weight tapes...
This message is from: Ingrid Ivic [EMAIL PROTECTED] Although weight tapes may not give an accurate scale weight, they do provide you with a measure of how a given horse is doing relative to his own past. Makes sense to me...thanks Steve! Although I do give my guys and gals a good once-over every day, the tapes should help. Ingrid
Re: Re: weight guidelines
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Thanks to everyone for the tips - L. Lottie
Re: weight guidelines
This message is from: Julia Will [EMAIL PROTECTED] This is Julie at Old Hickory Farm; our weight loss program consists of 1 - 3 flake of grass hay, first cutting, FOUR times a day. If we have any doubt about overall nutritional status, a handful of grain with added vitamen/mineral supplement would be given once a day. (For instance if the hooves looked less than healthy, the hair coat was dull, etc.) It does take a few months to see a big change, and it is hard to see them look longingly at the pastures, but it works.
Re: Founder
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Fri, 18 Sep 1998, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: information about red raspberry leaf. Supposedly it is a great thing to give broodmares, it helps tone their uterus, helps them get pregnant, stay pregnant, and supposedly would help prevent another retained placenta. Have you heard anything about this? I've since heard of several people who swear by this stuff. First I heard of it for horses, but I'll vouch for its value in dogs. We use it on every pregnant bitch since we had several bitches with whelping problems a few years ago. One of them had a c-section, and a year later, on raspberry leaf diet, delivered naturally. Our vet was impressed. (It works for people, too.) Barbara Lyn
Re: Fjord or quarter horse
This message is from: Marsha Jo Hannah [EMAIL PROTECTED] julie finn [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: my family [...] not very knowledgable about horses,looking for a mild manner horse which is easy to maintain- not interested in linerage or gait, but unable to afford a older trained fjord. This is my dilemma. Is it better to buy a well trained quarter horse or a younger Fjord? The general rule of thumb is that beginners should start with the most experienced horses they can afford. Note, experienced is not necessarily the same as well trained. My first horse was my Fjord mare, Nansy. She was 17, didn't know much more than one rein = turn, two reins = stop, two legs = go (which was about all I knew), but she had gone, been, done, or seen darned near everything. She knew how to stay under an unbalanced rider, while getting herself over any obstacles a trail might present, and wasn't fazed by anything she met on the trail. She was a Best Buy, at $3000. (Unless you count the other Fjords she made us buy, by infecting both me and my originally non-riding husband with the Fjord virus!) My most expensive Fjord was also $3000---at least until the medical bills from his slightly squirrely antics added up to exceed his purchase price. At age 5, he'd had only 60 days of training, and hadn't been off the breeder's property much. He was my lesson in how NOT to buy a horse My best Fjord was $6000, at age 4. He'd had a fair amount of training, and a lot of time and mileage, doing farm work, pack trips into the wilderness, shows, parades, you name it. He made a couple of young horse mistakes while he and I got acquainted, but had the good grace to look embarrased about them, and hasn't ever hurt either of us. IMHO, he was worth every penny. Anyway, don't look at the animal's training---look at his resume. What has he done with what he learned? I don't just mean show ribbons, but has he gone out and participated in the kind of riding you want to do. And, don't buy a horse that's too far above your level---I remember getting launched on one test ride because that Appy was fine-tuned for sliding stops, and I wasn't Marsha Jo HannahMurphy must have been a horseman-- [EMAIL PROTECTED] anything that can go wrong, will! 30 mi SSE of San Francisco, Calif. ---
Re: weight guidelines
This message is from: Marsha Jo Hannah [EMAIL PROTECTED] Steve McIlree [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Although weight tapes may not give an accurate scale weight, they do provide you with a measure of how a given horse is doing relative to his own past. [...] It's hard to eyeball these guys and see gains or losses to their sometimes considerable girth, so the tape is a valuable aid. IMO. I'll second that. Part of my weekly routine is to measure the heart-girth and rib-girth on each of my equines, and record the numbers on the calendar. I use an ordinary 1/4-wide carpenter's measuring tape, and record to the nearest inch on the Fjords (1/2 on the donkey). This allows me to see if the animal is generally gaining or losing, and compare where we are this year vs last. I have found that measurements