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!

by Natalie Voss - from the Paulick Report

Earlier this month, veterinarians and state officials in three Florida counties (Columbia, Bradford, and Hillsborough) publicly announced they were dealing with a small outbreak of strangles, a contagious bacterial infection of the equine upper respiratory tract characterized by swollen lymph nodes. Strangles is a relatively common communicable disease, but in this case, alerts issued via the Equine Disease Communication Center indicated the outbreak's origin was a pen at a horse sale facility in Bastrop, La.

Though the specific location was unnamed in the alerts (it was not the well-known Bastrop Kill Pen, according to the information provided), the distributor's set-up is similar to many other so-called “kill pens” these days: facility operators or independent organizations offer horses destined for the slaughter pipeline for “bail” by rescues or private owners in exchange for a fee which is often higher than fair market value on the animal. When the money is paid, individuals may either own the horse or foster it until a permanent place can be found, and since social media is global, that means horses may leave such pens and travel many states away.

Dr. Angela Pelzel-McCluskey, equine epidemiologist with the United States Department of Agriculture/Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, said that type of large-scale movement of horses is a serious biosecurity concern for people who foster or purchase the animals – not just for strangles, but other communicable diseases.

The Knabstrupper horse is an old and rare breed, originally developed in Denmark the horses come from the same original stock as the Spanish horses that gave rise to the Appaloosa. The Knabstrupper and the Appaloosa share the same unusual color patterns, they are the ‘spotted’ horses. The color variations range from the whole body spots of the classical Leopard pattern (sometimes called “Tiger’ pattern), in bay, black and chestnut to the blanket spotting and to varnish roan and snowflake patterns.

While their unusual color patterns make them eyecatching and different to look at, what makes the Knabstrupper really special is their superb temperaments and willing kind natures. Bred as working horse and selected as much for attitude and ability as beauty the Knabstrupper is a true family horse.

Horse Speak: The Equine-Human Translation Guide from Traflagar Square Books

by Sharon Wilsie and Gretchen Vogel
This excerpt is reprinted with permission from Trafalgar Square Books.

Humans greet each other with a formal handshake the first time they meet, and horses have a similar system. The Greeting Ritual is the basic platform I have created to teach humans how Conversations with horses can exist.

The Greeting Ritual consists of three separate moments in which horses that are meeting touch noses on the Greeting Button. The speed at which they may perform these three touches varies from lightning-fast to very slow. The reason for three official touches is simple: there is much to say in a first, formal greeting, and it takes two subsequent touches to sort it all out. Plus, I find that horses learn about the world around them in processes of three or more.

First Touch: Formal Greeting, “Hello,” and Copycat

A horse’s pecking order is different from a dog’s, for example, because horses are concerned with how to run and move together in case of emergency. In a horse’s world, any moment could bring danger, and the more alpha a horse is in pecking order, the more responsible that horse is for fending off attackers. In dog psychology, the alpha dog calls the shots, but in horse psychology, to lead is to be responsible for the welfare of those that are weaker. The only difference in horse social order occurs between stallions. A herd is typically made up of grandmothers, aunts, mothers, and daughters. There is one dominant stallion, and he not only guards his ladies from other rogue stallions, but from mountain lions, wolves, and bears. Stallions that have no mares band together in bachelor herds, and although they can enjoy some rowdy play, they tend to develop strong emotional bonds with each other and follow the same herd dynamics as any other herd.

Domestic horses are bought and sold and moved from barn to barn, and have to deal with new herd members often. Sometimes they are not turned out directly with other horses and can only socialize over a fence, if at all. But the formal Greeting Ritual remains essential for horses who are just meeting each other to be able to sort out who will tell who what to do.

The First Touch is much like a formal human handshake. It is the “Hello” followed by an immediate question: “Where are you in the pecking order?” Horses size each other up and assess very quickly as much as they can about each other’s herd status. There is much more to it than just calling one “Alpha,” because a healthy herd has many diverse roles that get played out: the “Peacemaker,” the “Bully,” the “Sentry,” and the “Joker,” to name a few.

Mountain Pleasure Horse - Equine Info Exchange

The Mountain Pleasure Horse is a breed of gaited horse that was developed in the Appalachian Mountains of Eastern Kentucky. This breed reflects the primitive Appalachian gaited horse type and genetic testing shows them to be ancestral to modern breeds developed in the region, including the American Saddlebred, the Tennessee Walking Horse and the Rocky Mountain Horse. Although formal written history is limited, individuals whose families have bred these horses for several generations can often provide names and dates as far back as the early 19th century. Some Mountain Pleasure Horse bloodlines are traceable for over 180 years.

