The weight of a horse can be a tricky thing.  Some like their horses lean and others like them plump.  Now there is a major difference between racing fit and lean (skinny), and round as opposed to overweight.  I personally like “apple rumps, but they can still be on a racing fit horse if it’s a Quarter Horse.

A new horse comes into the barn and it’s not the weight I would like to see.  If it’s upright and breathing I can usually put weight on it, if it’s under 30 years of age and has no major health issues.  If we’re dealing with health issues (like ulcers) we straighten them out first and then proceed with the weight. A horse can’t gain weight if the nutrients aren’t being absorbed.  Now their bodies are very similar to ours when it comes to the age thing.  I don’t weigh much more than I did at 40, it’s just distributed a little different.  The muscle loss with age really upsets me.  I’m still active, but the muscle is just disappearing.  It’s the same way with a horse.  Is it lack of weight or lack of muscle?

There are many things to take into consideration when evaluating the horses body condition, and how to put weight on.  It’s not just about pumping more food into them.  First thing you have to consider is why is this horse underweight.  If its lack of food, that’s easy.  Time and some groceries will do wonders.  But remember, a horse that is starving is going to have less energy.  Start pumping the groceries in and you may find that when he’s feeling better, you may have a different horse on your hands.

There are so many possibilities, you best bet is to consult your vet, if food is not the answer.

So here are few things you may want to consider.

• (If it’s a new horse).  What was he getting before you got him and how much?  Was it good quality feed and hay?  Was he getting enough for the work he was doing?  Was it the right feed for his life style?
• What was the environment like where he is getting fed?  Is it a feeding frenzy?   Are there other horses stealing his food, and was he stressing?  Is he spilling it on the ground, with the full quantity  never reaching his stomach?
• Is his worming up to date, and is he being wormed with the product that is really needed to rid him of the particular worms that he has?  Are the products being rotated according to your vets recommendation?
• Is there enough fresh water being offered?
• Have his teeth been done and are they done right?  I know a lot of people who have had their horses teeth done and whoever did them did not get all the way back.  Is his jaw out of alignment?
• Is his body absorbing the nutrients he is getting?  If not, why?
• Does he worry and internalize it?  Does he have ulcers.  Why?
• Is he in pain?
• Is it really lack of weight or is it lack of muscle?  (could it be EPM)
• Is it a disease that isn’t obvious, or tumor, or cancer

Some horses. and especially some breeds, have different body types.  A Clydesdale and an Arab are not going to have the same body shape, but each one can be overweight or underweight, you just have to know what is right for that particular horse.  A young horse and an old horse are going to have different body shapes too.

If your horse has fat pockets, chances are he’s overweight.  If you can count his ribs, it’s a good possibility that he’s under weight.  Although I had a mare who you could always see her ribs and she also had fat pockets, big hay belly, and an apple rump.

Easy keepers aren’t always just that, sometimes they have Cushings Disease.  Best to double-check with your vet, or other health issues.

There are many products on the market, make sure you pick the right one.  Don’t give you horse ingredients he doesn’t need.  There are certain vitamins that you can overdose on.

If you’ve done your best and it’s still not working you may want to consider running bloods on him. double checking his teeth, and run a fecal.  Your vet is the one you should consult about what to do next.  They will observe his body condition,  the surrounding conditions, his life style and work schedule, his breed and personality type, your feeding schedule, habits, and nutrition.

For the other chunky couch potatoes, try a little exercise and a controlled diet.  Grazing muzzles work really well.  This way they can be turned out with their friends but you’re still limiting the amount of grass they are getting.  Put it on his head and feed him carrots through the bottom hole.  They stand there for a while and looked confused, but they learn quick enough.

Too much or too little of anything is not good for us or them.

Now that’s really showing my age, the old Abbott and Costello routine.  It still amazes me when I hear it.  But truly, who’s on first between you and your horse?

