About This Page:
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We hope you enjoy the articles below and that you find them helpful. They all come from years of hard won personal experience & lessons learned. Please keep one thing in mind, when you own a horse, you also own a great responsibility to that creature. Our horses rely on us to keep them safe and healthy and when we are unable to do that, they trust that we will do whatever it takes to take their pain away and "Fix" them. They put a great deal of trust in us and we need to be worthy of that trust. When in doubt, CALL A VET! Preferably a vet that you have a solid working relationship with and you know to be reliable and knowledgeable. Please don't "Wait & See", don't wait for an issue to get so sever that a vet will have little chance of reversing the damage done. In the long run, you will save money by catching an issue quickly and treating it before it escalates. Our horses cannot speak our language, they cannot point to the exact spot that hurts, they cannot beg us with words to please take the pain away. They can only show us through their actions and we must always be willing to "listen" when they try to tell us something is wrong. A sudden loss of appetite, laying down in a place they normally don't lay down or staying down longer than normal, detaching themselves from the herd, kicking or biting at their belly, grinding their teeth, even some behavioral issues such as kicking, bucking & rearing, can all be not so subtle signs of distress in an otherwise normally gentle horse. Know what your horse's "normal" is and always pay close attention when they deviate from that. Horses are creatures of habit and when those habits change for no apparent reason, it's time to take a closer look. The responsibility that is placed on us when a living, breathing, precious, animal puts their well-being in our hands is huge but it's part of sharing our lives with the creatures that have so thoroughly stolen our hearts and so freely given us theirs.
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Safety on the Go...
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The Boy Scouts hit the nail on the head with their motto “Be Prepared”. In an emergency, having a well-stocked first aid kit readily available can make a huge difference when your horse is hurting. When you are at home it’s fairly easy to have many first aid supplies within easy reach, even when somethings are hanging out in your tack room while others are hiding in your laundry room and that pesky thermometer that is forever disappearing can quickly be replaced by the one currently living in the medicine cabinet in your own bathroom (Shhhhh..... Just don’t tell your significant other this). When you are on the road you can lose the luxury of having everything you need within easy reach making it imperative to “Be Prepared”. It doesn’t matter if you are on your way to a schooling show down the road, a trail ride with your friend in the next town over or a 5 day trip across the country to a National Breed Show, it’s vitally important to have a well-equipped first aid kit making that trip with you. The items listed below should help you handle most common problems you may run across while traveling as well as help you to cope with more serious issues until you are able to locate a veterinarian near you. Keep this list handy and when you and your horses are heading out on your next big adventure you can rest easier knowing that you have what you need to keep them happy and healthy .
*Tongue depressors can be used to apply topical medication without contaminating the wound or the medication. **Diapers work great for packing hooves and they are very absorbent and can also be used to staunch the blood flow from a seeping wound. *** Use to soothe and protect sunburned noses ****Rubber tubing can be inserted into the horse's nostril and secured, to keep the horse's airway open in the event of snakebite, excessive bee stings, or other bites that cause severe swelling of the face. Tips to remember:
Temperature- A horse's normal body temperature is 99 - 101 F. Pulse- The normal pulse rate is 30 to 40 beats per minute. Young horses tend to be a little faster Respiration-The normal rate for horses is between 8-12 breaths per minute. Capillary refill time (time it takes for color to return to gum tissue adjacent to teeth after pressing and releasing with your thumb): 2 seconds. |
Dealing with Sweet itch (Summer Itch):
Pyranha is one of the fly repellents we highly recommend.
An example of extreme tail rubbing caused by Sweet Itch.
EquiFuse CitraFoam Shampoo is a staple in our prevention and treatment of Sweet Itch. 
EquiFuse Rehydrinse is another of our favorite products in our preventative and treatment line up. |
Sweet itch also known as Summer Itch or more technically, Culicoides Hypersensitivity, is caused by an allergic reaction that some horses have to specific allergens in the saliva of the Culicoides midge also known as “no-see-ums”. These reactions can range from mild to severe depending on the individual horse and can cause intense inflammation and itching. Horses are most common affected in the summer months but in some climates this condition can be found almost year round. Prevention is the best defense with sweet itch though there are products and treatments that can help to alleviate some of your horses discomfort and speed the healing process if lesions have already broken out.
Symptoms: The affected areas may become hot to the touch and appear red and weepy. The hair, which may be standing straight up, will most often fall out leaving bald patches. The inflamed area can be painful or intensely itchy and horses may object to any pressure on the area. If the area is very itchy horses can cause further damage to themselves by rubbing on any available stationary object. There is also a chance that the affected areas could become infected. The same horse will often be affected in the same area of their body year after year. As the insects disappear in the autumn, the allergic reaction will also subside and eventually disappear. The hair, as long as the horse has not badly damaged the area by severe and chronic rubbing, should grow back. Environment: Gnats and midges are attracted to standing or slow moving water as well as wet, boggy ground. If you know your horse is prone to getting sweet itch then you want to try to minimize your horse’s access to these types of areas. Gnats and midges are most active in the morning and evening time so make sure to take that into consideration with your daily routine. Prevention and Treatment: The most commonly affected areas are your horse’s neck, back, tail head and sometimes the underside of the midline. If your climate allows, it can be helpful to utilize a fly sheet or other type of lightweight sheet to limit the insect’s access to those places on your horse’s body. Installing automatic fly spray systems in your barns can be helpful as well as installing fans to keep the air moving. The use of quality insect repellants can also be helpful through they will need to be applied on a regular basis to be effective. We recommend either the Endure or pyranha brands personally. The only issue with relying solely on insect repellants is that one, they tend to “sit” on the top layer of the hair and don’t always offer protection all the way to the skin and two, when they do reach the skin they can sometimes cause additional irritation to already sensitive skin. We highly recommend including the EquiFUSE CitraFoam shampoo along with the EquiFUSE Rehydrinse 1-step coat protector in your preventative grooming routine. The CitraFoam is a plant based, sulfate free shampoo that will clam and soothe the skin while adding much needed moisture back into the coat. Its plant based ingredients also work as a natural insect repellant that works from the skin out. The Rehydrinse with its hydrolyzed wheat protein and almond oil will protect, moisturize and promote a healthy coat. Sometimes it can difficult to pinpoint exactly what is causing your horse’s allergic reaction so we always recommend that you have a veterinarian examine your horse to help determine if it is biting insects or something else that your horse may be reacting to. There are topical medications that contain corticosteroids that your veterinarian may prescribe to reduce the inflammation. This will only help to relieve some of the itchiness and pain, but it will not help with the cause or cure the problem itself. Your veterinarian may also recommend antibiotics to help manage any secondary infections that can occur. |
Sand Colic
In working with horses over the years that have ingested sand we have had the best results using a combination of soaked beet pulp and psyllium supplement fed over a 30 day period. If you suspect your horse has sand, start by having your vet preform an abdominal x-ray and then at the end of the 30 days, repeat the x-rays to confirm that the sand load has been reduced.
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