Tips On  Winter Care For Your Pony

Caring for a pony

I know that many horse owners started out the same way… loving and caring for ponies. They look back on their pony owning years and a distant far away expression comes over their faces. And, of course, there are few horse owners who don’t have a pony story, some good some not so good.

I must admit that I’m not one of these horse owners as I’ve never owned a pony and I started riding very late in life. This is not entirely true as I recall that in my early teens I took it upon myself to travel to Melbourne’s Botanic Gardens to have lessons and to ride around the Garden’s picturesque Tan. I guess that at this time I probably did dream of having my own pony or horse.

But on with my article about caring for your pony.

For the most parts ponies are tough. They seldom seem to be affected by the illnesses and maladies that seem to strike their larger equine counterparts. Their toughness is one of the reasons that a pony is so often a good match for a child.

If you live in northern climates and keep your pony outside during the frosty winter months there are a few things to do that will ensure your pony stays sound and healthy.

Snow can be dangerous for your pony. Each time your pony takes a step on the the snow he’ll start to gather snow in the bottom of his hooves. Each time your pony takes a step the snow becomes harder packed until your pony will be forced to walk on rounded balls of ice. Not only is walking  on the ice balls treacherous, but if your pony missteps or slips he can strain or twist a leg.

An injury like this could create a lameness that could plague your pony for months. Smearing petroleum jelly on the bottoms of your pony’s hooves every couple of days can help prevent the snow from gathering on the hooves of your pony.

My beautiful pony

Your pony will need dental work.

Regular dental work is as important to ponies and horses as it is to their human caretakers. If you notice that your pony is suddenly losing a great deal of weight, have your vet take a look at his teeth. If your vet notices any sharp edges on your ponies teeth make sure the teeth are floated. Going into the winter months it is especially important to make sure that your pony’s teeth are in good shape.

Your pony will need fresh water. Make sure your pony has plenty of access to good fresh water. If you don’t have a water heater for your buckets plan on breaking the ice several times a day.

Caring for a pony

Your pony will need shelter.

If your pony is kept outside he should have access to shelter. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, a simple three sided lean-to facing away from the wind is enough. The most dangerous condition is if the weather is both wet and cold.

Many people tend to take the cold blustery winter months off, preferring to stay inside rather than ride. That doesn’t mean that there’s anything wrong with riding during the winter.  Riding through snowdrifts can be almost as good for conditioning as riding in a deep sand arena. It’s also invigorating and great fun for you, the rider!

(When writing this article, riding in the early morning snow reminds me of the dramatic scenes in the film, The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans. If you haven’t read the book, I suggest you do. It’s a great read!)

If you choose to work your pony it’s important to make sure he’s dry and free of sweat before you put him out in the field. A heavy dense winter coat can sometimes make this difficult. Some pony owners opt to body clip (remove all the long winter hair).

If your pony has been body clipped he shouldn’t be turned loose in the elements without some form of protection. So if you decide to keep your pony clipped and want to turn him out, be sure to use a warm turnout rug to protect your pony from the elements.

Finally, if you use a turnout blanket make sure the blanket it’s well fitted and clean. Check underneath the blanket for rubbing and chaffing on a daily basis.

I hope this article helps you keep your pony happy, warm and well right through this winter!

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Related posts:

1. Horse Care For Injuries And Wounds.
2. Why Join a Pony Club?
3. Horse Nutrition is a Vital Part of Horse Care.

Horse blankets .. splints?

Splints in horses

The answer to ”horse blankets & splints” is in the last paragraph.

Next question:

What do you need for the proper care of your horse?  Besides   such things as horse blankets, saddles, a horse trailer, the right food, clean water, adequate housing and roaming room, a horse brush, treats, careful training, and lots of love and attention? 

You need veterinary care.

This obviously could be for one of many reasons. Here I’ll be talking about one of the things your horse may encounter being something called splints.  There are splint bones, not to be confused with the injury itself; however, splints do affect the area of the splint bones.  There is a bone called the cannon that is affected as well.  Blind splints occur between the two.  These are harder to diagnose and usually take longer to heal.

The locations of the splint bones run alongside the cannon bone, being attached by a ligament to the cannon bone itself.  The ligament is called the “interosseous ligament”.  Understanding these terms will help familiarize youself when you come to talk to your vet.  This is helpful, especially if you are a first-time horse owner.

