Spring 2022

Equus

An annual index turns EQUUS issues into a valuable reference library

Equus1 min read
Equus
CONTENT DIRECTOR Laurie Prinz CONTENT MANAGER Christine Barakat CONTENT SPECIALIST Laurel Scott CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Deb Bennett, PhD; Laura Hillenbrand CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Eliza R.L. McGraw; Tom Moates CREATIVE DIRECTOR Philip Cooper EDITORIAL ADVI
Equus3 min read
Letters
Thank you for “Hanging in the Balance” (EQUUS 506), your three-part article about Arteiro, the Lusitano gelding that got cast and was dangling from his fetlock in his stall. A resilient, attentive and hands-on owner made all the difference in his rec
Equus7 min read
Lost And Found In America
A pamphlet I read in a truck stop described this part of New Mexico as “where the Great Plains meets the Rockies.” The stretch of road from Tucumcari to Albuquerque was described as “featureless” in the brochure, but whoever wrote that was missing so
Equus1 min readChemistry
The Genetics Of Hair Whorls
Genetic research from Brazil may provide the first step in scientifically linking hair whorls to particular personality traits in horses. Areas where a horse’s coat grows in a spiral-like formation, hair whorls can occur anywhere on a horse’s body, b
Equus3 min read
Why Hospitalized Horses Have Trouble Sleeping
For horses, as for people, a hospital stay can be exhausting because the environment is so disruptive to sleep patterns---and the effect is even worse for those with arthritis. That’s what researchers in Brazil found in a recent study. Horses can doz
Equus3 min read
Causes Of Fatal Artery Failures Investigated
Belgian researchers are investigating the factors that put horses at risk for fatal aortic ruptures. Although arterial failures that result in the sudden deaths of racehorses and other equine athletes tend to garner the most attention, this problem i
Equus1 min read
A Better Way To Predict Colic Outcomes
Making a treatment decision for a horse in the throes of colic can be difficult. Will surgery save his life or simply prolong his pain? To help clinicians make more accurate prognoses—and, specifically, identify horses most likely to survive—research
Equus10 min read
Hambletonian And Sons
By all accounts, William Rysdyk was a man with a plan. He paid his employer Jonas Seely, a prosperous farmer and knowledgeable horseman of Orange County, New York, the sum of $125 for a well-bred and well-conformed colt, then set out to breed good ho
Equus2 min read
How Conformation Analysis Is Done
As the model for this diagram and explanation, I have used Hambletonian’s son Wilkins Micawber. The first step is to make an outline drawing directly from a photograph or accurate painting of the horse. Next, the palpation points (black dots and tria
Equus2 min readHorses
The Effects Of Age On Conformation
Schreiber & Sons, a Philadelphia firm famous for their images of horses, took a photograph of Rysdyk’s Hambletonian when he was 17 years old. As it happens, a conformation photo was not taken of the Quarter Horse sire Old Sorrel until he was nearly 3
Equus7 min readHorses
Portraits And Pedigrees Of Sons And A Daughter Of Rysdyk’s Hambletonian
The conformation analyses presented in this article are based on this group of images. Quantitative analysis is never enough, however; the prospective buyer or breeder needs to look at the horse “in the flesh” in order to gain an impression of the ha
Equus1 min readHorses
Breeder’s Choice: What Mare To Cover?
Damsire frequency among all RH get. American Star was by far the most popular bloodline among 19th century breeders. He presents very correct conformation, a safe and sensible choice that consistently produced harness race winners—some 46% of Hamblet
Equus2 min readHorses
Measuring Success In The Breeding Shed
This chart shows the percentage of winners sired by sons of RH (excluding Black’s Hambletonian, Post’s Hambletonian and Wilkins Micawber who had few recorded progeny). Number in red is the total number of progeny surveyed for each stallion. Bars repr
Equus3 min readHorses
Increase Of Inbreeding Through Time
A simple way to estimate inbreeding is to select a group of horses who all have the same sire, then comb through each of their pedigrees to count the number of repetitions of certain names that occur within ten generations. In this chart I compare 20
