HEALTH & EDUCATION

Health & Education

We all want the best care possible for our horses. The Heath & Education section covers both Learning Institutions, Organizations as well as many sources for equine assistance including Veterinarians and Farriers.

For those who want a to formally study horses, the Education section includes College Riding, Equine Studies, and Veterinary Schools. Learn about the wide variety of horses in the Horse Breeds section. Supplements and Treatments Therapy are also included in the section.

Everyone can learn from Fine Art and there are some specialty Museums that might surprise you.

Horses as a therapy partner enrich the lives of the disabled. These facilities are listed in our Therapeutic Riding section. To help children and young adults build confidence and grow emotionally, please see the resources available on the Youth Outreach page.

Looking for a place to keep your horse? You can find it in the Horse Boarding section. Traveling? Find a Shipping company or Horse Sitting service if your horse is staying home!

Want to stay up to date with the latest training clinics or professional conferences? Take a look at our Calendar of Events for Health & Education for the dates and locations of upcoming events.

Do we need to add more? Please use the useful feedback link and let us know!

Alfalfa and the Insulin Resistant Horse - The True Story

by Juliet M. Getty, Ph.D.

Alfalfa can be an excellent addition to most horses' diets, even for those who are insulin resistant (IR). I often recommend feeding it because it boosts the overall protein quality of a grass-hay diet and, in general, enhances the horse's muscle tone, immune system, and overall health. But some people just don't want to feed alfalfa; they believe it causes laminitis. And after years of working with horses, it appears that it may, in fact, lead to laminitis in some horses. I found this to be very puzzling since alfalfa is low in sugar and starch, even lower than most grass hays. Its high protein content, however, makes it more caloric, which can be a problem for IR horses who need to lose weight. But I always included some, albeit a small amount.

Nevertheless, there appears to be something about alfalfa that troubles some IR horses. After giving this considerable thought, I believe I can shed some light on why this may be the case. There are two plausible reasons, both leading to excess blood glucose and the concomitant secretion of insulin:

1. Excess protein in the diet

2. Preservative often sprayed on alfalfa hay

Excess protein - quality vs quantity

All proteins consist of long, branched chains of amino acids. Upon digestion, amino acids are free to enter the blood stream and travel to individual tissues, where they are recombined in a very specific order to produce the protein needed by that particular tissue (e.g., blood, lungs, heart, liver, skin, bones, joints, etc.). There are 22 amino acids, of which ten are considered essential -- they cannot be produced within the horse's body or they cannot be produced in adequate quantity to meet the horse's need. For a protein to be of high quality, it must contain all of the essential amino acids in proper proportion. Plant protein sources are potentially limiting in the essential amino acid, lysine. When lysine is low, protein synthesis comes to a halt. The National Research Council (NRC) has established lysine requirements for all horses. As of yet, requirements for the other nine essential amino acids have not been quantified, though recent research has shown that threonine may be the second limiting amino acid. To ensure your horse has an ample amino acid pool in his bloodstream from which to synthesis proteins within his body, it is best to feed a variety of protein sources to improve the quality while not overdoing the quantity.

This domestic horse pasture was not burned by the wildfire that burned all around it due to reduced fine fuels, unlike all of the surrounding areas that had heavy fine fuel loading (upper right of photo). The pasture withstood embers as well.

by William E. Simpson II

Some initial observations of the positive effect that wild horses have on the fire regime

First let me say that after 7-days on the fire line, I am pretty beat... in order to make morning briefing at Camp Creek (aka D.P. 43) at 8:00, I have to wake up at 5 AM to get at least get some of my chores done, and then after attending to my writing when I get home, I hit the pillow about 11:00. So I have some token idea from this recent experience of what the firefighters are dealing with as to fatigue. And in this triple digit heat, firefighters wearing a full Nomex fire suit with a layer of cotton clothing is not helping.

Obviously our local 52 adult wild horses have very little spotty but good effect on fuel loading as ODF firefighter Jake K. said. This is because their work is spread-out over grass and brush fuels across about 2-thousand acres where they range. Nevertheless, their evolved signature mutualisms with forbs, plants and trees can be observed and are undeniable.

Read more: Burning And Learning?