When we were hunting up north, we’d come in totally frozen.  All we wanted to do was to get into some place warm and get something hot to drink in our bodies.  When we come in, down here in Florida, we’re all normally overheated.  You want something cool to drink, and to take off as many pieces of clothing that is legally possible.  But before we did anything for ourselves, our horses would be totally taken care of.

Who comes first in your partnership?  Your horse of course.  Before your own comforts your horse should always come first.  He/she has served you well and their needs should come above your own.  They can’t take care of their own needs, so it all depends on the caregiver, you.  Of course here in Florida, I always recommend removing your helmet to let the heat out and to drink some water first or you will pass out, and be of no use to your horse.

Up north, in the winter, we’d take the saddle off and put a blanket over their backs to keep their kidneys warm, check legs, liniment and wrap if needed.  In the heat we take the saddle off and get some cool water on their bodies, as soon as possible, to bring down their body temperature (don’t forget to scrape the excess water off, or it becomes a hot bath instead).  In either case, when their body temperature, pulse, and respiration return to normal, offer water, some hay, or pasture.  Make sure all their needs are met before your own.

Now it doesn’t matter if you were hunting, showing, or just trail riding.  Once all your horses needs have been taken care of, go in and take care of your own.  You will both be more comfortable knowing that all is well.

Take care of your horse first, and your horse will take care of you.

There is an old saying –

For the want of a nail, a shoe was lost.

For the want of a shoe, the horse was lost.

For the want of a horse, a soldier was lost.

For the want of a soldier, the battle was lost.

For the want of a battle, the war was lost.

For the want of a war, the country was lost.

All because of a dumb old nail.  Does this tell you how important a horses feet can be?  If we have sore feet we can just sit down and put our feet up.  They can’t.  A horse off his feet for too long can compromise his internal organs and various systems.  They have to carry their weight, and shifting or carrying more weight on one side can cause problems in their joints and skeletal system.

Their feet are at the mercy of the footing they have to stand on, and more than that, the care the feet are given.  Most of the country has just come through the seasons of snow, ice, and mud.  Here in Florida we are coming into our rainy season with a lot of dew in the mornings and rainy afternoons, add heat and moisture, and you have conditions that are not good for feet.  With hot and cold, wet and dry, you have expansion, contraction, fungus, and bacteria.

Pay attention to their feet.  It’s easier to prevent than cure.  Yes it may take a couple of extra minutes to clean their feet out each time, and possibly treat for prevention, but it takes a whole lot longer to medicate and cure, and not be able to use a horse that’s in pain.

Consult your vet or farrier for the best treatment for your particular ground conditions and your special horses feet.

Healthy Feet are Happy Feet.

Well it’s summer.  Beautiful, warm breezes, long summer days, fun at the beach or mountains, just hanging out with your friends.  No more winter hair, blankets, frozen buckets, trying to keep warm as you chop the frozen manure, Ah Summer.  We’ve moved from the seasons of ice and snow, through the season of mud, into the season of bugs and sweat.  Horse people see the seasons of the year a little different from non-horse people.

As you’re sitting there enjoying a beer, frozen daiquiri, pina colada, sweet tea (southern thing) or soda (pop), don’t forget your four-legged party goer.

A horses body is made of  60-70% water, and it depletes fast in the summer.  Make sure that they have plenty of CLEAN water.  Yes a horse will drink anything to stay alive, but they will drink more if the water is clean.  The more the better.  It keeps the internal organs functioning properly, it keeps the food stuffs moving through the digestive system more smoothly, and it keeps their overall condition in better shape.

