Welcome to the Heart of Summer!

February is generally our hottest month of the year and our equine friends can suffer from the heat and the annoying insects that are on the rampage.  This month's newsletter has great articles on how you can help keep them as comfortable as possible.

Dr Rebecca Penman BVScMRCVS has written an informative article on whether you should or shouldn't give your horse electrolytes and how to keep them balanced.

David Hankin Dip. WCF has a great article on whether your horse will benefit from feeding them a supplement to improve the quality of their feet.

Have your friends and family join Equine Trader so they can go in the draw to win the choice of two fabulous Grand Meadows products.

FES Power Hour

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 lesson (your choice of dressage or jumping or both) with instructor Antonia Craig.  To enter simply email your name and contact details to comp@equinetrader.co.nz

Please note that you have to be a member of Equine Trader to enter this competition.

Click here to see pictures and read all about December lucky FES Power Hour winner Sarah Neill.

Sarah Neill & Holly

Stubben Photo of the Week

 photo of the week competition.  Send your favourite horsey shot to comp@equinetrader.co.nz and be in to WIN a fantastic Stubben prize pack valued at $50.00.

Stubben Photo of the Year Competition

This month the "Stubben photo of the year" winner will be chosen.  The 52 entries will be narrowed down to 12 and Equine Trader members will vote for their favourite picture online.  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.  Click here to view the entries.

Stubben Bridle and Leather Care Pack to be won!

Andreas Helgstrand-WEG 2006 Frestyle Final

Click on above to view video on You Tube

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

Feed Supplements

There is a huge array of feed supplements on the market these days, all claiming to increase your horse's health and performance.  Should you be feeding a hoof supplement?

Most horses do just fine on a balanced diet.  Of course in certain areas of the country there are specific minerals which are lacking and this can be reflected in our horses.  Often this can be addressed by feeding a multi-mineral mix or a specific supplement as advised by your vet.

In many cases, problems with cracks etc are more to do with lack of regular hoof care than diet.  If the foot isn't attended to often enough, then damage will occur.  However, if your horse is on a balanced diet and has frequent, regular attention from a qualified farrier, but still has poor hoof quality then a specific hoof supplement may be worth considering.  There are many available, but it's a good idea to look at one which is recommended by professionals such as Kevin Bacon's Hoof Formula.  Of course whichever supplement you choose needs to be fed for a few months in order to see a difference in the quality of new horn before you can assess its effectiveness.

Dr Rebecca Penman BVScMRCVS

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 U.K. 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.

Keeping Electrolyte Levels Balanced

We are now well into the summer and the weather is certainly getting hot during parts of the day.  This makes it extremely important to ensure your horse is getting enough electrolytes to balance what is lost during training.

During the hot days your horse will no doubt be sweating quite a bit.  Horse sweat contains many things besides water; it contains calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride, trace minerals and protein.  Unless these are replaced your horse can become very dehydrated and develop problems associated with electrolyte imbalances.  Electrolytes have many functions including maintenance of acid-base balance in the body fluids and nerve and muscle function.  Therefore large losses can result in things such as muscle cramping, tying up, diaphragm flutter and general exhaustion.

Some horses will be happy to drink during events or long rides, but others will not.  Reasons for this can be excitement or fatigue, unpalatable water, or it can be because of the large loss of sodium from the body during sweating.  This loss of sodium sets off a chain of events within the horse's body which ironically depresses their desire to drink.

To try and encourage a horse to drink during an event it is best to start 'training' them during your everyday sessions.  For example part way through a jumping lesson start taking them over to a water trough and encourage them to drink.  Also adapting your horse to flavoured water before an event may help them to drink what would normally be unpalatable water on the day.  Some horses may drink more if a bucket of water is held for them, or even if another horse is seen to be drinking.

A horse that is not involved in regular strenuous exercise and has access to good pasture and a salt block, is likely to be receiving adequate amounts of electrolytes.  But when a horse is regularly exercising, especially in hot weather, they will need to increase their electrolyte intake to match the losses in sweat.

With regards to using electrolyte supplements, it should be noted that horses do not store sodium, potassium or chloride in their bodies.  Therefore you only need to be adding high levels of electrolytes to the feed when there are going to matching high levels of exercise or sweating.

Electrolytes are better off given in a paste form or in the feed rather than mixing with water (so you know how much your horse is getting), and will be most effective if the horse is actively drinking.  It can be a bit dangerous if you are giving lots of electrolytes while your horse is not drinking and vice versa as you can make dehydration worse.

The amount of electrolytes you give your horse will depend on the product used, as there are many different types available these days.  Make sure you are using a reputable product that gives you the exact electrolyte and mineral content on the side and follow their instructions.

If you are not sure about what quantities of electrolytes you should be giving you should get in touch with your vet to discuss putting together a regime that suits your horse and your exercise routine.

Erin's Blurb

Good Lord February is already here!  2009 has been a blaze of sun, heat and great weather.  Hopefully the first lot of hay has gone away in the barn ok and your riding season is in full swing.  I have been getting some great rides in at the beach but am finding I have to get out early in the morning or later in the evening to avoid the heat!

We here at Equine Trader have been working away to get our new exciting features up and ready to go!  We are also in preparations for Kelt Capital Horse of the Year 2009.  We will be a big sponsor there and look forward to meeting all of you again.  We will have some very very exciting prizes to give away so make sure you come along and see us in the premier arena to be in to win!

Happy Trading!

from the Team at Equine Trader

www.equinetrader.co.nz