Horse Health

The UK’s leading equine health & well-being magazine October/November 2008 £2.95

By Louise Cordell

SCIENTISTS are to get their first glimpseinside a galloping horse’s airway thanks toa revolutionary new imaging system. The Dynamic Respiratory Endoscope letsvets assess live pictures while the animal ismoving at full speed and is expected totransform disease diagnosis. The pioneering equipment has beenacquired by the University of Glasgow’sEquine Hospital as part of a joint venturewith racehorse training firm, MarkJohnston Racing and will be used in theUniversity’s newly launched PerformanceHorse Clinic. Dr Patrick Pollock, senior clinician inequine surgery, said: “Within the animalkingdom, horses are considered to be eliteathletes because of their unique anatomyand physiology. Since they have the abilityto perform at such a phenomenally highlevel, even the smallest change in theirhealth can lead to a reduction in theirperformance but minute, often subtlechanges can be very challenging to detect.To further complicate matters, many of thecauses of poor performance can only bedetected while the horse is exercising athigh speed.”Many causes of poor performance are

related to the respiratory system and atechnique called endoscopy, in which asmall camera is introduced through thenose and into the airway of the horse, isfrequently used to diagnose diseaseaffecting this area. However existingtechnology only allows a horse to bescoped while it runs on a treadmill, whichis expensive, potentially dangerous and isvery different to the normal conditions inwhich horses exercise.Dr Pollock added: “Current methods meana large number of animals may appearnormal on the treadmill, even though theyhave a significant disease. This new systemhas many advantages in that it allowshorses to be examined in their normalenvironment under normal exerciseconditions and is therefore more likely toresult in the correct diagnosis. The systemalso eliminates much of the cost and all ofthe dangers associated with the treadmilland is considerably less stressful for thehorse.”Top racehorse trainer Mark Johnston said:“The Dynamic Respiratory Endoscope willrevolutionise what we know about horseswhen they are being fully exercised.Understanding the airway of a horse is thekey to understanding so much more aboutthem and how they function.”

An equine photographerhas won a prestigiousindustry prize for hisunique studio portraits. Gary Coulson of UnicornStudios in Basildon, Essexreceived a gold award fromthe Society of Weddingand Portrait Photographersfor his horse head shots,taken inside a traditionalindoor studio. He said:"I've been photographinghorses for over ten yearsbut only in the studio sinceApril. So many peoplewanted head shots Idecided to do something

different and take thehorses inside. Some peoplethink that they will beupset by the flash, but I’vefound that this isn’t thecase. Of course it is newto them, but they don’tseem to find it scary andbefore long they aren’tfazed by it at all. Ownerslove the pictures becausethey really bring out thehorse’s individual natureand character – they reallyhave the wow factor.” Pictured: Ben, owned byDenise Mayhew of Warley,Essex

New imagingsystem givesbreakthrough

By Louise Cordell

THE winners of this year’s Best BeachDonkeys competition have beenannounced by Sidmouth’s DonkeySanctuary.

The annual contest aims toreward owners from around theUK for high standards of animalwelfare.

The best individual title went to Del Boy from Aberdyfi, Gwynedd in Wales, owned by Louise Peters,the best group of donkeys was from Filey in Yorkshire and thedonkeys with the best trimmed feet were from Weymouth, Dorset.

National judge Jenifer Tuckerdescribed Del Boy as a ‘gentle giant’and said: “He just wowed mecompletely – he is very handsomeand has a lovely big head with verylong ears.

“Even at the end of the day, he washappily giving donkey rides tochildren and he was clearly a

favourite.”

The donkeys at Filey: Lenny, Alfie,Chico, Rueben, Neville and Max,

were chosen as the best groupbecause, despite being new to thejob, they were a hit with all thevisitors.

Jenifer added: “I believe most ofthese donkeys have been rescuedand their owner Amanda Pickles hasachieved so much in terms oftraining and getting them all intosuch superb condition.

“My overall impression was ofthem being very smartly turnedout and a group of very happydonkeys.”

The final category, the group withthe best trimmed feet, was won byJasmine, Stumpy, Sooty, PeeJay,BeeJay, Sparky and Daisy; owned byMaggie Aldridge.

Jenifer added: “The level ofcompetition this year has beenoutstanding.

“All the donkeys have been turnedout beautifully making the judgingextremely difficult and the beachoperators themselves are clearly veryproud of them.”

HORSE HEALTH I NEWS 3

EDITORIAL

GROUP EDITOR:

Andrew HarrodTel: 01226 734639email: [email protected]

EDITOR:Christine [email protected]: 07825 097 464

Reporter Louise CordellTel: 01226 734694 [email protected]

PRODUCTION

STUDIO MANAGER:Stewart Holt [email protected]

DEPUTY GROUP EDITOR:Judith [email protected]

ADVERTISING

SALES AND MARKETING DIRECTOR:

Tony Barry

SALES EXECUTIVE:

Bev ParkinTel: 01226 734333 Fax: 01226 [email protected]

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of allcontent, the publishers do not accept liability for error,

printed or otherwise, that may occur.

Horse Health is registered withthe Audit Bureau of Circulations.

A NEW £10,000 grant is being offeredby the Horseracing Betting Levy Boardto fund a project that will benefit theracing world.The Tristram Ricketts Fellowship hasbeen designed to allow someone fromwithin the UK horseracing industry togain a better understanding of thesport as a whole, at home and abroad,and hopefully produce an idea that willimprove the industry.The scheme is named after the formerLevy Board and British HorseracingBoard chief executive Sir TristramRicketts, who died in November 2007.

Robert Hughes, Levy Board Chairman,said: “I am delighted that the boardhas agreed to this wonderful concept.“Tristram’s capacity for friendship wasinexhaustible, not only within Britainbut all over the racing world, and Ibelieve the fellowship will be a lastinglegacy to his contribution to racing.”One fellowship will be awarded eachyear to the candidate who presents thebest project idea to the fellowshipboard. Applications for the 2009 awardclose on 1 November this year and fulldetails of the application process areavailable on the Levy Board website.

‘Gentle giant’ wowsjudges to take title

Best individual beach donkey DelBoy with his owner Louise Petersfrom Aberdovey, Wales Picture:The Donkey Sanctuary

Racing world grant on offer

Yards get metal theft warningEQUESTRIAN yards are beingwarned of the danger of metaltheft as an increase in crimes isreported across the country.A nationwide police operation hasbeen put in place to target thethieves and yards are advised tobe extra vigilant when locking uptheir premises to discourageintruders looking for high value‘scrap’ metal.It has been reported that the highcost of energy and growingdemand for metal in developingcountries has forced steel prices tounprecedented levels and resultedin a boom of this type of crime. Richard Jackson, dressage

competitor and chief executive ofJacksons Fencing, said:“Equestrian premises, especiallythe professional yards, feature somany metal and steel products,including heavy steel field gates,galvanized internal stabling, tract-ors, trailers, horse boxes, horsewalkers, hay racks and even tie uprings, they will almost certainlyattract the attention of theunscrupulous individuals involvedin this growing crime. We areadvising all equestrian yards to beextra security conscious and toimmediately report any suspiciousbehaviour or sightings to theirlocal police force.”

HORSE HEALTH I NEWS4

RETRAINING of Racehorses hasreceived the British Equine VeterinaryAssociation’s Welfare Award for2008.

The award, which is sponsored byThe Blue Cross, recognises asignificant contribution to equinewelfare and RoR has been singledout for its work retraining andrehoming racehorses.

It was presented to Ron Huggins,trustee of RoR and an owner andbreeder of racehorses, at the 47thBEVA Annual Congress by KerstinAlford, equine welfare director ofThe Blue Cross.

Kerstin said: “The financial supportthat RoR provides for charitableracehorse rehabilitation centres,

together with their educationprogramme to help owners andriders of former racehorses, makethem very worthy recipients of thisaward.”

Retraining of Racehorses wasestablished in 2000 by the BritishHorseracing Authority.

Its aim is to raise funds from theBritish racing industry to provide andmaintain facilities for the care,retraining and rehoming of formerracehorses.

Di Arbuthnot, director of operations,said: “RoR are delighted to receivethis prestigious award to recognisethe work the charity does for formerracehorses to provide them with alife after racing.”

Kerstin Alford, Blue Cross director of equine welfare; Ron Huggins,trustee of Retraining of Racehorses and Kim Hamilton, Blue Crosschief executive Picture: Apollo Photographers

RoR receives welfare award

PARELLI has introduced a newqualification that aims to introducethe ideas and techniques involved inthe natural training method.

The company has joined forces withCity and Guilds NPTC to create aFoundation Certificate in the TheoryBehind Natural Horsemanship.

Neil Pye of Parelli said: “All aroundthe world, and especially here in theUK, more and more people arerecognising that in any interactionwith horses, be it competitive or justfor the joy of it, the trust, confidenceand dignity of the horse should be atthe forefront of their training.

”This new partnership between

Parelli Natural Horsemanship andCity and Guild NPTC, combines timehonoured heritage and practiceswith cutting edge education. Tog-ether these industry leaders are help-ing to create a better world for hor-ses and the people who love them."

The course includes basic skills andsafety aspects of horse handling, onthe ground and on the horse's backtogether with an introduction tobuilding up trust and communicationby understanding the nature of thehorse. Candidates do not need tohave any previous qualifications andwill be able to sign up to the coursefrom January 2009.

Parelli introduces new courseParelli has joined forces with City and Guilds NPTC for the new qualification.

Gemma takesInstructor ofthe Year awardGEMMA Barry from Exmouth hasbeen named as The British HorseSociety’s Young Instructor of theYear.

Twelve young teachers had made itthrough to the finals of thecompetition at Warwickshire Collegeand were judged by a panelincluding BHS chairman Patrick Print,Sue Payne FBHS and RichardDavidson FBHS.

They had all qualified at regionalcompetitions held throughout 2008where they discussed and debatedcoaching and teaching skills with aFellow of the BHS.

Gemma, who holds the BHSII SM,qualified at Pippin Equestrian Centrein Gillingham and said: “I can’tbelieve I have won.

“I am working towards my BHSEquitation and Teaching qualificationso I thought entering the

competition would be goodexperience of performing underpressure.

“I would recommend the experiencefor anyone training towards BHSexams.

“I found it extremely useful to beable to watch other people and gainnew ideas.”

During the final the competitors hadto teach private lessons lasting 30minutes in both dressage and showjumping and deliver a 15 minutepresentation on various aspects ofstable management.

BHS chairman, Patrick Print, said: “Itwas an enjoyable day to take withsuch an enthusiastic group of younginstructors.

“All candidates showed promisingqualities but the winner showedgood competence in all three areas.”


THE higher a horse can tuck up itsfront legs, the more it is worth onthe international market, accordingto scientists at Newcastle Univeristy. New research from bio-engineer DrSian Lawson has revealed that ahorse’s sale price is directly linked tohow high the animal can fold itsfront hoof into its shoulder when itleaps over a fence.These findings contradict previousassumptions that the back leg is themost important feature in asuccessful show jumper. Dr Lawson, a former professionalshow jumper, said: “This is not theresult I was expecting at all.“The height at which a horse canraise its back legs is innate – that is,it is something the horse is bornwith. Just like some people can dothe splits and others can’t, so somehorses are very flexible and can bringtheir back legs up much higher thanothers.“Conversely, the front leg is notthought to be genetically linked andis very trainable.“This means most horses can betrained to develop a good ‘forelimbtuck’.“What this research has shown isthat the trainer is as important as thehorse.”The horses used in the study were all

aged between three and five yearsold and had sold for between 5,000and 60,000 Euros.Dr Lawson watched videos of thehorses in action, the same as thoseused by trainers before making apurchase, and mapped themovement of the horse beforecharting it against sale price.She found that in every case theforelimb action correlated with sale

price, while no other attribute –other than age and height – had aneffect on the final price of the horse.Her next project is to chart theprogress of these young horses andsee if the forelimb tuck can be usedto predict the price of the horsewhen it reaches its peak andultimately its potential as a showjumper. She added: “Predicting the worth of

a horse at such a young age is verydifficult and is often based on theanimal’s performance over a singleday. “This is very subjective and hasobvious limitations. “What this study shows is that saleprice can be predicted from theforelimb tuck and this gives trainersa quantifiable parameter to workwith when viewing horses.”

‘Forelimb tuck’ is key to worth

Most horses can be trained to develop a good ‘forelimb tuck’. Picture: Sue Carden

FMBS and Magnet Medics are todistribute the Cool+Press KombiBoot, a revolutionary boot thatpermits the combined administeringof compression and cold-therapytreatments to reduce heat, swellingand pain.