can vary as much as an inch or two without the animal actually changing weight, depending on stance (head up vs down), level of tension, etc. And, AM vs PM measurements can vary as much as 5, especially over the ribs! I try to measure them the same time of day (just after I deliver their breakfast hay), with them in the same postures (necks down, eating it), every time. But, I don't really believe a measurement until I see it repeated over several weeks. There are formulas for converting girth measurements to approximate weights. All measurements below use girths and lengths in inches to give weights in pounds. Girth is heart-girth measurement (just behind the withers and elbow) at full exhale, with the head carried level; length is from point of shoulder to point of rump---a measurement that I find it difficult to take reliably. 1) weight = girth x girth x length/300 2) weight = 50 + (girth x girth x length/300) 3) weight = girth x girth x length/330 1) is from an Australian book on donkeys. 2) is from a U.S. Peace Corps manual, supposedly for use in the 3rd world, i.e. probably intended mostly for donkeys, small mules, ponies, and half-starved horses. 3) was posted on rec.eq, citing The Chronicle of the Horse, 8/21/92 (this agrees fairly well with most horse weight tapes). Oddly enough, I find the donkey formula (1) to agree better with my estimates of my Fjords' weights than the one intended for horses (3)! Marsha Jo HannahMurphy must have been a horseman-- [EMAIL PROTECTED] anything that can go wrong, will! 30 mi SSE of San Francisco, Calif. ---
Re: weight guidelines
This message is from: Marsha Jo Hannah [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: What do you consider a typical flake of hay? 3 - 4 - 6 and with no grass to eat how much should a portly l200 lb Fjord gelding be eating. I am trying to get some weight off Linda Lottie Sorry, folks---pet peeve of mine. Flake of hay is a rather, um, flakey unit of measure. It varies widely---did it come off of a 40-lb eastern 2-string bale of grass hay, or a 180-lb western 3-wire bale of alfalfa? What brand of baler? Etc! The best thing to do is get a kitchen scale (or a fish scale) with a capacity of around 25 pounds, and weigh your rations (I use either a firewood carrier or a xerox-paper box to contain the hay, and zero the kitchen scale to account for the carrier). In the winter (the only time mine are totally hand-fed), my Fjords hold their weights nicely on 15 lb per day of ryegrass hay (mowed cow pasture). Now, that's a mild California winter, and non-working pets, of around 950 to 1150 lb each. YMMV, but the general rule of thumb for ordinary non-working horses is 2% of body weight per day. For fuel-efficient Fjords, I suspect 1.5% is closer. A word of caution about weight loss programs. Some equines (it's all too common in donkeys, and happens in ponies), when they lose weight too quickly, develop hyperlipidemia (spelling?). Essentially, the body panics and tries to metabolize all its fat at once, which the liver and/or kidneys can't handle. So, don't put a 1200-lb Fjord on a crash diet by halving his rations. If you think he ought to be a 1000-lb Fjord, feed him like that's what he is. And, if at all possible, gradually increase his exercise. Marsha Jo HannahMurphy must have been a horseman-- [EMAIL PROTECTED] anything that can go wrong, will! 30 mi SSE of San Francisco, Calif. ---
RE: thirsty mare
This message is from: Beck, Sharon [EMAIL PROTECTED] I don't use a hose to fill the tank, the tank is right under the water hydrant, so I just have to turn the hydrant on and off. There is a total of 4 horses. When I had 3 horses I filled the tank every 2/3 days. When I purchased this new mare, the water consumion has gone up so much that I'm filling the tank each AM PM. I first I thought, it was just because they were running around more, with the new horse there. But it has continued . I'v had the mare 4 months now, she got along with the other horses right from the start. I'm worried she may have diabetics or something. What do you think? Sharon -- From: Bushnell's[SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, September 18, 1998 10:03 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: thirsty mare This message is from: Bushnell's [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sharon, your posting doesn't include how many horses drink from the tank.. ? Considering the increase in water it might be that you're leaving the hose in the tank and it's siphoning back to the release valve (on a frost free outlet) or if the other end is disconnected. We've had that happen to us. Ruthie
Cryptorchid
