HAT Chat Articles – November 2007
A word from our
President
“It just amazes me how much
time needs to be spent on just the living part of life. One really doesn’t have
much play time no matter what one’s circumstances are. So, my advice for each
of you today is to find a little block of time and go play at something you
really get enjoyment from doing. And if you can’t think of what that would be,
then it is long past time for you to find out whom and what you are and what
will make you happy. We may never get to that pure ‘happy’ place, but it is in
the journey finding it that has all the surprises and pleasures. Besides, we
were only guaranteed the right to a pursuit
of happiness. There was nothing said about catching God’s rainbow at the end or
any such prize. Keep smiling. Count our many blessings.”
With the season of
Thanksgiving upon us, I share the paragraph above which was written by someone
who is losing their battle with cancer.
When counting our blessings, how fortunate we are to have found our
“play” with horses! Whether it is
riding, training, feeding, brushing, cleaning, showing, mucking, touching, or
simply being, we have a unique outlet in our relationships with our
equines. For that I am eternally
thankful!
HAT is fortunate to be
joining forces with CNHA or Choctaw Nation Horseman’s Association to put on an Open Horse Show on November 17th,
2007, at the Choctaw Arena in
Wishing you and
yours a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Blessings,
HAT/CNHA Open Show November 17th
We are very excited to
announce that HAT has teamed up with the Choctaw Nation Horseman’s Association
(CNHA) to hold an Open Show on Saturday, November 17th at Choctaw
Arena in
CNHA is a new organization
based at Choctaw Arena which was formed to promote and support horse owners and
youth programs. This partnership show is the inaugural event of what is
expected to become an annual show series at Choctaw Arena starting in 2008.
Linda Long from
This event is sure to be fun for everyone! In addition
to
Make your plans now to come
out and join us at Choctaw Arena on November 17th!
HAT Chat
Subscription Rate Change
As
approved earlier this year, starting this month the annual subscription rate
for HAT Chat has been increased
from $12 to $15. The increase was made due to increased postage costs, and is
the first time it has been changed since subscriptions were first offered in
October 2003.
A
subscription form is printed on the inside back page of every newsletter, and
is also available on the HAT website.
Stallion Showcase
Coming In December
Don’t forget about our annual
Stallion Showcase coming up in the December issue! If you are standing a
stallion in 2008 and would like to be included in the Showcase, you only have
until November 16th to get your information to us. Remember, the
Stud List and Showcase Ads will also be listed on our website throughout the
2008 breeding season. Check our website, www.hat-texoma.org,
for more details.
Don’t wait – November 16th
will be here before you know it!
State/Local
News
Extending Veterinary Education In
by Elbert Hutchins, EdD, CAE
Executive Director,
Most
veterinarians may not be aware of it, but high school students in many school
districts can now earn up to four credits toward graduation by enrolling in a
series of veterinary assistant technology classes approved by the Texas
Education Agency (TEA). These classes are part of an innovative curriculum
adopted by the TEA for use in the vocational agriculture programs of qualifying
high schools. TEA personnel consulted the Texas Veterinary Medical Association
on a regular basis throughout the program development phase of this new
curriculum, to ensure the compatibility of its curriculum with TVMA’s own Certified Veterinary Assistant program.
The three classes
approved for high school instruction include an Introduction to Veterinary
Assistant Technology class (1/2 to 1 credit), a Veterinary Assistant I class (1
credit) and a Veterinary Assistant II class (2 credits). Independent school
districts must apply individually to the TEA for approval to offer these
classes as an “innovative curriculum.” At this time, some 61 school districts
in
The districts
approved by the TEA at this time are as follows: Allen ISD, Alvarado ISD,
Anahuac ISD, Angleton ISD, Arlington ISD, Austin ISD, Bastrop ISD, Bells ISD,
Bellville ISD, Calallen ISD, Caldwell ISD,
Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD, Center Point ISD, Central Heights ISD, Clear
Creek ISD, College Station ISD, Columbus ISD, Conroe ISD, Copperas Cove ISD,
Denison ISD, Forney ISD, Friendship ISD, Frisco ISD, Galena Park ISD, Garland
ISD, Georgetown ISD, Goose Creek ISD, Hays ISD, Hillsboro ISD, Humble ISD, Iowa
Park ISD, Kerrville ISD, Klein ISD, La Porte ISD, Lake Travis ISD, Leander ISD,
Livingston ISD, Lovejoy ISD, Lumberton ISD, Mansfield ISD, Marble Falls ISD,
Marshall ISD, McKinney ISD, Nacogdoches ISD, Newton ISD, Pflugerville ISD,
Plano ISD, Round Rock ISD, San Angelo ISD, Schulenburg ISD, Silsbee ISD, Sinton
ISD, Smithville ISD, Spring Branch ISD, Spring ISD, Sweetwater ISD, Temple ISD,
Tuloso-Midway ISD, Weimar ISD, Weslaco ISD and White
Settlement ISD.
