Winter Problems with Equine Coat Conditions

Q: A few of my horses get a scaley type of bumps between their front legs and on their chest in winter months. When It is picked off a bit of yellow substance comes with it along with some hair. There are also random clumps over the body but in no particular pattern. Otherwise coat condition is good and they are on a mixed grass bale of Timothy Brome with a bit of Alfalfa. They also have access to a salt lick and plenty of water. What might it be?

and what can I do to treat it? Will it spread?

A: First off skin conditions can be very confusing and difficult to diagnose in
horses. This kind of condition can be due to many different problems such as bacterial, fungal and many other unknowns.

The most common condition with these clinical signs is Dermatophilus Congolensis - commonly referred to as "rain scald" or "rain rot" caused by a bacteria. This bacteria flourishes in wet dirty conditions, such as you would find on a horse in the winter wearing a blanket and in folded skin areas. Usually these lesions are not itchy, the scab is "paintbrush like" and can spread very quickly if not treated appropriately.

Q: How do I treat it? My horses are kept at home and I do not have a barn therefore I am not able to body wash them in winter months.

A: In an ideal situation the horse would be brought into a barn, bathed with medicated shampoo, rinsed well then blow dried off and an antibacterial ointment applied to the affected area. However this doesn't work for most people.

**Most importantly do not "brush" the area this only spreads the bacteria to other areas on the horse**

**Do not 'use' infected brushes on other horses as it can be passed along by brushing

Whenever treating any infection on a horse always wear latex/vinyl gloves so YOU do not transfer bacteria from your skin to a horses wound.

1. Clean the spotted areas with medicated soap such as
   betadine/prepodyne scrub, leave soap on for 5 minutes,
2. Rinse well, towel dry
3. Apply an anti-bacterial cream.
4. If Possible keep blankets off so you can to allow the hair to air out.

This bacteria is not contagious from one horse to another but often horses share
the same environmental conditions and blanket/brush situation thus have the same skin infection.

If the skin condition spreads, the skin becomes swollen/painfull or
does not appear to improve in 1 - 2 weeks then contact your local veterinarian
to work up your horses skin condition, this may involve collection and
submission of skin biopsies, skin scrapings and blood work.

Thank you for your interest in your Horses Health!

Lana

Lana Delaney, DVM Delaneyvetservices.ca.

Professional Background:

We strive to provide timely and courteous communication in regards to your question, concerns and patient results. We seek to educate you, the owners solidifing that the care of your animal is a team effort and we look forward to being a part of it!

The Difference Between The Leg Yield, Half Pass, and Side Pass

Tara Gamble Horsemanship TGHorsemanship.com

Professional Background:

CHA President, CHA Master Clinic Instructor, AQHA Professional Horsewoman. Alberta born and raised, internationally recognized horsewoman Tara Gamble offers horsemanship instruction for riders of all ages and skill levels. Her background is varied in both western and english riding and she is fortunate to combine her passion of both horses and people through teaching.

The phrase “lateral work” involves different exercises that have a degree of sideways (lateral) motion, with the objectives being; increased suppleness, flexibility, fitness, co-ordination, development and control of the muscles from your horse. Lateral exercises help improve the horse’s responses and overall movement. They also help you to gain independent control over the horse’s fore and back ends, allowing you to set your horse up properly for execution of more advanced and demanding maneuvers quietly, lightly and easily.

Communication between the horse and rider are often strengthened through lateral work, as the horse becomes increasingly responsive to the rider’s seat, leg and hand aids. Lateral exercises are often a bridge to accomplishing long-term goals, but remarkably are some of the least understood concepts in riding. These maneuvers help to polish your riding skills and provide a strong foundation for you review when problems arise. No matter the discipline, all of these exercises can be applied to achieve your riding goals. The exercises typically included are: turn/pivot on the forehand, shoulder-in, haunches-in, leg yield, half pass and side pass.

Lateral work starts when you teach the horse to move away from pressure. That means it usually begins on the ground - working around your horse and teaching them to move over. For the following exercises it is advantageous to be able to turn/pivot on the forehand in order to ensure that you can achieve independent responses from the horse’s fore and hind ends. Also, ensure your horse is physically ready for these exercises as the goal of training is to improve your horse, not damage or hurt them. Your timing and feel through the co-coordinated use of your aids is essential. Combined goal is to elicit lighter, quicker responses from your horse.