Monitor how much your horse is drinking in the stall.  In the pasture it is harder, especially if you have automatic waters.  If you are in doubt if he is properly hydrated pinch (pull) the skin on his neck.  If he’s hydrated it will go right back into place, if he’s not, it will stay puckered up.  The longer it takes the more dehydrated he is.  Make sure he has salt to replenish what he loses in sweating.  Make sure he is sweating.  If a horse stops sweating you’ve got big problems.  This will cause over heating.  I don’t recommend products.  There may be many good products on the market.  I know people who have had success with 1-AC.  I’ve had acupuncture done on my horses and put them on potassium chloride (1/2 teaspoon) which I’ve purchased at Lowes.  My vet recommended it years ago.  It comes in rock form and you pound it with a hammer until it’s like salt crystals. It’s used in water filtration systems.  I’ve always had success with both acupuncture and potassium chloride.  This is where the old saying “Go pound salt” must come from.  Hate the job, love the outcome.  I also put a teaspoon of MoorMan’s Minerals in their food in the morning.

Remember that when the level of humidity is higher than the air temperature a horse cannot cool itself.  If you decide to hose him down, remember to scrape the excess water off.  If you leave cool water on a hot horse the horses body temperature will heat the water and then you have hot water on a hot horse.  If you scrape the water off and just leave a wet horse the breeze will blow across the horse’s skin and cool it.

A very wise horseman years ago told me if you won’t drink it, don’t expect your horse to drink it.

Bottoms Up!

One of my favorite songs from the 50’s, one of my favorite things to do.

But of course, if you have horses at home, getting away and worrying about them does take away some of the fun.

Did you ever wonder what would happen to your animals if you were seriously hurt, unconscious, or dead?

So what can we do to help the person being left in charge?  Here are a few things that I do to help whoever may walk into my barn.

I have a dry erase board in my feed room.  On it is a diagram of the stalls.  Each horses name is on the stall itself, and on the location of the stall on the board.  In each box of the stall I list what the horse gets at the a.m. and p.m. feeding.  This includes the amount of grain, supplements, and how much, and what type of hay.  On the bottom of the board is a list of any special medication and times of the day they are given.  I also put the date that the board has been updated.  I do all of this for the dogs and cats also.

Right next to that I have a dry erase calendar on which I have when the vet and farrier are due.  Along side of that is a list of when shots, worming, Coggins, and teeth were done and are due.

I have a different color bucket for each horse with their name on it.  So the right horse gets the right amount of grain and supplements.

On a clip board is the name of each horse and under the name, a description of each horse.  I include their likes, dislikes, personality traits, anything that may be unusual (spends a lot of time laying down working on their tan), pecking order, and where each one is fed in the field and in what order.  Always acknowledge the pecking order of the herd or you can cause a dispute.

By the phone I have my cell phone number, a list of the neighbors who know my animals, with their phone numbers, and of course the vet.  If the person taking care of your animals is not a neighbor, it’s wise to leave your address, the main road, and cross roads too.  In case of emergency the operator will ask you for this information.  Of course with all the modern technology GPS will find you, or not.  My GPS tells you that I live in my neighbors pasture and sends you down roads that have locked gates.

I let them know where my emergency supplies are, and where I keep my meds.

My one neighbors has birds, large, small, many.  She has a loose leaf.  For each bird she has a picture, the breed, the age, the name, and what they get.

These are just some thoughts to help the person caring for your animals, so that you don’t have to worry as much.  It doesn’t mean they will necessarily show up, but you’ve done your best.

Psst.  Have a neighbor keep an eye to make sure someone does show up.  Once I got an oops I forgot from the boy supposedly taking care of my animals over a weekend.  No big deal.  My horses are out on pasture with floats in the water to keep it coming.  The dogs however where angry.  They had a bucket of water, but no food.  It was only dinner and breakfast overnight.  They lived.  His family had horses, but he forgot mine.

Also tell the person when you are leaving and when you will be back.  Tell them to keep feeding until you call them to say that you are home.  You may tell them you’ll be back Sunday night and get in a car accident and not make it.  My one neighbor said she’d be back a week from Sunday night.  The person taking care of them put them in their stalls that Sunday morning and assumed my neighbor would be home that night.  She did not hear a week from Sunday night.  Those horses stood in their stalls for a week without food and water, and remember this is Florida in the summer.  They really didn’t think the horses would make it.  A lot of IV fluids and prayer.  They made it, but it could happen to you too.  Be clear and specific.

