Shortest day has been & gone

The shortest day has been and gone and we can now look forward to the days slowly but surely getting longer.

We are excited to announce that   are
now sponsoring our monthly prize for all new members who join the site each month.  They are generously donating a Defender heavy combo, Defender wool rug, Defender super fleece, set of Defender trucking boots and Defender halter at a total value $750.00.

We wish to thank Saddlery Warehouse for their fantastic support and generosity that they have given over the past six months.

Dr Rebecca Penman BVSc MRCVS has written a two part detailed article on parasites.   The first half is explaining all about parasites and the second half will run in next months newsletter explaining how to go about controlling the problem.

David Hankin Dip. WCF has another handy tip on how to prepare your horse for the farrier.  Following his advice will ensure a pleasant experience for both you and your equine friend.

Don't forget the photo of the week competition.  Send your favorite horsey shot to comp@equinetrader.co.nz 
and be in to win a fantastic Stubben prize pack valued at $120.00. 
                         

Click on the link below to see "Patches" the horse who thinks he's human!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teHfyby_veU

Tip of the month     Throw old hay around muddy gateways or bare patches in the paddocks and it will help the grass reseed

Hoof-care tips with David Hankin

Ensure that your horse is accustomed to the area where they will stand to have their feet done. On the day, catch the horse and have it ready in plenty of time so they can look about and relax rather than being flustered by the rush. Sometimes a workout to burn off excess energy is a good idea. If needed, bring your horse’s friend in too and tie them up nearby.

Remove any distractions such as other horses, dogs, noisy children, food or objects which might blow about in the breeze and cause a fright. As the farrier works, keep your attention on the horse so that you can act quickly if needed to prevent a dangerous situation.

Safety should always be a priority around horses and a calm, quiet horse allows for good quality work to be achieved.

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.

Parasite Control

Treating your horse for worms can be a bit confusing; especially with the number of different products we now have on the market.  There is also a lot of conflicting information floating around with regards to which treatment you should use and the type of management that is best.  A lot of the treatment regimes that we traditionally used were taken from overseas as we didn’t know much about the worm issues in NZ, but now days there is a lot more information available and we can fine tune our programs to suit NZ conditions.

There are a number of worms that affect horses in NZ, some more important than others in terms of causing disease and clinical signs.  There are no specific symptoms that horses show when they have a worm burden, the traditional “skinny” or “ pot-bellied” appearance is not necessarily accurate.  They can show many different signs such as dull coat, hair loss, coughing, nasal discharge, tail rubbing, mouth lesions, loss of appetite, lethargy, ill-thrift, weight loss, poor performance, colic, diarrhoea, possible intestinal rupture and even death.

The life cycle of most parasites involves larvae or eggs in the grass being eaten by the grazing horse.  These larvae then grow and mature inside the horse turning into adult egg producers.  These eggs then pass out in the faeces and hatch in the soil and the cycle is repeated. 

Strongyles (Red Worms)

Large Strongyles

(Strongylus vulgaris, S.edentatus, S.equinus) are one of the deadliest parasites to horses, they migrate through the arteries of the intestine and can cause severe colic signs.                                                                    

Treatment:  Ivermectin kills migrating larval stages as well as adults at normal doses.  Fenbendazole and oxfendazole kill adults at normal doses, but need higher doses to get migrating larvae.

Small Strongyles (Cyathostomes)

These larvae tend to remain in the wall of the large intestine in a stage of arrested development for as long as 2-3 years.  The highest risk of infection is usually in the late winter early spring period and can cause a lot of problems.  The adults reside in the caecum and large colon. 

Treatment:  The adults and developing larvae stages are susceptible to Ivermectin, oxfendazole, fenbendazole (at high doses) and moxidectin. The encysted larval stages can only be killed by high doses of fenbendazole and moxidectin

Ascarids – Parascaris equorum (roundworms)

These are usually a parasite that affects younger horses and is often more of a problem on breeding studs.  Adult horses tend to have few worms and don’t tend to have patent infections unless they are sick.  Ascarids travel inside the horse from the small intestine to the liver, to the lungs and then back to the small intestine.  Clinical signs of infestation can be decreased growth, dull coat, dry skin, weakness, potbelly, decrease appetite, colic, coughing, nasal discharge, ill thrift and pneumonia.

