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Merry Christmas!
The
silly season is well and truly here with Christmas only three weeks
away. The Equine Trader team wishes you a Merry Christmas and
safe and Happy New Year!
Still got gifts to buy? Check out the handy hints below on great gifts for horsey friends and family.
 Equine Trader Stud Book is here!
- Get a website for your stud and Stallion(s)
- Be part of our comprehensive stud search
- Utilise this to drive traffic to your own website if you have one
- Use this as your comprehensive website if you don't
- Easy to update, maintain and use with video functions, pictures, pedigree tree etc...
- Progeny page
- Add multiple stallions
- Take advantage of our huge traffic numbers to get your stallions name out there!
- Get your own URL name (example: www.equinetrader.co.nz/windtreefarmstud)
For more information on this exciting new feature contact us at info@equinetrader.co.nz or click here to go straight to the Stud Book.
Dr Rebecca Penman BVSc MRCVS has written in informative article on how to prevent, read and treat the symptoms of colic.
David Hankin Dip. WCF has a must read article on how often you should have your horse's feet trimmed or re-shod.
 FES Power Hour - be in to win an amazing lesson with different top
level instructors over the year. Click here for more information.
This fantastic monthly competition
is proudly sponsored by Franklin Equine Supplies. This month you can
win a dressage lesson with instructor Carolyn Hansen. To enter
simply email your name and contact details to comp@equinetrader.co.nz
Carolyn Hansen
Please note that you have to be a member of Equine Trader to enter this competition. For more information click here.
November's lucky FES Power Hour winner is Lynette Brenner. We hope you enjoy your lesson with Carolyn Hansen!
Don't forget the  photo of the week competition. Send your favourite horsey shot to comp@equinetrader.co.nz and be in to WIN a fantastic Stubben care pack valued at $120.00
In January 2009 the "Stubben photo of the year"
winner will be chosen from the 52 weekly winners of this year.
The lucky winner will win a 3100C Stubben bridle and a leather care
pack valued at $500.00 kindly donated by W Wiggins and Stubben.
Stubben Bridle and Leather Care Pack to be won!
"Katla Showing Trix"
Click on image to view the video on You Tube
 Equine Trader is Green!
Equine
Trader has taken the initiative to make sure we are offsetting our
emissions and doing our bit to recycle both in the office and at
home.
We are always looking for new ways to do our bit
so if you have any interesting ways of recycling please let us know by
emailing us at info@equinetrader.co.nz and we will share them with everyone else!
Click
on the picture below to visit a website that has good tips on how to
recycle at home, in the office and how to reuse some things you may
have lying around the house.
Green Tip of the Month
Instead
of using bubble wrap to protect your gifts during postage, scrunch up
plastic grocery bags and surround them around the Christmas present.
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Hoof-care tips with David Hankin
David
heads a professional farriery practice in Christchurch. He is
passionate about improving standards of hoof care in New Zealand.
Contact David through his website www.farrier.co.nz or on 0800 211 212
Frequency of Farriery Care
How
often should your horse or pony have an appointment with your
farrier? The answer varies with the individual, but as a general
rule no horse should wait more than six weeks between
appointments. The reason for this is of course the continued
growth of the hoof. Your farrier will trim your horse's feet to
an ideal shape, but the instant they have finished the hoof begins to
grow away from this ideal. By the time you see cracks, flares,
long toes or pieces of hoof breaking away, the next appointment is well
overdue and damage is already occurring.
It's far better to keep on top of the growth with more frequent
care. Of course optimal hoof care needs to be balanced with
financial considerations, but keep in mind that looking after the
hooves properly to begin with reduces the chance of hoof problems
developing which may be painful for your horse as well as your wallet.
Tip of the Month
Fireworks
are often used to celebrate New Years. Ensure you have your
horses in a safe and secure paddock as far away as possible from your
surrounding neighbours who may be celebrating with a bang.
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Dr Rebecca Penman BVSc MRCVS
(Veterinarian/Practice Owner)
Rebecca
was born in Auckland and grew up riding in Coatesville. She completed
her Bachelor of Veterinary Science in 2003 at Massey University in
Palmerston North. After spending 6 months practising in New Zealand she
spent nearly 2 years in Australia and the UK working at various
clinics. She is now the owner of Redvale Park Equine Hospital which has
been open since October 2007. In her spare time she rides her
horses, mountain bikes, snowboards and does a little bit of amateur
photography.
Colic
We are now
well into colic season, the spring change in weather has caused an
increase in grass growth. Even pastures that don't seem to have
much grass will have a higher sugar content now compared to a few
months ago. There are many different forms of colic; however the
one we are seeing the most at the moment is being caused from horses
being allowed to eat too much of the lush green grass that is around.
'Colic'
in horses refers to signs of abdominal pain or discomfort. It is
not a particular disease, it just describes symptoms. And while
most of the time we use it to describe problems with the
gastrointestinal tract (the gut), problems with any organ in the
abdomen and even the chest can cause colic signs. There are in
fact over 70 different causes of colic.
The most common ones are:
Impaction:
This is when the intestine becomes blocked by a firm mass.
