Equine Head Problems

A myriad of problems can afflict horses in the head, including roarers, sinusitis, and infections of the guttural pouches.  

Larynx Problems

The larynx, aka the voice box, also protects the trachea from food.  These flaps of cartilage close to prevent food from going down the trachea. When the cartilage of the epiglottis flips up, it makes a flapping sound. Since horses have a longer soft palate than humans, they are not capable of breathing through their mouths.  Thus, when horses develop partial paralysis of the laryngeal flaps, they have difficulty breathing when exercising.  This condition is officially known as Laryngeal Paralysis and usually occurs on the left of the larynx.  Colloquially known as "Roarers", horses with this condition make a rhythmic sound as they struggle to open their trachea wide enough to breathe.

If the condition is severe enough, veterinarians may recommend surgery to tie-back the flap in a permanently open position or remove the flap entirely. However, recovery time is 4-5 months and surgery always includes some risks and costs.

Here is a video showing the partial paralysis of the larynx:

Another problem horses can have is the Upward or Dorsal Displacement of Soft Palate, in which the soft palate flips up over the cartilage and becomes stuck. To address this issue, sometimes tongue-tying is used to pull the epiglottis forward.

Sinusitis

The equine head has large sinuses extending below the eyes close to teeth root and in the forehead. Infections of cheek teeth can easily lead to sinus infection. While it is normal for horses to have some nasal discharge that is clear or white, any odd colored or foul-smelling discharge may indicated a sinus infection. X-rays show infections or growths in the sinuses and usually sinusitis is fairly treatable. Surgery is invasive, but rarely necessary.

Guttural Pouches

Horses have air-filled pouches in the throat latch region called guttural pouches.  While their function is uncertain, these pouches are prone to bacterial and fungal infections and tumors.  Persistent nasal discharge from 1 side or both can be a sign of chondroids, i.e. pus balls in the guttural pouches. However nasal discharge can be normal or just a sign of allergies, or wind or dust irritation.  If you have concerns, consult your veterinarian.

Want to keep your horses at home so you can keep an eye on them and tailor they care to their needs? Browse horses properties and hobby farms for sale in Minnesota at www.donavin.com and www.mnhorseproperties.com

Desensitizing Clinic Tomorrow!

Jeremy Kaiserlik of Moonshine Ranch will lead the desensitizing clinic at the Sandstone Riders Arena in Sandstone, MN.  Topics to be covered include fight or flight responses, how to turn fear into curiosity, the importance of release, and more.

The clinic runs from 9 am to 5 pm. The grounds cook shack will be open for the lunch break at noon.

Registration opens at 8:30 am and late registrations are welcome. Negative Coggins required for horses. The Sandstone Riders Saddle Club grounds are open for camping tonight also.

Call/text Brenda Boyd 320-630-8100 to register as a participant ($100) or auditor ($65).

Want to buy your own hobby farm or horse property and build your own trail obstacles course to work on desensitizing?  Browse properties at www.donavin.com and www.mnhorseproperties.com

Cross Country Schooling at Wake Robin Farm Tomorrow!

Want to school your horse cross country but don’t have your own cross country course?  Wake Robin Farm is open for cross country schooling TOMORROW, Saturday May 30^th. 

Edith Lee of EL Eventing, a CIC** rider, is offering lessons for $45/private lesson or $45/person for groups of 3-5.  If you just want to ride around the course without jumping, it’s $15 and if you wish to school cross country without coaching, it’s $30.

Please notify Edee Lee if you intend to attend or with any questions – el.eventing@wakerobinfarm.net or 952-913-8646.

For more photos of Wake Robin Farm and Edith Lee, go to www.wakerobinfarm.net

Prefer to build your own cross country course or buy your own place with one? Check out this place in Chisago City and browse other hobby farm and horse properties for sale at www.donavin.com or www.mnhorseproperties.com.

USDF Dressage St. Croix Dressage Show This Weekend!

St. Croix Recognized Dressage Show is this weekend at the Washington County Fair Grounds in Lake Elmo, MN. The show is Level 2 and is recognized by USEF, USDF, AQHA, & CSDEA. Rides range from Intro Level to Intermediare I to FEI Paradressage.

The judges will be William Solyntjes S, of Brandywine Farm MN, Debbie Rodriguez S, of Virginia and Jodi Ely r, of Trista Farm. Free admission, so spend a day on this lovely weekend watching local riders compete and cheering them on!

Here is the complete schedule of rides. 

Check out horse properties and hobby farms for sale in the metro area of MN at www.donavin.com or www.mnhorseproperties.com

Open Houses This Weekend!

