Monthly Archives: September 2009

Update on feeding flax seed

Posted by Liz Goldsmith in Commentary, equine nutrition, Horse care, horse health and tagged with , ,

After I wrote, Flax Seed: How and why to feed it, I got an excellent question from a reader.
Anne wrote, “Could you tell me your source for the ‘current research’ on feeding flax seed whole. I would like to read how this research was done and by whom.”

I do keep track of my sources for articles, but when I looked back at my notes, I found that I had quoted the “current research” statement from this article,  Understanding Horse Nutrition: Flax Seed which does not publish a source. Typical internet, right? Someone says something unverified and then it’s plastered across the web as the gospel truth. However, I’d also discussed this with a vet and a nutritionist and know several people besides myself who feed whole flax seed (I know, plural anecdotes do not equal data).

I circled back and got this answer from the nutritionist.

There is very little research on digestibility of flax in equines at all, of any kind, it’s nearly all been done on cattle or humans.

But,  for what it’s worth, here’s my opinion. the Omega 3s in flax are VERY sensitive to light and air, once ground it loses the Omega 3s very fast. Stabilizing (usually a heat treatment) does not preserve the Omega 3s it only stops the cyanide production.

So the best way to get the O3s into the horse is to feed freshly ground flax, but if you can’t do that then feed whole flax they can digest around 50% of it and they get more O3s that way.

Remember horses have good teeth (unlike cattle) and an acid environment in the stomach (unlike cattle) both of those act to split the seed coat and allow access to the seed for digestion.

That’s why you don’t see a difference whether you feed whole flax or ground flax.

I have 40 horses on flax no way could I grind for all of those.

So there you have it. Just remember that if you choose to grind flax seed daily it’s very important that you clean the grinder thoroughly. The flax that remains in the grinder quickly goes rancid and will contaminate the next batch.

As for me, I will continue to feed the whole seeds. I like the convenience and the price. Heck, I’ll just feed slightly more so that they get their full dose of Omega 3s.

The best cure for jet lag is a ride in the sunshine.

Posted by Liz Goldsmith in Commentary, English Riding, equestrian, foxhunting, trail riding and tagged with , , ,

Last night I took the red-eye back from San Francisco where I was visiting family.

In order to maximize the amount of time I had with them, I chose to fly home at night. Funny how the flight seems so long during the day but goes by in a blink when you’re trying to get a few precious hours of sleep.

Arriving at 7:30 a.m. Eastern time (4:30 a.m. Pacific time), I had a very hard time even appearing to be awake. Luckily it was a beautiful fall day — one which absolutely required a ride through the fields so I could admire the beginnings of the fall foliage. I missed a hunt today that I normally really enjoy. I’ll admit I even toyed with the idea of trying to get from the airport to the barn in time to trailer to the hunt but that’s a bit fanatical even for me. After all, taking Freedom on his first hunt of the season when I’ve had four hours of sleep and he hasn’t been ridden in several days is quite insane.

Freedom’s leg looked really good. The wound is healing nicely and he has completely forgotten about it. The swelling is almost completely gone. In fact, he was raring to go. Just as well I was alone so I could keep him (mostly) focused. If I’d added the excitement of a hunt, I doubt our ride would have been either pleasant or relaxing.

Certainly the sunshine and the fresh air helped me recalibrate my inner clock and kept me awake at least until it’s dark enough that going to bed isn’t too embarrassing! Now that I’ve found the “cure” for jet lag, I know what to do in the future.

Looking for a reason not to muck your stalls today?

Posted by Liz Goldsmith in Barn Management, Commentary, Horse care, horse health

mucking stallAll of us who take care of our own horses have had days when cleaning out stalls is a major inconvenience. My horse is out 24/7, so it’s not a disaster if I miss a day, but I’ve always felt incredibly guilty about leaving the stalls undone.

However, according to German researchers, not only do you not have to muck out stalls daily, but it’s preferable! Who would have thought this to be possible. I found this article on www.thehorse.com.

The researchers set out to compare different types of bedding and mucking out regimes used in horse stables on the production of particle matter and biogenic gases – carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and especially ammonia.

Three separate experiments were undertaken, each carried out in an enclosed stable with five single boxes housing four horses.

Measuring instruments were set up in the middle of one side of the stable.

In the first experiment, the three types of bedding material were assessed according to their ammonia generation. Each type of bedding was used for two weeks, with three repetitions of the experiment.

The average ammonia concentrations were lowest for wheat straw – 3.07 milligrams per cubic metre of air, plus or minus 0.23mg per cubic metre – compared with 4.79 for straw pellets (which showed an identical level of variation to wheat straw) and a level of 4.27 for wood shavings, which showed a slightly lower level of variation.

In the second part of the experiment, the effects of the mucking out regimes on the generation of ammonia and particles from wheat straw were examined using three different daily methods:

  • No mucking out.
  • Complete mucking out.
  • Partial mucking out, in which only the faeces were removed.

Average ammonia concentrations differed significantly between all three mucking-out regimes, the researchers found.

“The highest values were recorded when the stalls were mucked out completely every day,” they wrote.

