CHA Master Instructor and Clinician Mitzi Summers explains the hows and whys of long lining or double lunging a horse in this educational video by the Certified Horsemanship Association
For more information on the largest certifying body of riding instructors and barn managers in North America, Certified Horsemanship Association, please visit www.CHA.horse. To find a certified equine professional or accredited equine facility near you, visit www.CHA.horse
By Kentucky Equine Research Staff
For most horsemen, spring is a welcome season. Among other reasons, spring brings the green up of pastures. While grass seems the most natural of feedstuffs for horses and ponies, it can stir up health concerns in susceptible individuals.
When it comes to consumption of spring pasture, horses and ponies hardly hold back; horses can consume over 3% and ponies up to 5% of body weight daily. “Given that horses and ponies usually consume 1.5-2% of their body weight in forage and feed to maintain body weight, these numbers alone explain why horse owners run into problems with lush grass,” said Kathleen Crandell, Ph.D., a nutritionist with Kentucky Equine Research.
Despite its nutritional benefits, spring grass can be high in sugar and starch, depending on the type of grass. “Levels of nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC) as high as 40% dry matter have been recorded in certain grasses. Cool season perennials—like ryegrass, timothy, orchardgrass, bluegrass—are especially predisposed to accumulating sugars and fructans,” explained Crandell.
Let’s review some of the common issues that can spring up along with green grass.
Horses on lush grass often expel excessive amounts of gas. Issues arise because the high carbohydrate content of lush grass may cause rapid fermentation of fiber in the hindgut, changing the microbial balance, and an increase in gas-producing microbes can occur. Any shift in the microbial population of the digestive tract can cause excessive gas production. The microbes that ferment sugars and fructans produce copious amounts of gas. “If there is good flow to the digesta in the tract, which is often the case with high-moisture spring grass, the gas will be easily expelled, although it may cause mild discomfort,” Crandell said.
She added, “Horses that are on pasture 24/7 during the winter and into the spring as the grass begins to green up have fewer problems than those who are suddenly introduced to grass because the intestinal microbiome has time to adapt to the changes gradually.”
A change in manure is common when horses consume lush spring grass, most likely because of the elevated water content of grasses, which can reach 85%. If the horse’s manure has green-cowpie consistency when first allowed to graze in the springtime, then the cause is probably the new diet, not disease, Crandell said.
However, horses can develop pathological diarrhea, particularly if they are allowed full-on access to spring grass without acclimation. A dramatic shift in the makeup of the hindgut microbiome, as described previously, can make the horse more susceptible to blooms of pathogenic bacteria that naturally reside in the hindgut. Always consult with a veterinarian when drastic changes occur in a horse’s manure, especially if it is watery and lasts more than a day or two.
Access to pasture is generally associated with a decreased risk of colic. When it comes to spring grass, though, colic risk rises, primarily due to changes that occur in the gastrointestinal environment consequent to overconsumption.
Further, certain horses may have a problem transitioning from a high-fiber diet of hay or mature grass to lush grass, which has a much lower fiber content. Lack of fiber may cause intestinal upset. This is one reason why many owners offer hay to horses at the same time they’re consuming lush pasture grasses.
Several modes of action may cause laminitis depending on the individual horse and its susceptibility.
One chain of events involves the hindgut. When a horse consumes excessive amounts of spring grass, some of the sugar in it bypasses digestion in the small intestine and ends up in the hindgut. This produces a bloom of lactate-producing gram-negative bacteria that rapidly ferments the sugar and fructans. The byproduct of this fermentation is increasing amounts of lactic acid, which drop the pH of the hindgut. As the pH decreases, other microbes die, releasing endotoxins, reactive amines, and exotoxins into the bloodstream. These are thought to adversely affect circulation, increase inflammation, and destroy lamellar basement membranes in the hooves, causing laminitis.
Another mode of action implicates insulin dysregulation. Consumption of high-sugar grasses causes a rise in blood glucose, which triggers a release of insulin in an attempt to reduce glucose levels by helping to usher it into cells. If a horse or pony is insulin resistant, this mechanism malfunctions, so the pancreas releases more insulin, gradually increasing levels of insulin in the bloodstream. This hyperinsulinemia triggers alterations in blood flow to the hoof, boosts expression of lamellar pro-inflammatory cytokines that activate inflammation, and alters glucose metabolism within the hoof lamellae.
Horses require fiber in their diets. Because springtime grass contains little fiber, some horses will look elsewhere to satisfy this need. Horses often chew fence boards or rip bark from trees as a way to consume more fiber. Horses may colic from eating indigestible wood, possibly as a result of impaction. As mentioned above, feeding hay can help alleviate this problem, as it adds palatable fiber to the diet.
Safe springtime turnout requires planning. According to Crandell, management strategies include:
Reprinted courtesy of Kentucky Equine Research. Kentucky Equine Research is an international equine nutrition, research, and consultation company serving horse owners and the feed industry. Our goals are to advance the industry's knowledge of equine nutrition and exercise physiology, apply that knowledge to produce healthier, more athletic horses, and support the nutritional care of all horses throughout their lives. Learn more at https://ker.com.
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In this Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA) video, Teresa Kackert will help to explain the Two-point, Half-Seat and Light Seat in riding over fences and flat work.
Read more: Two-point, Half-Seat and Light Seat explained with Teresa Kackert (7:05)
By Juliet M. Getty, Ph.D.
Researchers from Poland set out to determine the effect of music played in the barn, on the emotional state of race horses. Many horse owners have found that music has an apparent calming effect on fear, aggression, and overall stress. Race horses, in particular, have demands of increased cardiac activity and speed that may be improved through music exposure.
Forty 3-year-old Arabian horses were placed in a barn where they listened to specifically composed music [i] for five hours each day. Their emotional state was assessed by measuring heart rates at rest, saddling, and warm-up walking. Racing performance and number of wins were also recorded. At the end of each month, for three months, data were compared to a control group of horses subjected to the same activity, without having listened to music.
The music positively impacted the emotional state and performance of treated horses, compared to the control group. What was so remarkable was that the effect was noticeable throughout every activity, even during the heightened excitement of being ridden at a gallop.
Even more noteworthy was the positive influence the music had after the second and third months, improving with each subsequent month, exhibited by the number of races won. Beyond three months, however, the impact leveled off, presumably because the horses became accustomed to the music.
Horses are individuals and respond to stress in a variety of ways. This study offers one approach toward helping your horse calm down and better respond to performance demands.
But all horses, not just athletes, can benefit from a relaxed, stress-free environment.
Increased amount of stall confinement, often seen with the onset of winter weather, can agitate many horses. Soft music, such as was used in this study (see endnote for more information), can be a useful tool in helping your horse cope with being indoors, as well as veterinary and farrier visits, travel, and other stressors.
Stachurska, A., Janczarek, I., Wilk, I., and Kedzierski, W., 2015. Does music influence emotional state in race horses? Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 35(5), 650-656.
[i] Composed by Janet Marlow of Pet Acoustics, a specialist in music for animals. Her music can be purchased at www.petacoustics.com
This article originally appeared on Getty Equine Nutrition and is published here with permission.
Find more informative articles in our section on Health & Education.
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