How Can I Prevent Laminitis?

It fills any pony owner with dread. But it is not a problem that is prevalent in just overweight ponies; there are a number of causes that with careful management can reduce the risk of laminitis.

Laminitis is inflammation of the laminae, which attaches the hoof to the pedal bone, once this is damaged the pedal bone can drop and, or rotate. This can be incredibly painful and causes a lot of distress to the horse.

Be aware of the signs of laminitis, as the likelihood is that the clinical symptoms will be seen when the laminitis has really taken hold.

• Poor performance, reluctance to move forward or not wanting to jump

• Fatty distension of the crest

• Weight gain

• Shortening of stride when trotted on hard ground

• Frequent weight swapping from one foot to the other

• Strong, rapid digital pulse

• Laminitic stance-weight in its heels

• Wants to lie down or take weight off its feet.

Chronic cases:

• Lameness, particularly on hard ground

• Footsore, red bruising when feet are trimmed

• Pus in foot

• Odd shaped feet, including rings on the hoof wall, long toes, dropped soles and wide white lines and flat feet.

Laminitis can be caused by a number of reasons:

• High carbohydrate diet: Causing rapid fermentation in the hind gut.

• Colic stress

• Retained placenta- toxaemia

• Mechanical overload: concussion through hard, fast work on hard surfaces (road founder)

• Hormonal problems: (good doers) hyperthyroid, abnormal peripheral cortisol enzyme system or even when some horses come into season it can trigger laminitis attacks.

What to do when laminitis is diagnosed:

• Vet: they will examine the horse and provide adequate drugs (possibly Bute or ACP) to help relive any pain or discomfort.

• Remove the horse form the source of the problem, either feed or field.

• Keep the horse comfortable with a deep bed (preferably shavings) to encourage lying down.

▪ Get in contact with the farrier to liaise with the vet to sort shoeing, they will probably need x-rays in order to give maximum frog support.

• Do not feed the horse until the vet has been.

Laminitis is a disease that will require the horse owner to monitor the horse especially during times when an attack of laminitis is likely to occur.

How do I get my horse gleaming before a show?

Keeping horses clean is never easy, but when there is a show around the corner, this is the time your horse will decide being dirty is a lot of fun.

The base for any horse looking good is a healthy happy horse, so a good lifestyle and routine for your horse will make him look and feel fantastic. Any scurfy, dull coat is a sign that something needs to be addressed. If your horse is looking in poor condition it could be a good idea to get the vet out to give him a thorough check over to make sure that medically he is OK. Trying a nutritionist for advice will give you confidence that your horse is getting everything he needs and even give you a few tip on what feeds can give him that show-ring glow.

Getting him ready to show

Bathing

Get a specialist horse shampoo for this job, as it will reduce the risk of making him sensitive to the chemicals in non-horse shampoos and washing liquids. This will strip the natural grease and protective layer off his hair, so should not be done too often or on horses that regularly live out. If you are going to bath him do it a day or two before hand as this will give the coat time to build up natural oils that will give him a nice shine. Do not apply too much shampoo and rinse his coat thoroughly so that there are no bubbles left in at all. When you rinse his coat try adding vinegar, baby oil or lemon juice to add that extra shine and minimise the drying effect of the shampoo.

Manes and tails

Using silicone based conditioners will seal the hair and give it that extra shine. Do not put any conditioner on the area where the saddle sits or it will be very slippy. Don't use conditioner on a mane that needs plaiting up, or it will be very very difficult to do!

Trim the tail to just below the hocks using a sharp pair of scissors to give it that neat finish.

Cut a small bridle path behind his ears through his mane to make the bridle sit neater and part the forelock and mane. Plait using a tread if possible as it will create a neat finish and no rubber bands can be seen.

Grooming

Elbow grease! Get out your grooming kit and a good thorough groom will remove dust, grease and spread the sebum his coat naturally produces evenly around the coat and skin to make him gleam. It will keep his rugs clean as well as a good grooming giving him a nice massage. Massaging whilst you brush is a great way to help clear the lymph glands and promote muscle tone and blood supply.

Hooves

Only use a hoof oil before you go into the ring. Studies have shown that continued and frequent use of hoof oils will dry out the hoof and make it crumbly/brittle. So instead, wash the hooves off and use a good moisturising hoof gel or cream. Alternatively, using too much water on the hoof will make them too soft as it will absorb the moisture, so it is important to keep a good balance. For a better idea of your horse's hoof condition have a word with your farrier as he will give you a more detailed idea on what is good to use and what's not.

Getting Your Horse To Stand Still At The Mounting Block

My new horse refuses to stand still at the mounting block. In every other way he is a dream to handle and good to ride. The mounting block is the only issue as he is 16.2 will not stand still long enough for me to get on. How can I solve this problem?

It is possible that your new horse has had a negative experience at some point. It is unfortunate as you don’t know how long he has reacted like this; your job first and foremost is to get everything checked. This means teeth, back and tack checks to rule out any pain and discomfort.

