Tabla de contenidos para January 2016 en Equus

Racing memories Thank you so much for the wonderful articles about American Pharoah and other great racehorses (“American Pharoah: Making History,” Special Report, EQUUS 458). Two of my favorites were not mentioned. One is Funny Cide, who won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes in 2003. His owners, some old school friends, could only afford to bring their families to the Kentucky Derby in a rented school bus. My other favorite is Seabiscuit, who was very small and loved to sleep. He became a racing hero during the Great Depression by winning race after race. Thank you for writing about the racehorses and the history. Rosemary Gustafson Ferndale, Washington More ways to be prepared We really appreciated Cindy Casey’s article about her wildfire experience (“Fire on the Mountain,” EQUUS…

The first vaccine against leptospirosis approved for use in horses is now available. Leptospirosis is caused by several types of Leptospira bacteria. In North America, the organism Leptospira interrogans serovar Pomona, (L. Pomona) is most often associated with disease in horses, causing septicemia0, uveitis0, kidney disease and abortion. The infection is acquired by exposure to water or soil contaminated with the bacteria via the urine of infected horses, cattle or wildlife. Until now, leptospirosis vaccines were available for dogs and cattle but none were licensed for horses. The new vaccine, called LEPTO EQ INNOVATOR and manufactured by Zoetis, is approved for use in horses 6 months and older. The company’s efficacy studies showed that vaccinated horses exposed to L. Pomona showed no signs of infection. Vaccination entails an initial shot,…

If not for a prepurchase exam, no one would have known there was anything unusual about Frosty. The 7-year-old Quarter Horse mare is deaf, a congenital condition linked to her extensive overo pattern, but that is not remarkable. What sets Frosty apart is that she is able to carry a rider and romp in her pasture like any other horse despite having a cardiac condition that, in theory, should greatly limit her activity if not lead to congestive heart failure. “The cardiologists are scratching their heads with this one,” says Philip Johnson, BVSc, of the University of Missouri. “Frosty isn’t following the typical pattern of what we’d expect to see. Obviously, she hasn’t read the textbooks.” Frosty was a homebred foal, born in 2008, produced specifically to be sold. “We…

The image of the ideal horse farm may be a sprawling ranch, with pastures as far as the eye can see, with the most pressing horsekeeping problem being how to check all those miles of fences before nightfall. But the reality is often quite different. Those of us who keep horses on small acreage know how tough it can be. Boot-sucking mud, overgrazed pastures, too-small turnouts—those are just a few of the challenges you may face if your land is limited. And unless you win the lottery, you probably aren’t going to buy a big spread anytime soon. Don’t worry—you’re in good company. In fact, around the country, the small horse farm—10 acres or less—is becoming the new standard. It makes sense; the denser the human population, the less space…

Have a question about your horse’s health, care or training? Our experts offer solutions for a range of equine-management problems. Write to EQUUS Consultants, 656 Quince Orchard Road, #600, Gaithersburg, MD 20878; e-mail: EQLetters@EquiNetwork.com. Send photos when helpful. PARASITE CONTROL Something he should have outgrown? Q: Just over a year ago, we purchased an almost-6-year-old gelding. When I dewormed him with an ivermectin/praziquantel paste, I found a large quantity of ascarids in his manure over the next three to five days. Everything I read online says that ascarids affect only young horses, who develop a natural resistance once they reach about 2 years of age. This horse clearly has not developed any such resistance, and I am curious if this is happening more and more. I deworm my horse every…

Even the most patient and willing pony has his breaking point, which is why Rocky is cantering unchecked along the rail with my youngest child clinging to his neck. At just 5 years of age, Brynn has developed a riding technique that consists mainly of doing whatever it takes to stay on. Her legs barely pass the saddle flaps and she sometimes has trouble handling the reins, but she is undaunted. Plodding around the ring isn’t sufficient; she wants to canter. And on this particular day, she’s been nagging Rocky by flapping her arms and kicking him incessantly with her heels. He trots placidly for a while before responding to the goading with a canter. Then he starts lengthening his stride. From across the ring, I see the problem: Brynn…

You don’t have to be a horseperson to enjoy watching a foal frolicking in a pasture. A sampling of the videos circulating on YouTube and Facebook attest to that. And it’s easy to understand why a horse owner might want to bring one into the world, especially from a beloved mare. But the reality is that there are many unwanted, often neglected, horses in the world. The many sad faces that fill our rescues and pour through auctions headed toward uncertain fates tug at the heartstrings. Over the years, I’ve read numerous articles that connect these two phenomena. Backyard breeding by inexperienced owners, they say, produces too many poor-quality horses with limited prospects and contributes to our problem of overpopulation. Most of these articles discourage amateur breeding entirely, suggesting that…

