Spring is finally here and since the temperatures have started to rise we think it is a good idea to go over a few recommendations regarding ´sweet itch`. This disease is caused by an allergy to the bites of flies or midges, most likely by Culicoides species. Approximately 5% of equines in the UK suffer from sweet itch.

Insect bite hypersensitivity can affect any horse, of any age, gender or breed although some horses seem to be more susceptible than others. The condition is usually diagnosed in horses from 4 years onward and often becomes more severe as horses get older. Some horses seem to have a genetic predisposition for this condition.

Affected horses present persistent itching in the areas where they are bitten, usually around their face, ears, neck, belly, shoulders and around the base of the tail. They will rub excessively on objects around them, and kick and bite themselves in an attempt to scratch the affected areas. Over time this leads to hair loss, skin damage, and thickening of the skin which can become infected. These signs are caused by a localised hypersensitivity against the salivary antigens of biting midges (Culicoides) and become worse in hot humid weather. These animals are often restless, irritable and many even lose weight.

If you notice your horse or horses may be suffering with this condition contact your vet. Other allergies can present the same clinical signs and it is necessary to exclude other factors that may also be triggers for this reaction.

The best approach to prevent this disease is a combination of measures that combine reducing exposure to the insects through physical barriers, insect repellents, insecticides and housing horses away from midge habitats. Here are a few tips to prevent your horses from suffering with this condition:

• Stabling during dawn and dusk since this is when midges are most active.
• Using a ceiling fan in the stable can be helpful (midges have poor flying skills).
• Cover windows and stable doors with ultra-fine netting to reduce the number of midges that are able to get in without reducing ventilation and light.
• Using insect repellents and insecticides. These can be sprayed on the nets and on the environment regularly to reduce the number of insects.
• Do your best to turn-out your horse away from wooded areas, static water or slow-moving streams where midges are more likely to breed.
• Fly masks and fly sheets are also very useful to protect your horse against the biting insects.
• Some products can help relieve itching such as topical oils or oatmeal shampoos applied weekly.

If you have any doubts or questions contact your vet.

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Have you heard of the Horsebox Safety Week?

This campaign ran between the 4^th and 10^th of April and was launched by an insurance company. The goal was to raise awareness of the risks involved when loading and transporting horses, and to encourage horse owners to perform a few key safety checks before transporting their horse in order to prevent accidents.

The most common injuries related to horse transportation were caused by legs falling through rotten floors or tyre blow outs that led to overturned boxes. Horse boxes and trailers are required to pass an annual MOT or ministry plating but there are no inspections or security checks to ensure these vehicles are safe and suited to carry horses.

Recent research with data from the company has shown that 19% of injuries in horse boxes and trailers result in the horse being euthanized. Sadly, many of these accidents could have been easily avoided. For this reason we feel it is urgent to spread the word among horse owners about the importance of doing maintenance and safety checks on all the equipment involved on horse transportation.

Take a good look at your vehicles regularly:

• Ensure that there are no visibility or lighting issues that may interfere with safe driving. All bolts and latches should be working properly to allow easy opening if necessary.
• Take some time to check your tires. It’s important to verify if your horseboxes and trailers are equipped with the right type of tires (the tires on your horsebox are different from the tires on your car) and check their general condition (age, pressure, tread depth, and integrity of the tire wall). Please remember that if your tires are too old, damaged, worn, or have not been inflated with the right pressure you will have limited control over your vehicle and risk having tire blow outs.
• Keep an eye on the floors, ramps and sidewalls. Over time, these surfaces suffer considerable damage and come into contact with a lot of liquid. Ongoing damp conditions will often rot the floor. It is recommended to lift the rubber matting and check the floor (above and below) for damage. Prod suspect areas with a flat head screwdriver and if you find any damage or rot the problem must be checked out by a professional before using those structures to load or transport horses. Check the floors, ramps and sidewalls every few months.
• Keep in mind that horse boxes and trailers have a legal amount they can carry and exceeding this limit has serious safety implications.

Don’t forget to perform these safety checks every few months and keep your horses safe!

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Although it can be very dangerous for riders, bucking is part of a horse’s natural behaviour and horses can do it for several reasons. Bucking is the word used to describe a horse’s kick with both hind legs at the same time.

The horse’s normal response to a threat is to flee or to fight if they are somehow unable to escape the situation. In the wild the best way to fight a potential predator is to kick it as hard as possible and the same applies when dealing with aggressive horses within their social group. Given the instinctive and defensive nature of this behaviour it is also not uncommon for horses to buck when they get scared, when they feel pain or when they are trying to get rid of an insect that is bothering them. Some horses are more prone to this behaviour that others.