It is possible that he could be cold backed. This could because of muscular tension and pain in the back or even gastric ulcers. The best way to find out is to get a vet to check him over. If gastric ulcers are suspected, then it can be confirmed with an endoscopic check of the stomach. An adjustment to his diet and routine can aid the treatment of ulcers.

Check that you aren’t digging him with your boot as you get on, this will cause a reaction to discomfort experienced and he will associate this with being mounted. If he is inattentive and not willing to listen , try lunging him for 10 minutes to get him listening and reactive to your voice, this will benefit him in the long run to enjoy the praise and comfort of your voice.

If it is a habit or a learned response to standing at the mounting block, then he will, likely, need re-educating.

You will need PATIENCE!!

Start out when you are grooming him. Stand on a small block and brush him, talking to him and making him feel at ease with you being raised above normal height. Wear appropriate safety gear such as hat and sensible footwear and make sure he is tied (with a haynet to keep him occupied and not worried).

Take him in the arena tacked up as though you were going to ride and start by juts walking him to the mounting block and just walk past it. When he starts to relax ask him to stand by it, once he stands lead him away and praise him gently.

Once he gets used to being led to the mounting block and stood alongside walk to it, you should step onto the block, step off again and lead him past. Once he is happy to stand with you standing on the block, gradually introduce leaning over him gently. Both feet should remain on the block and you should lean your arm over him. Keep talking to him and praise him every time he is good. If he is naughty go back a few steps and start again, getting him settled.

Eventually start getting on him from the mounting block. Make sure you have settled him down and you should also remain positive and relaxed. If he rushed when you try to mount and you are in the position to dismount, do so. Start again praise, patience and positive attitude.

Your aim is for him to stand whilst you get on and then once you have gotten on. This has to be a positive experience as you say it is his only quirk. You will need to be prepared for this to take time and not just happen overnight. But once he realizes what you want him to do and he is happy about it, your life will be made a lot easier.

Mares - Why are they moody?

Mares come into season during the summer months and this is the time when they are covered by a stallion and put in foal for next year. It is a cyclic process with one cycle lasting 21 days.

Oestrus- the mare is actually “in season” and will accept the stallion (6 days)

Dioestrus- the mare does not accept the stallion as progesterone released into the mares system counter-acts the oestrogen, taking the mare “out of season”. (15 days)

Anoestrus- the time when the mare is sexually inactive (during winter months)(6 days)

During the time of oestrus horse owners find the mare becomes less respectful of their human owners and can be temperamental or moody. This is all due to the hormonal changes that naturally occur in the horse's body. It can make them less tolerant and owners often find that mares can be more argumentative and harder to tack up, especially doing the girth. This is because the mare may be sore or more tender around her girth area and loins.

How can you make summer a bit more bearable for you and your mare?

Regumate Equine is a hormonal treatment for mares. It may be used to suppress and prevent the signs of oestrus in mares, which may be particularly useful early in the breeding season. It is also used strategically as part of a breeding program to control the cycle of breeding mares, allowing synchronisation of oestrus and mating or can prevent the mare coming into season when a competition is due. It is a progesterone analogue making the mare go into dioestrus blocking the release of gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH), but not the production. This means that it will prevent the mare coming into season until the course of Regumate has stopped, then oestrus will occur. It is by vet prescription only but must be handled carefully as even getting Regumate on the skin is harmful to women, in particular pregnant women.

A marble implant done by a qualified vet will stop the mare coming into season as it “tricks” the mare into thinking that she is pregnant an so preventing hormone release. It is implanted at the start of the breeding season and is usually removed around October. The only problem with this is that some mares react badly to having a foreign object being implanted and are prone to uterine infections.

Herbal remedies have been suggested to help with moody mares, such as Naff's “Oestress” or Global Herbs' “Frisky Mare”. They claim the natural ingredients ease the problems that occur during oestrus.

Understanding why the horse gets “moody” in summer makes it easier to deal with. It is important to know how to deal with mares when they become aggressive or agitated during this time, but it is important to be sympathetic as they are acting the way nature intended.

How to keep weight on your Veteran horse over winter

Coming into winter, there are a few horses that need a bit of nutritional support. Veteran horses struggle to keep weight on for a number of reasons:

• Poor dentition

• Cushing's disease

• Laminitis

Firstly get his teeth checked

As horses get older their teeth wear and can become loose. Any issues with the horse struggling to eat can be seen if the horse begins to quid, starts to loose weight quite dramatically or leaves a large amount of its feed..

Struggling to chew food can mean that horses will poorly digest feed and a horse needs to have a regular fibre intake of fibre through grazing to keep his digestive system working. If he doesn't get enough fibre, he will likely develop an impaction colic.

Soaking feed will soften the fibre based feeds for the horse to chew. If the horse struggles with long hay fibre then try using a short chopped fibre based feed that can be soaked and fed in a bucket.

Make feeds easier to eat for horses with poor dental condition by soaking it to make it into a gruel-like consistency.

Nutrition

Horses that are prone to weight loss over winter due to lacking nutritional requirements rather than because there are veterinary issues can supplement their horses diet by using the correct feed.

