Table of contents for June 2015 in Equus

Bandaging is an important part of wound care. Not only does it help keep the wound clean, it can hold topical medications in place. But it’s important to do the job carefully. A bandage that is too loose or too tight can slow healing or even make a wound worse. If you’re unsure of your technique, ask your veterinarian to help you improve your skills. Before you start, you’ll need to choose the best dressing for your horse’s wound. For years, sterile gauze squares were the primary choice for covering the wound surface before applying the wraps to cover it—and these will still get the job done. However, a better option may be one of the newer products designed to keep the healing tissues moist, such as calcium alginate or…

Northern Dancer 1961 (by Nearctic out of Natalma, by Native Dancer and thus highly inbred, yet with much strength in the tailfemale including Mumtaz Mahal, Hindoo and Matchem). I present Northern Dancer here rather than Nearctic, because the son is the spitting image of his sire. It must be the Matchem— thus the Godolphin “Arabian” in tail-female—which produces the noticeable crestiness, unusual even in thick-bodied descendants of Phalaris. Typical of that family, this horse presents a huge hindquarter, a somewhat steep shoulder and a wedge-shaped head broad across the orbits but with a very fine muzzle. The muscularity in this stallion is massive yet he has tons of “bone substance,” the factor that made it possible for this speed machine to cover ground in record time without breakdown. Raced as…

SUCCESS IN TREATING LOCKING STIFLES STIFLE ANATOMY A new study shows that ligament-splitting surgery can be effective in fixing “sticky” stifles. Upward fixation of the patella—also called sticking or locking stifles—occurs when the medial patellar ligament of the stifle becomes hooked on the end of the femur. When this occurs, the horse cannot flex the joint or advance the limb. The leg usually becomes “unlocked” when the leg is flexed again, often with a jerky motion. Mildly affected horses may still be ridden, but in more severe cases they may not be able to perform. Conditioning and corrective shoeing resolve some cases of sticking stifles, but surgical options are often considered for stubborn cases. In one surgical technique, called “splitting,” several small incisions are made in the medial patellar ligament.…

When your horse shows up at the gate with yet another cut or scrape, it’s wise to tend to it right away to head off infection, aid healing and prevent complications. One complication you’ll want to be especially careful to avoid is proud flesh. Also known as exuberant granulation tissue, proud flesh is the excessive growth of the connective tissue and blood vessels that begin to fill in a healing wound. In severe cases, the mounds of pink tissue can take on a cauliflower-like appearance and protrude beyond the surface of the skin. New skin is unable to grow over the tissue, and healing stalls. Proud flesh develops most frequently in wounds on the lower legs, but under the right circumstances it can appear anywhere on the body. Several factors…

“There is no secret so close as that between a rider and his horse.”—Robert Smith Surtees, Mr. Sponge’s Sporting Tour Offering portable storage, the Horse Show Tack Stall Kit (suggested retail, $95.15), from The Organized Barn & Trailer, features a two- by four-foot, powder-coated steel rack that can be hung vertically or horizontally on a stall wall with two 15-inch utility hooks. Other organizers can then be hung on the rack where needed; the kit includes one 15- by 24-inch shelf, one 18-inch five-hook rail bar, one 12- by 12- by eight-inch basket, one saddle rack and one four-inch peg hook. The rack can also be hung with mounting brackets (sold separately) that are screwed onto a wall. The entire kit weighs approximately 26 pounds. Call 888-298-8628 or visit www.organizedbarn.com.…

Although the Food and Drug Administration approval process ensures that a new drug meets efficacy and safety standards, “real world” usage often reveals even more about its most useful applications. Although the bisphosphonates have been widely available in this country for only a short time, veterinarians are already integrating these medications into their treatment plans. “Tildren is what I have the most experience with,” says Courtney Wittich, DVM, of Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Lexington, Kentucky. “I started using it when it had to be imported.” Wittich, like many veterinarians, often uses Tildren in an “off-label” way not described in the product literature. “I’ll give it to horses with axial skeletal issues, like back and neck bone-related pain,” she says. “And when I’m using it for navicular, I’ll typically give…

COWBOY MAGIC Cowboy Magic Detangler & Shine instantly makes hair easy to brush or comb and provides dazzling, silky looking, showstopping shine. A must-have item for every tack box for the perfect grooming finish. Now your horse is looking good! Cowboy Magic high quality grooming products are made right here in the United States! Cowboy Magic ... when Performance Counts! www.cowboymagic.com; (800) 827-9815. MANE ‘N TAIL Mane ‘n Tail provides various shampoo options for all grooming needs: The Original Mane ‘n Tail Shampoo for that high-lather, downto-the skin clean, with proven results, leaving that well-groomed lasting impression; Spray-Away, a quick-cleaning body wash that cleans without scrubbing; Spray ‘n White, a deepcleaning, color-enhancing, whitening shampoo that brightens without bleaches or peroxides; and Pro-Tect Antimicrobial Medicated Shampoo, which gently cleanses with therapeutic…

