Improper Dental care, Form of Abuse?

Why do horses need dentists?
Horses teeth are unlike human teeth. They keep growing throughout their entire life. Their diet and feeding patterns that we tend to put on our horses affects their chewing patterns and ultimately how they wear out their teeth. Because they are not constantly grazing there is not much wear and ear on the teeth, hence the teeth become sharp. Also With a bit now being placed into the horses' mouth it also causes more wear and tear in places that the horse in the wild wouldn't normally have. Other issues may cause discomfort or serious pain to the horse, such as a tooth coming in where the bit should rest, or a "hook" -- a jagged tooth edge that may cut or irritate the soft cheek tissue or tongue.An equine Dentist can correct these problems and make it easier and more manageable for your horse to eat.


How it this Neglect?
Grass, their natural food, contains silica which is an abrasive and which constantly wears down the horse's teeth. The fibers of heavier grasses require a bit of grinding on the part of the horse. Additionally the horse reaches down to bite off grass and then raises his head to chew which changes his jaw position constantly. A horse living on natural grass will be more likely to naturally polish off the surfaces of his molars into a level. Thus the horse's dental apparatus is pretty well adapted to his natural diet.
I a Horses teeth are ill fit, basically they cannot eat. Without the proper care of the dentist the horse will unable to properly chew his food. Without the proper nutrients being absorbed into its body the horse become malnourished and weak over time. You may think nothing is wrong because our are feeding your horse and You think it is able to eat all of its food. 


Signs and Symptoms 
Horses who become harder to keep for no apparent reason, who salivate excessively when eating, who eat slowly and with effort, who continuously drop bits of half chewed food and who show unusually coarse manure are prime candidates for a dental inspection. Other behavioral characteristics suggesting tooth problems may include unusual fussing with the bit, avoidance of bit contact, irritation when put into a dropped nose band, head tucking or head tossing, poor self carriage and not wanting to have his face and muzzle handled.


Preventions is key!
Most equine dentistry involves prevention. If your horse's teeth are regularly cared for, the maintenance process will not be overwhelming and you should be able to avoid most dental or health complications. Depending on your horse's diet, hardness of teeth and jaw alignment, he may need floating on an annual basis or perhaps he could last years between floating. By keeping an eye on your horse's teeth, you can determine how quickly your horse's dental surfaces are changing and get them cared for before complications arise.




               

Wild Horse Protections Act

Back In the old days of cowboys and Indians wild horses were wrangled into corrals to "control"them. In Utah they were headed into the dead ends of the canyons where the ideal horses were taken to be used for work and various riding activities and the others were left in the canyon to die. 


For what seems to be decades the wild horses have been slaughtered, herded and pushed out of their natural habitat. That all changed in 1971 when the Wild Horse Protection Act was passed. It was first proposed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and The U.S. forest service (FS).  The law protects those few horses still left in the wild today. The law gave rights to the free roaming horses. It stated.....

• provide cost effective management to the free roaming horses to ensure they have natural resources readily available
• Keep track of herd migration patterns to prevent Wranglers form herding and branding the horses
• Keep tally on number of herds in the area 
• The BLM and the FS should redraw herd management area and territory boundaries to re-establish the historic ranges of America's wild horses and burros taking into consideration the year long biological needs (seasonal movements and distribution patterns) of wild horses and burros.

The overall Goal of this law is that someday the Horses Natural Habitat will be able to sustain itself without any other human interference. Although the human population is doing everything in its will power to keep the herds alive, we still bay be interfering with the natural occurrence of things.

Horse Transportation Laws

Laws surrounding the commercial transportation of horses have been slammed by the Equine Protection Network in the wake of the horror smash in Illinois which claimed the lives of 17 draft horses. The horses were being transported on a trailer that was meant for cattle and pigs, had they been transported on an trailer meant for horses the outcome may have been different.

This led to the Equine Protection Act to revise the law considering horse transportation.

In the 1950s, with the advent of automobiles that were capable of hauling horses over long distances, it became more important than ever to have transportation laws to protect horses and the general public, and to prevent the spread of disease.

The requirements were fairly simple back then and consisted of the driver being an american citizen and having a valid drivers license

In the state of NY in the 1980's the Horse transportation law came into effect..

The law stated...

