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Are Fallen Leaves Toxic To Horses?

Some horses have nearly unlimited access to fallen leaves this time of year, whether from snacking on trail rides or gorging on leaves that fall into their fields. As pasture grasses die off in colder weather, fallen leaves might seem appetizing to some horses.

While many leaves aren't harmful to horses, leaves from certain trees are toxic when ingested and can lead to death. Wilted maple leaves, as well as both fresh and wilted cherry leaves, are toxic to horses; boxelder seeds (“whirlybirds”) can case seasonal pasture myopathy when ingested. Horses that each enough of any of these can die.

Fortunately, horses will generally only consume wilted leaves when there is nothing else to eat; pulling horses from fields that are overgrazed or supplementing pastured horses with hay are two strategies to keep them from eating things they shouldn't. Leaves left on the ground in the winter are not a concern in the spring.

An additional equine health concern is green acorns, which can be toxic if ingested.

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Research Update: Hay Intake Of Blanketed And Non-Blanketed Horses

Thermoregulation in the horse is an energy-expensive process, which can be mitigated by blanketing horses in cold climates, potentially preventing weight loss or leading to decreased feed intake.

The objective of a recently published research project, conducted at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, was to evaluate feed intake, body weight, and body condition scores in blanketed and non-blanketed horses.

Starting in October, 16 adult horses were either blanketed (n = 8) or not blanketed (n = 8). From December through January data was collected, including body weight, body condition scores, hay nutritive value, and round bale weights. Round bales were offered continuously to the horses, and hay waste and any remaining hay was weighed to calculate horse dry matter intake.

Average bale weight, forage nutritive value, body weight, and body condition score were not different between blanketed and non-blanketed horses. However, the daily dry matter intake was different. Blanketed horses consumed 2.3 percent of their body weight, while non-blankets horses consumed 2.5 percent of their body weight. These results suggest blanketed horses conserve energy, leading to decreased feed intake.

For more information on this research, read the article in the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science.

Subscribe to the University of Minnesota e-newsletter here.

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Second Annual Thoroughbred Aftercare Summit To Be Offered Virtually

The Retired Racehorse Project (RRP), Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA), and the Thoroughbred Charities of America (TCA) jointly announce today that the second annual Thoroughbred Aftercare Summit will take place virtually on October 5-6, 2020.

Offering three sessions of panel discussions, the Thoroughbred Aftercare Summit is geared towards individuals and organizations with a professional interest in the retraining and rehoming of Thoroughbreds after racing. The Summit is a free event but pre-registration is required; sessions will be accessible via Zoom.

”When the decision was made to postpone this year's Thoroughbred Makeover, we wanted to ensure that we still supported our aftercare partners in any way that we could,” said Jen Roytz, executive director of the RRP. “The Thoroughbred Aftercare Summit not only covers topics pertinent to those working in Thoroughbred aftercare, but also provides a unique networking opportunity for participants.”

The Summit will offer the following three sessions:

Do More, Spend Less: Monday, October 5 at 7:00 PM ET. Sponsored by Godolphin Lifetime Care and moderated by Stephanie Church of The Horse Media Group (also streamed on Facebook as part of the RRP's Virtual Makeover Webinar Series)
Fundraising in Challenging Times: Tuesday, October 6 at 2:00 PM ET
Accounting 101: Tips for Preparing Financials for Grant Requests: Tuesday, October 6 at 3:30 PM ET

This year's panel discussions reflect some of the unique challenges facing aftercare organizations as well as for-profit resellers during the global COVID-19 pandemic, with the goal of helping Summit attendees create innovative solutions for everything from fundraising to herd management. Learn more about topics and panelists at the Thoroughbred Makeover website.

“In this especially challenging year, we wanted the focus of the Aftercare Summit to be on fundraising strategies for aftercare organizations,” said Erin Crady, executive director of TCA. “With the cancellation of live events, many organizations have had to revise their fundraising plans to place a larger emphasis on digital fundraising and grant writing.”

The Thoroughbred Aftercare Summit was first held in 2019 at the Kentucky Horse Park the day before the start of the Retired Racehorse Project's Thoroughbred Makeover and National Symposium, presented by Thoroughbred Charities of America. The Thoroughbred Makeover is already the largest gathering of individuals and organizations dedicated to the rehoming and retraining of off-track Thoroughbreds, making it the logical setting for this educational and networking opportunity. The 2020 Summit takes place as part of the RRP's Virtual Makeover Week, which includes other educational opportunities for Thoroughbred lovers.

“In these strange and difficult times, networking and sharing best practices is so important for all of us,” said Stacie Clark, TAA operations consultant. “The TAA is happy to be part of the Thoroughbred Aftercare Summit alongside the RRP and the TCA.”

Pre-register now for the Thoroughbred Aftercare Summit here.

New Vocations Launches 11th Annual Breeders’ Cup Pledge To Support Aftercare

New Vocations has officially launched its annual Breeders' Cup Pledge. The program is seeking owners and trainers of Breeders' Cup contenders to pledge a percentage of their Championship earnings to support its mission to rehabilitate, retrain and rehome retired racehorses. This will be the 11th year for the fundraiser, which has raised over $650,000 to date.

“The need for our services continues to grow each year,” said Anna Ford, New Vocations Thoroughbred Program Director. “This year, in particular, has been very challenging due to the obstacles presented by COVID-19. Over the last decade, we have grown this Pledge into an extremely important fundraiser and we had our most successful year yet in 2019, raising over $130,000. We hope to have another record-breaking year in 2020 and are so grateful for the generous contributions of our donors who have continued to support and value our program. The Pledge is a great way for owners and trainers to give back and support New Vocations' aftercare efforts.”

Last year, over 50 Championship contenders had owners and/or trainers who pledged a percentage of their Breeders' Cup earnings. Of those, Vino Rosso, British Idiom, Sharing, Covfefe, Uni and Bricks And Mortar were victorious in their Championship races.

This year, New Vocations hopes to grow the list of pledgers to ensure yet another successful event and help raise the much-needed funding for daily operations that ultimately help retired racehorses transition into new homes and careers.

New Vocations will continue to seek pledges from owners and trainers until Nov. 5. All Pledge information can be found here or by contacting anna@horseadoption.com or andrea@horseadoption.com.

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