The application of cold andintermittent compression, and incertain cases the alternatingapplication of cold and heat, isknown to be the best way oftreating swellings and pain.

The Kombi Boot is made of neopreneand has twin air bags on both thelower part and the upper part of theboot.

Firstly air is pumped into the lowerpads and then into the upper padsvia hoses linked securely to thesurcingle.

This helps draws off and dispersesupwards any excess fluid that hasgathered in the leg.

The amount of pressure exerted canbe regulated in three intensities andeach pressure phase is followed by aperiod of release.

Clinical studies have shown thatpost-traumatic and post-operativecooling therapies can be highlybeneficial, especially when thecooling is accompanied bycompression treatment and hasproved to be particularly beneficial inthe treatment of musculosketal

strain, musclepain, andinflammationof tendoninjuries andjoints.

It is also animportantelement forrecovery afterstrenuousexercise orcompetition.

Anotherimportant

feature of the boots is they can beused to perform treatments not onlywhen the horse is standing still, but also when it is moving, either through being walked orgrazed in hand or on the horsewalker using just the compressionelement.For more details call: 01628472440/0788 5539312 or visitwww.fmbs.co.uk

Kombi Boot set to be distributedAustralian fluinquiry leads toregulation updateBy Louise Cordell

FOLLOWING an inquiry into theAustralian flu outbreak, theAustralian authorities have updatedtheir regulations.

All horses imported into the countrynow have to be vaccinated accordingto the OIE recommendations usingthe latest strains, where available.

This effectively means that any horseexported to Australia from the UKnow has to be vaccinated withProteqFlu.

This is the only European equineinfluenza vaccine to be updated tomeet recommendations from the World Organisation for AnimalHealth Expert Surveillance Panel.

The move means that via their vet,horse owners and trainers now haveaccess to the most specific level ofprotection against known circulatingEI strains says manufacturer MerialAnimal Health Ltd.

Dr Jules Minke DVM PhD, director ofMerial equine biologic projects, Lyon,France said: “Following an

international surveillance programmemonitoring equine influenzaoutbreaks, including South Africa,Japan, Australia and the UK, it hasbeen recommended that all equineinfluenza vaccines should beupdated.

“EI is a highly infectious disease witha short incubation time of just twoto five days, and infected horses canshed virus in the absence of clinicalsigns.

“In serious cases secondarycomplications can occur and manyhorses that recover from a seriousbout of flu can end-up with chronicrespiratory problems.

“EI is a major threat, with circulatingstrains evolving and spreading rapidlyworldwide.

“In light of this drift, the need toupdate vaccines is dramaticallyhighlighted by equine influenzaoutbreaks around the globe,including Japan and China and Newmarket when clinical signswere seen even in well vaccinatedhorses.”


Agisters JonathonGerrelli, Peter Rix andMike Lovell withRSPCA InspectorsGraham Hammond,Nickie Cooke,Collections Officer RoyBlackburn andHampshire Fire andRescue Service’sAnimal RescusSpecialists, Jim Green,Colin Horwood andBuster Brown”

THE RSPCA and Hampshire’s Fireand Rescue Service have teamed upwith the New Forest Agisters toimprove animal safety in the area.

Each year some of the 5,000 poniesand cattle in the New Forestbecome stuck in mire or other wetareas and removing them from themud can be a dangerous task.

However, the Agisters have years of

experience in dealing with thesechallenges and have providedadvice to the Fire Service to helpimprove its response to animalincidents.

This has allowed the Service todevelop rescue techniques,accredited by the British EquineVeterinary Association, which haveproved to be extremely effective.

Jim Green, watch manager ofHampshire Fire and Rescue Service,said: “Rescuing an animal from mudrequires a sound knowledge ofanimal behaviour – coupled withsimple methods which utilisewebbing strops, ropes and a stropguide. This is a tool pushed underthe animal that enables the stropsto be pulled easily under its

submerged animal’s body.

“In trained hands this can beachieved in a safe manner with agood chance of the rescued animalmaking a speedy and full recovery.”

The service has used RSPCA fundsto provide each Agister with a newset of ropes, strops and strop guid-es to help them move stuck animalswithout having to call for help.

United bid to improve animal safety

A VETERINARY nurse fromNorthumberland has becomeone of the first to completethe newly developed equineveterinary nursingqualification.

Helen Lower of Bearl Equinequalified under the new directtrack training system whichhas a tailor made trainingstructure.

Until recently gaining thequalification involved twoyears training with smallanimals and an extra year’sspecialist training to becomean equine nurse.

Now the Royal College ofVeterinary Nursing has

recognised that the rolerequires specialist knowledgeand training and has createdthe course.

Suzanne Sharp, a vet at BearlEquine, said: “The biologicalcomplexity and vulnerability ofthe equine system hasdemanded specialism withinveterinary medicine and asadvances in equine medicinehave developed so has theneed for a specialised equinenurse.

“Now the direct entry schemeallows trainees with noprevious nursing experience togain the equine veterinarynurse qualification.

“The profession recognisesthe need for nursing staff tohave specialist equinehandling experience and thedirect entry certificate isbecoming increasinglypopular.”

Helen Lower joined BearlEquine Clinic three years agoafter taking her BHS exams,teaching riding and spendingtwo year with the HuntService.

She now leads a team of fournursing assistants and worksclosely with JonathanWainwright, Head of NurseTraining to implement the in-house training programmeacross the team. Helen Lower

Training success for Helen


Editor’s insight...A dull, wet summer and theeconomy as a whole in a depressedstate has obviously had a knock oneffect on the equine industry. Conversations with local feedmerchants reveal that although thewet weather has led to a lowerthan anticipated wheat harvest forhuman quality products, thereshould have been a greateravailability for animal gradefeedstuffs. However, competition at this levelfrom bio-fuels is helping to keepprices unusually high, both in thewheat and sugar beet sectors, afact sadly borne out by the price ofa bag of feed.The problem is compounded bythe increasing price of energy, asthe costs of physically getting the

products made and into the bag,have spiralled.Horse owners would therefore bewise to plan carefully for thecoming winter, perhapsstreamlining feeding regimes, andsourcing good quality forage,whilst looking forward to easiertimes in the spring. Now wouldalso be a good time perhaps, tosort through unused, old rugs andequipment and pack anythingsuitable off to the local horse char-ity – I’m sure they will be glad ofevery form of donation this winter.Horse Health congratulates all ourathletes both human and equinefor their Olympic successes andtakes an exclusive behind thescenes look at the event in HongKong with reports from Josh Slater,

Head of Bio-security and VickySpalding, official teamphysiotherapist.Transporting horses such hugedistances around the world is afeat in itself, let alone ensuringthey arrive in a condition ready tocompete on a world class stage.So, in Going for Gold we look atways to aid post competition andtravel recovery.It is always fascinating to learn ofnew treatments and procedureswhich are constantly evolving. In this issue, not only have therebeen exciting developments withreal time exercise endoscopy, butalso new approaches to woundand injury care that could have asignificant impact on future healingprotocols.Christine Keate

REDWINGS Horse Sanctuary has beenexperiencing a foal boom afterbecoming involved in several largerescues throughout the year.The charity has taken on many morehorses over the last few months,including herds running wild withfoals at foot and mares in foal.It now has a record 18 foals in itscare, including miniature Shetland

ponies, donkeys, and a Welsh crossfoal, with more on the way.Chief executive Lynn Cutress said:“Many of our residents are elderly orhave health problems so to have somany foals is very refreshing and areal joy for our staff to know theyhave been able to help them.“Many would not have survivedwithout our help, in particular the

expertise of our veterinary and nightsteams. We will assess each foal as itgrows, and it is very likely that manywill be able to be re-homed throughour Guardianship Scheme in thefuture.”Welfare officer Rachel Fairhead said:“We always advise people to thinkcarefully about the implicationsbeforehand, but now with the current

economic climate seeing horse salesslow down and household financesbeing squeezed, we are even moreconcerned and want to warn peopleto think very carefully before breed-ing their own mares.“A new foal is wonderful but youhave to be able to afford to keep it and budget for veterinaryexpense.”

Rescues result in foal boom at horse sanctuary

HORSE HEALTH I 9feeding and nutrition

By Simon Freeman

FIBRE, and enough of it, is a must forall horses and ponies, whether youare enjoying them for leisure ridingor doing harder work.

The horse evolved as a browser ofvegetation and its digestive tractdeveloped accordingly, being able tohandle a considerable bulk ofmaterial and extract nutrients fromthe variable quality of foragethroughout the year, whether springgrass or ‘woody’ winter pickings.

The benefit of feeding enough fibreof the right quality cannot beignored. Long fibre forms the bulk ofa horse’s diet and is digested bybacterial action in the large intestine(hind gut).

When a horse is eating, the action ofchewing helps open up the cellstructure of fibres for digestion andencourages the production of saliva.This moistening of food enables aneasier passage through the digestivetract.

Generally horses are fed ‘hard feed’two or three times a day, which isunnatural when you consider they

would usually browse continually.

The effect of this is to load thedigestive system with easily digested,quick release energy feeds, whichenter the stomach and smallintestine.

Without the presence of enoughfibrous bulk material, there is adanger of ‘overloading’ the intestineas the passage of this volatilemixture of feed could be too swift,potentially leading to undigestedstarches and sugars passing into thehind gut with the threat of colic.

Slowing down the passage of foodthrough the gut is also vitallyimportant to enable proper digestionof fibre in the large intestine.

The bacteria here need time in whichto work thoroughly, extractingnutrients from the bulk material.

Today’s horse owner has a hugeselection of fibre feeds available,ranging from hay and haylage tospecially grown quality crops of grassand lucerne.

All these fibres are principallyintended as forming part, or all, ofthe bulk feed for the horse or pony

in question.

It is common practice to feed afibrous material, like a chaff or chop,along with the hard feed. New fibrefeeds coming onto the market todaycombine quality fibre and hard feed.These are already balanced for thehorse owner in a bag and so areready to feed.

Dried grass and lucerne both providea good source of fibre with a highnutritional value, but some horse

owners find that their horses reactadversely to lucerne.

We have found that grass is a moreuniversally acceptable source of fibre.It mixes well with a coarse mix, is notso stalky and looks really good.

We know that the nutritional value isof prime importance, but theappearance of a feed is alsoimportant to horse owners.

� Simon Freeman is a technicaldirector for Badminton Horse Feeds

Why fibre isso important ...

Fibre-basedproducts can provide a more natural feed.

HORSE HEALTH I10 feeding and nutrition

By Lizzie Drury

INSULIN sensitivity and resistancehave become increasingly importantareas of research in equine medicineover the recent years and the termsare being used more frequently inmany equestrian articles and talks,but what is it and how does it affectthe horse?

In simple terms insulin resistance isdefined as the diminished ability ofcells to respond to the action ofinsulin in transporting glucose fromthe bloodstream into the muscle andother tissues.

In horses, a number of factors suchas age, diet, access to and quality ofgrazing and level of exercise can allaffect the degree of response of thepancreas (which secretes insulin) toblood glucose concentrations and/orthe rate of clearance of glucose fromthe bloodstream into the musclecells.

It appears that an increasing numberof horses are becoming resistant tothe effects of insulin and thisresistance is a key pathogenic featurein Equine Metabolic Syndrome andCushing’s Disease as well as apotential cause of some forms oflaminitis.

In humans insulin resistance isknown to be a factor in forms oftype 2 diabetes.

The precise mechanisms involved ininsulin resistance are not fullyunderstood in either humans orhorses, although there are severalmechanisms that may possibly be

involved, which are beyond thescope of this precise article.

Persistent high levels of circulatingglucose can have toxic effects on thestructure and function of manyorgans.

Research has shown that prolongedsupraphysiologic infusion of insulin

could induce laminitis in horsessuggesting that the lamina in thehooves may have a particularsensitivity to the damaging aging effects of chronically elevatedblood glucose or insulinconcentrations.Continued on Page 11

Insulin resistance – what

Grazing time can be difficult to manage.

Right Weight project launchedWORLD Horse Welfare’s RightWeight project was launched tovets who attended this year’s BEVACongress in Liverpool. With weight being one of themost talked about subjects in theveterinary profession, projectmanager Samantha Lewis waspleased the scheme was up fordiscussion at the event. She said: “We were delightedwhen we were given theopportunity to incorporate ournew DVD in the BEVA mailing andto promote it at their Congress.“All UK BEVA members will receivea copy so they can share theinformation with their clients.