All the horses discussed in this installment descend from Eclipse through the early-day racer Birdcatcher (also called Irish Birdcatcher). In our last installment, we looked at the earlier part of this related group of horses—those that came from Isinglass, Bend Or and Teddy. This installment completes our review by looking at the last and largest branch, the currently wildly popular Phalaris family that descends from Bend Or through his grandson Cyllene. This sidebar highlights the sires who founded the main branches of the Phalaris family. Readers who own Thoroughbreds (or Quarter Horses descended from Birdcatcher-line horses such as Patriotic, Romany Royal, Rejected, Lake Erie, Beduino, Nechao, etc.) and want to trace ancestry back to very early times can do so by using these charts and pictures. Cyllene 1895 (by Bona…

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. DISEASE Advances in Lyme diagnosis and treatment Q: My warmblood mare was recently diagnosed with Lyme disease, and she also has uveitis (perhaps coincidental, perhaps related—who knows). It seems like treatments for Lyme are different depending on who you talk to, and I’m having trouble getting answers to a long list of questions. Do you recommend blood testing every six months? What type of test? Is there a vaccine for it, is there one being developed, or is that even possible? It’s frustrating to know my mare has a high titer but not…

bascule—the natural arc a horse’s body creates when he rounds up through his back and stretches his neck forward and down as he goes over a jump. bone spavin—bone enlargement or destruction on the inner surface of the hock. DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)—large organic molecule that consists of two chains of nucleotides wound around each other; the material of which genes are made. Genes are responsible for the individual inherited characteristics of living organisms. electrolytes—simple inorganic compounds that dissolve in water and are essential for many of the chemical processes in the body. enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)—test for small amounts of antibody in body fluid and/or tissue. flunixin meglumine—generic name for a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory pain reliever commonly given for colic, eye pain or generalized body discomfort. genome—complete array and sequences of…

My story started out like many: My daughters wanted a horse. This must be some genetic trait, because I, too, was born wanting a horse. Unfortunately, my parents responded to my requests with plastic toys, so I vowed that my daughters would have the opportunity denied me. We set out to buy a horse, eventually settling on a 10-year-old Appendix Quarter Horse gelding. My girls, aged 10 and 15, walked him in a circle on a snowy slope, proclaimed his face beautiful, and it was a done deal. They renamed him Robin Hood, but truthfully, he should have been called Dumb Luck. He took my younger daughter all the way through her B Level in Pony Club and became a second-level dressage horse—and that doesn’t even come close to what…

HELP FOR BUG-BEDEVILED HORSES Your mare stands relaxed in the field, dozing in the summer sun and occasionally swishing her tail at flies. Your gelding, on the other hand, stomps, shakes and sometimes even works himself into a lather trying to evade insects. Why some horses are more bothered by insects than others isn’t clear, but you’ll want to provide extra protection for these sensitive sorts. • Fly sprays work well, but some are more effective than others on specific populations of insects. Try a few brands and formulations to find the one that seems most effective in your situation. Also, be sure to apply the spray according to the label directions and on a relatively clean horse; spraying clods of mud that will fall off won’t do your horse…

Definition: overgrowth of granulation tissue that rises over the edges of a wound, making healing impossible Causes: Proud flesh is more likely to develop in wounds to the lower limbs, wounds that remain contaminated with foreign matter, and those in more mobile areas. Signs: The granulation tissue—which fills in the deeper portion of a wound that penetrates all the way through the skin—will take on a lumpy, reddish-yellow, rubbery appearance. If infection is present, it may exude fluids and have a noxious odor. Diagnosis: X-rays or ultrasound may be used to look for damaged bone or embedded foreign matter. Testing may be necessary to distinguish proud flesh from sarcoids and various types of infections that can create similar-looking lesions in open wounds. Treatment: Surgical removal of the excess growth is…

At the finish of the 2008 Kentucky Derby, in which she placed second, the filly Eight Belles sustained catastrophic fractures of both front cannon bones and was immediately euthanatized. Many Thoroughbred pedigree experts cite inbreeding and the resultant “congenital unsoundness” as the root cause for the increasing frequency of “early retirement” of racehorses, who often are retired from racing long before they reach physical maturity. That this, in addition to physical immaturity, is likely to be a factor can easily be demonstrated by examining the pedigree of horses who have broken down vs. those who retired sound after logging a large number of career starts. I have annotated Eight Belles’ pedigree with orange color to highlight all horses who are either sire-line descendants of Phalaris or who trace more than…

HOOF AND COAT SUPPLEMENT Product: Ker-A-Form Description: Formulated to encourage a healthy, shiny coat and stronger hooves, this powdered supplement supports the production of keratin, the protein that forms the structure of hair and hooves. Ingredients include biotin, methionine, zinc and iodine, as well as omega-3 fatty acids and yeast cultures. The manufacturer recommends feeding one ounce per day, as a top dressing. Price: $35 for a three-pound bucket; $189.63 for a 25-pound bucket Source: Kentucky Performance Products, LLC; www.kppusa.com; 859-873-2974 NO MESS LEG THERAPY Product: Dr. Milt’s Cream Poultice Description: Made to reduce swelling, ease pain and promote healing in muscles, tendons and ligaments, Dr. Milt’s Cream Poultice contains pharmaceutical-grade liquid magnesium sulfate, one of the main constituents of Epsom salts. The poultice, which has the consistency of lotion,…