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Tips
and Advice
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Download
our Glossary of Terms here
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| Tips
for heading into spring. |
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February
and March are ideal for making some serious plans
for the riding season ahead. Within no time it
will be May and we will be in the middle of the
competition season, and hopefully some good weather!
If
you have planned your training schedules, assessed
your training needs, decided upon your competition
entries and set your goals and aims you should
be on the path to a successful riding year ahead.
Planning
a competition or training schedule can help you
to decide what help and specialist training you
need and will reduce the risk of injuries and
poor performance, or overdoing it at the beginning
of the season.
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| Why
not try something new this season? |
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Have
a think about what disciplines you want to try
this season. Perhaps you fancy having at go at
some long distance riding, western riding or side
saddle. Why not take some time to check out a
different aspect of equitation and give it go,
you never know you might end up finding out you
and your horse are good at it!
Check
out our website links for extra information on
riding associations.
How
fit are you? This is another good question you
should consider. If you have been busy mucking
out all winter you may be feeling pretty fit,
but how much have you been riding and are your
muscles and body riding fit? If you are to have
a good season ahead not only do you need a fit,
supple horse but it is as important that you are
fit and supple too.
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| Have
you renewed your horsy memberships? |
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If
you are like me you usually forget about renewing
your membership to the local riding club, BHS
or other association until you attempt to enter
your first show, and then panic.
So
before the panic sets in check to see if you have
renewed the required memberships
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| Watch
out for Thrush ! |
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Thrush
is a problem that can become a problem for our
horses during the winter. It can effect horses
who have been standing in all winter on soft bedding
or been out playing in the mud.
It
is one of the more common diseases of the equine
hoof. But does everyone know what thrush is? How
do you prevent it, or how do you treat it once
it has set up shop within your horse's hooves?
Thrush
is a disease of the foot that usually occurs within
the frog and its sulci (the grooves next to and
in the middle of the frog). The disease is characterised
by a very soft frog and sulci. When the frog is
picked out, a thick, black discharge is present
that is easily removed from the sulci. There also
is a characteristically pungent odour which once
smelled, is never forgotten.
The
disease is thought to be caused by bacteria. Usually
thrush does not cause lameness if the disease
stays in the superficial external and non-sensitive
area of the frog. However, if left unchecked,
the disease can extend into the sensitive tissue
of the frog and make horses quite sore. They might
flinch as you clean the sulci. If not dealt with
Thrush can progress to a severe lameness that
can be seen at a walk, much like a hoof abscess.
The infection in general leads to degeneration
of the frog. Thrush also can cause enough degeneration
of the frog that portions of that structure have
to be removed by your veterinarian or farrier.
Thrush is most commonly associated with poor management
practices or conditions. It can be seen in horses
which are allowed to stand in paddocks or stalls
that are full of wet manure, or just in horses
which do not regularly have their feet cleaned.
However, this disease is also seen in horses who
are well cared for and which are never allowed
to stand in on dirty beds.
Thrush
can also occur in horses, that wear full pads
underneath their shoes. Full pads do not allow
the hoof to be cleaned on a regular basis. As
a result, shavings, straw, or dirt, but most importantly
moisture, get trapped underneath the pad and stay
there for six to eight weeks--until the shoes
are replaced. As a result, this long-term exposure
to moisture and bacteria sets up the perfect environment
for thrush to thrive. Basically, horses are at
risk for developing thrush in any condition where
the bottom of the hoof is kept in a damp environment.
But
horses can also develop thrush for other reasons.
A horse who has been unwell and on a course of
anti-biotic treatments can also develop thrush,
a the body becomes run down and unable to defend
itself against the normal daily invasion of bacteria.
How
can you prevent thrush?
It's simple. Keep your horse's feet clean. Every
time you groom your horse or before every ride,
you should pick out the feet. Don't forget to
clean the frog and the sulci--don't just remove
the shavings or dirt trapped in the sole. This
is an excellent practice not only for preventing
thrush, but also in checking for any foreign objects
that might have found their way into your horse's
foot, such as nails or rocks. So, you can prevent
several potential problems with one hoofpick.
Also,
try to keep your horse's stable or paddock as
clean and dry as possible. If you live in an area
like I do it is impossible during the winter months
to have anything short of a mudslide in your paddocks.
But daily foot cleaning will help offset the otherwise
muddy conditions and will go a long way in helping
prevent thrush.
What
do you do if you find the hallmark signs of the
disease in your horse's feet?
First, clean the feet. Make sure you have removed
as much of the black discharge as possible. Then,
allow the feet to dry.
There
are a number of commercial products that are available
to help dry the feet and rid the foot of the infection.
One example is Thrush Magic.
Other medications can be used such as a dilute
hibiscrub solution or a tincture of iodine.
These
solutions can be applied topically to the frog
to help resolve the infection (watch your clothes;
most of these products will stain them forever).
Wearing gloves to protect your hands is a good
idea.
