Strategies for Preventing Founder

The coming spring will bring lush new grass, wild temperature fluctuations and other stresses to our horse's sensitive systems. Besides colic, the most prevalent and dangerous affliction I usually see around this time of year is laminitis or founder.

The terms "founder" and "laminitis" refer to the same basic condition, when restricted blood flow to the laminae structures (that which holds the coffin bone to the hoof wall) causes the laminae to weaken, and the coffin bone to shift downward, away from the wall. The more the coffin bone shifts, the more the condition worsens. Shifting of the coffin bone causes heat, soreness, lameness and permanent changes in the horse's gait. Corrective shoeing can help a horse with chronic pain. Generally, laminitis usually refers to a singular, acute condition, while founder describes the chronic, recurring condition.

A horse that founders tends to be prone to do so again, therefore, prevention is the best medicine.

On April 21, 2009 The University of Michigan is hosting a free one hour webinar called "Countermeasures for Equine Laminitis.” Dr. Bridgett McIntosh from the University of Tennessee will host the session, which will discuss strategies to prevent laminitis based on the most current scientific research.

Click Here to register for the Laminitis Webinar.

The Origins of the Posting Trot

The beauty and efficiency of the posting trot is easily appreciated by all types of English style riders. But many riders and trainers - including myself - will have difficulty telling you exactly how posting became such a staple of riding or how the term "posting" came to represent the standing and sitting motion of a rider on horseback.

A postillion or post-boy is a term used to describe a rider mounted on a carriage horse, aiding the coachman (seated in the vehicle) in the control of the team. Occasionally, the postillion rider would control the entire team, eliminating the need for a coachman. When travel by carriage was at the height of popularity - the late 1700's to the mid 1800's - horse drawn carriages traveled from post to post, exchanging horses and post-boys for fresh ones at each stop as needed. Sitting the trot while covering all that ground in between posts exhausted the postillions backsides and the backs of their mounts. Somewhere along the line, a postillion figured out that rising out of the saddle in rhythm to the horse's trot saved much effort and soreness. I haven't been able to find any specific information on exactly which individual or group of post-boys started posting first, other than a vague nod toward the postillions who served the English royal family.

Posting Diagonals first became necessary for posting the trot in the repetitive format of the riding arena as opposed to long, straight distances such as roads and fields. Rising and sitting according to the forward movement of the inside hind leg/outside front leg helps rider balance the horse in the corners and turns. Changing the posting diagonal when changing direction ensures the rider will be posting on either diagonal pair of legs equally(assuming the rider rides an equal amount of time in both directions).

My references for this casual blurb:

Wikipedia

Fundamentals of Riding by Gregor de Romaszkan, Doubleday, 1964
Drill Regulations for Signal Troops, The US War Department, 1917

Treating a Hoof Abscess

I've received two emails asking for....

A Simple Guide to Treating a Sole Abscess:

If you are waiting for a sole abscess to resolve itself your vet or farrier has probably already removed the shoe. I don't reccomend soaking the hoof unless the shoe is removed and the horse is on stall rest. Soaking softens the hoof structure, which could lead to bruising or a lost shoe.

1) Get out everything you need within arm's reach of your horse: Bucket, epsom salts, rag, duct tape cut into 6" strips, hoof sized square of cotton batting or a disposable diaper, vetrap, ichthamol dressing, latex glove, scissors

2) Dissolve epsom salts in enough warm water to cover the top of the hoof. Remove any debris on the hoof. Soak hoof in bucket for 10 minutes.

3) Remove hoof and dry thoroughly with rag. Do not let hoof touch the ground so it stays clean. Work fast so that he doesn't get tired of holding the hoof up. Using latex glove, apply a thin layer of ichthamol dressing to the sole of the hoof and place the square of cotton batting over the sole.

4) Wrap the hoof with an entire roll of vetrap, starting at the heel and wrapping in even spaces all the way down around the toe, back to the heel and down again until you run out. Vetrap is really stretchy - don't pull too tight as you wrap. The end of the vetrap sticks to itself. Apply the strips of duct tape starting at the toe until the bottom of the hoof is covered. Then he can put the hoof down. Put two more strips of tape at the toe and just above the toe to form a "boot" of sorts that he won't wear through with his hoof. If he can walk reasonably well, take him out for a few minutes of hand grazing near the barn. If you walk too far, you will wear out the boot! Don't forget to pick his other feet and use Thrushbuster or another thrush remedy as needed since your horse will be cooped up in the stall for the next few days.

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!