Equine w/ Amanda Anderson

Equine

Amanda Anderson BS, CVT, MMCP

Breeds of Horses

  • There are MANY different Breeds in the world. We are fortunate enough to work with a handful of different breeds in LAH. 

  • Breeds of horses can be characterized by cold, warm, or hot bloated

    • These terms gives us an idea of how the animal will behave when working with them in an environment that is new to them 

    • Not all breeds fall under these categories

COLD BLOODS

  • General characterization of cold blooded horses is that they are kind and easy going adn tend to be the heavier work horses. 

  • Most cold blooded horses were, and still are, used for farming and hauling heavy items. 

  • They are very easy to pick out of a crowd with their big bodies, huge feet, and enormous heads

  • Popular breeds of cold blood are: Shires, Percherons, Clydesdales, Suffolks, Punches, Fresians, etc.

  • There are just a handful of cold blood horses that we see in LAH but there are MANY more in the world

WARM BLOODS

  • Warmbloods come from a combination of hot and cold blooded horses

  • The temperament of these horses are calmer than hot bloods and more agile than cold bloods. 

  • Can be used in a variety of different jobs farming, work, show, sport, leisure, etc. 

  • Popular breeds of warmbloods are: Oldenburgs, Hanoverians, Dutch, and Swedish Warmbloods, Quarter Horses, Tennessee Walking Horse, etc.

  • A majority of the horses that we deal with in LAH are vastly warm blooded

HOT BLOODS

  • General characterization of hot blooded animals are intelligent, light bodied horses that are used for their speed and stamina 

  • See most hot blooded horses on the racetracks, show rings, endurance races, etc. 

  • Popular breeds of hot bloods are: Arabians, Thoroughbreds, Turkomen, etc. 

  • We see a few dozen hot blooded horses in the LAH as well as most people use these breeds in dressage, a popular form of riding

  • Temperament of hot bloods come from the environment they were raised in, can be very hard to deal with - ex. With anesthetic, metabolism is a lot higher 

MISC DISCUSSION:

  • Horses live to be in 30s usually

    • Horses continuously erupt their teeth continuously, and grind together to masticate food, so sometimes the will ground down to the gums

    • Arthritis is major concern as well

OTHER BREEDS IN LAH

  • Standardbreds

  • Saddlebreds

  • Ponies 

  • Donkeys

  • Mules

WHOSE WHO and WHAT’S WHAT

  • Like with any types of animals, horses have certain names for genres

    • A mare is an adult female, we typically start calling them a mare after about a year or so 

    • A stallion (stud) is an adult male, we start calling them a stallion when they become sexually mature which can be as early as 2 yrs old

    • A Gelding is a castrated male. In the LAH, we typically castrate males as young as 8 months to a year. RDDVM’s can do castrations out in the field as well 

    • A foal is a bay 

    • A filly is a baby female 

    • A colt is a baby male

    • Female Donkey is a ginny 

    • Male Dock is a jack(ass)

HANDLING EQUINES

  • With the introduction of the different types of breeds that we see in teh hospital we need to know how to handle them properly 

  • Hot bloods require more attention to how they are reacting to their environment. They Are hypersensitive to any outside stimuli we are giving them. 

  • COld and warm bloods tend to be a bit calmer in their environments but still require attention to how they are reacting to outside stimuli 

  • Obviously each horse is unique and requires different thing

HANDLING - Halters

  • The halter is the most basic tool we have as handles ot control horses 

  • There are three main halters that we see: leather, nylon, and rope halters

  • Each has its own advantages and disadvantages

HANDLING - Leads 

  • Lead ropes are a way of keeping the horse within our working space

  • It is also used to put pressure on the halter's pressure point to make them stop or go. 

  • There are different leads we use: nylon, chain, and leather leads

LEADS - Chains

  • Chain leads are used in different ways in the LAH 

  • Typically we use an over the nose chain for stallions and other unruly horses

  • Chains can also go under the chin of the horse

  • Another way is a lip chain which is only used when we exhaust all other choices

HANDLING - Twitches

Pinching skin essentially

  • Skin and lip twitch also gives us another advantage in keeping equines in our work space

  • Twitches give them another distraction to think about while we do procedures on them 

  • Typical twitches used are: skin, lip, and occasionally ear twitches (not typically used for adult horses)

HANDLING - Sedation 

  • Chemical sedation is used quite readily in the LAH as well as in the field 

  • Chemical sedation helps us perform procedures safely-ish 

  • Typical sedation used in the LAH and in the field are: Detomidine (Dorm), Xylazine (Rompun), and Acepromazine

EQUINE HUSBANDRY - Grain

  • Amanda’s opinion with horse care is: keep it simple. Horses are constant grazers, they do well on grass and grass hay 

  • Sometimes, they need extra nutrition that they can’t get from grass

  • But, as always, it depends on what the horse's job is. If they are exercising regularly, they may need extra assistance from grain to meet their energy needs. Also applies with age. 

  • As always, refer to a veterinarian for feed choice and quantity. Some breeds of horses are prone to metabolic disorders and require certain grains or amounts of grain. Others need routine riding done in order to keep their metabolisms in order. 

EQUINE HUSBANDRY - Water

  • Horses, on average, can drink 5-10 gallons of water a day 

  • Typically offer lukewarm water, even on warm days.

  • If horses don’t drink enough water, they tend to become dehydrated and colicky because their intestines can’t move food through. 

  • Some tricks we use are salt water, electrolytes, and sweet tea. These tricks encourage them to drink more.

  • Having salt licks available can help increase water intake. 

EQUINE HUSBANDRY - Farrier

  • Farriers work on horses' feet. 

  • Typically, horses get their feet trimmed every 6 to 8 weeks. Some need it more frequently, others, less frequently. 

    • In the wild, horses will grind down their hooves on rocks and gravel (wild terrain). 

  • Some horses do better barefoot, others need basic shoes, others have special podiatry needs. 

  • Farriers can use radiographs to judge how the bones are doing before and after starting on their patients. 

  • Their number one goal is to make the horse as comfortable as possible on their feet. 

EQUINE HUSBANDRY - Vet Care

  • Adult horses SHOULD be vaccinated for EHV, Flu/Rhino, WNV< Tetanus, Strangles. Especially if the horse travels around to shows in the spring, sumer, and fall. Rabies vaccines are optional but highly recommended as we see rabies in the state. Coggins are REQUIRED to be pulled if the horse is traveling within or out of state. Coggins test for EIA (Equine Infectious Anemia). 

  • Veterinarians can come out and pull blood for bloodwork to be sent off for general chemistry and complete blood count if an owner so chooses. 

  • Ultrasound and pregnancy checks are done with mares when it is prime foaling season or the months leading up to foaling season. 

EQUINE HUSBANDRY - Dentals 

  • Horses, like us, require their teeth to be floated every 6 months to a year, or longer depending on the horse. 

  • Vets use power floaters to grind points and hooks down for the horse to masticate (chew) their feed better.  Make the dental arcade level.

EQUINE Anatomy 

  • Equine Anatomy is complex and can be confusing 

  • We use the proper terms as well as “slang” terms in the LAH and in the field 

  • Understanding both will help you in general. But obviously if you’re not sure. always ask.