agent for a good place purchase pasture seed in your area and for any information regarding rental equipment.

As far as gradually increasing grazing time, it would be safe to increase it faster than 30 minutes per week.  Since the horse is an easy keeper, being cautious is a good idea but it won’t be harmful to increase grazing time by an hour every few days until the horse is up to its total desired grazing time.

For the pastures that are empty, mowing would be a great idea.  Ideally, they should be mowed right when seed heads start to grow.  This will take the grass back to the leafy vegetative stage and it will grow more leaves instead of mature, fibrous seed heads.  It is recommended that you walk the pasture to find out what stage of growth your grass is in, and if seed heads are visible then it’s time to mow! Avoid clipping lower than 4 inches to keep taller forage grasses like fescue healthy.  Mowing pastures also helps with weed control!

The plant species doesn’t have much to do with attracting ticks other than providing height.  Ticks need to climb up as high as possible to attach to passing animals. Therefore, trimming grass around the perimeter of the pasture as low as possible will help; however trees in the pasture could contribute to the tick problem.

If some of the field is wooded and ticks have been found on horses, it may be safest to fence them out of the woods.  There are pesticides that can be sprayed on vegetation, even pastures, though they do have grazing restrictions.  Other pesticides can be safely sprayed on the perimeter around fields where no animals graze.

See the summary on tick control from NC State University below.

“DEET can be used for personal protection. Any of the pyrethroids labeled for ticks in the yard are good to use. Keep grass and other vegetation cut short under fencing and in a ten foot wide outside perimeter buffer. Carbaryl (Sevin) may be used to treat open areas and the perimeter. Cyfluthrin (Tempo 20WP or 2L), bifenthrin (Talstar) and esfenvalerate (Asana XL) may also be used only as a perimeter spray in noncropland areas where livestock do not graze. Treat in spring when temperatures begin to exceed 60 degrees F. Treatment may need to be repeated in the Fall. Adhere to grazing and preharvest restrictions as stated in the labelling. Direct treatment to the animals may also be part of a pest management program. Consult the NC Agr. Chemicals Manual for those recommendations.”

From http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/ent/notes/forage/past&for/past&for.html by Stephen Bambara & Wes Watson, Department of Entomology.

Sevin (carbaryl) is labeled to be applied to pastures for tick control, but the pasture cannot be grazed for 14 days after application.  If spraying pastures with pesticides, read the labels extremely carefully and follow the directions exactly to ensure safety and compliance with pesticide laws.

If the farm hasn’t had any problems with ticks yet and the owner is just being cautious, select a fly spray for horses that also controls ticks.  Sprays should contain permethrin to control ticks, so look for that active ingredient on the label.  There are also pour-on products that last longer; make sure they are labeled for equine use.

One note on homemade or natural remedies- use at your own risk.  We never recommend these if they have not been scientifically tested and proven to be safe and effective on horses.

Water intake in horses, as in humans, has a great impact on the horse’s health and affects fluid balance, temperature and exercise control. It is the most important nutrient for horses – the good news is that it is also the cheapest! When evaluating a water source, two factors should be considered: temperature and cleanliness.

The temperature of the water is important because some horses do not like to drink water if it is too hot or too cold. Water temperatures will increase or decrease with the weather. Stock tanks or automatic waterers usually have heaters in them to prevent freezing in the winter and keep the water temperature palatable. In the hot summer months, stock tanks and buckets need to be changed and cleaned as they accumulate dirt and algae.

Water quality is also very important. Algae often contaminates ponds, and blue-green algae can be toxic to horses. Scrubbing tanks and buckets with bleach can help. However, if you are only using streams or ponds as a water source, this is not an option. The potential problem of having a stream or pond as a sole source of water is that if the water is contaminated, it will be a problem for the horse. County Health officials can test your pond or stream, unless it is public, in which case it is constantly tested.

Another potential problem: in the dry months the stream runs the risk of drying up, leaving your horses with only muddy algae-filled puddles to drink from. You will need to check the stream every day to provide another option in case this occurs. You might want to familiarize your barn owner with the Nutrient Waste Management Regulations that are currently under review. Farms that allow their horses (or other livestock) to defecate in streams will be in violation of these regulations. Any farms that allow their animals access to running water will be considered an Animal Feeding Operation (AFO) and be required to have a Nutrient Management Plan. For more information on this please see the press release and fact sheet at https://esc.rutgers.edu/news_more/File/CAFO.htm .

We recommend using bluegrass in the turf mixture as the bluegrasses don’t have endophytes. Even using tall fescue with endophytes in the turf should not be a terrible problem. The endophytes do not move from plant to plant. Endophytes are transported on the seed, so the best defense would be to not allow the turf in the lawn to produce seed which could enter the pasture (i.e. keep the lawn in a nice mowed state!).

 

The best way to kill parasites on pasture is with dry heat. Since parasites don’t actually “live” in the soil, proper spreading of manure in fields combined with cooperating weather is best. Spread/drag empty fields when temperatures are above 80 degrees and sunny, with no rain in the forecast. The Strongyle larvae cannot survive high heat without any moisture. If fields are dragged, manure piles will be spread and dry quickly, and will not hold moisture for the parasites to live. Parasites will not survive on grass or soil alone unless another horse comes along that is shedding parasites and starts the cycle again.

As for the horse with the Strongyles, it sounds like the parasites are resistant to anthelmenthic. It is best to work with your veterinarian to develop a deworming program based on routine fecal egg counts and dewormer rotation.

Any roofing company can help you with this. Look into having “snow guards” installed on your roof. These are used to deflect large sheets of snow from sliding off and will make them melt instead. Some types of guards are called ‘snow deflectors’ and others are called ‘snow spikes’.

 

From the description of their diet, these growing horses do appear to be deficient in protein.  In order to grow to their optimal potential, young horses need high levels of protein starting even before they are born, during the last trimester of pregnancy in the dam.  This increased protein requirement extends through 2 years of age.  The 14% crude protein in the grain is a bit low, but that is not the most important factor.  Pregnant mares and growing horses should have the majority of the forage portion of their diet in alfalfa or a legume that will supply adequate levels of not only protein but calcium and phosphorus as well, which will help with their skeletal development.  It would be best to find a source of alfalfa hay that can be added in as half of the forage along with the Timothy hay or an alfalfa/grass hay mix that can be the complete forage portion of their diet.  Mares can be fed the hay free choice, so this will be the majority of their total diet.  If you choose to weigh out their feed, they will need to consume 2-2.5 % of their body weight per day.  For example, a 1000 lb. horse will need to consume a total of 20-25 lbs.  This goes for weanlings and yearlings as well.  Yearlings might only be about 700 lbs., so then 14 lbs. of feed is ideal.  If the horses are also on pasture, and it is good quality pasture with plenty for them to eat, a good portion of their diet will come from the grass they are eating.  However, the protein content will likely still be low.  It would be a good idea to get a forage test of the pasture to make sure the protein and minerals are adequate for a growing horse.  Taking a sample is easy and can be sent to Equi-Analytical Labs in Ithaca, NY.  Their website has nice instructions on how to take the sample and where to send it: http://equi-analytical.com/.

 

On top of the alfalfa in the diet, a grain product specifically formulated for the growing foal is usually recommended.  Protein is not the only nutrient needed in higher amounts.  The correct balance of minerals is also important for growing foals and obtaining this correct balance is typically difficult for small local mills mixing feed on-site.  Finding a feed that has already been formulated for the pregnant mare and growing foal at your local feed store or working with your mill to make sure that the feed is formulated correctly is highly recommended.

 

Oat grass is commonly grazed and harvested as hay for horses, so there would be no concern there.  However, if the vetch is Hairy Vetch, it is not recommended for horses to consume this variety because it is toxic to horses and other livestock.  Some other varieties of vetch are safe for horses to consume, so find out which type it is first.  As for the beans, it is common to graze peanut and peas as a legume source for horses, but there is not really any data on the safety of feeding beans.

Putting horses on diets that do not contain long-stem hay/roughage is tricky.  Horses really require long-stem forage for maintaining hind gut health.  However, hay cubes can also be considered long-stem.  Obviously, the best way to feed horses that cannot handle dusty feeds is to soak them.  This can be done with either long-stem hay or cubes.  However, in the winter it is challenging with freezing weather.  The method of feeding hay cubes in the snow may not provide enough moisture to help with the cough.  Feeding hay cubes with warm water right after they are soaked might help if fed in amounts that will be consumed in a relatively short time-span, but obviously will freeze eventually if fed in large quantities and not often enough.  One option that might be a little expensive in the short term, but may pay for itself in the long run, would be purchasing a hay steamer.  They can be used all winter long to manage horses that cannot consume dry forage.

