Tag Archives: KAM Animal Services

Contributors/Press, Diana de Rosa

Tip of the Week – Helping Our Horses with Stress!

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We all know about stress in people, but what about our horses?  Horses were meant to be herd animals, wandering around the land, and grazing over 20 hours a day.

They are a “flight or fight” animal meaning fear or threat causes physiological changes (adrenaline, cortisone, increased heart rate, and increased blood to muscles) causing them to run away or fight by biting, kicking, rearing, and striking.  Yet we “break” them to behave how we want which conflicts with their natural instinct.

We confine them to stalls and paddocks, oftentimes with horses as stablemates they may not choose if given the choice.  Many show and race horses only get to exercise an hour a day and even then we control them during that time.

We feed meals of hay and high concentrated grains giving them lots of energy while only keeping them busy a few hours a day.  We expect them to walk onto trailers, which are moving, confining, noisy, and unnatural objects to be feared.  All these factors contribute to their stress.

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Contributors/Press, Diana de Rosa

Tip of the Week – Want to Be My Equine Valentine?

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What to give a Fire horse for Valentine’s Day?

Did you ever think different horses might like different types of gifts?  It is true that most any self respecting horse loves a healthy food treat but above that you can offer different shows of affection to different temperament types.

According the Traditional Chinese Medicine there are five major temperament types, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood. Each of these types has a unique set of characteristics and behavior patterns. Ideally, we want to approach each type in a way that best meets his/her physical and emotional needs.

For instance, the Fire horse loves attention, enjoys being admired and craves quality time with their owner. A detailed grooming session including a nice soap bath, mane and tail conditioner, bridle path touch up and pedicure is one way to get to the heart of a Fire horse.

A pleasant trail ride with lots of wide open trails and beautiful sites is another Fire horse favorite. This personal time with you is very special. The Fire horse loves to go fast and see new places but leave the mountain climbing and trailblazing to a tougher Wood type.

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Contributors/Press, Diana de Rosa, Training/Clinics

Tip of the Week – When Does Training Really Begin?

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What was your attitude when you woke up and thought about training your horse today? Did you think about how excited you were? Or did it raise feelings of nervousness, fear, anxiety, intimidation, or anger.

Did you ever think that from THAT very moment you might have already started training your horse?

Imagine having those same feelings when you approached your horse’s stall.  Your body language reveals your thoughts, feelings, and attitude, which affect how you present yourself to your horse. Horses are master interpreters of body language.

Now as you approach your horse’s stall, your horse will respond to your physical “presentation.” Are you weak, aggressive, distracted, enthusiastic? Are you dreading that a consistent problem will re-occur?  If you seem small in presence, not stature, he may be pushy or completely ignore you, because he doesn’t see you as a leader.  If you seem overly strong in presence not strength, he may avoid you and go to the back of his stall. He may even get fearful, defensive or aggressive. Does he look forward to coming out or see you as a walking feed cart? By your presence, he will know what kind of leader you plan to be, if at all. It all started with the attitude you projected when you approached his stall.

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Contributors/Press, Diana de Rosa

Tip of the Week – What Type of Personality Is Your Horse?

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The Five Element Theory in Chinese medicine is based on five fundamental elements in the universe and the body that are in constant motion and change.

The first element, Wood, is associated with eyes, tendons, ligaments, hooves and nails and the season, spring.  The second one, Fire, is associated with speech, mind, blood vessels and complexion and the season, summer.  The third, Earth, is associated with muscles and digestion and late summer.  The fourth, Metal, is associated with skin and respiration and the season, fall. The fifth, Water, is associated with bones and elimination and the season, winter.

For example, a wood horse is more prone to bowed tendons, cracked hooves or conjunctivitis.  A fire horse is more prone to cardiac arrhythmias.  An earth horse is more prone to muscle atrophy and colic.  A metal horse is more prone to COPD or respiratory difficulties.  A water horse is more prone to arthritis and may get worse in the winter.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Contributors/Press, Diana de Rosa

Tip of the Week – Get Joints

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If the joints don’t move well, the body doesn’t move well.  The ability to flex, extend and rotate the joints in the horse’s legs and spine sets the parameters for that athlete’s ability.

Many things contribute to joint problems such as nutritional imbalances, GI problems, trauma (acute or chronic), genetic pre-disposition, conformation, poor shoeing/trimming, metabolic disorders, normal “wear and tear,” and infections (systemic or in the joint).

A simple sprained fetlock as a yearling that isn’t treated appropriately can start the cartilage deterioration that will progress into arthritis and cause lameness a few years later.

Aggressive effective treatment of all joint injuries and continual preventative care are key to long term joint health, especially in the equine athlete.

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Contributors/Press, Diana de Rosa

Healthy Horse Tip – To Deworm or Not to Deworm

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Parasites, both internal and external, have been around as long as man and beast.  But are they all bad?

