Posts Tagged ‘pets’

People can be allergic to many things and some people are allergic to horses. Depending on the person, this can result in one or more of the following symptoms:

• Itchy or watery eyes
• Itchy or running nose
• Itchy skin, hives or rashes
• Sneezing or coughing
• Difficulty breathing
• Asthma attack

The severity of these symptoms varies from person to person, ranging from a slight itch to a serious asthma attack. People with asthma should be careful when they first come into contact with horses as there have been a number of cases of fatal asthma reactions. In particular, asthmatic children coming into contact with horses for the first time should be carefully monitored to see if they have an adverse reaction and their medication should be available to hand in case that they do.

Horse dander (dandruff like bits of skin or hair) is the most common cause of horse allergies. Other causes include horse mites, salvia or urine.

It is not uncommon for people to have an allergic reaction without being near a horse, through indirect contact. For example, if you enter a barn or other enclosed space where horses have been, one can come into contact with allergic agents even though the horses are not present at the time. Likewise, if a family member rides or works with horses, it is possible to have a reaction upon exposure to clothes or tack which they bring home which are carrying bits of allergic agents (e.g. dander).

Fortunately, horse allergies can be treated, using the same approaches as for other allergies. These include avoidance (if practical and acceptable), medications (such as anti-histamines or corticosteroids), or desensitizing treatment.

If you want to ride but find that your allergies are making this difficult, you may want to try riding a curly horse breed. Many people who suffer from horse allergies find that they have little or no reaction with these breeds.

Finally, you could try medical testing or trial-and-error to determine which aspect of the horse you are allergic to and then simply take care to avoid this aspect. For example, if allergic to urine, rather than go into the stable to get your horse, have it brought out to you. As another example, if allergic to horse mites, have your horse and its box treated against mites, which should greatly help.

Before buying or choosing a new horse, it is important to check its health. Although it is impossible to be 100% certain that a horse is completely healthy, there are a number of tests which can identify most potential health risks. Following is a checklist.

The first indication is the general appearance. It should have a shinny, even and flat coat. The body should be well muscled, neither fat nor skinny. When standing, it should spread its weight evenly on all four legs, with each hoof pointing straight ahead. While normal to rest a leg from time to time, it should not be for long periods or always the same leg, as this would indicate an injury or weakness.

Slowly run your hands down the legs, from top to bottom, with careful attention to joints and the lower leg. There should be no bumps, swellings or hot spots. The hoof walls should be even, free of cracks and completely smooth.

Lift a hoof and examine the sole to ensure that there are no marks or indications of previous injury and that it is correctly shaped. Repeat with the other hooves. The angle and tilt of all four hooves should be correct and identical. If the horse is reluctant to lift one of its feet, this may be because it does not want to lift a good leg and put more weight on a bad one. The hooves are perhaps the most important area to examine in terms of horse health, as so many otherwise good horses have problems here.

The gums should be shinny, moist and pink. If one presses on the gums with a finger, they will turn white, but should return to pink within two seconds of removing your finger.

Check the teeth (you may want to use the services of a horse dentist) for spurs, unevenness or excessive wear. Try feeding the horse hay and watch how it eats. It should use both sides of its jaw equally and eat steadily. Dropping hay or leaving hay partly chewed indicates a problem either with the teeth or the jaw joints.

Examine the horse’s droppings. They should consist of firm balls, with a mild and inoffensive odor.

The horse should look happy, alert and interested in what is happening. Its ears should stand up and should move alertly in response to sounds. It should be interested in what is happening around it, but not nervous.

Have someone work the horse in an exercise ring while you watch. They should gradually go through all the gaits (walk, trot and gallop), in both directions. The horse should show easy, smooth strides, with the weight distributed evenly on all four legs.

It should not sweat (except during hot weather) until it has been worked for some time at speed. Its respiration should gradually increase as the gait picks up but it should not breathe hard except at a fast gait. As the gait is reduced, its respiration should quickly reduce. Once the horse stops, its breathing and pulse should quickly return to resting normal. Neither during nor after exercise should the horse shown any sign of discomfort, pain or limping.

One should also ask the current owner about the medical history and ask permission to discuss the horse with its regular vet. Ask to see the inoculation and medical records for the horse. Ask if it has every had any illness, in particular colic or laminitis. Be concerned about any incomplete or evasive answers.

Although cushings disease occurs in different animals (horses, dogs, even people), the symptoms for each species are different. For example, in horses it causes the coat to grow longer and thicker, often becoming curly, whereas in dogs it has the opposite effect of causing hair to fall out and produce bald spots. The equine (horses, ponies, etc.) version of this illness is known as ECD (Equine Cushings Disease).

