How do you handle a sweaty horse during the winter?

Question:

I’ve stabled my horses in the winter until we moved to northern Canada. They are outside this winter, and it is cold!

One of my horses barely grows hair at all and my other horse looks like a mammoth. I have blankets on them when I’m home. They are also groomed four to six times a week.

Is there anything else I can do? “Mammoth” takes two hours to cool down and dry after a ride, and both of them look scruffy and dirty. They’re on extra protein, hair shine vitamins and a good diet for older horses.

For an answer, we sought out native Canadian Patti Carter Pratt, a former AQHA Professional Horseman and judge, and now a full-time employee of AQHA in Amarillo.

Answer:

Horse care in cold climates is tricky, and your horses need to be monitored constantly. It is high maintenance keeping them outside in the winter time, and as you said, it gets very cold in Canada! Keep in mind every horse is different in its winter care needs, depending on its breed, age and other factors.

First, make sure you have an outside shelter for all of your horses. All of your horses also need lots of hay. They won’t have grass to eat right now, so hay will keep them warm and also keep them from getting bored and into trouble. Make sure you have a fresh water system so your water doesn’t freeze over.

As for their winter coats, if one horse hasn’t grown a thick winter coat, you’ll need to keep him blanketed.

The Mammoth horse probably doesn’t need a blanket, because it sounds like he’s well equipped to handle the winter cold.

When a horse has a heavy hair coat, you’ll need to make sure you allot enough time for him to cool down before you turn him back outside. He’s also going to get hotter quicker during your rides. Before you turn him back outside, he needs to be completely dry so he doesn’t get sick. Use a cooler to help him cool down.

Regarding their dirty appearance, heavy hair coats are definitely hard to keep clean. During my winters in Canada, we used a horse vacuum and lots of brushing on our horses. You don’t want to bathe them in the winter, even though it’s tempting because they look so scruffy.

Overall, continue to monitor each horse for their individual winter needs. If you have questions about the number and heaviness of the blankets each horse might need, find an AQHA Professional Horseman near you or ask your veterinarian.

Best wishes!

–Patti Carter-Pratt
AQHA Executive Director of Shows

Harvesting semen after a stallion’s death.

Question:

Is there any way to save semen after a stallion has died?

Answer:

Traditionally, the breeding potential of a stallion is lost with his death, but collection and freezing of semen has made it possible to store genetic material indefinitely.

Freezing semen while the stallion is healthy makes sense. Stallions can be collected in the off season and the frozen semen stockpiled for future use. The frozen semen can be used as needed during the breeding season if the stallion cannot be collected or does not have sufficient semen for all the mares scheduled to be bred.

Semen can also be harvested and cryopreserved after a stallion’s death.

Contact your American Association of Equine Practitioners-member veterinarian to find out whether there are facilities in your area to handle this collection and freezing.

– Dr. Patrick McCue
Equine Reproduction Laboratory at Colorado State University, Reproductive Specialist

Read more in Dr. McCue’s regular column in The American Quarter Horse Journal. Look for “Breeding Shed: Salvaging Sperm” in the December 2011 Journal.

Take a look at stalling a horse vs. keeping a horse on pasture through the winter.

Question:

For spring, summer and fall, I usually keep my horse out to pasture all day and all night. He has a covered shelter, and with our moderate weather during those seasons, he stays quite comfortable.

However, every year I always ask myself, “Should I keep my horse in a stall this winter, or should I keep him out to pasture?”

Are they any negative effects from keeping a horse stalled during the winter? Or am I better off keeping him outside?

Answer:

There are several benefits to keeping a horse stalled, but there are also many benefits to turning a horse out to pasture.

Horses exposed to dust from feed and bedding or other irritating sources such as diesel or gas exhaust have an increased incidence of inflammatory airway disease, commonly referred to as “heaves.” Therefore, it is critical that not only the barn, but each stall has good ventilation and ample air changes per minute.

Also, research has shown that stall confinement is associated with the majority of impaction colics. Of course, feeding high-concentrate diets, making sudden changes in feeding programs and limited access to clean water are also significant causes. If a horse must be confined, minimize the amount of grain fed, allowing free choice to good-quality hay, and provide the opportunity to exercise to reduce not only the incidence of colic but also the incidence of gastric ulcers. In addition, fiber digestibility increases up to 20 percent in exercised horses, which in turn decreases the incidence of impaction colics.

Learn the causes, signs and treatments of stomach ulcers in AQHA’s FREE report, Stomach Ulcers in Horses.

Also, horses are social animals and experience a number of behavioral problems when isolated and confined. They also have a strong need to exercise and can become increasingly frustrated when not allowed daily free exercise. Many behavior studies have found that the prevention of movement (exercise), social interaction with other horses and grazing causes horses to develop behavioral problems such as weaving and cribbing. They also have a tendency to misbehave during handling, training or trailer loading, which can lead to injuries to the horse as well as its handler or rider.