The goal of this article is to differentiate between the leg yield, half pass and side pass. In short, it will give you a foundation to work from. The descriptions below are intended for riders using two hands and a snaffle bit. (Please be aware that there are many more technicalities than can be mentioned here, and often are discipline specific). However, the principles remain the same. Terminology may also differ, eg. in dressage, “travers” means quarters-in, where western is “haunches-in”.

Part 1 - The Leg Yield: Involves the horse moving forward and sideways simultaneously. There should be more forward than sideways motion driving the horse, with the forehand moving slightly ahead of the hindquarters. The horse is yielding to the rider’s leg (i.e. giving in to) and is best preformed after turn/pivot on the forehand, but before the half pass. The leg yield may be preformed at all gaits, and helps to supple the shoulder and stifle joints, as well as helps to gain better control of the hindquarters (when preformed at the trot) and is very useful to in preparing your horse for collection (when done at the trot, or lope/canter).

In a leg-yield to the right, the horse is slightly counter-flexed (to the left) through the horse’s head and slightly into the neck. The objective is to have the horse move forward and sideways simultaneously with the forehand leading slightly ahead of the hindquarters and the left legs crossing over the right legs. To achieve this, the rider uses the seat aid to push the horse sideways in conjunction with the inside (left) leg behind the cinch/girth, while the outside (right) leg drives the horse forward and is prepared to assist in controlling the amount of sideways motion. The inside (left) rein will serve the purpose to maintain a soft flex through the horse’s poll and jaw and lets you tip the horse’s nose slightly – we only want to see the outside corner of the horse’s left eye, while the outside (right) rein has a dual purpose in controlling the amount of bend that is exhibited by the horse’s neck as well as helping to rate the pace and control the frame of the horse.

Common problems and solutions are:

• The hindquarters drifting too far too fast, corrected by placing your outside (right) leg behind the cinch/girth.
• The forehand moving too quickly and gets “ahead” of the hindquarters in which case, apply outside (right) leg in front of the cinch/girth, and use a bit of outside (right) rein to cue the horse to slow its shoulders down.
• Over bending, which leads to the outside (right) shoulder bulging and rubber necking. This is easily controlled by watching your inside (left) rein to make sure you do not cross the mane line (causing the head to bend too much to the inside – and the right shoulder has no where to go but to “bulge” to the right). Use your outside rein slightly to “catch” the sideways movement of the shoulder and control the amount of bend the in the neck.

Sometimes leg yielding is called two-tracking by western riders, with the name arising from the fore and hind ends traveling on two separate tracks. It is differentiated by having slightly more lateral bend (through the spine of the horse from the head to the tail) than the leg yield. The horse is a little more counter-flexed (through the poll) and counter-bent than the leg yield. However, most of the time these two terms are used interchangeably, referring to the horse moving forward at an angle, with the horse being counter-bent to the direction of travel and the front and hind legs moving on two different tracks.

Part 2 - The Half Pass: A more advanced maneuver than the leg yield, by requiring the horse to be moving forward and sideways with the body bent towards the direction of travel, traveling on two-tracks. The horse still maintains a slight lead in the forehand to the hindquarters, and still crosses his legs in front of the supporting legs. It is extremely beneficial to have a solid grasp of the leg yield and haunches-in before attempting a half pass. Your horse must be both physically and mentally ready. The horse has to be listening to the rider so that he stays with you and you can work together in achieving success. It requires a lot of balance and strength on your horse’s behalf. Collection, flexibility and light responsiveness is crucial to achieving the half pass. The horse must be good at bending his neck and body, be light on the front end, and very capable of driving (engaging) from the back end. It is advantageous to have preformed shoulder-in, haunches-in and leg yield prior to beginning a half pass. In order to achieve the half pass, impulsion must be maintained.

In a half pass to the right, the inside (right) (referring to the direction of the bend) leg is used at the cinch/girth to control the amount of bend and keep up the impulsion. The outside (left) leg is used slightly behind the girth and pushes the haunches towards the half pass itself. The inside rein controls the amount of bend, and you want the horse to be flexed at the poll, soft in the jaw and collected. The outside rein aids in controlling the degree of bend of the horse and helps in the outside shoulder position. The horse travels to the right, with the left legs crossing in front of his right legs and his body flexed and bent to the right. The degree of difficulty for the horse stems from his body being bent in the direction of travel while he must still cross over with his left legs in front of his right (supporting) legs.