So now that I’ve told you all these horror stories, and the best ways to handle it – have a great vacation, and try not to worry.  Rest in the fact that you’ve done the best you could.

I was sitting with my friend Louise after my golf lesson today.  Golf is something I’m taking up, but as with most golfers, the question is why?

I met Louise originally by chance at the supermarket.  She had a jacket on that had a Carousel Horse on the back and it had Carousel Farm printed across it.  Of course when you see the name of your farm on someone else’s jacket you do stop and chat.  She had a farm before retiring, and that was the name of their farm.  About a year later she was introduced to me at the golf course.  I looked at her and said “I know you!” and explained where we had me.  We’ve seen each other off and on at the golf course for a while, she lives in the community there.  She missed her horses, we told her to stop by, but for the longest time she didn’t.  Then she shows up a couple of weeks ago and gave me and Bob her and her husbands jackets, with tears in her eyes.  What a wonderfully kind thing to do.  I invited her riding, and she came.  Imagine that.  After she visited with the jackets her husband told mine how much he hates him, and that he thought they were done with horses.  Silly man.

We may think we reach a point where we don’t want the heartache of losing another one, or we’re too old to be doing this anymore.  But once they are in our blood, are we really ever done with horses?  They may get smaller, or quieter, or older, but they have a mane, tail, and vet bills, yup they’re horses.

Back to my beginning thought.

We were sitting talking about the horses that have touched our lives, the experiences they have given us, when she started talking about being at a show and having the horse outside of her trailer colic.  She got a hold of the trainer, told him, and he came running over.  She said she had Banamine and that he was welcomed to use it.  He gave this horse (a 1,300 lb. horse) 40 cc.  Oh my gosh, she thought he was going to kill this animal with that dose.  They threw him in the trailer and ran him up to a veterinarian clinic.  P.S. the horse did live.  Then she told me that when she was interviewing someone to care for her horse she asked him – “If my horse coliced, how much Banamine would you give him?”  That stuck in my head like flashing neon lights.  What a wonderful question.  Hours later that question is still bouncing around in my head.  Oh there has to be a post in this, and here it is.

I know once when I was going to be taking care of my neighbors horses while she was away she asked to see me wrap a leg.  I thought well that’s odd, but okay.

Yes we all can have the vets number posted, but truly, does the person we are leaving in charge of our animals know simple emergency care to give while they are waiting for the vet?  Do they know the signs to look for?  How well do they know what’s normal for your horse.

I really like “If my horse was colicing how much Banamine would you give him”, but what question would you ask that would make you feel comfortable?

Give it some thought, it could save your horse’s life.

In Florida Spring Is Here, and with 90 degree temps it’s pushing Summer, but in most parts of the country, Spring is long over due, and a very welcomed sight this year.

I grew up in the northeast and my family and friends still live up there, so I know what’s going on; that’s why I live here.  Frozen buckets, frozen hoses, and frozen poop, been there, seen that, done that, got the T-shirt, wrote the book, and I am sooooooo done with it all.  It’s a different way of horse keeping in Florida, but after 40 years of frozen toes and fingers, I’ll take living in paradise.  There is nothing like going out Fox Hunting in Florida.
You go out early in the morning when the temps are at 40 degrees, and then you come home at noon and bathe your horse in 70 degree temps.  I used to wash my horses white socks and tail up north first thing in the morning to go hunting, and when they got off the trailer at the hunt their tails would be all frosty and stiff as a board, the word is frozen.

This isn’t an ad to live in Florida, although it’s a thought, but a few things to consider on Spring horse keeping, no matter where you live.

Let’s have a look.  Ahhhh the wonders of spring.  The first signs are that they start gently losing hair.  Then it comes out in clumps.  It’s in your eyes, your nose and your mouth.  But it gives you great satisfaction to shed all that hair out, and find that you still have a horse underneath.