No mucking out at all resulted in ammonia levels about 15 per cent lower than when the stalls were mucked out completely. Ammonia levels in partial mucking out were, on average, 32 per cent lower than what they were with complete mucking out.

Now, can you see a boarding stable around you making that argument to horse owners?! I can guarantee that won’t fly. Certainly, whenever I’ve missed a day, my stalls do not look (or smell) acceptable.

When your horse gets kicked.

Posted by Liz Goldsmith in Equine lameness, First Aid, Horse care, horse health and tagged with , , ,
Freedom was kicked over night. When I arrived his leg was swollen and he had a gash in his forearm.

Freedom was kicked over night. When I arrived his leg was swollen and he had a gash in his forearm.

With horses, it’s always something.

I don’t normally feed Saturday mornings but I’m sure glad I did last weekend. It took me only a few minutes to see that Freedom was hurt and it looked bad. He had been kicked on his left forearm. The area was hugely swollen and there was a big jagged gash. The good news was that he was weight bearing. Lame, but weight bearing.
Once I determined he could walk. I put all the horses in and fed them breakfast. I needed a few minutes to calm down before I called the vet.

Hosing the woundOnce I paged the practice and spoke to the vet on call I gave him some bute and started cold hosing. The area was so tender that poor Freedom went through the roof when the water hit the area. It took the vet about an hour to get to the barn. I could tell the wound was only a few hours old; it was oozing plasma and blood.

After hosing I could see how swollen the area was around the wound.

After hosing I could see how swollen the area was around the wound.

We started with x-rays. It’s an area where a kick can cause fractures and although he didn’t seem to be in enough pain for one, it had to be ruled out. Thank goodness for digital x-ray machines. I only had to hold my breath for a few minutes to discover that the bone was fine. In the “old days” I would have had to wait until at least Monday.

Cleaning a wound

The vet cleaned the wound to make sure there was no dirt or debris inside and to determine how deep it was.

Next, she needed to clean the wound. That required significant sedation — including a local block. It turned out that the wound wasn’t deep but it did extend up under the skin forming a pocket. The vet needed to make sure that there was no dirt left inside.

Then came antibiotics. First he got an IV shot of Gentamicin. The bacteria that can be introduced by a kick can be quite nasty and it’s a good idea to give an antibiotic that is effective against E. coli, Klebsiella, Proteus, Pseudomonas, Salmonella, Enterobacter, Serratia, and Shigella, Mycoplasma, and Staphylococcus. I also got an antibiotic lotion to squirt into the wound and an oral antibiotic that he’ll need to take for 14 days.

The vet didn’t stitch the wound primarily because with something like this you don’t want the wound to close over and become infected. This is something that has to heal from the inside out.

Freedom was heavily sedated.

Freedom had to be heavily sedated to treat the wound.

Freedom recovered pretty quickly and by the end of the day was walking sound on it. On Sunday afternoon I took him for a walk under saddle (the vet said movement would help with the swelling and that it was fine to ride him as long as he was sound) and I was very relieved to see that the size of the hemotoma had gone down significantly.

Every day it’s looking better and Freedom is eager to get out and move. The wound is draining well because the opening to the cut is below the subcutaneous pocket.

As the area becomes less tender I’ll need to massage it to help break up the swelling. I may also apply DMSO which has excellent anti-inflammatory properties. I’m still just thankful that the injury wasn’t worse. And Freedom still won’t ‘fess up as to which of the girls kicked him.

Second arrest in Florida horse killings

Posted by Liz Goldsmith in Commentary, equine, Horse care and tagged with , , , ,
Florida horse owners are still on high alert and guarding their horses at night.

Florida horse owners are still on high alert and guarding their horses at night.

A second suspect has been arrested for his part in two of the Florida horse killings.

Nineteen year old Santiago Cabrera, of Hialeah, faces charges of armed burglary, animal cruelty, killing a registered breed horse and breaking a fence.

Read more.

Horse Surfing, Part II

Posted by Liz Goldsmith in Commentary, Trick Riding and tagged with , , , ,
Horse surfing and kite boarding add a new level of excitement to equestrian pursuits.

Horse surfing adds a new level of excitement to equestrian pursuits.

People are always thinking of new, fun things to do with their horse. Although I must admit that this had never occurred to me: water skiing while being towed by a horse!

Actually, it’s called horse surfing. Early in 2005 the Independent horse, working with The Company of Horsemen and Matt Smith from Air Jam of Newquay, were the first in the world to tow a kite board behind a horse.

The Independent Horse was formed in 2003 by Daniel Fowler-Prime, a professional stunt man. His goal was to bring horse riding in to the field of extreme sports and to supply horses, riders and special action extras to the live show
and film industries.

In addition to introducing the new sport of horse surfing, they continue to push the boundaries of their show by adding stunt riding to the mix.

According to Fowler-Prime, this is a sport that attracts people who are bored (or should we say board) of traditional riding!

What I can’t figure out is if the horses are running so fast because theyare being chased by the surfer? or because they think it’s cool! Looking at the video, it seems like the horses are having fun too.