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Understanding the Needs of a Rescued Horse

This article is from our October monthly newsletter. Go to http://www.horsesaddleshop.com/ to get it straight to your inbox.

By: Darlene M. Cox, darlc5@aol.com

When we fall upon hard economic times, our animals are the first casualties to suffer. Nothing is more evident of this than the vast number of horses that are being surrendered to horse rescue organizations or worse yet, neglected horses that have yet to be seized or surrendered.

Many of us who love horses have opened our hearts and barns to rehab a neglected horse. It is important that the needs of a rescued horse be understood because we may cause more harm than good. A neglected horse may present with many issues that need to be dealt with: starvation, bad teeth, over-grown feet, skin fungus, parasite infestations, etc. Each one of these afflictions can be cured, but you cannot tackle them all at once.

Veterinarian Assistance:

Contact your vet to examine and assess the rescued horse and to develop a rehabilitation plan. Also have your veterinarian provide you with a letter of care, which defines your role in rehabilitating the horse back to health and indicating that the horse is under veterinarian care. This letter may well protect you from the auspices of a concerned animal lover who happens to spot a malnourished horse on your property and reports it to animal cruelty organizations.

Feeding:

Our first thought upon seeing an emaciated, skeletal horse is to feed it; however, you cannot feed a rescued horse like you would a healthy horse. Keep in mind that it has taken this horse weeks if not months to deteriorate to such a body condition. His body has effectively been consuming itself in its quest for nourishment. If you immediately begin feeding grain and large quantities of hay, you will most likely cause a colic episode caused from impaction. This is because the horse's body is still in "starvation" mode. Rather, you have to change the body's way of thinking, moving it from "starvation" mode to "nourishment" mode. You can do this by first re-introducing clean grass hay or an alfalfa/grass hay mix. Feed about a pound of hay every three to four hours for the first three days. If the horse tolerates this feeding with no incidence of diarrhea or incidence of colic, you can gradually increase the amount of hay fed and decrease the number of feedings. By day number 7 and through day 13, you should be feeding around 3 to 4 pounds of hay every 6 to 8 hours, which totals around 12 to 13 pounds of hay each day. Again, if the horse is tolerating this amount of hay, you can offer free choice hay on day 14 on.

Grain should not be fed until the third week of rehabilitation and then only in small amounts (one handful) twice a day. Low protein grains (nothing higher than 12%) should be fed. As with hay, grain should be slowly increased over time; however, for grain this window of time is 30 days before arriving at a normal sized feeding, which should never exceed 5 pounds of grain.

Worming and Teeth Floating:

After a month of TLC and feeding as stated above, your rescued horse may be well enough to worm. Work with your veterinarian for the worming method that is best for your horse. Half-dose wormings may be called for to avoid problems caused from a large parasite load kill off.

If it is warranted, the horse's teeth can also be floated at this time.

Hoof Care:

Provided the horse can balance itself, you can treat thrush or other fungal infections of the hoof shortly after rescue. Trimming should wait until the horse is stronger. Overgrown hooves are best addressed by trimming a little at a time to prevent the horse's feet from becoming sore.

Vaccinations:

Vaccinations should not be given until the rehabilitated horse is well on the mend and has put most of its weight back on.

Rehabilitating a horse can be a long process, but you will find nothing more rewarding than knowing you have given him the opportunity to live and continue his days in good health.

Happy trails!

Answering a Cast(ing) Call

By Darlene M. Cox

As a horse owner, one circumstance you will most likely encounter will be assisting your horse when he becomes ‘cast’, which means when he has laid down in some fashion and is unable to get his feet under him in order to stand.

A horse can be severely injured and even die if he lays cast for a long period of time.

Horses are not designed to lie down for a long period of time and will have difficulty breathing if cast very long. Weight and the physical make up of his body will put a lot of pressure on his lungs causing suffocation. A horse may also twist a gut when thrashing around trying to free him. Cuts and abrasions may also be sustained from his struggles.

Casting situations may present themselves in a variety of ways. A stalled horse may find himself cast when he lies down and rolls. This most often will occur in stalls with dirt floors that have a dip or swale in them. The horse’s back will be in the depression with his hind feet against the wall. A similar scenario can happen in a paddock or field, with the horse finding his legs cast under a fence railing or through the wire mesh. Occasionally, a horse will find himself cast in a field when he lies down on an incline with his head pointing downhill and feet uphill. I’ve most often seen field casting in mares heavy in foal and older arthritic horses. I’ve even seen a horse cast in a trailer.