“Weight is such a difficult subjectto broach with owners as thehorses that are overweight are sowell loved by them.”The DVD explains what the rightweight should be and showsowners how to fat score (using theCarroll and Huntingdon method asadapted by Dr Teresa Hollandsfrom Dodson and Horrell Ltd) andhow to use a weightape correctly. It also gives practical advice andinformation on what to do if yourhorse or pony is overweight.It is now hoped that vets willrequest further free copies of theDVD which they can give away totheir clients.

Horses need to be kept at the correct weight for optimum healthand performance

HORSE HEALTH I 11feeding and nutrition

is it ...?Continued from Page 10This may also help to explain whyCushing’s horses and EquineMetabolic Syndrome horses are atsuch a high risk to developinglaminitis.

Insulin resistance can be measured inhorses and although the proceduresthemselves are not particularlydifficult to perform the biggestproblem actually lies in establishingnormal ranges for different horseswhen taking in to account thevariations in ages, breeds, dietaryregimes and levels of exercise.

Equine Metabolic Syndrome andCushing’s disease are related and thecommon feature that they bothshare is insulin resistance and theincreased risk of laminitis.

From a feeding and managementperspective the two conditions willrequire similar methods.

In both cases care must be taken toavoid feeds that exacerbate insulinresistance.

As far as possible feeds that are highin starch and sugar must be avoidedand this makes grazing time perhapsone of the most difficult andfrustrating parts to manage in thesetypes of horses.

It is very difficult to control sugarintake in grazing horses and grassmay be the largest source of sugar inthe horse’s diet.

The sugar content of the pasture alsovaries according to hours of sunlight,soil type, and the type of grass thatis growing and the time of the day.

This creates huge fluctuations insugar intake, which can exacerbate

insulin resistance and potentially alterthe bacterial flora of the largeintestine.

Access to pasture must therefore berestricted or in severe caseseliminated altogether.

Horses on restricted pasture shouldhave access to an alternative foragesource to prevent problems such asgastric ulcers and also to enablethem to exhibit their natural tricklefeeding behaviour.

In this case the forage source shouldbe of low to medium nutritionalvalue but of course must behygienically clean.

Good quality forage can be soakedovernight to reduce its sugar contentand therefore reduce its nutritionalvalue.

Some horses may of course still be inregular competitive work or have aleaner body condition score so mayrequire additional feed other than adiet of forage alone.

The same rules still apply in thatacceptable feeds should not furtherexaggerate insulin resistance.

Feeds should have low non structuralcarbohydrate content, a low glycemicindex and ideally should be nutrientdense enough with respect to traceelement inclusions that overall feedamount should be low.

Research is currently investigatingnew and innovative feed ideas,which potentially maybe able to helpin the management of insulinresistant horses.

� Lizzie Drury, MSc registeredNutritionist, Saracen Horse Feeds

Care must be taken to avoid feeds that exacerbate insulin resistance.


IT is thought that by reducing thelevel of infection and establishing aclean wound environment, ownerscan help speed up the rate ofhealing in horses suffering from openor infected wounds – RobinsonAnimal Healthcare offer some usefuladvice.All minor open wounds should becleaned as soon as possible with asaline solution and serious injuriesshould always be attended by aveterinary surgeon as soon aspossible.If necessary carefully clip around thearea of the wound, and apply asterile wound hydrogel such asVetalintex to a depth of about 5mm. Wound hydrogels can providemoisture and absorb excess exudatesproviding a more controlled woundenvironment and encourage healingto start from within.

They also act by gently debridingwounds and rehydrating necrotictissue which will then be removedfrom the wound surface.A low-adherent dressing which willnot stick to the area should then beapplied.Activate is a multi-layered dressingthat incorporates activated carbon,which has been found to attract andabsorb bacteria into the dressingkeeping contamination away fromthe wound surface.If the wound is seriously infectedchange the dressing daily, otherwiseroutinely change Activate every twoto three days according to thecondition of the wound and theamount of exudates.If the wound does not respond, oryou are in any doubt whatsoever, it isvital you call a vet as soon aspossible.

How to handle wounds

TOPFLEX HA, from BrinicombeEquine, is the new joint supple-ment designed specifically withthe performance horse in mind. Hermione Perry MSc, EquineDevelopment Manager, said: “Themajority of supplements on themarket are designed for theriding club or leisure horse, andthey just don’t have thespecification required for theelite performance horse. “TopFlex HA is a premiumspecification providing the key

nutrients at optimum levels forjoints under extreme pressure.” The supplement providesoptimum levels of glucosamine,MSM and chondroitin withhyaluronic acid and l-glutaminefor a more complete approach tojoint nutrition. It also includesadded natural antioxidants andchelated trace elements helpsupport a healthy immunesystem and ensure correctgrowth and development ofyoungstock.

Winner of the 2007 BETAinnovation award for feed andsupplements, Hay Steamers fromHappy Horse Products are theideal solution for horses withdust allergies, respiratoryconditions, or simply for ownerswishing to help protect theirhorse’s lungs from dust andfungal spores. These easy to use systems aredesigned to do the same assoaking hay, without the

inconvenience of dustbins full ofwaste water and heavy, wethaynets to hang up. Steam is introduced atapproximately 100°C, killing offthe majority of fungal spores,bacteria and dust mites (which isnot done simply by soakingalone) and neutralising allpotentially airborne dustparticles. The hay is then readyfor the horse to enjoy, completewith all its vital minerals.


By Will Douglas

WHEN it comes to your horses’ jointsand associated problems, likearthritis, bone spavins and O.C.D, itis important to remember that jointsupplements cannot cure any ofthese conditions. However, their uses are aimed atreducing or minimising inflammationand associated pain, assisting jointlubrication and maintaining orfacilitating optimum nutrition of thecartilage and bone structure. The marketing of these supplementsis focussed towards two main targetsand they are formulated accordingly. These targets are firstly for the activeand performance horse where thebias is towards maintaining a healthyskeletal system and helping replenishand repair vital components andsecondly for the older or arthritichorse where the bias is towardsinflammation and pain relief andjoint lubrication. Whilst pain killing effects can befairly quick, achieving structuralchanges from nutritional ingredientscan take time, even months, to showa marked difference, unless there

was a fundamental deficiency tostart with.Despite this, proper supplementationcan significantly enhance boththerapeutic and preventative healthprogrammes.There is no definitive ultimateformulation as with each animal thecircumstances leading to thecondition and its responses to certainmaterials vary. A simple Glucosamine andChondroitin mix may work wonderson one horse, but achieve virtuallynothing on another, even if bothdisplayed identical symptoms. The formulator’s expertise is inachieving a blend that will work onthe majority of animals in a widerange of situations. It is not possible for the owner todifferentiate which of the dozens ofmarketed products is the best or themost concentrated from the labellingor sometimes even to know thetarget condition that the supplementis being aimed at.This is because legislation, with somejustification, does not allow claims totreat or prevent any ailment orcondition to be made (for non-

medicinal products) and this extendsnot only to being unable to namespecific conditions, but also to theuse of certain words including‘improve’, ‘boost’, ‘anti-inflammatory’, ‘protect’ and manyothers that a potential purchasermay look for. The wording therefore used onlabelling is often vague and fairlygeneral and quite often the tradename of the product is used toconfer an understanding of thetarget application.Furthermore, ingredients listings arenot as useful as you may think asthey tend to be biased towardsmarketing rather than transparency. In fact in the UK there is no legalrequirement to individually list all theingredients the product contains. Whilst any ingredient used has to beauthorised under EC legislation, onlycertain ingredients have to be listedindividually and most others can begrouped under categories such as‘minerals’ ‘anti-oxidants’ and ‘aminoacids’.Of course, where they are detailedthey can be compared, albeit takinginto account if the substance is

quantified as per litre or per feed. Many manufactures will detail if aproduct contains Glucosamine,Chondroitin, MSM, Hyaluronic acidand any major vitamins, minerals oramino acids as these are standardcomponents, but it is the otheringredients that may give a productthe edge over a competitor’sproduct, and it is often for thisreason that fuller disclosure is notmade.So, with a huge array of supplementavailable, which one should theowner buy?The best starting point isrecommendations from your vet,distributor or friends and someinvestigation on the consumers’behalf by contacting the companyfor advice.Remember also, comments andrealistic complaints should bewelcomed by reputablemanufacturers, as these can onlyhelp to steer ongoing developmentsinto the future of jointsupplementation.� Will Douglas is Bio-Chemist, Net-Tex Industries

What tochooseto easehorsejointtrouble


EXPERTS have discovered that,despite their bad reputation, mulesare more intelligent than bothhorses and donkeys.The new research has been carriedout by Dr Britta Osthaus fromCanterbury Christ University, LeanneProops from the University ofSussex and Dr Faith Burden fromthe Donkey Sanctuary.After testing the learning skills ofall three species in an attempt toassess their cognitive abilities theyfound that the mules, hybrids ofmale donkeys and female horses,were much smarter than either oftheir parent species.Dr Osthaus, said: “The aim of thestudy was to establish whethermules have different cognitiveabilities from donkeys and horses.“Throughout history, mules werebred because they combined thebest of the physical abilities ofdonkeys and horses, however, upuntil now, little was known abouttheir intelligence levels.”The researchers tested six horses,six donkeys and six mules owned bythe Donkey Sanctuary in Devon.Each animal was shown sets of twofood buckets, each marked with adifferent symbol and in order togain access to the food, the animalshad to pick the correct bucket.The mules learned to discriminatebetween more pairs of symbolsthan the horses or donkeys, and didso more consistently and quickly.Dr Burden said: “We have alwaysknown that mules are very differentin terms of behaviour, approach andtraining, so we wanted to provethat they are not stubborn andstupid but are actually veryintelligent.“They receive a lot of undeservedbad press, and are often sent to us

with behavioural issues becausetheir training has not beenconsistent.“We wanted to prove that they arejust as trainable as horses, as longas it is done in the right way.“The thing to remember is that theylearn very quickly, which meansthat they remember any badexperiences as well as the goodones.“I always say - ‘you tell a horse, aska donkey and discuss it with amule!’”The increased intelligence in themule is believed to be a result ofhybrid vigour, where the best genesof the parent species ‘mix andmatch’ to produce hybrids withsuperior traits.It is known that this mechanismgives mules the strength andstamina of a donkey together withthe size of a horse, this is the firststudy to show that hybrid vigour isable to improve cognitive functiontoo.Dr Burden added: “We have had alot of interest in the study and Ihope that it will help to changepeople’s perception of theseanimals.“Mules are very valued in otherparts of the world, but not in theUK, and I think this is because theyare rarely bred for purpose here -they tend to be accidents.“This means they are often notworked or ridden and being sointelligent means they get boredeasily.“They are undervalued andunderused - but I hope thisresearch will show mule ownersthat they are very smart andcapable, but they need to betrained carefully, preferably by ahandler with a lot of experience.”

Intelligentmules ...

Mules at the Donkey Sanctuary

HORSE HEALTH I16 the heart

By Dr Lesley Young

A HEART murmur is an abnormalnoise that can be heard with astethoscope.

The noise occurs at a time when theheart should normally be silent i.e.between the normal heart sounds.Many healthy horses have heartmurmurs and only occasionally will aheart murmur be indicative of aserious heart problem.

Often when a murmur is detected ata pre-purchase or veterinaryexamination, owners are concernedthat the horse will be condemned, oris unsafe to ride.

This is most certainly not the case asmany very successful performancehorses have heart murmurs that donot affect them at all.

What are normal heart sounds?The heart is divided into two sides;

the left side takes blood containingoxygen from the lungs and suppliesall the muscles and vital organs withthe oxygen and nutrients.

After passing through the activeregions of the body the blood thenreturns to the right heart to bepumped to the lungs andreplenished with oxygen.

Remember that the heart is basicallya pump pushing blood round andround the body, and to workefficiently it contains four valves toensure blood always flows in theright direction.

Two valves separate the twomuscular pumping chambers, theright and left ventricles, from theircollecting chambers, or atria, whilstthe two remaining valves are situatedin the major vessels leaving theventricles, the pulmonary artery andthe aorta.

The four heart valves prevent back-

flow of blood, making sure themaximum amount of blood ispumped with every beat.

The normal events of each heartcycle i.e. contraction of the ventriclesfollowed by their filling betweenbeats, cause the valves to open andclose.

The sounds of the valves closing canbe heard at the chest wall with theaid of a stethoscope and are knownas the normal heart sounds.

Up to four of these sounds can beheard in normal horses. Normal heartsounds are usually short and clearlydefined and make the familiar ‘lub-dub’ sounds we associate with aheart beating.

When a heart murmur is present,whooshing noises are heard around,or within the heart sounds.

