AQHA now offers a panel test for five genetic tests.

Completing the genetic panel test helps breeders make informed decisions. Journal photo.

From The American Quarter Horse Journal

Genetic diseases cause emotional and financial pain for horse owners and breeders. To help breeders make informed decisions, AQHA now offers a panel test for five genetic diseases – glycogen branching enzyme deficiency, heredity equine regional dermal asthenia, hyperkalemic periodic paralysis, malignant hyperthermia and polysaccharide storage myopathy.

When the test is ordered, AQHA will send a DNA kit, and the owner will mail it to the Veterinary Genetics Laboratory at the University of California-Davis for testing. Once the tests are complete, AQHA will notify the owners and put the results on the horse’s record and certificate of registration.

The tests cost $85 for members and $125 for nonmembers. For the panel test in conjunction with the DNA test required for most breeding stock, the cost is $105 for members.

Stay tuned to AQHA.com for upcoming information about ordering the panel test.

The effects of these diseases are wide-ranging, from mild and manageable to severe and terminal. Passing these diseases on to successive generations often causes unnecessary suffering and also leads to financial losses for breeders.

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GBED: Glycogen Branching Enzyme Deficiency

Disorder: An autosomal recessive disease caused by mutation in the GBE1 gene. Read the rest of this entry »

Foal-heat diarrhea is a normal condition, but owners need to watch for signs of more serious forms of diarrhea.

Learnig the differences between diarrhea helps owners know when to take action. Journal photo.

By Dr. Thomas R. Lenz for The American Quarter Horse Journal

Foal-heat diarrhea is a term that describes diarrhea (“scours”) that occurs in newborn foals. The condition received its name because it usually occurs while the mare is experiencing her first estrous cycle (called the foal heat) after foaling. Veterinarians still are not sure what exactly causes the condition.

Originally, mare owners and veterinarians thought diarrhea resulted from hormonal changes in the mare during estrus or changes in the composition of her milk. However, orphaned foals also develop diarrhea about the same time after birth.

Other potential causes that have been investigated include the worm parasite Strongyloides westeri, which is transmitted from the mare’s udder to the foal via her milk. This parasite used to be found in about 90 percent of foals, but the increased use of new dewormers has lowered the incidence to less than 6 percent without a corresponding decrease in the incidence of foal-heat diarrhea.

Some owners believe that coprophagy (eating manure), which is common in newborn foals, is the cause, but this is a normal activity designed to help the foal populate his intestine with helpful bacteria. Horses cannot digest the cellulose portion of grass and hay without the aid of bacteria. Because foals are born without bacteria in their intestine, they must acquire them. Their mother’s manure is the best source.

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Although the cause of foal-heat diarrhea is still not definitively known, probably the best explanation is that it is the result of rapid maturation changes in the intestinal tract of the foal that interfere with the intestine’s ability to reabsorb fluids. The result is transient, watery diarrhea. Read the rest of this entry »

Try a figure 8 halter for your young foal.

The snug design of the figure 8 halter prevents young foals from catching a hoof under their chin. Journal photo.

From The American Quarter Horse Journal

Beware of nylon!

That’s the advice top horse breeders have for anyone looking to leave a halter on a foal, especially foals younger than 6 weeks old. They prefer leather, largely for safety and fit.

And for those youngest foals, many breeders specifically recommend a leather “figure 8” or calf halter.

The Journal asked two experts to explain why: custom leather halter maker Ralph Quillin of Quillin Leather & Tack in Paris, Kentucky; and Becky Bailey of Batavia, Ohio, western pleasure horse breeder and exhibitor.

Ralph makes hundreds of figure 8 halters for breeders every year, and Becky uses them.

Fit

“Your No. 1 concern is always fit,” Ralph says, “especially with a foal. You don’t want a halter with a lot of room underneath the chin.

AQHA’s FREE report Young Horse Joint Health discusses how Osteochondritis Dissecans causes growing pains in young horses.

“That’s one of the biggest advantages of the figure 8 or calf halter – because of the design, it will fit pretty snugly underneath the head,” he adds. Read the rest of this entry »

Learn what “percent of blood” really means in a pedigree and for a breeding program.

Understanding the numbers behind the pedigree is key to developing a good breeding line. Journal photo.

From The American Quarter Horse Journal

Have you ever seen something like this written down, “5 X 4 X 3” or “22 percent the blood of King,” and wondered exactly what it meant?

“It’s a number that helps you get an idea of how much blood (genes) you have in an individual’s pedigree that come from a particular common ancestor,” explains pedigree analyst and respected author Larry Thornton.

Each individual in a pedigree is assigned a percentage value based on which generation(s) they appear in the pedigree. To find the percent of blood, you simply add the percentage values together for every time that ancestor appears in the pedigree. Read the rest of this entry »

Give your foals a healthy start.

Normal healthy foals will stand within 30 minutes of delivery. Journal photo.