Some potential problems and solutions are:

• A loss of impulsion. This should be corrected immediately by using the inside leg. However, make sure you allow the hindquarters to “wait” until you can drive the horse forward again, otherwise they will get too far ahead of the front end and you will end up with too much lateral movement, similar to a side pass.
• The haunches/hindquarters are too far behind the motion of the half pass. Correct this by performing some more haunches-in and leg yield to have the horse become more sensitive to the leg aids and increase your control over the back end of the horse.
• The haunches/hindquarters lead the shoulders in the half-pass. Correct this by performing more shoulder-in to increase your control of the horse’s shoulders. Using circle exercises will also help to supple and soften your horse if bending through the body is a problem contributing to stiff shoulders.
• Over-bending can be a problem too. Similar to the leg yield exercise, watch the amount of inside rein you are using and just see the outside corner of the horse’s inside (right) eye. A bit of help from the outside rein will help to keep the shoulder in position and maintain a reasonable amount of bend in the neck.

Part 3 - The Side Pass: A strictly lateral (sideways) maneuver involving almost negligible forward motion. Since there is not much forward motion, it is not a beneficial exercise for collection, but is useful in helping the rider to really gain independent control over the front and back ends of the horse, and improve the horse’s response to the leg aids. It helps to supple your horse, which is beneficial to preparing your horse for flying lead changes. The side pass is sometimes part of a dressage pattern or trail course, and is helpful when opening gates (along with turn/pivot on the forehand).

In a side pass to the right, the horse’s outside (left) legs should cross over the supporting (right) legs. During the crossover there is a very small amount of forward movement created; however, it should be stressed that you do not want the horse to step forward with his legs. To achieve a side pass, you may want the horse to stand in front of a wall or a fence to help build a physical barrier to the horse so he does not step forward. Next you will prepare your seat, leg and rein aids so you can co-ordinate them to have the horse move with as much fluidity as possible. Begin by using your left seat bone to push the horse to the right, together with left leg behind the cinch/girth, while applying a slight bit of pressure to the outside (left) side of the neck with your left rein. This will tell the horse to move his hind legs sideways to the right, followed by the horse’s front legs. The inside (right) rein opens up slightly to allow the horse to move over to the right.

The most common trouble areas and solutions are as follows:

• The horse gets “ahead” with either the hindquarters or the forehand. Most commonly is the forehand leading, and can be attributed usually to one of two reasons. Firstly, the rider does not apply enough seat and leg aid, and uses too much rein aid causing the horse to move laterally with the front end only. Or secondly, the horse is not responsive enough to the rider’s leg and seat aids and should go back and work on lateral exercises to improve this such as turn on the forehand, haunches-in and leg yield. If the horse gets ahead with the hindquarters, the same reasons apply but due to a lack of correct use of (on the rider’s behalf) or responsiveness (on the horse’s behalf) to the rein aids. For this it is beneficial to go back and work on turn on the haunches, shoulder-in and leg yield. This lack of responsiveness will be much more apparent in the side pass due to the fact there is a much greater degree of sideways motion than in the previous exercises.

Through practice, all lateral exercises will become smooth and polished. They help to advance the horse physically and mentally to a higher level of riding. They help the horse to improve their responsiveness to the aids, and benefit the rider by improving co-ordination of the aids and can assist in improving the rider’s “feel”. Done correctly, the benefits obtained from lateral work will insure success in building a fantastic partnership with your horse!

Happy riding!

Tara

Equestrian And Life Coaching

Professional Background:

Dean Peachment is an Equine Canada equestrian coach, and a professional life coach. Dean presently coaches about 30 riders and he and his family own an equestrian facility near Olds, Alberta. He is passionate about equestrians achieving their riding and training goals, and coaches people to success!

Q: Have you ever asked a horse to do something, knowing that he can do it, but didn’t get the response you were looking for?

I think we all have.

I can remember watching a trainer free lunge a horse, but for some reason the horse was leery of connecting with him. I asked the trainer a few questions and he started talking about an issue that was bothering him. All of a sudden the horse walked up to him and wanted to connect. It’s as if the horse knew something wasn’t quite right and once the issue was brought out into the open, the horse was willing to trust him. Sometimes when we ask a horse to do something and he doesn’t respond the way we would like, it may not be the horse.