With splints in horses pain and swelling of the bone area occurs on the inside of the leg, just below the knees.  It’s possible for this injury to happen to the back legs as well.

Splints normally would happen to a horse up to five years of age.

If you’re unfortunate enough for your horse to develop splints you can expect some lameness for several weeks.  Fast, hard overworking can cause splints, so please be kind and considerate to your horse and don’t expect him to work until he literally drops from exhaustion.  Especially understand that the work load and pace must be reduced for your horse to heal.  Try to put yourself in his place. Your horse can’t tell you verbally when he’s had enough.  If you had a sprain or a fracture, you’d want the same consideration from others.

The area affected by splints will feel hot to the touch and inflamed.  Try to help your horse remain calm, keep him or her in an area where no one and nothing could spook him, hose the hot area with cold water.  Allow rest.

Although you should start by reducing your horse’s workload, light exercise on a soft surface is recommended to encourage the healing bone growth.  It may take a few days of appopriate treatment and therapy (ask your vet about his).  Surgery is possible, but it’s not normally as productive as you’d think and may increase the size of the splint injury.

Splints are usually caused by a hard hit to the splint bone area, such as another horse’s kick.  Working on hard surfaces is another possible cause, but this usually will affect both legs at once.

When you place your horse on rest and recovery, remember to put that horse blanket to good use.  If your horse is kept warm and comfortable, healing will be much more pleasant.  The horse blanket will be like a jacket to a horse, and your injured horse may need his jacket more than normal.  If he’s running fever from an inflammation, he may get chills.  If he’s recovering during the cold weather season, the blanket may save an even bigger vet bill!

If treated properly, complete healing of the splints can be expected.

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Sunburn in horses

Horses can sunburn.

You’ll probably find that knowing your horse is suffering from sunburn is pretty obvious as it shows up in a similar fashion as it does with humans. Reddening, dry skin cracking,, and hot to the touch.

Your horse’s sunburn will look just like human sunburn. The skin turns an angry shade of pink or a violent red. If the skin is left untreated long enough it starts to chap and crack. Horses that are suffering from severe sunburn will start to blister. Sunburn can cause hair loss

Because they are big and appear to be infallible (a trait that every horse owner knows is a illusion) we often forget about the affect that the sun has on our horses.

Sunburn is most frequently seen on horses with  a light colored hair coat such as Appaloosa’s, Lipizzans, Paints, Pintos, Andalusian, and grays. Horse owners who own horses with white noses and a lot of pale skin around the eyes often find themselves treating their horse for sunburn.

A sudden change in hormones can also cause a horse to develop sunburn. Although dark horses aren’t typically irritated by sunburn the sun often bleaches their dark hair. In some cases severe sunburn is believed to lead to some liver damage.

Horses with areas of non-pigmented skin on their noses, around the eyes and backline, and even the heels are at risk of suffering sunburn. The face and heels are most commonly affected due to the fact that these areas often have non-figmented patches and less hair coverage.

Dr Janet Littlewood MRCVS, a specialist in veterinary dermatology stated in an article I read recently, “The pigmentation in hair and skin protects against the penetration of ultraviolet light, so any non-pigmented horse or an animal with white-skinned areas is prone to sunburn damage.”

“Although the horses most at risk are those kept at permanent pasture in the summer months, it’s important not to forget that sunlight can also be damaging at other times of the year”.

Sunburn can be more than the Sun

The skin of horses can also become photosensitive and develop severe dermatitis and a sunburn-type condition as a result of grazing pasture plants, such as certain clovers and medics, and poisonous plants.

In explanation of this I’m including here the following extract from an article by Dr Kevin Kline, Dept of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois to whom I give credit. The full article, and articles on other horse-related topics can be accessed by clicking THIS LINK.

“Certain plants cause the sun-mediated skin damage through direct interaction of sunlight and plant toxins circulating through capillaries in the sensitive light-skinned regions. This effect is known as primary photosensitization. Some plants may case dermatitis through a secondary toxic effect pursuant to liver damage by plant chemicals, and some plants pose the risk of both types of photosensitization.”

It appears that the “guilty’ plants include St John’s Wort, Field Bindweed, and wild white clover which is also known as Alsike clover.

