Horse Prod. Final Exam Review

Goals of a herd health plan

• Control infectious diseases

• Maximize performance and productivity

Relation between infectious diseases and contagious diseases

All contagious diseases are infectious, not all infectious diseases are contagious

How do vets contribute to a herd health plan

Help develop immunization and management protocols

What type of herd is at a lower risk of diseases

Closed herd

What happens when you increase the number or concentration of horses

Risk of disease goes up

Ways to decreases chances of infection

• Segregate horses by age and function

• Isolate visiting horses

• Swift isolation measures

• Monitor vitals daily

• Disinfect stalls

• Wash hands between horses

Important components in an equine first aid kit

• Thermometer

• Bute and Banamine

• Topicals

• Bandages

• Syringes

• Scrubs

Common equine NSAIDs

Bute and banamine

Best use for bute

Musculoskeletal pain and inflammation (hard tissue injury)

Bute route of adminstration

Typically orally, can be IV

Concerns with long term Bute usage

Ulcers and kidney damage

Best use for banamine

Abdominal pain (colic)

Banamine route of administration

PO or IV (technically IM too, but avoid!)

When giving Banamine for colic, why do you need to be careful

Can mask symptoms, and if the horse starts eating it can make things worse

Comparison between Bute and Banamine

• Give Bute for lameness and Banamine for colic

• Banamine is 4x stronger than Bute

T/F: giving Bute and Banamine together is a common treatment for colic

FALSE, don’t ever give them both

When dealing with wounds, when should a vet be called

Involvement of the eye or deep structures like muscles, tendons, ligaments, bones, or joints

What wound area basically always requires vet attention

Lower leg

Basics of would care for owners

• Clean with a gentle stream of water

• Evaluate whether it needs topicals, bandages, sutures, etc

When pumping a stomach on a colic, what is used

Mineral oil

Mineral oil source

Petroleum byproduct, isn’t digestible

How should pain management be approached with a colic

Try not to do it immediately until the cause is diagnosed

When should you decide if you will send your horse out for a colic surgery

Before they ever colic— it shouldn’t be an emotional decision

Horse heart rate

22-44 bpm

Horse respiration rate

8-16 breaths per minute

Horse temperature

99.5-101.5

Horse CRT

<2 sec

Qualities of good bedding

• Absorbent

• Dust free

• Cushions

• Easy to clean

• Unpalatable

• Readily available

• Affordable

• Easily disposable

Components in a good stall

• Floor

• Mat at least 1” thick

• Bedding

Straw pros

• Cheap

• Stays clean if picked

• Great for foaling

• Good drainage

• Eco friendly

Straw cons

• Hauling cost

• Horse could eat it (impactions!)

• Not absorbent

• Dusty

• Difficult to pick

When would you consider pelleted straw

If you have to ship in small quantities it can be cheaper

Saw dust pros

• Economical

• Delivered in bulk

• Absorbent

Saw dust cons

• Decreasing supply

• Dusty

• Gets everywhere (eyes!)

Best type of sawdust

Kiln dried soft wood

Worst type of sawdust

SAY NO TO HARD WOODS!!

Hardwood shavings

• Black walnut

• Oak

• Poplar

• Cedar

• Cherry

Sand pros

• Porous

• Shipped in bulk

• Can be used under other bedding

Sand cons

• Heavy

• Sand colic

Shredded paper pros

• Absorbent

• Dust free

• Reduces odors

• Not harmful if consumed

Shredded paper cons

• Color transfer

• Not ideal for field spreading

• Can be expensive

• Takes A LOT

What component of shredded paper is helpful for reducing odors

Carbon in the ink

Peat moss pros

• Absorbent

• Horses won’t eat it

• Little goes a long way

• Easy to acquire

Peat moss cons

• Dusty

• Not economical for more than a few stalls

When is peat moss a great option

For small quantities if you are in a supply bind

Hay pros

• Can be eaten

• Increases “grazing” time

• Used bedding can feed livestock

Hay cons

• Increasing hay prices

• Don’t use for easy keeping horses

Other bedding alternatives

• Rice hulls

• SB hulls

• Peanut shells

• Hemp

• Reused compost

• Processed pellets

Coir pellets

Coconut husk pellets

Why are hardwood shavings bad for bedding

Can increase the incidence of skin allergies

How much manure and urine does a horse produce in a day

45 lbs

Considerations for waste removal techniques

• Labor

• Cost

• Environmental regulations

Composting cost

Least costly

Composting labor

Pretty labor intensive

Composting chemistry

Involves the breakdown of waste into a soil mix that is rich in nutrients

End product of composting, if done correctly

Basically soil that does not smell and that has heated enough to kill off parasite eggs

Temperature for composting

130 F

Key elemental ratio in compost

C:N (or is it Ca:N?)

Spreading

Direct application of raw manure over unused fields

Spreading pros

Easy with machinery

Spreading cons

Spreads weeds and parasites because there is no heat to kill seeds and eggs

Specific considerations when spreading manure

• Thin, even layer

• May need to come back in with Lime (Ca) to correct pH

How long do fields have to sit unused after spreading manure

6 months

In Hancock county, it is illegal to spread manure under what circumstances

Frozen ground

Burning

Setting dry manure on fire and letting it smolder until it is out

Burning pros

Quick and efficient

Burning cons

May be inhibited by zoning regulations

Hauling

Removal of waste from the premise

Hauling cost

Most expensive

Hauling labor

Least labor intensive if you are paying someone else

Industries that may have an interest in hauling used bedding

• Gardens and nurseries

• Other farms

• Farming and co-ops

• Composting

• Topsoil

UF manure pad design

Goal is to keep waste and liquid in the pad and out of the driveway and water supply

How does UF dispose of used shavings

It gets hauled to a large compost company in Colombus

How does UF dispose of used straw

Spreading

Winner of the 2024 Road to the Horse

Tik Maynard

Equine behavior definition

Actions and reactions to specific circumstances and environment

How does horse thinking differ from human thinking

Horses can choose actions but can’t analyze consequences

Components of modern behavior

Learned behavior and genetic components

What determines the value of a performance horse

Their job and how well they do it

What determines how well a horse does its job

Behavioral response to training and management

What does training build

Physical fitness and appropriate behavioral response

Social dynamic of horses

Herd animals

How long do you have to discipline a horse

<3 seconds

What type of learners are horses

Visual

How many neurons do horses have

1 billions

What part of the brain do horses not have

Prefrontal cortex

What is the prefrontal cortex responsible for

Executive function and higher reasoning

What does it mean that a horse is a herd animal

They have an instinctive desire to follow a leader

Why do horses have very reactive behavior

They have very perceptive senses

What is the most important cue to a horse

Body language

How sensitive is a horse’s hide

As sensitive as our fingertips

Factors that influence behavior

• Evolution

• Genetics

• Domestication

• Age

• Gender

• Environment

• Training

What drive dictates a horse’s behavior

Maximization of survival and propogation

How is evolution and domestication expressed

• Social organization

• Communication

• Sexual relationships

What happens to young horses in wild bands of horses

They get pushed out to make space to diversify the gene pool

How long do Bachelor stallions live together

Until they are strong enough to take their own mares

Benefit of establishing a pecking order

Reduces overt fighting and competition

What can change a pecking order

What motivates a horse

Alphas are commonly what type of horse

Mares

In training what does a horse need from you

To be a leader