Horses can also display this behaviour as a way to get rid of their excess energy, when they are feeling very excited, happy and playful. It is very likely for a horse to try to run, jump and buck if they have been kept in a stable for a long period of time.

On some occasions bucking can also be an acquired behaviour. Horses who are less motivated to work, who are feeling back pain or any sort of discomfort may buck more often in an attempt to simply remove the rider.

If you are struggling to deal with this behaviour make sure you check your horse’s tack and do not hesitate to seek veterinary advice to ensure that the problem is not just a behavioural issue. It is also worth reassessing your horse’s energy content of the feeding and exercise regime to better manage its energy. Increasing the horse’s amount of exercise or allowing for a horse to release some energy in a safe space before being ridden can help keep this behaviour under control.

Please keep in mind that a horse that started bucking due to pain may continue to buck in anticipation of feeling the same pain again even if the problem has been treated and the pain is gone. These cases require more patience and the horses will need to be encouraged to relax and to return to work gently and gradually.

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We would like to share with you some information about Strangles since there have been outbreaks of this disease in the Lamerton area recently. Strangles is a highly contagious, infectious disease of horses caused by a bacteria called Streptococcus equi.

This is a debilitating disease that causes depression, fever, loss of appetite, cough, thick creamy nasal discharge, and swelling of the lymph nodes in their jaw or throat areas. As time goes by abscesses can develop on their lymph nodes and these abscesses often burst discharging a thick creamy-yellow pus. The pus is extremely infectious. The disease is called Strangles because the glands can increase in size and can restrict the horse’s airways.

Strangles can be life-threatening although it is a rare occurrence. In these cases, the bacteria spreads through the bloodstream and abscesses can develop in other organs. It can also lead to small areas of bleeding and swelling in the limbs, eyes and gums due to fluid accumulation.

Strangles can affect horses of any age, sex or breed. However, young, older and debilitated horses are often most susceptible to an outbreak. The disease is spread by direct or indirect contact, usually by direct nose to nose contact of horses with nasal discharges or with material from burst abscesses. It can also be indirectly transmitted through handlers or objects such as feed buckets or grooming equipment.

Clinical signs can appear 2-21 days after the horse has been infected. A small number of infected horses (about 10%) can become carriers, which means they can spread this disease while appearing healthy. If left untreated, carriers can cause new outbreaks. This is likely to happen when their immune system becomes debilitated for some reason, if they become stressed about moving to a new yard for example.

If you suspect your horse may be suffering from this disease do not hesitate to contact your vet. If you strongly suspect there is an outbreak or if this is confirmed please make sure you keep your horses isolated as well as any horse that may have been in contact with them. Talk to your vet to help institute an isolation protocol for your horses. Inform everyone who comes in contact with them to insure none of the isolation measures are neglected. Most horses recover from this disease in a few weeks with adequate treatment and strict biosecurity measures.

In order to protect your horses against this and other diseases it is recommended to quarantine new horses for three weeks before allowing them to come into contact with your other resident horses. You can also talk to your vet about what routine tests should be performed before bringing in a new horse into your yard.

It is really worth having a look at the ´HBLB Strangles guidelines in the Codes of Practice` and the ´Strategy To Eradicate and Prevent Strangles` documents available at the HBLB website so you can be informed and have a biosecurity management plan ready, if you ever have to deal with an outbreak.

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Winter can be difficult for horses especially if they are kept outside all year round but they will cope better if their owners provide them with extra care and attention.

A safe and stable field shelter is a great option for horses kept outside to have somewhere to go when the weather gets worse. It is very important to keep it clean, dry and with an area of clean bedding.

If possible try to keep an adequate working routine as it is very important for your horse’s health and wellbeing. Working horses and horses that are turned out will not have as much to eat outside and will need more food so don’t forget to always adjust feeding accordingly. It is always a good idea to keep an eye on your horse’s body condition score. To put it in a simple way, in a horse with a normal body condition score you should be able to feel the horse’s ribs when applying a light pressure with your hand on their ribcage.

If you can feel your horse’s ribs easily the horse is underweight and if you need to press a little harder to feel the horse’s ribs, your horse is probably overweight. Thin horses will be more susceptible to the cold and will lose weight in order to keep their body temperature.