This message is from: Ingrid Ivic [EMAIL PROTECTED] And the condition is heritable, meaning that if the Cryptorchid stallion is bred, his offspring will be more likely to be Cryptorchid than another normal stallion's offspring. If one testicle is descended and the other is retained, this stallion can fertilize mares just as well as a normal stallion. If both testicles are retained he will be sterile. He will still mount and breed mares, but as the temperature in the abdomen is too high for proper sperm development, he will be unable to fertilize them. Interesting subject...I was wondering, does a gelding who trys to mount mares, do so because he was gelded late in his life? Has he just retained this behaviour because he learned it, before he was gelded? My QH is very un-gentlemanly in this way. On his AQHA registration/transfer papers, he was still listed as a stallion, before I took ownership. He is definately a gelding now, but I always wondered about this before I purchased him. I'm wondering now if he possibly is a Cryptorchid, as he can act aggressive this way at times. Ingrid
Re: Fjord or quarter horse
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In a message dated 98-09-18 17:03:22 EDT, you write: This is my dilemma. Is it better to buy a well trained quarter horse or a younger Fjord? They are around the same price in my part of the country. Well, we've got both. And for about the same price. Well, one fjord mare was more expensive, but the older trained fjord mare cost the same as our poorly trained (but beautiful and full of potential) quarter horse. I bought one mare in the Southwest and one in the Northwest. I saw some nice, well trained, but not show quality fjords for sale in both areas at reasonable prices. I think if you look around you can find some nice affordable horses of either breed. Do you subscribe to the Fjord Herald? Or ever get onto the links where they have horses for sale? Good luck and happy hunting. Hope you find the horse of your dreams. Pamela
Re: weight guidelines
This message is from: Steve McIlree [EMAIL PROTECTED] Ingrid-- Friday, 18 September 1998, you wrote: Are weight tapes a good investment or do I skip them? Although weight tapes may not give an accurate scale weight, they do provide you with a measure of how a given horse is doing relative to his own past. So if a horse goes from 1200 to 1000 pounds on the tape you don't really know that he now weighs 1000 pounds, or even that he lost 200 pounds, but you do know that he's lost alot of weight. It's hard to eyeball these guys and see gains or losses to their sometimes considerable girth, so the tape is a valuable aid. IMO. -- Steve McIlree Cynthia Madden -- Pferd, Keyah, Skipper, Tank -- Omaha, Nebraska, USA When I bestride him, I soar, I am a hawk...the basest horn of his hoof is more musical than the pipe of Hermes. --William Shakespeare(1564-1616)
Gelding Founder
This message is from: Cynthia_Madden/OAA/UNO/[EMAIL PROTECTED] Brian, Thanks for your mini-lectures on gelding and founder. They are both excellent! I think it is time to quit calling Fjords easy keepers. I am finding it quite difficult to keep Tank as I feel he needs to be kept due to the ease with which he gains weight and my need to board him. I cannot find the perfect place, but only a compromise for all our horse needs and hobbies and this means that sometimes I really worry about him. I was lucky to get him out of the lush 24 hour pasture this summer for the worse part. I hope I can get him out early next Spring to keep him from gaining too much weight. He always looks overweight to me and sometimes down right obese! Cynthia Madden, Coordinator Office of Sponsored Programs Research University of Nebraska at Omaha EAB 202, 6001 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE 68182-0210 Phone: 402.554.2286 FAX: 402.554.3698 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Ido :o)
This message is from: Ingrid Ivic [EMAIL PROTECTED] Hello Ilona...nice to meet you! :o) o, thank you thank you. i'll tell you something about him: i bought ido two years ago an he was at that time 8 years old and very fat. he is a 146 cm high gelding and he has a very strong will of his own (a REAL fjord). I love the words strong will and a REAL fjordhow true of my fjords too! Pushovers they are not...as long as they aren't pushy WITH me...love them all! :o) Ingrid
Re: weight guidelines
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Brian: What do you consider a typical flake of hay? 3 - 4 - 6 and with no grass to eat how much should a portly l200 lb Fjord gelding be eating. I am trying to get some weight off and he is loosing the stuffed look but I am thinking it will be several months before I see a major weight reduction? Also, should he be fed two or three times a day - HE JUST LOVES TO EAT and I wonder if going all day with nothing to chew on would be frustrating for him - to add further insult he has to watch my QH munch on his hay very slowly - I am always trying to put weight on him. Great pair - huh?? I am new to self caring for my horses having been at boarding facilities for the past 5 years (my Fjord is a new purchase). Weight seems to be a big issue with Fjords so it is important to have good information to keep them fit and healthy. Thank you for you wonderful help and comments on so many subjects!!! Linda Lottie from Minnesota