Give your horse protection from sunburn

Use a fly mask, but it’s extremely important to make sure that the mask is kept clean. Simply use a hose and a sprayer to rinse the dirt and eye gunk from the mask. After rinsing the fly mask hang it in the sun to dry.

Some fly masks have an extension that protects the end of the nose from getting sunburned. If you don’t own a fly mask that covers your horses nose, at least rub your horse’s nose with sunscreen that you can purchase at your local drugstore.

Some horse owners, especially ones who are interested in showing, try to prevent the sun from damaging their horses coat by keeping them inside during the day time hours when the sun is the most damaging. Other owners prefer to keep their horses covered with a light-weight turn out blanket or fly sheet to protect their horses hair coat.

One of the reasons some owners prefer a blanketed horse to one kept inside is that they feel that keeping a horse stalled and completely free of sunlight can lead to depression.

Finally, as I keep on saying in my posts, if you have any real concerns about your horse, in this case to do with sunburn, be sure to consult your vet.

Related posts:

1. Plants Poisonous to Horses.
2. Learn about Horse Anatomy
3. Facts About Rain Rot (dermatophilosis)

Equine Lordosis or “Swayback”

A severe case of lordosis

Equine Lordosis or “swayback” is commonly seen in older horses or broodmares. However, relatively few horses have the genetic form of lordosis which causes spinal deviations and curvature.

The most commonly seen type of swayback is that seen in older horses, and often retired broodmares of horses ridden extensively over many years. While these horses may have a downward deviation in the spine, their condition is not caused by a genetic defect or true spinal deviation. What actually  happens as a natural part of  aging, is that the horse’s muscles in the body start to weaken and waste away.

It’s this wasting of the muscles supporting both the abdomen and the topline that causes the horse’s midsection to sink. And this leads to the often seen swaybacked appearance.

Lordosis is quite common in aged broodmares due to their having to carry the added weight of a pregnancy and so stressing their back..

Allowing a horse to get overweight also obviously contributes to strain on the a horse’s back. Similarly, having to cope with a heavy rider for many years can increase the risk of lordosis developing

It’s significant that conformation also plays a role in the lordosis condition.. Those horses with overly long backs are inclined to be more prone to back problems which, of course, includes lordosis.

Horses with high-set necks and a high head carriage may be at higher risk of be affected by lordosis due to the way of moving which tends to hollow the horse’s back.

In general, age-related weakness of ligaments, along with loss of muscular tone, bulk related to aging, and lack of proper and regular exercise can eventually lead to lordosis becoming apparent.

Surprisingly, aside from the horse’s swayback appearance, lordosis has no direct influence on a horse’s health or overall soundness. Also swaybacked broodmares are able to carry and deliver foals in a normal fashion, although the genetic component of lordosis makes breeding of these mares a potential concern.

Additionally, swaybacked riding horses , even those severely affected, are able to be be ridden and even shown competitively.

Importance of saddle fit for lordosis affected horses.

The main issue and importantly, is that when a riding horse with lordosis is saddled up it can be difficult to fit the saddle correctly and with the horse’s comfort in mind.

It’s therefore essential that careful attention is given to saddle fit and ensuring good balance.
You’ll find that quite frequently horse owners decide that a custom-made saddle is the only way to avoid pressure points and back soreness.

It’s interesting to note that lordosis is not only an affliction of the older horse and that, in spite of what is a popular belief, most horses with lordosis can go on to active and productive lives well into their senior years.

Can you predict the development of lordosis?

There’s really no way one can predict whether your horse will become swaybacked. However, the more risk factors involved, including age, long back, multiple pregnancies, the greater the likelihood of lordosis devloping.

As complete prevention of the development of lordosis may not be possible, if you aren’t able to regularly ride your older horse, it’s important that you are least keep up with light regular groundwork such as gentle lunging.

Should there be signs of lordosis developing, along with a big belly, and general  loss of muscle size, this would be a good time for you to have a chat with your vet to get professional advice.

 Dr. Patrick Gallagher

When I was preparing this article I noticed that many horse-related blogs and sites had the identical articles on lordosis. They all included the same text about Dr. Gallagher so I felt I should at least include an abbreviation of the text in my article for the sake of completeness.