Ulcers are quite common and can be difficult to manage with some horses. The problem with most supplements is that unless the ulcers are completely gone prior to feeding the supplement, you will just be wasting your money. No supplement will cure them. Omeprazole is the only drug that will completely clear them up, and some horses take a month or two on full tube doses of the drug to completely clear up the stomach. Probiotics will do nothing to affect the ulcers, but could help the horse digest food better. Probiotics only aid in adding good microflora to the gut. Once the ulcers are clear there are a few products that have been proven to help prevent recurrence. I don’t usually promote specific companies/products, but SmartGut® Ultra is one product that has been tested by Dr. Frank Andrews at Louisiana State University and was scientifically proven to aid in ulcer prevention. Also, feeding additional alfalfa cubes or a flake or two of alfalfa will help. Alfalfa is high in calcium, which helps neutralize the stomach acid. Once the ulcers are clear, your vet might recommend daily Sucralfate, which helps coat the stomach to help prevent ulcers from coming back. I would definitely recommend working closely with your veterinarian to determine the best regimen for managing your horse’s digestive health.

First, let me say that I am glad you have your mini in training. This will help a lot! Secondly, hay bellies usually come from feeding a poor-quality hay that is too high in fiber, just filling the gut and not providing much nutrients. I would make sure that the hay you are feeding is not very stemmy and/or does not have large seed heads. If you have a decent quality hay, the amount you are feeding might be excessive. I am going to assume your mini is around 300 lbs. If this is the case, he should be eating a total of 6 lbs. of feed per day. I usually estimate flakes of hay to be about 4 lbs. (but this can often vary quite a lot). This would give him about 6 lbs. in hay alone per day. You might want to back down to feeding the half-flake twice a day. Also, even though your pasture might not appear to have much grass, it might be providing him with more calories than you think. I would try adjusting the hay. You could also buy a grazing muzzle to use while he is turned out so he doesn’t consume as much of the grass in the pasture.

That advice was not correct.  It is difficult to make a judgement on the adequacy of a feed without knowing anything else about it or the horse, but if the lack of oat processing is the only concern, then there is not a problem. It is true that some grains like barley and wheat should be processed for maximum digestibility, but oats can be eaten whole with no negative consequences due to their softer hulls.  Oats that are processed using rolling, crimping, flaking, and other methods do not have significantly increased digestibility. Some people think that oats are not digested because they see remnants of the grains in the manure; however, the majority of the grain was in fact digested and just the fibrous outer hull was left behind. This only occurs with a fraction of the oats that are fed.

Therefore, if a good quality hay is offered along with this feed, then the diet should be balanced.  Brand name commercial feeds are scientifically formulated to provide the correct nutrient balance for horses when fed with forage.  Just make sure that the feed chosen matches the horse’s activity level or life stage, as nutrient requirements differ.

This new feed is called a “balancer pellet” and it is appropriate for horses that don’t need a lot of energy from large grain meals. It is low in calories and will help balance the nutrients in the hay and pasture. Balancer pellets are high in protein, vitamins and minerals to provide what might be lacking in the hay. The 30% protein is actually perfect because a horse getting only 1 pound (about right for 1000 pound horse) plus hay and pasture ends up averaging about 10-12% protein in the total diet, which is appropriate for a mature horse.  The other minerals are also concentrated to make up for what might be lacking in the hay.  Feed this product at the recommended level of 1 pound per day and provide plenty of hay and pasture to make up the rest of the calories.

From the description of their diet, these growing horses do appear to be deficient in protein.  In order to grow to their optimal potential, young horses need high levels of protein starting even before they are born, during the last trimester of pregnancy in the dam.  This increased protein requirement extends through 2 years of age.  The 14% crude protein in the grain is a bit low, but that is not the most important factor.  Pregnant mares and growing horses should have the majority of the forage portion of their diet in alfalfa or a legume that will supply adequate levels of not only protein but calcium and phosphorus as well, which will help with their skeletal development.  It would be best to find a source of alfalfa hay that can be added in as half of the forage along with the Timothy hay or an alfalfa/grass hay mix that can be the complete forage portion of their diet.  Mares can be fed the hay free choice, so this will be the majority of their total diet.  If you choose to weigh out their feed, they will need to consume 2-2.5 % of their body weight per day.  For example, a 1000 lb. horse will need to consume a total of 20-25 lbs.  This goes for weanlings and yearlings as well.  Yearlings might only be about 700 lbs., so then 14 lbs. of feed is ideal.  If the horses are also on pasture, and it is good quality pasture with plenty for them to eat, a good portion of their diet will come from the grass they are eating.  However, the protein content will likely still be low.  It would be a good idea to get a forage test of the pasture to make sure the protein and minerals are adequate for a growing horse.  Taking a sample is easy and can be sent to Equi-Analytical Labs in Ithaca, NY.  Their website has nice instructions on how to take the sample and where to send it: http://equi-analytical.com/.

 

On top of the alfalfa in the diet, a grain product specifically formulated for the growing foal is usually recommended.  Protein is not the only nutrient needed in higher amounts.  The correct balance of minerals is also important for growing foals and obtaining this correct balance is typically difficult for small local mills mixing feed on-site.  Finding a feed that has already been formulated for the pregnant mare and growing foal at your local feed store or working with your mill to make sure that the feed is formulated correctly is highly recommended.

 

That advice was not correct.  It is difficult to make a judgement on the adequacy of a feed without knowing anything else about it or the horse, but if the lack of oat processing is the only concern, then there is not a problem. It is true that some grains like barley and wheat should be processed for maximum digestibility, but oats can be eaten whole with no negative consequences due to their softer hulls.  Oats that are processed using rolling, crimping, flaking, and other methods do not have significantly increased digestibility. Some people think that oats are not digested because they see remnants of the grains in the manure; however, the majority of the grain was in fact digested and just the fibrous outer hull was left behind. This only occurs with a fraction of the oats that are fed.

Therefore, if a good quality hay is offered along with this feed, then the diet should be balanced.  Brand name commercial feeds are scientifically formulated to provide the correct nutrient balance for horses when fed with forage.  Just make sure that the feed chosen matches the horse’s activity level or life stage, as nutrient requirements differ.

This new feed is called a “balancer pellet” and it is appropriate for horses that don’t need a lot of energy from large grain meals. It is low in calories and will help balance the nutrients in the hay and pasture. Balancer pellets are high in protein, vitamins and minerals to provide what might be lacking in the hay. The 30% protein is actually perfect because a horse getting only 1 pound (about right for 1000 pound horse) plus hay and pasture ends up averaging about 10-12% protein in the total diet, which is appropriate for a mature horse.  The other minerals are also concentrated to make up for what might be lacking in the hay.  Feed this product at the recommended level of 1 pound per day and provide plenty of hay and pasture to make up the rest of the calories.

That is exactly what bran mash is for them…a treat. It is really neither good nor bad if given on occasion. It is more of a “comfort food” for both them and us. It will not throw off their nutrition if only given on weekends or before hauling or on cold days. It usually just makes us feel better to give our horses something warm to eat, much in the same way a bowl of hot oatmeal feels good to us on a cold morning.

 

It does sound like a ration balancer is a good choice for your horse. The principle behind the ration balancer is to provide the appropriate amount of protein, vitamins and minerals for a horse without providing extra energy (calories). Most average-sized horses with a good quality grass hay diet only usually require one pound or less per day of a ration balancer to meet their needs. If more energy is needed, these can also be fed in combination with a sweet feed or other grain product in low amounts as well.

For your horse, the grain-based feed is contributing to the weight problem and can be discontinued. You should also remove the oil from the ration, which is pure energy and definitely adding unnecessary calories. Since a ration balancer is completely fortified and designed to be fed with only hay or forage, the extra supplements could disrupt the horse’s vitamin/mineral balance, depending on what type of supplements they are.

