The Tell-Tale Smell: What Scent Can Tell You Around Horses

If you've been around horses long enough, you might have realized already that your sense of smell can play an important role in proper horsekeeping. Knowing what smells can indicate and what your horse "normally" smells like can give you early indicators of changes in his or her health.

Food Smells:

• Smelling hay for mold can detect "on the fence" hay that doesn't look obviously moldy but maybe isn't the best hay to feed.



• Smell grain to see if it's sour or musty (it's hard to get a sense for this until you compare bad grain with fresh grain)

Horse's Breath:

• Take a good whiff of you horse's breath to give yourself a baseline of what he or she smells like. If it suddenly changes - it could indicate a digestion or tooth problem: infections (like a tooth abscess) smell like rotten eggs while ulcers or upset stomachs can smell sour, like bad wine.

Urine/Manure Smells:

• The potency of urine smells can range from faint to knock-you-back with ammonia and changes in the strength of smell are normal based on diet. Changes in pasture (weed growth) are the most common contributors to changes in urine smell.



• With manure odor, it's best to know what is "normal" for your horse. A horse that eats a higher protein diet may have a more "meaty" smell (think dog poo) and a horse with higher carbs may give off a more sour odor. It's normal for each horses manure to smell different - horses can actually identify each other by catching whiff from a pile.
  

Hoof Smells:

• Most horsepeople have had a good whiff of the thrush smell - a combination of rotten eggs, sewage and bacterial infection. Thrushbuster will probably do the trick, but if the thrush is deep in the crevices, you may benefit from having the blacksmith gently clean out the cleft and open the heels to make sure you can get your hoofpick along the entire length of the frog.
  


• Hoof abscesses can also smell - a foul, rotten-flesh smell - once they open and drain. If your horse has a hoof abscess, make sure he is current on his tetanus vaccine. Your veterinarian may need to prescribe antibiotics depending on the severity of the abscess.
  

Image courtesy of www.nps.gov

Preventing Barn Fires

There is a good article on fire prevention in the May issue of Dressage Today (article by Sally Silverman). Here are the highlights with a few notes from the Good HorsePerson:

Recommended language on a fire safety sign:

• No Smoking


• No Trash Burning


• No Parking within 15 feet of the barn (including blacksmiths).

Numbers one and two are a given, but as far as farrier parking, if you barn doesn't boast a separate shoeing shed, it could be tricky to ask your farrier to park this distance away - a good farrier may make many trips to the anvil to adjust shoes for each horse, and especially if your cross ties are not right on the end of the aisle, your risk of a cranky farrier might be worse than the risk of barn fire!

Tools for Fire Prevention:

• Early detection systems (smoke detectors)


• Sprinkler system (cha-ching!)


• Fire Extinguishers


• Keep hoses attached to water source


• Have access to an alternative water source like a pond (where no hydrants are available)


• Have halters hanging at each stall

These are all excellent points. Be sure to treat ponds and standing water for mosquitos to reduce the transmission of disease (and the high annoyance factor).

Organize Stored Materials to Reduce Risk:

• Store hay and bedding as far as possible from the horses or in a separate building (listen for the sounds of you barn staff groaning) and only stack dry hay.


• Store chemicals and fuel away from the barn.


• Keep the barn dust down.

An often overlooked note for this time of year is the dust that collects in and around barn fans. Clean the fans before turning them on in late spring!

Have an Escape Plan:

• Call 911 if you see smoke or fire.


• Make sure there are two exit points in each banr.


• Designate a meeting place away from barns for head-counting.


• Post the exit plan at each barn door with the address of the facility.

Click here to subscribe to Dressage Today. Have a happy and safe Spring!

photo courtesy of the Cape Cod Fire Department

An Up Close Look at Big Brown, Now Sponsored by UPS

The GoodHorseperson's Pick to win the Kentucky Derby arrived at Churchill Downs the day before yesterday - click the video above to get an up-close peek at Big Brown! He looks healthy, fit and happy - a gorgeous horse! Yesterday, UPS announced it would sponsor the aptly named Big Brown - jockey Kent Desormeaux will wear brown pants with the UPS logo.