Depending upon the horse, this can be a pretty scary situation, both for the horse and his owner. Desensitizing your horse to having his feet entangled or held down by something will be valuable training if he finds himself cast, as he will remain calm until help arrives to free him from the predicament.

Don’t panic if you find your horse cast. Assess the situation before going in and trying to free up your horse. If your horse is in a panic and is thrashing his legs wildly, do not get around his feet, as you could be seriously injured. Cover his eyes with something (e.g., a towel), as this will be somewhat calming, and speak softly. In some casting situations, moving the horse’s head and shoulders will be enough for him to get his feet under him and allow him to stand. For others, it may be necessary to pull a leg or two around. Do not directly approach your horse’s legs. Instead, it is best to approach your horse from behind his back and loop a rope around the fetlock of the leg that is against the ground (or wall). Occasionally, you may need to loop ropes around both the front and rear ground-sided legs. Do not tie the rope. The loop will prevent the horse from injury as he struggles to stand or if he becomes more panicky. A tied rope may tighten causing injury or your horse may become further entangled in the rope whereby exacerbating the problem and causing additional panic. Once the loop(s) are in place, simply pull the horse over and away from the object that may be casting him. Step back quickly after you have rolled the horse free, as he will be in a hurry to stand.

Once your horse is standing and has calmed down, assess him for any injury that may have occurred from any struggles while cast. Pay particularly close attention to the heel bulbs, coronet bands, fetlocks, pasterns, knees, and hocks. Check for cuts, abrasions, and swelling.

I hope this article will be helpful to you if you answer your cast(ing) call.

Happy Trails!

Foal Watch: The Signs of Foaling

By Darlene M. Cox

Many of us who have owned broodmares can attest that there are certain signs that indicate foaling time is near. These signs most generally will fit into a time frame ranging from weeks, days, and hours to foaling.

It is best to start out with a general knowledge of when a mare was bred. Foaling is most likely to occur when a pregnancy reaches the gestational age between 320 and 370 days. Some folks may believe their mare is overdue once she reaches 345 days, with day 340 or 341 being the mean average. Remember that the gestational clock is run by the foal's internal battery, which will induce labor once the foal has adequately and sufficiently developed in utero.

Impending birth signs and their time span prior to foaling are estimated as follows:

• 2 to 6 weeks - the mare's teats and udder will begin to swell and enlarge. Sometimes (in maiden mares, particularly) the udder and teats may swell and recede a couple of times. I've never noticed this occurring with established broodmares.
  
• 1 week to 2 weeks - The croup muscles around the tail dock and vulva of the mare will begin to relax and feel "spongey." The vulva may appear swollen when it is relaxed.
  
• 4 to 6 days - The mare's udder will fill with milk and the teats will become engorged.
  
• 2 to 4 days - Waxing (leaking or streaming of colostrum) will form on the teats.
  
• Hours to minutes - The mare will appear agitated and restless, even colicky-acting. She may bite or kick at her sides, or lay down repeatedly. Sweating may be obvious.

These signs, in their entirety, may or may not be exhibited by all mares. Most particularly of these are waxing and milk engorgement. Some mares do not wax at all and may not show signs of milk engorgement until shortly before birth.

Of particular noteworthiness is how each mare individually exhibits these signs. The impending birth signs a maiden broodmare exhibits will most likely stay with her throughout her breeding career. Interestingly, a mare will tend to deliver around the same timeframe, give or take an hour or two.

For those who are awaiting new arrivals this spring, good luck to you during your foal watch. I hope you are able to be witness to such a splendid event.

Happy Trails!

Beating the Heat: Keeping your Horse Cool during the Dog Days of Summer

Note: This article was featured in our recent newsletter. Didn't get it? Click here to subscribe for tips, coupons, and horse care information.

By: Darlene M. Cox, darlc5@aol.com

The dog days of summer seem to have come early this year, with temperatures soaring well into the 90's and humidity levels hovering in the 70 percentile range as early as June. One can only guess what August temperatures may be.

Keeping your horse cool during hot days is important not only to his level of comfort, but also his health. Heat stroke and heat exhaustion can occur quite easily in horses when temperatures and humidity levels soar.