Two horse properties have open houses in the south metro this weekend, so you can come out and see them for yourself. 

18793 Portwood Dr., Hastings, MN 55033

Saturday & Sunday May 30-31st, 11 am - 1 pm

Lovely green pastures for grazing, 4-stall barn

Hardwood floors and this majestic stone fireplace

Stainless steel appliances, granite countertops

Master bath with stunning shower & Jacuzzi tub

4-Season porch

23604 Cates Ave., Faribault, MN 55021

Saturday May 30, 2-4 pm

See this driveway in the summer and with grass

See this stylish barn surrounded by grass now

Interior of barn, plenty of room for storage

Master bath with separate shower & Jacuzzi tub

Main level living room, kitchen, great room

Master bedroom with huge windows to view your horses grazing

3-season porch

Apartment over the garage

To look at more hobby farms and horse properties for sale, go to www.donavin.com or www.mnhorseproperties.com

3620 Farwell Ave, Webster, MN 55088

Imagine sitting out on this wrap-around porch on a pleasant summer evening, watching your horses grazing!  This 3-bedroom, 3 bath home was built in 1997 and is located on 33 acres in Webster. 

There are two barns on the property, a stall barn with a tack room, and a heated barn which could be used as a workshop or could have stalls added in.  

The stalls have these dual doors, which you can leave half open so your horses can have their heads out in the breeze.

The grass pasture features a Nelson automatic waterer and a shelter.

Interior of the barn is great for hay storage.

Enjoy this cozy firepit for roasted marshmellows and s'mores.

The home is lovely with wood trim and a spacious corner tub in the master bath room.

  

Country living at its finest and nearly 2500 sq. ft. could be yours for $655 K.  Check out the virtual tour!

Browse other hobby farms and horse properties at www.donavin.com or www.mnhorseproperties.com

Bernie Traurig Clinic This Weekend!

Bernie Traurig, a renowned international competitor in dressage, showing jumping, and eventing, is offering a clinic at The Stables EquestrianCenter in Rochester, MN on May 23-26.  He was the associate Chef d’ Equip to George H. Morris of the United States Equestrian team and has been inducted into the National Show Hunter Hall of Fame.  He has trained with and learned from the best in the country and he is one of the most sought after clinicians. 

Bernie jumping as a kid and competing in dressage

The clinic format will be 2-hour group lessons Saturday through Monday with a one-hour break for lunch.  The clinic runs from 8-5 Saturday and Sunday, 8-4 on Monday Memorial Day with the final hour being a dressage/flat lesson.  Tuesday there will be two dressage/flat lessons from 8-10 am.  Additionally Saturday will have a pot-luck at 6:30 pm following by a video presentation and Q & A session at 7 pm.

Auditing is $25/day.  All riders and auditors will receive a 50% discount on an annual membership to his coaching website: www.EquestrianCoach.com

Questions?  Contact thestables@att.net

Located on 65 acres, The Stables Equestrian Center, is a lovely facility.  It boasts a 150' x 75' indoor arena with rubber/sand footing and ceiling fans as well as two outdoor arenas with washed sand footing (230' x 120' and 200' x 80').  There's a fully-equipped lounge for the Q & A and a wireless PA system in the indoor arena.

Want your own equestrian facility?  Browse horse properties and hobby farms for sale at www.donavin.com or www.mnhorseproperties.com

3-Ring Circus Schooling Show This Sunday!

This schooling show is an annual favorite for dressage riders, hunter/jumpers and eventers for starting off the show season.  Put on by St. Croix Saddlery, the show has 3 rings, one for dressage tests, one for hunter classes, and one for jumper classes.

The show takes place at Carriage House Farm in Hugo, with a sand dressage arena and grass jumper and hunter arenas as well as sand schooling areas. 

Classes start at 7:30 am and go all day. Here are the dressage times. A complete class list is also available. Stop by and cheer on local riders! 

Concessions are available as well as veterinary and equine massage services. The St. Croix Saddlery trailer will also be there for fun equestrian shopping!

Check out horse properties and hobby farms for sale at www.donavin.com or www.mnhorseproperties.com

Western Dressage Clinic This Weekend

Are you wondering what this western dressage trend is all about?  You're in luck!  There will be a Western Dressage clinic May 23rd at SunRunner Ranch in Buffalo, MN.  

In the morning, there will be a 3-hour group lesson taught by Mel Harms-Grossman who trains out of SunRunner Ranch.  Mel Harms-Grossman has over 10 years of experience in western riding including barrels, trails, pleasure, reining, and halter & showmanship. Riders will learn ways to improve their communication and partnership with their horse, as well as the basic principles of western dressage.