The Derby will only be Big Brown's fourth career start - we hope he will remain undefeated and that his win will encourage the kind of purposeful and careful training we have seen his trainer, Rick Dutrow, have so much success with.

Television coverage of the Derby starts at 5pm on Sunday, May 3rd on NBC. The post time for the race is 6:04pm. You might also consider Kentucky Derby online betting as an easy alternative to the travel and the crowds.

UPDATE!

Congrats to Big Brown and all his People for Winning the Derby!

Watch the Rolex Three-Day Event on NBC on May 4th!

On Sunday, May 4th at 5pm Eastern Time NBC will broadcast a one-hour special of the Rolex Four-Star Event held at the Kentucky Horse Park last weekend. This year, the Rolex was a qualifying event for the 2008 Olympics.

We won't describe the action here, in case you don't want a spoiler, but if you do, check out full coverage at Horses Daily.

According to a press release on the official Event website, the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event is expected to attract an attendance of 95,000. Highlights from the event will be aired on U.S. national television NBC Sports on May 4 to some 1.2 million households in the United States.

This is great opportunity to support equestrian sports and encourage more national television networks to fork over more airtime for our pursuit - so please, tune in!

Why Every Horse Needs to be a Sales Horse

Many horse owners intend to keep their horse "forever." This is a wonderful intention, and I personally love to sell my horses to "forever" homes. But what happens when those plans go awry? They can and certainly do all the time: financial stress, a divorce, a move out of the country, sickness, or the death of the horse owner can leave the "forever horse" out of luck with no place to call home. The grieving family members (often of the "non-horseperson" variety) are left wondering what to do with this big, expensive, time-consuming animal.

Having a back-up plan for your horse is essential in the events of a catastrophe described above, but there is more you can do to ensure the best possible life for your horse: take time to place yourself into a prospective new owner's shoes. How can you make your horse more desirable to the kind of the owner you would like to see him go to if you couldn't take care of him anymore? You need to consider him or her as sales prospect. Here's a few tips for making the most of your horses value:

1) Keep a neatly organized binder with all your horses information, health cards, registries, show records, etc... in one place in the house and let the people close to you know about it and where to find it.

2) Do some quick and dirty research on the state of the horse market and draw some comparables (horses currently for sale that are close in age, height, breed, ability, health and experience to your horse). Try http://www.dreamhorse.com/, http://www.warmbloods-for-sale.com/, http://www.equinenow.com/ or similar websites. At least once a year, print some comparables and stick them in the binder.

3) Brainstorm about your horses best qualities and how you can showcase these in way that can be documented. If your horse is already showing regularly, you've got the show record. But even if you and your horse aren't the competitive type, think about doing something at least once a year that demonstrates to potential buyers that your horse was healthy, sane and happy. "He went, he did, he was good." Your horse will be more well-rounded and versatile if he gets off the farm every now and then. Competitive Trail Rides, clinics, small schooling shows in the discipline of your choice - any of these activities are great for documenting value.

4) Take a video or some pictures of your horse at least once a year. It doesn't have to be perfect, but it should showcase the horses best abilities and be shot in a pleasant, well-lit location. A good stand-by location is a well-kept, green pasture with an uncluttered background on a sunny day with the photographer's back to the sun. Put the best picture(s) in the binder.

5) Keep up with the "little" things: mane-pulling (if it suits the breed), curry regularly for a shiny coat, trim up the fetlocks and keep the tail moisturized to encourage growth and keep breakage to a minimum. For geldings, regular sheath-cleaning is an often over-looked part of the grooming routine.

6) X-Rays: Depending on your horse's worth, you might consider getting a standard set of X-rays (3-view for lower legs and hooves, and hocks) every few years. With the digital machines, the vet can give you a disk or email you a file of the X-rays to keep on hand. In addition to tracking the health of the joints, you can see ahead of time if a blemish on the X-rays will affect your horses value in the event of a sale. X-ray interpretation is not a cut-and-dry thing, so always consider a second or third opinion in the case of a "doom-and-gloom" reading. Regular X-rays can also be helpful for your farrier.