1. Horses shall have proper ventilation

2. Proper flooring should be ensured to prevent horses from sliding during transport

3.The interior of the trailer shall be made of smooth surfaces to prevent any sharp objects from harming the horse

4.Doorways shall be of sufficient height and width to allow horses to pass safely in and out

Ect.

A negative (good) Coggins test that is less than one year old. Some shippers require a negative Coggins test less than six months old. Certain states such as Arizona, California, and Florida require the original documentation, while copies of the document are sufficient for horse transport to all other states. Remember all Equine legislation acts are different in each state, be sure to check them out before transporting your horse to ensure a happy and safe voyage on the trailer!

Sources:

http://www.equine.com/horse-transportation-guide.aspx

http://www.equineprotectionnetwork.com/transport/transportindex.htm

Equine infectious Anemia and the law

What is Equine Infectious Anemia? 
Equine infectious anemia is a viral disease that attacks horses and other equidae.  It is infectious and incurable.  It has a death rate of up to 30 percent of acutely infected animals.  A surviving animal will be a carrier of the disease for the rest of its life.  Currently, there is no vaccination to prevent your horse from catching the disease.
There are three types of the disease:  acute, chronic and inapparent.  In acute EIA, which is very rare, the horse’s body temperature is highly elevated and he will exhibit weight loss, anemia, weakness, and edema.  The horse may die within two to three weeks. The horse may test negative for EIA because he has not been able to produce antibodies to fight it yet.  If the horse survives the acute phase, it may never be diagnosed with EIA.  It may, therefore, be permitted to move freely in the horse population and the presence of EIA will be discovered later, if at all, only with a routine Coggins test.  By that time, other horses in the population may have become infected.

If a horse survives its first acute bout of the disease, it may develop chronic clinical signs with intermittent fevers and other acute signs mentioned previously. The horse may also have an irregular heartbeat and a jugular pulse may become evident.  The recurrent episodes of illness may last for a few days or for months.  There is often some history of a stress episode prior to a flare-up of EIA in a chronically infected horse.  The chronic horse will lose condition, and will be lethargic and anorexic.The overall activities of the horses is diminished.
Most horses found to be positive for EIA by routine test are inapparent carriers: they show no overt clinical abnormalities as a result of infection.  However, their blood contains the EIA virus.  Stress, hard work or the presence of other diseases may advance a carrier to the acute phase.
How is EIA transmitted? 
It is usually transmitted one of two ways, by flies or through blood to blood contact. The flies can easily transmit the disease when they bite one horse and then bite another.
How does the law try to prevent the spread of the disease?
 Federal law does not require Coggins tests prior to the interstate movement of horses, however usually the inter state law does. Any horse that is identified as a carrier of  EIA is earthier identified by a brand, freezemarking or lip tattoo. Since those horses are identified it is easier to maintain and manage the spread of the disease.

Sources:
http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/ansci/horse/v1195w.htm
http://www.eqgroup.com/library/coggins.htm

Negligence

What is Negligence?
Negligence is the Failure to exercise reasonable care in controlling animal or preventing the harm.
Many cases of negligence can include, fault tack and equipment, knowingly having unsafe pasture fences, enabling horses to escape, improper supervision of a minor earthier riding or handling a horse.

Negligent  conduct is  not  necessarily intended to inflict  harm.  By comparison,
however, “gross  negligence” involves a voluntary act in  reckless  disregard  of the
consequences affecting the life or property of another.  In assessing negligence, the court will also
consider the foreseeability of serious harm that can occur.

How can you Be protected against Negligence?

Equine Activity Liability Acts (“EALA”)
46 states have enacted some form of an EALA.  States without this type of legislation are:
California, Maryland, Nevada, and New York.  Many of these laws have common characteristics,
but all of them differ.

EALA can protect farms from being sued. There are however, certain exceptions to EALA;

• Faulty tack and equipment was provided
• improper match of a horse and rider
• dangerous terrain
• intentional wrong doing was committed 

The equine liability laws can actually help the horse industry, in some states, foresee the types of things that may create liability and then actively strive to prevent them.



Sources:
http://www.eqgroup.com/library/eqlegal1.htm
http://www.equinesurety.org/tag/gross-negligence/
http://www.equinestudies.umd.edu/documents/HWE2008/daney2008.pdf

How to read a feed tag, something all horse owners should know

The Association of American Feed Control, regulates the feed laws developed to insure the product you are purchasing is safe, consistent, and meets the nutritional statements the manufacturer is claiming for that product. All feed tags are required to have, a list of ingredients, feeding directions, net weight, precautions, guaranteed analysis of the feed and the product name and its purpose statement.