There is current evidence that some parasitic load is beneficial for developing the immune system, decreasing the incidence of allergies, and balancing the gut flora.  However, too many parasites can lead to colic, anemia (lack of blood), weight loss, and damage to various organs.  Age, overall health, risk to exposure, and geographical location all need to be considered when developing a deworming schedule.

Requesting your veterinarian to run fecals and fecal egg counts can help determine the frequency of deworming for your specific horse or herd.  Realize that all dewormers have a very low risk of potential side effects, including diarrhea which can be offset by administering pre & probiotics.

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Contributors/Press, Diana de Rosa

Tip of the Week – Finding Your Way Out of the Supplement Jungle

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Not a day goes by that a trainer is not being asked by a client about the importance of supplements for his or her horse.

As equine nutritionists, we are often asked to have a look at this bucket or that pail and are requested to comment on supplement brands, ingredients, dosage or to make a recommendation on which supplement one should feed that will keep the horse healthy, sound and strong.

There also is the matter of those nasty health issues one likes to prevent, like colic, laminitis, inflammation and all those other types of problems.  Their hope is to overcome these with not only proper feed and hay, but also with the right balanced nutrient approach and appropriate supplementation that focuses on the individual horse.

There are surely enough products out there that promise to do that job, but is the trainer now responsible to educate his or her client about the “right” feed and supplement program for his client’s horse(s)?  After all, the trainer’s clients may think that because he is the person working and training the horse, he should know!

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Contributors/Press, Diana de Rosa

Healthy Horse Tip – The Power House for Our Horses Is Their Immune System

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Without the immune system we die!  When the horse’s immune system is not working properly it causes a lot of health problems for the horse and so it is up to us – the owners, trainers, grooms, and horse lovers – to do whatever we can to keep our horses’ immune systems strong.

The immune system’s job is to protect and eliminate external pathogens (bacteria, viruses, yeast, parasites, and allergens) and internal pathogens (cancer cells, toxins, metabolic waste, and damaged cells/tissues).

Approximately 70% of the immune system is surrounding the GI tract, leaving very little to protect the skin, respiratory tract, and all other tissues.  An unhealthy GI tract leads to an overloaded stressed immune system that can lose its ability to respond properly when challenged.

When the immune system over responds we see allergies (hives, heaves-COPD), autoimmune diseases, and/or inflamed tissues (laminitis, sore muscles & joints).  When the immune system is fatigued and can’t respond, the horse is more prone to all types of infections.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Contributors/Press, Diana de Rosa

Tip of the Week – The ABCs of Quality Hay

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Many people grow their own hay.  If you, like most horse owners, cannot grow and harvest your own hay, how do you ensure that the hay you are buying is of good quality with the proper nutrition for your animals?

Traditionally good hay is green and leafy, smells and tastes sweet and should be without mold, dust, weeds, bugs or rain damage.

Looks can be deceiving!  A proven method of evaluating forages without an agronomy degree is to obtain the RFV number.  RFV (Relative Feed Value) measures digestibility and the amount of energy potential available to the animal.

RFV is measured in a six tiered scale with a range between zero and 150.  A value of 100 represents average good quality hay.  The tiers are as follows: Prime – over 150; Premium – 125-150; Good – 103-124; Fair – 87-102; Poor – 75-86; Reject – under 74.  The higher the RFV, the better the digestibility of whichever hay you purchase.

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Contributors/Press, Diana de Rosa

Tip of the Week – Ahhh! That Feels Soooo Good

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Chiropractic is much more than treating bones out of place. The vertebrae that encompass the spine surround and protect the spinal cord and major nerve roots. Life force is generated in the brain and transmitted through these nerves to the organs. So, if a vertebra is subluxated, it is more than pain or facilitation that your horse feels, it is also causing diminished activity and vitality of the organs connected to that vertebral segment. Potentially, this can cause digestive, immune and glandular imbalances.

Subluxation of joints is recognized by lessened motion of the joints, by slight changes in the position of the articulating bones, and by pain. The surrounding muscles and connective tissue will splint to protect the area. This alteration of movement in the vertebral joints is known as “kinesiopathy.”  Although most chiropractors adjust the spine, be sure that your chiropractor pays attention to the extremities as well.

Performance horses greatly benefit from regular chiropractic care. There are a plethora of different schools of thought in both the human and equine chiropractic fields. Watch out for excessive long lever techniques and the hammer and mallet folks with no formal training! Remember, by definition a subluxation can be a slight change in the position of bones. Sometimes you get all the adjustment you need from a subtle “network chiropractic” contact on the sacro-tuberous ligament or on the occiput. The American Veterinary Chiropractic Association certifies both DCs and vets to perform chiropractic. This is a good resource.

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