- Flies Prefer Dark-Coated Horses
- Equine Fescue Edema Can Be Fatal
- Fans Help Stalled Horses
- Foals Need Exercise
- Heaves: Management Makes a Difference
- Abscesses Require Veterinary Care
Flies Prefer Dark-Coated Horses
Your light-colored horse may be hard to keep clean, but it might also be less frequently bothered by horseflies and deer flies. These pests are attracted to horizontally polarized light such as that reflected from dark-coated horses, according to experiments conducted in Hungary. The studies also showed that horses standing in shady areas, where horses reflect diffused light from the sky, were bothered less than horses standing in the sun where direct sunlight reflects from their coats. To protect dark-coated horses from horseflies and deer flies, owners are advised to use fly sheets made of matte-finish white or light-colored cloth.
Equine Fescue Edema Can Be Fatal
Equine fescue edema, a newly described syndrome, is responsible for the illness in 2007 and 2008 of almost 50 Australian horses, four of which died. All of the affected horses were grazing pasture that had been sown with Mediterranean strains of fescue. The cause is thought to be related to the fescue strain and an endophyte contained in the grass. Though some of the Mediterranean fescue has been sown in areas of western Texas and Oklahoma, no cases of equine fescue edema have been reported in the United States.
Fans Help Stalled Horses
Stable fans that keep the air slowly circulating are a help in keeping stalled horses cool. An added advantage is that many flies avoid moving air, and the slight breeze dissipates the carbon dioxide that is exhaled by horses and attractive to some flies.
Foals Need Exercise
At Colorado State University, researchers studied the effect of galloping exercise in addition to turnout for Thoroughbred foals. The foals were exercised five days a week, beginning as young as three weeks, and were compared to foals that were turned out without additional exercise. At eighteen months old, the exercised foals had fewer joint lesions, healthier cartilage, and faster bone formation than the control group. The exercised foals galloped under strict laboratory conditions, and this type of program would not be practical in a farm setting, but study director Dr. Chris Kawcak emphasized that foals should be allowed to exercise on their own, should be turned out as much as possible, and should receive good nutrition in order to build a strong musculoskeletal system.
Heaves: Management Makes a Difference
Managing horses with heaves, a condition somewhat similar to human asthma, includes wetting hay before it is fed to minimize inhalation of dust and mold spores. Dampened or soaked hay may mold in hot weather or freeze in cold weather. To avoid these problems, owners can provide important dietary fiber by allowing the horse to graze, feeding a complete pelleted feed that contains chopped or ground hay, or adding alfalfa cubes or pellets to the horse's ration. As with any change in a horse's feeding program, make modifications gradually over the course of seven to ten days.
Abscesses Require Veterinary Care
Your horse is "three-legged lame" (very reluctant to put any weight on one hoof). You call the veterinarian. Two hours later when the vet arrives, the horse looks fine. What's going on? Hoof abscesses can develop quickly and cause excruciating pain until they spontaneously rupture, releasing the pressure of a pus-filled area inside the sole. Even if the abscess has ruptured, veterinary care is still suggested so that the abscess can be cleaned out. Left untreated, drainage is often blocked by dirt and the abscess will recur, possibly causing serious tissue damage within the hoof.