Heart murmurs:

These abnormal noises between thenormal heart sounds occur verycommonly in performance horses, infact in a group of flat-racing horsesin Newmarket only one in 10 didn’thave a heart murmur of somedescription.

In humans and dogs the presence ofa murmur often means that one ofthe heart valves is leaking, howeverin horses this is not always the case.

The horse’s heart is large, weighingup to six kgs and one litre of blood

(the stroke volume) enters and leaveseach side of the heart with eachbeat.

Very thin skin, low heart rate andlarge stroke volume means that thevibrations caused by normal bloodflow travel easily to the chest walland often a veterinary surgeon canactually hear blood entering andleaving the heart.

These noises are called flow murmursand they are completely normal.

The ‘whooshing’ sound made byblood leaving the heart can be quiteloud, especially if a horse isparticularly excited, or stressed byother diseases such as colic.

It can sometimes be hard forveterinary surgeons to decide ifnormal blood flow, or a serious leakon the main left heart valve (mitralvalve), is causing a loud murmur onthe left side of the chest.

Often these flow murmurs come andgo depending on the excitement ofthe horse. They may appear,disappear or change after exercisetoo.

If the veterinary surgeon is sure thatthe murmur is a normal flowmurmur, no matter how loud it is,the horse can be passed withoutquestion at a pre-purchaseexamination, because the heart iscompletely normal.Contiinued on Page 17

It can be hard for veterinary surgeons to decide if normal bloodflow or a serious leak is causing the murmur.

Heart murmurs in horses:What do they mean?

Remember that the heart is basically apump pushing blood round and roundthe body, and to work efficiently itcontains four valves to ensure bloodalways flows in the right direction.

HORSE HEALTH I 17the heartContinued from Page 16

What happens if a murmursuggests one of the heart valvesis leaking?Obviously this depends on how badthe leak is and which valve isaffected.

In most cases the louder the murmur,the bigger the leak.

Sometimes in the worst cases, thevibrations caused by the back-flow ofblood can actually be felt by placingthe hand on the chest wall over theheart; a stethoscope isn’t evenrequired.

On such occasions the leaks areusually so severe the heart is unableto cope.

An affected horse will be reluctant toexercise and slow to recover afterany exertion.

Resting heart rate increases to over 50 beats per minute, as theheart is forced to beat faster tocompensate for the blood flowing backwards through theleaking valve.

However this picture is very muchthe unusual exception rather thanthe rule.

Diagnosis of a heart murmur in aperformance horse is not usuallysuch bad news.

Smaller leaks are often very welltolerated and do not affect athleticperformance.

Quiet murmurs associated with smallleaks on the left (mitral) and right(tricuspid) valves are present in up tobetween 25 per cent and 45 percent of racehorses in training.

In fact by looking at a very largenumber of racehorses before andafter training, we now know thatafter training, murmurs are present in a greater proportion ofhorses than before and that thevolume of any murmurs presentincreases.

As we already know that the heartgets bigger with training – that iswhat makes the horse fit; it seemslikely that this process also increasesthe leakiness of the valves.

A similar situation is known to occurin human athletes

So when is the murmur aproblem?First your vet must decide whether amurmur is caused by normal bloodflow, or whether a heart valve isleaking.

If a valve is leaking, the valve mustthen be identified.

A murmur can usually be identifiedby considering whereabouts on thechest wall the murmur is mostobvious.

The timing and character of themurmur often also provide usefulclues as to its origin.

In nine out of 10 cases a stethoscopeis all that is required to give anaccurate diagnosis.

If a murmur is caused by a valveleaking, the vet must then try togauge the likely significance anddecide whether the leak is likely toworsen with time.

The vet uses the loudness of themurmur, exercise history and thehorse’s resting heart rate to try tomake this decision.

In the scenario of a pre-purchase orinsurance examination, this decisioncan be difficult and the vet maysuggest the horse undergo further

evaluation by a cardiac specialist, sothat the heart and its valves can bevisualised with ultrasound.

Using highly specialized ultrasoundequipment, known as anechocardiograph, blood flowthrough the heart is examined usinga technique called Dopplerechocardiography which allows bothnormal and abnormal blood flow tobe seen.

This investigation is coupled withmeasurement of heart chamber sizeby conventional ultrasound andassessment of heart rate and rhythmduring fast exercise.

These tests allow the vet todetermine whether a horse will beable to continue in its chosendiscipline without presenting anyadditional risk to the rider.

In the vast majority of cases,diagnosis of a cardiac murmurcertainly does not mean the end of ahorse’s working career and asignificant proportion of affectedhorses subsequently proceed to sale.

Conclusion:Our recent published data has shownthat even when cardiac valvedysfunction is present, unless the

heart is failing, there are no adverseeffects on the performance of flat orNational hunt racehorses.

From this data, we can thereforeconclude that a similar murmur in ashow-jumper, or dressage horse, oreven an eventer, all of whomperform much less aerobicallychallenging roles, will have nodiscernable effect on performance,provided of course, that the heartcontinues to compensate for theabnormal flow.

The take-home message therefore, isthat heart murmurs are verycommon in sports horses and sadlyso is poor performance.

However conversely cardiac disease isa very uncommon cause of sub-optimal performance and when it is,an abnormal cardiac rhythm is toalmost always blame, not a murmur.

So be very careful that you do notwrite off a horse for a cardiacmurmur until you have all the facts.

� Lesley Young BVSc DVA DVCDipECEIM PhD MRCVS RCVS,Specialist in Veterinary Cardiology


Researchshortlist isannouncedBy Louise Cordell

THE best equine research projectshave been announced in this year’sEqvalan Duo Equine Thesis of theYear Award shortlist.

The prize is awarded by the RoyalAgricultural Society of England torecognise outstanding achievementin the equestrian field and toshowcase the best academic researchto the industry.

Hugh Oliver-Bellasis, RASE chairman,said: “The horse is taking an evermore important role in rural Britain -as a leisure pursuit for manyhundreds of thousands of people, insport and for landowners who arediversifying their businesses bymoving into livery and other horserelated activities.

“This award is a great way of givingrecognition to the future thought-leaders in the sector and wehope it also encourages otheracademic institutions and theirstudents to continue in their valuablework.”

The five shortlisted theses are ‘Footbalance and lameness in ridingschool horses’ by Laura Corbin ofWarwickshire College, ‘Irish Point-to-Point Racing: A Critical Review 2000to 2007’ by Carol Quish of theUniversity of Limerick, ‘Theestablishment of evidence-basedguidelines for the reduction of theequine canine tooth’ by AlexineSevack of Hartpury College, ‘AComparison of the Cryoprotective

Effect of different types of Avian EggYolk in Stallion Semen FreezingMedia on In Vitro Post-Thaw SpermQuality’ by Holly Wakefield of HarperAdams University College and ‘Aninvestigation into the OcclusalSecondary Dentine Thickness inhorses of different ages’ by CharlotteWhite of Nottingham TrentUniversity.

Shortlisted students will now have to defend their thesis to a panelof judges, including the editor ofHorse and Rider magazine AlisonBridge, and the 2006 winner RachelKay.

The winner will receive a cash prize,trophy and membership to the RoyalAgricultural Society, as well as theopportunity to present their thesis to the National Equine Forumin March.

Final day judge Dr Emma Batsonfrom sponsor Merial Animal Healthsaid: “Research and development iskey to our business so it's verysatisfying to see that the innovative spirit remains strongwithin the UK's academicinstitutions.

“The quality of entrants this year hasbeen excellent and there is some veryvaluable work taking place thatdeserves a great deal of respect andrecognition.

“We’re looking forward to meetingthe finalists, but I’m sure it’s going tobe a challenge to select an overallwinner."

Desert Storm – the pregnant mare allowed to starve to death by DeliaStacey

Owner jailed after pregnantmare starves to deathTHIS month banned horse ownerDelia Stacey, who allowed apregnant mare to starve to death insight of 1,000 bales of hay, appearedat Guildford Crown Court where shewas jailed for a second time foragain breaching an order banningher from keeping horses.

District Judge Lawson Rogers QCtold her the matter was ‘so seriousthat only a custodial sentence wasjustified.’

He sentenced her to 112 days inprison, a further five year ban onkeeping horses and £5,000 costs.

The horses she was found to be inpossession of earlier this year willremain in the care of World HorseWelfare in Norfolk.

Delia Stacey first appeared in Courtin May 2006 and was given a oneyear suspended sentence, 120 hourscommunity service, fined £9,000 andbanned from keeping horses for

three years after being found guiltyof causing unnecessary suffering tohorses in her care.

In August 2007 the Eclipse HorseTransport owner was subsequentlysent to prison for 35 days and finedanother £2,000 for breaching herban, after she was spottedtransporting polo ponies to HamPolo Club in her lorry along theM23/M25, just days after she wassentenced.

World Horse Welfare field officer TedBarnes said: “I am very pleased withthe outcome.

“This has been a long time comingand there has been a great deal ofdifficult and complex work put in byRSPCA Inspector Nicky Thorne toreach this point.

“The District Judge, in his wisdom,has given a very severe sentence toMiss Stacey and make no mistake,she deserves it.”

Trust funds Fell Pony Syndrome projectBy Louise Cordell

THE Horse Trust is funding a three-year project to develop a geneticdiagnostic test for Fell PonySyndrome in the hope of controlling and possibly eliminatingthe disease.

The work will be undertaken at theAnimal Health Trust, Newmarket,and the University of LiverpoolVeterinary School.

The Fell pony, an ancient British ponybreed categorised as ‘at risk’ by theRare Breeds Survival Trust, has over

the past decade or so been subjectto a severe immune deficiencyknown as Fell Pony Syndrome, whichresults in the death of some of thenewborn foals.

Foals affected with FPS appearnormal at birth but within a fewweeks begin to lose condition andsuffer diarrhoea, coughing andweight loss.

Severe anaemia and immunedysfunction follows, leading towasting and finally death.

As a large percentage of theseponies live and breed on the fell, the

prevalence of FPS is unclear.

Despite an improvement in foalregistration numbers in recent years,Fell Pony Syndrome remains ofconcern to breeders.

Studbook analysis and knowledge ofaffected foals strongly suggests thatthis is an inherited disease caused byan autosomal recessive geneticmutation.

A DNA based test for this mutation would enable carriers ofFPS to be identified and theconception of affected foalsprevented.

As well as identifying carriers in theFell pony population, the project willbe used to identify any carriers inother breeds which have beeninvolved in the extensive outbreeding of Fell ponies over theyears.

The Horse Trust's Chief Executive andresident veterinary surgeon PaulJepson said: "This is an exciting andachievable project with significantbenefits for equine health andwelfare, as it will lead to theprevention and elimination of a fataldisease."

HORSE HEALTH I 19the tack shop

Two Crown Ball ticketsup for grabs ...HORSE Health readers are beinggiven the chance to win a pair oftickets to one of the biggest eventsof the equestrian season.

The Crown Ball is being held on 29November in Derbyshire withproceeds going to the NationalFoaling Bank.

The charity aims to unite orphanfoals with foster mares and also offerhelp and advice on difficult foalingcases, 24 hour nursing andinformation about colestrum, milk

replacements and special dietaryrequirements.

The night will include a champagnereception, four course dinner,headlining comedian, live music, acharity auction and raffle, a talk fromJohanna Varden MBE and a fireworkdisplay to end the evening.

For your chance to attend, send apostcard with your name andaddress to Horse Health Magazine,47 Church Street, Barnsley, SouthYorkshire S70 2AS.

Record sales for showBy Louise Cordell

This year’s Horse of the Year Show,taking place from 8 to 12 October atBirmingham’s NEC, is reportingrecord sales and has already sold-outfor Friday and Saturday.

Those planning to visit the event arenow being advised to book as soon as possible as the event continues to grow in size and audiencenumbers.Limited tickets for this year’s 60thshow are still available for Wednesday,Thursday and Sunday.The event will feature world-class

international show jumping alongsidethe most prestigious national show jumping, together with showing championships andentertainment.Visitors will also be able to watch adressage masterclass to music withKatie Price and Andrew Gould,the Household Cavalry Musical Rideand the Diamond Jubilee Parade being held to celebrate the milestoneevent.Finally the Retail Village will behousing more than 250 outletsincluding visitor attractions like ridersignings.

20

The difference between being very good and being world class is thesmallest of margins. Competitively only a very few make that finaltoughest push, to take them onto the world class stage. The basicingredients all have to be in place to be a contender, natural talent,commitment and, in the equine world, the right horses. Twenty-year-oldInternational show jumper, Ryan Prater, has proved he has all of theseattributes and Horse Health are following his progress in a series offeatures, as he reviews his practices and attends to the fine tuning, whichhe hopes will help him make that transition.