Each approved
program is required to maintain an advisory committee including local
veterinarians as advisors. All TVMA members living in one of the school
districts approved to offer the Veterinary Assistant Technology courses are
encouraged to contact school or vocational agriculture program administrators
to learn how you can assist with the classes to ensure a high-quality
educational experience for the students. There should be plenty of
opportunities to serve your local program as a guest lecturer, to host field
trips to your clinic, to employ after school and summer “interns,” to employ
program graduates or to help in other ways. Your own practice and the
profession as a whole will be the beneficiaries of your efforts to ensure the
success and quality of these programs.
Within TVMA, the
Certified Veterinary Assistant program was adopted by the Board of Directors in
1999 and was implemented shortly thereafter. A subcommittee of the Technician
Oversight Committee that meets twice annually to provide program direction and
evaluation oversees the program. The Technician Oversight Committee is
currently chaired by Dr. Anthony Meyer, and the CVA Subcommittee is chaired by
Dr. Guy Johnsen.
To learn more
about the TVMA Certified Veterinary Assistant program please visit the TVMA
website at www.tvma.org/RVTs_and_CVAs/certified_vet_assistant.phtml
or email Bekki Williams, Training and Certification
Specialist, at bwilliams@tvma.org.
National
News
13 Horses Dead After Double-Decker Trailer
Collides With Pickup Truck
(from
Associated Press and other sources) Authorities in
The semi hauling the horses
collided with a pickup truck after running a stop light at an intersection on
U.S. Highway 41 in
“Picture a narrow trailer,
slippery as snot and cavern filled with horses piled on top of each other, some
of them kicking dangerously,” said Colleen Fisch, a
horse rescue coordinator from
“The scene was chaotic,” said
Lake County Sheriff’s Sgt. Curt Gregory.
The horses, most of which
appeared to be yearlings, were being transported from
13 of the 59 horses died in
the crash or were euthanized at the scene due to their injuries. The surviving
animals were taken to a nearby farm whose identity is being kept private.
Stable owner and rescue
volunteer Scott Golladay knew the scene would be bad,
but he said nothing could prepare him for what he saw when he arrived.
“It was God awful,” said Golladay. The truck was lying sideways across the highway,
and he could hear the animals kicking and screaming. “I’ve been in the horse
business for over 35 years and this was, by far, the most horrific thing I have
ever seen.”
Neither of the drivers
involved suffered any serious injuries from the accident. The driver of the
tractor-trailer rig, 34-year-old James Anderson of
Police were still uncertain
who owns the horses. Before flying home to
In the meantime, Fisch said horse enthusiasts from northern
[Editor’s Note: Late word is the number of surviving horses is down
to 42, with four additional horses dying or being euthanized as a result of
injuries sustained in the initial crash.]
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Barbaro Ornaments Offered For
The group known as the “Fans
of Barbaro” announced they will offer holiday ornaments for sale featuring a
graphite pencil illustration of Barbaro, the 2006 Kentucky Derby winner who was
euthanatized in January after developing laminitis while recovering from a
catastrophic injury sustained in the 2006 Preakness Stakes.
The group has selected the
The illustration, entitled
“Barbaro -
The ornaments are $10 each,
plus $2 for shipping. Five dollars from the purchase of every ornament will
benefit the Fund for Laminitis Research.
For additional information or
to place an order, visit www.vet.upenn.edu/barbaro/support.html.
Other Fans of Barbaro
projects include horse rescue and retirement support, encouraging safer
racetrack conditions, and funding equine medical research -- especially
research into the cause, treatment, management, and eventual cure of laminitis.
The group has raised nearly $700,000 in less than one year.
