Equine
Equine Emergency Preparedness
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By Dr. Garrett Metcalf
There will come a time for every horse owner or trainer to experience an equine emergency situation. Horses like to harm themselves because they are prey animals. They only know that if something is scaring them they run away as fast as possible and it doesn’t matter what is in their way. These behavior traits often lead to emergency situations and hopefully this article will help horse owners be more prepared in those situations. This is making it difficult for equine owners to get emergency help and making it difficult for the currently practicing equine veterinarians to keep up with the demand, especially in emergency situations. The need for owners and trainers to be more prepared for emergency situations is rather important for the health of the horse and the health of your veterinarian. Most solo practitioners cannot be on call that much or at all after hours leaving most owners with the options of referral to a 24 hour facility or to manage the problem themselves until the next day. The goal of this article is to help horse owners to be prepared as they can be for emergency situations when they arise.
The equine veterinary community is experience a rather tough situation with the lack of graduating veterinarians entering the equine market. The latest statistics from American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) has found that only 1.3 percent of veterinary students start work in the equine field directly out school. There are 4.5 percent that enter an internship but out of this total amount roughly half this group will not continue working in equine practices by five years. To add to the problem more than 60 veterinarians are retiring from equine each year in the United States and this is expected to grow at a rate of three percent each year. To put another way there are on average 4,000 veterinary students that graduate each year and only 150 of them are entering some form of equine field with only 50 entering directly into practice.
To read more, pick up a copy of the November issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
Equine
Beat the Heat
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By Krista Lucas Wynn
The month of August is smack dab in the middle of summer. When in the thick of the hot summer days, it is important to keep horses, livestock and yourself cool, whether leisurely riding, competing or traveling. Texas temperatures, along with the humidity, can be extremely draining on equine athletes and riders alike.
The 100-plus degree days should come as no surprise. It happens routinely every year, and in true Texas summer fashion, it does not cool off much at night either. Horses cannot get much relief from the conditions, unless provided by a responsible owner. Sweating day in and day out can be detrimental to horse health.
It is vital to have fresh, cool water in front of horses at all times. Stalled horses should have at least two buckets in front of them. Electrolytes can help replace any lost hydration after riding. Fans are an important item to have on hand as well. They keep air moving, and now that it is dry and dusty, air movement is even more important.
To read more, pick up a copy of the August issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
Equine
Equine Metabolic SyndromeThe Easy Keeper Disease
![](https://ntfronline.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Untitled-1.jpg)
By Dr. Garrett Metcalf, DVM
It is that time of year when cases in veterinary practices that are diagnosed with EMS or Equine Metabolic Syndrome spike. The reason cases of EMS spike are because the fast growth that pastures experience in the spring. Before EMS was well understood or discovered, many of these horses were diagnosed with grass founder, but through research the process of the disease is now better understood. The disease is caused by obese overfed horses and breeds of horses that have “hardy genes.” These are breeds that generally need less caloric intake to meet their daily energy needs. Although some breeds are at higher risk such as ponies, just about any breed can develop EMS.
Risk Factors for EMS
The key risk factor for development of EMS is weight gain, breed, high caloric intake and very little or inconsistent exercise. Horses that gain weight easily on pasture turn out or are getting too many calories from grains plus hay can be put at risk of EMS. Increasing levels of obesity in horses causes insulin resistance just like in humans, but fortunately for the horse, they have a very robust pancreas that is able to keep up with the extra demand for insulin to provide adequate amounts of glucose to tissue and organ systems despite the insulin resistance. This overproduction of insulin in order to keep up with the resistance causes a very key clinical sign of laminitis, which can be the most debilitating and difficult consequence of EMS. More than 90 percent of horses will present for laminitis as the first clinical sign of EMS. Unfortunately, the clinical signs for laminitis can go undetected for many months or even years in some cases until the progression of the laminitis reaches a very severe tipping point.
To read more, pick up a copy of the August issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
Equine
A Memorial Roping
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By Krista Lucas Wynn
The annual Windy Ryon roping was held on Memorial weekend, May 24-26, 2024. The bucket list event, in Saginaw, Texas, featured exciting competition in team roping, breakaway roping, tie down roping, steer roping, and team tying. Miraculously, the weather did not play much of a factor in the arena conditions, and it was a fun time had by all.
The three days of competition was the 50th year for the Windy Ryon, named after the cowboy businessman who founded Ryon’s Saddle Shop and Western Store, located in the historic Fort Worth Stockyards. The arena is conveniently just 10 minutes from the Stockyards, giving fans a full day of western activities. The weekend kicked off Friday, May 24, with an open breakaway roping, women’s team roping and open team roping.
To read more, pick up a copy of the July issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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