Fibre should be the basis of any horse's diet. He should be eating regularly and mimicking natural grazing habits to keep his digestive system going. They should have at least 1.5% of its body weight as fibre.

Slow release energy with the condition can be found by adding oils to his diet instead of sugars (which are especially bad for lamanitic horses and ponies). It should be a pure oil such as sunflower or corn. Oils contain the essential fatty acids horses need to get from their diet. Oils have three times the amount of calories as carbohydrate and as it is easily digested and absorbed it is ideal for aiding weight gain.

Vitamins and minerals can be supplemented using a general purpose supplement. This will make up for any vitamins and minerals that are lacking in the grass at that time of year.

Making sure he doesn't get too much starch and sugar will ensure that his glycemic index stays low and holds off insulin resistance, it will also make him more handleable if exercising is difficult during harsher weather.

Keeping Cosy

Rugging up your horse when it is cold will reduce the amount of energy needed to keep him warm. He should not be over rugged as this is just as bad as him being too cold. Layering thinner rugs will also ease weight off his spine that a heavyweight rug would put on.

Don't presume that an older horse will suddenly drop weight as soon as winter hits. Keep an eye on him with regular condition scoring and even use a weigh tape to gauge any weight loss or gain

My cob is a nightmare to lead! How can I stop him pulling away from me when he is in a headcollar?

Cobs have thick set, strong necks and I bet that he has a strong set of shoulders as well. This strength is fantastic, but needs channelling in the right way as when he uses his strength against you, like you say he does when he is in a headcollar, it can become dangerous. If your horse wants to go somewhere, the likelihood is that he is going to go there and you will struggle to maintain control.

So what can you do?...

Different tack and equipment is not a sure fire quick fix or cure. To start with the new gadgets will seem like they have done what you wanted, but it is the combination of tack and training. You need to lay the ground work for good communication between you and your horse.

Using a rope halter and long rope is a good way to start the training. It should have no moving parts and should fit comfortably on the horse. These rope halters have small pressure points on the horses face that are there to make him listen rather than allow him to fix against you hand run forwards. If you feel more confident put a bridle underneath the introduce the halter. Gradually wean it off and stick with the halter and long rope.

Start by keeping his attention when you lead him. Turn his head towards you as a flexion, don't pull or tug as you will be trying to pull around a horse that is a lot stronger and wont appreciate being yanked about. Put your elbow to his shoulder and should he try and and head off, change direction.

Keep him interested doing some halts and make sure when he is good he gets lots of praise. This could be vocal and pats (try not to rely on tit-bits as he'll soon become a pocket-raider)

Once he gets the hang of it he will become softer on the rope and more yielding he will become in his neck.

Make sure you practice these techniques in an enclosed space so that should he get loose, you can catch him again and repeat the training until he gets it.

Good luck!

I'm looking for a way to transport my horse what are the legalities in terms of license?

Pre-1997 license

· Can drive a fix-axle vehicle fully laden (horse, fuel, tack, hay, water, passengers etc.) weighing up to 7.5tonnes.

· Can pull a trailer as long as the laden weight of vehicle and trailer do not exceed 8.2 tonnes.

· Require an additional test to drive HGV vehicles.

After 1997

· Can drive a fixed-axle vehicle fully laden (horse, tack, fuel, hay, water, passengers etc.) weighing up to 3.5tonnes from the age of 17.

· A category C test must be taken in order to drive anything 3.5tonnes -7.5tonnes and must be over the age of 21 to take this test.

· A driver can tow up to a 750KG laden trailer as long as the overall vehicle/trailer combination doesn't exceed 3.5tonnes.

· Need to take an extra test (B+E) in order to tow a larger trailer or where the overall vehicle/trailer combination exceeds 3.5tonnes. With this B+E license, a trailer and car fully laden can then be pulled as long as it does not exceed 8.25tonnes. You must be over the age of 21 to take this test.

· HGV’s need an additional test and drivers must be over 21 years of age.

Vehicle regulations

For towing a horse and trailer

The standard category for a 4x4 and 2 horse trailer would fall in the B+E category. This means the vehicle would have a laden weight of no more than 3.5tonnes. The laden trailer must weigh no more than the vehicle towing. For example the laden weight (maximal authorized mass-or MAM) for an Ifor Williams HB506 is 1.6tonnes. This means the trailer weight and horse/s hay etc in the trailer must not exceed this mass. The vehicle towing should, therefore have a greater weight than the laden trailer.

Top Tips for Towing Information

Engine size and vehicle mass is vital for towing, speak to your car dealership for individual vehicle specifications and towing capacity.

Check your trailer weight (unladen weight) and your horse’s weight (using a public DoT weigh bridge) the combined weight must not exceed 3.5tonne (on standard license) or the gross weight of the trailer (Manufacturers’ will have the gross weight for each make of trailer) or the mass of the weight of the car.

If you unsure take your vehicle, trailer and horse with everything included for a show day (tack, full tank of fuel, water, passengers etc.) to a public weigh bridge. If any weights are in excess of rules and regulation and you are pulled by VOSA you will not be able to continue your journey. Remember these rules and regulations are designed to keep you and everyone else safe.