Newsletter XXVII
Hi
Welcome to this month’s HorseConscious Newsletter coming live to you from the HorseConscious E.A.R.T.H. Retreat in British Columbia, Canada.
During the first couple of days of the Retreat, we’ve been getting to know the herd here and the horses have been getting to know us. There have been some interesting and magical encounters already.
We’ve also been walking the lands here, which have to be seen to be believed. I come from the countryside and grew up on a farm but the land here is so different to anything I’ve experienced before. It’s so pristine, so perfect. Every fallen tree, every rock, every blade of grass just fits perfectly. Believe me, I’m not usually one for hyperbole when it comes to such things but it really is something else here.
To give you a flavour of what it’s like here and what we’ve been up to, here are some photo’s:
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We’ve been having a great deal of discussion about what it is about horses and how they operate and how one can convey that to people.
So one example that came up was how aware horses are when they are around you. For example, when you are grooming a horse round the neck or head, how often do they move their head and knock you flying? Almost never, right? Even though they can’t necessarily see exactly where you are, they move they head all around and over you and not once do they bump into you. Isn’t that amazing?
That must happen in stables all over the world every day, yet how many people even consider for a moment the intelligence involved that enables horses to do that?
I remember learning a few years ago about multiple intelligences in humans: logical, linguistic, spatial, musical, kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalist and existential. You can read more about these here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_intelligences. What is interesting, and at the same time frustrating though, is that whilst we humans seem happy to recognise that people have different abilities, the same doesn’t seem to apply to animals. For example, just because someone was not academically brilliant at school, they can still be seen as a genius when it comes to, say, sport. However, in the very short section on animal and plant intelligence in the Wikipedia article, the scientists still want to measure animals in terms of their mental ability!
Hello? Who are the dumbs animals that drive to the office every day, stress over 101 different things and constantly feed themselves with junk? When was the last time you saw a stressed out cat or dog?
In addition to the horses here on Gateway 2 Ranch, there are 4 dogs, 3 cats and 1 steer, who all live together here in perfect harmony. Sure, it’s a paradise and not every animal has that luxury but a happier, more contented bunch of beings you would be hard pressed to meet. Who’s the smart ones now?
I will be bringing you regular updates from the Retreat and have already posted some photos on the HorseConscious Social site (http://www.horseconsciouscommunity.com/).
The best place to stay up to date though during the course of the Retreat is to go to the HorseConscious Facebook Page – http://www.facebook.com/HorseConscious, where I will also be posting daily photos and comments.
In this month’s issue, we have featured a couple of articles on Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy (EHV-1), which has seen a large outbreak recently. Please take the time to familiarise yourslef with the guidelines to combat this deadly disease, especially if you live in or near the badly affected areas.
One of the topics we started to discuss last month was the noise and electro-magnetic fields that are generated by wind farms and I asked for your thoughts on how these might affect horses. So I am very grateful to Sarah Reagan for the following contribution:
“It is my opinion (no direct experience) that the windmill farm would be detrimental to horses’ well being in many respects. They are indeed creatures of very sensitive hearing and I would be greatly concerned about the tremendous noise that windmill farms generate. These are not exactly benign structures (this is not your quaint Dutch windmill). This is just one site that gives a few facts: http://www.aweo.org/faq.html
This particular author goes on to say in another part of the site that wind power may actually increase the use of other fuels to generate electricity. There is also a growing body of evidence coming in that suggests people living close to windmill farms are suffering some ill effects such as headache, nausea, etc. This is another source of some information that they can cause health issues, again for humans but I think we can extrapolate it quite easily to animals: http://www.viewsofscotland.org/library/docs/wtnoisehealth-1.pdf
I also imagine that the sound of a windmill farm would not be unlike that of helicopter blades whirring sans engine, and I’m sure the horses where Mrs. Pickens is proposing her windmill farm are quite familiar with that sound…and fearful of it.”
And this from Juergen Rust:
“I am sending you this to get an “insight” into the problems with wind farms. We are battling here, as many people around the world as well, the side effects of wind farms. In Germany they have noticed that any forest area close to wind farms had lost all animals. From deer to hare to rabbit to foxes, they all had vacated their habitat due to the “infra noise”.
Here in Ontario a successful Standardbred race horse breeder experienced after the windmills had been installed about 1 km away from his place that his mares delivered dead babies. After two, three years he had sell his horses after all his mares aborted their off springs.
I am receiving constantly horror stories about health effects from installations all over the world.
Therefore, using wind farms as wild horse refuge is a form of especially diabolic torture.”
All of which goes concurs with what I was thinking.