“While he was an undergraduate at the University of Kentucky Dr. Patrick Gallagher noticed something interesting about horses who had equine lordosis. Humans and dogs that were diagnosed with lordosis were severely disabled while horses with the same condition where able to be worked and trained.

“It is estimated that only approximately one percent of the worlds horse population is diagnosed with equine lordosis. Because so few horses suffer from the condition very few researchers are willing to take the time to study it, preferring to spend their time on things like founder and colic. Dr. Gallagher became interested in the condition when he noticed that his father’s Saddlebreds seemed to run a higher risk of developing equine lordosis then other breeds.

“During his graduate studies Dr. Gallhager started to notice that there was a direct correlation between a young horses skeletal structure and the chances of them developing lordosis. Although the dip in the spine was not normally obvious when the foal was born. As the foal grew and developed the back started to sway. The inverted curve of the spine normally stabilized when the foal finished growing. .

“The next thing Dr. Gallagher looked at was the foals pedigree and genetic make-up. He noticed that certain family trees did have a greater chance of developing lordosis then others but was unable to isolate the exact gene responsible.

“Perhaps the most important thing Dr. Gallaghers research proved was … that he back does not affect their work habits. Swaybacked broodmares have no trouble carrying a foal to term, while racehorses with lordosis are not typically as fast as their straight backed counterparts the average performance of the lordosis affected horse appears to be unhampered by the inverted spine”.

In conclusion, I hope that this article on lordosis is helpful to those with a horse affected by this condition.

Related posts:

1. Baby Horses: Caring for Newborn Foals.

Many horse owners assume that rain rot (dermatophilosis) is caused by a fungus.

Rain Rot (dermatophilosis))

However this is incorrect as dermatophilus congolensis shares characteristics with both fungus’s and bacterias. It is an actinomycetes, which behaves like both bacteria and fungi.

Many people believe that the organism is present in soil, however, this has not been proven. The organism is carried on the horse, who has it in his skin. A horse who has this organism in his skin may or may not be affected.

In horses the dermatophilus congolensis works by entering the follicle of the horses hair shaft. Once it’s in the horse’s hair shaft it can be seen in the form of a large hive. When these hives are removed from the skin horse owners can easily see several (literally dozens and dozens) of hairs embedded in each large lump. Because the dermatophilus congolensis damages the hair root removing these hives does not seem to bother or pain the horse in any way. Once the scabs/hives are removed owners can see that the skin under the hives is generally a pink color and oozing a yellow pus.

Dermatophilosis is a condition commonly referred to as rain rot, rain scald, and streptothricosis. Dermatophilosis that appears on the horses lower leg is often called dew poisoning. Although Dermatophilosis can be seen throughout the country it is most common in the southeastern portion of the United States where the weather condition is frequently wet, warm, and humid. It appears that the younger the horse the more likely it is to contract Dermatophilosis.

One of the factors that encourages the development of Dermatophilosis is that constant rain washes out the protective skin oils, softens the horse’s skin and allows the organism a chance to invade the skin.

Horse owners that have dealt with cases of Dermatophilosis say that their horses had scabs or hive like bumps on that measured approximately one fourth of an inch across, these hives are typically easy to peel or rub off. Although these lesions were most commonly seen covering the horses haunch area it is not uncommon to see the horse’s entire body affected by Dermatophilosis.

In the early stages, you’ll be able to feel small lumps on the horses’ skin or hair by running your hand over your horse’s coat.

Fortunately horses affected by Dermatophilosis do not seem to be in pain nor do they appear to be embarrassed by their condition. The only time the condition appears to be painful is if the area affected is a covered with a saddle. Owners who have a horse who has signs of Dermatophilosis on their spine should refrain from riding until the condition has cleared.

Video:  Shows extreme rain rot  (dermatophilosis)

Treating Rain Rot  (dermatophilosis)

Typically, veterinarians recommend  that  the treatment of Dermatophilosis, when discovered early, is that the horse’s skin be dried and gently groomed to stimulate the body’s natural defense mechanism. However, if the condition is more advanced, it needs a more rigorous treatment. This is done by clipping away the hair surrounding the crusts and shampooing the skin with a medicated wash, such as Betadine or Chlorhexidine to remove the crusts. The uncovered sores will need an antibiotic ointment such as penicillin, amoxicillin and erythromycin. The application of the ointment will need to be repeated until the Dermatophilosis is clear up.

