anxious | Horse Racing Free Tips

In Or Out During Storms: There’s No Right (Or Wrong) Answer

There are many issues that divide horse owners, but there are two that will keep them debating until the sun sets — blanketing, and whether to bring a horse inside during a storm. Most riders know not to ride outside during storms, lest they attract lightning to their metal stirrups, bits, or horseshoes, but what to do with horses in fields during a downpour is a more complicated issue.

Though some horse owners and caretakers bring their horses into barns and stalls whenever rain is imminent, the likelihood of a horse being struck by lightning while in a field is low, as is the possibility of him being hit by a falling tree – especially if the trees around his field are maintained.

The greater risk during thunderstorms is that a horse will become so anxious that he injures himself. If the horse lives outside and is normally not disturbed by bad weather, he may not need to come inside. However, if he's anxious or tends to run or injure himself when he's stressed, bringing him into a stall may be the best bet.

This assumes that the barn is structurally sound and that the horse doesn't mind being confined to a stall. If the horse doesn't tolerate confined spaces well, but might become agitated during a loud storm, consider placing him in a smaller paddock or an indoor arena, if available.

It's important not to scold or soothe a horse that is behaving oddly during a storm. Either of these actions could make him more upset or reinforce the negative behavior.

Pony Mistakenly Overdosed On Pergolide Has No Lasting Effects

A pony in Germany was accidentally given 110 times the veterinary recommended dose of pergolide (sold under the name Prascend). The most prescribed medication for horses that suffer from pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (called PPID or Cushing's disease), pergolide mimics dopamine's action in the body.

Instead of being given half of a 1-milligram tablet (.5 milligrams), the pony was given 55 tablets. The mistake was discovered four hours after the pony had been medicated. The veterinary exam showed that the horse had an increased heart rate, but no other symptoms.

To try to prevent any additional absorption of the medication, vets gave the pony paraffin oil and activated charcoal through a nasogastric tube. They also administered two drugs: One to prevent heart arrhythmias, which is a known side effect of pergolide overdose in humans, and one to counter pergolide's dopamine-biding action.

The pony was unusually anxious for the week after his overdose, reacting to bright lights and fast movement. He also had a decreased appetite. Within eight days of his overdose, the pony was back to normal.

Researchers concluded that the pergolide overdose resulted in only minor, temporary effects.

Does Light Color Affect A Horse’s Willingness To Load On A Trailer?

Loading horses into a trailer can be stressful, especially if they are walking from a brightly lit area into a dark horse trailer. New research out of France indicates that specific trailer lights, at the correct brightness, can ease the transition from light to dark, reports The Horse.

The equine eye takes a significant amount of time to adjust to changes in light, reports The Horse. To help determine if lighting affected horse's willingness to load, Dr. Claire Neveux, an equine behavior consultant and researcher with Ethonova, equipped trailers with LED lights of varying brightness. Researchers were able to adjust the whitness as well as the intensity of the light the bulbs emitted.

The scientists used 22 2- and 3-year-old French Trotting horses that were in race training; the horses had not traveled on a trailer since they were foals. The horses were asked to load into a two-horse, straight-load trailer in three different lighting conditions, all of which completely illuminated the interior of the trailer. The horses were also loaded in natural light. Twenty days elapsed between each test and common loading techniques were used, including halter pressure, food rewards for advancement and hindquarter pressure.

The scientists determined that horses had the lowest heart rate and showed the fewest negative responses when they loaded into a trailer lit to 4500 K and 50 percent flux. They loaded more readily and they exhibited less stress behaviors when the inside of the trailer was lighter. While inside the trailer, the horse's heartrates dropped fastest when the horses had lights that were more yellow or blue.

The study teams notes that additional research could show how lighting affects equine stress levels and welfare in housing, performance and hospital settings.