Horses Flashcards
What age do colts and fillies becomes geldings/ stallions and mares respectively
Once they turn 4
When is every horses birthday in Australia
1st August
What type of digestion system do horses have?
Hind-gut fermentation
What % of the day do pasture horses spend grazing an what time do stabled horses spend feeding?
Pasture: 60-80%
Stabled: 47%
What tastes do horses like/ reject?
Like: sweet/ sugar
Reject: salty, sour, bitter
What amount of time after birth does locomotion begin?
Within 1 hour
What is the frequency that a horse will urinate/ defecate per day?
4-15x/ day
How are horses measured and specify the increments
Measured in hands (1 hand = 10cm) and inches (1 inch = 2.5cm)
e.g. a horse is 15.2 hh, 150cm + 5cm = 155cm
What are the 3 broad categories of horses? and what are they based off?
Heavy, light, ponies (based off height/ weight)
What horse breeds are considered heavy horses?
Clydesdale, Percheron
What horse breeds are considered light horses?
TB, SB, Quarter horse, Arabian, Warmblood, Miniature horse
What horse breeds are considered ponies?
Welsh Mountain Pony, Shetland Pony
What can you use to identify horses
Sex, colour, age, natural markings (head and legs), whorls, acquired markings (e.g. scars), congenital abnormalities (prophet’s thumb print, concave/ convex name), branding, tattooing, microchips, DNA
What breed of horse is required to be branded on the off-side of their upper neck?
Standardbred
What are the welfare issues in the Aus. horse industry?
Whips, euthanasia, neglect, steroids, Rolkur, jumping, rodeos
What are stereotypies horses display?
Weaving, cribbing, stall walking, wood chewing, wind sucking
How to treat stereotypies?
Eliminate cause first
What is the % of body weight guide for forage (legumes/ grasses)?
1.5% BW
Do foals or adults have a higher water% of BW?
Foals
What is the rule of xml/kg/hr for water?
2ml/kg/hr and then total to day
What influences the amount of water required by a horse?
Temperature, activity/ exercise, lactation
What 2 main issues can result from an increase in starches/ sugars
Colic (starch)
Laminitis (starch and sugar)
What are examples of roughage, concentrates, protein supplements
Roughage: pasture (grass), legumes (clover, lucerne), cereals (oaten chaff)
Concentrates: grains (oats, barley, sorghum, maize, rice, commercial mixes)
Protein supplements: soyabean meal, lucerne, lupins, cottonseed meal, sunflower seeds, linseed meal
What % DM (dry matter) should a horse consume in a day?
2% of BW
Is there a standard vx program for horses in Aus.?
NO
Common horse diseases in Aus.
Main: Tetanus (clostridial disease), Strangles, Hendra
Other: EI (Equine influenza), Salmonella, Rotavirus
What are the effects of tetanus in a horse? treatment? px husbandry timeline?
Bacteria lives in soil and enters through wound -> bacteria produces a neurotoxin -> causes spastic paralysis/ muscles -> leads to death
$$$ to cure, but easy to prevent (Equivac 2 in 1, Equivac T)
Vx: 3 months -> at least 4 wks after -> annual booster
What are the effects of Strangles in a horse? cause? treatment? px husbandry timeline?
Cause: naso/ oral secretion from horse-horse
Symptoms: painful swallowing and breathing (dyspnoea), cough, swollen pharyngeal lymph nodes that may rupture, purulent/ bloody nasal discharge
Vx: Equivac 2 in 1
12wks -> 14wks -> 16wks -> annual booster
What are the causes of Hendra? And symptoms?
What locations in the last 3 years have had hendra?
Vx?
Cause: bats -> horse (poo, urine, aborted fetus)
Recent 3 years: 2018 (Tweed Heads), 2019 (Scone), 2020 (Murwillumbah)
Symptoms (many): fever, increased HR, discomfort (leg shifting), rapid deterioration, Nervous system signs, resp. signs
Vx: Equivac HeV
What internal parasites are a concern in foals, and what concern does this become once an adult?
Is a low, moderate or high shedder more likely to infect other horses in a herd and are more susceptible to diease?