To encourage weight loss, continue feeding the hay used now, but it should be weighed out each feeding to make sure the horse gets no more than 1.5% of its body weight per day (assuming it is about 1,000 pounds, no more than 15 pounds) divided into three feedings so the horse does not go for prolonged periods without feed. Also consider the pastures: lush, high-quality pasture can provide an enormous amount of energy and could require that the horse wear a grazing muzzle when turned out. You can then provide one pound of a ration balancer per day (split into two feedings of a half pound each). In approximately 1-2 months, one should start to see a decrease in weight. If the horse can be exercised, one might see the change sooner; however, healthy weight loss is a long term process. Keeping a record of weight (using a weight tape) and body condition is a good idea, and if no progress is seen after several months, decrease the hay portions even more. Once the horse reaches the desired body condition/weight, increase hay intake to 2.0 to 2.5% of its body weight. Grazing in the spring and late fall, however, should still be limited or not allowed due to this horse’s chronic problem with laminitis.

Corn is a perfectly acceptable, high energy grain to feed to horses. Concern about the Omega 6 content is regarding corn oil. However, the actual research on which the concern is based used significantly high amounts of the pure oil. It is also not necessary to add flaxseed.

Roasted soybeans will add more protein and a bit more fat to the ration. But if you are trying to keep costs down, I would strongly suggest adding alfalfa pellets or meal to the grain mix for broodmares and young stock to provide extra protein and calcium, which is currently lacking in your mix. You could totally replace soybeans with alfalfa. It depends on how expensive alfalfa is in your region. If you are getting your feed custom mixed, considering the price of corn often fluctuates, if you made a mix of 250 lbs oats, 250lbs corn and 500 lbs of 17% protein alfalfa pellets or meal with 1 to 2% molasses, you would have a mix that provides 16% protein, 0.8% calcium and 0.3% phosphorus which is right at the needs of your breeding and growing animals.

Feeding it at the rate of 0.5 to 1.0 % body weight divided into two or three meals a day with free access to grass hay should meet the horses’ nutritional needs. No supplements other than salt and water are needed.

Raw soybeans contain a trypsin inhibitor that negates their good protein value somewhat. You need to roast or boil them to inactivate it. They should also be soaked in water overnight before cooking them.

Whole soybeans also contain a fairly high amount of fat, which is an excellent source of calories too. Commercial soybean meal is what is left after soybean oil (aka vegetable oil) is extracted. Feeding ½ cup of the whole or ground beans twice a day for an average sized horse (about 1000 lbs) will put a really nice “bloom” on your horses.

Putting horses on diets that do not contain long-stem hay/roughage is tricky.  Horses really require long-stem forage for maintaining hind gut health.  However, hay cubes can also be considered long-stem.  Obviously, the best way to feed horses that cannot handle dusty feeds is to soak them.  This can be done with either long-stem hay or cubes.  However, in the winter it is challenging with freezing weather.  The method of feeding hay cubes in the snow may not provide enough moisture to help with the cough.  Feeding hay cubes with warm water right after they are soaked might help if fed in amounts that will be consumed in a relatively short time-span, but obviously will freeze eventually if fed in large quantities and not often enough.  One option that might be a little expensive in the short term, but may pay for itself in the long run, would be purchasing a hay steamer.  They can be used all winter long to manage horses that cannot consume dry forage.

First, let me say that I am glad you have your mini in training. This will help a lot! Secondly, hay bellies usually come from feeding a poor-quality hay that is too high in fiber, just filling the gut and not providing much nutrients. I would make sure that the hay you are feeding is not very stemmy and/or does not have large seed heads. If you have a decent quality hay, the amount you are feeding might be excessive. I am going to assume your mini is around 300 lbs. If this is the case, he should be eating a total of 6 lbs. of feed per day. I usually estimate flakes of hay to be about 4 lbs. (but this can often vary quite a lot). This would give him about 6 lbs. in hay alone per day. You might want to back down to feeding the half-flake twice a day. Also, even though your pasture might not appear to have much grass, it might be providing him with more calories than you think. I would try adjusting the hay. You could also buy a grazing muzzle to use while he is turned out so he doesn’t consume as much of the grass in the pasture.

There is no such thing as a ‘no starch’ feed for horses. Carbohydrates make up the majority of all animal feeds including forages. Some grain-based products are formulated to have lower starch and/or sugar by not using molasses and replacing grains with forage such as legume or grass hays or high fiber ingredients like beet pulp. However, your horses probably do not need any grain at all. A good quality hay or hay cube can provide all the nutrients that a horse needs, as long as they are not growing, lactating or undergoing heavy exercise. The lowest starch type of forage is going to be grass hay or hay cubes. Usually these are made from timothy and/or alfalfa and tend to be a consistent source of nutrients, especially if selecting from a manufacturer instead of a hay producer. Cubes take a while for horses to consume, so the potential of boredom that could come from lack of long stem forage in the diet. I would also recommend trying to keep these horses in a dry lot to prevent them from eating any of the pasture grasses that may have a higher starch content this time of year due to the freeze-thaw cycle (day/night) and the overgrazing that can occur with the reduction of grass growth.

Make sure the horses are at least eating 1.5 % of their goal body weight (i.e. current a 1200 lb horse, with a goal weight of 1000 lb should eat 15 lbs per day) however, and it may be a good idea to also provide them with a vitamin and mineral supplement to make up for the lack of nutrients in the hay you are providing.

 

It is never a bad idea to slowly introduce anything new to a horse’s diet. That includes new hay. Mixing the hay over the course of about a week would be the healthiest option for any horse, especially horses that are prone to digestive problems due to change in feed; although, your list of triggers indicate that the horse may be sensitive to a lot of other environmental triggers. Start by adding a small amount of new hay and removing a small amount of old hay. Then go to ½ new and ½ old, and finally mostly all new. This should help decrease the incidence of diarrhea.

 

Out west, cereal grain hays are commonly fed to horses. These include oat and wheat hay (beardless wheat is more common for horses). They are perfectly fine hays, but it might take a little while for your horses to get used to them. Start your horses off gradually, over the course of 3 weeks or so, and they might not reject it too much. I teach a 3-day nutrition course in California and have done some consults where all folks feed is beardless wheat. Horses do well on it, and like it.

I think the biggest thing you will have to contend with is getting your horses completely switched over. They should be able to consume as much wheat hay as they would grass hay. The nutrient content is similar: the average protein content is 10 %. Wheat is fairly low in calcium though; be careful if you are feeding it to lactating mares or growing foals. They might need additional legume hay or a mineral supplement. The sugar and energy content of wheat hay is low to moderate, so that should not be a concern. Wheat hay is fairly high in fiber, which will keep horses from chewing fences, etc.

 

There is very limited information on feeding Vetch to horses. There have been some trials wherein it was fed to donkeys with good results. It seems to be used commonly in Australia and Mexico. It is a high protein legume and indeed it should be fed in limited amounts to reduce risk of obesity. I could not find a complete nutrient analysis (ie: calcium and phosphorus content) for it. Most of the studies I could find used a mix of common vetch and oat hay, which would probably be comparable to your bluegrass/timothy mix. The grass/oat hays would dilute the protein and energy content somewhat so that free choice feeding would not be as great a concern.

I strongly suggest that you get a complete nutrient analysis run on your bales, especially if you are feeding broodmares and foals. Your local extension agent should have a hay corer for taking representative samples. Go to http://www.equi-analytical.com/ for details on sampling and submission of forages for analysis.

That being said, I usually do not recommend feeding round bales to horses unless the bales are in a covered area and in feeders kept off the ground. There is a significantly increased risk of botulism otherwise. I recommend that you vaccinate your horses against botulism if you are using round bales. Also, make sure the bales do not become moldy if left outside too long. It is best if you can go through the round bales quickly without letting them sit for weeks at a time.

It depends on the quality of the hay and the horse. An “easy keeper” adult horse with light to no exercise should be able to do just fine on free choice good quality grass hay, water and a salt block. If the hay was over mature at harvest (you will see lots of seed heads in the bale of hay if so), has been sitting around for a long period of time, or has a lot of weeds, a “complete” vitamin/mineral supplement might be in order. Soaked beet pulp is one suggestion for a “carrier” for the supplement, since horses often will not eat supplements alone. Beet pulp has moderate calcium and phosphorus in a good ratio, good fiber content, some protein and some calories, but minimal vitamins and trace minerals.

 

Oat grass is commonly grazed and harvested as hay for horses, so there would be no concern there.  However, if the vetch is Hairy Vetch, it is not recommended for horses to consume this variety because it is toxic to horses and other livestock.  Some other varieties of vetch are safe for horses to consume, so find out which type it is first.  As for the beans, it is common to graze peanut and peas as a legume source for horses, but there is not really any data on the safety of feeding beans.

