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Hibernation Habit? Ponies Can Slow Their Metabolic Rates In Freezing Weather

If you've ever wanted to burrow under the covers instead of deal with frigid temperatures, you're not alone – your pony may feel the same way!

Researchers at the University of Göttingen studied metabolic changes in 10 Shetland ponies fed different diets in various weather conditions, reports EQUUS magazine.

For the winter portion of their study, the scientists fed the ponies a diet that met all of their maintenance requirements. They then split the ponies into two groups: one group continued to receive their full ration and the other group had their rations cut to 60 percent of their energy requirements.

The scientists monitored the pony's metabolic rates through vital signs and bloodwork, and found that the ponies which didn't receive the diet that met their energy requirements were able to lower their metabolic rate, which allowed them to conserve energy. The ponies' body temperatures also dropped, which compensated for the decrease in energy supply. Both of these mechanisms allowed the ponies to minimize the loss of energy stores.

Retired Racehorse And Eventing Star Heads Back To The Track In New Role

During his racing career, Icabad Crane competed under Graham Motion's banner, racing 33 times before being retired and sent by owner Earle Mack to seven-time eventing Olympian Phillip Dutton, owner of True Prospect Farm in West Grove, Penn.

Icabad made a splash on the horse show scene, winning the Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Makover's “Most Wanted Thoroughbred” title in 2014. The gelding then advanced through the CCI2* level with Dutton aboard before becoming the mount of Dutton's daughter, Olivia.

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After breaking a bone in his hind leg, Icabad returned to competition with Olivia before being taken over by Dutton's wife, Evie, who rode and jumped Icabad, but didn't compete him.

Never a horse to enjoy a slower-paced life, Dutton recognized that the gelding was bored. He called Motion, who took Icabad back to the track as a pony horse at Fair Hill Training Center in Maryland, where Motion keeps his primary racing string.

The Chronicle of the Horse reported last week that Motion uses Icabad as his personal mount to pony horses currently in training. Icabad often leads the horses out on gallops in the field or watches them while they work on the track. Motion notes that Icabad's great disposition and brain have allowed the gelding to excel at many jobs.

Motion credits Icabad and Dutton for bringing attention to how much Thoroughbreds can accomplish when they retire from racing. Dutton is quick to point out that Motion is deeply vested in racehorse aftercare, ensuring horses that race for him retire to quality homes.

Read more at the Chronicle of the Horse.

The post Retired Racehorse And Eventing Star Heads Back To The Track In New Role appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Ellis Park to Honor Backstretch Workers Who Rescued Horses From Fire

Ellis Park plans to honor Marvin Prado and other backstretch workers involved in rescuing six racehorses and one stable pony during a fire in the track's receiving barn last Sunday. They hope to do so during this weekend's races, contingent on the availability of Prado, whose daughter was born two months premature the day after the fire and is still hospitalized.

The barn was engulfed in flames in a matter of 20 minutes and those on the scene say the man of the moment was Prado, with assistance from fellow Kenneally grooms Cristobal Munoz and Estuardo Godoy. Brendan Walsh's grooms Salvador Hernandez and Jose Garcia also were involved, including extricating their stable pony, the retired racehorse Scuba, from the barn.

“They are guys who have been with us a long time,” Kenneally said. “They are good people, so their natural instinct is to try to help. If there's a situation where you're needed, they're the type of people who will jump in and do the right thing.”

Prado noticed the flames while emptying a wheel barrow and yelled to his coworkers. According to those at the scene, Prado jumped into action and one by one retrieved the six racehorses, getting them out by their halters without a lead shank and handing them to his colleagues, who then found empty stalls for the horses.

Prado estimated it took “two or three minutes” to get the six horses out. Five minutes later, he said the barn was completely immersed in flames. Seven fire departments assisted to extinguishing the fire.

Asked later why he went back into the flaming barn, Prado said: “There wasn't any option. The horse had to get out.”

“Racing is a way of life. Taking care of our horses is a way of life,” said Michael Ann Ewing, owner and trainer of Bold and Bossy who was involved in the fire a day after getting loose on the highway. “These guys who stepped in–most of them I've never met–they're heroes. They just dropped everything. Especially those guys who ran into a burning barn without thinking and saved seven horses. Because it could have been really bad.”

“These acts of bravery are a testament to the real folks who represent this industry in largely unseen capacities and actions,” said Ellis Park racing secretary Dan Bork. “To do what they did, to run into a building engulfed in flames–and then go about their business as if nothing ever happened, like what they did wasn't anything out of the ordinary–they're true heroes with their totally selfless acts of courage.

The post Ellis Park to Honor Backstretch Workers Who Rescued Horses From Fire appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Researchers Seek Behavior Clues To Better Equine Health

A grimace, a shift in gait or stance. Subtle behavioral signs can tell owners and handlers a lot about the health and welfare of their horses, ponies, mules and donkeys. And that's what three newly funded equine behavior and health research teams are counting on.

In one study, researchers at Utrecht University, Netherlands, are validating an easy-to-use questionnaire to help owners recognize and monitor behavioral signs of chronic osteoarthritis pain in their horses. Osteoarthritis in horses often goes unrecognized and untreated. This new tool may help owners and veterinarians better monitor treatment effectiveness and pain progression, and inform quality-of-life decisions.

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Next, University of California, Davis, researchers are trying to find better ways of recognizing pain in mules. The team is using a combination of facial expressions (called a grimace scale) and Smart Halter, a new technology to monitor physical signs of pain, including heart rate and respiration.

They hope these easy-to-use tools will improve pain management for mules, helping veterinarians, sanctuaries and nonprofit organizations care for these increasingly popular animals.

Finally, researchers at the University of Bologna, Italy, are working to improve the welfare of unbroken horses transported over long distances. Finding a reliable way, including behavioral cues, to distinguish between broken (well-handled) and unbroken (unhandled) horses, will ensure these animals are transported in accordance with strict regulations based on their status, reducing their mental and physical distress during travel.

Morris Animal Foundation has long recognized the connection between behavior and the health and welfare of animals. Identifying specific behaviors associated with pain and stress, especially at early stages, will help guide interventions and improve the well-being of horses, ponies, mules and donkeys everywhere.