Here are a few strategies that might help you to be a more effective rider:

• Improve your body language. The way that you move your body has a profound impact on your confidence. Ride with your head up, shoulders back; breathe deeply and rhythmically.
• Before riding, play over in your mind a ride or training session as if it already happened and was a success. Visualize success and confidence and you will act accordingly.
• Manage and minimize the negative influences in your life. Listening too often to negative information, people, media, etc., will greatly affect your sense of well being and ultimately your confidence.

If you implement these 3 strategies, you’ll be surprised at how more effective you will be with your horse.

If you would like more strategies on how to increase your confidence and improve your riding, visit us at www.equestrianandlifecoaching.com

Marcia Baldwin Fine Artist

www.mbaldwinfineart.com

Q: What is your favorite subject to paint in oil paintings?

A: Horses of course ! I have always owned horses and began riding at 3 or younger. As an adult, I have enjoyed learning everything about them. There is always something to learn, no matter how accomplished you are at riding or caring for them. As for me, being a full time artist, I am always learning new ways to approach the way I can depict them on canvas. I do always come back to the soul of the painting and that is in the eye of the horse. To me, the horse is the most magnificent animal ever created.

Q: Where do you get your inspiration?

A: Many ideas come from collectors and their own photography. I also take time to shoot my own photography and find much joy in being around horse shows and trail rides. I will even stop along a highway or country road to take photos of horse in their pastures or in their barns. I am always looking for new ideas and new horses.

Q: Are you self trained artist or do you have a formal education?

A: I am probably both, for even after obtaining a Masters, I can still learn each day, every day, painting every day. Most of the time, college professors would tell me that I would be a great artist if I ever grew up and stopped painting horses !! That's ok though, as I am now a full time practicing fine artist and they are probably just teaching ! Who is having more fun?

Q: Do you enjoy painting large paintings or small paintings?

A: The larger the canvas ... the better. I love painting life size original oils and the equine painting is my passion.

Q: What is your style?

A: I would say Modern Contemporary, but what is in a title? I paint what I feel. Some would say that my work can be abstract and some would see other paintings that I have done that look very realistic.

It is what I feel in my heart when I paint.

Marcia Parks Baldwin Gallery
represented and Published artist.
Phone: 318-631-2444

www.mbaldwinfineart.com: Check out her website - you can see the incredible images (including the one above) she produces, and or you can buy our re-useable shopping gift or tote bags with her images on them!!

Equine Therapy - What is it? Who needs it?

EQUINOX HEALTH, www.healyourhorse.com

Professional Background:

Hello there! My name is Tralauney Farthing and I am a Certified Equine Therapist providing care to Alberta's horses. I graduated from Helen J. Woods' Equine Chiropractic School in 2007 and began my business shortly after. I am also a Registered Emergency Medical Technician and have 5 years experience as a Veterinary Assistant. I have done my best to surround myself with horses all my life and probably much like yourself was born with the "horse addiction". My career interests have always been medically oriented and I feel that I have finally found an outlet that is both therapeutic to my patients and myself.

Q: What is Equine Chiropractics?

Horse chiropractics is the manual maneuvering of the vertebral structure to ensure nervous system control and complete muscle coordination. It is a drugless, non invasive treatment that can help you to realize your horses full potential and relieve it's pain.

Q: How can misalignment affect my horse?

Misalignment or subluxation, which is defined as a vertebrae that is unable to move (articulate) correctly, causes irritation to the nerves and muscles which affect movement and mobility. Subluxation interferes with flexibility of the back and neck and disrupts the functioning of the nervous system. This can lead to stiffness, discomfort, resistance, decreased performance, muscle spasms and pain. Horses will show compensatory changes in posture and movement, most often due to referral of weight.

Q: What is a stress point?

The stress points are where ligaments and tendons come together in that muscle group. Nerve irritation due to misalignment, stress, fatigue or injury can cause these stress points and muscle groups to become tight and begin to shut down. When this happens the muscle groups do not get the oxygen they require and they become very susceptible to minor or major rips and tears.

Q: How are stress points relieved?