Hopefully the barn you are moving to will help you with a bit of flexibility during your transition time. Your horse needs to adapt gradually to turnout on pasture if he has no access to it now. The hand grazing now is fine, but when you get to the new barn I would recommend about 2 hours of pasture turnout per day for the first couple of days. Then gradually increase the turnout over the course of 3 weeks until he is up to the full amount.

Assuming it is half-day turnout, you can easily increase the amount over 3 weeks to get up to 8 to 12 hours of pasture consumption. If it is a full 24 hours of pasture, you might want to extend the adaptation to 4 weeks. However, if he is a bit chunky now, I would be concerned that he will gain more weight on the pasture, so along with increasing the pasture over the course of the 3 to 4 weeks, I would recommend cutting the oats and sweet feed ration in half. Pasture has plenty of fiber, sugars, starches, and protein to make up for the decrease in the grain meal.

Pelleted feeds from the major companies, especially the premium product lines, are made from good quality ingredients and are under careful quality control. They are more balanced with respect to minerals and vitamins than straight grains like oats and tend to be more digestible.

The hulls of oats tend to be indigestible, which is why you see them in the feces. There is no real problem with that. While oat kernels are a good source of energy, they do not supply the calcium and minerals needed for proper bone development of young horses. Even with abundant good quality hay, young growing horses should be on a commercial mix (pelleted or otherwise).

Pelleted feeds got a bad reputation early on when they were first introduced in the 70’s because some were made from inferior ingredients. However, the reputable companies do not include substandard ingredients in their top of the line products. Pellets are more balanced, and you can easily pick a product with the nutrient profile you need (e.g. higher fat for a hard keeper, low starch and fat, high fiber for the easy keepers, etc.) without adding supplements.

Even though there is not much research on pastures grazed specifically by sheep, the situation would be similar to mowing the pasture regularly to keep the grass height uniform. As you suspect, the sugar content is higher in grass that has been grazed shorter or mowed. This is because the grasses are trying to grow and produce seeds, and in order to do that they need to produce sugar for energy; therefore, grass will accumulate sugar and use it for growth. Taller, more mature grasses do not put energy into growth, but once they go to seed, they also produce sugars in their seed heads. If sheep are pastured in with this horse, they will graze down the taller grasses, making the field more uniform; however, they won’t graze the fields as low as horses do. Horses can graze grasses down to less than an inch tall, which really stress the grasses. Sheep leave the grasses longer, so while they will be higher in sugar than those very tall grasses, they will not be as high in sugar as the very short grasses your horse prefers to eat.

As for the best time to graze a horse that is sensitive to sugars, research has shown that grasses accumulate sugars throughout the day to be used when the sun goes down at night. On a sunny day, the sugar content will be at its highest in the afternoon and late afternoon hours when the sun is at its highest and before it sets. Then grasses start to use the sugars in the evening, so the lowest point of sugar content (if the evening temperatures haven’t been low enough to turn to frost) will be after midnight until about 10:00 or 11:00 am. This may not be the best grazing time for management purposes, but this is why a lot of people turn their horses out at 6:00 am and bring them in by 11:00 am. Unlimited turnout on lush pasture can lead to obesity in a lot of horses. If a horse is also being fed grain concentrates, one may want to cut them back if its energy needs are being met by the pasture. Remember, forage is the base of the ration and grain concentrates are only necessary to supplement the energy not provided by forage!

You will also need to be careful in introducing sheep into a pasture with a stallion; he might become aggressive toward them.

 

Usually when referring to grass clippings for horses, most people are thinking of lawn grass. Lawn clippings are generally not the best source of nutrition because the turf grasses used for lawns are not nutritionally balanced for horses. If fed as a treat in small quantities it would be okay, but it should not be used as a major part of the diet. Also, some sources of lawn grasses contain endophytes that may be toxic to horses, so it is a very good idea to know what types of turf grasses were seeded before feeding them. However, Lucerne (alfalfa), pasture grasses, and chaff are perfectly adequate forage sources for horses and are okay to be cut and fed. Just be cautious not to let the clippings sit in a pile long enough for them to mold. Feed them right away or spread them out so they will dry instead of collecting moisture and molding.

 

No, this situation does not continue throughout the winter months. Once the grasses completely stop metabolizing (i.e. hard freeze for prolonged periods of time), they go dormant and no longer produce any sugars. Normally, grasses make sugars during the day through photosynthesis, and then use the sugars for growth and other processes at night. The most critical situation is when there is a frost overnight so grasses do not use up the sugars, followed by a thaw during the day when sugar is produced again. This is when horse owners with metabolically challenged horses need to be cautious. Be aware that dormant winter grasses store sugars and starches in the roots and bottom of the stems for re-activation in the spring. If the pasture is overgrazed to the point that horses are biting off the grass stems at the roots, some metabolically challenged horses unaccustomed to pasture access can still experience adverse reactions.

Recent research at North Carolina State University (NCSU) found that horses will actually consume more than one would think when grazed for short periods of the day (3-4 hours). Traditionally, we have assumed that if a horse grazes for 1/6 of the day that means it would consume 1/6 of the grass it would eat in an entire day. Conversely, the NCSU research suggests that if the horses know they are only outside for a short period of time, they eat more rapidly and can consume almost their entire daily allotment in just a few hours. Using a grazing muzzle and leaving horses out all day or a half day is actually better than only partial day turnout because they benefit from time outside, but are less likely to overeat grass. As an added bonus, the muzzle also prevents them from clipping off the grasses at the roots.

In the case of horses prone to metabolic problems, be aware of cold evening freezes followed by bright sunny days while the grasses are still green and active. If this is your daily pattern and your horse has Equine Metabolic Syndrome, you might be safer finding a dry lot and feeding them hay until the grass goes dormant for the year.

 

It is unfortunate that he does not tolerate a grazing muzzle, for that would be the best solution. The short walks under saddle should not be a problem. Fall is the most dangerous time of year for laminitis prone horses because the grasses are accumulating significant amounts of starch and sugar for the winter. The issue is not so much how to acclimatize him but when to let him graze. As long as there has not been an overnight freeze (which prevents the previous day’s sugars from being converted to harmless fiber) the early morning hours are safest, up to about 11 AM or so. On cloudy cool days you can leave him out longer than sunny warm ones, especially if there has been plenty of rain. Grasses accumulate more sugar during a drought too! Five- to ten-minute increments should be safe, but back off under the “danger” conditions. Also make sure he gets his hay or beet pulp before turning him out so he won’t be as hungry.

There isn’t enough information at this time to give more exact recommendations, so in the meantime erring on the side of caution is probably best.

 

Ulcers are quite common and can be difficult to manage with some horses. The problem with most supplements is that unless the ulcers are completely gone prior to feeding the supplement, you will just be wasting your money. No supplement will cure them. Omeprazole is the only drug that will completely clear them up, and some horses take a month or two on full tube doses of the drug to completely clear up the stomach. Probiotics will do nothing to affect the ulcers, but could help the horse digest food better. Probiotics only aid in adding good microflora to the gut. Once the ulcers are clear there are a few products that have been proven to help prevent recurrence. I don’t usually promote specific companies/products, but SmartGut® Ultra is one product that has been tested by Dr. Frank Andrews at Louisiana State University and was scientifically proven to aid in ulcer prevention. Also, feeding additional alfalfa cubes or a flake or two of alfalfa will help. Alfalfa is high in calcium, which helps neutralize the stomach acid. Once the ulcers are clear, your vet might recommend daily Sucralfate, which helps coat the stomach to help prevent ulcers from coming back. I would definitely recommend working closely with your veterinarian to determine the best regimen for managing your horse’s digestive health.

A general multi-vitamin and mineral supplement for horses or plenty of fresh pasture grass would be better than a daily carrot or apple. The reason for this is because the concentration of vitamins and minerals that horses need in their diet is much greater than what can be provided in 1 carrot or apple per day. Plus, these natural sources are not balanced for a horse where most commercial companies specifically formulate their products for the needs of a horse. With this being said, if a horse is on good quality forage (i.e. hay or pasture) there is typically not a need for other supplements as they get most of what they need from green leafy forages. That is their source of vegetables!

 

It all depends on what level of E you are giving. I usually recommend that horses with muscle problems be given a 5000 IU/day supplement of E. (Watch that selenium is not increased this much as well.) Studies have shown that groups of horses given vitamin E supplements of 10,000 IU/d had decreased beta-carotene levels compared to groups of horses given a lower (5000 IU/d) dose and control groups (not given a supplement). The levels of beta-carotene were not shown to be deficient (as no deficiency level has been determined), but they could eventually affect vitamin A levels.