High shedder
What would you choose to cover against all types of worms in horses?
A product that contains both macrolytic lactones and praziquantal
What type of breeders are horses (long or short day?)
Long day/ summer
What use of reproductive technological is illegal in which horse industry (specific breed)?
The use of ET/ AI is illegal in the TB industry
What is the average cycle length of a horse and the oestrus length?
Cycle length: 21-22 days
Oestrus length: 4-7 days
What is diestrus and how long does it last in a horse?
DIESTRUS: the period after oestrus where they are no longer receptive to a male
How long does it last: 14-15 days
What acronym is associated with determining oestrus in a horse, and what do they stand for?
TUW
Tail up, urinating, winking
What diameter does a follicle need to be to rupture, and then become receptive to a male
> 50mm
Mare management: repro: when do you want to foal after? when do you join/ breed from, and what can help simulate longer days to stimulate early cycling
Foal just after 1st August
Breed/ join from 15th September (of the previous year)
Artificial lighting to stimulate early cycling
Why is the rate of conception usually 66% in TB and not higher? (4 main reasons)
- Imposition of inappropriate breeding season (September - December) when natural breeding is November-January
- Selection of breeders based on performance not fertility
- Persevering with breeding from aging mares/ stallions
- Breeding all mares regardless of reproductive performance
What are the 3 types of semen used in breeding (hint: storage type included) and why are they used?
Fresh: if mare has poor temper
Chilled: if travelling <24 hours
Frozen: worldwide/ nationwide
What is ET and what is it used for?
ET = embryo transfer
May be used if mare ‘cannot’ have/ support a foal (e.g. if a show horse - racing, dressage, jumper, older, uterine issues)
What is the FSH? and are horses able to receive it (why/ why not)?
FSH: Follicle stimulating hormone
Horse are not able to receive it as they are not receptive to the hormone
What checkpoint (days post breeding) should ultrasounds be performed and when can you insure the foal/ sign a pregnancy certificate?
11-16 days post breeding: check for pregnancy (and check if twin)
30 days: check still preg. (if twin, can try to abort)
45 days: check for normal develop (foal can now be insured/ preg. certificate can be completed)
What are the 3 stages of foaling?
- Uterine contraction
- Foaling proper
- Passing of placenta
How to manage foal rejection
Restraint, pharmaceuticals, physical barrier, surrogate dam (last resort)
What is foal heat
Mares can come into heat (oestrus) as early as 3-14 days post parturition
What is caslick’s operation? and why is it used? and what must occur to the area before breeding/ foaling?
Procedure: ‘vulvoplasty’ which seals the vulval lips together
Why: for mares with poor vulval conformation (which has let air/ faeces into repro. tract -> reduces fertility)
Must be opened prior to breeding/ foaling
Fill in the blank for the general feeding rule:
____ access to fresh, ____ ____
Unlimited access to fresh, clean water
Fill in the blank for the general feeding rule:
Feed only ____ quality ingredients, free from ___, rotten ____ and dust (which can cause b___)
Feed only high quality ingredients, free from mould, rotten food and dust (which can cause botulism)
Fill in the blank for the general feeding rule:
Diet should provide adequate f____ of h__ and/ or p___ at 1.5% ___/ ____
Diet should provide adequate forage of hay and/ or pasture at 1.5% BW/ day
Fill in the blank for the general feeding rule:
Select concentrate designed for the type of horse being fed: r___, e____, camp____, pony club, pasture potato
Select concentrate designed for the type of horse being fed: racing, endurance, campdrafting, pony club, pasture potato
Fill in the blank for the general feeding rule:
Monitor body condition to guide e___ i___
Monitor body condition to guide energy intake
Fill in the blank for the general feeding rule:
____or _____weight horses require an evaluation of their _____ ______
Under or overweight horses require an evaluation of their feeding program
Fill in the blank for the general feeding rule:
Restrict the amount of s___ per meal, ideal is 2-2.5g/kg of ___
Restrict the amount of starch per meal, ideal is 2-2.5g/kg of BW
Fill in the blank for the general feeding rule:
Feed regularly:
grain: - time per day (depending on requirement)
forage: c_____ access preferable OR _ times per day
Feed regularly:
grain: 1-3 time per day (depending on requirement)
forage: continual access preferable OR 3 times per day
Fill in the blank for the general feeding rule:
Make dietary changes slowly (1 ____ to switch)
Make dietary changes slowly (1 week to switch)
Fill in the blank for the general feeding rule:
Feed _____ for a specific reason: to complement forage and grain, supply nutrients missing from ration
Feed supplements for a specific reason: to complement forage and grain, supply nutrients missing from ration
What amount of ml/ kg/hr does a horse require? and what can influence this number to increase?