GOING FORGOLD

THE jet-setting lifestyle of themodern competition horse means agreat deal of time is spent on theroad to one venue or another.

Everything about transportinghorses, any distance at all in fact, istotally against their nature –standing still, in a confined space,for long periods of time.

Anything which can minimise theeffects of several hundred hourstravelling per year has got to helpperformance, so we decided to takea look at the ways in which coldtherapies and massage treatmentscan aid post competition and travelrecovery.

Kay Russell of Equi-N-icE and SerenaHickson of FMBs and MagnetMedics, were the experts on hand.

The benefits of equine sportsmassage are becoming more widelyappreciated, and in combinationwith pulsed electromagnetic fieldtherapy (PEMF), there have been a

considerable number of favourablereports.

Serena said: “Massage andmagnotherapy are non-invasive anddrug free.

“It is a great method of relievingpain, and speeding up healing.

“Massage improves venous andlymphatic fluid flow, this stimulates aquicker removal of waste toxins andreduces muscle soreness.

“Massage before and postcompetition, and travel, relievesmuscle tension, and either preparesthe horse for work, or helps it warmdown afterwards.

“Magnetic therapy is widely used totreat arthritis, bone and soft tissueinjuries, aid healing and for generalstiffness.

“It aids the blood vessels in specificareas to dilate, which promotesbetter blood flow to speed healing.“Pulsating magnetic therapy systemsuse battery power to send a current

down a coil of wire housed in aboot/wrap or rug.

“As it passes along the wire itproduces an electromagnetic field,and when the current stops the fielddisappears.

“By turning the current on and offrapidly, increased blood flow isstimulated.”

Ryan tried the Combi+System on hishorses, and found Otage, one of hisinternational team, to be particularlyresponsive to it.

After using the system he said: “I’vetreated Otage for a few weeks, bothbefore and after work, and afterlong spells in the lorry.

“Very quickly it was noticeable thathe became more relaxed, anddefinitely more supple through hisback in his work.”

With cold therapy the aim is toreduce inflammation and swelling,and to bring high body temperaturesback to normal as quickly aspossible.

Kay said: “When a horse is working,its muscles produce up to 50 percent more heat.

“In order to dissipate this, the horsesweats, more blood moves to thecapillaries under the skin, andrespiration speeds up.

“The Rapid Cooler Rug rug isimmersed in a coolant solutionwhich draws the heat away from thebody and so is very effective in

speeding recovery.

“With inflammation, swelling andbruising, cold and compression is awell established remedy.

“The Equi-N-icE bandages are alsosoaked in a coolant solution, whichmeans that any part of the horse’sleg can be treated easily.”

Ryan added: “The bandages are easyto apply, and the coolant is veryeffective, there is nothing to cleanoff after use, and there are nobanned substances which makes itideal for competitions.

“Both the massage magnotherapysystem, and the cooling productshave been easy to use and workedvery effectively.”

Ryan and Otage

Ryan’s update“The team is continuing tojump well, we have had goodresults in Slovenia with a2nd in the Grand Prix and a4th in the World CupQualifier. “We’re now moving on toZagreb where Otage isentered in the Nations Cup. “Whisker is consistentlyjumping the bigger tracksand growing in maturity, hewas fantastic at Rowallanfinishing an excellent 2nd inthe Grand Prix.”

Transporting horses against their nature

“Massage before and postcompetition, and travel, relieves muscle tension, and either preparesthe horse for work, or helps it warm down afterwards.”

Ryan gets to grips with cold therapy bandages.

HORSE HEALTH I22 wound care

By Rob Watkins, marketingdirector, Genitrix

IT is estimated that more than 30 percent of horses involved in racing andother forms of competition sufferfrom some sort of tendon injury orproblem.

Not surprisingly, therefore, interest isgrowing in the new ‘autologous’treatments both for joint disease orinjury, and for wound management,effectively enabling the horse to healitself.

Lameness resulting from jointdegeneration or osteoarthritis (OA) isone of the most prevalent diseasesaffecting horses and the mostcommon reason that vets are calledout to competition horses.

OA causes inflammation of the jointlining and progressive destruction ofarticular cartilage that covers theends of the bones composing a joint.

This destruction decreases both thenatural shock-absorbing function andthe range of motion of the joint,ultimately resulting in lameness inthe affected animal.

Conventional treatments for jointdisease include reduced or alteredexercise regimes, bandaging, the useof anti-inflammatory agents, anti-arthritic drugs, artificial joint fluid i.ehyaluronic acid and corticosteroids.These treatments have helped toimprove the condition of horses’joints and maintain their overallsoundness, yet some are associatedwith side-effects, or involvesubstances prohibited undercompetition rules, creating aheadache for professional ownersand competitors.

Because of these challenges‘autologous’ treatments areattracting increasing interest andgaining a foothold in the equineworld.

A range of in-depth studies areunderway to test their efficacy, andwhile not yet conclusive, initialresearch results and anecdotalevidence are encouraging.

So, how do they work? Laboratory and clinical research hasshown interleukin 1 (IL-1) to be oneof the main culprits leading to jointinflammation.

Research has also shown thatantibodies produced against this canbe beneficial in arresting cartilagedamage.

A protein called IL-1Ra has provedparticularly helpful in this respect.

The treatment involves harnessingthe regenerative and anti-inflammatory properties of thehorse’s own blood cells, including theIL-1Ra protein to combat IL-1 andencourage damaged musco-skeletaltissues to heal - effectively then the

horse heals itself.

Treatment involves a veterinarysurgeon taking blood from the horsewith a special syringe containingtreated glass beads.

The syringe is then incubated for 24hours during which time white bloodcells locate onto the beads andproduce the regenerative and anti-inflammatory proteins.

After incubation, the syringe isplaced into a special centrifuge toseparate the serum from the bloodclot and create a solution known asAutologous Conditioned Serum(ACS) – effectively a type of ‘anti-inflammatory soup’ containingboosted levels of IL-1Ra and otherregenerative proteins.

The ACS is then decanted into threeto five vials for later intra-articularinjection by the vet into the affectedjoints of the horse to reduceinflammation and initiate cartilagehealing.

Typically three treatments arerecommended for optimum clinicaleffect whilst the horse remains intraining or is rested.

Of course, the very healing process

after an injury or an operationchallenges the body's powers ofregeneration, and cells in theblood called platelets play a key rolein this.

Not only do they initiate bloodclotting resulting in wound closure,but they also play an important partin tissue regeneration since theyproduce messenger substanceswhich are called growth factors.

These growth factors attract stemcells and reserve cells, and inducethese to differentiate into new,regenerated cells.

Through this proliferation the newtissue is then formed.

Growth factors act like a magnet tostem cells and reserve cells.

If the power of this ‘magnet’ isincreased, more stem cells andreserve cells are attracted andhealing time is reduced.

In problematic cases, such as diabeticulcers, healing can even be facilitatedfor the first time.

Wound management benefits fromseveral therapies which use plateletsand the associated growth factorsproduced by them, to stimulate and

accelerate bone and soft tissuehealing.

The treatments involve thecultivation of so-called Platelet RichPlasma (PRP).

PRP is simply plasma with anenhanced platelet count.

A normal blood platelet count isaround 150,000 per ml - the gelproduct of a PRP system increasesthe concentration to around1,300,000 per ml.

Because PRP is developed fromautologous blood, it is inherentlysafe and potentially free fromtransmissible diseases.

The platelets of the blood producenative platelet-derived growth factors(PDGF) and there are seven knowndifferent types of these nativePDGF’s.

The resultant gel containing theenriched level of platelets can beused to treat wounds, used in bonehealing and for injection intoareas of damage in tendons andligaments.

To produce PRP, a veterinary surgeontakes blood from the horse andusing an anticoagulant to preventclotting, immediately places it in acentrifuge and gives it a first ‘hard’spin.

This separates the red blood cellsfrom the plasma which contains theplatelets, white blood cells and theclotting factors.

The second ‘soft’ spin gently andfinely separates the platelets andwhite blood cells.

The resulting gel, consisting of ahigh number of fresh, undamagedplatelets and an enhanced level ofPDGF is then used immediately onthe wound site.

The whole process takes about 20minutes.

Results:Neal Ashton, partner at OakhamVeterinary Hospital in Rutland, treatsa high percentage of competitionhorses which are competed regularlyand cites a key advantage of ACS asits flexibility when fitting intreatment around events.

He said: “Autologous approachesare now regularly considered atOakham as an option for intra-articular joint disease in a range ofjoints.

“They have proved particularlyeffective in treating horses whichhave been non-responsive tosteroids.

“Certainly trainers and riders seemto understand and are attracted bythe concept of the horse healingitself.”Continued on Page 23

Horse – heal thyself ...

PRP being injected into a wound site.

HORSE HEALTH I 23wound care

Continued from Page 22Andy Bathe, Head of the EquineSports Injuries Clinic at Rossdale andPartners, said: “I was the first userof the new therapy in the UK.

“Over the last eighteen monthswe’ve been pleased with theusefulness of this product in treatingour practice population of racingthoroughbreds, as well as our referralpopulation of a broader range ofhorses.

“We’ve found it helpful in themanagement of traumatic jointdisease in racing thoroughbreds,which have only been partiallyresponsive to corticosteroids. We’vehad some noticeable successes inhelping high quality horses achievethe kind of success they deserve.

“We have also found beneficialeffects in soft tissue injuries such astendon and ligament injuries.

“It is a very exciting technology andone which certainly adds to ourarmoury when trying to treat injuriesin these athletic horses.”

Lanark-based Clyde Vet Grouprecently treated the first horse inScotland and Andrew McDiarmid,head of the practice’s equinedivision, said: “While the use of this

treatment is in its early stages,preliminary results are encouragingand it is definitely an excitingaddition to our therapeutic range oftreatments in the management ofequine lameness.

“It represents new territory forequine vets and may herald the startof a completely new direction intreating joint disease. At themoment, we, like other clinics, areprimarily using it to treat cases thathave not responded to conventionaltherapies.”The conclusion so far:Neal Ashton added: “At its best, thetherapy has proved extremelyeffective.

“While it hasn’t worked in everycase, I’ve treated race horses whichhave gone on to win races, andeventers which have got roundBadminton and Burghley –something they would havestruggled to do the year before.

“Autologous treatments have a welldeserved place in our toolkit oftreatments for joint disease andwound management.”

With more research indeed plannedand in-depth studies underway, thedevelopment of autologous therapiescould well be a key area to watch.

Filling the first compartment of the osteokine set with blood just takenfrom a horse.

‘It represents new territory for equine vets’

HORSE HEALTH I24 olympic review

Equestrian Federation set for full review of gamesTHE British Equestrian Federation isset to undertake a full review ofthis year’s Olympic and ParalympicGames.

The study will look at plans made inthe lead up to the games as well asthe performances of UK Sport,British Dressage, British Eventingand the British Show JumpingAssociation.

BEF chief executive, AndrewFinding, said: “The Olympic and

Paralympic effort which involvedsending 21 riders, 21 horses and 57support team members out to HongKong was a huge operation.

“There are always many factorsinfluencing performance in aproject of this size.

“To name just two, on the negativeside the British team suffered anunusual number of horse injuriesboth in the run up to the OlympicGames and whilst in Hong Kong.

“On the positive side the logisticaloperations and conduct of thesupport teams were excellent.

“Our job is now to analyse in detailall aspects of our teamperformance in order to be clearabout the things that affectedperformance both positively andnegatively. We now have our eyesfirmly on 2012 and we will put inplace systems and procedures tocapitalise on the good and improveon weaknesses.”

Andrew added that although theBritish team were disappointed tomiss their overall medal target,highlights included Tina Cook’sindividual bronze and the eventingteam bronze.

He also congratulated Paralympiccompetitor Lee Pearson on winninghis ninth gold medal in threesuccessive Games and the overallperformance of the Paralympicteam who came top of the medaltable.

Professor Josh Slater of The Horse Trust’s Scientific Sub-Committee and the African Horse Sickness Working Group,spent a fascinating few weeks behind the scenes as Bio-security Adviser at the 2008 Olympic Games. LindyMargach reports.

The indoor barns with rubber matting, air-conditioning and insect proofing were a superb environment.

JOSH said: “The most fascinatingthing for me was the business offlying horses around the world.

“Until you see it, it’s difficult toimagine and so impressive – it’s anenormously complex logisticalexercise. “Moving people and freightis straightforward, but movinggroups of large herd animals whichare used to living outside, gettingthem on and off and, to stand in aplane for 15 or 16 hours, so thatthey arrive in perfect conditionwithout fuss, is extraordinary.