After the stress points and muscle groups are examined, manual pressure is applied to the stress point (acupressure), then the muscle group is massaged. Massage therapy increases circulation bringing a fresh supply of blood and oxygen, removes toxins from the area such as lactic acid and can alleviate spasms. This is an effective form of treatment providing relief of muscle tension, thereby promoting relaxation and initiating the body's own innate healing.

Q: Why is saddle fitting necessary?

A proper fitting saddle, though often overlooked, is one of the most important gifts you can give yourself and your horse. It connects you together and allows for communication. The saddle may be considered an extension of you and an ill fitting saddle has the potential to damage your relationship with your horse. It also has the potential to cause misalignment, atrophy and injury throughout your horse's body.

I absolutely Love this work! I genuinely care about the health and well being of every horse I meet and there is nothing more rewarding to me than knowing that I have helped to ease an animals pain. I am dedicated in building the bond between you and your horse by improving it's willingness, happiness and health. I look forward to helping you both!

Thanx for reading - T

EQUINE SARCOID RESEARCH

In 2009, the EQUINE FOUNDATION OF CANADA GAVE A GRANT OF $10,000 TO The Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, at Saskatoon, SK, for research on Equine Sarcoids. WCVM matched the amount with funding from a private foundation, for a total of $20,000, for the research. (Horse Savvy Products were used in part to contribute to this funding!)

Bovine Papillomavirus in equine sarcoids and other skin conditions of horses – an overview.

Sarcoids are a common and potentially debilitating skin lesion in horses. Equine sarcoids are currently believed to be caused by infection with a virus, bovine papillomavirus (BPV). However, recent reports have suggested that BPV may also be present on the normal skin and in other, non-sarcoid skin lesions of horses. This observation has significant importance for our understanding of the cause of, and our ability to design non-invasive tests for, equine sarcoids. There have been numerous attempts to develop a non-invasive diagnostic test for sarcoids based on recovering BPV from skin lesions of horses. If inflammatory skin lesions of horses and the normal skin of horses also contain BPV DNA then testing methods based on the presence of BPV DNA as a marker for equine sarcoid may not be valid. In addition, if BPV is present in the same locations in non-sarcoid horse skin as in sarcoids perhaps BPV isn’t the cause of sarcoids at all.

Our study examined skin biopsies from a large group of different skin conditions of horses, including normal horse skin. We were able to recover BPV from some samples of all of the different skin conditions. Although we found virus in a lower number of these cases than in equine sarcoids, it was still present in nearly 50% of cases we looked at. If it is so common, we needed to determine if where the virus was on or in the skin was different between sarcoids and non-sarcoids. For example, it maybe that in sarcoids virus is present deep beneath the skin surface causing the tumor to grow. While in non-sarcoids skin diseases, the virus is just sitting on the skin surface contaminating it, but unable to penetrate the skin where it could cause disease.

To test this we used a specially equipped microscope and laser to cut the skin biopsies from both sarcoids and non sarcoid skin cases into different tissue compartments to see where the virus is located. What we found was that in sarcoids most of the virus was deep within the skin, while in non sarcoid cases it was more likely to be found on the skin surface. In addition, when the virus was present deep beneath the skin in non-sarcoid lesions it was usually associated with inflamed areas of the skin. This suggests that in most of the non-sarcoid skin lesions BPV is a surface contaminant, but if the skin becomes inflamed the virus can penetrate the skin deeply and this could be how sarcoids develop.

These results help us to better understand how sarcoids develop. In addition, they suggest that non-invasive tests for virus (like skin swabs etc.) are not likely to be helpful because the virus can commonly be found as a contaminant of normal horse skin. Better understanding of equine sarcoids and their development can hopefully allow us to develop effective tests and treatments for this condition.

By: Dr Bruce Wobeser and Dr Andy Allen of WCVM.

Article Forwarded Courtesy Of Peggy & Eldon Bienert,

Equine Foundation of Canada

Prepare Your Barn for Winter

Article By: Ann Compton (as an exerpt from petplace)

Photo by : Kurt Nielsen of Moses

We know summer has just arrived but we think now is the best time to gear up for winter at the barn. That way you are ready before a major snow or ice storm hits.

Hopefully, you've prepared your horses with the necessary shoeing for icy turnout conditions, and cleaned, repaired and stored blankets. Proper storage of tack, if it sits unused, is also crucial.