 The dominating issue is food safety!!!
 Any regulation concerning feed is influenced mostly by the food safety aspect. Relevant
for horse feeds are regulations for feed labeling, feed additives, undesirable substances, forbidden substances, and at least in some countries, specific regulations regarding special feed for dietetic purposes
(ex. small intestine digestion).In the United States, federal agencies require that all products containing plant material be inspected prior to importation to make sure no viable seeds from foreign plants enter the United States.


Sources:
http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=16524
http://www.ker.com/library/proceedings/10/Equine%20Nutrition%E2%80%93A%20European%20Perspective.pdf

Premarin and PMU farms..... no thanks

  PMU means Pregnant Mare Urine. American PMU farms are the mass collection and production of pregnant mareurine. The urine collected contains a hormone variant called Premarin. This estrogen hormone is gathered through a catheter, then given to women in hope to alleviate menopause symptoms. Premarin is given in several forms; pills, creams, injections, patches and vaginal rings. As of June 2007 3.1 Million women are still prescribed Premarin.  

 Mares that have been successfully bred are sent to is what called “the line.” “The Line” is a term referring to the series of stalls the mares are kept in for a period of 160-180 days. Usually from October – April. These stalls are 3 ½ ft. wide X 8ft long X 5 ft high. Once tied on “the line”, the mares are fitted with a catheter, to collect the hormone rich urine. The average pleasure horse mare will produce .5 gal - .6 gal of urine a day. Before foaling, the mares are sent to pasture to deliver their foals. After the birthing process, the mares are kept with their foals for several months in outdoor pastures, usually March – August. From August – September, the mares are taken from their foals and bred again. With each re-breeding, the percentage of conception for each mare decreases. If the breeding process is unsuccessful the mares are either sent to auction or to slaughter. The mares that become pregnant, are returned to “the line” and the process begins all over. This process is in constant continuation as long as the mares are still able to become pregnant and produce an adequate amount of urine. If a mares output of urine decreases she is then sent to either auction or slaughter. The average mare is on “the line” for 8-9 years. Compared to a normal, pleasure horse’s life span of 20-30 years of age.

The foals, as a product of the breeding process face a bleak outlook. The filly’s are raised and as early as 2 yrs. of age are bred and introduced to “the line” and the PMU lifestyle. The colts are either auctioned off or sent to slaughter days after birth. The PMU farms have since been shut down in the United States. Many women however are still using the drugs today with out knowing where it came from.

Horse and Car Collisions, Who is at fault?

When a horse escaped from its pasture there is no telling what can happen. The worst case scenario is when they collide with a car. When this happens, who is at fault? The owner, or the Driver?


Driver v. Owner 
The driver of a car suffered damages when the car collided with a horse.  She sues the owner of the horse who counterclaimed to recover for damages for the value of the horse.
The driver stated  " horses just don't wander in the street, keeping the horse contained was under the owners own accord". 
The owner stated "the fencing around the horse was secure, some outside cause may have led the horse to break trough the fencing, furthermore the accident could have been avoided of the driver was driving the car in a safer manner".
 The drivers suit fails for lack of proof as to why the horse was in the road.  The fact that it was there was no absolute proof of negligence. The court held that there were issues of liability of both the driver and owner which prevented finding of summary judgment for either side.


In this case example no one was at fault, usually the court rules in the favor of the driver and blames the owner/facility where the horse was kept of negligence. 


Sources:
http://asci.uvm.edu/equine/law/cases/car/car.htm

Is the farm safe with "ride at own risk"?

"Ride at own risk", it seems too good to be true for some farm owners. Many are led to believe that if they place this sing up on their farm property that they are protected from getting sued if someone is hurt on their property. In actuality the sign cannot really protect the farm unless the waiver/ boarding agreement says so.
I asked Alison Rowe, Equine Attorney at Law ...

 Can a “ride at own risk” signs really protect barn owners when clients get hurt on their property? What happens if the client got hurt while not riding?
 She replied...
Yes.  Sometimes the signs can cover non-riders, depending on the language.  Boarding stables should get signed waivers and post the signs to be fully protected. Any one who enters the property riding or not should also sign the waiver.