Legislative
Update
Senate Bills Include Horses In USDA Emergency
Disaster Programs
The horse industry has been
working to ensure that horses are eligible for the same federal assistance that
other livestock is eligible for once a disaster is declared and funds
appropriated. In 2005, Senators Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Jim Bunning (R-KY) and
Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) passed legislation making horses eligible for some federal
emergency assistance programs. But the changes did not make horse breeders
eligible for federal emergency loans.
On October 25th, the Senate
Agriculture Committee reported out its farm bill. Through the efforts of
Senators McConnell and John Thune (R-SD), this bill includes a provision making
horse breeders eligible for emergency loans by including “equine farmers and
ranchers” within the class of eligible farmers. Horse farms would have to
comply with all other requirements imposed on other livestock producers in
order to qualify for any available emergency loans.
Earlier this month, the
Senate Finance Committee also reported out the Heartland, Habitat, Harvest and
Horticulture Act of 2007. This bill would create and fund a permanent
Agriculture Disaster Relief Trust Fund that would provide payments to farmers
and ranchers who suffer losses in areas that are declared disaster areas by
USDA. Through the efforts of Senator Bunning, this program includes “horses
used for commercial production agriculture,” like stallions, mares, foals and
yearlings, within the definition of eligible livestock.
These two bills are expected
to be merged when they are considered by the full Senate, which could occur
within the next few weeks. The industry has been working for some time to
achieve parity for horse breeders with other livestock producers and supports
these provisions.
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AHC Supports Broader Opportunities For Disabled
Riders
In the comments, the AHC
stated, “When one considers that most wheelchair bound individuals travel only
a few hundred feet on trails while horse riders with impairments can travel ten
to twenty miles or more at a time, it is clear that not mentioning equestrians
and horses in the proposed rule in connection with access is an oversight.” The
AHC firmly recognizes the necessity of preserving existing equine access to
Jay Hickey, President of the
AHC, further noted the enduring value of the horse in providing freedom of
impairment for disabled Americans, “The horse is by far the most common and
most environmentally friendly means of access to trails for physically
challenged individuals. In fact, when on a horse, most physically impaired
individuals, whether wheel-chair bound or not, are indistinguishable from
others and enjoy the same degree of mobility as their less
physically-challenged companions … the vital role of the horse in providing
access to trails and back country for large numbers of physically impaired
Americans is undeniable.”
The AHC further stressed the
importance of providing better trails, trail heads for horses, access routes,
mounting blocks and handicapped accessible ramps, adequate picnic and camping
facilities, rest rooms and stables that accommodate the special needs of therapeutic
riding programs.
The AHC has advocated over
the years the importance of therapeutic riding as a way to create and enhance
freedom of movement and outdoor accessibility for disabled Americans. Recently,
many therapeutic riding programs have begun to work with disabled veterans from
the Iraq War in order to teach them how to ride. Riding provides all Americans,
particularly those with disabilities, with a link to the outdoors, to nature
and to the beauty and rich tradition of the American trails system.
The AHC concluded its
comments to the Board by saying, “This opportunity must be recognized and
protected for all Americans in these rules, particularly disabled Americans.”
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As the national trade association
representing the horse industry in
The AHC is member supported by
individuals and organizations representing virtually every facet of the horse
world from owners, breeders, veterinarians, farriers, breed registries and
horsemen's associations to horse shows, race tracks, rodeos, commercial
suppliers and state horse councils.
Equine Science News
Energy From Manure
It’s a perennial problem. What do you do with the horse
manure? In the past, townsfolk would follow the cart in hope of collecting some
fertilizer for the garden. Nowadays it is more likely to be considered a health
hazard.
For horses kept on small areas, collecting the droppings
helps control the spread of parasitic worms. It also increases the area
available for grazing by reducing the amount of contaminated pasture. But, it’s
all very well collecting the feces from the pasture - what do you do with it
afterwards?
And then there is the problem of disposing of feces and
contaminated bedding from the stable.
One possibility suggested by recent research is to
ferment the manure to produce gas, which could be used for heating. Sigrid
Kusch and fellow workers at the
Their laboratory study employed small-scale reactors,
each with a capacity of about 50 liters (approximately 13 gallons). Horse dung
and straw was used as the substrate for a batch digestion process. The leachate, the liquid that drained out of the substrate, was
pumped back to the top of the reactor twice daily. The temperature in the
reactor was maintained at about 35°C (95° F).
