Lecture 11 Horses Flashcards

Question

Balance: herbage yield and horse productivity – 7 principles

Answer 1

1) Grazing paddocks just before the rate of grass leaf growth declines 2) Allowing time for grass to recover 3) Replacing depleted nutrients 4) Determining the optimum interval between grazing 5) Applying an understanding of the life cycles of the critical pasture worm parasite of horses 6) Understanding temperament of each horse at grazing 7) Applying an understanding of each horses environmental needs

Answer 2

* General guideline is 1.5 horses per ha * High quality grassland: 3-4 light horses (400 kg) or 4-6 smaller ponies/ hectare * Low quality permanent pasture: as little as 1 horse/ hectare

Answer 3

0.7-1.0 ha/mare + foal

Answer 4

2-2.5 growing horses per hectare

Answer 5

* Helps to reduce parasitic infestation * Each will eat around the others’ droppings * More uniform use of the pastures * Cattle will graze otherwise wasted feed

Answer 6

* Topping should be carried out before seed heads are formed * Consider fencing requirements for mixed grazing

Answer 7

1.5 horses / ha High SR leads to depressed grass growth, parasite transmission and bullying Horses receive a better diet and ingest fewer intestinal parasitic worm larvae Lactating mares and young stallions can bully cattle/ sheep

Answer 8

Horses and sheep graze more closely than cattle Repeated cutting for hay/haylage leads to pastures that are less suitable for horse grazing – less firm mat of herbage for exercise Close cutting in spring reduces subsequent grass seed production Repeated close grazing reduces the proportion of clover in sward and total annual production

Answer 9

* Carried out in spring to remove dead material from the base of the sward * Carried out in Autumn to break up dung patches and increase the rate of breakdown * Problematic during summer - although can lead to increased dehydration of parasitic eggs * Removal of dung

Answer 10

Only carried out when absolutely necessary * If badly damaged by poaching or drought * If totally dominated by perennial weeds or weed grasses * To level out very uneven ground Seed mixture has different requirements to conventional

Answer 11

Need to match production of grass with palatability and a cushioning effect for horses Less productive grasses are desirable in this case – 50% late perennial ryegrass – 25% turf-forming grasses – 25% meadow grass, such as creeping red fescue or timothy – No clover (colic - abdominal pain/GIT Issues) – Herbs may be included but are difficult to establish

Answer 12

Seeding rate 11 to 15 kg/acre or 37kg/ha No clover (colic - abdominal pain/GIT Issues)

Answer 13

Greengold (PRG) Intermediate tetraploid 1.5 Tyrone (PRG) Late diploid 2.0 Mezquita (PRG) Late diploid 2.0

Answer 14

Hard wearing amenity varieties for excellent ground cover 50% forage varieties for grazing

Answer 15

Late Winter: Soil test to establish pH and other nutrient levels Early Spring: Harrow, roll pasture, reseed (only if needed), close area for hay, manage excess grass!! Weed management Late Spring/ Early summer: Apply N, P fertiliser Target pre-grazing = PGSH = 4cm Continue control of invasive weeds: docks/ragworth Summer: Top to ensure adequate sward heights Make Hay Autumn: Beware of ‘autumn flush’ Winter: Rotate paddocks Remember Pick up faeces

Answer 16

Hay Haylage

Answer 17

Hay- 85+ Haylage- 50-65%

Answer 18

* 7d sunny conditions * Dust – soaking

Answer 19

* 3-4d sunny conditions * Higher nutritive value * Perishable when open (4-5days) * Retain some green colouring

Answer 20

* Stage of maturity – Leafiness vs. stem * Foreign material – Weeds, debris etc – ‘Clean’ meadow * Forage management – Hay: Mow after dew is gone, wide swaths, tedding – Haylage: 8-10cm stubble, ted twice daily, wrap within 2hrs of bailing with 6-8 layers of plastic

Answer 21

Horse digests fibre less easily vs ruminants * Shorter grass containing a higher proportion of leaf is a more valuable feed than that approaching maturity * However temperate grasses contain large amounts of WSC * The highest risk periods are during spring and autumn when the grass grows most rapidly

Answer 22

Laminitis is a painful condition involving inflammation and weakening of the laminae that bonds the hoof wall to the pedal bone in the hoof.

Answer 23

* Excess nonstructural carbohydrates (ie. sugars, starch, fructan) * Unable to digest all of the carbohydrate in the forgut * Excess moves to the hindgut and ferments in the caecum Results in the production of LAB and production of LA * Decrease in CHO fermenting bacteria * Endotoxins and exotoxins may then be absorbed into the bloodstream, due to increased gut permeability, caused by irritation of the gut lining by increased acidity. * Endotoxaemia results in impaired circulation, particularly in the feet

Answer 24

* Restricting grass consumption: – reducing the time spent at grass – using a less productive paddock with traditional meadow species – allowing access to only a small area of grazing at a time – keeping pasture topped or by cross grazing with sheep etc. – muzzle to restrict a horse or pony's grass intake * Traditional meadow pastures are likely to be lower in WSC

Answer 25

Wet weather in : Poor grass growth, bare patches, and poached fields If 10-20% of the grassland is weeds – reduce the pasture’s nutritional value, grazing area and grass growth Certain weeds can also make hay and haylage unpalatable Control: drainage, fertility, grazing, topping and mowing

Answer 26

Noxious weeds: Ragwort, thistle and dock

Answer 27

Common Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea) contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids which are poisonous to horses, other farm animals such as sheep and cattle and also to wild animals such as hare and deer.

Answer 28

Most frequent causes of plant poisoning - equines and bovines are more at risk than mature animals Proliferates in well-drained soils, poaching, open swards, soil disturbance Normally biennial, present as a rosette close to the ground in spring of its first year then growing upwards and flowering during the summer of its second year Cutting or topping ragwort may alter the plant's lifecycle and result in it being present as a perennial Dormant in soil for up to 20 years Ragwort becomes much more palatable following cutting or treatment - as the plants wilt and dry, the bitter taste is lost. Horses lose the ability to detect it and are therefore likely to eat it readily > never allow animals access to plants which have been treated or removed from pasture

Answer 29

Toxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids are present in all parts of ragwort * Following consumption, the toxins are absorbed from the GIT and are released in the liver – cell damage – inhibit the organ's normal repair and regeneration processes

Answer 30

- depend on the severity of the poisoning – loss of weight and condition; – jaundice; – photosensitive dermatitis; – behavioral abnormalities; – a staggering gait; impaired vision; – abdominal pain and convulsions – Up to 75% of liver can be damaged

Answer 31

The following techniques can be used alone or in combination to reduce, control or eliminate ragwort: * good pasture management * Control needs to be ongoing and combined with good pasture management. – Cutting (short lived benefit) – Digging/ pulling (short lived benefit) – Herbicide application (chemical control of weeds plan)

Answer 32

A number of common garden plants, hedging and shrubs are dangerous to horses and must be monitored for their presence in grazing areas: E.g. laburnum, alder buckthorn, common alder, holly, juniper, cherry laurel and daphne laurel. Also, box, privet, rhododendron, robinia, thuja and St. John’s wort.

Answer 33

➢ Sycamore seeds (helicopters) ➢ Deadly nightshade ➢ Yew ➢ Foxglove ➢ Buttercup ➢ Oak leaves and acorns (large amounts) ➢ Bracken ➢ Horsetails ➢ Hemlock