Contrary to the treatment I’ve just described is that you shouldn’t be using any ointments to treat Dermatophilosis because the ointments simply add moisture to the affected areas of skin. One old time method for treating Dermatophilosis is swabbing the affected are with used motor oil (for some reason fresh motor oil doesn’t have the same affect!).  I must admit that this is a treatment I wouldn’t my use on my horse!!!.

When the Dermatophilosis has cleared up most owners like to bath their horses with antibacterial shampoos.

Dermatophilosis is contagious.

If you have a horse that has been affected by Dermatophilosis  try to separate it from its pasture mates. Make sure that you keep its grooming supplies separated from those used on other horses. Don’t use leg wraps, saddle blankets, splint boots, and halters on any other horses. If you have to use equipment on other horses make sure you completely disinfect all the equipment before it touches their hide. Keeping equipment such as leg wraps and blankets dry will help prevent a second outbreak of Dermatophilosis.

Because the skin that has been affected with Dermatophilosis is hairless it is prone to sunburn. Rather than swab the bald patches with sunscreen which adds moisture to the skin, horse owners that keep their horses outside should use a fly sheet to protect their horse from UV rays. The blanket should be washed on a regular basis to kill the Dermatophilosis.

Finally, it’s usually hard to differentiate rain rot (Dermatophilosis) from other similar skin conditions, so if you are unsure, call your veterinarian.

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What to do for horse injuries and wounds.

Treating horse injuries and wounds

Anyone who owns a horse needs to be prepared for the catastrophic experience of their horse needing treatment for wounds or injuries.. The most common causes of wounds and injuries are from barbed wire, nails, fencing, glass or metal when stabled or paddocked, and obstacles such as trees, fencing, and rough terrain while riding. Whether your horse has a big or a small wound, effective for care of wounds must be observed to prevent further infection and complications. Most care procedures for wounds must be done as soon as you have observed the existence of wounds on your horse’s body, legs, and even hooves.

Effective care procedures for wounds can repair damaged tissues in a few weeks or months. While some wounds leave no marks when fully healed, other wounds can leave nasty scars and remain visible for the entire life of your horse. The full effects of wounds and whether they will permanently damage your horse’s performance and overall physical activities are dependent on the type of wound, scratched or pierced; subject to the area of the horse’s body that is afflicted; and largely controlled by the individual horse’s healing capabilities.

Bear in mind that, just as with humans, wounded tissues that are subsequently repaired will never be as good as the original tissues. Wounds may well affect your horse’s physique. However, even if it’s impossible to restore the fineness of the tissues before the injury, good wound care can at least decrease the ill-effects of wounds in horses.

The 5 basic but effective methods of nursing horse wounds.

1. Keeping the horse wounds clean is the golden rule for a timely recovery of wounded horses.  Horse wounds must be properly wrapped to prevent aggravating agents, like bad bacteria, from invading the wounds and complicating them further.

2. Daily cleansing of the affected area using betadine and other anti-bacterial solution can effectively shield the wounds from further infection. Pain relief medication can also help the horse cope with pain caused by the wounds. Antibiotics may also decrease the effects of infection.

3. Wounded horses must be given rest. Ideally, an induced immobilization of the wounded area should be done to prevent your horse from moving around which can cause the wound to reopen. Other options include placing braces that will stabilize and prevent your horse from moving its wounded parts.

4. Water can speed up the whole healing process, so don’t forget to let your horse take in lots of water. Lots of water can also prevent dehydration that can be caused by the injury.

5. Finally, make sure that you consult your vet to ascertain proper ways of caring for your wounded horse. This is important especially for wounds that are obviously alarmingly deep and causing significant discomfort and pain for your horse.

If there are deep cuts, puncture wounds, open sore injuries or things requiring antibiotics, you’re going to urgently need your vet, but it’s important to be able to provide your horse with first aid for the wounds until your vet arrives.

Related posts:

1. A Horse First Aid Kit Could Save Your Horse’s Life ~ A Few Helpful Tips!
2. How To Care For Your Pony During Winter
3. Horse hoof care ~ this is one of the primary responsibilities you have as a horse owner!

Understanding and Treating Navicular Disease.