Initially, the scientists added a solid inoculum (partly digested feces) to the reactor to start
the digestion process. However they found that if they flooded the reactor with
liquid collected from an earlier experiment, rather than simply percolating the
liquid that leached out of the manure, they did not need to add the solid inoculum.
Flooding the solid matter with liquid led to slightly
higher gas production over the six-week cycle than when the water was allowed
to percolate through the dung and straw mixture.
If fact, they could even get similar results by using
drinking water, without additional bacteria, to flood the reactor, although gas
production was lower for the first 10 days. Methane was produced more quickly
if the faeces and straw mixture was chopped into
pieces about 4cm long before starting the digestion process.
The scientists estimate that if similar techniques were
used on a larger scale the expected production would exceed 20m3 biogas /m3 of
manure.
Who knows - maybe in the future we will come to look on
horse manure as a valuable resource?
For more details see:
Biogas production with horse dung in
solid-phase digestion systems.
Sigrid Kusch, Hans Oechsner,
Thomas Jungbluth.
Bioresource Technology (2007) in
press:
doi: 10.1016/j.biortech.2007.02.008
© 2007 Equine Science Update
Reprinted with permission
Monthly
Poll
Last month we asked:
This month’s question: Do
you blanket your horses in winter?
To vote in our monthly poll,
go to www.hat-texoma.org and scroll
down to “Monthly Poll” on the home page. The results of this month’s question
will be published in our next issue. Be sure to stop by and cast your vote!
Extension
Service News
by Eddie Baggs, CEA-Agriculture
Horse Protein Requirements
We held
the annual Denton County Hay Clinic at the North Texas State Fairgrounds in
September. There were some very good hay samples exhibited, and some not so
good hay samples. After the clinic a young lady asked what percent protein hay
she would be best to feed to her horse. My short answer was “that depends.” Now
I will give the long answer.
Protein
in the horse’s body helps make-up enzymes, blood cells, hooves and hair, but primarily
muscle tissue. Crude protein requirements for horses are expressed as the
percent of CP horses require daily in their total diet, meaning everything a
horse eats daily, not just the concentrate portion. Mature non-working horses
require 8-9% CP in their total diets. When horses are put into training, many
horse owners assume that their horse’s crude protein needs will increase.
Research, however, shows that when horses are being worked, very little
additional protein is required. The reason being that during work, new muscle
cells are not being made, but the existing cells are just developed. Only a
small amount of protein is lost in sweat, and protein is not typically used as
a fuel source. So if a mature horse is being fed a high
quality hay and a 10-12% CP concentrate and then put into training just increase
the pounds of concentrate.
A
mature idle horse should consume 1.5-2.0% of their body weight in a quality long stem forage and 0.5% concentrate daily. A quality
forage is considered to be at least 10-12% protein or above. Horses grazing
abundant good quality pastures consume enough green growing forage to meet
their daily roughage requirement. However, horses in dry lots or stalls only
receive what roughage is fed to them, therefore a
protein analysis is an important tool when trying to meet the horse’s protein
requirements. Since roughage is the foundation of a safe and successful feeding
program, the effort in selecting the best available roughage is well worth the
time.
The
bottom line is, it’s easy to meet the horse’s protein
requirement, because protein needed is not correlated with workload. Not to be
confused with energy requirements, which are much different between the idle
and working horse.
Educational programs conducted by the
A Bit of Humor
A Bad Day At The Races
One day a guy
went to the race track, and while there he observed a Roman Catholic priest who
went over to a horse and sprinkled it with holy water. The horse went on to win
the race, streaking ahead of the opposition. Before the next race he saw the
priest go over to another horse and sprinkle it with holy water. Like the first
horse it went on to win its race. The guy said to himself that if the priest
sprinkles another horse with holy water, he would bet every penny he had on
that horse. Sure enough, the priest went over to another horse and sprinkled it
with holy water. So the guy went to a bookie and bet every penny he had on this
horse.
When the race started, the
horse that the priest sprinkled with holy water dropped dead about 100 yards
down the track. The guy was devastated. So he went over to the priest and said,
“What's going on here? The last two horses you sprinkled with holy water went
on to win their races, and this last one you sprinkled dropped dead after only
100 yards. I had put every penny I had on its nose!”
