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| << September20, 2004 - Equine E-Tips |
March20, 2005 - Equine E-Tips >> |
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E-Quine E-Tips Free educational newsletter for horse enthusiasts! http://Equinetips.HaveYourOwnHorseShow.com Sunday, January 16, 2005 You are receiving this because you subscribed. If you have changed your mind, and would rather not receive it, there are instructions for discontinuing at the end of the newsletter. Questions or comments? Send them to dusty@duo-county.com Contents 1. Welcome 2. Article 3. Resources 4. Fun 5. Privacy Policy 6. Subscribe and unsubscribe 7. Disclaimer 1. Welcome back to Equine E-tips. It's been awhile since you have heard from me. I apologize....My computer finally crashed, and had to go away for awhile for repair. But now we are back, better than ever! I pretty much missed the holiday rush as far as anything online. I truly hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. My Christmas was very special because all of my children were able to make it, in spite of incredible snow and ice. It took them three times as long as usual to get here, but they arrived safely. Really, a miracle. We found out how long it takes to get from Ohio to Kentucky at 25 miles per hour! 2004 certainly went out with a bang, with the unbelievable Tsunami Disaster. It's hard to comprehend the magnitude of the loss that has occurred, and even harder to imagine how on earth you could possibly help. If you are looking for a way to donate, there are many. You will find a few places here, and can help me in one very small way to make a donation. It seems that money isn't much consolation with so much loss of life, but money can help to rebuild such extensive devastation, and support the many remaining victims. I wish you a very Happy New Year, hoping that this year brings more personal happiness and health to all. If you would like to contribute an article, resource, or anything we would be happy to consider your submissions. Send them to dusty@duo-county.com Do you show your horse? We have a certified judge ready for any questions you might have. Send questions to dusty@duo-county.com with judge in the subject line by the 10th of the month to be published in the next available space. Sit back, relax, and enjoy this issue. I'm sure you will find something you were looking for! 2. Article 5 Areas to Monitor to Maintain Your Horse's Health How much time are you able to spend with your horse? Some horse fans have the luxury of having their horse in their back yard, and enjoy the pleasure of their company at least twice a day or more, when they feed and do chores. Many horse owners have to rely on barn staff where their horse resides, and only get to visit a few times a month. What ever arrangements dictate who spends time with your horse, some observations should be made routinely to insure that he is in good health. Frequent and regular monitoring of five areas could prevent a minor issue from developing into a major crisis, or possible death of your horse. 1. Monitor for weight, either gain or loss. Even if you haven't noticed your horse leaving feed untouched,and his appetite appears to be normal for him,a weight loss could indicate many other problems. Parasites, an ulcer, a digestive problem that prevents the horse from utilizing the feed, or inadequate chewing can all lead to unexplained weight loss. He could also have a disease process starting. This scenario should be investigated by a vet before advancing for very long. If you notice an unhealthy weight gain you might want to either decrease the feed, or increase the exercise. 2. Monitor for decrease in usual level of activity. A horse that is ordinarily active, moving about the pasture, or even about the stall that is noticeably less active should be taken out of the stall or pasture and evaluated to see if the cause can be identified. It could be an illness or injury, or possibly something else. I watched a Clydesdale in our pasture from my kitchen window for about a half hour one day. I went out to see why she didn't move off with the other horses as they made their way to other areas. She was quietly standing there waiting for someone to release her foot from the fence wire. She had stepped just right and got her shoe caught on the bottom wire. She continued to stand until we got her free. Another horse we had absolutely refused to budge from the spot she was eating contentedly from in the pasture. I became concerned, again, when she didn't follow the herd. We saw no sign of injury, but when the vet arrived, she had a broken shoulder blade. She had apparently been kicked. 3. Monitor for change in eating habits. I cannot think of anything that would cause a horse to lose interest in food that is not potentially very serious. Any time he turns up his nose at his accustomed feed is a red flag. If it lasts more than one day the vet should be consulted. If other signs of distress are evident, call sooner. If a change in feed is necessary for any reason, it should be done gradually, adding small amounts of the new feed each day to the old, while decreasing the amount of the old a little more each day until the switch is completed. While switching feed observe for any distress. If any is noted, go back to the old feed and observe to see if the new feed was not tolerated. There could be another cause for the distress. Fermented or moldy feed is also a good suspect when digestive distress is noted. Feed should be checked every day for spoilage. It should be stored securely so the horses can't help themselves. Colic can occur for these reasons and many more. Sometimes colic occurs and you are never able to find the cause. Over eating, or eating or drinking large amounts of water while a horse is hot can cause colic. Colic can kill a horse if left untreated. Signs of colic are wanting to lay down and roll, looking back at flank, elevated pulse, sweating, anxiety. If any of these symptoms are present, call the vet. 4. Monitor for behavioral changes, either depression or anxiety. You know your horse's normal disposition best. Any deviation from his usual sweet self could be cause for at least caution and observation. You, as the owner, will also be aware of "normal" hormonal mood changes mares sometimes display. Some mares get crabby at certain times of their hormone cycles. Geldings are not subject to this, so a change in a gelding's usual emotional status might be easier to spot. For any horse, if the abnormal state lasts more than a day, and a possible cause can not be identified, call the vet. Such behavior can indicate very serious illnesses. 