As a horse ages, there is an increasing tendency for the pituitary gland to develop tumors or to grow too large, resulting in it producing more hormones. This in turn stimulates the adrenal glands to produce additional steroids and when the level of steroids becomes excessive it results in cushings. Since these changes are age related, ECD is most often found in horses over 15 years but has been found in horses as young as seven.

The nature and cause of the disease itself was first explained by Harvey Cushing, an American brain surgeon, in’21. Consequently, the disease is named after him.

Different horses show different symptoms of Equine Cushings Disease. The most common symptom is coat changes (longer, thicker, curly, failure to shed in Spring, becoming lighter in color). The heavier coat results in increased sweating as a secondary symptom, due to over-heating, especially in summer. The horse tends to lose muscle in its neck and back, despite increased appetite and eating more, while developing a pendulous abdomen. Diabetes often develops, with an associated increase in water consumption and urination. Laminitis always develops eventually. The horse becomes more prone to infections and slower to heal from external injuries due to a depressed immune system. The natural depressions above the eyes tend to fill in with fat.

Any of these symptoms can be caused by a variety of illnesses other than ECD. Consequently, blood and urine tests are normally used to confirm that the cause is ECD (e.g. by measuring hormone levels and hormone response levels) and to rule out other possible diseases. Studies have shown that many horses with ECD are either not diagnosed or incorrectly diagnosed (the symptoms are incorrectly attributed to a different disease), with the result that they do not receive appropriate treatment.

Unfortunately it is not possible to cure ECD. However, one can slow the disease by the use of medication to reduce hormone production to normal levels. Note that some of these medications have strong side effects, so appropriate testing and control is required to prevent secondary illnesses (e.g. liver disease).

One also needs to watch for symptoms of secondary diseases, such as laminitis or diabetes, which are more common in horses with ECD. These need to be treated promptly to prevent them from further damaging the horse’s health.

Finally, one should make the horse more comfortable by treating the individual symptoms. If the horse is over-heating due to a heavier coat, one should clip the coat to make the horse more comfortable.

First-time horse buyers often look closely at the cost of buying a horse and will by influenced by a few hundred dollars difference in the purchase price of different horses. What they don’t realise is that keeping a horse is far more expensive they buying one.

People working with horses (breeding, training or sales) are understandably reluctant to tell potential buyers how expensive horse care and ownership is. If a potential buyer is debating if they can spend 00 to buy a horse, telling them that keeping the same horse will cost another 00 every year may well result in them deciding not to buy a horse at all. While some sellers are careful to explain this reality to potential buyers, we find that most prefer to avoid the topic.

Consequently, if you know someone who is buying a horse, you can help them by sharing the facts with them in advance. Of course, one needs to take their specific circumstances into account in order to determine what their costs would be. Here is a rough guide.

To start, ask if the horse will be professionally stabled or if one is stabling the horse oneself. In the former case, costs (including box, bedding, food, labour) can vary from 0/month to 00/month although 0-0/month is typical. It depends mainly on where you live (urban areas are more expensive) so you will need to phone around to check the local costs.

Alternatively, if you keep the horse yourself rather than using a professional stable, you can save on these costs. However, you will still need to purchase bedding and feed, which will typically cost a minimum of 0/month. If you have lots of pasture, you can spend a bit less on feed. Keep in mind that 0/month is a minimum, in some areas bedding and feed (especially hay) can be far more expensive.

Aside from the basic monthly costs, there are various incidentals such as mineral stones, salt, de-wormers, dental checks and annual innoculations. Allow about 0/year for these. In addition, if you decide on medical insurance, this will be an additional /month. Of course, insurance is optional, but a bad case of colic can cost thousands of dollars, as can certain other injuries or illnesses, so it may be a good investment.

Another consideration is how you use the horse. Riding the horse means that you will need to buy a saddle, tack and riding clothes. Showing or competing with the horse involves additional expenses.

Adding all this up, for the typical horse owner, the yearly costs run into the thousands of dollars. Of course, the exact figure depends almost entirely on circumstances. However, before buying a horse, it is wise to make sure that one is prepared for the long term financial commitment involved in keeping it.

Laminitis is a serious hoof disease found in equines (e.g. horses, ponies, donkeys). Although it is very rare for laminitis to kill a horse directly, severe cases can result in the horse being put down for humane reasons (horse is in pain) or economic factors (horse is crippled and can no longer be used). Such euthanasia is sufficiently common that laminitis has become the second most common cause of premature horse death.

