Horse Management (12-13

Previous uses/history

early 1900s: 25 mil horses and mules in the US

1960s: 3 million horses and mules

2000s: 9 mil horses in us

• 72% personal use/pleasure

  • 43% recreation

  • 29% show

• 28% ranching, racing, breeding, commercial use

  • 18% rodeo, polo, ranching

  • 10% racing

Breeds

Classification

• height and weight

  • draft, light, pony

• temperament

  • coldblood, warmblood, pony

Review horse breeds and

water

check twice daily

• ave 1000 lb horse drinks 10-12 gall a day

depending factors

• temp

• stage of life

  • lactation

  • preg

housing

• protect from weather extremes

• provide ventilation/air flow

• be clean and dry

• be safe and well-maintained (fencing)

• Have space for exercise: paddock, corral, pasture

types of housing

Barns: if box stalls - 12’ x8’ or 10’ x 10’

• flooring - well-drained, solid-footing surface with some give when horses lie down

  • clay, sand, rubber mats

3-sided shed:

• face south away from the prevailing wind

• located on an elevated, well-drained site

• Accessible for feeding and manure handling

manure management

• ave 1000lb horse produce ~50 lb or manure/urine/day

• Manure should be picked up regularly from teh horses stall (daily) or paddock (frequency)

  • store it-spread it-compost it-sell it-transport it

Herbivore, monogastric, hindgut fermenter

know this slide

Nutritional mgmt: Feeding horses

evolved using speed as a survival mechanism

• how?

  • sleep standing up and use continuous grazer strategy of consuming small amts frequently and moving from place to place between grazing up to 18 hrs a day

Feeding horses

• weight

• BCS

• age

• use/activity level

• Repro stage

• Generally, horses require min of .75 to 1% of their body weight daily in roughage on a dry matter basis but can change..

Body condition scoring

1. emaciated

2. very thin

3. thin

4. moderately thin

5. moderate

6. moderate to fleshy

7. fleshy

8. fat

9. obese

Amt of pasture per horse

• what type of pasture

• pasture management

• supplemental feed

it depends

• rule of thumb 1-2 acres per horse, they graze unevenly (over/undergraze certain areas), and they tear up sod

• For re-growth, leave abt 1/3 of the grass uneaten. Subdivide pasture so horses graze a paddock for no more than 7 days. Leave about 3’ of grass and allow it to grow to 8’ before it is grazed again

• Haym silage, grain, protein, pelleted, and minerals

Health Plan

• Hoof care - adult hoof grown to ½ to <1/2 in per month

• Parasite control

• Dental care

• Vaccination

• Biosecurity protocol

• Veterinary care:

  • if badly ill or injured, access to trailer is a must

Health Management Protocols

1. float teeth - at least yearly

2. Hoof trim - farrier visits every 6-8 wks

3. Groom

4. Deworm - continuous or strategic

   1. Goals

      1. Limit the negative effect of parasite infection

      2. control parasite egg shedding

      3. Avoid the development of anthelmintic resistance

5. Vaccinate - annual (often called spring shots)

CORE Vaccines

1. Eastern and Western Equine Encephalomyelitis (EEE/WEE)

2. Tetanus

3. West Nile Virus (WNV)

4. Rabies

West Nile Virus

Eastern and Western Equine Encephalomyelitis

Ave of 9 human cases of EEE are reported annually in the US

Mosquito control is key

Rabies (Rabies Virus)

Risk-Based Vaccines

• Vary regionally, from population to population within an area, or between individuals within a given population

  • equine herpesvirus (type 1 and 4) (Rhinopneumonitis)

  • Equine Influenza

  • Botulism

  • Strangles

  • Potomac Horse Fever

  • Equine Viral Arteries, EVA

  • Rotaviral Diarrhea

  • Anthrax

  • Snake Bite

Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA)

Retrovirus transmission

Transmitted by

• Blood-sucking insects (horse flies, deer flies, mosquitoes)

• Contaminated needles, or

• in utero from mare to foal

Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA)

• Virus reproduces inside the horse’s white blood cells

• the white blood cells may attack and destroy red blood cells = anemia

• Most infected horses show no symptoms, but they are CARRIERS that remain contagious for life

• What do we see in horses that become symptomatic

EIA Clinical Signs (After 7-60+ days)

• fever ± sweating

• Depression and weakness

• anorexia and rapid weight loss

• rapid breathing and heart rate

• yellow, pale, or spotted mucous membranes

• Edema (swollen legs, lower chest and abdomen)

• Bleeding from nose

• Colic

• Abortion

Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA)

EIA = Retrovirus transmitted via blood-sucking insects (horse flies, deer flies, and mosquitoes), contaminated needles, or in utero from mare to foal.

EIA virus (EIAV) reproduces inside the horse’s white blood cells. The horses WBCs may attack and destroy red blood cells = anemia

Most infected horses show no symptoms —> Carriers and remain CONTAGIOUS FOR LIFE

Equine Infectious Anemia = Swamp Fever (Warm and/or humid areas)

2024

• 1.3 mil horses tested; 147 positive horses

• Estimated national prevalence of 0.004%

• U.S. = 40-150 new cases diagnosed per year

Diagnosis of EIA

• identify antibodies in the blood

• The agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) method is the “gold standard” and is commonly known as the Coggins Test

  • developed in 1970 by Leryo Coggins

• Neg coggins - no detectable antibodies at the time of the test

• pos coggins - horse is infected and a carrier of the virus

Positive Coggins

By law, EIA = REPORTABLE DISEASE

• all pos mus be filed with the state vet and a federal Animal and Plant Health inspection service of the USDA