Treating navicular disease

There are a variety of disorders that can affect your horse, so it is important to have a farm vet that you can call when things go wrong. If you want to provide the very best care, however, your best bet is to simply learn about horse health. When you do this, it is easier to prevent ailments and injuries when feasible.

One such medical condition that can be protected against is known as navicular disease (navicular syndrome). By learning how to treat your horse properly, you can make sure that he is never ever affected by these health problems.

Navicular disease is the most common cause of a horse being lame.

While the term “disease” is regularly used, this is actually not an accurate term, because problems with a horse’s navicular region is 100 % due to treatment by the owners. Improper care is a major problem and can lead not only to navicular “disease,” but also to a variety of other health problems with your horse. Navicular Disease is a soundness problem in horses. It most widely
describes a swelling or degeneration of the navicular bone and its encircling tissues, commonly on the front feet. It can lead to significant and even disabling lameness.

The navicular bone has two main purposes in the horse’s lower leg. First, is protects the joints from pressure when the horse is walking, running, and even standing. The second reason hoses have a navicular bone is to distribute blood into the horse’s hoof. Both of these things are important for a horse’s overall health.

Navicular problems are mostly found in horses confined to stalls and to horses with strong physical demands placed upon them. Poor foot care and the horse’s shoes can also be problems. If your horse has navicular problems, the best things you can do are removing the shoes and keeping him or her in a meadow.

This medical condition is not hereditary, so by giving your horse a better life, the problem should clear and your horse will not have to be put down. Just remember, a horse’s hooves have to be trimmed properly and regularly and problems with the hooves treated quickly.

With proper care for your horse, problems like navicular disease can be avoided altogether. Horses require a lot of medical attention care, so before you get yourself a horse, make sure that you have enough time and money to provide your horse with a good home. It’s a good idea beforem you take on a horse that you talk to your vet to make sure that it’s a wise thing to do.

Once you do get a horse you’ll be responsible for horse’s well being and minimising the risk of navicular disease.

Related posts:

1. Recognize and Prevent White Line Disease in Your Horse
2. How to find a vet for your horse.
3. Horse hoof care ~ this is one of the primary responsibilities you have as a horse owner!

I’m sure this is a subject that we’d all like to avoid and never have to face-up to.

Middie, prior to euthanasia

But having recently experienced this situation, with the resultant demise of my true friend and companion, my Percheron Thorobred cross, Midnight (Middie), I felt it should be talked about. From my point-of-view it was important to do so as Middie’s euthanasia came on top of that of my ageing German Shepherd, Kimberley, and my two  beloved Smithfield sheep dogs, Smokey and Mae, during 2010.

No one ever wants to hear that an animal they love has to be put down. This is never good news, and it is something that you never want to think about. However, there are some things that you must decide, and there are some things that you have to think of when you are dealing with your horse and the idea of euthanasia.

The process of euthanasia and your horse is actually ending the life of your horse. Euthanasia is done in a very humane way, but it is not a method of curing your horse or giving it medicine. Euthanasia is a human way of ending your horse’s life.

Euthanizing your pet, any type of pet, including a horse, should be a decision that is made by you and your vet. Many people choose this method only when their animal is too sick or injured to be living comfortably, and when the idea of curing them is not an idea that holds much merit.

The majority of horses that are euthanized are either very old or very sick, or have problems with their feet and legs. Many horse owners use this as a humane way of ending their animal companion’s suffering, especially if there is little chance of recovery or cure, and especially if their animal is in pain.

Kimberley

No matter what kind of animal you have, euthanasia is a hard decision for you to make. Unfortunately, it is often something that has to be decided with little or no notice. If you know that your horse is getting old, or if you suspect that your horse is getting sick, you  might have some awareness that it may be coming. However, if your horse gets suddenly sick, or has an injury that is causing him great pain, you might have to make this decision very quickly (as it was in my case with Middie).

There are several things that you should keep in mind as you are

making this type of decision.

First of all, you have to put your horse and how your horse feels at the forefront of your decision. Listen to your vet and think about how your horse is feeling, whether or not he’s suffering, and what his chances of recovery are. If your vet suggests a treatment that you think might work, be sure that you ask the vet about your horse’s state of pain while the treatment is going on.

If the cure is going to cause your horse to be in a lot of pain, and it isn’t a cure that is even going to work for sure, it might not be something you want to do. This is where it will take all your courage to make what you consider to be the right decision. Bear in mind that your vet may advise you, but he and she will NOT make the decision for you.