Or am I the only one who is more than a little suspicious of the intentions of Mr and Mrs Pickens?
Following up again on a story from last month, here a lovely follow-up sent in by Laurie LeDuc:
Kate Middleton’s Fairy Tale Life Equalled by a Horse in the Royal Stables: Digger the Apprentice Drum Horse Came from a Rescue Farm
If you’re planning to watch the Royal Wedding on television on Friday, you might be like me and care more about seeing the horses than the design of Kate Middleton’s dress.
I thought you might like to meet one of the Household Cavalry’s famed “drum horses” because his route to royal service is such an inspiration.
Meet Digger. He’s a Clydesdale. Nothing unusual about that. The drum horses are known to be huge, feather-legged and placid fellows who can happily march along while the drummer in the saddle beats away, quite close to his sensitive ears.
What’s different about Digger? Not so long ago, he was homeless, motherless, and lame.
An orphaned foal, he was rescued by World Horse Welfare in 2008. When he arrived at the charity’s farm in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, he suffered from stringhalt and osteochondrosis dissecans (OCD) lameness issues in his hind legs and required extensive veterinary care. Lameness didn’t slow down his growth,though; he was soon measuring up to 19 hands!
Here’s something a little different for you today. The following video was made by a filmmaker friend of mine and I thought you might like to see it:
So let me ask you: What is the meaning of success to you?
I’d love to hear your comments, which of course you can post here: http://www.facebook.com/HorseConscious
Until next month, may I wish all the best to you and your horses.
Mark
“Horse, thou art truly a creature without equal, for thou fliest without wings and conquerest without sword.” – The Koran
I WANTED CAROLYN
My mouth opened in astonishment and my heart thumping in my chest, I watched a thousand plus pound horse dance with a small slender woman. As partners, they moved in time to the strings of a Spanish guitar, light as ballerinas and passionate as any flamingo pair. Their movement was an agreement. They were in synch, in connection and in the moment. This was it! This was what I wanted!
I was watching a very special video, The Path of The Horse, by Stormy May, a long time horse trainer and equestrian who had left that life to search for a deeper and more authentic understanding of what the relationship between horse and human could be. One of the people she met on her search was this dancing woman. Her name was Carolyn Resnick and she was what I wanted.
It wasn’t long after that that I became a member of HorseConscious. By then I had Carolyn’s first video, Introduction to the Waterhole Rituals, which kept my heart thumping.
At this time in my life, I had just returned to riding after decades away. I say returning but I was never what one might call a “real rider”. When I was a child, my older sister had a lovely Morgan mare named Queenie. Dressed in jodhpurs, tailoredjacket and hard hat, she rode in many shows, decorating her bedroom wall with the blue and red ribbons she won. I thought I had the better deal, sitting behind her, hair flying, my thighs against Queenie’s warm sidesriding bareback at a gallop across the green meadows behind the barn where Queenie was stabled. It was ecstasy.
At this time in my life I was also stumbling through divorce after 30 years of marriage. It was only in the company of horses that I was able to find any happiness. The best times for me were after a riding lesson, when I groomed the pinto mare who was my teacher and then followed her into her stall. It was there, simply being with her and wanting nothing,that my true relationship with horses began.
I was at the dawn of a new life and many new things were coming my way. One of these was the growing awareness within a small portion of the community of horse “people” throughout the world – that horses were sentient beings. Deep in my heart I had always known this to be true.
Not long after that I found my way to HorseConscious and became a member. One day I received an email from Mark Motterhead announcing that Carolyn Resnick was offering an on-line class to begin in the spring. My immediate thought was “I can’t do it!” I didn’t have a horse so of course I couldn’t. Within days a woman with a Shetland pony cross came into my life. I asked her if I could work with her horse for the class and she happily agreed. So I signed up becoming the only person Carolyn would work with in her class who had for all intents and purposes no horse experience. Two to four hours each day I ventured into this life altering relationship with Carolyn Resnick, a lonely horse with little trust in humans and the unfailing support of the other students. To my joy Imade it through and continued into her second class.
Carolyn’s method, the Waterhole Rituals, resonated within me from the start. And although I certainly struggled with each one, my heart grasped their essence. I believed in their truth. I believed in Carolyn, a prodigy among horsemen and women, a Mozart, unlike any other.
Two and a half years later, I met Carolyn Resnick at her ranch for the first 10 dayBeyond The Waterhole Rituals Clinic. It was a cool and sunny morning when Carolyn came walking down the path from her house to meet us for the first time. There was such strong anticipation in the air. I could barely stand it! And then there she was. And then there I was going toward her, arms out ready to envelope her. I had wanted Carolyn Resnick and I had her – in my arms! I later learned from Carolyn that she thought of me as one of the most tenacious people she had met!