You can keep your horse cool, happy, and healthy by doing the following:

Riding/Working:

Plan your riding or training activities during the cooler parts of the day, either early in the morning or in the evening. If the heat index is at or above 150, plan on light riding or workouts only. You can determine the heat index using the following formula: Temperature + Humidity - Wind speed.

If you trail ride, take breaks from riding often and offer your horse water at each available watering site on the trail. Remember to allow all horses in your group the opportunity to drink before starting down the trail again.

For training sessions, break up training into 15 minute segments with a rest period in between and offer water between each segment.

Electrolytes:

Supplementing with electrolytes is very important when riding or working your horse during hot weather. Electrolyte supplements replenish the salt your horse loses during sweating and will encourage water consumption. Low electrolyte levels in your horse may cause fatigue and cramping. Colic may also be caused by an electrolyte imbalance.

Water:

Always have cool, clean water available for your horse. Place pasture water troughs in the shade and re-fill regularly to keep the water fresh and clean. Horses do not like to drink stagnant water.

Daytime Stalling:

If you prefer to stall your horses during the day and turn out onto pasture at night, place box fans on each stall and a large utility fan in the barn aisle to circulate air throughout the barn. Stalling during the day also cuts down on fly/insect aggravation. Water buckets should be kept filled with cool, clean water.

Shade:

Pastures and paddocks should offer some form of shade for your horse, whether it be from a tree line, a run-in shed, or shade from the side of the barn. If there is no shade to be offered, do not turn your horse out until the cooler part of the day.

Bathing:

Nothing feels better than cool water from a hose on a hot day. We knew this as children and our horses enjoy the cool water, too. Concentrate the water flow on the major blood vessels in the legs, under belly, and neck. Cooling the blood will also lower your horse's body temperature.

Transporting:

If you must trailer your horse during the summer months, plan your travels during early morning or evening hours. If the horse box of your trailer has ample room, install a box fan to blow air over your horse and circulate around the box. Make sure all windows and vents are open. Stop often to offer water. Keep dampened beach towels on ice and place over your horse during rest breaks.

Heat Stroke: Know the Signs:

Heat stroke does not only happen to horses that are being ridden or worked. Pastured and stalled horses can also succumb to heat stroke, particularly if they work up a sweat from stomping at biting flies and insects or are kept in a stuffy, hot stall. Increased, or worse yet the absence of, sweating as well as elevated respiratory/heart rates and body temperature may well indicate heat stroke. If you see these signs accompanied by lethargy presume your horse is having a heat stroke and immediately stop all activity and if possible, get him out of direct sun and into shade. Hose off the large blood vessels in his body (legs, under belly, and heck) with water. Call your veterinarian if heart/respiratory rates do not improve or his condition worsens!

Summertime with your horse can be quite an enjoyable season and keeping him cool and happy will ensure that you will get to enjoy the fall months of riding that are just around the corner.

Happy trails!

Think Before You Dose

By Darlene M. Cox

It is interesting how we horse lovers and owners can equate human-related health incidents into equine-related health issues. Recently, my daughter had a throat infection for which the doctor did not prescribe antibiotics, as he thought the infection was viral. Viral infections, caused by viruses, do not respond to antibiotics as these medications are explicitly used to combat bacterial infections.

While it may seem proactive to treat acute illness with antibiotics, such treatment may be contributing to a greater harm – the development of super germs that are antibiotic resistant. This resistance occurs when the bacteria changes its metabolic form making it impossible for the antibiotic to be effective in weakening or killing the bacteria allowing the horse’s natural immune system to battle it .

Have there been times when you may have self-diagnosed your horse and placed him on antibiotics you had in your tack room medical box? However, is this the right antibiotic to use, and is it the right dose? With the growing misuse and over-prescribing of antibiotics, more resistant strains of bacteria are developing. Such resistant strains can be very difficult to treat as the majority of antibiotics are not effective against them; therefore, it is important that antibiotics be prescribed by a veterinarian who has examined your horse and can determine which specific drug, if any, is best suited to treat the infection. The best way to determine what organism is the culprit in an infection is to culture it.

Antibiotic use can also cause problems of their own: pain, swelling, and abscess at an injection site, diarrhea in young horses, and allergic reactions to certain drugs are the most obvious problems that come to my mind. While these medications are greatly effective, it is best they be prescribed by your veterinarian.

