Horse Care | Horse Racing Free Tips

The Plants A Horse Eats May Cause Sun Sensitivity

A horse with pink skin that blisters and peels may be having a painful reaction to sun exposure – but it may not be sunburn, as many would assume. Instead of overexposure to ultraviolet rays, this reaction takes place internally — photosensitivity occurs when horses with large white patches of skin graze on Saint John's Wort or alsike clover. The photodynamic compound in the plants circulates in the blood. When the compound comes close to pink skin and is exposed to the sun's UV rays, a chemical reaction occurs that damages tissues.

Secondary photosensitivity occurs when a horse's liver is damaged and unable to filter the toxin from the bloodstream, causing the same reaction.

In photosensitive horses, the skin on any white area of their body can blister, including on their face, legs or body. After the blisters, tight scabs will form. These scabs eventually peel away in a lengthy, painful process. Though horses can be afflicted with all sorts of skin disorders, photosensitivity is an exceptionally painful one.

If crusts appear on the horse's skin, it's imperative to identify if they are only located on white markings. If the crusts cross a border into darker hair, photosensitivity is most likely not the culprit. If there's any question, a veterinarian should be called for the best course of treatment.

Affected horses are often removed from fields that may contain phototoxic plants and kept indoors until the skin heals.

Study Shows Steaming Hay Helps Horses Banish Bad Bacteria

Steamed hay has proven beneficial for horses with respiratory disease and dental issues. Better nutritionally than soaked or dry hay, steaming preserves beneficial microorganisms, but banishes bacteria and allergens, reports The Horse.

A study, funded by Haygain Ltd. and spearheaded by Dr. Simon Daniels from the Royal Agricultural University, has shown that steaming hay with near-boiling water preserves its “haybiome,” a new term that encompasses the diverse good and bad bacteria found in hay. A healthy haybiome includes a variety of bacterial species, but the beneficial bacteria outweigh the disease-causing bacteria.

Haygain had no role in the design, data collection, or analysis of the study.

Researchers genetically sequenced samples of four types of ryegrass and meadow hay. Samples were either soaked for 12 hours in water at 61 degrees Fahrenheit or steamed for one hour in a commercial steamer that reached 203 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 10 minutes. The two other sequenced samples were left dry.

The scientists concluded that beneficial bacteria were present in the hay after both steaming and soaking, but the soaked hay didn't have the abundance of bacteria the steamed hay had. Soaked and dry hay contained bacteria that could cause dental and respiratory disease.

Additionally, a blue-green algae that is toxic was found in the dry hay that was sampled. Steaming eliminated the toxin completely, but soaking simply transferred the toxin to the water.

Elevated ACTH Could Signal Complicated Conception

A Japanese study using infertile mares has found that many have elevated levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). ACTH is linked to the endocrine disorder pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID).

Dr. Takeru Tsuchiya and a research team used 67 Thoroughbred broodmares with unknown fertility issues for the study. Each horse had a physical exam and was deemed healthy.

The mares were tested for PPID in the fall using baseline plasma ACTH concentrations; they were divided into three groups based on their ACTH concentration level: low, intermediate, and high.

The team found 77.3 percent conception rates in the low ACTH group, and 56.5 percent in the high ACTH group. The high ACTH group didn't have a significant difference in the number of breedings, but it had lower conception rates.

PPID affects 15 to 30 percent of horses over 15. High ACTH concentrations are common in older horses. Almost two-thirds of the mares used in the study had elevated ACTH hormones. ACTH may indirectly affect reproductive performance.

The study team concluded that if infertile mares are tested for ACTH concentration levels early, it may be possible to improve reproduction performance. They recommend that other factors, including other reproductive hormones, be investigated for their effect on reproductive performance.

Read the article here.

Britain Removes EHV Quarantine Requirements

British Equestrian, the national governing body for horse sports in the UK, has lifted its EHV-1 quarantine requirements. Horses can now return to the country without being isolated from other horses.

The quarantine was put in place in March after EHV-1 cases were linked to competitions in the Iberian Peninsula in Spain. All horses that had competed in the shows or those that had been exposed to horses that competed in the shows have shown no clinical signs of EHV since returning home.

British Equestrian's Equine Infectious Disease Advisory Group (EIDAG) has concluded that the possibility of an EHV-associated disease outbreak has returned to its typical level. They note that there will continue to be infrequent outbreaks of EHV in Europe and the UK.

EIDAG officials encourage horse owners to continue to use stringent biosecurity measures to minimize the risk of the spread of disease.