I would try to see if your horse could go with 5000 IU/d and still maintain his soundness without muscle problems. If your horse needs 10,000 IU/d of vitamin E, I recommend making sure he consumes good quality pasture or gets a beta-carotene or vitamin A supplement.

I would also consider asking your vet to take a muscle biopsy and test for Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (PSSM). It sounds like he might have a mild case since he responded so well to the high fat and high E supplementation.

An 1100 lb horse under heavy exercise requires 22,500 IU of vitamin A and 3300 IU of vitamin D per day, which is significantly below what your horses are receiving in the supplement alone. The upper safe limit reported by the National Research Council’s nutrient requirements for horses for vitamin D is 44 IU/kg of body weight per day; or for the 1100 lb horse about 22,000 IU/d. The level for vitamin A is 16,000 IU/kg of diet intake, or roughly 160,000 IU/d. Since the concentrate you feed has 3,000 IU of vitamin A per lb and 670 IU of vitamin D per lb, your horse is getting 22,500 IU/d of vitamin A and 5,025 IU/d of vitamin D from the feed alone. This is not taking into account any of the forage sources your horses eat, including pasture and hay which are typically excellent sources of vitamin A. If your horses are in the sunlight for at least 3 to 4 hours a day they do not need a dietary source of vitamin D since they can synthesize it in the body. It is not necessary to use supplements as an A or D source, especially if your horses have access to fresh pasture and sunlight. With that being said, you are still lower than the upper safe limit; keep this in mind if you decide to add another supplement to the diet. It is best to not purchase several supplements that have the same nutrients in them. It is good that you are taking the proactive approach to find out if there is a problem.

 

Copper sulfate can be used as a supplement to provide the trace mineral copper to horses. Copper is a necessary component of the equine diet. It is needed for enzymes that structure collagen for connective tissue, cartilage, and bone. Copper can be found in many tissues in the body, specifically the liver, brain, heart, kidneys, the pigmented part of the eye, and the hair. Important functions of copper include red blood cell formation, bone formation, and hair pigmentation. Copper is also important in the hoof health of horses.

The current National Research Council (NRC) equine copper requirement is 10 parts per million (ppm) for horses of all ages, although that requirement is raised slightly for growing or pregnant horses. This being said, horses can tolerate a dose of up to 800 ppm without adverse effects, but above this amount could be unsafe.

The greatest concern with horses is not copper toxicity, but rather copper deficiency. Copper deficiencies can be seen clearly in the wool of sheep, although in horses the deficiency is not so easily visualized. Some signs of equine copper deficiency include a loss of black pigment in the hair, causing a brown “spectacled” appearance of the hair around the eyes, and a coarse hair quality. A horse with a copper deficiency has a tendency to arterially rupture and develop chronic anemia. In addition, copper deficiency in the horse results in bone abnormalities. The cartilage matrix fails to mineralize properly, so the cortex of long bones will be thin, leaving them more likely to be brittle and easily breakable.

Inorganic sulfur (in forms such as a yellow powder) has not been shown to be essential, although organic sulfur (in forms such as sulfur-containing amino acids found in organic protein sources) is necessary to the equine diet. It is necessary for synthesizing cartilage and other organic components in the body, as well as being an essential component in blood clotting.

Equine sulfur requirements have not been established, but the NRC states that .15% of the diet is adequate. Sulfur toxicity is not a major concern in horses. Excesses of all amino acids cause anorexia and growth depression, but this is not necessarily a concern relating to organic sulfur in particular. Elemental sulfur is actually viewed as one of the least toxic elements.

Sulfur is usually available in the horse’s forage, however if this is not the case there may be a need for a very small amount of sulfur supplementation in the diet. This should occur in the form of an organic source to ensure that the sulfur is absorbed and utilized most effectively. Interestingly, sulfur combined with molybdenum can interfere with copper absorption, causing either copper toxicity or deficiency. A horse that has a high intake of sulfur from any source is at a risk of a copper deficiency. If the sulfur amounts in the diet are below 2200 parts per million (ppm) toxicity will not be a concern.

This is one of my favorite questions! I will answer your last question first. I have asked more farriers and vets than I can count what the correlation is between white hooves and problems. There is no correlation. A lot of people think that there is, but it has never been proven to be true. As for internal supplements to help hoof growth, I can recommend four different ingredients:

  • Biotin is a B vitamin that helps to activate production of keratin, which is the major component of the hoof.
  • Iodine is essential for thyroid hormones that help develop all body tissues, including hoof tissue.
  • Methionine is responsible for helping with the production of keratin.
  • Zinc contributes to the health of the hoof and reactions in controlling metabolism.

Each of these ingredients has been studied as to its most effective dose. It is advisable to look at supplement labels when purchasing hoof supplements because many supplements do not contain the appropriate amounts. Biotin should at 20 mg/day, iodine should be 1 mg/day and zinc should be between 175 and 250 mg/day. Amounts for methionine are unknown in terms of hoof health. Just be careful if you are already adding supplements to the diet that contain these products. Excessive iodine and methionine could cause more problems than going without the supplement altogether. You should choose a supplement that is most important to your horse if you have more than one with these ingredients.

 

Another caution with feeding hoof supplements is that while they are proven to help horses with problem hooves, they have never been shown to improve hooves that are not in need of extra help. Also these supplements take a long time to show any benefits. Hooves grow from the coronet band down, which takes about 1 year to grow from the top until it is trimmed off at the bottom. So give these supplements at least six months to see if they are making an impact on the quality on the hoof as it grows. Some studies have also shown that horses on a good balanced diet are getting just as many benefits as with an added hoof supplement, but that will depend on the horse and the hoof problem. Higher fat diets have also been shown to help with hoof condition as well (if at least 10% fat).

As for any topical solution for hoof strength, any farrier you ask will tell you something different, but the one that most will usually tell you works is venice turpentine. Venice turpentine is a viscous resin from the European Larch, a pine tree. It is used for lithographic work, as a sealing wax, and in varnishes. Horsemen have used it for years as a salve for cuts and as a hoof dressing. The stuff is very sticky, and messy, and applied to the bottom of the hoof, but for horses with thin soles or helping hooves strengthen after an abscess, this seems to work. Many hoof hardener products will include this in their list of ingredients. In most instances an iodine solution will also work if you coat the bottom of the hoof. A lot of the hoof conditioners out there will just put a shinny coat on the hoof and are not really doing much good otherwise. You can apply both of these products as necessary, but usually weekly works unless the conditions are very wet where he is stabled, than daily might be more appropriate.

To begin, make sure the horses are getting 2% of their body weight in feed, and at least 1.5% should be forage.  This means the grass hay you currently are feeding plus any additional alfalfa.  If baled alfalfa is too expensive, try alfalfa cubes.  Cubes are better for digestion than pellets because they act more like long stem hay and will not be consumed as quickly as pellets. Cubes also seem to be a bit more economical.

Another option to try is rice bran, which is a high fat supplement that also is high in fiber.  The whole bag might be expensive, but since it is recommended to feed one pound per day it will last for a while. The high level of fat will help increase weight as well as improve coat condition.  Either option would help with weight gain in these horses.  If they are 1000 pounds each, try feeding 10 pounds of the grass hay with 5 pounds of alfalfa and add any grain and rice bran on top of that.  Alternatively, feed a full 20 pounds of the hay combination, with just a small amount of additional rice bran or grain.

Alfalfa has been reported to be a good feed for horses with gastric ulcers due to the potential “buffering” effect of its high mineral content and protein. The higher calcium would not be a problem for your adult mare. However, because of its higher digestibility, if she is stall bound or in limited turnout work you would not be able to feed it free choice. An increase in training along with moving barns may contribute to persistence of the ulcers, but I would stop the GastroGard® once she is on a regular schedule and see if the new diet and routine help. Other supplements are not needed if your horse is maintained on good quality hay. If she is fed grain, try and stick with something that is not only high in fat, but has additional fiber as well (>10%).

When muscle enzymes, which are used to perform reactions in muscles, are found at high levels in the bloodstream, it means that they have somehow escaped from the muscle cells. Usually this occurs when the muscles are damaged by the process of tying-up. Scientifically speaking, the muscle membranes are ruptured and the cell contents leaks out into the bloodstream. This is not a long-term problem because muscles can repair themselves quite quickly; the horse may just be sore for a little while (kind of like when our muscles hurt after strenuous exercise). If the horse keeps tying-up it may become harder or take longer to repair, but usually one episode will not cause permanent damage.

