equine management

horse care

• day to day activities

• preventative healthcare

• individual horse requirements - feed, boots, meds, etc.

business management

• record keeping - horses

• accounting

• insurance

record keeping information

• horse owner information - emergency contact, insurance

• vaccination

• deworming

• hoof care

• health issues

why is horse identification important?

• recovery after natural disaster

• horse theft

• escaped horse

horse identification methods

• pictures and drawings of colors and markings

• tattoo

• microchip

• freeze or hot brand

daily care

• feeding/watering

• clean stall

• grooming

• turn-out

• individual considerations

foal care

• treat umbilical cord

• imprint training

weaning methods

• cold turkey

• physical separation

• time separation

• single removal

• babysitter

growing horse care

• meet nutritional needs

• exercise - bone development

• ground management training

business aspects

• facility insurance

• care custody and control

• equine liability act (limits stable’s liability

facility insurance

• commercial equine liability

• horse related business - breed, board, train, etc.

• may cover damages/injuries to someone as a result of your facility

care custody and control

• anyone who cares for someone else’s horse

• may cover loss or injury to another person’s horse

buildings and equipment

materials to build barn out of: metal, brick, wood

manure management

• a 1000 pound horse produces 50 pounds of manure per day, 6-10 gallons of urine per day, plus bedding = 50 pounds per day

• manure + bedding - 730 cubic feet per year per horse

feed tags

• regulated by AAFCO - association of American feed control officials

• calories and sugars aren’t included but are of interest

other feeds/supplements

• protein - soybean meal most common

• fat - calories, omega 3 fatty acids

• vitamins

• minerals

• flavor

• probiotics

• nutraceuticals/herbs/etc

start with forage

• horses are supposed to consume forage (70% of time spent grazing in wild)

• at least 1% of body weight should be forage

  • 500 kg horse should eat at minimum 5 kg of hay

  • most will eat 2-3% of body weight if offered

• most good quality hay/pasture will meet the requirements of most horses

determine what nutrients are provided for in hay

• hay analysis

• how much hay is in feed

• add up and compare to requirements

• what is left? - energy, protein, vitamins, minerals?

forage importance

• nutrition

• fiber needed for GI health - pH, motility, function. too little forage results in digestive upset

• decreases boredom

  • wood chewing - damaging to facilities and teeth and may cause destruction

  • weaving

  • cribbing

feeding concentrates

only needed:

• nutrients required are not provided in forage - requirements are higher than what forage can provide, growth, exercise/work

• good quality forages are not available

• to modify behavior - as a reward or to help catch them

simple diet

• suitable for horses with low requirements

  • maintenance (idle), light work

  • water

  • high quality forage (pasture or hay)

  • salt with trace minerals

colic

• digestive upset

• bacterial population and gas production affected by diet

• risk factors

  • sudden change in diet - forage or concentrate

  • high concentrate intake - > 5 kg/day increases risk 6 times

  • parasitic infection

  • sand intake

  • forage type

• medical vs. surgical treatment

gastric ulcers

• result of an imbalance between acid production and gut production

• feeding management

  • high forage diets

  • calcium

  • turn-out

botulism

often a result of consuming spoiled hayage

poisonous plants

• hemlock

• oleander

• yew

• sweet clover

• red maple

other feed toxins

• blister beetles in alfalfa

• fescue toxicosis - pregnant mares

• moldy com poisoning - leukoencephalomalacia, other mycotoxins

• ionosphere toxicity - monensin, LD50 for horse 2-3 mg/kg, cattle 20-34 mg/kg, poultry 30-200 mg/kg

what is energy?

calories, not “spirit” or “oomph.” fat lazy horses don’t need more energy

how should you feed horses

by weight, not volume

types of muscle

• cardiac - heart

• smooth - lines arteries, digestive tract

• skeletal - contraction and relaxation allows limb movement

skeletal muscle

• each muscle fiber = single muscle cell

• vary in length - few millimeters to several centimeters

what does skeletal muscle consist of

• nuclei

• sarcolemma

• glycogen granules

• fat droplets

• myoglobin - stores oxygen

• mitochondria

• myofibrils

• myofilaments - contain contractile proteins

energy for muscle contraction

• atp = adenosine triphosphate

• anaerobic metabolism

  • creatine phosphate

  • carbohydrate - to lactic acid

• aerobic metabolism

  • carbohydrate, fat, protein

fiber types

• dark - type 1 (slow twitch type, more myoglobin, fattier)

• light - type IIa

• medium - type IIx

exercise

• cardiac output increases - heart rate x stroke volume

• air (oxygen) intake increases

  • tidal volume (total air moved in a breath) increases

  • respiratory rate increases - limited by locomotion respiratory coupling

oxygen uptake

• maximum oxygen consumption VO2Max

• represents peak power output/work capacity

fatigue

• high intensity exercise

  • lactic acid buildup

  • heat

• low intensity exercise

  • run out of fuel reserves

  • heat

exercise training

• become more efficient

• lower heart rate for given intensity

• better able to sweat

• shift to fat utilization

exercise training concepts

• specificity

  • train for specific outcomes

  • eg. endurance horses should train by long distance training

• reversibility - use it or lose it

• individuality - stressors and responses will be different

how are horses excellent athletes

• huge cardiac output - in part due to large increase in heart rate

• high maximum oxygen uptake

• high ability to sweat - dissipate heat

• release of RBC from spleen - increase oxygen carrying ability

oxygen uptake

• horse - up to 160 ml/kg/min

• human - 65-85 ml/kg/min

horse athlete challenges

• hypoxemia - related to breathing and strides

• dehydration

• breakdown (musculoskeletal injuries)