Air Quality

The proper temperature of a barn is one of the most debated topics concerning horses. It is impossible to recommend a range of temperatures, because by following a precise range of temperature, you might be neglecting to provide adequate ventilation. There are competing needs to maintain nice coats and happy workers on one end, and healthy lungs in the horses on the other.

One thing is for sure. Don't seal your barn up so tightly that there is poor ventilation for the horses.

This is unhealthy for them and can cause respiratory problems , particularly small airway disease. In later stages, the cloistering can result in heaves. A good indicator of poor barn ventilation is the smell of ammonia, especially in the morning before doors and windows are swung opened. Once you can smell ammonia, the air quality is very poor. Another sign of poor ventilation is that your barn is considerably warmer, often up to 10 degrees, than outdoor temperature.

"In the competing interests between human warmth and good ventilation for horses, the horses must win. Most people do not realize how serious the effects of repetitively enclosing horses in a poorly ventilated area can be," says Andrew Hoffman, Director of theLung Function Testing Laboratory, Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine. "Recent studies have revealed that stabling, even in the best of circumstances, can contribute to worsening of lung function. This is an insidious problem that you may not recognize as obvious respiratory signs, but contributes to poor performance and escercise intolerance in the training months. Only in the extreme case do you see actual heaves. Most horses suffer in silence."

If you have a small backyard barn, open doors and windows each day when you clean stalls so that dust can be cleared out. Make sure your barn has vents in the ceiling, and eaves or windows that promote air flow into the stalls and upward to the ceiling. Your horses will be happier and healthier with fresh air circulating, no matter what the temperature.

Encourage Water Consumption

Water is always a problem in the winter. When it's cold, it freezes quickly and horses usually don't want to break through it to drink. If you keep a bucket filled with water outside while the horses are turned out, it helps to place a small rubber ball or two in the water – dog toys about the size of a tennis ball are good. They will float on top and keep the water moving so it doesn't freeze as quickly.

When you bring your horses in from turnout or feed dinner, add hot water to their buckets to encourage them to drink, suggests Dr. Mark Baus of Fairfield Equine Associations in Newtown, Conn. Your horses will begin to look forward to their evening equine 'tea' equivalent.

Use soft, pliable black rubber buckets in the horses' stalls for water because they are pretty much indestructible. When the water freezes overnight to a solid block, you can drop them on the ground and step on them to break the ice up. A small ice scraper like you'd use for your windshield also is helpful to scrape out the last remains of ice in buckets.

Maintain the Barn and Keep Extra Supplies

Check barn drains, pipes and gutters to avoid potential problems. Clean the gutters so they are free of leaves and debris. If your drains freeze, use boiling water or antifreeze to help get them open. Don't use antifreeze, though, if the drain empties anywhere in your paddock or pasture.

Pack any holes in stall floors with sand or clay so they don't collect water and freeze, making for slippery footing and colder stalls.

Take the time to stock up on some extra barn supplies, too, like double-ended snaps, an extra gate latch in case one breaks and a short length of chain. In an emergency, you can use a length of chain and double-ended snaps to keep a gate closed until you can get it fixed. It's also a good idea to have a few extra fence posts and rails or boards on hand in case a winter ice storm brings a tree down on your fence.

Spread used wet bedding from your stalls on your paddocks or paths when they become icy or muddy. It's a quick fix for footing and provides excellent traction.

Spray barn doors and sliding mechanisms with silicone spray lubricant so they won't stick.

Storage of Medications

Make sure your equine medicine chest is full and up to date. It's a good idea, though, to store medications like creams or ointments in a heated tack room or your house because they will harden in cold weather and can be difficult to use. Check expiration dates on medications and discard those that have expired.

Don't Overfeed

Reduce the amount of grain you feed if your horses are accustomed to turnout, and bad weather confines them to their stalls for several days. In this respect, you need to be adaptable, since the temperature and activity of the horses can shift dramatically over the winter months. Although this adds complexity to your work, you will decrease the risk of colic and tying up, as well as overfeeding in the long run.

"Horses are naturally less active, even on turnout, during the winter," Dr. Baus notes. "It simply is not necessary to feed them more." Most horses are quite comfortable on their normal ration unless the temperature is below 10 degrees Fahrenheit, and then a little more hay will keep their digestive track working.

If your horses eat sweet feed, you may find that it's tough to dish up when the temperature drops below freezing and it becomes a hard, solid block. A clean garden claw hung by the feed bin serves to loosen the feed and make it easier to scoop.