Be
careful though. Overzealous use of these products
can damage the frog by drying it out too much.
In addition, most of these chemicals are strong
tissue irritants and are very capable of causing
chemical burns of the frog and skin if used in
excess.
The thrush may be long gone, but the foot remains
quite sensitive from the chemical irritation of
the treatment, so do use these products as directed
and don't overtreat.
Also,
avoid getting these products on the coronary band
and soft skin area of the pastern. If you don't
think you are making headway with the infection
within a few days, or you examine the hoof and
the entire frog is unhealthy or perhaps even loose,
your veterinarian and/or farrier needs to get
involved..
The
diseased frog will need to be removed along with
any other unhealthy tissue with a sharp hoof knife.
If you are having trouble resolving the infection
or if your horse is lame, please consult your
veterinarian. He or she can confirm whether or
not your horse has thrush and recommend further
treatment if necessary. contact your veterinarian.
There might be another problem brewing within
the hoof.
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| WAYS
TO HELP YOUR HORSE DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS |
| Linseed
can help Relieve Symptoms of Sweet Itch |
The
Equine Research Centre (ERC) have recently concluded
a study that indicates that linseed can relieve
symptoms of sweet-itch.
Sweet-itch is triggered by the serum of tiny biting
flies known as midges (genus Culicoides).
The bites cause intense itching, skin irritation,
and patchy hair loss in horses.
A study performed at the ERC demonstrated that linseed,
fed as an oral supplement, can provide relief from
the symptoms of allergic skin conditions. Linseed
has long been recognised as a superior vegetable
source of omega-3 fatty acids to treat many atopic
(allergies likely to be hereditary) skin diseases
in dogs. But while it is commonly fed to horses
to improve the hair coat, the exact effect of these
omega-3 fatty acids on the equine dermis (skin)
is unknown.
In the ERC's double-blind study, six Icelandic horses
with a history of sweet-itch (confirmed by a skin
test with Culicoides extract) were fed ground
linseed, or an equivalent amount of bran meal as
a control, for 42 days. On Days 0, 21, and 42, the
horses were injected with Culicoides extract,
saline (as a negative control), and histamine (as
a positive control, guaranteed to trigger a skin
reaction), and the resulting reactions were assessed
over a period of 18 hours. Horses on the linseed
supplement showed significantly smaller skin test
reactions to Culicoides serum after 42 days,
indicating a less severe allergic response. The
ERC team concluded that linseed as an oral supplement
is well-tolerated by horses, has no adverse side
effects, and has considerable potential as a treatment
for allergic skin disorders.
This research is excellent news, as to date there
has been little owners have been able to do for
their horses other than to try and keep them away
from the midges and use topical lotions to help
with the itching. Linseed can be fed to horses in
a variety of forms, in cake, as an oil or in powdered
form, however it must not be fed raw as it is toxic,
so must have been cooked before feeding. |
| HEAD
SHAKING |
It is a bright sunny day, you mount up, and as soon
as you begin warming up your horse starts tossing
his head and sneezing. The sneezing eventually stops,
but every time you try to begin work, he tosses
his head or tries to rub his muzzle. You get off
and apply more fly spray, thinking it's just the
annoying gnats and flies that are beginning to emerge,
but the head tossing continues. You check your bridle
and make sure the bit is in the correct place and
not too tight--everything looks OK. The next day,
you change bits. It must be your horse just doesn't
like the new snaffle. Then your ride is the same--if
not worse--than yesterday. Almost constant head
tossing makes it impossible to train your horse
effectively. Weeks go by, and some days are better
than others, but you wonder what in the world is
going on. This is a headshaker!
What Is Headshaking?
Horses shaking their heads might not seem like a
big problem. Horses shake their heads all the time,
usually while outside in the paddock or in their
stalls in an attempt to avoid insects that pester
their face and muzzle. So what's the big deal? Headshaking,
however, is different. It takes on a whole new meaning
when this behaviour is performed frequently, if
not constantly, while the horse is being ridden,
and nothing about this behaviour is normal. Headshaking
is the act of the horse flipping its nose into the
air, sometimes even shaking its head from side to
side. This type of headshaking, the pathologic manifestation,
also often involves rubbing the muzzle and sneezing.
Not only is this behaviour irritating and uncontrollable,
but can seriously hamper the ability of the horse
to perform in many disciplines. Some horses even
become dangerous as their headshaking takes on an
obsessive and violent form. These horses might appear
as if a bee has flown up their nose.
What Causes Headshaking?
This disorder has been reported to occur in horses
for decades and as with most horse ailments there
are several factors that can cause horses to shake
their heads, and there is a list of differential
diagnoses that should be investigated before you
give up on your headshaker.
Until recently, many people gave up on their headshaking
horses. There did not seem to be anything that stopped
the behaviour, making it impossible to enjoy riding
that horse. For many years, people surmised that
headshaking was purely a rider or training problem,
not a medical disorder. Some people believed that
the headshaking was caused by ill-fitting tack (the
bit or bridle) or a rider with heavy or bad hands
jabbing the horse in the mouth. Still others believed
it was purely a training problem of a learned behaviour--that
the horse learned that if it shook its head, the
rider would soon dismount.
