5 Equine Tip

Holiday Times with Your Horse
We want to wish everyone a very joyous and safe Holiday Season. The best gift our horses can hope for is quality time, lots of apples and carrots, and time spent grooming them. It is very much the same things we all have on our wish list.
It is also the time of year to ensure that your horses have their influenza shot boosters. The equine influenza virus changes its surface proteins which results in the horse's immune system not recognizing the virus. This is antigenic drift. Although equine influenza mutates at a slower rate than in human strains, we still need to update the vaccines regularly. Should your horse contract influenza, for every day with a high fever, he should be out of work for one week. It takes two to three weeks for respiratory cells to heal.
As to weather, most horses have acquired their winter coats. One of our older schooling horses has a thick winter coat yet he keeps quite warm most of the time due to his age and inefficiencies in his body to function as well as during youth. Age related differences may include differences due to thyroid function (longer coats and sweating in milder temperatures), inability to process certain grains resulting in some swelling. In addition, older horses with excessive weight may exhibit edema in some areas like under their jaws.
With winter turnout schedules and location of horses potentially in a more confined area near warmed water tubs, turnout with other horses may require trial and error. It may be like what teachers go through in the classroom to keep kids from fighting. Our experience shows that horses continuously used to turnout with other horses are well socialized and become less hostile or aggressive to other horses. Older geldings not used to being turned out with broodmares may become possessive and exhibit stallion characteristics, especially if they were gelded later in life. Breeding mares exhibit more breeding behavioral signs even with geldings to a greater degree than prior to breeding even when in heat.
Try to find some time to enjoy the holidays and experience stress-free time with your horse. Both children and adults can benefit from "barn time" especially if you lead a very hectic life. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!

11/25/03