Proper use of antibiotics will ensure effective and successful treatment of many bacterial infections and will most importantly abate the creation of additional super germs that are threatening not only our horses, but also we humans.

Happy trails!

Leading a Horse To Water: Prevention of Dehydration while Trail Riding

By Darlene Cox

One of the most important requirements of your horse during trail riding is keeping him hydrated. Dehydration may lead to your horse to a bout of colic, tying-up (azoturia), or heat stroke. Dehydration severities can range from mild to life threatening, or even death. Maintaining the proper balance of water and electrolytes for your horse is imperative to his health and your peace of mind. There is no fear greater to any horseman than to be miles out on a trail and have your horse in peril of dying.

Hydration needs of your horse while trail riding are different than when he is at home relaxing in his pasture. Traveling and trail riding are stressful and you may find your horse refusing to drink while on the road, on the trail, or in camp. There may be many factors in the equation that keeps your horse from drinking: the water may not taste the same; he horse is too excited with his new surroundings and will not be calm enough to drink; he may be overheated; or he may have an imbalance in electrolytes.

While riding, we should be ever vigilant of our horse's hydration, and there are several ways that you can test to make sure he is hydrated:

• Skin pinch test - Pinch the skin over the point of the shoulder. If your horse if fully hydrated, his skin will pop back immediately. However, the skin will remain tented (pinched up) the more dehydrated a horse becomes.

• Capillary refill test - Press your thumb against your horse's upper gums. Once you remove it, count the seconds it takes for the area to return to the same color (the depressed area will appear white right after you remove your thumb). It is best to have a baseline number in mind taken at a time when you knew your horse to be fully hydrated. The longer it takes for the capillaries to refill, the more dehydrated your horse is.

• Mucous membrane test of inner eye lid and gums - Observe a baseline color of gums and inner eye lid. This can probably range from pink to a pinkish-yellowish color. Gums should be moist. If the color is dark red, then your horse is dehydrated. Again, you are looking for a deviation in color from the baseline.

• Jugular vein refill test - Squeeze off the jugular vein for a moment before allowing it to refill. Count the elapsed time before refill. Again, having a baseline reading is important.

• Gut sounds - If you are proficient with the use of a stethoscope, you can listen to the upper and lower gut sounds to determine hydration. Obtain a baseline reading first. Reduced gut sounds are indicative of dehydration.

There are several steps that we as responsible horse owners can take to insure that our horse is adequately hydrated during trail riding.

• Introduce your horse to electrolytes or other flavorings (Kool-aid, Gatorade, etc.) in his water several days prior to trail riding. This will get your horse used to the taste of the electrolytes and/or flavoring additives, and he will not hesitate to drink them while on the trail ride. Electrolytes will generally stimulate a horse to drink because they are salty. If your horse does not like the taste of the electrolytes or flavorings, bring along a small salt block or add salt to his feed while in camp to encourage drinking.

• If possible, bring water from home and offer to your horse during rest breaks while trailering. Some horses will not drink water from different sources, because it tastes different. However, bringing along the water that he is used to may prompt him to drink. Offer water several times during each stop.

• As soon as you get to camp and off-load your horse, fill up his water bucket and get him settled in before moving off to other things. Keep in mind that your horse will be stressed from the drive, being in different surroundings, and around other horses.
  

• While on the trail the cardinal rule to remember is to NEVER PASS UP WATER! Each time you need to stop and allow your horse an opportunity to drink. If you are riding in a group of horses, it is important that all riders understand they must remain close at hand to allow every horse an opportunity to drink. If the first riders water their horses and then move on down the trail, those horses left behind will not want to drink for fear of being left behind. Be courteous and thoughtful; always make sure that all horses drink their fill before leaving the watering source.

Some younger horses that are not used to drinking from trail water sources (creeks, ponds, lakes, rivers) may not initially venture to the water because of their uncertainty. Having a been-there-done-that horse in the group go into or to the water first will show the more timid horse that it is okay. This actually mimics horse herd dynamic behavior as often one horse will drink first before the others follow.

Bring along a tube of electrolyte paste in your saddle bags to use in an emergency while on the trail. The tube I always brought along was often time needed either for my own horse or someone else's horse.


Incorporating the above steps will keep your horse happy and well throughout the trail riding season.

Happy trails!