If you stall your horse, consider the effect this situation might have on his general health and emotional state. Explore alternatives to balance confinement time with turnout, exercise and grazing time to optimize his health and performance.

– Dr. Thomas R. Lenz
Past President of the American Association of Equine Practitioners

Read more about stall confinement Dr. Lenz’s Horse Health column in the December 2011 issue of The American Quarter Horse Journal.

Does your horse have a scar?

Question:

My mare had to have a tumor removed, and I’m told that the patch under it will grow back white. The patch will be about the size of a quarter under her right eye.

Will I need to change her markings on her papers?

Answer:

To submit a correction for your horse’s certificate of registration, utilize the Affidavit for Corrected Certificate form. This form is available at www.aqha.com/resources.

There is a $10 correction fee, and four photographs of the horse are required along with the form to complete the correction. A close-up photo of the scar is helpful, but not necessary.

We appreciate you updating your horse’s records, as it is vital to maintain accurate records to help with theft prevention.

– Kayla Randall
AQHA Customer Service, Assistant Internet Production Manager

Try your hand at foal-heat breeding.

Question:

What’s a good strategy to use to get your mare bred on a foal heat?

Answer:

Try this commonly used foal-heat breeding strategy:

• Have the mare ultrasounded on days 7 and 9 post foaling.
• Mares ovulating on or before Day 9 are not bred. Instead, they are short-cycled – monitored through ovulation and given prostaglandins (typically five days after ovulation) to bring them back into heat.
• Mares that still have a large follicle nine days post foaling are bred as normal. Use of ovulation-inducing agents (hCG, deslorelin, etc.) is discouraged until days 9 or 10.

– Dr. Patrick McCue
Equine Reproduction Laboratory at Colorado State University, Reproduction Specialist

Learn more about this topic in “Foal Heat Breeding” in the December 2011 issue of The American Quarter Horse Journal.

Set your stallion up for behavioral success with tips from AQHA Professional Horseman and judge Gene Parker.

Question:

I’ve got a colt that was born this last spring, and he’s already starting to show stallion behavior. How do I work with him and train him so that he’ll be a good-mannered stallion? If he is too pushy, am I better off just gelding him?

Answer:

It takes an exceptional horse to be a stallion: an individual with the right pedigree, good disposition, good legs and balance. We geld 95 percent of our colts. It’s a mistake to keep one a stud just because you want a stallion; you’ve got to have something special. There are too many good horses out there.

If you do decide to keep your colt a stallion, try these stallion training tips:

• When our colts are weanlings or yearlings, we turn them out together and let them socialize.
• A stallion that’s 3, 4 or 5 years old, he’s set in his ways and if he’s learned too many bad habits, you’re not going to get much done with him.
• I’ll take an aggressive yearling and turn him out with my roping geldings; I’ve actually had colts I’ve turned out with broodmares. It will turn them around, and they will learn to respect other horses. You can’t wait until a stallion is 3 or 4 to do that, because then he’s too strong and aggressive. But it will help his disposition in the long run if he learns it young.
• It’s a big mistake to just keep a stallion totally away from all other horses. In our show barn, when we’re grooming or working stallions, we’ll have other horses around, mares and geldings. We won’t tie a mare right next to him, but she might be where he can see her. A lot of people will keep stallions separate from everything, and that’s the worst thing to do. You have to let them be horses; they have to learn how to act right around other horses.
• Ponying stallions helps, too, to help settle their minds and get them quiet around other horses. I’ll pony all my show stallions, using my roping horses that are used to being dallied off of. I always make sure that the stallions are not allowed to be aggressive toward the pony horse.
• You can’t be too aggressive with stallions or you get them scared, and that adversely affects showing and breeding performance. You have to have a certain amount of respect in them, but you can’t abuse them.

The biggest thing with a stallion is you have to start with a good disposition. If you’ve got a horse that’s rank or aggressive, it’s hard to get him into show mode. But if a horse is good-minded to begin with, he’ll tend to be that way in the show ring.

– AQHA Professional Horseman and judge Gene Parker of Orrum, North Carolina
Parker Quarter Horses

Want to learn more about handling a stallion from Gene? Check out “Good Manners” in the December 2011 issue of The American Quarter Horse Journal, where Gene pairs up with AQHA Professional Horsewoman and judge Gretchen Mathes.

Find the perfect seat when riding hills.

Learn how to find the perfect balance in your seat when riding hills with AQHA Professional Horsewomen Angelia Robinette-Dublin and Jenny Lance.