Most low carb feeds have high levels of fiber, which is considered a “structural” carbohydrate. However, because fiber is slowly fermented in the hindgut of the horse, it is not metabolized in the same way that “soluble” carbohydrates are. Soluble carbs, i.e. sugars and starches, are digested in the small intestine. If they are overloaded, they will rapidly ferment in the hindgut.

That said, it is the overload of sugars and starches you want to avoid, such as your high-energy feeds and sweet feeds (e.g. corn, molasses, etc.). Oats, on the other hand, are not high in starch, but in fiber, so they will not be the problem here.

Some low carb feeds not only contain high levels of fiber, but are also formulated to have a high energy content. If so, they will have high levels of fat added to replace the energy lost by removing the starch. Check the feed tag of the feed you are using. It should be around 10% to 12% fat for racehorses. If it is lower than that you can still feed it if you want, but I would recommend adding another fat source to boost the energy content of the diet. You can do this using a vegetable oil or rice bran. You can add up to two cups per day of vegetable oil, but break it over three feedings. I like rice bran the best because horses love the taste and it is also high in fiber along with fat. Most companies will have a rice bran product. You can just feed it as per the directions on the bag.

 

Another component I recommend adding to the diet of a tied-up horse is vitamin E. Especially in racehorses, vitamin E has been shown to help decrease the amount of muscle damage due to intense exercise. I recommend a pure vitamin E product with no other added components (like selenium). You can feed up to 5,000 IU per day to an exercising horse. Just look on the label of the product to see how many IUs there are per ounce of the product and feed accordingly.

If I understand what you mean by “not right”, I would say he is a little muscle sore. This could have been from the intense work he just had, but if you have never had this problem, it is a bit strange (depending on how old he is). I have a couple of suggestions, but for a more detailed response I need to know more about his diet, i.e. how long and what kind of pasture is he on, what kind and how much hay do you feed, and is he on any other supplements?

I would recommend a high fat feed (at least 10%), with higher fiber content (>10%). Since he is an easy keeper, you shouldn’t need to feed more than 2 to 3 lbs. for your horse.

Make sure he is on good quality grass hay, especially if he is on limited pasture. The one supplement I would try after deciding on a feed is a Vitamin E supplement. I have found good results with higher levels of dietary vitamin E corresponding to lower levels of muscle enzyme leakage and muscle soreness. These commercial feeds have plenty of selenium in them so I would aim for a vitamin E supplement that is pure and does not contain selenium. VitaFlex makes one that is concentrated, so you only feed a little with his small amount of grain. Start with 2,500 IU/day and if you don’t see a difference in a month, or if he gets worse, raise the dosage to 5,000 IU/day.

The best way to get a horse with bad teeth to eat anything, especially roughage, is to feed hay cubes. You can purchase grass, legume or a legume/grass mix cubes. I recommend straight grass hay cubes for your horse. They can be fed with water so they break down and turn into a mash. You can actually add all of his feed to this mash, sweet feed included.

However, if he has no teeth at all, I would recommend switching your sweet feed to a pelleted, or, better yet, an extruded feed that you can add to the water and cubes for a total mash. Beet pulp and rice bran are also good additions to the diet. Rice bran is high in fat and can help him gain weight. Beet pulp is high in fiber, so if he doesn’t like the hay cubes, add beet pulp to the wet mixture. Remember, when feeding moistened feed, always weigh out what you are feeding before adding water to it!

First of all, does the mare have access to sandy soils and overgrazed pasture or is it fed in a paddock with sandy soil? If the mare is on sandy soil, what you describe is a classic sign for sand ingestion. Collect a handful of the mare’s feces and put it in a jar of water. If a layer of sand filters out to the bottom, look into getting her on a regimen of a Psyllium product designed to help eliminate sand. Consult with your veterinarian regarding doses. Try to prevent future ingestion by putting rubber mats under the area where she is fed and using a hay feeder that has a catch basin to keep hay off the ground. Also get her teeth checked for sharp points and hooks, especially at the back of the molars that might be making chewing difficult and affecting her ability to keep weight on.

Regardless of what the results from the above are, you are over supplementing this mare and that, in itself, could be the cause of the problem. Discontinue the probiotics; they are not helping and maybe contributing to the loose stools. The mare/foal feed is unnecessary. The high fat supplement you are using is redundant to the balancer pellet in its mineral and vitamin content and therefore should be discontinued as well. Assuming your veterinarian has not find evidence of liver or kidney problems but does detect pituitary dysfunction, which might be part of her problem, switch her to a low sugar, high fat feed; there are several on the market. Start by taking out one pound of the senior feed and adding one pound of the new feed each day at each feeding until completely switched. If you add a meal of two or more pounds per day (so she’d get three meals, two pounds each) plus the one pound per day of the balancer pellet I think you might see a difference. However, if kidney or liver problems are detected we will have to explore another route.

It is highly recommended to stay away from any form of feed that contains molasses, which is very high in potassium, and just use pure grains (e.g. oats, barley, corn, wheat, etc,) with beet pulp. The oat hay is appropriate; however, timothy and bermuda grass hays are the best in this case. As for the corn syrup, it will potentially help reduce the severity of the episodes. Theoretically, the rapid increases in blood sugar from these grains or the corn syrup will help drive potassium into the muscle cells, preventing the peaks in blood potassium which cause the clinical attacks. However, these have not been research tested, and only have been speculated to help. This is due to the insulin-mediated movement of potassium across cell membranes. You can use small amounts of the syrup on top of the grain meal without harming the horse.

 Other recommendations are to stay away from feeds high in potassium like alfalfa, orchard grass, brome hay and soybean meal, kelp products, and molasses. Also, it is recommended to develop a feeding routine that splits the daily ration into 3 to 5 small meals per day. The theory here is to keep the potassium intake as low as possible in each meal. Horses should have a daily ration between 0.6 and 1.1 % potassium, but ideally meals should contain < 33 g of potassium total. Avoiding exercise for the first three hours after a meal is recommended.

 

There are many good references available on toxic plants. I have provided you with a list of my favorites below. Let me warn you that weeds and toxic plants are present on virtually every horse farm. I have worked on pastures on over 200 horse farms in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and every one of them contained at least one species of toxic plants, shrubs, or trees.

The horse, as a species, has survived with toxic plants in its environment for a long time. Plants do not contain toxins in order to kill grazing animals. They are poisonous so that the animal will be exposed to the toxin, remember that the plant is not good to eat, and avoid it the next time. Toxins in plants generally taste bitter and sometimes have an offensive odor that causes animals to avoid browsing on them. Healthy animals that are well fed and have forage (hay and/or pasture) available to them rarely consume toxic plants. The most common reason for livestock poisoning is undernourishment. In early spring, late fall, or during periods of extended dry weather, animals may eat plants that they would not normally consume if other forage were available. Occasionally, individual animals may eat poisonous plants accidentally or when craving variation or special nutrients in their diet.

Below are several tips to assist you in reducing the risk of plant poisonings in horses.

  • Adopt good pasture management practices to keep your pasture grasses thick and healthy. Many toxic plants produce berries that are transported to new environments by birds and mammals that feed on the berries. Bare spaces in pastures provide light and soil contact needed for seeds to germinate. Thick grasses help prevent weed seedlings from becoming established in pastures.
  • Fertilize your pastures based on soil test results and rotate paddocks to allow grasses to recover from grazing. Many toxic plants, such as buttercup and milkweed, can survive on poor fertility soils. Pasture grasses require a good fertility program in order to proliferate.
  • Mow your pastures at the height required for the species of forage present. Some toxic plants will not survive if they are clipped off on a regular basis. Mowing will also reduce weed seed production.
  • Carefully check rock outcroppings and fence lines for toxic plants and trees. Many toxic plants such as nightshade will grow in these unmowed areas.
  • Feed hay outside when pasture grasses are not productive to prevent horses from chewing on tree bark, twigs, and leaves in an attempt to increase fiber in their diet. Trees such as black locust, red maple and cherry are very toxic and can lead to fatal results.
  • Do not allow horses to have access to woodland and wetlands. Many toxic plants grow in these environments.
  • Learn to identify poisonous trees, shrubs, and plants in your areas. Contact your local Cooperative Extension office to get a list of toxic plants that are commonly found in your area. Your county agricultural agent may be able to assist you in identifying these plants. If you live in the northeast, Poisonous Plants of Pennsylvania is an excellent resource that is available at cost through the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Harrisburg, PA. Another excellent resource is A Guide to Plant Poisonings of Animals in North America by Anthony Knight and Richard Walter, available through Teton NewMedia, Jackson, Wyoming
  • Some good web sites include:
    • Rutgers Cooperative Extension’s harmful plant page
      http://www.rce.rutgers.edu/harmfulplants/default.asp
    • Cornell University Poisonous Plant Database
      http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/comlist.html
    • Colorado State University Guide to Poisonous Plants
      http://www.vth.colostate.edu/poisonous_plants/
    • Purdue Toxic Plants by Degree of Toxicity
      http://vet.purdue.edu/depts/addl/toxic/bytox1.htm

It is more likely that this person has toxic plants in his or her dry lot or pastures and the horses are now eating them because the drought conditions have killed all other good forage. Toxic plants generally have a bad taste and horses will avoid them unless there is nothing else to eat. If there are severe drought conditions, most edible plants are probably dead, leaving just the toxic ones that are hardier. It is important to turn out horses with plenty of hay if the pasture does not have adequate forage cover. A hungry horse is more likely to sample toxic plants.