So here we are now with Carolyn beginning her third Waterhole Rituals Insiders and Extended Circle class. For months she has been inviting new students, seducing them in her blog with delicious descriptions, lessons really, about what the Waterhole Rituals teach and what can be gained by joining her in the upcoming session. For weeks I read her priceless words and realized I had to speak from my heart to express how valuable and life changing this opportunity would be. For me, a baby beginner, it began thefirst dayI walked into a tree shaded paddock with a confused but gentle Shetland mare named Lady.
The comment I posted is very simple and short. No great work of writing but it is what I know to be the truth. This is what I wrote:
Dear Carolyn,
As a student of yours and a participant of your other 2 classes I want to say to those who may be considering signing up, I believe that this is an opportunity of a lifetime. There is absolutely no other class like this available and there is no other method like Carolyn’s. Learning from her is a gift to your horse. Your horse will be drawn to you in a new way that will open your heart as never before. As you move through the rituals, your horse will teach you about how you see yourself, what you believe in about yourself and will challenge your courage and heart to step up and accept who you really can be and truly are. You will be giving your horse exactly what he needs and wants – your leadership, your friendship and partnership. Carolyn has spoken about our responsibility to give horses a life as close to what they would have if they were free. This class offers you the skills, and the understanding of a horse’s nature, in order to do this. It all begins when you greet your horse for the first time and tell him, as I remember Carolyn saying, “I’m here to be with you.”
Your horse is waiting for you!
Mary Barrett, Equine Reiki Practitioner, whitehorseequinereiki.com
“The horse has docile nature, he rather do Right, if he can only be taught to distinguish one. “- George Melville
EQUINE HERPES VIRUS ALERT
A recent disease outbreak of Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy (EHV-1) has been traced to horses who attended the National Cutting Horse Associations’ Western National Championships in Odgen, Utah on April 30 – May 8, 2011. California horses who participated in this event may have been exposed to this EHV-1 virus.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture encourages owners of horses who participated in the Odgen, Utah event to monitor their horses for clinical signs of disease. A rectal temperature in excess of 102F commonly precedes other clinical signs. Therefore, we are urging owners to take temperatures on each individual horse(s) twice a day. If a temperature above 102F is detected contact your private practitioner immediately. Laboratory submission of nasal swabs and blood samples collected from the exposed horse can be utilized for virus detection and isolation.
The EHV-1 organism spreads quickly from horse to horse and the neurologic form of the virus can reach high morbidity and mortality rates. The incubation period of EHV-1 is typically 2-10 days. In horses infected with the neurologic strain of EHV-1, clinical signs may include: nasal discharge, incoordination, hind end weakness, recumbency, lethargy, urine dribbling and diminished tail tone. Prognosis depends on severity of signs and the period of recumbency. There is no specific treatment for EHV-1. Treatment may include intravenous fluids, anti-inflammatory drugs and other appropriate supportive treatment. Currently, there is no equine vaccine that has a label claim for protection against the neurological strain of the virus.
Horse-to-horse contact, aerosol transmission, and contaminated hands, equipment, tack, and feed all play a role in disease spread. However, horses with severe clinical signs of neurological EHV-1 illness are thought to have large viral loads in their blood and nasal secretions and therefore, present the greatest danger for spreading the disease. Immediate separation and isolation of identified suspect cases and implementation of appropriate biosecurity measures are key elements for disease control.
For Additional Information:
- Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy Brochure
- CDFA Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy Fact Sheet
- USDA Resources
- American Association of Equine Practitioners Fact Sheet
For more information, contact:
California Department of Food and Agriculture
Animal Health and Food Safety Services, Animal Health Branch
1220 N Street, Room A–107
Sacramento, California 95814
or send an email to: ahbfeedback@cdfa.ca.gov
From barnmice.com, posted by Katy M., Community News
‘‘Under his spurning feet, the landscape sped away like an ocean flying before the wind.”- Thomas Buchanan
PAIN MANAGEMENT OPTIONS FOR HORSES
Methods of managing pain in horses range from non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use and opioids to α-2 agonists and ketamine, among others. Over the years, experience and research have helped veterinarians determine which of the numerous analgesics (painkillers) are most effective. During a presentation at the 2011 Western Veterinary Conference, held Feb. 20-24 in Las Vegas, Nev., Khursheed Mama, DVM, Dipl. ACVA, a professor of veterinary anesthesiology at Colorado State University, discussed the different analgesic (pain management) options available and how effective they generally are for treating horses’ pain.