weight guidelines
This message is from: Ingrid Ivic [EMAIL PROTECTED] The largest number of cases of laminitis are due to overeating grass or grain or being overweight. Thanks for the helpful information Dr. J!!I have a few questions on correct weight...is it true that a good way to judge a horse's proper weight and condition is to be able to feel, but not see the ribs? Does this hold true for fjords, as well as other horse breeds? I'm thinking, yes? One of our fjord mares, purchased a few months ago, is still slightly (I feel) overweight. She is also about 3+ mos.pregnant. We managed to get her weight down some, before her pregnancy, with excercise and less food, but is it safe to put her on a diet now? She doesn't receive grain, as such, with the exception of the Strongid C 2x pellets and some Clovite, that's it. (OK, OK...the kids do sneak her a carrot now and then!) I am wondering how much to cut back on her hay. She gets a good Timothy/Alfalfa mix. Are there any tried and true formulas for the maintainance of correct weight? Are weight tapes a good investment or do I skip them? Thanks again, Ingrid :o)
thirsty mare
This message is from: Bushnell's [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sharon, your posting doesn't include how many horses drink from the tank.. ? Considering the increase in water it might be that you're leaving the hose in the tank and it's siphoning back to the release valve (on a frost free outlet) or if the other end is disconnected. We've had that happen to us. Ruthie
excess water drinking
This message is from: Beck, Sharon [EMAIL PROTECTED] My mare drinks lots of water, I fill a 100 gal tank twice a day since I got this mare. Before I got the mare I filled up the tank about every 2/3 days. Other than the water drinking she seems healthy, active mare. Should I worry about how much water she drinks? I've checked the tank and it is not leaking. Thks sharon -- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, September 18, 1998 2:08 AM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: when and why to geld This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (BRIAN C JACOBSEN) Mary O'Fjord wrote: Also, does anyone have any helpful information on when to geld colts? Right now he is 3 1/2 months old. What do most of you do or recommend. This is our first colt and he should probably be gelded, although I'd like a couple of opinions on this too. I'd hate to give him the knife, only to find out later that he could have been a nice stallion. One of the vets that we know of says I don't know of any stallion that wouldn't make a better gelding. Help and ideas would be appreciated. I'd like to give some professional advice and personal opinion to answer this question. Technically a colt can be gelded anytime from the moment of birth on, assuming both testicles have descended from the abdomen. You probably have never heard of a colt being gelded at just a few days old, though, and there are some good reasons. Foals are fairly fragile creatures, and we want to make sure they get a good start before we do something like that to them. Also, not a lot is known about exactly how hard the anesthetics we use to knock them out are on a foal. Finally, and some of you will laugh, it's hard to hold onto those slippery little suckers when they're only the size of an almond! There is a reason that gelding colts very young would be advantageous; It barely slows them down at all at that age. Piglets are often done at a few hours or a few days old, and calves are often done at a few days to a few months old. At that age there is very little swelling and very little bleeding. Similar to circumcision in humans, this is not about whether you believe in it or not, but there is no question that it is easier on a baby than it is on a teenager or adult - the babies heal faster and have less complications. What is this thing about the testicles descending from the abdomen? During the foal's development inside the mare, the testicles are developing right next to the kidneys. Late in gestation, changes start to occur that usually result in the testicles exiting from the abdomen and entering the scrotum at two weeks prior to birth. Occasionally, one or both testicles will not have made it out, and this is called Cryptorchidism (Krip-tork-id-ism). Sometimes it will even take up to two years for that testicle (or both) to pop out, but usually if they haven't by the age of two, they aren't going to. Once they are out (in the scrotum) they stay out. The colt may WANT to pull them up into the abdomen when you touch them with cold fingers, or when I've cut one off in a castration and he's desperately trying to save the other one, but once they're out, they're out. More about Cryptorchids later. The traditional age to geld a colt is somewhere around a year old. The