Wednesday, May 26, 2004
Stressed Out It's amazing to me how much stress can affect an individual. Makes no difference if it is a human or animal, the effects are very similar. In my own personal life, when I worked a highly stressed job I suffered from high blood pressure and a miserable acid stomach the majority of the time. To combat my afflictions I ended up taking prescription drugs to battle the effects of both which at least helped me cope with daily life but the stress was still there. A year ago a huge change in my lifestyle occurred. It took about 6 months for me to unwind but when I did I was amazed to find that I no longer had high blood pressure and that my stomach was not bothering me anymore than would be expected to be normal. Off the medications I went, weaned by my vigilant doctor to ensure a smooth transition and I have not looked back since. It made me realize how much stress can affect an existence and that fixing the root of the problem rather than treating the symptoms is what was really needed.I am only relating this story since I'm sure that the same thing would be true for any living thing. Stress can be a very damaging thing and the way that individuals tolerate or manage it varies from case to case. With that in mind, do you know when and/or if your horse is stressed? If they are how you do treat them or what you can do to minimize it? Stress can be physical and/or psychological and both can adversely affect health. The State University of New Jersey published a research paper which identified that stressed horses responded with the production of stress hormones which led to changes in cardiovascular functioning by increasing heart rate and blood pressure as well as a number of other related health issues. What's interesting about this study is that horses that were seasoned campaigners on the show circuit didn't generally show clinical signs of stress (based upon blood samples) after competing at shows, while younger animals did. Another online article by Mary Ann Simonds, Preventing stress in horses , has further information about behaviors frequently associated with stress. Change in environment or diet and physical exertion top the list of what causes stress in horses. Stress can manifest itself in horses by displaying aggression, cribbing, banging stall walls, biting as well as depression. There are supplements on the market claiming to help reduce stress in horses and have been found to be helpful in some instances. Conditioning a horse properly will help in not only stress reduction physically but will also help reduce the chances of injury. A healthy and nutritious feed program that is neither too high nor low in elements is important. Being an owner that is on top of what's going on in their horse's world plays the most significant role in keeping happy and healthy horses.
posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 3:30 PM
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Monday, May 24, 2004
The Traditional Spring Mud Bath I just love the coming of spring with all the baby animals and the days getting warmer and longer. Summer is approaching and my daughter reminds me with a daily countdown that school will be out in 10 days, then 9 days and now 8. What I don’t like about springtime is the rain and spring storms. I don’t begrudge the rain, it’s needed to make the crops grow and we rely heavily on those crops to feed our horses. The nasty footing that is a result of the down pour is another story. Try as we might to drag the areas that get deep it seems that it is a loosing battle. The front of the run in shed and gate areas are a total mess and it’s not uncommon to almost loose a boot in that mess when your required to attempt a crossing. What I don’t understand is that we pretty much have mostly sand on our farm, which should preclude any of that type of footing problem. Of course the horses leave lots of piles around the areas in question and while we diligently work to keep it as clean as it seems that the horses are winning this battle in this area.
They sure as heck don’t mind standing in the muck when its time to come in for food, yet if you go out there to catch one to work them you end up having to coax them thru the bog or better yet you get ½ way thru it and they don’t want to cross. So you tug at their halter, because of course you didn’t bother to get a lead rope, and the next thing you know they bolt over the whole mess like it was an oxer and darn near pull your arm out of the socket and do pull you out of your boot or boots which remain mired in the muck standing up proud like the last standing survivor of the Alamo. So begins my ritual of the spring mud foot bath. No matter how many times that has happened to me over the years it seems that I may never learn my lesson. I get slack and don’t bother to get the lead rope and a similar event takes place. My daughter laughing at me tells me that I should always have a lead rope on a horse, which is what I preach to her on a regular basis. Guess she is right but then I might miss out on my tradition.
posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 11:41 AM
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Thursday, May 20, 2004
The Goal is a Healthy Horse I recently was visiting with my vet, as he was stitching up Doug’s ankle from our little accident over the weekend and I was astonished to hear that he had recently lost a horse that had come in as colic case and turned out to be Tetanus. My vet further told me that he had lost a couple others to Tetanus in the last 6 months and some to Rabies as well. So I chatted with my good friend who relays to me that her vet basically told her the same thing recently while vaccinating her horses, losing horses to both Tetanus and Rabies in the last year. I was blown away because I just don’t understand why we are loosing horses to diseases like these when it is so easy and inexpensive to vaccinate them. Unfortunately it turns out that there are a number of people out there that just don’t vaccinate their livestock, not even the minimal 3 ways that are accessible at the local TSC for $7 to $14. Talk about being shocked. How is it that these horse owners can not justify that minuscule amount of money for protection when they spend that amount on a bag of sweet feed or double that for a hoof trim. What is scary to me is the rise in Rabies which is believed to be linked to the decline in vaccinated against it.General Info on Tetanus and Rabies:
Tetanus is caused by an organism that is always found in a horse's environment, and because horses are constantly being scraped and cut, vaccination against tetanus should be kept current. It is recommended that the Tetanus vaccine be given at least once a year but can be given more often. Since I’m in what is considered a northern region (with a short mosquito season), a spring vaccination is considered sufficient.
Rabies has increased dramatically in the United States over the past eight years with cases of rabies in horses being reported more frequently. Rabies vaccination should be done yearly. This is a very inexpensive vaccine and the fact that it is a 100-percent fatal disease should leave no reason to not vaccinate against it.
Seems that we have gotten lax in our vaccination programs as a whole across the country. This may go hand in hand with the number of parents and health care providers questioning the benefits and risks of vaccines for our children. In the 80’s there was a national TV campaign to publicizing the serious side-effects caused by the mandatory DPT vaccine (diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus). The more I read about the controversy the more my head spins. See the Institute for Health Freedom for additional information on this. The biggest point in all this seems to revolve around the request for lawmakers and parents to question the long-term effects of these vaccines on children's health and consider the proper role of government in this area. Is it possible then that there is a change in how we as a nation view vaccinations? And is this new view is encouraging a number of people that take things to extreme by providing no vaccinations? With that said lets get back to my original concern, vaccinating horses. While I don’t make any claims of knowing all there is to know about vaccines I do know that I work closely with my vet to provide immunizations. I have not vaccinated against Potomac, Strangles, West Nile or a number of variations on the flu/Influenza virus. I am one of those people that prefer to vaccinate minimally. My horses are not in a high risk group since they are kept at home and I do not have boarders coming and going. I work closely with my vet to determine what threat poses enough risk to justify the vaccination and I thankfully have managed to keep my horses healthy. At any rate it is obvious that there are many choices that can be made in choosing vaccinations and I strongly recommend that each person take a serious look at their program and discuss with their vet what the best course of action is for them. Below are some links that I came across that might help to guide other horse owners in making choices that are right for them.
The Equine Vaccination Programs document from Okalahoma Cooperative Extension Service is also a good source of information.
This is also an interesting article from the Mane Points Horse Resource Center sponsored by Southern States about MRLS (Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome). This problem was brought to light by the huge number of stillborn and aborted foals in Kentucky not that long ago. It’s believed that caterpillars were at the route of the problem.
Another Article on the WNV Vaccine Written by Dr. Tom Lenz AAEP 2003 President has some interesting infomation regarding all the hoopla surrounding side effects of that vaccine.
posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 11:19 AM
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Wednesday, May 19, 2004
And Then There’s Smarty Jones Smarty Jones A small nondescript chestnut colt who is virtually blind in one eye after fracturing his skull in an accident last year is headed for greatness.
