Horse Care | Horse Racing Free Tips

‘Accident-Prone’ Horses May Merit Additional Examination

Though horse owners often joke that their horses seem to be looking for ways to injure themselves, is there a point where a horse may be more than simply “accident prone?” Dr. Amelia Munsterman, Associate Professor of Large Animal Surgery and Emergency Medicine at Michigan State University, tells EQUUS magazine there may be some additional reasons a horse may seem intent to harm himself, including soreness, lameness and neurologic issues.

The first step in determining whether there's an underlying problem is to have the horse thoroughly checked by a veterinarian, including a focused neurologic exam. This exam will put the horse through a variety of movements to see if he knows where his limbs and body are in space. A lameness exam is also helpful as a horse that is sore may alter his gait and the way he moves, causing him to run into things.

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One other thing the vet should check is the horse's vision. Limited sight in one or both eyes will cause difficulty for a horse trying to navigate his surroundings.

If all of these tests yield no concrete answers, the horse may simply be very curious; adding toys to his stall may keep him out of trouble, Munsterman says. Ensuring he is in a regular exercise program can assist with channeling his extra energy, and spacing out feedings can also help keep him busy and out of trouble.

When Is Choke Not A One-And-Done Emergency For Horses?

Choke in horses is always an emergency. Though some horses may resolve a choking episode on their own, others may behave as if they're colicking, throwing themselves on the ground. Horses may hold their necks out and down, in odd positions. Often the only signs a horse has a blockage in his esophagus are a frequent cough or s a mix of feed and saliva dripping out through his mouth or nostrils. Sometimes the obstruction can actually be seen as a lump on the side of the neck.

Unlike a choking human, a choking horse is not at risk of imminent death because the organs used to swallow food and to deliver air to the lungs are not shared in the same way there are with people, so a food obstruction will not hinder a horse's breathing. Still, a choking horse should be kept quiet and away from food and water, either until he passes the obstruction or until a veterinarian can be called in to assist. A vet will pass a tube down the esophagus and try flush the blockage down with water.

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If a horse chokes repeatedly, it's worthwhile to investigate the cause, Dr. Melina Freckleton tells EQUUS. The first step is to check the horse's teeth, in case dental problems are inhibiting the horse from chewing and swallowing properly.

If that doesn't uncover a cause, it's time to dig a bit deeper and see if he has physical or behavioral issues that are causing him to choke. Look first at how the horse is fed — is he fed in a quiet stall with no neighbors harassing him, or is he fed on a fence line where he must bolt his food to get anything to eat? A horse that eats too quickly is more inclined to choke.

To determine if there is a physical issue that's causing a horse to choke, taking a closer look at the esophagus is key. The vet will snake a long endoscope down the horse's esophagus to see if any injuries have caused scar tissue that make the esophagus more narrow, causing food to get trapped. In other cases, the esophageal wall can weaken, allowing a pocket where feed can accumulate.

A horse that chokes repeatedly can cause and worsen damage to his esophagus, and potentially develop aspiration pneumonia, a serious health issue. It's imperative to find out why a horse is choking and to make management changes to prevent its recurrence.

Kill Pen Pipeline: Experts Tell Jockey Club Round Table Thoroughbreds Are Targeted, Offer Suggestions On How Help

Although Thoroughbred aftercare has been a topic of interest at the Jockey Club Round Table often in previous years, a panel in this year's program touched on the kill pen pipeline, which has proven a growing challenge to legitimate aftercare organizations.

Thanks largely to the growth of social media, individuals operating holding facilities for horses bound for export and slaughter (or people who claim to operate such pens) are finding profit in offering certain types of horses for sale. Sometimes the horses go to private homes, while other times both legitimate and questionable rescues may raise money to purchase and care for the horse. Sometimes, said Beverly Strauss, co-founder and executive director of Mid-Atlantic Horse Rescue, the same horse will go through the cycle of auctions and/or kill pens more than once as a result.

Read our original reporting on this economy here, here, and here.

Those operations, which Straus said can leverage two to three times the price they would probably get for the horse at the border, are specifically seeking out Thoroughbreds.

“Unfortunately, Thoroughbreds, because they're so easily identified, are the target of this online marketplace,” said Strauss. “And so now dealers are seeking them out at low-end auctions, and people are contacting old owners and trainers, anyone who was connected with the horse, even if you haven't seen that horse for 10 or 15 years, people are being contacted to raise money to save the horse.”

Breeding stock are especially vulnerable, since particularly young or particularly old horses are more difficult for the majority of accredited aftercare organizations to take on.

“You know, at TCA, we get a lot of questions about Thoroughbred aftercare. But the most frequent question I get is from Thoroughbred breeders, and they say: What do I do with my retired broodmare?” said Erin Crady, executive director of Thoroughbred Charities of America.”

“And currently there really aren't a lot of options for broodmares or breeding stock, generally speaking. A 20-year-old retired broodmare that hasn't been ridden in 12 years doesn't always fit into the programs of most of our industry nonprofit aftercare organizations, largely because that broodmare would be hard to place and expensive to retrain. If you don't have a back 40 acres where you can permanently retire and care for your breeding stock, it can definitely be a challenge.”