reasons here are that you have had time to decide whether you want to keep him a stallion, but he's not quite old enough to have gotten in trouble with a mare. I'm sure he's tried to get in trouble, but he's not quite old enough to fertilize a mare yet. The youngest that a colt ever fertilized a mare (that I know of) was at 14 months old, and the majority are not even able to for some months after that. So really the procedure could be done at any time from 3-4 months old up to around 14 months old if you don't want to worry about accidents with mom or other mares. If you can keep him separate from the mares or you have no mares around, you have some other things to think about. If you want your horse to end up as tall as possible, there is some thought that he will get slightly taller if he's gelded young (less than two years old). If you would rather have him solid and blocky more like a stallion, you will really have to wait until he's around four years to get this effect. Time of year to do it really doesn't seem to matter. You'll hear some people say do it in cooler weather when flies aren't as bad, and that's fine, but we do it at all times of the year and don't seem to have any trouble. Horses are able to keep the flies off pretty well down there. Some people swear you need to do it by the signs. The reasoning here is the following: The signs are determined by the phases of the moon, and if the moon is strong enough to control the tides, then it's strong enough to have some
Re: Founder
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In a message dated 98-09-18 03:09:18 EDT, you write: Also, exercise is good too. Put that horse to work! Please don't anyone think I'm condemning or yelling at you, but if scaring you will keep you and your horse from going through this pain, I will gladly scare you. Brian that WAS a scary, enlightening post. We bought one of our mares pregnant and overweight. We worked like the devil to get the arena put up on our new property so she could be exercised and turned out in a dry lot a month before she had the baby. Didn't work out, but we did cut her feed back, and tried to get as much exercise as possible. She was still pretty hefty and not back in shape when she delivered. Had a really sticky retained placenta. The vet worked about two and a half hours to gently flush that thing loose (she foaled at 4:35 a.m. and the placenta was finally out by 12:30 p.m.). Needed double doses of antibiotics (oral and injectable) and flushing for 4 days after. Thank god there was no infection. As soon as we knew she was okay (a week after delivery) I was out there riding her. The baby is a month old today, and I cantered the mare for the first time yesterday. We've been on a serious exercise program for the last three weeks. She is getting toned, but we still have a long way to go. I knew I had a perfect candidate for founder, and it is scary. Especially the way you describe it. Interestingly, (this doesn't have much to do with founder, but goes along with this particular mare's problems) when I got on the AOL foaling message board and explained what had happened to this mare, somebody emailed back to me information about red raspberry leaf. Supposedly it is a great thing to give broodmares, it helps tone their uterus, helps them get pregnant, stay pregnant, and supposedly would help prevent another retained placenta. Have you heard anything about this? I've since heard of several people who swear by this stuff. Pamela
Re: long time, no see
This message is from: fjord ido [EMAIL PROTECTED] hello meredith and all others, esp. saskia! the cross was 2,5 kilometer long with 22 jumps maximal 1,10 meter high. ido jumped very enthousiast and leaved all big horse owners jealours behind! i was very proud on my horsey! How exciting , that sounds like so much fun! Did you win any ribbons? yes, it was really a lot of fun, mostly because ido enjoined is so much. i gives me pleasure when ido is having a good time while he is working fo me. i did not win any ribbon, because whe were not fast enough. ido is not so big, and because i am over 18 we have to ride in the big-horse catagory and ido cannot go as fast as a big horse. the winner was a member of the mounted police, the one who won the 2nd price was a member of the mounted police the ones who won the 3th-4th-5-6 prices were also members of the mouted police.. Ido is beautiful and talented. What is his pedigree? o, thank you thank you. i'll tell you something about him: i bought ido two years ago an he was at that time 8 years old and very fat. he is a 146 cm high gelding and he has a very strong will of his own (a REAL fjord). His pedigree is: VV. Ivan nr. N1786 V. Verge nr. I41 VM. Siri nr. N13565 MV. Drageset nr. I48 M. Enelien nr. E174 MM. Wendy Ido's father Verge is famouse because his offspring are always horses witha a very friendly caracter! Verge is retired now an is turned into a gelding because he couldn't impregnate mares any more. he now lives on a farm where he pulls a covered wagon. greetings, ilona __ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