As veterinarians began realising that this was a
medical problem, one early theory was allergies
or irritation by pollen or dirt inhaled in the nose,
tickling the horse's sensitive nostrils and causing
the horse to toss his head and/or sneeze. Treatments
included placing some type of filter over the horse's
nose in an attempt to filter out allergens and/or
small dust particles. This actually helped some
horses. Although this was a fine treatment at home,
nets on your horse's head in the show ring usually
doesn't result in ribbons!
Another theory tested was that tingling or some
other odd sensation within the inside of the nostrils
resulted in the headshaking. The tingling was thought
to be due to inhaled particles, allergies, or some
other unknown factor resulting in a sensation that
caused the horse to shake his head. The infraorbital
nerve was blocked with a local anaesthetic (just
like nerve blocks performed on a horse's leg to
diagnose lameness). The infraorbital nerve is present
beginning at the infraorbital foramen (about half-way
down the nose), and when this area is blocked, it
desensitises the inside of both nostrils. The horses
then were exercised outside--if the headshaking
was greatly decreased or stopped, then they were
considered a candidate for an infraorbital neurectomy.
This surgery transected the infraorbital nerve,
which resulted in a lack of sensation on the inside
of both nostrils, and for some horses it gave relief
to the headshaking. Other horses were not as fortunate,
and the surgery was not successful. This procedure
is not performed very often these days since a newer
medical treatment has proven more successful.
What To Do
If you own or care for a headshaker and the behaviour
persists despite fly control and properly fitted
tack, you should contact your veterinarian. A thorough
physical examination should be performed and the
horse ridden so your veterinarian can observe the
headshaking behaviour. Questions you should be prepared
to answer include: When does the behaviour occur
most frequently--while the horse is inside or outside?
Is the headshaking better or worse on an overcast
day or in an indoor riding ring? When did the behaviour
begin? If the headshaking is chronic, did the behaviour
resolve over the wintertime? In other words, does
this seem to be a seasonal problem?
Based on the answers to these and other questions,
your veterinarian will formulate a plan to determine
the cause of the headshaking. Causes for headshaking
include ear mites, ocular problems, fungal infection
of the guttural pouch, middle ear infections, nasal
and/or dental problems, and a disorder called photic
headshaking.
Your veterinarian will go through the list of potential
causes and determine which is most likely causing
your horse to shake his head. Several procedures,
such as radiographs of the head, endoscopy of the
upper airway, an ophthalmic examination, or an oral
examination, might be needed in addition to a good
physical examination. Unfortunately, even if one
of the above-mentioned problems is found, treatment
for the disorder might not stop the headshaking.
Many veterinarians believe that horses with seasonal
headshaking, or horses in which the headshaking
becomes worse in direct sunlight, shake their heads
for the same reason some people sneeze when in direct
sunlight (called the photic sneeze). These horses
are called photic headshakers, which means that
direct sunlight causes the headshaking.
What Is Photic Headshaking?
There has been a great deal of research on photic
headshaking in horses and researchers believe that
horses shake their heads due to the bright light
that causes an abnormal stimulation of some of the
branches of the trigeminal nerve, which provides
sensation to the face and muzzle. The light stimulation
of the eye causes an abnormal stimulation of some
of the nerves of the face and muzzle and results
in actual tingling or even pain sensation in some
horses, which causes them to violently shake and
rub their heads.
The reason that these horses have facial pain resulting
from direct sunlight is still unknown. One theory
is that a previous facial injury has resulted in
abnormal nerve transmission. For these photic headshaking
horses, avoiding bright light, keeping them in dark
stalls, even riding at night eliminates this behaviour
completely. Other horses are helped by using eye
protection in the form of a face net during the
day.
What Can You Do?
So, you have a headshaker, and he does get better
in indirect or dim light; riding him at night in
an indoor ring does eliminate the behaviour, but
you can't ride in the dark forever. For these photic
headshakers, there is a treatment that might help.
A drug called Cyproheptadine, which is a histamine
and serotonin blocking agent, was administered to
a group of 25 headshakers. This drug resulted in
moderate to great improvement in 76% of the horses.
Al-though it is unknown exactly how the drug worked
to decrease the headshaking, it was thought that
the drug mediated sensation in the affected facial
and muzzle nerve branches, therefore decreasing
the headshaking. If the name of this drug seems
familiar, Cyproheptadine also is used to treat horses
and ponies with Cushing's disease.
If this drug does work for a headshaker, however,
the duration of treatment is variable. Some horses
will need to be administered the drug indefinitely,
while others will need only seasonal treatment.
Furthermore, some horses will need to be protected
from the sunlight in addition to being medicated.
In any case, working closely with your veterinarian
will help you to find the best treatment regimen
to help your horse. |
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