5. Monitor for obvious evidence of injury, wounds, and hoof condition. Some wounds sustained in the pasture or stall can be treated with your preferred topical ointment. If a more serious wound shows up such as a flap of skin torn and requires stitches, call the vet. An even more serious wound would be a deep puncture wound. A puncture can not drain like a large flesh wound. Infection starts rapidly and can be life threatening if not treated soon enough. The risk of tetanus is always present, and your horse may need a tetanus antitoxin injection if he hasn't been given a tetanus vaccine. Tetanus antitoxin provides immediate protection, but it only lasts for 3 weeks. Check with your vet about routine tetanus vaccination. Hoof health should be monitored and maintained. Some cracks can cause more serious problems later. Overgrowth or broken hoof walls need to be kept trimmed and level to prevent lameness. A puncture wound in the foot can be very serious, as discussed above. Horses out in pasture tend to keep their hooves worn more than a horse kept in a stall, and may not require as frequent farrier visits. But they do need to be checked just the same. If your horse is shod he needs monitored to make sure the shoes are not loose and he isn't outgrowing them. So, as a horse owner or a barn staff person, you may very possibly need to call the vet at some point. Some helpful information for you to collect before you make that call would be the horse's vital signs. These are his temperature, pulse, and respirations. The temperature would be taken rectally, preferably with a plastic digital thermometer. Tie a string to it so you don't lose it! Normal reading should be between 99.8 and 101.3. Anything over 102 would be a fever. The pulse can be felt under the horse's jaw, or on the left chest under the elbow. Count for 15 seconds then multiply by 4 to get a minute's count. Normal range is 35-40 in a resting healthy horse. Respirations can be counted by watching the nostrils, or the expansion and relaxation of his trunk behind his ribs. Count for 15 seconds then multiply by 4. Normal count is 10-15 in a resting healthy horse. No matter who spends the most time with your horse, it's important that he is being monitored for these areas regularly and routinely. If you catch some problems early in their development you can prevent serious illness, possibly even the death of your horse. It's better safe than sorry. I once told a vet I would much rather ask him a "stupid question" and know where I stand, than wait too long to call him and have my horse suffer the consequences. I don't believe there are any "stupid questions". Mary Porter, writer of "Have Your Own Horse Show" and editor of Equine E-Tips @~@~@~ Support a Worthy Cause @~@~@~ A powerful earthquake and deadly tsunamis have killed more than 150,000 people in South Asia. Thousands are still missing, and countless families are homeless. There are tons of places to donate to victims relief. Here's one. http://www.careusa.org @~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~@~ There were a few Holiday Promotions planned from Connect-to-Gifts that were never initiated because of my technical difficulties. So... they will be posted now, you can get a good deal until Valentines Day, and, 50% of the proceeds will be donated to Tsunami Relief. You can see the deals at the following sites: http://www.Connect-to-Gifts.com http://ExclusiveSpecial.HaveYourOwnHorseShow.com @~@~@~@~ Thought about having your own horse show? It's not as hard as you might think. Step by step guide to all you need to know and materials you need to have. Easy to use show forms included. Simple directions to get ready, get set, and GO! http://www.HaveYourOwnHorseShow.com @~@~@~ 3. Resources The beginning of a new year....a great way for you to keep records! Check out the absolutely easiest to use software for horse record keeping on earth. I tried a better known brand first, then went back to this with great relief. There is a free 30 day trial you can download! That is how I started. It didn't take me long to decide to upgrade! Fantastic customer support! Save yourself time and aggravation! The program I use is Equifacts Horse Management Software. When you get to the page, browse the catalog, then select computer software. http://www.horseinfo.com/cgi-bin/main.pl?AID=048684&LID=394 5 There is a free download on the following page that lists TONS of horse related career choices. You will find it on the lower part of the page. There are more downloads there as well. Great for someone who is undecided, but knows it has to be about horses! http://www.ayhc.com/resources.htm Do you know about Equineaffaire? It's an AWESOME horse related convention! You will find everything you could ever want or need as far as horses are concerned. There are clinics, demonstrations, vendors, and more. They will be held in three more locations. Massachusetts already had theirs in November. Sorry I didn't get the word out sooner. But California, Ohio, and Kentucky are yet to come! Check it out at http://www.equineaffaire.com/ Personal Ponies is a non-profit organization that makes it possible for special needs people to know the joy of having their own pony. Touching stories of the success of this program can be read at http://www.personalponies.org . Click on the pictures of the kids. To find out a really painless way you can help, go to http://www.personalponies.org/zimectrin_rodectin.html Need an anatomical chart of the Horse? The link below takes you there. http://www.tracker-outdoors.com/parts_of_a_horse.htm A collection of sites that tell you all about horse color. http://rightlead.com/Educational/colors.htm 4. FUN! Watch this incredible and VERY entertaining short video clip! http://www.bassfiles.net/PatchestheHorse.wmv Here you can draw a picture of your horse with your computer. http://www.dreamhorse.com/fun.htm For Mac users only - Free program to learn about different horses. http://mac.iconet.com.br/preview/208103.html Free animal pictures, no strings. Free to use. http://www.thepetprofessor.com/secFreePhotos/welcome.asp Check out these educational games on CD Rom! http://members.aol.com/dsaur/page4.html Do you like what you got in this newsletter? If so, tell a friend! They might like it too! 5. This is a strictly optin list. We value your privacy. Your details will never be sold, traded or exposed in any way. 6. To subscribe send a blank e-mail to 85168-subscribe@zinester.com . To unsubscribe there are instructions below. 7. The contents of this newsletter are for the purpose of information and entertainment only. E-Quine E-Tips is not responsible for any results, good or otherwise, from the use of any information contained. Please use good judgment and practice safety precautions when you are exposed to potentially harmful situations. Employ the services of a qualified professional when the need is indicated. Terry and Mary Porter 855 Melson Ridge Road Jamestown, KY. 42629 |
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