7) Manners: Try to make sure your horse has the basic qualities of a "Good Citizen" or work to improve them. Ideally, he should respect the space of humans, tie, clip, load, cross tie quietly for grooming, tacking, a bath or the farrier, ride outdoors or in, hack out alone or with a group, and be able to be ridden safely in new environments (such as a show). Any behavioral or stable vices will reduce value!

Some portions of the above probably seem obvious, some are! But it's an important reminder not to take your horse for granted, since doing so will certainly make him seem less desirable if you or an unsuspecting family member suddenly has to find him a new home.

Good HorsePersons Picks for the 134th Kentucky Derby

Calling all Good HorsePeople! Now is the time to bone up on your racing repertoire...the Derby is less than a month away!

Every year, the Kentucky Derby (a racing tradition since 1875) attracts a crowd more than 150,000 strong to watch the Thoroughbreds battle it out on the track...millions more tune in on their television sets and computer screens. That's millions of people watching and admiring horses; many people who may never have actually patted a horse on a neck. What this means, for all of us HorsePeople, is that we are presented a unique opportunity to talk, talk, talk about our favorite animal and the respect that they deserve. This year, when you talk about the favorites and the odds, remember to talk about what can happen to these beautiful horses AFTER their racing career has ended. Bring attention to the cause that organizations like CANTER (Communication for the Alliance to Network Thoroughbred Ex-Racers) are working so hard to further. Talk about how retrained racehorses make amazing and easy-going pleasure riding mounts, sport horses and companion horses. Show pictures of your off-the-track-thoroughbred or find one on CANTER's Horse Listings. Tell people to look you up on Facebook and check out your Horsebook! Or send them here to see pictures of Grande Finale, Parker's Way and Star Style on the sidebar - all three are retired racehorses.

Here's the Good HorsePerson's Picks for the Derby so far:
1) Big Brown: this gorgeous light bay colt by Boundary (Northern Dancer lines) has only raced three times! And all three times, he won with grace and good form. We admire the way this colt has been carefully and steadily brought back from problem quarter cracks last year. And we really admire BB's current trainer, Rick Dutrow, and his strategy of using work-outs instead of races to prepare for the Derby. Not only is it kinder for the horse (and so, a good example for the entire racing community) it's also the strategy Michael Matz used to prepare Barbaro when he won the Derby two years ago.

2) Pyro: Since two good showings in the Risen Star and the Louisiana Derby, this dark bay grandson of A.P. Indy has topped favorite lists around the web.

3) War Pass: On the opposite end of the earnings spectrum than Big Brown (over 1.5 million), this grandson of Mr. Prospector was on the way to Derby undefeated before coming in last in the Tampa Bay Derby (he had won the six previous races). But the colt redeemed himself by fighting hard on Saturday, when he finished second in the Wood Memorial, even with three staples in his chin from a accidental cut he got while traveling the Thursday before. His trainer, Nick Zito, reports that he is proud of the effort.

Online betting and detailed coverage on the history, opinions and picks for the 2008 Kentucky Derby is available online at a reputable racebook.

A Death in the Family: What to do When A Horse Passes Away

Recently the Good HorsePerson received an email asking advice for helping a good friend mourn the loss of her long-time equine companion. While everyone grieves differently, here are a few thoughts about managing the death of an equine partner:

Since it's usually fairly difficult to arrange for a burial site for a horse, it may be appropriate to come up with other mementos to honor the memory and the partnership between horse and owner. You might consider saving a lock of mane or tail to create a piece of memorial jewelry or shadowboxing a pair of the horse's shoes.

Sometimes equine-specific sympathy cards can be found at local tack shops, but if not, Hoofprints.com has a selection of well-written cards to choose from. At the Hoofbeats In Heaven website, you can create a memorial webpage with photos to celebrate the story of horse and rider.

Washington State University offers some tips on how to support grieving pet owners.

Finally, here is a link to a Yahoo Group specifically for those people who are grieving the loss of their horse.

If you've come up with a unique horse memorial idea or have found another web resource, please leave a comment here to share with us all!