Strangles

What is it?
Strangles is a highly contagious and serious infection of horses and other equids caused by the bacterium, Streptococcus equi. The disease is characterized by severe inflammation of the mucosa of the head and throat, with extensive swelling and often rupture of the lymph nodes, which produces large amounts of thick, creamy pus.
Horses of all ages are susceptible, though strangles is most common in animals less than 5 years of age and especially in groups of weanling foals or yearlings. Foals under 4 months of age are usually protected by colostrum-derived passive immunity.Strangles is main-tained in the horse population by carrier horses but does not survive for more than 6–8 weeks in the environment. Although the organism is not very robust, the infection is highly contagious. Transmission is either by direct or indirect contact of susceptible animals with a diseased horse. Direct contact includes contact with a horse that is incubating strangles or has just recovered from the infection, or with an apparently clinically unaffected long-term carrier. Indirect contact occurs when an animal comes in contact with a contaminated stable (buckets, feed, walls, doors) or pasture environment



Treatment

Diagnosis can be confirmed by culturing pus from the nose, from abscessated lymph nodes or from the throat of clinically affected horses.

There is argument among veterinarians as to whether or not to treat an animal with strangles with antibiotics. Many veterinarians think that treatment will impair the development of immunity and may predispose an animal to prolonged infection and to bastard strangles. Treatment of a horse in the early stages of strangles is usually effective. The medication mainly used is penicillin G. If the disease is more advanced, then most veterinarians will not use antibiotics but rather will recommend nursing care and trying to hasten the development of abscesses (which can be drained) by poulticing. Antibiotics may, however, be used if complications arise.

Coverage you should have
Major medical and mortality.  MM  policy might cover costs associated with treating horses.  Mortality would cover value of horse if it died from strangles. This is useful in case your farm has an outbreak boarders cannot sue you if there horse is infected.




Sources:
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/horses/facts/03-037.htm

 

Insurance vs lawsuit?

Horse insurance is necessary to protect the owner and the horse from various causes, which cause financial and emotional distress. One may buy a horse for business or personal reasons. Whatever may be the reason the ownership of a horse is a significant investment of money, time and other resources. Insurance will help you to cope up with the medical emergencies and the unexpected incidents that may take place with the horse or because of the horse.
The cost of horse insurance is small compared to the cost of maintaining the horse,or paying a lawsuit. In fact, the cost of entering the horse in a show is expensive than the cost of insurance for horse. The premiums for the insurances vary depending on the age and breed of the horse, its use and its value.
There are two types on horse insurance , Mortality insurance and Major medical coverage. Mortality insurance can be purchased on its own. It is paid after the horse’s death. Most of the companies sell the mortality policies for 100 percent value of the horse. This could be the price or the current value of the horse, determined by the training costs, statements of the trainers and the show records. The age, sex and use of the animal are also considered. The mortality ranges from 3.2 percent to 3.8 percent of the value of the horse. Theft protection is also covered in mortality insurance. The amount covered in this insurance could be 25,000  to 5000 annually. This type of insurance is mainly used for Barns or any other type of equine facility.Though it is wise for horse owners to have this for their own horses too. The major medical coverage is the addition on the mortality coverage. It too can be purchased on its own. This insurance covers surgery, medical treatment and diagnostics. The percentage of the medical coverage varies with each company and has the deductible ranging from 250  to 500  per occurrence. An average cost per year is 350 per Horse. Both of these types of coverages can protect you is your horse accidentally injures someone at the barn. As we all know accidents can and will happen at times and who is to say that someone might not sue you too.
sources-
http://www.excaliburinsurance.com/Insurance.html
http://www.frysequineinsurance.com/faq.htm
http://www.westfieldinsurance.com/farm/horse_insurance.jsp

Helmet Laws, needed or not?