This also applies to breeding stallions; read our reporting about The Deputy's journey to a kill pen here.

As online brokers and well-meaning bystanders get more determined to uncover Thoroughbreds' histories, owners and breeders are more likely than they once were to get a call demanding money to extricate a horse from a difficult position. Strauss advises caution in these moments.

“It's really an unfortunate situation, and what I would say is if you're contacted because one of your former horses is in a kill pen, do some research,” she said. “Don't just throw money at it. Don't just send money blindly. Do research and see that the horse truly is in a bad place and then ensure its safety.

“I would contact an accredited program for help. Most of us can guide you through this issue. Because it really is a problem.”

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One of the most notorious auctions for kill pen operators takes place in New Holland, Penn., which has attracted attention from the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association. The PHBA has constructed an anti-slaughter committee and a code of ethics that members are held to.

“So if you're a member of our organization or you're registering a horse, you're going to have to sign off on that code of ethics, which pretty much says that if you do anything at all to move a horse or go through someone else to move a horse to slaughter, you're going to be sanctioned by our organization,” said Brian Sanfratello, executive secretary of the PHBA. “But we're limited as far as the number of people that can sign off on that and be sanctioned through that. So what we said was we have to try to get something done on a state level for anti-slaughter.”

Knowing that harsher, more widely applicable sanctions were needed, Sanfratello said the organization has also been key in drafting a Pennsylvania-specific version of legislation recently passed in New York which prohibits the sale of Thoroughbred or Standardbred racing or breeding stock for the purposes of slaughter.

“And we went to the lawyers within our organization, and they put together a mock-up of a bill that we're going to submit to the judiciary committee that's going to make it a misdemeanor for bringing horses — having anything to do with getting horses to kill pens for slaughter,” said Sanfratello.

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Ask Your Veterinarian Presented By Kentucky Performance Products: When Stall Rest Isn’t So Restful

Veterinarians at Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital answer your questions about sales and healthcare of Thoroughbred auction yearlings, weanlings, 2-year-olds and breeding stock.

Question: Sometimes stall rest is part of a horse's recovery program but some horses don't tolerate it well and may even self-injure. What makes them do this, and what can be done about it?

Dr. Lindsey Rings, Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital: Stall rest can be a very important and necessary part of your veterinarian's treatment plan for your horse and finding ways to make this time less stressful for you and your horse can be a challenge. Stall confinement can lead to the development of unwanted behaviors such as cribbing, weaving or stall walking. To help to avoid these behaviors, efforts to keep your horse engaged or entertained throughout the day should be utilized.

As herd animals, horses benefit from the companionship of other equids. Stall rest can make this difficult to impossible. Placing a calm companion animal within eyesight of a stall-rested horse can be of benefit and can help to reduce the stress in the stall confined horse. If a companion horse in an adjacent stall is impractical or impossible to provide, the placement of a shatterproof mirror in the stall may be of benefit. Horses that engage with their reflection are found to have reduced stress and anxiety.

Dr. Lindsey Rings

Toys placed in your horse's stall can occupy their down time. Commercial horse toys are available on the market and some even dispense treats or feed to your horse. The addition of stuffed animals, traffic cones, or make-it-yourself stall toys can also engage your horse's mind during confinement.

Adjustments to your horse's diet should also be implemented while maintaining a horse on stall rest. A stall-rested horse may not require the same caloric intake as they did while being more active. Therefore, reductions in concentrate/grain intake should be implemented. The use of a slow feeder or nibble net can extend the amount of time a horse spends consuming their hay and this can help to reduce their unoccupied time.

In a horse that is behaving in an unsafe manner towards either itself or its human care takers or whose behavior has remained retractable to management changes, the use of pharmaceuticals should be considered. Medications such as acepromazine, reserpine or fluphenazine have classically been used to reduce anxiety or induce long term sedation in stall confined horses. The use of trazadone orally is relatively new and seems to offer a safe and effective means to facilitate confinement and enhance calmness. Other products such as alpha-casozepine (Zlykene), magnesium sulfate and herbal combinations are also available and can be effective when used appropriately. Always consult with your veterinarian prior to starting treatment with any of these medications or supplements.

While stall rest is never easy for the horse or its human caretakers, there are several key areas of consideration that can help to make this event much less stressful on all involved.

Dr. Lindsey Rings aspired to be a veterinarian since she “could ride around in a car” with her mother, Marylou, who has a farm animal ambulatory practice and her father, Mike, an Internal Medicine Specialist himself.

After graduating from The Ohio State University's College of Veterinary Medicine in 2012, Rings, a Columbus, Ohio native, interned in New Jersey before completing an internship in 2014 at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. After completing the internship, Rings returned to her alma mater and completed a three-year residency in Equine Internal Medicine while earning her Master's degree in Comparative and Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Rings practices at Rood & Riddle in Saratoga hospital as an internal medicine specialist working heavily with ambulatory veterinarians and other veterinary specialists.

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