HAT Chat Articles – January 2008
A word from our
President
As we welcome the New Year, I
can’t help but think of the saying “when life comes at you fast!” 2007 was fast
and furious with plenty of HAT activities and learning opportunities topped off
with a record breaking membership roster.
HAT wound up 2007 with our
annual potluck celebration accompanied by delectable food, great friends,
animated conversation, and a special surprise guitar performance by HAT’s own
Ronnie Brashear. To our delight, he entertained with Christmas carols, country,
and pop. It was a delightful evening for all!
The coming year continues to
follow our motto of “Horsemanship,
Sportsmanship, and Fellowship” as exciting events are planned. Included is
a show series with Choctaw Casino and Resort as a participating sponsor! HAT’s
fall shows, including the finals, will be held in the newly renovated arena and
coliseum now under construction at the Choctaw complex. To help folks prepare
for the show season, a showmanship at halter clinic is set with March 1st
as the projected date. The format accommodates basic beginners to the
experienced. Mark your calendars for this fun day and watch for more details!
You will be well prepared for our first spring show. We look forward to more
Sunday afternoon rides and don’t miss out on the monthly meeting programs!
These are but a few of the
activities HAT will be offering for folks to get out with their horses, ponies,
mules, and friends as 2008 unfolds!
Our efforts are targeted at what you and our members want. If there is
something of interest to you, feel free to contact us and let us know! HAT is
about meeting the needs and desires of its members and the Texoma horse
community.
Our meetings are open to all
y’all! We invite you to come by and get
acquainted…or reacquainted. As always, HAT’s are optional!
Happy Trails,
2008 Stallion Showcase
HAT Chat’s annual Stallion Showcase is included in this issue.
Please look for it following page 18.
HAT Showmanship Clinic March 1
HAT is planning a Showmanship
Clinic to be held on Saturday, March 1. Alesha
Hamilton is scheduled to be the clinician. As of press time, the fee, location
and start time for this clinic had not been finalized. An update will be
provided in the February HAT Chat,
and will be posted on the HAT website www.hat-texoma.org.
HAT 2008 Show Schedule
HAT has been working on its
horse show schedule for 2008. We currently have the following shows planned:
April 12 – Wayne Carter Arena,
Calera OK
August 9 –
November 1 (Weanling/Yearling
Futurity and Show) –
All shows will open for
registration at 8am, and the first class will show at 9. At press time, show
rules and other details were still being finalized. A fourth show may also be
added to the schedule later. Updates will be printed in future newsletters and
posted on our website.
Following our successful
HAT/CNHA show in November, Choctaw Casino and Resort will continue working with
HAT in 2008 as a presenting sponsor. See page 2 of this issue to learn how you
or your business can also become a sponsor!
HAT Is Looking For Sponsors – Like You!
Many
of the programs, activities and events HAT plans and offers each year would not
be possible without the generosity of our sponsors. A variety of local
individuals and businesses have provided support to us in the past, and we look
forward to their continued support as we move into this new
year.
There
are many activities HAT would like to develop and expand, and one way you can
help is to become a sponsor. First and foremost is our flagship Youth Scholarship
program, which we are looking to expand in order to provide more opportunities
for Texoma-area high school seniors to receive awards to help with their
college expenses. Other activities include offering youth and adult instructional
clinics and education services, organizing events such as shows and trail rides
where everyone can get out and spend more quality time with their horses, and
so much more.
If
you are interested in helping HAT bring more of these programs to the Texoma
area, we’d like to hear from you! Regardless of whether you are a single
individual or a large company, every sponsor is important to us. Please contact
HAT by calling or e-mailing us (contact information is at the bottom of this
page) and we will be happy to talk with you about our sponsorship needs and how
you can help.
Tid-Bits from around HAT
·
Steve Braun,
winner of the Reining class at the HAT/CNHA Open Horse Show, was a top ten
finalist in the Non-Pro division at the 2007 NRHA Futurity. Congratulations!
·
Best of luck to
all the HAT members heading to the Fort Worth Stock Show!
·
Welcome to
Michele Beard as HAT's secretary and treasurer for 2008!