Some Entertainment

If a snow, ice or rainstorm confines your horses to their stalls for a day or two, keep a radio playing. Believe it or not, it does help alleviate their boredom. Experts at the U.S. Equestrian Team Headquarters in Gladstone, N.J., believe that a combination of soft music and talk is best.

Now, start counting the days till the snow flies - not so long away for some of us!!!

Winter Problems with Equine Coat Conditions

Lana Delaney, DVM Delaneyvetservices.ca.

Professional Background:

We strive to provide timely and courteous communication in regards to your question, concerns and patient results. We seek to educate you, the owners solidifing that the care of your animal is a team effort and we look forward to being a part of it!

Q: A few of my horses get a scaley type of bumps between their front legs and on their chest in winter months. When It is picked off a bit of yellow substance comes with it along with some hair. There are also random clumps over the body but in no particular pattern. Otherwise coat condition is good and they are on a mixed grass bale of Timothy Brome with a bit of Alfalfa. They also have access to a salt lick and plenty of water. What might it be?

and what can I do to treat it? Will it spread?

A: First off skin conditions can be very confusing and difficult to diagnose in
horses. This kind of condition can be due to many different problems such as bacterial, fungal and many other unknowns.

The most common condition with these clinical signs is Dermatophilus Congolensis - commonly referred to as "rain scald" or "rain rot" caused by a bacteria. This bacteria flourishes in wet dirty conditions, such as you would find on a horse in the winter wearing a blanket and in folded skin areas. Usually these lesions are not itchy, the scab is "paintbrush like" and can spread very quickly if not treated appropriately.

Q: How do I treat it? My horses are kept at home and I do not have a barn therefore I am not able to body wash them in winter months.

A: In an ideal situation the horse would be brought into a barn, bathed with medicated shampoo, rinsed well then blow dried off and an antibacterial ointment applied to the affected area. However this doesn't work for most people.

**Most importantly do not "brush" the area this only spreads the bacteria to other areas on the horse**

**Do not 'use' infected brushes on other horses as it can be passed along by brushing

Whenever treating any infection on a horse always wear latex/vinyl gloves so YOU do not transfer bacteria from your skin to a horses wound.

1. Clean the spotted areas with medicated soap such as
   betadine/prepodyne scrub, leave soap on for 5 minutes,
2. Rinse well, towel dry
3. Apply an anti-bacterial cream.
4. If Possible keep blankets off so you can to allow the hair to air out.

This bacteria is not contagious from one horse to another but often horses share
the same environmental conditions and blanket/brush situation thus have the same skin infection.

If the skin condition spreads, the skin becomes swollen/painfull or
does not appear to improve in 1 - 2 weeks then contact your local veterinarian
to work up your horses skin condition, this may involve collection and
submission of skin biopsies, skin scrapings and blood work.

Thank you for your interest in your Horses Health!

Lana

Body Condition and Scoring

Many physiological functions in horses are influenced by body condition including horse’s maintenance, reproductive and exercising requirements. A system called Body Condition Scoring can be used to rate ideal body condition. This condition scoring system is based on visual appraisal and palpable fat cover on six areas of your horse’s body.

A. Along the neck
B. Along the withers
C. Crease down back
D. Trailhead
E. Ribs
F. Behind the shoulder
The ideal body condition
score is between 5 and 6-1/2

1. Poor: Animal extremely emaciated; spinous processes, ribs, tailhead, hip joints, lower pelvic bones projecting prominently; bone structure of withers, shoulders and neck easily noticeable; no fatty tissue can be felt.

2. Very Thin: Animal emaciated; slight fat covering over base of spinous processes; transverse processes of lumbar vertebrae feel rounded; spinous processes, ribs, tailhead, hip joints and lower pelvic bones prominent; withers, shoulders and neck structure faintly discernible.

3. Thin: Fat build up about halfway on spinous processes; transverse processes cannot be felt; slight fat cover over ribs; spinous processes and ribs easily discernible; tailhead prominent, but indidual vertebrae cannot be identified visually; hip joints appear rounded but easily discernible; lower pelvic bones not distinguishable; withers, shoulders and neck accentuated.