That being said, there are some plants that accumulate nitrate in drought (or other stressful) conditions, such as lambsquarter, redroot pigweed, kochia, goosefoot and curly dock. Nitrates are normally not poisonous, but they can cause problems and death at very high levels. Sorghum/Sudan grass and Johnson grass are two forage plants that can become toxic in drought conditions due to nitrate and cyanide accumulation. You must also consider the hay they are eating- if drought conditions are widespread, these grasses can be toxic in locally made hay as well. Hay can be tested for nitrate levels- horses should not be fed hay with more than 2% nitrate.

Fruits such as tomatoes, which are healthy and enjoyable for us, actually pose a threat for horses and donkeys. The tomato plant is part of the Solanaceae plant family, which is toxic and includes potatoes, deadly nightshade, and horse nettle (referred to as wild tomato). The leafy and green portions of the tomato plants contain atropine, which slows the gut of the horse down. This causes colic in equids, which can be lethal. Hyoscyamine, also present in these plants, affects the nervous system. Hence, there is a decrease in saliva production, a decrease in the motility of the intestines and increased heart rate is also observed. The pupils begin to dilate as well. The hyoscyamine also has a direct effect on the digestive system, causing the equid to experience colic, as previously stated, constipation, and/or hemorrhagic diarrhea.

If the animal is displaying signs of muscle tremors, dilated pupils, and decreased intestinal motility, the animal may be treated with physostigmine. If the animal has been found right after the plants have been consumed, one may also orally administer activated charcoal, which will act as an adsorbent.

If adequate amounts of forage and well-maintained grass are available for them to eat, your donkeys should not consume any poisonous plants. During periods of drought, though, when lush grass may not be available for consumption, they may eat these normally unpalatable plants. To ensure that your donkey does not eat the tomatoes just make sure there is plenty of other grass or hay to eat. If they have that as an option they should not disturb the tomatoes in the garden.

Yes, Red Maple leaves are toxic. However, usually this is when they are in the stressed state prior to dying (e.g. leaves on a fallen tree limb lying in a pasture). This is the point when the leaves are not only toxic but very tasty because they have stored a lot of sugar and are sweet and palatable. Once the leaves have fallen off the tree in the autumn they are dead and no longer palatable for the horses. By this point they will usually not hunt out leaves and consume them because the remaining grasses are much more palatable to them. If a horse consumes a few leaves here and there it is not enough to be a problem. However, putting an exact amount on what they need to consume is not possible either. No research has been done on this. However, clinical veterinary findings of poisoning cases usually directly involve downed tree limbs that have been cleared of all their leaves. It is advisable to make sure your horses have plenty of grass or hay or other forage to deter them from eating leaves or anything else they typically would not consume.

 

Plums are not generally listed as toxic to horses; however they are a Prunus species, along with cherries, apples and peaches. On all of these trees, the stems, leaves and seeds can produce cyanide when wilted or damaged, plus your horse could colic from gorging itself on the ripe fruit or choke on a pit. Symptoms of poisoning include brick red mucous membranes, slobbering, increased respiration and weak pulse, convulsions and rapid death (for wild cherries, the most toxic of the family). I would recommend removing the trees, or fencing the horse far from them so that any fruit or leaves which fall to the ground cannot be eaten. If a branch falls into the horse’s pasture with leaves still attached, they will begin to wilt, making them very tasty and very toxic. However, if the horse likes to eat plums, take the seed out before you offer it the fleshy part.

 

Although we consider horses to be grazing animals, there is growing evidence that indicates that horses may have evolved to be browsers. They are grazers because we confine them to pastures that are planted in grasses and they do not have access to anything else. Left on their own, horses would primarily eat grasses, but would also browse on herbaceous weeds, trees, vines, and shrubs. Therefore a general rule of thumb is that if a plant is not toxic and horses have access to it, there is a high probability that they will browse on it. Trees, shrubs, and ornamental plantings should be planted outside of the pastures and set back far enough that future plant growth will not provide horses with opportunities to consume or nibble on the plants.

Bright colors are often associated with toxic plants and serve to warn animals about a plant’s toxic status. Many brightly colored ornamentals, such as foxglove, wisteria, lilies, daffodils, rhododendron, etc. are highly toxic to animals. Therefore it is not a good idea to plant ornamental plants within reach of livestock.

If you wish to plant trees to supply shade, plant the trees outside of the pasture and set them back far enough that the animals cannot browse on them as they grow. Horse will strip bark off of the trees if they are placed in the pasture and may girdle the tree and kill it. If you must plant the trees in the pasture, construct a fence around the trees to prevent access to them.

Native red maples (and ornamental red maple cultivars) are highly toxic to horses. Although sugar, silver and Norway maples contain some of the toxin that is found in red maple, the concentration is so low that they are not considered to be toxic to horses. Maples grow fairly rapidly and are attractive shade trees.

Many other trees are acceptable as perimeter plantings. Other trees to avoid due to their toxic properties include black locust, horse chestnut, oaks, and cherry.

Oak can be moderately toxic to horses. However, cattle are the species most often affected by oak toxicosis. The reason why horses aren’t more affected is because of their unwillingness to consume the leaves and acorns. There are some horses that may find the taste palatable. If provided with plenty of good hay or pasture, most horses will not choose to consume the oak detritus. So if you are turning your horses out into an arena where there is only sand and some oak leaves and acorns, I would consider throwing them some hay to consume instead of giving them the option of the oak parts.

Oak is most dangerous early in the spring when the leaves and buds are the highest in toxicity and there is little else to eat. Autumn is another at-risk period, when acorns and leaves fall and better forage dies. Therefore, management plays a key role in preventing oak toxicosis. The toxin in oak is also present when dry, so feeds that contain oak are not safe.

The toxins in oak are called gallotoxins. They are converted in the body to tannic acid, gallic acid and pyrogallol, all of which are very toxic to the kidney. Typically, a significant amount of oak needs to be consumed over a period of time before clinical signs appear. It is the resulting kidney failure that causes the clinical signs. Signs can develop over 2 to 14 days, or signs may be present with the animals becoming progressively worse over many weeks. The number of animals affected in the herd can vary greatly, but of those showing clinical signs, up to 80% may die. Signs of oak poisoning can include depression, lack of appetite, emaciated appearance, poor or rough hair coat, dependent edema (fluid buildup under the skin under the neck, abdomen or on the legs), digestive disturbances (both diarrhea and constipation have been reported, with mucus covered or tarry stools), increased drinking, passage of copious amounts of urine which may contain blood, and death.

 

The first thing to consider when a horse is on layup is that it does not have same energy requirements as it does when it is in training or competition.  Especially since this horse is an easy keeper, it is important not to overfeed. If a horse in layup is fed at its normal training ration, it will be harder to maintain weight, and if it does gain weight it will be more difficult to slim down once it begins training again.  Make sure the majority of the horse’s ration is a good quality grass hay.  This can be fed free choice to allow the horse to eat all throughout the day and prevent boredom, which can encourage vices like cribbing or weaving.  In addition to good quality hay, supplement the rest of the ration with a balancer pellet if the horse doesn’t need any additional calories to maintain weight. Since this horse is an easy keeper and not exercising, it sounds like grain would not be necessary.  Balancer pellets are a good solution because they are concentrated enough to provide all the vitamins and minerals needed for a healthy healing process, and they don’t have a high level of calories to cause weight gain.  Balancer pellets are manufactured by many different companies; some are high in protein to help balance out grass hay diets, others are low in protein to help balance out alfalfa diets; but either way most are meant to be fed at about 1 pound per day for an average 1,000 pound horse.