• exercise related conditions

  • EIPH

  • PSSM

  • RER

  • anhidrosis

  • thumps

horse’s nutrient needs depends on

• body weight

• physiologic state

  • growth

  • pregnancy

  • lactation

  • work

feeds for horses

• forages

  • hay and pasture, haylage

• other high-fiber feeds

  • beet pulp, rice bran, soy hulls

• concentrates (concentrated energy sources)

  • cereal grains

  • commercial mixed grains

• fat

• supplements

  • protein

  • vitamins

  • minerals

grass hay

• derived from grasses - Timothy, orchard grass, brome, fescue, bluegrass, etc

• lower in protein and calcium than legume hays

legume hay

• derived from legumes - alfalfa, clover, birdsfoot trefoil

• higher in protein and calcium than grass hays

• expensive

mixed hay

contains both grass and legume

hay forms

• long hay

  • square bales

  • round bales

• chopped

  • chaff

• chopped and cubed

• chopped, ground, and pelleted

• haylage

• commercial hay pellets may also be fortified with vitamins and minerals

how do you know how good your hay is?

have it analyzed - core sample

pasture types

• legumes

• perennial grasses

  • warm season - Bermuda grass, Bahia grass

  • cool season - Timothy, orchard grass, brome grass, fescue

• non perennial grasses

  • sorghum, sudan grass, millet, annual rye

pasture

• maximize nutrient intake from pasture

  • economical

  • rotate pastures

    • remove horses when grasses get too low (< 3-4 inches) and let pasture rest

    • put horses back on pasture when grass height is 6-8 inches

  • watch sugar content in pasture

high fiber feeds

• variable energy, protein, and minerals

• includes

  • wheat bran

  • soy bean hulls

  • beet pulp

    • highly digestible fiber

  • rice bran

    • also high in fat

concentrates

• usually fed to increase ENERGY

• options

  • whole grains

  • commercially formulated feeds - textured, pelleted, extruded

whole grains

• oats, corn, rye, barley, wheat

• can provide energy, but are low in protein (and lysine) and calcium

typical feeds energy content

• mature grass hay - 1.5 mcal/kg

• mature legume hay - 1.75 mcal/kg

• mixed hay - 2.1 mcal/kg

• alfalfa hay - 2.5 mcal/kg

• oats - 3.1 mcal/kg

• barley - 3.5 mcal/kg

• corn - 3.9 mcal/kg

• oil/fats - 9 mcal/kg

commercially available feeds

• types

  • textured

  • pelleted

  • extruded

• fortified with vitamins and minerals

  • suitable for intended horse

building fire hazards

bedding and hay

building fire detection

• smoke detector

• heat sensors

fire safety - barn design

• escape routes

  • doors, aisles, halter placement

• sprinklers

• fire extinguishers

• lightning rods

stalls

• mature horse requires minimum 12’ x 12’ stall. 12’ x 18’ for mare with foal

• bedding - depends on horse’s needs

• floor surface

  • concrete

  • dirt

  • mats

fences

should be 4’8” tall

fence types

• post and board

• PVC

• woven wire/diamond V

• high tensile wire

• electric rope or ribbon

• pipe

• barbed wire - should never be used, horses don’t have thick enough skin

emergency preparedness

• hurricane

• tornadoes

• flooding

• fire

• plan ahead.- horse ID, supply of food and water

what is the cheapest part of owning a horse

the purchase of a horse

buying a horse

• YOU have the power

• pre-purchase exam is VERY important

  • extras (x-rays, endoscope, ultrasounds)

• have your trainer or coach ride the horse

• unannounced visit

• trial period?

• get a contract

horse boarding

• full board

  • $350 - $1000 and up/month

• pasture board

  • $200 - $300 and up/month

• co-op

  • $250 - $400 and up/month

keeping horses at home

• hay - $5-$12/bale, 2-4 bales/week

• grain - $15-30/50 lb bag)

• bedding

• labor (your time or hired?)

• facility maintenance, mortgage, and upkeep

health care

• farrier

  • $40 - $100/trim - reset x 8 times per year = $320 - $800 per year

• preventative care

  • vaccines/deworming/dental - $200 - $400/year

insurance

• equine motility

  • life insurance for your horse

• equine major medical

  • health insurance for your horse

• cost is highly variable

  • $50 - $5000/year

  • ~5% of value of horse/year

extra costs

• lessons

• showing

• transportation

• tack

• grooming supplies

• blankets

how long will you own your horse

• are you okay with selling them one day?

• where could they wind up?

• horses can easily live well into their 30s

leasing a horse

• yearly fee

• monthly board

• feed/supplements

• vet care

• lameness?