2ml/kg/hr, this can increase with high temps, humidity, exercise
What is the need for starch and carbohydrate intake?
To replace glycogen stores (in skeletal muscle) necessary for racing, running, jumping
What can an increase in dietary starch do to the digestive tract?
Can cause colic
What can an increase in starch and sugar do to the horse?
Can cause laminitis -> separation of the hoof wall from the foot
What are examples of roughage (5), concentrates (6) and protein supplements (6) in a horses diet?
Roughage: alfalfa, pasture (grass), legumes (lucerne, clover), cereal (oaten chaff)
Concentrates: grains (e.g. oats, barley, sorghum, maize, rice, commercial mixes)
Protein supplements: soybean meal, lucerne, lupins, cottonseed meal, sunflower seeds, linseed meal
If I have a 650kg horse, how much forage should they consume a day, and how much additional feed (in DM) should they consume to meet their goal?
1.5% in forage: 9.75kg
2% in DM: 13kg
additional feed to meet DM goal from forage: 3.25kg
In dentistry: what do SEP’s stand for and why must they be cut down regularly (and how regularly in adults)?
SEP: sharp enamel points
Must be cut down regularly due to ever erupting teeth continually forming SEP’s
Must be conducted yearly in adults
How to SEP’s form, and what feed causes more defines SEPs
caused by circular grinding motion of teeth, and are more common on soft feeds
How much does a hoof grow per month?
6-12 mm (~1cm)
As there is no standard vaccination routine for horses in Australia, how would you determine the need to vaccinate a horse for something?
You should consider:
- risk of a disease in a population
- consequence of the disease (death, severe illness, $$ to cure or little to no effect)
- efficacy of the product
- potential for adverse rxn
- $ of vx vs. $ of disease
3 Most relevant vx recommended for horses in SEQ
Hendra, strangles, tetanus
Choose the disease this description matches to:
- neurotoxin is produced by the bacteria and causes spastic paraylsis
- Vx: Equivac T, Equivac 2 in 1
- Bacterial disease living in the soil
- clostridium tetani
Tetanus
Choose the disease this description matches to:
- passed naso-oro
- not fatal (death) but can have severe complications
- symptoms: painful swallowing and breathing, swollen pharyngeal lymph nodes that can rupture, purulent/ bloody nasal discharge
- streptococcus equi infection
- Equivac 2 in 1
Strangles
Choose the disease this description matches to:
- nervous and respiratory symptoms
- plentiful number of symptoms: rapid onset of illness, fever, weight shifting on legs (discomfort), increased HR/RR
- Equivac HeV
- once vaccinated, horse must be identifiable with a microchip
- transmissible bats -> horse (urine, faeces, aborted fetus)
- member of the henipavivirus
Hendra
Should foal internal parasite treatment focus on strongyles or roundworms and ascarids, and at what age should the focus shift and why?
Foals: roundworms and ascarids
>6 months old: focus on strongyles as they develop immunity to roundworms
Do young adults or adults carry a higher worm burden, and should they be treated as a low, moderate or high shedder (and what is this frequency)?
Young adults carry a higher worm burden, and should be treated as a higher shedder (tx 3-4 x per year)
What are the causes of a 66% conception rate in the thoroughbred horse industry?
- imposing an inappropriate breeding season (Sep-dec) instead of natural breeding season (Nov-Feb - long day breeder)
- selecting breeder based on performance not fertility
- persevering with breeding from aging mares/ stallions due to increased performance of their offspring
- breeding all mares regardless of repro performance