·
HAT wishes Kelsea
Bauer a speedy and full recovery from her recent horse accident! Kelsea has
been a consistent competitor and participant in HAT events, most recently
receiving the Reserve High Point award in the 14-17 year old division at our
November 17th HAT/CNHA show. Get well soon!!!
We would like to give “a tip
of the HAT” to all of our members, officers, sponsors, volunteers, and
especially to everyone who came out and participated in our meetings, clinics,
shows, and other events throughout 2007. We hope to see you again in 2008 – and
bring your family and friends!
THANK YOU!
National
News
American Quarter Horse, National Snaffle Bit Associations Host Western
Pleasure Forum
They came to discuss one of
the oldest and most traditional classes offered by the American Quarter Horse
Association and National Snaffle Bit Association. And discuss they did. By the
time the group of nearly 70 professionals, who came from as far away as Virginia,
Kansas, Ohio and Florida, were finished talking about western pleasure, there
wasn’t a detail left unaddressed. The top 100 riders from NSBA, the top 10
riders from open Western Pleasure at AQHA’s World
Championship Show from the past three years and a team of judges who specialize
in western pleasure were invited to attend.
The purpose of the meeting,
which was jointly hosted by AQHA and NSBA, was to develop a standardized system
by which all western pleasure exhibitors are judged.
“I was very pleased with the
willingness shown by these key professionals in western pleasure to be open in
their discussion and truly interested in bettering the discipline,” said Pete
Kyle, chair of AQHA’s Judges Committee, who helped
facilitate the discussion.
Over the years as the event
has evolved, issues such as head carriage, cadence, gaits, transitions and
overall expression have been interpreted differently, all of which was
discussed at the December 19 meeting.
Some of the points that were
made that will be included in a video to be developed by AQHA and NSBA are:
The participants appointed a
subcommittee to further discuss the video, review it and approve the final
version of the video. Cleve Wells, Karen Hornick, Jay
Starnes, Brett Parish, Dave Dellin, J.R. Reichert,
Shane Dowdy, Tom Chown, Troy Oakley, Brad Kearns,
Charlie Cole and Tina Kaven will serve on the
subcommittee. The video, which is expected to be completed late summer or early
fall 2008 will use the latest technology, including
split screens, graphics and computer animation to underscore many of the
nuances of western pleasure.
“Western pleasure is the
foundation class for nearly every other event,” AQHA Executive Director of
Judges Alex Ross said. “There are some who feel the written rule is the
benchmark. While that might be the intent, until we are all able to agree on
what our standards are and be consistent, there will be confusion. I think we
made a lot of progress during this meeting to get people to understand how
western pleasure horses are to be exhibited.”
The unprecedented step of
gathering such a large group came after a western pleasure task force met in
“One of the purposes of the
National Snaffle Bit Association is to define, promote and improve the quality
of the pleasure horse as well as to encourage the use of standard rules for
judging the pleasure horse,” Director of NSBA Dianne Eppers
said. “NSBA is proud to be part of the open dialog among industry leaders to
improve western pleasure and help set standards for the class.”
Legislative
Update
Senate Passes Farm Bill Helpful to Horse Owners
The $286 billion dollar bill,
which passed the Senate on December 14 by a vote of 79 to 14, now includes the
Equine Equity Act. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) offered this bill as an
amendment to the Farm Bill and it was accepted without objection. This
provision would: (1) shorten the capital gains holding period for horses from
24 months to 12 months; and (2) place all racehorses in the three-year category
for depreciation purposes.
Additionally, the Senate Farm
Bill includes two provisions that would make horse owners involved in
production agriculture eligible for additional federal programs that are
administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in the aftermath of a
natural disaster. Senator McConnell and Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY) were
critical to the inclusion of horses in these two provisions.
The first provision would
make horse breeders eligible for federal emergency loans for the first time by
including “equine farmers and ranchers” within the class of eligible producers.
The second provision institutes a permanent disaster relief fund that would
provide payments to farmers and ranchers who suffer losses in areas that are
declared disaster areas by USDA. This provision specifically includes “horses”
within the definition of livestock eligible for the program.