“The meticulous planning by theshipping agents that ensured thatthe horses landed were unloaded,through customs, on to lorries andwhisked through the city with amotorcycle escort, was reallyimpressive.

“Police, immigration and passportofficials were fully briefed and didnothing to impair the process,setting tough deadlines to ensure thehorses were moved through indouble quick time, which meant thatthey arrived at the quarantine venue

within two hours of landing, many inless than 90 minutes.”

As head of Bio-security, responsiblefor all the 218 horses arriving on 21different flights from quarantinecentres in northern Europe, the USA,S. America and Australia, from themoment they arrived in Hong Konguntil the moment they left, Josh andhis team met and inspected them atthe airport before they were allowedto continue their journey, ensuringthey were fit enough to enter theOlympic Venue. He added: “Thefacilities at the Venue wereenormously impressive – in fact it’shard to imagine anything better.Stabling was laid out in blocks of 50,each with two arms of 25 stableslinked by a central service area withfeed stores, horse washing facilitiesand a sand lunge, and additionalsmaller stable blocks providedisolation facilities.

“Dividing the horses into smallergroups meant if there was aninfectious disease, we could limit thenumber exposed to infection.Continued on Page 25

Fascinating conceptof flying horses

HORSE HEALTH I 25olympic reviewContinued from Page 24

The big, airy stables and corridors,were rubber floored, insect proofed,and had full air conditioning, whichmade for a superb environment forboth horses and teams.

Josh added: “Once they arrived, thequarantine team monitored thehorses for the first ten days, thenhanded them over to the treatmentvets on site if any problemsdeveloped.

“If at any point clinical signs ofinfectious disease were observed,they were referred back to thequarantine team.”

The stakes were very high, with morethan 200 of the world’s best sporthorses, many years of training,preparation and investment in eachone, not discounting the hopes anddreams of the riders.

Josh added: “I think we all worriedmost about the risk of infectiousdisease.

“When you have animals brought infrom different parts of the worldthere is a significant risk of diseaseoutbreak and, as expected somehorses developed fever, coughing ordiarrhoea after arrival in the venue.“In those circumstances, someonehas to take a decision on what to do– and that someone was me.”

In the event, none of the horses atthe venue turned out to beharbouring an infectious orcontagious disease, so the whole

process worked extremely well andall the horses arrived, remainedhealthy, competed and left asplanned, with no disease outbreak atany time they were there.

He said: “Once they were throughthe ten day quarantine period, therewere no issues for our team, so I wasable to go and see most of thecompetition.

“The show-jumping at the end ofthe three-day event was electrifying,with the top seven riders separated

by fewer than three faults at thestart of the competition.

“My abiding memory was thesuccess of the cross-country day.

“We were all aware of the very realrisks of running a cross-countryphase in Hong Kong in Augustbecause of high temperature andhumidity, yet all the horses got roundthe course without injury.

“There was significant risk of heatexhaustion, but we were so luckybecause there was a typhoon just

three days before the competitionstarted, leaving a few days of coolerwet weather which was perfect forthe horses.”

So what about 2012, when thehorses are due to come to London?

Josh added: “Through the efforts ofthe International EquestrianFederation, there is a template forthe Games, although each venue isunique and has a unique set ofcircumstances.

“For 2012, the import and export ofthe horses will be morestraightforward, because most liveand work in northern Europe whichis home to the world’s majorequestrian events, so they’ll bemoving within the EU.

“The real lessons that I learned inHong Kong was that we need a veryclear process for dealing with anyhorse at the venue that might havean infectious disease.

“Quite a few horses had fevers forone reason or another and thatcould be anything from a temporaryproblem of no significance, to thefirst case of flu or something worse.

“Hong Kong, as part of the BeijingOlympic Games, got it absolutelyright.

“We have to ensure we achieve thesame standards in the UK in fouryears’ time.”

The horses arrived in excellent condition

HORSE HEALTH I26 olympic review

By Victoria Spalding

PREPARATION for the 2008 OlympicGames began in earnest at thebeginning of the year, although thecombinations competing there willhave been aiming at this competitionfor years and the horses will havebeen carefully prepared throughouttheir careers.

There is a great support team behindthe British Equestrian Teamconsisting of vets, farriers,physiotherapists (equine andhuman), sports psychology, trainersand managers all working hard tomake sure that everything is in placefor optimum performance.

Most of the horses that competed atthe games have their own hometherapist who works with themregularly throughout the year.

A lot of time was spent in themonths prior to Hong Kong visitingthe horses at home and workingclosely with the home team to get toknow their specific problems andwhat treatment they are used tohaving, or advising on appropriatetreatment plans.

The middle of a competition isdefinitely not the place to start newtreatments so it was very importantto make sure that any problemswere under control and to knowhow the horses would react todifferent types of treatment wellbefore we arrived at the Olympics.

The horses entered quarantine in theUK a week before travelling out toHong Kong and we soon got into aroutine of daily exercise withphysiotherapy for horses and ridersto iron out any remaining niggles.Excitement built throughout theweek as the departure date grewnearer and nearer.

The flight was 14 hours for thehorses who travelled in a specialcargo crates, stopping briefly inDubai on the way. All the teamhorses are very used to travellinglong distances but not all had flownbefore.

The direction the horses stand whilsttravelling can have a big effect onhow they need to adjust their weightin motion – on the plane they are ineffect facing forward and have tomake less effort to balance thanwhen in a lorry on the road.

All the horses travelled really welland it was a huge relief to see themcome off the transporter fit andperky and wondering where onearth they were!

They were all quite tired followingthe flight and had an easy few dayswhilst we adjusted to the timedifference and the change in climate.

They soon got into a routine ofworking early in the morning beforeit got too hot, after which theywould have their physiotherapytreatments.

As all the horses had arrived in peakfitness, physiotherapy during thecompetition consisted mainly ofmaintenance work to keepeverything finely tuned.

Watching them train each day isimportant, to observe how they aremoving, if anything looks stiff, or anymovement can be improved upon.

Discussion with the rider followingwork would highlight any areas theywere concerned about.

The types of treatment commonlyused were massage, soft tissuetreatments and stretches to maintainjoint and muscle mobility.

Each horse had their own treatmentroutine, depending upon individualareas of stiffness, but the basicprinciples are the same for alldisciplines.

Electrotherapy modalities such aspulsed magnetic field and massagerugs were used before work, and anarsenal of laser, ultrasound, TENS,taping and all sorts of applications ofcold therapy were available to treatany injuries that might occur.

The climate was very challengingwith temperatures averaging 30degrees and humidity regularly atover 85 per cent, so cooling thehorses after exercise was a reallyimportant factor.

The grooms became very efficient atwashing them down in iced water.

It is important to scrape the wateroff as it warms up quickly, and tokeep re applying until the horse hascooled.

There were cooling tents set up allover the venue that sprayed a finemist of cold water which the horsesloved, and really helped to cool themdown after work.

They coped exceptionally well with

the climate, mainly because of thefantastic job the riders had done ingetting them all super fit, and theresearch that had been done by theBritish Equestrian Federation into theeffects of heat on exercise.

As we knew what to expect theriders were able to adjust the workprogrammes to get the optimumperformance without ‘overcooking’the horses in the heat.

Hong Kong provided a challengingenvironment for the equestriandisciplines at the Olympic Games –Great Britain rose to the challenge

and the whole support staff workedhard behind the scenes to keep thehorses and riders fit and heathy…roll on 2012.

� Victoria Spalding is officialphysiotherapist to the BritishEquestrian Team. She qualified as aChartered Physiotherapist in 1992and as an animal physiotherapist in1997.

She runs a full-time veterinaryphysiotherapy practice in Yorkshire,and became the officialphysiotherapist to the BritishEquestrian Team in 2007.

Physio Victoria looks backon hard work of 2008and says: Roll on 2012

Maintenance work kept the horses finely tuned.

Stretches maintained joint and muscle mobility.


Updated Codesof PracticepublishedBy Louise Cordell

THE Horserace Betting Levy Boardhas published its updated Codes ofPractice for 2009.

This year new rulings have beenincluded on Equine CoitalExanthema, which is caused byEquine Herpesvirus 3, as well asexpanded guidelines on Strangles.

The new Codes have been developedin consultation with theThoroughbred and non-Thoroughbred equine sectors, DEFRAand equine vets.

Chris Rea, chairman of the Codes ofPractice sub-committee, said: “TheCodes have been an excellent sourceof information over the last 30 yearsand have undoubtedly contributed tothe relatively low level of infectiousdisease affecting the equine breedingpopulation in the UK.

“This year, following the annualrevision of the contents we have re-written the code pertaining to

Strangles in the light of newdevelopments in the diagnosis andmanagement of this disease.

“We have also introduced a newcode to address infection withEquine Herpes Virus 3.

“This disease, although not new tothose involved in breeding horses,does seem to be more prevalentrecently and at times can lead toconsiderable interruption to breedingprogrammes.

“The new code is presented in asimilar format to the others and wevery much hope this will again be afirst choice of reference when anoutbreak occurs.

“Better still, if the codes serve toreduce the incidence of thesediseases within the breedingpopulation then we have achievedone of our main objectives.”

The new Codes of Practice are nowavailable in booklet format, and onthe HBLB website in PDF format.

Jenna Reilly

Blue Cross to rewardequestrian studentsThe Blue Cross has teamed up withequestrian colleges around thecountry to reward students who gothe extra mile for the welfare ofhorses.

The first of the new awards werepresented this month to the winningstudents who had taken the bestcare of the animals at their stables.

Rosie Mogford, Blue Cross equinewelfare education officer, said: “TheBlue Cross Welfare Award rewardspeople who go the extra mile to carefor horses, unlike other awards thatlook for academic or equestrianachievements.

“Perhaps it is the person whoconsistently puts the horses first byoffering to hand graze a stabledhorse before going for their ownlunch.

“Or perhaps it is the person who isalways first to notice and report ahorse which is off colour.

“The winners of this award will allhave made a real difference to

horses.”

Jenna Reilly, a student at MoretonMorrell’s centre of vocationalexcellence for equine studies, wasone of the first students to bepresented with the award.

She was nominated by her tutorSusan Weatherburn fordemonstrating a high standard ofhorse care, welfare and managementthroughout her two years as aresidential student.

Ms Weatherburn said: “Jennaregularly worked during the holidayperiods on the college yard, provingto be a responsible and conscientiousworker.”

Recipients will keep the award for ayear before the engraved glasstrophy is returned and presented to anew winner within the college.

Winners also receive a certificatefrom The Blue Cross and a freesubscription to an equestrianmagazine for a year.

Signature call over petitionBy Louise Cordell

WORLD Horse Welfare is calling formore signatures to be added to itsMake A Noise petition by the end ofOctober.

The charity is campaigning to endthe long distance transportation oflive horses to slaughter in Europeand aims to collect the names of100,000 supporters, one for everyhorse transported this way everyyear.

Over 40,000 people have alreadysigned up, but many more areneeded to reach the final target intime.

Jo White, director of campaigns andcommunications, said: “Our Make ANoise campaign is reaching anextremely critical stage, so gettingsignatures is crucial.

“The petition forms a significant partof our case to end the trade as itdemonstrates public abhorrence ofthis unnecessary practice.

“We have been delighted with theresponse we have had so far andhope to have plenty more signaturesby October so that we can take themto Brussels in November where wewill be handing over a dossier ofevidence on the trade to theEuropean Commission.”

Problems caused by long distance

transportation include extremeexhaustion, dehydration, disease andsevere injuries and World HorseWelfare ultimately wants to end thepractice and replace it with a carcass-only trade.

The charity is asking for finitejourney limits, better welfarestandards during journeys and, in theshort term,vigorous enforcement ofEU regulations designed to protecthorses during transport.

In the autumn WHW representativeswill be travelling to Brussels to handover a dossier of evidence to theEuropean Commission, somethingthe charity has been workingtowards for seven years.

It is hoped that the findings andrecommendations will have a positiveimpact on European transportationlaws which are set to be reviewed in2009.

Nominations wanted for awardsTHE British Equestrian TradeAssociation is calling for nominationsfor the best tackshops, feedmerchants and retailers in thecountry. Winners will receive the SEIB Retailerof the Year Award at BETA’s 2009Business Awards which aim toreward high standards in specialistequestrian retailing. Retailers of alltypes and sizes can be entered andshoppers are asked to consider howwell products are displayed andexplained, whether staff areknowledgeable and help, the

availability of products, shopcleanliness and accuracy and speedof deliveries.Nicolina Mackenzie, marketingmanager for Specialist Equine Insura-nce Brokers, said: “We are delightedto support an award which givespeople the chance to show howmuch they value their favouriteretailers.” Nominations can be made atwww.retaileroftheyear.org.uk before8 December and everyone whonominates will be entered into a freeprize draw to win a Wintec saddle.