State-state requirements

• many states require proof of neg coggins before they can be exhibited, shown, raced, or even trained near other horses

• some states require a negative Coggins before horse can be sold

• few states req neg for horse to be moved within the state

• few states req all horses within the state be tested once a year

Mare: Seasonally Polyestrus Long-Day Breeder

Estrus Cycle

Fillies enter puberty around their 2nd spring

• range = 12-18 months (ave = 15 months)

• Fillies are usually not bred before 2-3 years of age

Ave estrous cycle length: 21 days (18-24d)

Follicular Phase = Estrus = 4-7 days

• short at peak season = 3 days

• Estrus behavior depends on low progesterone

• ovulation occurs 2 days before the end of behavioral estrus

Luteal phase = Diestrus = 14-15 days

Breeding Season and Hormones

Transition: Before & After the Breeding season

Spring transition - Gradual “activation” of HPO axis

Ends - with the 1st ovulation of the year

After Fall Transition: Winter Anestrus

GnRH - low/baseline

FSH - random fluctuations

Estradiol - baseline (small follicles)

LH - baseline

Progesterone - baseline

Estrus behavior - absent or erratic

• 15-20% of mares will cycle throughout the year

Pregnancy

• length + other things

• 335-345 (340 ave) days

• Preg may be as short as 305 or as long as 400

• Foals born less than 320 days of gestation are premature, with survival rate of 70-75%

• Most mares (>70%) foal between 10pm and 2am

Management of Pregnancy

• mild exercise/normal activity through preg

• proper diet (inc during last trimester) - ideal BCS = 5 to 6/9

• Vx (EHV-1) at 7&9 months

• Vx booster (EWT, WNV) at 10 months

• Deworm at 10 months

• Caslicks removed > 2 weeks before foaling

• Shoes pulled

• Foaling kit prepared

Prep for Foaling

• foaling area = quiet, clean, stress-free, well-bedded, and Draft-free

• Ideally, familiarize the mare with her new area 4-6 wks before foaling

• Familiarize yourself with mare (freq obervation to detect changes with emphasis on udder, abdome, tailhead, vulva)

Why monitor so closely?

• The equine placenta detaches readily from the uterus, so foals rarely survive extended labor

• ideally, foaling should be attended so that help can be given quickly, if needed

Physiologic changes before foaling

clinical sign - prefoaling

clinical sign

• appetite change (variable)

• body shape (variable)

• ventral and hindlimb edema (variable)

• Udder development (2-6 weeks)

• Perineal relaxation (1-3 233kw)

• Engorgement of teat ends (1wk)

• Waxing (1-3 days)

• Waxing (1-3 days)

• Vulvar elongation (0-1 days)

Physiologic changes before foaling

• milk Ca 2+ >200ppm of 40ng/ml

  • 51% chance of foaling in 24 hr

  • 84% chance of foaling in 48 hr

  • 97% chance of foaling in 72 h

Stages of Foaling

1-3

1. preparation (30-6hr)

2. foal delivery (<20mins)

3. Passage of Fetal Membranes (<3h)

Stage 1: Mare prep

• myometrial contractions

• cervical dilation

• physical discomfort

  • anxious

  • colicky

  • sweaty

  • lift tail

  • leak colostrum

  • restless

  • sweaty

  • roll

  • up and down

  • posturing

  • paw at the ground

  • frequent urination/defecation

• Fetail signal = up cortisoll

• Maternal response = hormone cascade = up uterine contractions

• fetal response = adoption of the “birth position”

Fergusons Reflex

• fetal pressure on the cervix is detected and relayed to the hypothalamus and posterior pituitary via sensory neurons = oxytocin

Stage 1

• fetus is in the birthing position in the mare uterus is contracting. = rupture of the allantochorion (placenta) at the cervix

• stage 1 ends when the water breaks (2-5 gallons of allantoic fluid is expelled), note the time

Stage 2: Foal Birth

• After water break —> see foals forelimbs within 5-10 min in the white amniotic sac (ave 20 mins)

• one foot appears first with the other foot 4-6 in behind (soles down)

• the head follows the feet

• strong uterine and abdominal contractions

• ends when the foal is delivered

• Tear away the amnion

• clear fluid form foals’ nasal

• make sure foal breathing and in sternal recumbency

• let mare rest

• do not break the umbilical cord

  • let it break naturally, allows for blood vessel spasm for closure

• After breakage, coat the umbilicus in 2-3% iodine or 25% chlorhexidine

stage 2 after umbilicus

• be aware of the mare’s attention to the foal

• 1-2-3 rule

  • foal stands within 1 hour

  • foal nurses within 2 hours

  • mare passes placenta within 3 hours

• make sure the foal passes meconium

Stage 3 - Fetal membranes passage

• typically within 1 hours; mare may appear colicky

• do not manyally remove the placenta

  • tie it up

• retained if not passed within 3 hours

  • medical emergency

    • 2-10% of mares

• Retained placenta or retained fecal membranes predispose mare to metritis, endometritis, lamanitis, sepsis and death

Post-Foaling Management

Mare: Feed for lactation

• breed her back…when?

• 1st post-partum estrus or FOAL HEAT = 5-12 days

• 1st post-partum ovulation = 6-18 days

Mare uterus requires 15 days for repair to support another preg

Post-Foaling Management

Foal: Nurse, then slowly transition to hay and grain (@ 10 days to 3 weeks of age)

• reach about 50% of adult weight during the 1st year

• Wean foals @4-6 months of age

• Castrate colts @1-2 years of age