Upon passage of the bill, AHC
President Jay Hickey commented, “As always, Senators McConnell and Bunning have
done a great job for the horse industry. Both have been working for some time
on the Equine Equity Act and providing parity for the horse industry with
respect to federal disaster assistance programs. We appreciate all they do for
this industry.”
The AHC previously reported
that the House passed its version of the Farm Bill last summer. However, the
House bill does not include the provisions described above applicable to horse
owners and is quite different from the Senate Farm Bill in other respects. A
conference between House and Senate members will be necessary to work out these
differences in the second session of this Congress, which begins in January.
The bill that results from that conference will have to be passed by both the
House and Senate and then signed by the President.
- - - - - - -
“Preserving Our Equine Heritage on Public Lands” Act Introduced in
Senate
“Senator Crapo has been a
champion of preserving riders’ access to public lands,” said American Horse
Council (AHC) President Jay Hickey. “He has retooled the bill he introduced in
the last Congress and we appreciate his steadfastness in introducing the
legislation again. Equestrians are going to have to let Congress know that they
are concerned about access to trails and public lands and that they support
this bill if we hope to get it passed.”
The bill directs the
Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture to manage the federal lands under their
jurisdiction “in a manner that preserves and facilitates the continued use and
access of pack and saddle stock animals” on lands on which “there is a
historical tradition” of use. The bill provides that such lands “shall remain
open and accessible to the use of pack and saddle stock animals” where there is
such a tradition. The bill applies to the management of the National Park
System, BLM lands, National Wildlife Refuge System land, and National Forest
System land.
The bill does not limit the
federal agencies’ ultimate authority to restrict such use, provided the
agencies perform the review required under the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969. The bill would also impose additional specific and designated
procedures to be followed by agencies before any land closures. These
procedures include advance notice of any proposed reduction in use to allow
public comment, convening a public meeting near the area involved, and collaboration
with various users during the process.
Those who enjoy riding on
public lands have been concerned about the reduction of trails and public lands
available to horses and pack stock. This bill recognizes the importance of
saddle and pack stock in the settling, exploration and recreation of our
country by ensuring that the horse’s historic and traditional use is recognized
as our public lands are managed by the National Park Service, the Bureau of
Land Management, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Forest
Service.
Hickey further stated, “The
AHC thanks Senator Crapo for introducing this important bill. Horses are an
immensely important part of American culture, history and heritage. This bill
recognizes the strength of the horse industry and helps to preserve
time-honored American traditions and values.”
Equine Science News
Do Contented Horses Learn More Quickly?
Stereotypies,
previously referred to as stable vices, are now generally considered more a
response to an imperfect environment than simply bad behaviour
on the part of the horse. They stem from normal patterns of activity, such as locomotor or eating behaviour.
However they differ from normal by being repetitive and serving no obvious
useful function.
They rarely cause physical harm, but do they interfere
with the horse’s ability to learn?
Research by Dr Martine Hausberger
and her colleagues at the
Seventy horses were included in the study. The
researchers divided them into two groups: those that consistently showed
stereotypic behaviour and those that did not. Behaviours that were classified as stereotypies
were cribbing and wind-sucking, weaving, head shaking or nodding, and tongue
play.
Fifty-one horses showed stereotypic behaviour
during two observation periods three months apart. Only nineteen showed no
stereotypic behaviour at any time during the study. Hausberger attributed this high level of stereotypic behaviour to the environment in which the horses were kept.
All horses were given a learning test. They had to learn
to use their nose to lift a lid of a box to find the food reward that had been
placed inside. Previous work has shown that the response to this test gives a
good indication of learning ability in horses.
The horses that had shown signs of stereotypic behaviour performed less well than those did that had not.
Only 15 of 51 stereotypic horses learned to complete the task in the time
allowed. In contrast, 16 of 19 non-stereotypic horses successfully completed
the task. Even when the stereotypic horses were successful, they took longer to
learn to open the box and find the food than did the non-stereotypic horses.
The type of stereotypy performed did not seem to
influence the results.
The researchers also found that horses that showed
stereotypic behaviour spent less time lying and
sleeping than “normal” horses. This led them to suggest that the difference in
learning ability may be due to differences in the horses’ attention span.