Question:

I do a lot of trail riding with my American Quarter Horse, and we primarily ride in the hills. I’ve been trying to find my balance riding up and down hills, but I always feel like I’m getting in my horse’s way. How should I sit when I’m riding hills?

Answer:

You want to be absolutely sure you maintain your position over the center of your horse while traveling up or downhill. If you lean forward heading uphill, you are putting weight over your horse’s front legs – the very legs he is trying to pick up and use!

If you lean back while traveling downhill, you are now leaning on your horse’s hindquarters. He needs to get his hind end underneath himself to negotiate the hill with balance. This allows him to pick his way down slowly and carefully. Think of maintaining a position that is parallel to the trees.

Trusty trail horses can help you make it up extra steep hills that you may not want to ride up. Learn the advanced skill of tailing your horse in AQHA’s Tailing Your Trail Horse FREE Report.

If you have a friend who will allow you to sit on his or her back, play with the change in your balance and ask the friend to pick up his or her arms or legs as you move. See how your balance affects the ability to lift those appendages, then switch places.

When riding on a hill, use your core abdominal muscles for balance, not your reins. Your horse needs his head for balance and has to be able to lower it to watch where he is putting his feet.

– AQHA Professional Horsewomen Angelia Robinette-Dublin and Jenny Lance

Want to learn more about the benefits of riding up and down hills? Angelia and Jenny show you how to build strength and balance by going up and down hills in “Of Horses and Hills” in the October 2011 issue of America’s Horse.

Our expert explains an uncomfortable ear problem horses can face.

An America’s Horse Daily reader submitted a question about a horse who she thinks has horse ear mites.

Tom R. Lenz, D.V.M., M.S., Dipl. A.C.T., offers some sound advice about horse ear problems. Dr. Lenz is an American Association of Equine Practitioners member veterinarian and a regular columnist in The American Quarter Horse Journal.

Question:

I am pretty sure my 14 year old mare has horse ear mites in her left ear (her right ear is fine). She will not let me touch her ear and it is a challenge to get the bridle on (I had to take the bridle apart the other day when I rode her, and she was fine). I do not see any swelling or any kind of abrasions around the ear.

How do I get the mite medicine in her ear? Her ear must be very sore. She normally will put her head down for me to put the bridle on. She has already broken her lead rope twice by sitting back when I approach the ear. I do not have a stock to put her in. I have tried treats, showing her the bottle, rubbing the bottle around her face and she is fine with all that but the minute I get near the ear, she throws her head or sits back. Any suggestions?

Thank you,

Alisa Richey

Answer:

Horses, unlike dogs and cats, do not get ear mites. However, they can be infested with spinous ear ticks that live in the ear canal and cause a great deal of pain. They can also have a foreign object in the ear canal that may cause pain and inflammation, or they may be suffering from an external ear infection.

Before you begin treatment, it is important that a definitive diagnosis is made, as the various conditions require different treatment. I would suggest that you have your local veterinarian examine the horse to determine the exact problem. They can sedate the horse and then use an otoscope to look deep into the ear.

Once the cause of the problem is determined, your veterinarian can prescribe treatment and even give you tips on how to administer it.

Dr. Lenz offers more horse health advice in AQHA’s “Your Horse’s Health” DVD series.

Does your horse have teary eyes? The American Association of Equine Practitioners sheds some light on the issue.

The American Association of Equine Practitioners offers great advice for this horse owner. AAEP is an AQHA educational marketing alliance partner.

Question:

My 8-year-old mare’s eyes are always tearing. I have had her tear ducts flushed and she has been on antibiotics for her eye, but nothing seems to help. It occurs all year, and she is outside most of the day.

Do you have any suggestions on how to clear it up?

Answer:

Tear ducts are one of those things in life that you don’t miss until they’re not working properly!

For tears to flow onto the face, one of three things has to be happening:

1. The horse is making too many tears (excessive tearing)
2. There is an alternate route for tears to be flowing onto the face instead of through the tear ducts (like extra hairs or a defect in the eyelids)
3. The tear ducts are obstructed, which prevents tears from draining.

Obstruction of the tear duct is probably the most common reason for excessive tear flow onto the face. The first diagnostic procedure for assessing the function of the tear ducts is flushing, just as your veterinarian has done. However, just because the tear ducts can be flushed does not mean that tears will be able to passively flow through.

If you’re confused about vaccinations, equine nutrition, first-aid or anything else relating to horse health, then you need AQHA’s “Your Horse’s Health” DVD collection.

One diagnostic test that can assess the normal function of tear ducts involves putting a fluorescein dye in the eye, sedating the horse so they put their head down and timing how long it takes for the dye to reach the opening of the tear duct in the nose. If an obstruction is present, then additional testing is necessary to determine the location of the obstruction and the appropriate treatment.