He is a Cinderella story whose likes we have not seen since the great Seabiscuit. Similarities abound, the colt with his physical ailments and small stature, a jockey with a questionable past and owners that had disbanded their breeding operation and sold all their horses except for 2, Smarty and a 2-yr old, after the slaying of their trainer and his wife in a tragic double murder the year Smarty was born. Yet through all the adversity the owner’s, new trainer, jockey and of course Smarty have risen above it all. Could it be that we have a great one in our midst? A horse that the whole country can get behind for a moment in time and forget about the chaos that is happing around the world. He won the Kentucky Derby by a length and was questioned about his ability heading into the Preaknes by neigh sayers. He left no doubt in anyones mind about his superiority with his 11 ½ length victory there. He shares many traits of other great Triple Crown winning horses from the past. Will he join the ranks with Affirmed who was the last Triple Crown winner in 1978, or Secretariat (1973) with his powerful stride and track record setting speed or Seattle Slew who was the only triple crown winner (1977) with an unbeaten record? By winning the Triple Crown he would also surpass Cigar as the richest racehorse in North America. It seems to me that the timing is about right for a superstar, who better than this hard luck colt with a heart as big as New York. Pennsylvania, home to Pittsburgh’s Steel Town, Rolling Rocks Latrobe Brewery, Philadelphia the city of brotherly love and Smarty Jones is rejoicing as their home grown hard luck colt makes it at the big show while an anxious equine loving population looks on and wonders, what’s next? I know who I will be rooting for on June 5th as the sleek thoroughbred horses enter the starting gate at Belmont Park.
On Another Subject
I made an attempt to customize my blog a bit, starting in the profile area. I’m sure that more updates will appear gradually as I warm up to the possibilities of what can be done. The biggest question is what do I use this space for? Should I keep it as a personal diary separate from my websites or as a farm journal since most of my waking moments involve horses? Well not all of my waking moments involve horses since I do have to work for a living. That’s one to ponder.
posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 10:02 AM
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Monday, May 17, 2004
Hey I want one of those.... Well since posting my first blog yesterday I have had some time to browse around at others blogs and the really nice layouts and graphics. So my next task at hand is to try to figure out my own. Seems that it always take me forever to come up with something I can live with. Case in point my first real commercial website Whispering Meadows Carriage Company. It took me a year to get it how I liked it and I still have to redesign it because I used frames... UGH... My last effort was my farm site Whispering Meadows Percherons That site I'm pretty happy with except I think that it needs a bit more panash with colors. I recently viewed a site that had a very nice purple with a yellow/orange contrast color and really liked it. Of course our show colors are purple and silver so I guess I should just stick with what I have currently. I really worked hard with the farm site to make it all work by separating the content from the graphics for ease of content changes. The navigation is done that way as well. Then next question is do I take it the next step and make it all CSS or XML. I haven't decided yet. I am working out an update on the graphics to give it a little more punch. Graphics is not my strong point so this may take a while.posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 9:01 PM
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I zigged when I should have zagged
That's the story of my life. If I didn't have bad luck I wouldn't have any luck at all. Well I guess that not all my life is bad. I do have a great kid, nice and supportive hubby, I have a job and a home and I am lucky to have a number of animals ranging from 2000lb Percheron horses to 5oz bantam chickens so my life is full to say the least.
So my day goes like this, I should have listened to my inner voice telling me that my hubby didn't fix the breaking sled to make it safe enough to actually use (we went round on this one for the last couple weeks with me attempting to get him to re-engineer it). But the fact of the matter is I didn't and ended up making a trip to the vets office to get stitches in Doug's (my horse) ankle and burn ointment for my hand which got burnt by the lines getting ripped out of them. Call me stupid for trying to stop 4000lbs of scared horseflesh but I did only what came naturally, trying to stop the beasts. I guess things could have been worse. So now Doug is a very unhappy fella confined to a very small turnout area away from his friends for at minimum 2 weeks - the stitches come out then. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he will heal up enough to show him in halter classes at the first horse show of the year in 4 weeks... cross your fingers for me as well, I could use any help out there.
posted by Chris @ Real Horses @ 2:55 AM
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So my day goes like this, I should have listened to my inner voice telling me that my hubby didn't fix the breaking sled to make it safe enough to actually use (we went round on this one for the last couple weeks with me attempting to get him to re-engineer it). But the fact of the matter is I didn't and ended up making a trip to the vets office to get stitches in Doug's (my horse) ankle and burn ointment for my hand which got burnt by the lines getting ripped out of them. Call me stupid for trying to stop 4000lbs of scared horseflesh but I did only what came naturally, trying to stop the beasts. I guess things could have been worse. So now Doug is a very unhappy fella confined to a very small turnout area away from his friends for at minimum 2 weeks - the stitches come out then. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he will heal up enough to show him in halter classes at the first horse show of the year in 4 weeks... cross your fingers for me as well, I could use any help out there.