The term ‘laminitis‘ refers to damage to the ‘laminae’, which is the connective tissues between the hoof bone (also known as the pedal bone) and the hoof wall. In mild cases of laminitis this tissue becomes inflamed and starts to break down. In more severe cases this connective tissue is sufficiently damaged that the hoof bone separates partly or completely from the hoof wall, rotating and sinking within the hoof. In extreme cases, the bone will actually penetrate the sole of the hoof. As the bone moves, it may also tear blood vessels and other tissues. Longer term, the damage to the hoof can result in permanent damage to the hoof growth and repair mechanisms, resulting in abnormal growth (e.g. flat or convex sole, rings in hoof wall, separation between hoof wall and sole).

One hears the term ‘founder’ in relation to ‘laminitis’. Unfortunately, not everyone uses the term in the same way. Some people use both terms interchangeably, while others use founder to describe the more serious cases of laminitis (e.g. bone penetration of the sole).

There are various causes of laminitis but they can be grouped into three categories. The first is overly rich feed, which upsets digestion, resulting in the release of toxins into the blood, where they then travel to the laminae and cause inflammation and tissue break down. The second category is mechanical separation, where the laminae is damaged from repeated shocks to the hooves (from running or jumping or hard ground). The third category is toxins, either ingested in the feed, or produced internally as a result of an infection

Excessively rich feed results in changes to the bacteria population in the digestive system, causing the release of toxins by the bacteria. It occurs when a horse has too much carbohydrates or nitrogen, either from excessive amounts of rich feed (e.g. grain) or lush pasture. Pasture is most likely to be excessively rich in spring, when rain follows a drought, or if it has been fertilized. As some breeds (in particular, ponies) are more sensitive than others, one should take special care with sensitive breeds to restrict the amount of rich food and to keep them off rich pasture. Alternatively, one can put them on pasture for a limited time but use a grazing muzzle to restrict the amount they eat.

Mechanically caused laminitis most often occurs in competition horses, such as jumping horses or race horses, which are worked on hard ground. However, it can also occur to pleasure horses, if they are worked or travel on hard surfaces. One should try to avoid use of a horse on hard surfaces and when it is necessary to travel on hard surfaces try to reduce the pace as a walking horse will have less shock to its feet than a running horse. Ensure that the feet are correctly trimmed; in particular avoid over-trimming or trimming for long toes as these reduce the shock resistance of the feet. If the horse has shoes, ensure that the shoeing is done by a competent professional. Shock absorbing shoes (e.g. horse shoes with a rubber component) and boots are increasingly used, even in competitive sports, to reduce not only the risk of laminitis but also other shock related injuries.

Ensure that your horse goes not get external toxins from food which has mold, fungus or chemicals. Do not let them eat grass which has been chemically treated (e.g. with herbicides). Any serious infections should be promptly and aggressively treated, to prevent the infection from releasing toxins into the blood.

When looking for a horse, the desired horse age is an important consideration. Horses which are too young lack maturity and training while horses which are too old cannot provide many future years of riding. Following is a review the typical advantages and disadvantages of the various ages.

Horse of 4 years. Horses typically start training at 3 years, with basic training complete by age 4. Such a horse is old enough for riding immediately but still young enough for advanced training if you wish. Although it may be a bit more expensive than a younger horse, the difference is partly offset by saving the fees on basic training.

Age 5 to 7 years. In this category one can get a horse which is fully trained rather than just basic training. In addition, partly due to its age and partly due to the additional training, it will be a calmer and more reliable horse, less likely to spook. As such, it is more suitable for inexperienced riders and children.

Over 7 Years. Older horses are increasingly calm and dependable. Consequently, the older horse is great for children and new riders. They are also less expensive to buy as they are less popular. If the horse is not too old and has been well treated, it should still have many years of riding left. However, one would not want to purchase a horse which is too old for the number of years you intend to ride it.

Three year old. This is the age when riding training normally starts (depending on the breed, individual horse and owner). As such, one can have the pleasure of seeing the horse trained yourself. However, if you are buying a horse primarily to ride or have limited time, an already trained horse may be more suitable.

Under 3 years. The main benefit of horses under 3 years of age is that you can have the pleasure of watching them grow up. Although such young horses are cheaper to buy, in the end it is usually less expensive to buy a trained horse than it is to buy a foal and pay for the years of stabling and then training required before it is ready to ride. Furthermore, with an older trained horse one can be more certain of the horse’s physical and mental characteristics than with a foal.

The above is a general guide only. Various breeds mature at different rates, as do individual horses. Owners also vary in terms of the timetable and extent of training they provide to their horses. If you intend to compete with the horse, you need to take into account various applicable age restrictions as well as the competitive requirements in terms of timing and intensity of training.

j_bren asked:

Miniature horses are exactly what there called miniature horses.

http://www.guidehorse.org/faq_horses.htm

except im not blind … i just want one for a pet. I put all my heart into caring for my pets. and i love horses.
so how much would it be to care and maintain for a mini-horse?