Treatment:  The intestinal adults and larvae are susceptible to most anthelmintics including, ivermectin, abamectin, oxfendazole, moxidectin and fenbendazole

Tapeworms:  Anoplocephala perfoliata

These are flat worms that attach themselves to the walls of the intestine at the junction between the small and large colon.  Large burdens can cause inflammation of the intestine and signs of colic. 

Treatment:  Praziquantel is currently the wormer of choice and should be targeted at least once a year

Pinworms:  Oxyris equi

Other than causing itchiness under the horse's tail they don’t tend to be a problem.  They reside inside the large intestine, but during egg-laying the adults protrude from the anus

Treatment:  Can be treated with ivermectin, oxfendazole, fenbendazole, moxidectin and abamectin

Bots:  Gastrophilus intestinalis, G.nasalis

Adults lay eggs on the horse’s body and face during the summer and autumn, some of these eggs are then consumed by the horse and reside in the stomach for about 9-10 months

Treatment:  Ivermectin, abamectin.  Best to treat one month after the first eggs appear and then again one month later to break the cycle.

Threadworm: Strongyoides westeri

These are passed into the foal’s small intestine through the mares’ milk.  It can cause diarrhoea in the foals at 1-4 weeks of age

Treatment:  Ivermectin, abamectin.  Treat mares 24-48 hours post-parturition to prevent the mares passing on to their foals.

There are several factors that should be considered when putting together a worming program for your horse.  Management of our horse’s environment is important in reducing the amount of larvae and eggs that are consumed.  Ideally any de-worming program should be drenching as little as possible.  The traditional worm every 6-8 weeks or 3 months is no longer an accurate way to treat and more emphasis needs to be put on our pasture management to ensure paddock contamination is minimal.

To be continued next month "How to control the parasites"...

                              

Arena's   
               

It is every riders dream to have their own all weather arena on their doorstep.  Unfortunately for a lot of us this remains just a dream.  We spend most of our time tripping back and forth to an arena we have to hire.

Some of us are lucky enough to con our partners into putting in an arena using the excuse, "you will see more of me honey as I'll be home riding".  Little do they know this means we can now purchase another horse as we can ride two in the time it took to ride one!

So where do you start?  There are a number of professionals that can take care of the whole job for you from digging out the drainage right through to leveling out the surface.  It is recommended to get a few quotes as prices can vary.  Ask around locally for any experiences good or bad that others may have had with different contractors.

What surface is the best?  Sand, bark or rubber chip the list goes on.  Try to visit and ride on as many different arena surfaces as possible to choose what you prefer.  At the end of the day it comes down to what suits your purpose best and personal choice.

                                  
                            Office Manager Ashley Balfour & Sheena

Sheena's shoes are off and when the weather permits (which recently it hasn't been!) I am spending my weekends hacking in the Waiuku forestry.  Lucky for me and my wallet she has extremely good feet (must be the Clyde in her) and I can generally get through winter barefoot.

Spice is coming along amazingly, I can now easily pick up her two front feet, tie her up, brush her and lead her anywhere I please.  She appears to love being fussed over and I have never had a problem catching her, with or without a carrot.

Below is a shot of her grazing in my front yard just after a huge down pour, you can see her colouring much better when she's wet. 

Erin's Blurb

Well the shortest day has been and gone! Thank goodness. It’s all onwards and upwards from here. I hope you're all coping with the woolly winter so far and have enough feed to get you through. Kapai has decided to develop mud fever on her 3 white socks (the one black leg is of course fine) so I have had extra stabling duties on the cards, while fumbling around at night with my torch trying to get everything done in the dark, cold, windy nights we have been experiencing.

We have some really cool things up and coming on Equine Trader over the next couple of months so keep an eye on the site. We love to hear from all of our members about anything at all so jump in the forum or contact us directly on info@equinetrader.co.nz if you have any questions, comments or just want to say a big hello!