NSAIDs
“Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been the mainstay of equine analgesia for many years,” Mama said, noting that phenylbutazone (Bute) and flunixin meglumine (Banamine) are the two most commonly used drugs in this category. Veterinarians employ these successfully to treat a variety of ailments in horses, including gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, and ocular (eye) pain. Practitioners use other NSAIDs (e.g., ketoprofen and carprofen) on a less common basis to treat similar disorders.
She added that recent research showed that a topical NSAID (1% diclofenac sodium, Surpass) was effective in treating localized pain and inflammation with limited to no side effects. Mama noted one study in which up to 74% of horses tested showed an improvement in mobility and a reduction in lameness and pain when treated with this drug. She added, however, that the study’s control group (which received a placebo ointment) also demonstrated a 40% improvement.
Mama explained that while NSAIDs are lumped into one category, it’s important to remember that each drug has its own chemical composition and level at which it causes toxicity. Toxicity generally results from overdosing the horse with medication, she said, and most episodes affect the gastrointestinal tract, kidneys, or liver.
“Neonatal patients appear to be more susceptible to these undesirable effects,” she added.
Opioids
Mama moved on to another class of medications: “While there is reason to believe opioid drugs should have analgesic actions in the horse, reports regarding their efficacy are mixed,” Mama said.
Veterinarians frequently use opioids such as morphine or butorphanol with sedatives or tranquilizers when performing procedures in standing horses. These combinations are thought to be especially useful when working around the hind legs as they seem to minimize the likelihood of the horse kicking, Mama added. However, their efficacy as analgesic medications is mixed, she noted.
Some studies suggest that pain relief is afforded by these drugs for short periods of time or when given by infusion. However, some of the side effects of opioid drugs in horses–such as gastrointestinal stasis (lack of motility), and arousal (hypersensitivity to surroundings)–might preclude veterinarians from using opioid drugs.
Mama noted that opioids appear to be more effective when administered epidurally than when given systemically. While morphine is most commonly used via this route, Mama explained, hydromorphone noted to begin working in 20 minutes when administered epidurally. Meperidine similarly is reported to work within 12 minutes following epidural administration. She added that opioids have been documented to be effective for pain relief when given as intra-articular injections to humans and other domestic animals, and she believes there might be a similar effect in horses.
α-2 Agonists
“α-2 agonists are perhaps the most effective systemically used analgesics in the horse, as evidenced by both laboratory studies and clinical use,” Mama said, although she added that they typically are not the first choice for analgesics as they can produce side effects including ataxia (incoordination), drowsiness, hyperglycemia (an elevated level of blood glucose), and gastrointestinal stasis, among others.
Veterinarians typically use α-2 agonists to sedate horses for standing procedures and also before putting horses under general anesthesia. Mama added that α-2 agonists are commonly used to sedate (and thus control the pain) of horses that present with clinical signs of colic.
She discussed a relatively new α-2 agonist gel formulation of detomidine introduced to the market for sedation. She said the oral gel seemed to provide adequate sedation for nonpainful procedures beginning an average of 36 minutes after administration, with sedation lasting for about two hours. She added that further evaluation is needed to determine the effect of the oral gel for analgesia or as a sedative for “painful procedures such as suturing a laceration or tooth extraction.”
Ketamine
Next, Mama explained how veterinarians have considered ketamine as an equine pain management option. Some researchers have suggested that ketamine prevents the upregulation (an increase in a cellular response to a molecular stimulus due to increase in the number of receptors on the cell surface) of neuronal pathways involved in further sensitizing the horse to painful stimuli (simply put, it prevents an increase in pain within the horse’s body).
“While (ketamine’s) efficacy for this purpose has not been assessed in horses, evidence from people (human patients) and more recently dogs suggests that very low doses may not only prevent ‘wind up’ (sensitization) but also provide relief in patients with chronic pain syndromes where other drugs are not effective,” Mama said.
Other Analgesic Drugs
Mama briefly discussed the use of local anesthetics, gabapentin, and tramadol.
Practitioners use local anesthetics (such as lidocaine and carbocaine) regularly for regional anesthesia in horses. Mama noted that the use of intravenously injected lidocaine has also been used to provide pain relief and has been shown to reduce the dose of sevoflurane (an inhaled anesthetic) in horses. However, she added that how and why this works is still unclear.
Gabapentin, though not currently widely used in horses, is being used in humans and small animals to treat neuropathic pain (caused by damage to the peripheral nerves, or the spinal cord). Gabapentin is absorbed following oral administration to horses. Mama explained that one case report indicated that gabapentin yielded “marked improvement” in treating neuropathic pain in a pregnant mare following colic surgery.