Perhaps the stereotypic horse spends so much time concentrating on performing
the stereotypy that it has less time to learn.
Hausberger
points out that this is the first time a relation between stereotypy and learning
has been demonstrated in horses, indeed in any animal species. The poorer
learning ability of stereotypic horses has important implications for people
involved in training horses. Trainers may need to be patient, and allow more
time, for stereotypic horses to learn new tasks.
For more details see:
Lower learning abilities in stereotypic horses.
M Hausberger, E Gautier, C
Miller, P Jego.
App Anim Behav
Sci (2007) 107, 299 – 306
© 2007 Equine Science Update
Reprinted with permission
Monthly
Poll
Last month we asked:
This month’s question: What
is/are your equine New Year resolutions?
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
Hay Is For Horses
Quality
roughage is important to the horse’s daily diet, providing nutrients while maintaining
the activity and integrity of the digestive tract, it also satisfies the horse’s
urge to chew. Roughage can be provided to horses either in the form of pasture
or hay.
Hays
are divided into two categories: grasses and legumes. Grass hays, such as bermuda, generally are lower in
digestible energy than legume hays, such as alfalfa. This means that grass hay
alone cannot meet the energy requirements of a performance horse, but would be
adequate for a mature idle horse that has limited physical demands. Legumes are
much higher in protein and mineral content than the grasses and are better
suited for the high performance and breeding horse.
Hays
that are green, leafy and fresh will contain carotene which is converted to
vitamin A by the horse. Hays that are bleached, weathered, dark or old will
contain less carotene. If feeding the older, dark colored hay then vitamin A
must be supplemented from a concentrate feed. However, hay should not be turned
down simply because it is not bright green on the outside. The inside of a bale
often will have good color.
Maturity
is the most important factor that determines the quality and nutrient value of baled
forages. The more mature the hay the lower its protein percent and
digestibility, due to a higher lignin content and subsequently slower rate of
passage through the digestive tract. Thus the term “hay
belly,” which in horses is not caused by too much hay but rather by poor
quality hay that has low digestibility and stays in the gut longer.
When
purchasing hay for horses do not hesitate to ask the seller if a protein feed
analysis has been conducted.. The price should be in
line with the feed value. This has been done for years in the dairy industry.
Unlike
cattle, horses are limited in the ability to utilize poor quality forage. Don’t
pay a high price for a low quality roughage and let
your horse get caught with a “hay belly”.
Educational programs conducted by the
A Bit of Humor
Small
Hints for the Horseman
1.
Don’t ever buy a
horse expecting it to be your last one.
2. Don’t buy a horse from anyone who keeps telling you
how honest they are.
3. An honest horse trader is one who says, “He’s cheap,
but he’s worth it.”
4. No matter how much you love a car or boat, they will
never love you back.
5. The most valuable horse in your barn isn’t the one
that cost the most, but the one you love the most.
6. You may never find a horse that has everything you
want, but you’ll find a lot that have everything you don’t.
7. When you go to look at a horse for sale, don’t drive
your Mercedes.
8. It’s almost impossible to walk into a tack shop
without buying something.
9. There are many horses that are loved more by the heart
than by the eye.
10. People who have horses often live a long time without
getting old.
11. Treat all of your horses as if they cost $100,000.
12. When someone asks you if you think their new horse is
wonderful, just reply “yes”.
13. When you ALMOST fall off, get kicked or have a piece
of your tack break, it’s often better than all the advice in the world.
14. You’ll learn more about riding by getting on different
horses than by reading all the how-to books in existence.
15. A dime is still good for something – you can tighten
the latch on your trailer with one.
16. Your true test of patience will come when everyone
else has gone home and your horse won’t load in the trailer.
17. If you keep searching for the perfect horse, you will
be searching for a long time.
18. A good test of your character is how you treat your
horse when no one else is around.
19. Nothing brings a prayer to your lips faster than
racing down a steep hill with a wide ditch at the bottom.
20. It’s great to be a better rider than other people –
just don’t keep telling them.