The priest replied, “You’re
not Roman Catholic, are you?”
The guy admitted that he was
not and asked, “But, how do you know that?”
The priest said, “Because you
don’t know the difference between giving a blessing and administering the Last Rites.”
Ask The Vet
by Dr. Katie Hayes, DVM
EPM (Possum disease)
We have seen 4 cases of EPM
in the last 2 months so here is a brief synopsis.
Equine Protozoal
Myeloencephalitis (EPM), better known as “that possum disease” is a
neurological disease of horses that can cause weight loss, uncoordinated
movements, and death. EPM is caused by a protozoan, a bacteria-like organism
that invades the brain and spinal cord of its host (the horse) and causes
inflammation. The inflammation of the central nervous system will affect the
horse’s muscle function leading to weakness, loss of coordination and
eventually an inability to stand or walk. EPM is known as “The Great Imitator”
because in its early stages it my cause signs of mild lameness in one or two
legs, it may cause some muscle groups to atrophy (decrease in size), it may
cause weight loss despite a good appetite and adequate feed or may have no
signs at all until a horse is stressed by hauling, showing or a change in the
weather.
Horses become infected with
EPM by eating feed, hay, or grass that has been exposed to an infected
opossum’s feces. An opossum becomes infected by eating the carcass of a dead
infected skunk, cat, raccoon or armadillo. Once infected, horses may or may not
develop the disease, most horses are somewhat
resistant to EPM when infected with only a small amount. The most susceptible
horses are those that are old, young (under 4 years) and those in stressful
situations such as training, though any horse may become infected if exposed to
high amounts.
Prevention of EPM is
difficult, but restricting access to horses’ feed and hay by vermin can
decrease exposure, as well as removing the carcasses of dead vermin (skunks,
raccoons, armadillo, cats…) from your property to prevent opossums from
becoming infected or attracted to your property.
Early recognition is the key
to successful treatment. Horses exhibiting any signs of uncoordinated
movements, unexplained weight loss or muscle wasting which usually occurs
fairly rapidly should be given a full medical examination.
Treatment is based on the
severity of the disease and the pocketbook. The most common and safest medicine
to use is Marquis which is a paste given for 28 days followed by 2 months of
Rebalance. It is recommended to use double doses of Marquis or to use it for 2
months in more severe cases. The cost is $960 for a 28 day treatment and the
Rebalance is $150/month. A stronger medicine is Navigator 28 day paste but is
has side effects of diarrhea and fever and costs $1250. The Rebalance can be used
as a treatment but it is slow acting and requires 3 months or more of
treatment. In severe cases where the horse is having a difficult time standing
or staying up, an experimental drug Diclazuril injections
can be used but it costs around $1200.
Pregnant Mares
Mares bred in May/June need
their 5 month Rhino shot. Mares bred in April need their 7 month Rhino.
Recipe of the Month
Baked Corn Pudding Servings: 16
|
|
|
|
|
|
1/2 cup |
butter or margarine |
6 |
eggs, slightly beaten |
|
1 |
small onion, chopped (1/4 cup) |
2 cups |
shredded Cheddar cheese (8 oz) |
|
1/2 cup |
all-purpose flour |
2 lbs |
frozen whole kernel corn, thawed |
|
1/2 tsp |
salt |
1/2 cup |
chopped fresh parsley (or 2 tbsp parsley flakes) |
|
1/2 tsp |
pepper |
3/4 cup |
plain bread crumbs |
|
4 cups |
milk (1 quart) |
3 tbsp |
butter or margarine, melted |
|
|
|
|
|
·
Heat oven to 350° F. Spray a 13x9-inch (3 quart) glass baking dish or
3-quart casserole with cooking spray.
·
In a 4-quart Dutch oven, melt 1/2 cup butter over medium heat. Add
onion; cook 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in flour,
salt and pepper until well blended. Stir in milk. Cook 4 to 5 minutes, stirring
constantly, until thickened. Gradually stir in eggs and cheese. Stir in corn
and parsley. Pour into baking dish.
·
In a small bowl, mix bread crumbs and 3 tablespoons melted butter;
sprinkle over corn mixture.
·
Bake uncovered 55 to 65 minutes or until mixture is set and a knife
inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let stand 5 to 10
minutes before serving.