Finally, Mama said that tramadol (which is related to codeine) is thought to have weak opioid properties. She explained that the only form of the drug available in the United States is the oral form, and studies on whether this form is effectively absorbed in the horse have yielded conflicting results. A number of side effects have been noted after intravenous tramadol administration, including collapse, trembling, sweating, and excitement. She suggested that further research is needed to determine if this drug will have a place in equine medicine.
thehorse.com, by: Erica Larson, News Editor, March 23 2011, Article # 17976
”A horse doesn’t care how much you know until he knows how much you care.”- Pat Parelli
SPRING IS WEED CONTROL TIME!
Believe it or not, it’s already time to talk about weed control. 
Getting a handle on weeds early in thespring is the most cost-effective, chore-effective way of dealing with these persistent nuisances.
First off, good pasture management is the best weed control there is. Healthy grass will prevent weeds from becoming established and also keep horses from being tempted to nibble on weeds when they do show up. Most weeds can’t withstand mowing, so keeping pastures mowed to a healthy grass height (five to six inches tall) will keep grass productive and discourage weeds from spreading or going to seed. Also, make sure you use certified weed-free pasture grass seed mix on your property, and that the hay you buy is weed-free.
Minimize herbicide use whenever possible, especially near any surface waters such as wetlands, lakes, ditches and streams, by removing weeds by mechanical methods rather than with chemicals. Chemical herbicides can be harmful to horses and are very toxic to fish and other aquatic life, as well as to native vegetation. It is easy for chemicals sprayed on weeds to wash off in the rain and travel into our water systems, including the ones we drink from.Most waterways these days have residuals of herbicides, mainly from overuse and/or misuse.Check with your county weed control agency if you have a question about your legal responsibilities. If you do decide to use herbicides, be sure to use the right product for the specific weed. Your conservation district, extension agent or county weed 
control agency can help with identifying your weed, choosing the appropriate herbicide, and determining the best time of year to apply it. The best application method is to spot spray following manufacturer directions instead of spraying or spreading chemicals on large areas. Don’t think that if a little is good, a lot is better; you could do serious damage to your land and the environment. Always read and follow directions carefully, and avoid spraying on windy days or when it is expected to rain soon.
Here are some other less toxic weed control methods to consider:
- Practice good pasture management
- Establish a sacrifice area
- Never graze below 3-4 inches
- Practice rotational grazing
- Keep horses off winter pastures
- Hand-remove weeds and either compost them or send them to the landfill if they are toxic or highly invasive.
- A weed burner is a non-toxic alternative to herbicide use that works particularly well in areas like driveways.
- Spot spray using the appropriate herbicide at the recommended time of the year
- Check out Integrated Pest Management techniques, which use beneficial insects or other organisms to help control an invasive species. An example of this is the Cinnabar moth, which is a control for tansy ragwort.
Want a little more info on toxic weeds in horse pastures? Watch this video.
smarthorsekeeping blog, by Alayne, May 12,2011
‘’The wagon rest in winter, the sleigh in summer, the horse never.” - Yiddish Proverb
NEW ARTICLES ON HORSECONSCIOUS
Language of Equus: Energy and Emotion – Kathy Pike
Maybe you’ve had a rough start to the day. You’ve had an argument with your spouse. You are going to lose your job and finances are bad. You can’t find a solution to a never-ending problem. So, you seek refuge in what you love; you put on your happy face and head to the barn to be with your horse.
Your horse, usually easy to catch, seems a bit more stand-offish, impatient with the grooming, and worst case, difficult to manage once you are in the saddle. A pleasant day of riding might turn into a tug of war or, if you are really unlucky, an unexpected buck out of your saddle. Your experience amplifies into frustration and anger, or tears and guilt.
To read the full article, visit Kathy Pike on Horseconscious Facebook.
Flying Changes- Liz Mitten Ryan
I would like to share with you some horse secrets…
We see the world differently. You humans talk of being superior – you have beliefs that are not true. We see the truth of how things really are; all animals do.
I will tell you ten things you believe that are false…
To read the compete article, visit Liz Mitten Ryan at HorseConscious.com
Hempfling – You Seek The Great? Be a child again
Hempfling transforms dangerous, nervous, traumatized horses into cooperative companions. They recognize him as their leader, and become willing partners in groundwork and under saddle. One may say that he is meanwhile one of the leading names in the issue animal and especially horse welfare and horse passion and love, as well as horses in wildlife, roots in nature and animal communication.
This video shows in sensitive images the softness in dealing with horses and nature in general.
