 Equine Wellness
With the summer show season in full swing, even horses that aren't regularly boarded often find themselves in crowded barns. Now is the time to look at how to keep your horse healthy at the stables. Heavily populated barns present a significant risk to your horses' health and attitude. Knowing what to look for can help prevent injuries or ailments before adding vet bills to your boarding costs.
All barn facilities vary in size and practices. Some are able to turn out horses all day, while others offer more of a “condo dweller” environment, where the horses stay inside most of the time. But despite the differences, there are universal signs to be aware of.
To address just a few of the medical and behavioral concerns of stabled horses, I spoke with Brian Johnson, DVM. Johnson has spent 32 years practicing on horses and runs Equine Veterinary Services out of Ridgefield, WA.
Medical Concerns The most common infections spread throughout barns in such close quarters are the influenza and rhino respiratory diseases. The quality of air directly affects the respiratory health of a horse, and more air circulation can help prevent the spread of these diseases. Regular vaccinations also help prevent influenza and rhino; how regularly you vaccinate depends on your situation. Some barns require monthly vaccinations, while in a less populated area, vaccination might be necessary only four times a year.
Another respiratory condition to be aware of is ammonia contamination from the stalls, no matter how clean the stalls stay. A horse in a stall inevitably breathes contaminated air all the time, so greater air circulation will decrease this risk. Other commonly spread infections include gastrointestinal infections such as salmonella and eye infections.
While some barns are able to keep manure properly managed and paddocks clean, high concentrations of manure mean a higher concentration of worm eggs. Johnson recommends worming once every two months in a stable situation. With only one horse spread over a few acres, the risk of that horse grazing over manure is less than in the conditions of a crowded barn environment.
Foot care is equally pressing in the barn. Thrush and sole ailments can result from the horse standing for hours in a stall. Keep regular appointments with a farrier to watch the hoof care, or consult your vet. Topical treatments to the hoof wall are mostly ineffective, says Johnson, but providing supplements such as zinc and certain amino acids can promote healthy hoof growth.
Other concerns Johnson notes include skin infections, such as ringworm, and joint problems. Keeping wet blankets off of your horse can help with the former. Sensible warm-ups, stretching, and proper turnout and exercise are vital for the joints. Dental care can also be a concern. In the wild, horses are able to care for their own teeth through grazing on rougher feed, but the processed food and hay horses eat in stables tend to be softer. Thus, regular dental care is important.
“If you get a horse back to its natural situation, with the horse moving all the time with its head down, it will be the healthiest,” says Johnson.
Behavioral Trends “If a horse is uncomfortable in a closed situation, it will be prone to ulcers and display behavioral problems in medical ways,” Johnson says. A sure sign of a horse's nervousness is the evolution of vices: cribbing, weaving, or developing a bad temper can reveal underlying medical issues, or soon-to-be medical issues.
Horses are naturally social animals, but wild herds were chosen, not forced together. Thus, when the residents of a crowded barn are turned out with unfamiliar horses, a love-hate relationship may ensue, which will cause anxiety. Still, horses that are turned out or have access to paddocks are typically more well-adjusted than condo dwellers. For barns that do not have that option, proper attention and exercise are essential.
Veterinarians have become watchdogs for many horse owners and are giving advice on weight and behavioral issues rather than just medical issues. This networking is important, and one of the best aspects of a barn is the social unit to gain feedback about your horse.
“It is very good to talk to other horse people and keep the dialogue open,” says Johnson.
Giving, receiving, and following advice about behavior, weight or an unhealthy situation can avoid huge catastrophes later on. Also watch for behavioral signs and vices that could indicate an underlying medical condition. Keep a good working relationship with your vet and other horse owners, and remember to follow up on feedback about your horse and its health.
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