Don’t forget that you’ve all been in hibernation for quite a few months, so start back to riding slowly, you are both going to hurt.

The rest of this is just to give you something to think about.

The economy is bad, real bad.  Gas and grocery prices are climbing steadily.  So is grain and hay.  Our horse expenses are off the wall.  So we’re all looking to cut corners as best we can, but where and how.

Many owners that I’ve spoken with are cutting back in many areas of horse care. Some are rethinking what they are feeding.  There are many wonderful products on the market today that promise all kinds of results.  supplements abound.  But does our particular horse need what we are putting in him?  We are told we need to worm them with this or that, but what does our horses environment require.  There are so many shots out there, are we overloading our horses, or are we paranoid?  Treats for our horses come in all different shapes, sizes and colors.  Really?  Do we really have to have their teeth checked and/or done?

We all want the best for our horses.  We all want to give them whatever they really need.  But let’s be realistic.  How do we use the money we’ve put aside for their needs wisely.

Let’s look at what’s needed and what isn’t?  Well there have been wonderful articles in Equus on how to evaluate your horses fat and body condition.  This is something you can easily do.  Or you can bring in a specialist.  Look no further than your vet.  He/she knows the environment your horse lives in, and knows what your horses needs are.  With just a little bit of input from you, they can determine the best products, supplements, and medications for your horse.  You know the term “overkill”  a lot of us do just that.

• Most people over feed their horses, not necessarily in the amount they are given, but protein, fat, and supplement levels.  If your horse doesn’t need it, why are you paying the extra money for that feed.
• Supplements – Have you done research?  Is your horse lacking something in his diet that may need to be supplemented?  Do you know that you can overdose a horse on vitamins?
• Shots – Find out what is needed, and how often for the area that you live and ride in.  If you are planning to haul to another state, find out what they are going to need for your destination.
• Wormer –  Very few people pay attention to what their horse really needs.  “Oh I just give them Ivermectin across the board.  It covers everything and it’s cheap.”  Did you know that worms become resistant to wormer after a time.  Different conditions require different wormers.  Rotating wormers are a good plan, but what wormer when?  Your vet will be able to tell you what you horse may need given your location and what wormer is best for each season.  You may think that your horse is fat and healthy, but I’ve seen the insides of a fat Quarter Horse who had so much scare tissue in his intestines that it caused a blockage and he had to be put down.  We don’t always know how the person before us took care of our horses needs.
• Teeth – If your horses teeth are in need of attention, he won’t be able to chew his food properly.  If he doesn’t chew well then he won’t digest well.  If he doesn’t get the nutrients from his food, your money has just passed through the horses digestive system and out the other side.
• Treats – This one is a very simple.  Yes it’s nice to give our horses those cute little horse treats.  Do you really think they notice that you paid big bucks for the snacks they get?  If you want to save a little cash, carrots or alfalfa cubes work just as well.  I was at a specialty dog shop a few weeks back, and they had these delicious looking dog cookies that were very pricey.  They appealed to me so much that I would have like to try one myself, and that’s what they bank on.  Now if you had one of those cute little dog treats or a hot dog, which do you think your dog would grab first?  Even if your horse would like an apple treat better than a carrot, you could probably save some money on treats to get him the shots he really needs to stay alive.

I say this because I know a lot of people who are not planning on giving their horses the shots they need, because they just can’t afford it.  My statement is, have you ever seen a horse die from lock-jaw?  I have.  Have you ever seen a hysterical owner crying because his horse died of Encephalomyelitis or West Nile.  I have.  Have you seen the vet bills for trying to save a horse when a simple shot could have prevented it?

Is it worth losing your horse over a simple shot?  You may have to give up a couple of cases of beer or soda, or happy meals for a while, but in the end you won’t have to worry about paying a vet bill for putting your horse down, and what to do with the body.  It’s like playing Russian roulette.

Do you feel lucky?