To read the complete article, visit Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling on HorseConscious
FEEDING HORSES WITH NEUROLOGIC DISEASE
The main goals of feeding horses with neurologic disease are to supplement vitamin E and ensure that these horses continue eating a good-quality, balanced diet. Many horses with neurologic disease will have impaired balance and gait abnormalities that will prevent them from being turned out. If safe for the horse and handlers, some hand-grazing allows access to fresh grass and serves as physical therapy for the horse.
Horses with neurologic disease often have trouble balancing, especially when they lower their heads. Feeding hay in hay nets or placing feed on top of a straw bale makes it easier for neurologic horses to eat. These horses are sometimes reluctant to move around their stalls, so it is important to keep hay, feed, and water near each other if the horse has difficulty moving around.
Several equine neurologic diseases, such as neuroaxonal dystrophy, equine degenerative myelopathy, and equine motor neuron disease, have been shown to be caused by vitamin E deficiency or to improve with vitamin E supplementation. Many veterinarians prescribe vitamin E supplementation for the treatment of equine neurologic diseases because of its neuroprotective effects. The usual recommended dose of micellized natural vitamin E (water-soluble d-a-tocopherol) for horses with neurologic disease is 5,000-10,000 IU by mouth every 24 hours. This is approximately 10-20 times the dietary requirement for a 1,100-pound (500-kg) horse.
by Newsroom Associate, Staff Writer – HorsesintheSouth.com
UPCOMING EVENTS
Reach Out to Horses Events with Anna Twinney – Summer Events in Colorado, 2011
Even though it is still snowing in the mountains, Summer is definitely on it’s way (at least that’s what the calendar says anyway), and we’ve got lots of fun events for you, complete with the New Modular Course, animal communication and an evening of Art, Wine and Fun coming soon to Zuma’s Rescue Ranch.
Join us this summer, learn how to truly understand and communicate with your horses, create that trust-based partnership and have a whole lot of fun in the process.!
Click image to see larger poster
Drawn to Horses Workshop with Kim and Sandra
In June 24- 26. 2011 I will be offering a workshop called “Drawn to Horses” with Sandra Wallin of Chiron’s Way. I look forward to sharing this experience with the. We all share one thing in common. We are “Drawn to Horses” and in some aspect we want to experience Drawing horses in order to express that connection.
Dates: June 24-26, 2011
Location: Maple Ridge, BC
Tuition: $450 + hst before June 10th
$550 + hst thereafter
Click here to register
Imke Spiker Seminar
Discover how to preserve your horses independence in a “human’s world”.
Learn how to become more passive,receptive, and accepting, giving your horse the physical and emotional “space” to take unbelievably active role in your interactions- both work and play.
Click image to see larger version and learn more.
If you are intrested in attending one of these clinics please send an email to Paulette at ribbleton@ribbletonwarmbloods.com.au.
NZ THOROUGHBRED FOUND IN US KILL PEN
Cusack is a New Zealand-born thoroughbred who found himself a long way from home and under threat of a trip to a slaughter plant. .
The 11-year-old, who raced for four wins on Kiwi shores, ended up in a kill pen in Washington state in the United States, with his fate likely to be an abattoir north of the border, in Canada.
Cusack ended up at an auction house, where $US600 was put on his head.
The price was dropped to $US500, in a bid to attract a buyer who might provide the gelding with a future
A Kiwi living in Florida, Susan Young, saw Cusack’s picture online at the auction house and recognised his New Zealand brand. She contacted Horsetalk.
Deb Johnson, of Kansas, found out about Cusack through a Facebook link posted by a friend and felt she could provide him with a lifelong home. She intends to give Cusack a home on the 40 acres she shares with her husband, 22-year-old daughter, and six horses.
Given Cusack’s Kiwi connections, Horsetalk planned a fundraising campaign to get the money together to rescue Cusack, but it was clear time was too short.
To ensure Cusack’s welfare, the website agreed to underwrite the cost of buying Cusack and shipping him interstate to his new home.
“We’ve put the cart before the horse, so to speak,” said webmaster Robin Marshall, “but time was running out. We’re still confident Kiwis will want to help to have a share in giving Cusack a great life.”
She hopes Kiwis and Americans will still rally to raise the money necessary to meet Cusack’s costs. Transport is likely to be $US800, plus some veterinary costs to make the interstate trip.
His new home with Deb is about two hours west of Kansas City, near a small town called Westmoreland.
She owns an Arabian horse, a Missouri foxtrotter, a registered paint horse, and a registered quarter horse. A friend also grazes two Arabian horses with her.