when and why to geld
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (BRIAN C JACOBSEN) Mary O'Fjord wrote: Also, does anyone have any helpful information on when to geld colts? Right now he is 3 1/2 months old. What do most of you do or recommend. This is our first colt and he should probably be gelded, although I'd like a couple of opinions on this too. I'd hate to give him the knife, only to find out later that he could have been a nice stallion. One of the vets that we know of says I don't know of any stallion that wouldn't make a better gelding. Help and ideas would be appreciated. I'd like to give some professional advice and personal opinion to answer this question. Technically a colt can be gelded anytime from the moment of birth on, assuming both testicles have descended from the abdomen. You probably have never heard of a colt being gelded at just a few days old, though, and there are some good reasons. Foals are fairly fragile creatures, and we want to make sure they get a good start before we do something like that to them. Also, not a lot is known about exactly how hard the anesthetics we use to knock them out are on a foal. Finally, and some of you will laugh, it's hard to hold onto those slippery little suckers when they're only the size of an almond! There is a reason that gelding colts very young would be advantageous; It barely slows them down at all at that age. Piglets are often done at a few hours or a few days old, and calves are often done at a few days to a few months old. At that age there is very little swelling and very little bleeding. Similar to circumcision in humans, this is not about whether you believe in it or not, but there is no question that it is easier on a baby than it is on a teenager or adult - the babies heal faster and have less complications. What is this thing about the testicles descending from the abdomen? During the foal's development inside the mare, the testicles are developing right next to the kidneys. Late in gestation, changes start to occur that usually result in the testicles exiting from the abdomen and entering the scrotum at two weeks prior to birth. Occasionally, one or both testicles will not have made it out, and this is called Cryptorchidism (Krip-tork-id-ism). Sometimes it will even take up to two years for that testicle (or both) to pop out, but usually if they haven't by the age of two, they aren't going to. Once they are out (in the scrotum) they stay out. The colt may WANT to pull them up into the abdomen when you touch them with cold fingers, or when I've cut one off in a castration and he's desperately trying to save the other one, but once they're out, they're out. More about Cryptorchids later. The traditional age to geld a colt is somewhere around a year old. The reasons here are that you have had time to decide whether you want to keep him a stallion, but he's not quite old enough to have gotten in trouble with a mare. I'm sure he's tried to get in trouble, but he's not quite old enough to fertilize a mare yet. The youngest that a colt ever fertilized a mare (that I know of) was at 14 months old, and the majority are not even able to for some months after that. So really the procedure could be done at any time from 3-4 months old up to around 14 months old if you don't want to worry about accidents with mom or other mares. If you can keep him separate from the mares or you have no mares around, you have some other things to think about. If you want your horse to end up as tall as possible, there is some thought that he will get slightly taller if he's gelded young (less than two years old). If you would rather have him solid and blocky more like a stallion, you will really have to wait until he's around four years to get this effect. Time of year to do it really doesn't seem to matter. You'll hear some people say do it in cooler weather when flies aren't as bad, and that's fine, but we do it at all times of the year and don't seem to have any trouble. Horses are able to keep the flies off pretty well down there. Some people swear you need to do it by the signs. The reasoning here is the following: The signs are determined by the phases of the moon, and if the moon is strong enough to control the tides, then it's strong enough to have some effect on the amount of bleeding and swelling after a castration. The signs are recorded in the Farmer's Almanac and the time to geld is when they are in the feet. I have to say that we have gelded horses with the signs and against the signs, and have not noticed any significant difference in the amount of bleeding or swelling. The best answer is probably this: If you or your veterinarian feels strongly about going with the signs, then do it, or else if something goes wrong you will be forever kicking yourself or you will never hear the end of it from your veterinarian : ). Be prepared to do some work after the castration is completed. Depending on your veterinarian, you might