Check on your horse twice a day and if possible, visit your horse early in the morning as this means you’ll have daylight if anything needs to be sorted out. Make sure there is always clean and unfrozen water available for your horse. Studies have shown that horses will drink a lot more if the water is slightly warm so please do not hesitate to add some warm water to your horse’s water buckets just to take the chill off. An adequate water intake is very important to keep their intestine working properly and to prevent colic.

Depending on your horse’s age, breed, on how much work your horse is doing and how sheltered your fields are, a rug may be recommended. Owners should remove their horse’s rug once a day to check underneath and make sure everything is looking normal.

It is also recommended to keep an eye on any signs of mud fever. Mud fever is common during this time of the year. If a horse stays wet and muddy for too long it could damage their skin, leading to the appearance of cracks and scabs usually on their lower limbs. This skin condition can lead to an active bacterial infection.

The best way to prevent mud fever is to clean the mud and dirt from your horse’s legs using tepid water and towel-drying them afterwards.

Our last recommendation is to make arrangements with someone you trust and has some experience to take care of your horse if you are delayed or if you cannot be there for some reason.

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Head shaking in horses is a condition that can simply be described as the shaking or nodding of the head in frequent, repetitive and involuntary movements as a response to pain or irritation of the head. These movements are often accompanied by snorting or sneezing.

This condition varies a lot between horses, from horses that present mild signs while others can present more severe degrees of head shaking. Some horses might stumble during exercise or try to rub their nose even with one of their front legs, in an attempt to get rid of the unpleasant feeling.

Head shaking is very distressing for the horse and it will affect their training as there is only so much horses can learn and evolve when they are struggling with such discomfort. Sadly, many horses suffering from head shaking are euthanized.

There is an incredibly wide range of causes for headshaking in horses: allergies to pollen, dust or other aerosolised agents, parasites such as ear mites or ticks, neurological problems, dental issues, respiratory disorders, sensitivity to UV light, poorly fitting tack and stress.

A successful treatment for this condition depends entirely on what is causing it. Owners should check their horse’s tack, especially the bridle and bit, and ensure they fit correctly. The treatment can involve new approaches in management, riding or changing the horse’s environment. Other solutions include the use of nose nets,UV masks, the use of contact lenses and medical therapy.

This condition is being researched and new options of treatment are being suggested and tested. A recent study has verified that percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation under the effect of a local anaesthetic can reduce the signs of headshaking syndrome in horses suffering from trigeminal-mediated headshaking. The study reported that the treatment was well-tolerated and that most horses were able to return to their normal work routine.

If you realise your horse is affected do not hesitate to seek veterinary assistance as it is very important to find the origin the problem in order for the treatment to be effective. Each case tends to be somewhat unique and the diagnosis is only achieved by testing different options and ruling out possible causes until the right one is found.

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Equine viral arteritis (EVA) is a contagious disease that affects horses, ponies and donkeys. The clinical signs usually show up 3 to 14 days after the animal is infected and they can be more or less severe. In some cases, clinical signs are so mild that they will not be detected and some animals may not show any signs at all (carriers).

This condition can cause fever, depression, lethargy, nasal discharge, inflammation around the eyes (conjunctivitis), oedema (swelling) of the testicles or udder and around the limbs, which leads to a stiff movement. The virus involved may also cause abortion in pregnant mares and if infected, young foals can suffer from severe respiratory disease.

EVA is transmitted through mating or through artificial insemination, through contact with aborted foetuses or by inhalation of infected respiratory secretions of infected animals.  In many carrier stallions the disease is only detected when mares start showing signs of infection.

Once affected horses recover from this condition, they are immune to the disease for the rest of their life. It is estimated that about a third of infected stallions are likely to become permanent carriers.On the other hand, it has not been confirmed that fully recovered mares, geldings and immature colts are able to transmit the disease.

EVA is not very common in the UK and most outbreaks involved imported horses. However, it is a notifiable disease if you notice the previously mentioned signs in stallions and in maresthat have mated or have been inseminated in the past 14 days. If you suspect EVA is a possible cause you are required by law to report your suspicions to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). Make sure you keep the horse isolated from other horses until a vet confirms or dismisses these suspicions.

The best way to avoid disease outbreaks is through prevention. Make sure all new horses remain isolated for 2 or 3 weeks before allowing them to be in contact with the rest of your horses.

Stallions and teasers should be tested for Eva. This is done through a blood test and animals will have a positive test result if they are infected. However, the test will also be positive if the stallion has been vaccinated against the disease or if it had the disease in the past and therefore can still transmit the virus.