Some people are reckless around horses, and many end up getting hurt because of this. For those whom are not reckless can still get hurt. A helmet is one way Equine Professionals can protect themselves when dealing with a horse. Think about it you are at least one fifth or their overall body weight. if they wanted to hurt you they could and will. Head injuries are the most common cause for riders to be admitted to the hospital for an injury and even death. The head injuries usually include brain damages or injuries to the skull, memory problems, personality changes, and even epilepsy. When theses injuries occur eight out of ten riders weren't wearing their helmets. Many people feel conflicted as to weather or not there should be a helmet law effective in every state.
I sent out a survey based on 2000 NYS legislature, to 30 equine professionals and equine enthusiasts. The questions were as follows
 "Do you think there should be a helmet law in every state?"
ten out of thirty said it was not necessary to be a law but it should be enforced
twenty out of thirty said it should be a law
"  NO PERSON LESS THAN FOURTEEN YEARS OF AGE SHALL RIDE A HORSE UNLESS SUCH PERSON IS WEARING A HELMET MEETING OR EXCEEDING-(excerpt from NYS legislature in 2000), do you think that the law should be changed to all persons riding a horse shall wear a helmet?"
24 out of 30 said no it should not be all ages just those who are not adults
6 out of 30 said yes it should be changed to those of all ages
"     If you are at a barn and there is a sign posted stating “ride at own risk”, do you think that no barn should be allowed to say that without having persons involved wearing their helmets then proceeding to “ride at own risk”?"
25 out of 30 said no it falls into the risk category
5 out of 30 said yes
" Did you know ‘20% of all horse related injuries occur on the ground and not riding”, do you feel it is necessary for all persons whom enter the barn to wear a helmet, riding or not?
12 out of 30 said yes
18 out of 30 said no
The last Question wan an opinion question stating "“I already own a Bicycle helmet so why do I need another one”, what do you think is wrong with this statement."
All 30 stated that a bicycle helmet is not fit for horseback riding and cannot protect you from a horse related injury.
The last question was asked because I once had to explain to one of my students the differences in safety between a riding helmet and a bicycle helmet. A bicycle helmet could not withstand a fall from a horse or a horse kicking you in the head. a fall from 2 ft can cause brain damage and the horse elevates you 8 feet above the ground.
If you are injured when not wearing a helmet you have a 40% chance of sustaining another head injury which you will usually suffer worst than the first injury.
Since most riding injuries occur during pleasure riding all riders should know the dangers of riding a horse, anything can happen , will you be prepared for it?
source: http://www.mcshc.com/helmet_facts.htm

Slaughter.. did we help?

The issue of horse slaughter is always on the minds of toes whom love horses. We all want to protect our riding companions, therefore we shut down the Slaughter houses in Texas and in Illinois in 2006. When those plants were still open they would slaughter on average 105,000 horses for human consumption individually each year. Horrifying to think about isn't it? Well since those plants have shut down in the United Stated we stopped slaughter, right?
our riding companions now face some big challenges when dealing with this. Although slaughter was banned in the U.S., for the present, advocates and horse lovers are uniting to support the federal legislation to ban it permanently. However, this is not stopping people from shipping them out of the state to Canada and Mexico to be slaughtered there. There is now a bill being processed to help ban the trucking of horses out of the country for meat. Ya!
With all of these bills being passes some think that they have saved them from a horrible death? Are they right? Well according to Congressional Research Service, neglect and abuse has gone up. Since people cannot just ship their horses off to slaughter when they are done with them, people are not leaving their horses unattended and have them basically starve to death. A perfect example of this was right in my home town. A woman kept her horses in her garage because she could not afford to keep them at the barn any more. This went unnoticed for a while. Then a few months later the ASPCA was called and what they found was horrifying. The 2 horses were emaciated and extremely sick. this woman never let them out of the garage and was feeding them ONE BALE per month (horses normally eat that much in a day). There was nothing they Vets could do and the horses were unfortunately put down. Cases like theses have been happening all over the U.S.What I don't understand is that is they could not afford to keep them, but it seems like a much better idea to neglect them instead of sending them to a rescue facility or donating them to a college.
There are ways around slaughter and neglect, if people take the time to see this many lives will be saved!

Whom We protect.

Hello Horse Lovers!

When taking care of a horse many people think of only the basics, mucking cleaning, and of course riding. How many people actually know that a horses may not be a hobby for certain people? Not many I would assume. And how many know that one in 125 horses are abused? For those people not in agriculture they are blind to the fact that horses are abused,slaughtered and neglected each and every day. That is why there is such a thing as an equine protection law, this is to not only protect the horses but to protect the equine professionals and riders as well. When this Equine Law was established there came along organizations such as the American Equestrian Alliance,The Pennsylvania Equine Council and the American Horse Council, and many others, to not only help enforce the law but to protect those in the Equine World.

Later - Brianna