The Canadian Horse: Discover a Versatile Breed Rich in History

by Liz Piacentini

Canada’s best kept secret is out! The Canadian Horse is successfully participating in just about every discipline. While not well known, the Canadian once played a vital role in Canadian and US history. Recognized as the National Horse of Canada since 2002, the Canadian is big in heart and strength, making the breed both a serious competitor and enjoyable equine partner.

The Canadian horse, or le Cheval Canadien, has been part of North American history for over 350 years. The breed’s ancestors originated from the Royal Stables of France where King Louis XIV housed his collection of over 2,000 horses of the finest stock.

When the French settled Quebec, King Louis XIV recognized early settlers would require horses. Between 1665-1671, he sent several shipments of carefully selected horses to help develop this rugged new land that was void of existing herds. He chose horses with strength and soundness to help settlers clear and farm the land, yet elegant enough to transport Noblemen and Clergy. According to a 2014 Texas A&M genetic study conducted by E. Gus Cothran, the original mares and stallions were likely of Breton, Norman and Belgian stock.

The Canadian horse quickly became the early settlers’ biggest asset. His compact, muscular body, thick winter coat, rock-hard feet, and willing attitude earned him the nickname, “the Little Iron Horse." For 200 years, the founding herd bred in relative isolation, becoming a genetically distinct breed. By the mid-1800’s, the population reached an estimated 150,000 horses and earned the reputation for out-pulling and out-working larger breeds.

Core Equine Disease Risks Increase Amid Mosquito Season

by Kassi Hoxmeier

It’s not too late to help protect your horse with Innovator® vaccines from Zoetis.

Horses are threatened with mortality rates up to 90 percent from mosquito-transmitted diseases, which include Eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE), Western equine encephalomyelitis (WEE) and West Nile virus.¹

Horses are at the highest risk for contracting these diseases during mosquito season, occurring summer through fall in the United States.² Risk management is critical for horse owners.

“To help limit a horse’s risk of contracting deadly core equine diseases, annual vaccinations are immensely important,” said Jaci Boggs, DVM, senior technical services veterinarian at Zoetis.

Equilume Stable Light Can Influence Body Composition and Biological Rhythms in Horses-in-training

by Sarah Nash

Racehorses spend much of the 24-h day indoors and unexposed to optimal daylight intensities or to the natural fluctuations in the environmental light-dark cycle. Frequent interactions with horses during night-time hours result in erratic exposure to light at night. This regime negatively impacts the horse’s body clock and can result in impaired growth, reduced immune response and poor performance. Our R&D department, led by Dr Barbara Murphy conducted a research trial to determine if a customized stable lighting system that could better mimic the natural environmental light-dark cycles could influence body composition and peripheral rhythmicity in clock gene expression in horses in training. The customized stable lighting system was designed to provide the horse with blue-enriched white LED light by day, gradual transitions at dawn and dusk, red light at night and extended daily hours of light.

Methods

A collaboration between University College Dublin and Equilume’s R&D department conducted two separate studies. The first study comprised of fifty-four two-year-old thoroughbreds in training divided into two groups and blocked for gender. Group 1 were maintained under the customized stable lighting system. Group 2 were maintained under traditional lighting consisting of a single fluorescent tube. Body composition, body weight, and fat-free mass were determined at three-week intervals for fifteen weeks. All horses experienced an exercise regime consisting of morning exercise that gradually increased in intensity per week as fitness improved.

Airway inflammation is an often-undiagnosed cause of discomfort and compromised performance.

by Kim F Miller

Joint inflammation gets a lot of airtime in the equestrian world, and rightly so. It’s the root cause of arthritis and the crux of the time-worn veterinary adage: “There are two types of horses: those who have arthritis and those who will get it.” An industry has grown up around supplements, therapies and medical treatments to postpone and mitigate the damage inflicted by inflammation in the joints.

The reality is that inflammation anywhere in the horse’s body is bad news, especially in the airway and lungs. In fact, it’s a keyword in one of the most common non-infectious respiratory diseases: Inflammatory Airway Disease, and a culprit in IAD’s sister condition, Respiratory Airway Obstruction, often referred to as “heaves.”

IAD and RAO are points on a spectrum of conditions described by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine as “Equine Asthma.” That’s because they share with their human counterparts the underpinning of chronic airway inflammation. IAD represents the milder end of the Equine Asthma spectrum. It’s important to note, however, that a horse with IAD may be prone to develop the more severe manifestation, RAO, but it’s not a “continuum” in which IAD definitely progresses to RAO.