The signature gait of the Mountain Pleasure Horse is an evenly spaced, four beat lateral gait, commonly known as the saddle rack. Lacking the moment of suspension that produces the bounce of a trot, this smooth intermediate gait is delightful to ride. In fact, people who have previously given up riding due to back or joint problems are often able to ride a Mountain Pleasure Horse in comfort. This natural gait of the Mountain Pleasure Horse is not taught or mechanically produced, but is the product of generations of careful breeding. Mountain Pleasure Horse foals are known to demonstrate their innate ability to perform this genetically inherited gait within hours of birth.

2017 "Operation Gelding" Applications Now Available

The Unwanted Horse Coalition has expanded the program and will pay up to $100 per horse gelded. Contact them with questions or to schedule a clinic.
APPLY NOW

UPCOMING CLINICS

January 14, 2017 - Hope in the Valley Equine Rescue, Valley Center, KS

February 25, 2017 - Brandon Equine Medical Center, Brandon, FL

March 11, 2017 - South Alabama Equine Rescue, Lapine, AL

March 24, 2017 - Tuskegee University College of Medicine, Tuskegee, AL

Walkaloosa Horse Association History

Although the Walkaloosa Registry is fairly new, the Walkaloosa horse has been around for centuries.

Appaloosa breeders claim to have the oldest recognizable breed known to man, a claim which is backed by drawings of spotted horses in the pre-historic ice caves of France. Paso Fino breeders consider their breed to be the oldest breed in the Western Hemisphere; the ancestors of the Paso Fino came to the New World with Columbus on his second voyage from Spain. The Paso Fino horses were the preferred mounts of the Conquistadors; Paso Fino literally translated is “smooth gait” and some of those horses also carried the spotted coat patterns of what is known as the Appaloosa today.

Equine Info Exchange Morgan Horse — Photo credit: Howard Schatzberg

Courtesy of the American Morgan Horse Association

In 1789, George Washington became the first president of the United States and the U.S. Constitution was signed into law. That same year in Springfield, Massachusetts, a small bay colt named Figure was born. This colt was instrumental in building the new country and founded America's original equine breed, the Morgan.

The Morgan was the first recognized horse breed in the United States. It is the official state animal of both Vermont and Massachusetts. Other breeds have claimed existence in colonial times, but today only the Morgan can trace his bloodlines to a common ancestor. The Morgan has influenced other breeds, including Tennessee Walking Horses, Quarter Horses, Standardbred, and American Saddlebreds.

The Morgan horse is easily recognized by his proud carriage, upright graceful neck, and distinctive head with expressive eyes. Deep bodied and compact, the Morgan has strongly muscled quarters. His intelligence, willingness, zest for life, and good sense is blended with soundness of limb, athleticism, and stamina. In addition, Morgan thriftiness and longevity have made this breed a good bargain for more than 200 years.

The Friesian horse is truly a unique breed, developed from a very old breed which was inherent to all of Western Europe. It's native to The Netherlands. Historically speaking, the Friesian horse has been influenced by eastern bloodlines and has often been threatened with extinction. Thanks to the single-mindedness and dauntless dedication of true horse lovers, one can still appreciate the many facets of the Friesian horse today.

Always black, with thick flowing mane and tail, large in stature, with substantial bone, this horse is the proverbial “ black stallion. “ Many little girls grew up dreaming about such a horse!

Friesians are a very old breed of horse, having been developed in the north province of Friesland, in the Netherlands centuries ago. Used as draft animals, as well as cultivated to become the wealthy owner’s high stepping carriage “Sunday Horse”, the breed is very much a national treasure of the Netherlands.

(Washington, DC) - The Unwanted Horse Coalition (UHC) released new policies and procedures for organizations wishing to host no- or low-cost gelding clinics through the Operation Gelding program. The new policies take effect January 1, 2017, and applications for 2017 clinics are now being accepted.

The UHC voted in June 2016 to expand the Operation Gelding program by offering $100 per horse gelded. Program details are described in two new documents available on the UHC website. The How to Conduct a Clinic handbook is a resource guide to planning, running, and evaluating a clinic. It includes information about setting goals, creating a budget, recruiting veterinarians, marketing, post-event follow up, and tips from previous clinic organizers. The Funding Guidelines and Application Process document includes eligibility requirements, deadlines, and step-by-step application instructions.

“Organizations can choose between two levels of funding, $60 per horse or $100 per horse gelded,” said UHC Director Jennifer Purcell. “We are asking organizations at the $100 level to help us promote and evaluate the program by providing data and information that will clearly illustrate the outcomes of the program and the benefits to horses, owners, and communities.”