Founder
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (BRIAN C JACOBSEN) The lead-in to this post is in the post 'more on foal feeding'. Founder has been mentioned from time to time on this list, and as I have recently received some e-mail directly to me asking about it, I thought I might say a few things about it. Founder is a common problem, but until you've been through it with one of your horses, chances are you don't know very much about it. If you have taken the time to ask about it or research it in order to avoid the problem in your horses, good for you! The scientific term for founder is Laminitis. The root word, lamina, refers to the structures that connect the hard outer hoof wall to the soft inner, sensitive tissues. These structures are easily visualized by picturing them as fins like you see on a paper fan or on an air filter for a car or house. The hard outer hoof has one set of fins and the inner tissues also have a set of fins, and these are glued together. The reason for the fins is that they give much more surface area for connection and strength. Here's another way to visualize it: Picture an infant's toy where you put certain shapes through the corresponding holes. If you were assembling a horse's foot, it would be like setting a star shape down into its hole. All the inner tissues of the foot would be the star, and the hard outer hoof would be what the star fits into. The itis part of laminitis means inflammation. The fins become inflamed due to some type of insult. We all know how much inflammation hurts. When you get a splinter, its the resulting swelling that actually hurts, not so much the splinter itself. When you sprain your ankle, after a day or two it's the swelling that hurts more than the original injury. The pain is compounded for a horse in laminitis because the fins are trapped between the hard bone down in the foot and the hard outer hoof wall. There's no room to swell but it's happening anyhow! I believe that very few humans have ever felt pain equal to what a horse feels when he has laminitis bad enough that he doesn't want to walk. The insult that causes the fins to swell seems to be a dramatically reduced blood flow to the foot. How we get from eating too much grain, though, to decreased blow flow in the foot is still not fully understood. Likewise for many of the other causes of laminitis which include: too many hours in a horse trailer without a break, being ridden too hard or too far on a hard surface, taking a big drink of cold water when the horse is very hot such as right at the end of a hard ride, a toxic uterine infection, a retained placenta (afterbirth not passed after foaling), being chronically overweight, getting into the grain bin and overeating, overeating lush grass, bedding a stall with black walnut shavings, steroid overdose (not the bodybuilding kind; ironically it's the kind that's meant to reduce swelling - like many of us have been given in our knee or our back), stress, a bad enough colic, unknown reasons. I put the last, unknown reasons, because sometimes a horse gets laminitis when none of the other causes seem to have occurred. I keep saying laminitis, so where does founder come in? When laminitis has been going on for a period of time, say a few days or a week, it is then called Chronic Laminitis or Founder. One reason to keep the differentiation between Founder and Laminitis, instead of just calling it all Founder, is that a horse can get Laminitis, and sometimes with aggressive treatment is not sore anymore after a few days and the whole episode is done with. That horse did not Founder, it just had Laminitis. Kind of like the difference between having a really bad headache once versus having migraines. The largest number of cases of laminitis are due to overeating grass or grain or being overweight. As Fjords are such easy keepers, many of us are guilty of letting them get overweight and putting them in danger of foundering. If you have ever heard that Fjords are so hardy and disease resistant they won't founder - forget it! They ARE hardy and disease resistant, but if anything are MORE LIKELY than most other horses to founder due to being such easy keepers. If any Fjord owner has a horse that is two hundred pounds overweight and it founders, that owner has no reason to wonder What caused my horse to founder? Being chronically overweight is enough of a reason. The better question would be Why didn't it happen before now? Am I scaring you? I'm trying to! Believe me, your horse will suffer much more if he founders than he will if he has to go without a little food because you put him on a diet! Oh I know it's hard not to give him that little treat because he's so cute, or it's hard to lock him in a stall when the other horses are out eating, but it's