Deb says she hopes Cusack may suit a career in trail-riding, but only if he enjoys it or is up to it.
She is eyeing up events run through the American Competitive Trail Horse Association, which are becoming increasingly popular with horse owners in the US.
If a career cannot be found for Cusack, she is happy for him to live out his life in retirement.
Deb says she fell in love with Cusack when she saw his pictures. “I took one look at him and thought, “Oh my God. He shouldn’t be there.”
Reports indicate that Cusack is placid and easy to handle. He looks to be in good body condition.
Deb, a former ski coach whose career was ended by injury in 2003, says: “I have a vet, chiropractor, body worker and equine dentist on board with helping this guy once he arrives. I can take care of his Coggins and health certificate for transport. I know a good horse transporter here, and if Cusack is healthy enough for the trip, we can get him moved rather quickly.”
Deb says her horses all get yearly shots, regular worming and teeth floating. “Everyone lives here on site, and receives daily care, attention, riding, or ground play,” she says. “This is a good place for him to be able to live out his life, and just be a horse.”
She says competitive trail-riding would a good sport for Cusack, if he is healthy and willing, and he would represent off-the-track thoroughbreds in Kansas as the wonderful horses they can be. “There is life after the track, and OTTB’s make wonderful trail partners. This is only if he wants this job. If he just wants to graze and retire, that’s exactly what will happen.”
Cusack was born in 1999, by the respected stallion Simon Snorkel and out of a McGinty mare.
His breeders were Chris Rowe and Michael Stokes, whose wife, Tarsha, trained him.
“He won his first race as a three-year-old,” recalls Stokes. “He won three in a row for us. He was lovely to ride,” he says. “He was a good natural horse. He had a few little tricks on the ground, but I imagine he would be a lovely animal now. He had some real ability. He liked to race back in the field, sometimes sitting last, and swooping.”
Records show his racing career in the US was brief, from May to August 2007, for a first, two seconds, and a third.
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Horsetalk.co.nz, Neil Clarkson
”A pony is a childhood dream, a horse is an adulthood treasure.” – Rebecca Carroll
NEUROLOGIC EHV-1: THE TOP FIVE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
The neurologic equine herpesvirus (EHV-1) outbreak in the western United States has captured the attention of horse owners across the country and raised a few questions about just what this virus is and what it might do in this current outbreak. TheHorse.com enlisted the help of Paul Lunn, BVMS, MS, PhD, head of the Department of Clinical Sciences at Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, to explain the top five things horse owners should know about EHV-1.
1. Understand the Modes of Transmission
Understanding how EHV-1 is transmitted between horses is key to understanding how to slow or stop disease outbreaks.
“The most significant way the EHV-1 virus spreads is horse-to-horse contact, so right now the most important thing we can do is to stop this virus moving around,” Lunn said. “If we can stop this virus from moving from horse to horse, we can bring this outbreak to an end. Keeping horses at home and keeping them from meeting other horses they’re not already in contact with is the most critical strategy.”
He also noted that EHV-1 can survive on “surfaces, equipment, feeding tools, grooming supplies, trailers, or gates. For these reasons, we need to be aware that we can become the way the virus moves from horse to horse.”
Careful consideration when handling barn supplies, tack, and other stable supplies around exposed and nonexposed horses can reduce the risk of transmission.
Lunn said that EHV-1 can be transferred via aerosol transmission over short distances, but he added that unlike equine influenza–which can travel for several hundred yards through the air–a turnout arrangement that separates exposed and unexposed horses by a distance of a hundred yards or more would likely be sufficient to squelch transmission.
2. Know the Incubation Period
“The incubation period from when a horse first gets exposed to this virus (to when he starts showing signs of illness) can be quite lengthy,” Lunn said. “The horse can be febrile (temperature of 101.5 F or more) within a day of getting infected, but when the infection goes on to cause neurologic disease, that usually doesn’t develop for at least seven or eight days, and sometimes up to 14 days after it first gets infected.”
He explained that at-risk farms (farms housing horses that have traveled and might have been exposed at a show or an event, or farms that have had confirmed cases) should be quarantined for–at minimum–two weeks to account for the incubation period (cases that aren’t apparent yet). However, if there is evidence that a farm actually has EHV-1 infected horses, this needs to be longer.
“Quarantine for those farms really needs to last at least three weeks and probably in many instances four weeks, for farms at which cases actually occur,” he noted. (This time begins after the last fever is detected on that farm.)
Lunn said that if an EHV-1 positive horse or one suspected of having the virus has been turned out with other horses, don’t mix those horses with nonexposed horses on the farm. Keep the horses in the same turnout groups to minimize exposure.