In the afternoon, experienced dressage & western dressage schooling show judge Jim Hatch will work with each rider/horse team individually for a 30-40 minute Ride a Test session.  

Rider spots are filled.  It's $20 to audit for the day.

Questions? Contact Chris Staebler 320-349-0016 or mcstaebler@fedtel.net

Browse hobby farms and horse properties for sale at www.donavin.com or www.mnhorseproperties.com

Ralph Hill at Hollow Creek This Weekend!

If you missed Otter Creek's Spring Horse Trials, there's another chance this weekend to catch some eventing fun at a Ralph Hill clinic at Hollow Creek Farm in Menomonie, WI. 

Ralph Hill is a very highly respected 4 star veteran and eventing instructor. In fact, he has the distinction of being the only rider to compete in every Rolex from its inception in 1978 to 2007.  A fall sidelined him from competition but has nothing to dampen his dedication to the sport.  He is busy coaching and teaching clinics across the country.

Hollow Creek Farm has a 72' x 144' indoor arena, a 155' x 165' outdoor stadium arena, and a full cross country course with jumps for starter through training level. The clinic runs Friday-Sunday with dressage private lessons and groups of 2-4 for stadium and cross country. Auditing is FREE, and water bottles provided for all.

Questions?  Contact Lucy Lammer, 715-235-0593 LucyL@wwt.net

Build your own cross country course on your own hobby farm! Browse horse properties for sale at www.donavin.com or www.mnhorseproperties.com

Julie Julian Dressage Clinic This Weekend!

Julie Julian is a USDF gold medalist and trains out of Flying Dutchman Farm in Barrington Hills, Illinois.  She is coming to Ivory Hills Stables in Wilson, Wisconsin May 23-24 to teach a dressage clinic. 

Julie got her start with horses as a barrel racer.  Since then she has developed as a dressage rider, trainer, and instructor.  Julie Julian has trained multiple horses to the Grand Prix level.  She's received instruction from Dr. Reiner Klimke, Christine Taurig, Harry Boldt, among others. 

Questions about the clinic? Email Julie Foss at julie@jfoss4.com

Audit the clinic and check out Ivory Hills Stable while you're there.  The indoor arena has a rubber/sand mix footing, a variety of stall sizes, and grass pastures or dry lot turnouts.

Prefer to look at barns online?  Go to www.donavin.com or www.mnhorseproperties.com to browse hobby farms and horse properties for sale in the Twin Cities metro area.

EHV-1: What You Need to Know

There has been a lot in the news in 2014 and 2015 about EHV-1 cases in Minnesota. Most recently, an eventing barn had one case in February 2015 and a saddlebred barn reported a horse with neurological symptoms and took the horse to the U of M for testing on Friday. Rather than panicking, know the facts and make smart decisions about what you can do to prevent outbreaks.

What is it?

EHV-1 is short for Equine Herpes Virus type 1 and actually is found in most horses in a latent way (without symptoms) as they are usually exposed to the virus as youngsters.  Some horses under stress (i.e. at a horse show) exhibit may experience the disease becoming active which can develop into neurological symptoms.  

When the disease is active in a given horse, that horse can share it with others via nasal secretions (nose blowing or coughing or touching noses) or sharing tack or other equipment.  Often this contact happens in the early stages of the disease before the horse is exhibiting neurological symptoms and thus before the owner knows the horse has the contagious disease. Complicating matters further, that horse might not even develop the telltale symptoms (fever, hind limb incoordination or ataxia, or lack of interest in food) at all but could still pass the disease on to other horses.

Why all the recent outbreaks?

EHV-1 is an emerging disease and progress in education and regulating reporting of the disease has made the equine industry more aware of the disease. Also, large scale equestrian events which bring in hundreds horses from all over the country like the Cutting Horse National Championship in Utah in 2011 need to increase their biosecurity measures to limit contact horses have with other horses.  In addition, horse owners could be better at detecting infection in their horses.

What can we do to prevent outbreaks?

When your horse goes on a trail ride or to a show or event with other horses, restrict nose-to-nose contact with other horses from other barns, do not share water buckets or other equipment either.  Take your horse's temperature daily to catch any fever right away. Better yet, stay home to avoid exposure to this contagious disease.  

Disinfect any used equipment you purchase, especially when you know there has been an outbreak in your area recently.

If you run a boarding facility, consider instituting a 2-3 week quarantine for new horses coming in to your facility. Moving barns can be stressful for horses and they could develop a cold or have the EHV virus become active, either of which could spread to your herd.