In order to clarify if a horse is positive because the virus is active or if it is positive because it was previously vaccinated, a second test taken 10 to 14 days later will detect if the infection is active. If the blood test is positive and there is no proof that the positive result is due to vaccination, then the semen of the stallion in question must be tested to prove that it is not infected with the virus. It is also recommended not to use fresh, chilled or frozen semen for insemination that has not been tested for EVA.

Mares should take the test after January 1st and take it again within 28 days of them entering a stud/AI Centre to prove that they are not currently infected with the disease.

Please remember that infected horses should remain separated from other horses for at least three weeks after recovering from this disease.

All interested horse owners can find more information and recommendations in the Codes of Practice, published by the Horseracing Betting Levy Board each year. To have access to these codes please click on the link below:

http://codes.hblb.org.uk/downloads/eva_2015.pdf

It is very important to raise awareness about this disease since it has an incredibly high potential to be transmitted between horses.

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It’s important for horse owners to know more on what could be causing a nosebleed on a horse so they feel more confident to handle this situation, if they ever have to deal with it.

Nosebleeds or epistaxis are relatively common in horses and depending on what is causing them, they will often stop on their own. A horse’s nasal passages have an incredible amount of blood vessels. This means that a simple knock on the head can lead to a nosebleed with a considerable amount of blood, which can scare horse owners. This type of nosebleed is usually not serious and will stop in about 15 minutes.

More serious nosebleeds however will present a larger bloody discharge coming from one or both of the horse’s nostrils. Although trauma is the most common cause of nosebleeds in horses, epistaxis can occur for other reasons:

• Viral and bacterial infections in a horse’s nasal passages
• Teeth infections
• Sinus inflammation and infections
• Foreign bodies (a twig for example) lodged in the nose or throat
• Ethmoidal haematomas, masses of blood growing in the nasal passages
• Masses such as tumours or cysts caused by bacterial or viral infection
• Exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage (EIPH), when blood comes from the nostrils of a racehorse after a hard race

Gutteral pouch mycosis, which is caused by a fungus growing in the horse’s gutteral pouches.
The guttural pouches are lined with important vessels and the internal carotid artery is one of them. If the fungus grows enough it can damage these vessels and lead to a life-threatening nose bleed.

The guttural pouch mycosis is a rare condition but it is also one of the most serious causes of nosebleeds in horses.

If your horse’s nosebleed involves large amounts of blood, lasts more than 15 minutes, seems to be persistent, or if you are concerned about your horse’s welfare, seek veterinary assistance.

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Bolting is the word used to define a fear-based reaction of horses, where they run off, out of control, and their rider is unable to stop it.

The root of this behaviour is in the fact that horses are prey animals. In general, animals can be categorised as fight or flight animals, depending on how they respond to a threatening situation, such as dealing with predators for example. While some animals resort to fighting by biting, kicking or attacking using their natural weapons such as horns or antlers, others will flight and run from the situation.

Horses are flight animals and when they feel scared their natural response is to flee from the perceived threat. Domestic horses are usually trained to handle and to cope with less comfortable situations without resorting to this behaviour. However, sometimes their natural instincts will take over.

Some horses are more likely to bolt than others, as this also depends on their personality. Horses can be in such a state of panic that they will bolt and completely disregard the rider and all attempts to stop. Others might just take off and eventually the rider is able to calm them down.
In some cases, horses can take off not so much out of fear but due to lack of schooling, because their rider allows them to race with other horses, because they are not doing enough exercise and sometimes because they are high spirited and energetic. This tends to happen more often in open spaces where the horse can canter or gallop.

Bolting is a very dangerous behaviour as it can be extremely unpredictable. Horses have been known to run onto roads, straight into vehicles and fences, putting not only themselves but also the rider and everyone around them in danger. This can be very scary and have a huge impact on the riders’ confidence as their safety is compromised and they experience a frightening lack of control over the situation.

If your horse is showing this behaviour and if you are struggling to handle with it please take the time to approach all possible causes. Search for veterinary assistance and make sure your horse is physically well, as pain is often a strong motive for sudden changes in character.

Ensure the bit has the right size and that the tack fits. Please take the time to work on building your horse’s trust and to really get to know him or her. Some horses may need to be carefully schooled in order to better understand the rider’s commands, others may need to get rid of their excess energy before being ridden and many give off signs that they are feeling insecure and becoming stressed, which allows the rider to manage the situation before it turns into something more serious. It is very important for your horse to feel relaxed, secure and it is also very important for your horse to trust you.

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