4. Moderately Thin: Slight ridge along back; faint outline of ribs discernible; tailhead prominence depends on conformation, fat can be felt around it; hip joints not discernible; withers, shoulders, and neck not obviously thin.

5. Moderate: Back is flat (no crease or ridge); ribs not visually distinguishable but easily felt; fat around tailhead beginning to feel spongy; withers appear rounded over spinous processes; shoulders and neck blend smoothly into body.

6. Moderately Fleshy: May have slight crease down back; fat over ribs spongy; fat around tailhead soft; fat beginning to be deposited along the side of withers, behind shoulders, and along sides on neck.

7. Fleshy: Crease down back; individual ribs can be felt, but noticeable filling between ribs with fat; fat around tailhead soft; fat deposited along withers, behind shoulders, and along neck.

8. Fat: Crease down back; difficult to feel ribs; fat around tailhead very soft; area along withers filled with fat; area behind shoulder filled with fat; noticeable thickening of neck; fat deposited along inners thighs.

9. Extremely Fat: Obvious crease down back, patchy fat appearing over ribs; bulging fat around tailhead, along withers, behind shoulders, and along neck; fat along inner thighs may rub together; flank filled with fat.

If you have and concerns regarding the body score or health of your equine companion please contact Delaney Veterinary Services at 780-922-3647, and we can work together to create a herd health program that suits you and your horses needs.


We would also like to welcome a few new staff members to our team:
Myrna Bittner and Darlene Hrchirchuk.
Welcome Ladies!!

How Little Hoof Prints Do Big Things ♥

Hearts and Hooves is a Registered Charity that rescues, rehabilitates, and provides homes formini horses. After they are healthy, they are then brought indoors with the purpose of inspiring meaningful encounters with people in our community.

Hearts and Hooves had a busy year. They had attended a variety of visits to Hospitals, Senior Homes, Special Needs programs, individuals and groups of people of all ages whom benefit from the love, rejuvenation, and joy that the mini horses offer.

“The minis truly spark conversation among people of all ages, which ultimately makes the program rewarding for both the participants and volunteers,” remarks Diane Comeau, a summer student at Hearts and Hooves.

Comeau recounts a story about an elder she had met this past summer:
“At Lynwood we had so little time to visit so many seniors. One of my favorites: Bill. Bill sat infront of a window in his wheelchair all day, every day. He could not respond as he could not move or speak, and was almost completely blind. The recreational therapist was going to skip his room but Roy, the mini, was already making his way inside. So off we went. I took Bill's handand let him pet Roy, but there was no response. Roy enjoyed it, so we figured we would sit and speak with Bill’s daughter until Roy got bored. After a few minutes of relaxing with Bill, Roy put the weight of his head in his hands (he has a big head!) and licked Bill's hands. Bill instantly errupted in laughter. The therapist even called the nurses in to see his excitement. His daughter began to cry. Never had she seen him have a response.”

The volunteers, as young as 11 and as old as 90, spend time at Hearts and Hooves’ home base near Sherwood Park, Alberta. The volunteers are crucial to Hearts and Hooves. They help care for the miniature horses, prepare them for community trips, as well as create the family atmosphere that is experienced at the farm.

“The horses won’t just get into an elevator, let me tell you; it takes a lot of training,” quips Michelle Kropp, executive director of Edmonton’s Hearts and Hooves. Preparing the horses is truly crucial to the success of the visits. They must be willing and able to basically go wherever they are led.

Along with the special training that the miniature horses require to go indoors into hospitals and centres, there is also a pretty penny incorporated with their care. Since they are smaller, they require more visits to the farrier than the average large horse, as well as more visits to the vet to get their teeth floated. Of course, the benefits of having miniature horses far exceeds the cost, so the Hearts and Hooves Team is constantly at work for creating different fundraising activities. Different fundraising events that have happened this year include two Silent Auctions at Average Joes, a booth at the RCMP musical ride, selling flower pots, and much more. For the future, we would like to host a country concert, a pie auction, and have a booth at Farm Fair.
Besides having the horses attend visits, there are also opportunities to adopt them. If you are interested in adopting a mini or in sharing the experiences with other Hearts and Hooves volunteers, call (780) 940-7839 or email at hearts_and_hooves@yahoo.ca. You can also donate, sponsor a horse, or sponsor a visit all of which becomes tax deductible for anythingover $20.
www.heartsandhoovescanada.org