Impactions most commonly occur in the large intestine at one of the
flexures. This is a fairly common type of colic which can resolve
with appropriate treatment. However, an impaction may end up
needing surgery.
Gas:
Sometimes gas builds up in the intestine, most commonly in the large
intestine and/or caecum. The gas stretches the intestine, causing
pain.
Spasmodic colic:
Some cases of colic are due to increased intestinal contractions, the
abnormal spasms causing the intestines to contract painfully.
These cases usually respond fairly well with treatment.
Displacement/volvulus/torsion ('twisted gut')
Enteritis/colitis:
Some cases of abdominal pain are due to inflammation of the small
(enteritis) or large (colitis) intestines. These are serious
medical cases and require immediate veterinary attention.
Gastric distension/rupture:
When a horse gorges itself on grain or, even more seriously, a
substance which expands when dampened like dried beet pulp, the
contents of the stomach can swell. The horse's small stomach and
its inability to vomit mean that in these circumstances the stomach may
burst. Once this has happened death is inevitable. If you
suspect that your horse may have gorged itself on concentrate feeds,
seek veterinary advice immediately.
"Unknown":
In some cases of colic it can be difficult to determine the reason for
the pain. Symptomatic treatment, close monitoring and attention
to any adverse developments usually lead to resolution of the problem.
Other
things that can cause colic signs are: Stomach ulcers,
peritonitis, respiratory disease, uterine torsion, worms, and more!
It is really important to take all cases of colic seriously and to seek veterinary advice at an early stage.
There
are different signs of colic and they can be very non-descript.
Some horses will just be a bit off-colour or depressed. Some of
the symptoms are:
- lying down more than usual
- getting up and lying down repeatedly
- standing stretched out
- standing frequently as if to urinate
- turning the head towards the flank
- repeatedly curling the upper lip
- pawing the ground
- kicking at the abdomen
- rolling
- grinding the teeth
- shallow/fast breathing
- very noisy gut sounds
If you notice any of the above signs with your horse call your
veterinarian immediately for advice. While you're waiting for the
vet to arrive keep your horse as calm as possible, if he/she is trying
to roll or is agitated then walk around. If the horse is calm
then you can just stand. Try not to let the horse eat or drink
until the vet arrives. It is very common for horses to want to
keep eating even if they have a blockage. If you have a
stethoscope and thermometer available, taking the heart rate,
respiratory rate, temperature and looking at gum colour is very useful
information to give to your vet.
Prevention
is most certainly better than cure with any colic case. It is
important that you know your horse and are knowledgeable about the
potential causes of colic.
- allow as much turnout as possible
- maintain a regular feeding schedule
- ensure constant access to clean water
- provide at least 60% of digestible energy from forage
- do not feed excessive digestible energy
- do not feed mouldy hay or grain
- provide access to forage for as much of the day as possible
- do not over graze pastures
- make all changes in diet, exercise level and management slowly
- control intestinal parasites and assess efficiency periodically
- do not put horses into new grass paddocks for long periods
- check paddocks for toxic plants
- know your horse!!
Christmas Gifts
Have
you got a horsey friend or family member to buy for? There are
many exciting products on the market today that will cover various
tastes.
Equine jewellery, clothing and horse gear are just a few
of the things that can please even the fussiest loved ones. Surf
the net and visit your local saddlery shops to find that special gift.
Many
horse owners wouldn't dream of letting their equine friends go
without. They will sacrifice that much needed hair cut or
new pair of jeans for themselves to ensure there is money in the bank
for the next bag of feed. A gift voucher from their favourite
shoe shop, clothing shop or beauty therapist can be a much appreciated
gift.
Puhinui 3 Day Event
Congratulations to Tessa Jacks on winning the "Equine Trader Best Performed Pony Club Rider" We hope you enjoy the plaque, rug and saddle blanket.
Also congratulations to Sam Taylor riding Leo Degas on winning the "Equine Trader Breeders' Young Event Horse"
Tessa Jacks & Erin Miller
Feature Product
www.horsegifts.co.nz
Simply the best place to shop this Christmas!
Same day courier option
Click on above to visit website
Want an easy way to shop for horsey gifts? Then check out www.horsegifts.co.nz.
We have hundreds of fabulous horsey gifts for people passionate about
horses. Choose from an extensive range of unique and quality
equestrian gifts from around the world.
We offer secure online shopping and take credit card, direct credit, cheque and lay-by.
Enjoy browsing our site to see our stunning new products.
Join our Premier Members club to receive exclusive product offers, discounts, special offers and our newsletter.
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Erin's Blurb
Director Erin Miller & Kapai
Well
the silly season is upon us! Hopefully you will all enjoy a happy
and safe holiday season. We here at Equine Trader have been very
busy over the past month keeping up with your demand. We have
launched our Stud Book section for Stud and Stallion owners, our blog
has gone up for you to go in, read and post your comments. Our
forum is as per usual going like mad so get in and have a chat.
We
have a lot of exciting things planned in the New Year with more great
competitions and more great features for you all to enjoy. As
always we love to hear from you so please keep on sending in your
success stories, pony club updates or just to say hello!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of Equine Trader members! Be safe and merry.
Happy Trading from
the team at Equine Trader
www.equinetrader.co.nz
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