If your horse’s tear ducts flush normally and have normal passive flow, then the next step is to start looking for a reason for excessive tearing. The reasons for excessive tearing are very diverse, since tearing is a very non-specific response by the eye to a wide variety of stimuli. It is very important to rule out intraocular disease, particularly equine recurrent uveitis. If no other abnormalities are identified on the ophthalmic examination, then considering seasonal allergies or an environmental irritant is reasonable.

In this case, I’d recommend working with your veterinarian and possibly a veterinary ophthalmologist to get to the bottom of your horse’s tearing.

Good luck!

– Dr. Amber Labelle
American Association of Equine Practitioners

Are you trying to breed for a black foal?

Question:

I am breeding my chestnut mare with a black stallion and have been looking for reliable indications of what the foal’s coat color will be. Apparently the stallion has only produced black, bay and liver chestnut foals. The stallion has only black and liver chestnut heritage from the research I have done.

Answer:

In a general sense, the color red is all the same, the absence of black. Different modifiers may affect the color red to give the different shades we all call “liver chestnut,” chestnut, sorrel, blond or flaxen sorrel, and others. However, red horses can be homozygous or heterozygous for the agouti gene, which will make a difference in breeding a red horse to a black. Also, because the black stallion has red offspring, we know he is heterozygous for the black gene, and all blacks have no agouti gene, which we do not know about the chestnut mare.

You might look at the Animal Genetics website, as they have an equine coat calculator, which might be helpful.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the 17 AQHA recognized horse colors. Download AQHA’s Horse Color and Markings Chart for FREE!

When we ran the calculator on breeding a chestnut (unknown agouti) to a heterozygous black (no agouti) the results are a 50 percent chance of a foal being born a chestnut, 25 percent bay and 25 percent black.

– Debbie Black
AQHA Equine Color Specialist

If you have an American Quarter Horse color coat question, comment below and our coat color specialists will be happy to answer you!

Ever wonder how to make a neat, tidy horsemanship bun? Get the inside scoop from a former AQHYA horsemanship world champion.

Carey Nowacek, the 2010 Built Ford Tough AQHYA Horsemanship World Champion, explains how to make the perfect horsemanship hair bun.

You can read all of Carey’s tips in the December 2011 issue of The American Quarter Horse Journal.

Question:

I compete in horsemanship and I understand that it’s important to have a nice, tidy bun, but I can never seem to get the hang of it. I enjoyed watching the horsemanship competitors online at the AQHA World Championship Show, but their tidy buns made me jealous!

How do you make a neat, tidy bun?

Answer:

The perfect bun first starts with a good pony tail.

The placement of the pony tail depends on the shape of your head and where your hat falls. Usually you want a lower bun, but not at the base of your neck. There still should be a little bit of hair showing at the bottom. You should have about 2 inches of hair showing at the bottom of your neck under the pony tail. And remember, the top of your bun is going to hit right below your hat.

There are four things that you will need to make a tight bun:

1. Hair spray (preferably lower-end hair spray because it’s generally stickier)
2. Bobby pins
3. Hair bands
4. A good hair net

After you’ve made the pony tail, twist your hair, then continue twisting until your hair twists into a bun. Use a hair band to secure the loose bun.

Next, place the hair net over your bun and twist and layer the net over the bun until all of the excess net is used.

Finally, use the bobby pins to secure the edges of the hair net to your hair. Ask a friend to help you direct bobby pins so that you have a centered, secure bun.

– Carey Nowacek
2010 Built Ford Tough AQHYA Horsemanship World Champion

Wait! There’s more! Check out the December 2011 issue of The American Quarter Horse Journal for all of Carey’s tips, including some great visuals, on how to make the perfect tight bun.

Do you know the difference between laminitis and founder?

Dr. Scott Morrison, a member of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, explains the difference between acute laminitis and chronic laminitis, or founder.

You can learn more about laminitis and founder from Dr. Morrison in “Living With Laminitis” in the October 2011 issue of The American Quarter Horse Journal.

Question:

If my horse has laminitis, does that mean he has foundered?

Answer:

Acute laminitis usually lasts for only a few days. External causes, like concussion on hard footing (commonly called “road founder”), chemicals like nitrate fertilizer, infections, colitis, pneumonia or retained placenta in a mare can all cause laminitis. But those cases often heal and don’t result in chronic laminitis. A horse can have laminitis, heal and not founder.

When the laminae in the foot become so inflamed and damaged that they no longer support the coffin bone, which then rotates and sinks, the condition is then called chronic laminitis or founder. That is when a long-term maintenance program provides the best possible outcome for the horse living with laminitis.

– Dr. Scott Morrison, Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital
American Association of Equine Practitioners

Learn more about laminitis and founder from Dr. Morrison in “Living With Laminitis” in the October 2011 issue of The American Quarter Horse Journal.