By Dr. Thomas Lenz in The American Quarter Horse Journal

A few simple precautions and a lot of common sense on the part of the owner can help most mares have a safe pregnancy and produce a healthy, vigorous foal. Although some mares start the foaling season in early January, the majority will foal in April and May. So, now is the time to select a foaling location, begin assembling necessary supplies and chart a plan of action. Unlike human babies that can acquire immunity in their mother’s uterus, a foal must ingest colostrum (the yellowy substance in a mare’s first milk) within eight to 12 hours of birth in order to acquire protection against disease. Read the rest of this entry »

Double-check your broodmares in early winter.

Once your mare is confirmed safe in foal, there are a number of things that you can do to protect your future foal. Journal photo.

By Dr. Thomas Lenz in The American Quarter Horse Journal

Now that cold weather has moved in, most broodmares are out to pasture, gestating until their expected foaling dates next spring.

Unfortunately, each year, up to 15 percent of broodmares who were checked safe in foal at 45-60 days lose their pregnancies by late fall. It’s a good idea this time of year to recheck all of your mares by ultrasound or palpation to confirm that their pregnancy is progressing normally.

Too often, a mare owner doesn’t know a mare lost her pregnancy until she doesn’t foal in the spring. Read the rest of this entry »

Debating about type, this author remembers a “Steeldust” horse, bred for quick speed and cow sense.

Go Man Go, the 1953 stallion, made his name in racing. AQHA file photo.

By Vohn E. Penn in The American Quarter Horse Journal

Editor’s Note: In the early days of AQHA, there was much dissention among members as to what, exactly, was an American Quarter Horse. Some favored the short, stout cow ponies nicknamed “bulldog” horses (also known as “Billy” or “Steeldust” horses), while others were strongly in favor of the infusion of Thoroughbred blood to create a faster, leaner version of our breed. Let’s listen in to the debate as it raged in 1950. This article was first printed in the April 1950 edition of the Journal. Part 1 was featured on America’s Horse Daily last week.

A dark-complexioned, small but wiry man squatted on his boot heels, his back against the stone shed. A long whisp of meadow hay was between his teeth, and his eyes were squeezed shut at he laughed silently as the man standing before him. Read the rest of this entry »

Early-day breeders debated about type.

Poco Bueno was an early influence of Quarter Horse body types. AQHA file photo.

By Vohn E. Penn in The American Quarter Horse Journal

Editor’s Note: In the early days of AQHA, there was much dissention among members as to what, exactly, was an American Quarter Horse. Some favored the short, stout cow ponies nicknamed “bulldog” horses, while others were strongly in favor of the infusion of Thoroughbred blood to create a faster, leaner version of our breed. Let’s listen in to the debate as it raged in 1950. This article was first printed in the April 1950 edition of the Journal.

There’s an old saying that, “The less you say, the less chance you run of exposing your ignorance.” I respect that proverb a great deal. Nevertheless, I’m willing to risk my reputation for average intelligence in an effort to end this infernal discussion of type. Nothing aggravates me quite so much as the expressions “Racing Type,” “Bulldog Type,” “Ranch Type,” and so on. Read the rest of this entry »

Was he really the ideal Quarter Horse?

Orren Mixer's painting of Zippo Pat Bars.

From America’s Horse

If you were to build the ideal American Quarter Horse, most horsemen would say the horse has to be fast.

Cowboy types would appreciate a dose of cow sense. Some folks would want true-blue bloodlines, while statisticians would want one to reproduce with accuracy, just to prove he wasn’t a freak. Bankers would want one to pay himself off, with interest. Paul Curtner just wanted a horse to breed to his Poco Pine mares. Zippo Pat Bars fit the bill. Read the rest of this entry »

He put the Freemans in the horse business.

This photo of Blondy's Dude and Morgan Freeman was taken in 1971. Blondy's Dude stood 15.1 hands tall and weighed 1,395 pounds. AQHA file photo.

From America’s Horse

In 1960, Morgan Freeman was looking for a good stallion to breed to his band of mares.

But it had to be a good one. He wasn’t about to spend a lot of time or money hauling an average horse back to his ranch in Skiatook, Oklahoma. Read the rest of this entry »

Sometimes a little racing saves a lot of work.

Easy Jet was king of the roost. AQHA file photo.

From The Q-Racing Journal

Twenty-two wins and three seconds out of 26 starts.

Nine stakes victories at eight tracks in five states.

Record earning.

World champion laurels.

That would be quite a record for a stallion retiring from years of successful competition before heading to further glories at stud. Except he wasn’t.

That was Easy Jet as a 2-year-old. Forty-two years ago this month, the most precocious Quarter Horse ever wrapped up a freshman season unlike any other in history. Read the rest of this entry »

Breeding farm managers suggest steps to take now that can save time and money later.

Booking early gives early warning and helps prepare the breeding farm for any special needs your mare might have. Journal photo.

From The American Quarter Horse Journal

Whether you are breeding 100 mares or just one, breeding farm managers recommend planning early for next year’s season.

By thoroughly researching your favorite stallions and making your selection in the fall, you increase your chances of booking the stallion you really want. Read the rest of this entry »