What to do if your horse does have a fever, hind-limb incoordination, and disinterest in feed

Isolate the horse from other horses immediately.  Disinfect and isolate the horse's stall and all equipment associated with the horse.  Even your clothing and boots can spread the disease from horse to horse or barn to barn.

Call your veterinarian.  He or she will retake the horse's temperature, take a blood sample or a nasal swab for testing, and can help treat your horse for symptom management. Typically vets recommend Banamine to reduce fever, pain, & inflammation as well as keeping the horse hydrated and rested.

Report to the state authorities if a diagnosis of EHV-1 is confirmed and spread awareness to the equine community so others can be aware of exposure risks. Also communicate the diagnosis to other horse owners at your property and any shows or events where your horse could have contracted or passed on the disease.

A diagnosis of EHV-1 confirmed results in a 21 or 28-day quarantine of the stable in question to contain the outbreak. Read more about what to do if you suspect your horse may have EHV-1 here.

Veterinarian researchers are working hard on developing an effective vaccine and finding out more about EHV-1.  Learn more about recent research here.

Once the weather dries out and warms up, usually EHV-1 becomes less active until fall.  With careful and conscientious horse owners and show managers, each of us can do our part to slow the spread of this deadly disease.

Want to keep your horses at home at your own little hobby farm and minimize their exposure to contagious diseases?  Search horse properties for sale at www.donavin.com or www.mnhorseproperties.com

Introducing Your Horse to Grass Pasture

In the springtime, every horse owner sees the lush green grass with their horses' eyes and is eager to turn their horses out to pasture.  

However, did you know that too much spring grass can make your horse lame due to laminitis (aka grass founder)?

Laminitis is the inflammation of the sensitive laminae which are folds inside the hoof wall that attach to the bone inside the foot. The laminae can be inflamed by ingestion of fructan or non-structural carbohydrates (NSC), the sugar found in fresh grass.

View of the laminae inside the hoof capsule

Managing Your Grass Pastures

There are a variety of factors that influence the amount of sugar found in the grass (or grass hay for that matter).  

Temperatures at night below 40 degrees and sunny weather both contribute to high sugar levels which is why laminitis is more common in the spring and fall. 

Time of day is also a factor as sugar levels tend to be higher in the late afternoon and evening. 

Although at first it is counter-intuitive, not using enough fertilizer can contribute to higher sugar levels. This is because fertilizer contains nitrogen and if the grass is deprived of nitrogen it can't convert sugar into growth so the sugar levels continue to rise.  

It can also help to manage weeds like dandelions and thistles, which tend to be high in sugar and are very palatable to horses. Controlling the weed population on your horse property allows grass to be the predominant plant.  

Mowing the grass also helps to limit sugar content as grass seeds which grow at the top of grass blades are higher in sugars. It's best to keep grass at 4-8" tall so if you can rotate your horses to another pasture and mow as necessary.

Risk Factors in Horses

Some horses are more prone to developing laminitis than others.  Any horse who has previously foundered or had laminitis for any reason is at a greater risk of developing it again. 

Overweight horses or horses with Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) are susceptible to laminitis due to insulin resistance and sensitivity to sugar levels in their grass or hay.  Signs of EMS include a cresty neck and fat deposits on either side of the tail head. 

Horses with PPID (aka Cushing's Disease) are also at a greater risk for grass founder. Signs of Cushing's Disease include not shedding out in the spring and developing long hairs on the legs and the entire body. 

Horse with tell-tale Cushing's coat

Additionally, any horse who has not had high sugar-content hay or fresh grass all winter is at greater risk unless introduced slowly.

How to Introduce Your Horse to Grass

If you want your horse acclimated to grass, you have to gradually introduce them to it over a period of about 2 weeks. Begin with 15 minutes of grazing on the first day.  You can then increase to 30 minutes the next day and so on. 

My mare, Elena - notice the fat deposits around her tailhead & her cresty neck.  While she's never foundered, she's overweight & at risk.

Look for your horse's necks hardening, any heat in their hooves, and any tenderness when doing a brisk trot on hard ground.  

Some horse owners use grazing muzzles on their horses to limit how much grass they can consume at a time which can also prevent grass founder.

A grazing muzzle

Regular exercise also is a great preventative as it keeps your horse fit and burns those sugars your horse is consuming.  

Horses love grazing and it is natural for them to have the constant movement and chewing involved, but some management is necessary to prevent grass founder.

Looking for a hobby farm with grass pastures to call your own so you can take care of your horses' needs? Look at www.donavin.com or www.mnhorseproperties.com for horse properties for sale in the Twin Cities metro area of Minnesota.