HORSE HEALTH I28 worming

IN the UK many horses and poniesare cared for by individual owners orkeepers in a livery yard scenario,where partial turnout and sharedgrazing are managed to varyingdegrees of success.

The most popular method of wormcontrol within these populations isthe use of anthelmintics, pastureresting/rotation and ideally themonitoring of the horses’ wormburdens.

This three-pronged approach willform the basis of management, buta degree of fine-tuning is requiredwhere horses are kept in differentregimes, such as within the breedingindustry.

Mares and youngstock, living out inherds for the majority of the yearcan need a more structured worming programme due to the set-stocking nature of the pasturemanagement and the mixing of agegroups.

Use of anthelmintics in horses shouldalways be designed in order tomaximise the effectiveness of theworming programme and minimisethe negative impacts of anthelminticuse, such as resistance.

However, in all situations it isimportant to remember that everyhorse is different and although thereis no reliable ‘immunity’ to worms,individual horses carry and manageworm burdens differently, simplybecause of their general health,inherited attributes and immunestatus.

Worming set-stocked horses:Worming large populations of horsescan present an opportunity tomanage resistance through targetedworming programmes, but equally itcan be a problem if there is littleopportunity to clean or rest pasture.To this end, we should consider the

rationale behind managing set-stocked horses for the ‘non-seasonal’worm threats, such as smallredworms.

Worming horses over the grazingseason on set-stocked pasture hastwo key aims: to reduce the wormburden of the grazing horses and toreduce the worm burden on thepasture itself, termed the in-refugiapopulation.

Both the pasture and the horsesmust be managed in order for theworming protocol to be effective.

Pasture management:A rest of three months can provide asignificant reduction in the larvalburden on the land, hence restingand rotating the grazing land wouldremain an ideal part of pasture

Ben Gaskell BVSc MRCVS, veterinary advisor at Pfizer Animal Health provides some thoughts on the managementof worm burdens in equine herds

No reliable ‘immunity’ to worms

The use of diagnostics helps to reduce the overuse of wormers

management.

However, it may not be essential to amore progressive approach toworming.

Set-stocking need not rely onanthelmintics entirely for a reductionin the worm burden on the pasture.Low stocking densities, the dailycollection of droppings and thegrazing of other stock such as sheep or cattle on the land willreduce contamination and theexposure of the horses to infectivelarvae.

This, coupled with the principle ofmanaging the in-refugia populationon pasture via strategic worming,can allow horses to flourish on set-stocked pasture.

Lessons from other species?Set-stocked cattle rely on season-long worm control strategies such asboluses and long-acting macrocycliclactones, which allow all the wormsingested from pasture to be killed.

This reduces the pasture burden aswell as eliminating the burden fromthe animal.

In turn this stops the late-grazingsurge in larval numbers on pasturewhich can cause a lack of weightgain and/or clinical disease.

Often this is coupled with a late-season move to fresh pasture such ashay/sileage aftermaths.

Several of these strategies could beapplied to equine ‘herds’, althoughhorses do not develop immunity toworms to any significant degree.

With horses, repeated or ‘blanket’worming throughout the season iscommon, but holds the danger ofdriving the development ofresistance.

Management of the situation tominimise over-worming can bebeneficial to the horse, and prove aneconomical option.

An alternative may be moreaggressive worming after turnout,which may well be effective inminimising the increase inworm burden over the grazing

season, allowing a reduction in useof wormers in the back-end, with orwithout a change in pasture.

This, coupled with diagnostics toensure the situation is under controlover the season, may present theoptimal solution.

Using diagnostics is essential in anyworming programme – they havebecome more established in helpingto manage the over-use of wormersand in allowing the selection of themost appropriate wormer.

Remember that any strategy will alsohave to consider the more seasonalworm threats, for exampletapeworm in spring and autumn.

Reliable advice:Worming protocols will continue toevolve with ongoing research; newtreatment strategies and the ever-growing importance of diagnostictechniques, mean that owners needto be kept up to speed with clear,easy-to-follow advice.

HORSE HEALTH I30 forge

PROLONGED work on hardunyielding surfaces, rough ground,and even compacted sand surfaces,test the horse’s physique andstamina.

The faster the horse’s pace, thegreater the impact; galloping,jumping and sharp changes indirection or speed obviously createthe greatest impact with themomentary load borne by each footamounting to anywhere betweenfour to six times the weight of thehorse.

The anatomy:The feet are the first to receive allthis force torque and shock and this,to a greater or lesser extent, istransmitted up the digit into thelimb.

From the ground up, all thestructures are designed to dissipateshock and utilize this energy forpropulsion.

Externally the healthy hoof is like atough spring wrapped around the

pedal bone (P3), its sole concavewith the frog central and to the rear,the heels open and flexible to enablecompression, expansion and threedimensional movement.

Internally from the laminalsuspension of P3 and its flexiblecartilaginous wing extensions oneither side, to the compressible massof the digital cushion, all protect and provide a buffer to the bonecolumn.

In addition, the arterial and venousvolume of blood in the foot acts as ahydraulic damper.

It is a far less rigid structure than most realize and not at allsurprising that it works mostefficiently without a rigid shoe nailedon to it.

This, and the whole movement ofthe digit supported by the flexortendons and suspensory ligament,cushion the descending force againstground impact.

Continued on Page 31

High impact injuries to equine feet and limbs are a common problem with many contributing factors, from obscuresoft tissue damage, palmer foot pain to osteoarthritis. Andrew Poynton, FWCF, examines the forces through thedigit during every day activities.

Equine high impact injury

The load borne by each foot can be up to six times the body weight ofthe horse.

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HORSE HEALTH I 31forgeContinued from Page 30

Close up movementanalysis:The greater detail of this drama isnot detected due to the speed atwhich it happens.

However, high speed filming of theevent played back in slow motionreveals the extreme extent ofmovement and finer points of whatactually happens at the precisemoment.

This close up movement analysis canreveal subtle discrepancies in balanceand conformational weaknesses.

As the foot impacts the ground avisible shock wave rises from theheels through the digit.

Simultaneously the foot iscompressed expanding to dissipatethe sudden force upon it.

At the extreme point of loading, forexample when jumping, galloping oreven during certain high propulsiondressage movements the fetlock willcontact the ground.

A fit horse with good conformationwill repeatedly perform this exercisetime after time without injuryprovided the surface worked on issuitable.

Good conformation:

A level and balanced foot, centralunder a straight limb works

efficiently - when load is applied it isborne evenly, as the shock on impactis dissipated throughout the wholefoot.

The hoof has symmetry and ispleasing to the eye.

When turning or moving overuneven ground one side of the hoofwill contact the ground in advanceof the other side, the free play in thejoints will accommodate this to someextent and the heels of the hoof willideally flex, damping the tension andcompression effect on the joints.

If the ground will yield, then thehoof will dig in, providing grip andreducing the force on the joints.

Now let’s swing the balance in theother direction.

If the ground is unyielding and thehoof shod with steel we have a quitedifferent scenario; the hoofmovement is restricted, transferringthe bone crunching impact to thejoints above.

The shoe cannot dig in and is likelyto strike up. Does this soundfamiliar?

Poor conformationand hoof imbalance:Wherever there is less than ideal limbconformation the hoof distorts, dueto any uneven forces and loadingthat it is subject to.

Needless to say shock and loadingwithin the foot and digit become

concentrated into specific areascontributing to injury.

A common example would be a toeout conformation, the medial side ofthe hoof and heel low.

When viewed walking the footwould land on the lateral toe quarterthen load to the medial heel as thefetlock descends over that quarter.

The likely injuries would be an underrun heel and medial corn, furtherpalmer foot pain and possiblecollateral ligament strain – a subjecton its own.

Whilst predominantly heavier bonedhorses may suffer conditions such as

equine osteoarthritis, ‘ringbone’ and‘sidebone’, the lighter, thoroughbredtype is more likely be diagnosedwith, for example, Navicularsyndrome, palmer foot pain, or hoofcracks; that said none of theseconditions are exclusive to type.Without exception all would benefitfrom reduced impact on their feet.

A good farrier who is prepared totake the time to identify thesediscrepancies, then skillfully trim andshoe to neutralise the negativeeffects of less than idealconformation can help greatly toprolong the active working life ofmany horses.

In extreme loading the fetlock will contact the ground.

32

Bloodstock matters

By Patrick Traill of Fort Dodge

THREE key diseases are particularlysignificant in terms of risk to theunborn foal.

Equine Herpesvirus (EHV)EHV is highly and the mostcommonly diagnosed cause ofinfectious abortion in pregnantmares.

It is split into subtypes, EHV1 andEHV4.

EHV 1 is typically responsible forabortion while EHV4 causes therespiratory form of the disease.

Both EHV1 and EHV4 gain entry tothe horse’s system through themucus membranes of its nose, gumsor eyes.

It multiplies in these cells then makesits way to the respiratory tract lymphnodes within two to three days ofexposure to the virus.

It can also rest in white blood cellsand certain endothelial cells - theblood vessels of the uteruscontaining endothelial cells are aparticular target.

Initial clinical signs at this point couldinclude a decrease in temperature,loss of appetite and enlarged lymph

nodes.

A serious or clear nasal discharge,which may subsequently containmucus and pus, is also likely.

Highly contagious it is spreadthrough close contact betweenhorses from shared drinking waterand feeders, and through coughing

and snorting.

For a pregnant mare the disease isparticularly dangerous.

The virus multiplies in the endothelialcells of the blood vessels of theuterine wall and, from here, infectsthe foetus, causing pneumonia,bronchiolitis and hepatic necrosis orinflammation.

The incubation period is betweentwo weeks and three months and 95per cent of infected mares will abortduring the last four months ofpregnancy with the majority abortingabout 10 to 20 days after infectionwith the virus.

EHV outbreaks occur for a numberof reasons.

Sometimes the virus can be carriedby a horse in its lymph nodes andwhite blood cells, and under stresscan be activated, infecting the foetusif the mare is pregnant.

The mare does not always shed virusthrough her nasal secretions and, onoccasion, the first exposure herpaddock mates will have to the virusis through her aborted foetus andplacenta – both of which are highlyinfectious and are likely to cause asubsequent ‘abortion storm’ amongthe other pregnant mares. Anabortion storm may also occur if anon-quarantined mare, which isshedding the virus, is introduced to aherd.

To protect brood mares against EHV,it’s important to take veterinaryadvice, instigate an appropriatepreventative health regime and tokeep brood mares together as aclosed herd.

If new horses must be introduced,then ensure they are firstquarantined for at least one month.

A vaccination and booster regime todecrease the overall level of EHVshould be in place, and mares can bevaccinated during the fifth, seventhand ninth month of pregnancy.

Equine Viral Arteritis (EVA)This highly contagious venerealdisease can cause abortion in maresor severe respiratory disease in foals.

A notifiable disease, it’s relativelywidespread in Europe but the UK isprotected by a range of controlmeasures set out in the HorseracingBetting Levy Board’s (HBLB)guidelines.

The last outbreak in the UK was in1993, when over 100 horsescontracted the disease withdevastating consequences.

The control measures have sinceproved successful in stopping furtheroutbreaks but UK horses have littleimmunity so are at risk of developingthe disease should the virus beimported again.

Stallions are the main source of theEVA virus as it localises in the sexglands and is shed in semen.

The disease can be spread in fourways:

� Through the venereal infection ofmares by stallions during mating.

� Through artificially inseminatingmares with semen from infectiousstallions.

� Through contact with abortedfoetuses and the placenta.

� Through direct contact in droplets(e.g. from coughing and snorting)from the respiratory tract.

EVA has wide ranging symptomsfrom severe to very mild so it’spossible for carriers to go unnoticedwhile remaining a reservoir ofinfection and shedding.

At its most severe, EVA causes fever,stiff movement, conjunctivitis,swelling of the lower parts of thelegs, around the eyes and of thereproductive organs, as well asabortion in pregnant mares.

There is no treatment but thesymptoms can be alleviated bysymptomatic support.

About 30 per cent of infectedstallions never eliminate the infectionand remain as persistent shedders,spreading it for the rest of their lives.

Alarmingly, many of these show nooutward signs and their fertility isunaffected. Continued on Page 33

Diseases of the unborn foal

Equine Herpesvirus is a highly infectious viral disease and is the mostcommonly diagnosed cause of infectious abortion in pregnant mares

33

Bloodstock matters

Continued from Page 32

Therefore, laboratory diagnosis playsa key role in controlling EVAaccording to the HBLB Code ofPractice.