Image courtesy of © CSIRO Australia, 2013

by Aidan Connolly

From the mythical tales of Pegasus and the Black Stallion to the true legacies of Alexander the Great’s Bucephalus and Man o’ War, few animals conjure up images of nobility, strength, beauty, power and freedom in our minds quite the same way a horse does. First domesticated 5,000 years ago in Europe and Asia, the role of the horse throughout history has changed considerably, and these beautiful animals have demonstrated an incredible range of abilities and athleticism. While some cultures still rely on horses for transportation or agriculture, others primarily view the relationship with the horse as one of sport or pleasure.

Now a multibillion-dollar industry, the economic value of the business of horses is estimated to be $39 billion in the U.S. alone. Also evident are the opportunities to use new technology. While the progress of the past few years has been swift, the full potential hasn’t yet been realized. Eight digital technologies discussed in previous blogs have the potential to disrupt the equine industry, altering the very fundamentals of how we take care of horses. Image courtesy of © CSIRO Australia, 2013

1. 3D printing: The new farrier?

3D printers can provide nontraditional answers to traditional challenges. Through improved breeding and nutrition, the horse industry has been able to dramatically improve performance, but challenges remain, specifically injuries and irregular growth patterns.

3D printing could be used to create casts, splints or possibly prosthetics for animals with injured or broken legs. For every Seabiscuit, there are countless examples of valuable horses that are put down when they break a bone. Previously, the prognosis for such horses was very poor, but what if 3D printing could step in as a solution? With this tool, veterinarians could print any number of things to solve myriad health issues.

CSIRO in Australia has developed 3D horseshoe printing technology to generate horseshoes using imaging software that closely analyzes the hoof in order to provide shoes with a superior ergonomic fit. Farriers may very soon be using this technology to produce all manner of individually sized footwear for horses that can help alleviate chronic symptoms and aid in faster recovery.

Exercising and Training Horses in Hot Weather

by Dr. Amy Gill

As the summer temperatures rise, heat and humidity become an issue for those trying to exercise and train horses without putting both horse and rider in danger of becoming dehydrated, fatigued or suffer from heat stress. Madalyn Ward, DVM in Holistic Horsekeeping provides this advice when trying to decide to ride or not in high heat and humidity: “Luckily, there are simple ways that you can help your horse stay cool during hot humid weather. During these weather conditions, the first thing to do is to calculate the temperature-humidity index (THI): simply add the air temperature (in degrees Fahrenheit) to the percentage of humidity.

For instance, if the air temperature is 80 degrees Fahrenheit and the humidity is 60 percent, the THI is 140. When the THI reaches about 150, your horse may have difficulty cooling off. At a THI of 180, you should not work your horse and you should take active steps to keep him cool.

Another method to check whether your horse is getting too hot during humid weather is to take his temperature. A horse’s normal temperature range is between 99.5 and 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit, and can reach 103 and 104 degrees during workouts. If your horse’s temperature reaches 105, he is danger of being overheated and can suffer chronic or permanent damage. Above 105 degrees, your horse will be suffering from heatstroke and will need immediate veterinary attention”.

Choose Hemp Instead of Soy for Your Horse!

by Juliet M. Getty, Ph.D.

The ingredients tag on your commercial feed says it all. Protein source? Likely, soybeans. Fat source? Likely, soybean oil. But the love affair with soy is starting to fade.

An increasing number of feed manufacturers are coming out with soy-free lines due to consumer demand. There are several reasons for this:

Many horses seem to be to allergic to soy, exhibiting respiratory, skin and digestive reactions. Some of this may be a legitimate allergic response to allergens found in soy or it could have nothing to do with allergies and may be related to GMO soy. Most soy grown in the US is genetically modified, which has been implicated for variety of health issues. Discussion about this is beyond the scope of this article but suffice it to say, that if you are going to feed soy, it is best to find a non-GMO, and preferably organic source.^[i]
It is difficult to ascertain from a feed label if the soy product has been heat-treated (necessary for inactivating trypsin inhibitor found in raw soybeans). Trypsin inhibitor reduces protein digestion.