Ask The Vet
by Dr. Katie Hayes, DVM
AAEP Conference Highlights
I recently attended the AAEP
(American Association of Equine Practitioners) veterinary conference in
Ulcers
Studies showed that feeding
alfalfa hay only and no Coastal hay lowers the acidity of the stomach (raises
the pH) and improves ulcer healing. When the alfalfa was stopped and grass hay
was fed the ulcers worsened. When treating ulcers with UlcerGard, Gastrogard,
or cimetidine, it is best to give the medication first which lowers the acid
levels in the stomach and then feed later which further lowers the acid levels
in the stomach.
Sand
A new product, Assure Plus,
which has a prebiotic, a probiotic and psyllium was more effective in removing
sand from the intestines than psyllium alone. When treating for sand, you must
treat for 10 days. In this study, the sand did not start to come out in the
feces until day 4, and continued to come out for 30 days. To check if your
horse has sand in the intestine, which can cause sand colic, we take 3-4 fecal
balls and dissolve in 1/3 bucket of water, pour off the water and look for sand
at the bottom of the bucket.
EIPH (Exercise Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage)
Horses that bleed after a
race or barrel race are usually given Lasix (Salix) which lowers the blood
pressure of the pulmonary arteries of the lungs and decreases the chance of
bleeding. This presentation looked at alternate therapies for EIPH.
Electrolytes
Low-dose electrolyte pastes
with 60 grams sodium chloride and 20 grams potassium chloride will replace
30-40% of the electrolyte losses in endurance horses.
Lameness and Pain Products in Osteoarthritis
A study showed that
Chondroitin had no effect on joint pain and Glucosamine helped joint pain. The
combination of Glucosamine/Chondroitin helped more in severe osteoarthritis but
not in mild cases. Avocado/soybean for 70 days decreased cartilage degeneration
but did not help the pain. The topical NSAID cream Surpass did reduce lameness
in horses with osteoarthritis that had been induced experimentally. Stem cell
implants for cartilage defects were good for 30 days but not for the long term.
Feeding horses with Hormone (Cushings)
problems
Feed grass hay, a low
starch/low carb feed which has beet pulp and less
grain such as Nutrena’s Safe Choice, and one pound of rice bran. Fat, easy
keepers often have insulin resistance and can’t handle sugars in grain and the
green grass during the spring.
Time To Worm For Bots
Because we had our first
freeze December 17th, we worm for bots one month later which would be January
17. Use a wormer with Ivermectin in it, such as Zimecterin, Equimectrin, or
Eqvalan liquid wormer. We recommend using a wormer that gets the tapeworms too,
such as Equimax, Zimecterin Gold, or Quest Plus. If you are using Strongid C
daily wormer, you must still worm for bots because Strongid C is not effective
against bots and it’s required in their agreement contract. For those of you
that are on fecal exams and no worming, you still need to worm for bots because
the fecal exam does not show bots. Also, clean off all those bot eggs on your
horse’s legs with a pocket knife or lava stone (like you may use to clean your
grill), so the horse won’t get re-infected with bots.
Recipe of the Month
Crock Pot Barbecue Beef Stew Servings: 8
|
1 tbsp |
cooking oil |
|
|
|
2 lbs |
boneless stew beef, cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes |
|
|
|
5 |
carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces |
|
|
|
1 |
large onion, cut into chunks |
|
|
|
6 |
small red potatoes, quartered |
|
|
|
3/4 cup |
barbecue sauce, divided |
|
|
|
1 tbsp |
instant coffee |
|
|
|
1 pkg |
(10 oz) frozen peas |
|
|
·
Heat oil in a non-stick skillet on medium-high heat. Add meat in
batches, cooking until evenly browned, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, layer
carrots, onion and potatoes in the bottom of a 5-quart crock pot. Layer meat
over vegetables and top with 1/2 cup of barbecue sauce. Sprinkle coffee over
sauce.
·
Cover and cook on Low for 7-8 hours (or on High for 5 hours).
·
Stir in peas and remaining 1/4 cup of barbecue sauce. Cover and cook an
additional 15 minutes or until heated through.
Variations: Substitute a different frozen vegetable
(corn, green beans, etc.) for the peas.
For a milder stew, omit the 1/4 cup of
barbecue sauce toward the end of the cooking time.