Footnote: Should you be wondering what happened to Middie, I’ll keep it brief. On doing my normal property rounds one morning I found him, head drooping and wet with sweat by one of the gates. He was suffering! Forunately my vet lives an an adjoining property and came instantly … it was a Sunday. After a thorough check she looked doubtful but instructed me to keep him on his feet and get water into him. Said she’d be back in two hours. On her return she said that his gut had just stopped working, they could operate to try to find why, but as he was into his twenties advised against it. So I made the fateful decision.  My vet gave me big hugs of sympathy and I dissolved into tears.

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The threat of West Nile virus in horses is not something to be taken lightly, especially if you live in an

West Nile virus

 area with a large mosquito population.

The virus is quite dangerous for many birds and mammals, people included. Owning farm animals like horses can put you at even higher risk, since the livestock are very susceptible to the virus. The disease is spread through the bite of mosquitoes, which carry the West Nile virus from one animal to the next in their quest for blood to eat. The virus often has fatal results, so as a horse owner you have the responsibility of not only protecting your horse from the virus but providing treatment if it becomes ill.

Since 2003, there has been a vaccination available that can help prevent West Nile virus. It has been shown to be very effective in protecting horses from the disease. The vaccination is costly, but if you live in a high risk area it could be well worth the investment. Talk to your vet to way the pros and cons, and with what frequency your horse will need to be vaccinated. Insurance on your horse may cover the cost of vaccination.

Reducing the mosquito population in your area is another very simple way to protect your horse from the West Nile virus. The single most effective way to control mosquitoes is to reduce the areas they have available for breeding. Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water, so get rid of old buckets, tires and other places where water might accumulate. Fans in your barn or stable can help keep mosquitoes to a minimum in the evenings, as well. Finally, keep lights near your animals to a minimum, as they attract mosquitoes.

It’s important that you keep yourself safe, as well. The West Nile virus can be just as deadly for people as it can for horses. Wear long pants and long sleeve shirts, and if necessary spray yourself down with mosquito repellent. Make sure screens are installed properly and in good repair to keep mosquitoes out of your home.

The hours between sundown and sunrise are when mosquitoes are at their most active. Staying indoors during these hours is the best way to avoid being bitten. While riding in the evening can be fun, it should be avoided in the summer months when mosquito populations are high. If you find that your horse is getting a large number of mosquito bites, speak with your vet. Your main priority should be keeping your horse protected.

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Before giving your horse drugs or hormones, it’s important that you know and understand the reason for doing so and what the risk or benefit might be.

If your veterinarian has recommended drugs or hormones for your horse, you should discuss it thoroughly with the vet and make sure you understand the reasons behind their usage. There are some very good reasons to use drugs or hormones with your horse, but you should realize that they can be dangerous if not used correctly and with supervision.

To begin with, consider why you think giving a horse drugs or hormones would be useful. If you’re of the opinion that some sort of drug or steroid can make your horse faster or stronger, you should definitely think again. Using drugs to enhance the performance of a racing or working horse can be very dangerous, even life-threatening to your horse. Besides the health risks, the use of performance enhancing drugs with racing horses is illegal.

On the other hand, there are some good reasons for giving a horse drugs or hormones. They are giving for many legitimate reasons, apart from mere performance enhancing.

For example, hormones may be used when breeding horses. Hormones are often used to control a mare’s ovulation when a breeding program relies on having her ovulate at a certain time, or to prepare the uterus for an embryonic implant. Stallions (or their frozen sperm) may have to travel from other parts of the country in order to breed your mare, so hormones may be required to regulate her cycle while waiting for the stallion to arrive. Of course, this type of undertaking should absolutely be overseen by a qualified veterinarian.

Then, a horse might be given hormones or drugs in order to maintain their health. If your horse is ill, a veterinarian may prescribe the use of hormones or drugs. Again, you’ll want to discuss the usage of these medications thoroughly with your vet so that you understand the benefits and risks involved.

If your horse does require the regular use of hormones or drugs, you should have your veterinarian teach you to administer the medication yourself. Being able to receive medications in a home environment is much less stressful on your horse. Make sure that you’re comfortable with the technique before doing it alone.

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