Between the good quality hay and the balancer, this horse should have all the nutrients it needs for a speedy recovery.

In winter in the Northeast, the grasses go dormant and are no longer growing.  Growing grass utilizes sunlight to create sugars during the day, then uses the sugars for growth overnight.  The forage this mini is eating is mostly fiber at this point, and especially if there is not much of it in the field then there is little need for a muzzle.

Some preliminary samples taken at Rutgers have shown that pasture in the winter is lower in nutritional quality than in the fall, plus there is less biomass available.  If a farm owner wants to test his or her own pasture forage for nutritional content, he or she can take samples (about 10-20 handfuls per pasture, mixed together) and send them to Equi-Analytical Labs (http://equi-analytical.com/).  Just remember that sugar content fluctuates throughout the day, so if comparing samples from different months, make sure to take them at the same time of day each month.  The results will also vary throughout the year and by the height/maturity of the grass, so don’t rely on a single sample to gauge a pasture’s nutritional content year-round.

In general, grazing muzzles should not be fitted tightly enough to restrict breathing.  They should hang loosely from the nose.  If you are worried about your mini’s breathing, you should loosen the muzzle.

One other consideration is that horses trampling pastures during the winter damages the grass plants and reduces their ability to regrow in the spring.  If these pastures are quite productive and used for hay, it would be best to leave the horses in a different area (if available) during the winter.  We refer to this as a “sacrifice lot”- you are sacrificing the grass in one smaller area to preserve the grass in more valuable pastures.  During this time, feed hay as forage.  Hay samples can also tested for nutritional quality if one is concerned about sugar content.

For more information on pasture management, we have several useful fact sheets at njaes.rutgers.edu under Publications. You can also check the Equine Science Center website esc.rutgers.edu for many answered questions in the Ask the Expert section!

Unfortunately that is an old myth about feeding young horses which began in the mid 1970’s and has persisted despite numerous scientific studies proving it to be false. Protein is necessary for proper growth of young animals. If one stops feeding young horses the protein they need, growth will be stopped or slowed. The growth process is what causes the developmental problems due to abnormalities either in the ration (usually mineral imbalances) and/or conformational defects (whether it is bone or tendon, etc.). If growth is stopped, the problems do not get worse. This is what low protein diets will do for young growing horses. If the underlying causes of the growth abnormality is not corrected, once the young horse is fed a ration that will support growth, the problems will re-appear. Young growing horses need higher levels of protein in their rations, than do adult horses, for optimal growth. Some of the developmental issues will come and go normally (i.e. epiphysitis or physitis, mild flexure “contracture” problems). Research on growth has shown that young horses need a 14-16% protein diet, but that high sugar/starch feeds should be avoided. One can easily meet their needs with good quality grass/alfalfa mix hay, a lower sugar/starch commercial ration formulated specifically for the young, growing horse, or if they are very easy keepers, oats work as long as the alfalfa is at least 1/2 of the hay in the diet. A vitamin and mineral supplement can also be added if necessary.

 

If your horse is in good body condition but the growth is stunted, it may be lacking primarily protein and calcium. I’d strongly suggest adding in some alfalfa, but do it very slowly. If the horse is indeed protein and calcium deficient, and too much is added too quickly, the horse will go through a growth spurt and potentially develop epiphysitis and/or contracted tendons. Add about 1 lb of alfalfa (in the form of either pellets, cubes or hay), divided into two feedings. Keep feeding this amount for two or three days, watching the horse’s legs carefully for signs of swelling around the joints or flexure deformity. If no problem occurs, add in another pound per day. Continue this routine until the horse is consuming 4 to 6 lbs of alfalfa per day divided into several feedings.

 

When a horse becomes a weanling there is a lot to consider. Now that the foal doesn’t have its mother’s milk to depend on for much of its nutritional needs, we need to supply them in the form of forages and concentrates. One of the most common mistakes we make is not feeding a high enough concentration of the critical nutrients (protein, calcium, phosphorus and some trace minerals) to provide for optimal growth. Weanlings require higher amounts of these nutrients on a per pound basis than an adult horse does and cannot eat enough of an adult formulation to meet their needs.

Protein especially is one nutrient that is needed in higher amounts than for mature horses. It is a myth that too much protein will cause developmental problems. It has actually been scientifically proven to be just the opposite. If weanlings do not get adequate protein in their diets, growth can be stunted and developmental problems are more likely to occur. To provide adequate protein for a weanling, alfalfa and or an alfalfa/grass hay mixture should be used as the majority of the diet. Alfalfa, along with being high in protein, is also a good quality protein, so it will have the correct balance of the important amino acids that a growing horse needs (e.g. lysine and threonine).

Calcium and phosphorus are other minerals that need to be in a specific ratio for the young growing horse. A 2:1 calcium to phosphorus ratio is best. This is easy to accomplish if there is alfalfa in the diet; alfalfa has up to a 5 or 6:1 ratio, which is fine, however, under no circumstances should there be less calcium than phosphorus. An inverse ratio will cause the excess phosphorus to interfere with the absorption of calcium into bone.

Zinc, copper and selenium are also minerals that are needed in a particular balance; however, if the young horse is on good quality forage and a commercial grain supplement, there is no need to worry about any deficiencies. Feed companies have already fortified their grain- based products to provide adequate quantities. The only extra supplement that would be necessary is free choice access to a plain white salt block.

It is recommended that young horses eat at least 2% of their body weight in dry matter (feed without the water content). Weanlings should be offered at least 1.5% of their body weight in good quality forage and/or free access to good quality pasture. Depending on the quality and nutrient balance of the forage or pasture, concentrates formulated for growth (also known as “mare and foal” formulations) may be needed at 0.5 to 1.0% of their body weight, divided into two or more feedings a day.

The key to keeping the young horse healthy is to monitor its body condition. Learning how to body condition score is a good idea and there are many on-line sites that can help provide you with a guide. However, weekly evaluations will help you determine if you are feeding adequate energy needed to maintain a healthy body condition. A quick rule is if you cannot see, but easily feel the horse’s ribs, its diet is right where it needs to be. If you can start to see ribs or are unable to easily feel ribs, you may need to increase or decrease the feed accordingly.

If you maintain a balanced diet using these few guidelines, no other supplements should be necessary. However, as the horse grows and becomes a racehorse in training and actually starts racing, small changes may be necessary to increase the amount of energy in the diet, decrease some of the protein and balance the various minerals. As always it is best to work with a veterinarian that is comfortable giving nutritional advice or an equine nutritionist to properly balance your horse’s diet before making any drastic changes.

There will be no adverse effects from feeding an occasional piece or rind from a watermelon. However, as with anything, if it is not supposed to be a usual item in the horse’s diet you always run the risk of them getting gastrointestinal problems (colic) from feeding too much of an unusual thing. So you are safe if you stick with using it as a treat every now and then, but don’t make a practice of feeding them a whole watermelon daily.

 

There appear to be two schools of thought on whether or not an injection of vitamin B complex will increase appetite. The vitamin B complex, specifically thiamin (B-1) and B-12, is responsible for the metabolism of the horse’s nutrients such as fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.

Symptoms of equine thiamin deficiency include abnormal slowing of heart rate (bradycardia), muscular incoordination (ataxia), localized muscular contractions visible under the skin, periodic hypothermia of the extremities, skipped heartbeats and loss of appetite and weight. There are no reported cases of vitamin B-12 deficiency in horses.

Other B vitamins that assist with the nutrient metabolism are riboflavin (B-2), and pantothenic acid (B-5). Riboflavin is required for the health of the mucous membranes in the digestive tract. Panthothenic acid assists some of the glands and hormones that aid metabolism of nutrients.

If your horse is experiencing Vitamin B deficiencies then an injection of the Vitamin B complex will definitely help by boosting the metabolism and allowing the horse’s body to use the food it is eating. But if your horse is healthy and not experiencing any deficiency then an injection of Vitamin B would most likely not do much for the horse, because the nutrients should be making their way through the system properly. In fact, if your horse is not deficient, an injection of Vitamin B complex would likely be a waste of money because Vitamin B is water soluble and any excess of it will be excreted in the urine almost immediately.

 

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