Breeding stallions and teasers in theUK should be blood tested beforemating, teasing or collecting semenand the results should be recorded inthe horse’s passport.

Mares should be blood tested priorto sending them to stud forinsemination to ensure they are clear.Particular care should be taken ifimporting horses, and in the sporthorse industry, semen or equineembryos as the EVA virus survives inchilled and frozen semen and is notaffected by the antibiotics added.

A horse testing positive for EVAcannot be used for breeding unless ithas been established that it ispositive due to vaccination.

Vaccination is an effective protectivemeasure, should commence at leastsix weeks before covering and beused within an overall managementprogramme.

Equine RotavirusEquine Rotavirus is a commonenvironmental pathogen and is themost frequent cause of viral enteritisin young foals.

The virus is resistant to disinfectantsand can live in soil for over ninemonths, making it difficult toeradicate.

It is believed that 30 to 60 per centof foals with symptoms of diarrhoeaare infected with rotavirus, howeverthe virus does not affect adulthorses.

Rotavirus attacks the villi that line thesmall intestine resulting inmalabsorption which then causessevere diarrhoea.

In its most severe form, it can alsocause respiratory disease and foalsinfected with both forms stand littlechance of survival.

Foals under three months of age arethe most severely infected with highmortality rates if not treatedaggressively with IV fluids,electrolytes and nutritional support.

Infected foals are highly contagiousand must be isolated.

In addition, a strict stablemanagement programme must beobserved.

Faecal sampling to isolate the diseasewill assist in the correct treatmentand control of this virus.

The most effective way to preventRotavirus infection is goodmanagement practice and thevaccination of pregnant mares.

Vaccination is administered at theeighth, ninth and tenth months ofpregnancy.

Feeding for the future – fromweaning to sales preparationBy Liz Bulbrook

ANY discussion on the nutrition ofgrowing horses inevitably touchesupon the subject of DevelopmentalOrthopaedic Disorders; a term thatencompasses a number of conditionssuch as epiphysitis, flexuraldeformities and osteochondrosis. It can be a multifactorial problemrelated not just to feed butmanagement and genetics, affectingbone, cartilage, tendons andligaments.

Poor feeding programmes canprecipitate these problems, throughunder as well as over feeding, whilstpoorly conformed or top heavyindividuals can also placeunnecessary stress, strain and traumaon young immature joints.

A reluctance to feed suckling foalsprior to weaning pervades,particularly good-doers, for fear ofcausing growth problems.

Protein is often still labelled as theculprit, despite research highlightingthat excessive energy (calorie) intake,and insufficient vitamin and mineralsupport, are the main precursors togrowth problems. Monitoringyoungsters’ growth rates andbodyweight, by using weightapes,weighbridges or growth charts, canact as a useful management tool forfoals and yearlings, and highlightsthose that may be growing above orbelow average, allowing earlyadjustments to be made to the feedand management programme.

Pre-Weaning:Establishing foals on a good diet pre-weaning can help lessen anysetbacks resulting from the stress ofweaning.

Digestive enhancers (prebiotics andyeast cultures) are particularly helpfuland support the beneficial bacteria inthe hindgut, thus aiding fibrefermentation as well as overall guthealth and immune status. Balanceddiets fed in small, frequent, digestiblefeeds encourage a steady lineargrowth rate, avoid excessiveglycaemic response and starchoverload and reduce the risks ofcompensatory growth spurts throughthe introduction of feed afterweaning.

Typically Thoroughbred foalsbetween three to six months of agewill gain weight at 0.65 to 0.9kg perday, declining to 0.75 to 0.5kg perday at six to 12 months of age.

Complement Your Forage:Foals that are well-topped on a

Monitoring youngsters allows early adjustments to be made.

predominately forage-based diet areideal candidates for speciallyformulated stud balancers thatprovide key amino acids, vitaminsand minerals to support growthwithout adding significant energylevels to the diet.

Foals in need of more condition andtop line will need to be maintainedon a slightly higher plane of nutritionwhich can be achieved throughfeeding stud mixes, cubes or specific‘sales prep’ mixes, according to themanufacturers’ recommendations.Continued on Page 34

34

Bloodstock matters

Continued from Page 33

These feeds contain a combinationof energy sources with the necessarysupporting protein quality (lysine,methionine, threonine) provided byingredients, such as soya and alfalfa,along with the essential vitamins andminerals.

Yearlings for Sale:Attention to correct nutritionthroughout the foal to yearlingstages should result in a well grownyoungster with sufficient muscle andcondition to be ready to progresssmoothly into sales preparation orpre-training.

The natural exercise taken by ayearling during its early life atpasture is known to help bonegrowth and strength so, whencoupled with a suitable supportivediet, prepares the youngster’s bodyfor the increased exercise andfeeding of sales preparation.

At 12 months of age the typicalyearling should have achieved 90 percent of its mature height, 95 percent of its bone length and 75 percent of its adult weight.

Although over the next year thegrowth rate may be slower it is stillan important phase in the young,growing athletic horse’s life.

Forage Basis:As access to pasture is reduced, theyearling should receive increasedamounts of hay or haylage in orderto maintain gut health and function,relieve boredom and preventstereotypical behaviour.

Ideally, forage intake should beequivalent to one per cent ofbodyweight and will contribute to

the youngster’s energy intake byproviding fermentable fibre and non-heating calories.

The more digestible the forage, thelower the risk of ‘hay belly’ and, ifthe nutritional quality of the forageis in question, an alfalfa chaff can befed to help raise the overall proteinand fibre content of the diet.Knowing the nutritional content offorage is essential to achieve anoverall balanced diet, and mostreputable feed manufacturers willprovide a forage analysis service.

Little and Often:As work intensity increases,traditional stud mixes and cubes, or

oats plus balancer regimes, can beintroduced, but in some cases adilemma exists as to how much canbe fed for weight gain whilstmaintaining good growth andpreventing over excitability in theseyoungsters.

Dividing the daily ration in to three or even four small meals willavoid overloading the system as feed quantities increase and, ifmore calories are required, or extra coat shine, consider addingoil as it provides two and a quarter times more calories perkilogram than carbohydrates, is slow releasing and non-heating and avoids further

increases in starch and total feedvolume.

Pay Off Time:We may not be able to alter thegenetic make up of each individualbut with good feeding practices inplace alongside a well managedexercise regime it is possible toimprove the chances of achieving thebest price for each individual horse.

� Liz Bulbrook BSc (Hons) is Directorof Nutrition at Baileys Horse Feedsand has over 25 years experience ofboth formulating feeds andcompiling rations for Thoroughbredsproduced for the sales ring and racetrack.

Attention tocorrectnutritionshouldresult in awell-grownyoungster.

THIS year’s Thoroughbred Racingand Breeding Seminar is set to takeplace at Cheltenham Racecourse on13 November.

The event aims to provide avaluable opportunity for anyone with an interest in thehealth and welfare of horses tokeep up with the latest inveterinary advances andtechnological developments.

It has an outstanding record ofattracting world class experts and2008’s key speakers include,Professor Derek Knottenbelt, Mr

Geoff Lane, Professor ChristineNicol and Professor Tim Morris.

Professor Knottenbelt will openwith an overview of the immunesystem, which is vital to survival intoday’s germ laden environment,but is probably the leastunderstood part of the body’sphysiology.

Professor Knottenbelt illustratesthe major components and howthey are interrelated, and NickWingfield Digby continues with anexplanation of how immunitydevelops and how the process can

be enhanced.

It is increasingly suggested that fatand fibre based diets may result incalmer behaviour patterns and therole of diet in the development ofabnormal oral behaviour,particularly crib-biting will bediscussed by Professor Christine Nicol, in her presentationon ‘Nutrition in Young Stock and its Effect on Future Behaviour’.

Cutting-edge technology within theindustry will be showcased inpresentations on the development,

practicality and necessity of theportable endoscope, facilitatingexamination of the upper airwaysduring exercise, and, with anexploration and discussion ofcomputerised gait analysis.

This year the seminar will alsoinclude a news bulletin overview ofthe latest developments from theequine veterinary profession, andintroduces an interactive format,with electronic handsets allowingdelegates to register their opinions.

Delegates to gather at Cheltenham Racecourse

Attention to nutrition should get results


AS the leading brand of premiumquality dust free horse beddingEasibed and Easibed Plus has neverbeen more popular.

Easibed Plus was launched just aspotential problems affecting astabled horse or pony’s lungs andrespiratory system, were beingincreasingly recognised.

It contains well-researched activeingredients that help to significantlyreduce known contaminants in thestable environment and suppressstable odours.

Trials in a wide variety of yards haveconfirmed that Easibed Plus can alsohelp support improvements inrespiratory health and function.

Easibed Plus also contains an

effective fly deterrent, which meansthere’s no need to fly-spray stabledhorses.

Feet benefit too, with reducedexposure to both the horn-damagingchemicals in droppings and wet bedsand the bacteria that can cause footproblems like thrush and seedy toe.

Trials confirm bedding benefits

THE Open College of Equine Studiesis hosting the 2008 Equine ScienceConference on 28 and 29 Novemberat Boxted Hall near Bury St Edmunds.The event is open to everyoneinterested in horses and how thework of veterinarians and scientistsimpacts on equine welfare. Delegates include competitors,equine science under-graduates,post-graduates, lecturers, yardmanagers, therapists, equineveterinary nurses, trainers, welfarestaff, horse owners and veterinarians.Continuing Professional Development(CPD) certificates will be awarded toevery delegate.The conference speakers are leadingexperts in their field and includeprofessor Tim Greet on ‘Themanagement of equine colic’,professor Daniel Mills on ‘A horse'sview of the world: Insights intoequine perception, professorMatthew Binns on ‘Horse genetics’,Dr Jeremy Burn on ‘Sorting fact fromfiction using science’ and Dr RachelMurray on Detection of subclinicallameness’.New features this year include a‘Twilight Tutorial’ – an opendiscussion session between delegatesand a panel of speakers, and theEquine Welfare Dedicated Lecturefrom Dr Colin Roberts – ‘BlackBeauty in the 21st century: Whatwould Anna Sewell make of the lotof the horse today?’.The full conference timetable and abooking form can be downloadedfrom www.equinestudies.co.uk.

Dr Colin Roberts

Conferenceat Boxted Hall

Claydon Horse Exercisers has been establised forover 20 years and have over 3000 machines inregular use in the UK and overseas.For anyone with multiple horses to exercise, ahorse exerciser is an invaluable addition to anyyard. They are built to exercise four to eighthorses and vary in size starting from 10.66m indiameter with a 1.52m walkway. Horse Exercisers are an ideal, labour saving wayof giving horses exercise and cooling them offafter work, and in these times of rising costs andthe need for increased efficiency it is notsurprising that more and more yards up and downthe country are installing them.

“IT would seem that at present,information on different equinecareers and the routes available toattain qualifications and experiencein a specific field is still remarkablydisjointed.Mismatching between employeesand the careers they enter seemscommon and it is difficult tounderstand why students whopossess degrees or postgraduatequalifications in equine science orrelated fields often do not pursuecareers relating to their training. Having been prepared for posts inspecialist institutions with the aimthat, as equine scientists, they willcontribute to research and theunderstanding of diseases anddisorders of the horse – instead thesetrained scientists are entering jobswhere they are ‘not mucking out

quickly enough’, or ‘incapable ofcleaning out a water bucket correct-ly’, to quote two well known eques-trian columnists in recent pressarticles. But surely professional yardsshould be employing individuals withappropriate training and extensivepractical experience to meet theiremployment needs. Are employers at fault in recruitinginappropriately trained candidates, orare employees misguided regardingthe type of work they are capable ofdoing competently?In association with The Open Collegeof Equine Studies, I am compiling aninitial database of information oneducation and the range of careersnow available within the diverseequine sector, with the aim oflaunching a new ‘Equine Educationand Careers Service’ in the near

future. I would now like to invitemore employers and organisations tobecome involved in developing thisservice; initially in compiling anintroductory range of summaryguides aimed at pulling together thekey elements associated with aparticular career and the routesavailable to pursue the training andqualifications available. It is a projectwhich we hope will prove useful,informative and ultimately beneficialfor all working in the ever expandingequine industry. Employers, I lookforward to learning more about yourarea of expertise – it is your specialistknowledge that I need to developthis programme further!”For more information from DrBadnell-Waters contact Horse Healthmagazine or TOCES.

With the aim of developing a new equine education and careers service, Dr Amanda Badnell-Waters is calling on industry employers for their help.

Call to equine industry employers

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