A slight but significant human tendency to prize extremes in equine head or neck shapes may have negative implications for horses, according to Australian researchers. “The welfare issues surrounding the position of horses’ heads and necks in some disciplines such as dressage and reining are well known,” says Georgina Caspar, a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney. “Of particular concern is the practice of hyperflexion, also called rollkur, which forces the horse’s neck into an extremely arched position, sometimes for extended periods.” The issue extends beyond training, Caspar continues. “There is also a concern that breeding choices that produce foals which have a certain ‘look’ or ‘type’ might negatively affect a horse’s athletic ability and general health.” With those concerns in mind, Caspar and her colleagues decided to survey…

Well in hand Winter’s worst is no match for riding gloves that offer warmth, secure grip and more. The Hex Fleece Winter Gloves (suggested retail, $32), from Kerrits, feature a fleece lining for warmth with a matte outer surface that doesn’t catch hay and hair. A GripStretch Suede palm allows for a good grip even in wet weather, with an elastic cuff to keep out the cold. Available in black, with a hexagonal pattern in pepper, arctic, pewter or black, in sizes S to XL. Call 1-800-274-7946 or visit www.kerrits.com. For a sleek show look that provides winter warmth, the Dublin Everyday Gold Class Thinsulate Riding Gloves (suggested retail, $39.99), from Dublin, are made of soft deerskin lined with Thinsulate, with a long wrist cuff to keep out the cold.…

Would you go see an orthopedic surgeon if you had a toothache? Or decline to see a cardiologist after you’ve been diagnosed with heart trouble? Of course not. In human medicine, we rely on specialists for targeted diagnosis and treatment, typically with a general practitioner coordinating the efforts. It only makes sense to see an expert with a deeper knowledge and more experience in a specific area of concern. Yet we don’t often do this for our horses. Although the veterinary profession isn’t as advanced as its human equivalent, there are nonetheless a large number of board-certified specialists available to help horses with a wide variety of conditions. I’m surprised at how underutilized they are. It’s possible that some horse owners don’t know these specialists exist, or perhaps they misunderstand…

How a horse responds to winter weather may have more to do with his individual makeup than his breed or body type, according to new research from Norway. For a study conducted over two winters, researchers at the Norwegian Institute for Agriculture and Environmental Research chose 22 horses of various breeds—about half were coldblooded native Nordic horses and the rest came from warm-blooded bloodlines. The horses, who ranged from 3.0 to 6.5 on the body0 condition score (BCS) scale, were all acclimated to the local weather. Before the start of the study, samples of each horse’s coat were clipped and weighed to quantify their thickness. During the three-mont study periods, each horse was observed turned out without a blanket in a specially designed paddock that offered three options: staying outdoors,…

Swiss researchers recently identified a gene that controls height in Shetland Ponies and other pony breeds. A team from the University of Bern, Agroscope Swiss National Stud and Bern University of Applied Sciences, School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences first determined that a major heightregulating gene is located on chromosome 6 by comparing 48 Shetland Ponies of various heights, then sequenced the entire genomes of two ponies at opposite ends of the size spectrum: One stood six hands, three inches (27 inches) at the withers and the other measured 10 hands, one inch (41 inches). After reviewing the combined data, the researchers concluded that a specific variant in a gene known as HMGA2 is an important regulator of height in Shetland Ponies. One copy of the mutant allele0 leads…

Does this scenario sound familiar? A friend asks you to take a look at her horse: “He seems a little off, can you watch him jog?” “Sure.” You watch a few passes back and forth across the arena and, while it’s clear your friend’s mount is lame, you’re still unsure which limb is the problem. “It looks like his left fore.” “Oh. It felt like his hind leg.” “Maybe? Could it be up in his shoulder?” Don’t feel bad. Although determining that a horse is lame can be pretty straightforward, identifying the leg causing the problem can be anything but, even for those of us who do it professionally. As a veterinarian specializing in sport-horse lameness, I spend all day analyzing equine gaits, and some diagnoses can still be extremely…

SNIPT … JIPIG … BOENZ … JEHOO … NOBEY…. When aircraft pilots plan their routes, they map their flight paths along a network of navigational waypoints—fixed coordinates on the globe with a designated latitude and longitude. Pilots use these points to stay on course over featureless oceans, to follow specific paths through busy corridors near major airports, and to identify when it’s time to change altitude, turn toward a different heading or make other alterations in their flight paths. Waypoints all over the globe are identified by five-letter names, which are meant to be pronounceable, if meaningless. “Waypoints are usually generated by a computer to spit out a five-character designation that is usually nonsensical, such as ANOPA or KALVA, which mean nothing to anyone,” says retired U.S. Air Force Colonel…

After more than 13 hours on the road, the trailer carrying Marah, my half-Andalusian mare, from Houston to Lubbock, Texas, arrived at close to midnight on June 21, 2013, the summer solstice. Her arrival on this day felt like a sign, for it was on the solstice exactly seven years earlier that I knew definitively that I was pregnant with my daughter, Sophie. That connection might seem like a stretch at best, but it’s important to me: I had come to horses and to riding only after I had a miscarriage the previous August. Before all this, back when I still thought I would have a second child, Sophie rode a horse for the first time. It was a sunny July afternoon in London’s Hyde Park when we found the…