3. EHV Isn’t an Uncommon Virus
“Equine herpesvirus-1 is a very common virus to find in horses,” Lunn said. “The great majority of horses are exposed early in life and become lifelong latently infected (showing no signs of illness).”
The virus generally manifests as a respiratory infection and occasionally causes abortions in pregnant mares. The neurologic form of the virus, however, is an unusual outcome from the infection, he explained.
“What is most unusual right now is not that the virus is spreading, but that a very high number of horses are developing the neurologic disease.”
On the positive side, Lunn explained that when the current outbreak ends, the horses that were exposed and infected during the outbreak are unlikely to represent a threat in the future–the veterinary community has not seen these horses cause further outbreaks down the road.
4. Know the Early Signs
“The first thing we typically see with this disease is a fever,” Lunn said. “So if you see a fever with no obvious explanation, that should raise your anxiety level.
“And if you think there’s a chance your horse might have been directly or indirectly exposed and they have a fever, that would be an opportunity to be in touch with your veterinarian and discuss getting a nasal swab taken for PCR (polymerase chain reaction) diagnostic testing.”
Early detection of a fever could lead to an early diagnosis that will allow treatment to commence promptly. As with most equine ailments, early treatment generally leads to a more favorable prognosis.
5. EHV-1 Neurologic Disease is not a Death Sentence
“There are things you can do, get your vet involved, and be able to hopefully weather the storm,” Lunn said. “If you do have a horse that is EHV-1 positive, or worse yet, starts developing some signs of neurologic disease, there are definitely things you can do to give a good chance of improving the outcome of this disease. There are a variety of treatment options your veterinarian may use, but these include anti-inflammatory drugs and supportive care (i.e., the use of a sling, ’round the clock nursing, etc.) that can be given to help nurse that horse through the disease.
“One of the most important things a veterinarian will do is monitor whether the horse can urinate– often the paralysis can affect this and there is a real risk of bladder rupture–and keeping the bladder drained in this disease can be a life-saving procedure.” Lunn emphasized.
“We see many cases where the effects of the disease can be quite mild–just some stumbling or ataxia (incoordination),” he added. “Those horses can usually completely recover by a few months after the infection and go on to lead normal lives.”
Of course, not all cases are mild, and horses that are more severely affected generally don’t share the same fortune as mildly affected ones.
“Horses that are more severely infected and maybe end up on the ground or unable to rise have a much worse prognosis,” he noted.
Other Information
Owners might be wondering if a herpesvirus vaccination would be advisable during this outbreak. The answer, however, is not just a simple yes or no.
“It’s controversial,” Lunn explained. “We know that at the moment, we have no evidence that EHV-1 vaccines can stop the development of the neurologic disease. No vaccine has a claim right now for protection against neurological disease. We also know that some of the more potent EHV-1 vaccines can have a very significant effect on reducing the shedding of the virus from the nose in a well-vaccinated and recently boostered horse.”
A decrease in shedding EHV-1 will lead to a decrease in the number of horses exposed to the virus.
“So for these reasons, my inclination is to say if I had a horse that was previously vaccinated and it hadn’t had a booster within the last three months, I would give it a booster in order to decrease the movement and shedding of the virus on the farm,” he concluded, adding that this decision needs to be balanced against the need to “muster and handle” horses in order to give that vaccine. He added that not all experts agree that vaccination is entirely benign.
Another consideration is the well-known fact in the veterinary community that viruses hold the ability to mutate, but it’s too early in the course of the outbreak to determine if the current strain of EHV-1 is a mutated strain.
“At the moment, all that has been done is PCR molecular identification of the fact that the virus is present,” Lunn said. “I think a number of institutions–including CSU and the University of Kentucky–are trying to culture the virus right now, and in time we’ll be able to study its genetic code.
“Very likely, when this is all said and done, we will discover that this virus does possess the mutation that was characterized in the past decade, which we call the neuropathogenic mutation (i.e., strains of EHV-1 with a single mutation in the gene that encodes the enzyme called DNA polymerase). It’s very likely that this virus will carry this mutation. Now this virus might have other mutations and other changes in it that might eventually help explain why we’ve seen this disastrous outbreak, but at the moment that is speculative.”
Take-Home Message
Until the outbreak has settled, it is advisable to keep horses at their home base to reduce the risk of exposure to nonexposed horses. Additionally, understanding the virus and how it works is key to preventing further outbreaks.
Learn more about diseases of the nervous systems than can afflict horses and the most current treatment methods and prognoses in “Understanding Equine Neurological Disorders”.
thehorse.com, Erica Larson, News Editor, Article # 18264
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