Equus8 min read
Three Simple Rules For Effective Spring grooming
It’s that time of year: Spring is in the air, bringing with it an urge to hit the trails, the outdoor arena or the show ring. But have you taken a good look at your horse lately? Depending on where you live, he could very well be a dirty, furry deter
Equus1 min read
Cleaning The Cleaners
Dirty brushes can harbor bacteria and fungi that cause skin problems, so it’s wise to give them a thorough spring-cleaning. Start by giving the bristles a good vacuuming. Then soak the brushes for about 15 minutes in warm, soapy water (an antiseptic-
Equus1 min read
Whiter Whites
The trick to maintaining any white markings on your horse—or managing an entirely grey horse—is to stay on top of the stains. The longer you leave manure or grass stains, the more difficult they become to remove. Traditional homemade preparations for
Equus1 min read
A Traditional Technique
If you’re looking to add something new to your grooming routine, consider “strapping.” An old-school tradition in hunter and eventing barns, strapping (also called “banging”) is a technique performed after brushing the horse’s body that utilizes a ro
Equus11 min read
Successful Stall Rest
Ah, here it is,” the veterinarian says while pressing an ultrasound wand along your horse’s leg. The dark flecks on the computer screen look trivial, like gnats. But his next words make it clear that they aren’t. “Suspensory ligament’s torn. We’re lo
Equus2 min read
The Benefits Of Hand-walking
Walking is excellent exercise for restricted horses. It’s low-impact but increases blood circulation, which speeds healing. It also limits the chance of colic and gastric ulcers. And it prevents the horse from building up dangerous levels of unused e
Equus1 min read
Reducing Boredom And Anxiety
If your recuperating horse seems bored, hang a toy in his stall. It won’t take much space up high, and some can be baited with treats for greater interest. Offer hay in a hanging net or slow feeder so it lasts longer. If your horse panics in close qu
Equus4 min read
From Racetrack to Ranchwork? Friends of Ferdinand Graduates Try Cattle Sorting
Off-track Thoroughbreds are versatile. They are not only becoming highly sought-after partners in many English disciplines, but also are increasingly popular in Western sports. On May 8, three Friends of Ferdinand Inc. (FFI) graduates and one adoptab
Equus7 min read
Not So “Dumb” After All
You can work with that baby. He’s a dummy foal, so he’s a slow learner,” my friend Jen told me. “Nobody has really done anything with him.” She gestured toward a leopard Appaloosa colt, not quite a year old, standing alone by the gate. Early spring s
Equus3 min read
The Madigan Squeeze
“Dummy foal” syndrome is an umbrella term for abnormalities that leave a newborn foal disoriented and disconnected from its dam and environment. The abnormal behavior can vary from having a suckle reflex but not seeking the mammary gland to severe co
Equus3 min read
Second Chance Horseman
Tyler Murray stood bewildered in the pasture, muck bucket and manure fork in hand. Looking around him incredulously, he turned to the man next to him. “So you’re telling me I have to drag this heavy thing around and pick up poop?” The corrections off
Equus3 min read
Management
Q: Has a link been established between trailering and colic? Twice in the past year my mare has walked off the trailer after a day of showing looking very uncomfortable. Both times, the veterinarian came out, diagnosed mild colic and gave her a dose
Equus2 min read
Disease
Q: Can infectious diseases be passed from horse to horse by sharing bridles? I recently lent a friend a bridle when she forgot hers at an event, and someone else told us we should never do that because diseases can be passed on bits. Is that somethin
Equus2 min read
Skin Care
Q: Every winter, within a few weeks of putting blankets on my horse, he gets some type of crusty growth on his back---mostly along the top of his rump and hips. I think it may be rainrot. It’s too cold here to bathe him in the winter, so I’ve tried s
Equus1 min read
In Brief: Rainrot
Definition: infection of the skin and hair follicles with Dermatophilus congolensis bacteria, which are ubiquitous in the soil and on a horse’s skin, but are activated only in the presence of persistent moisture. Causes: Prolonged exposure to moistur
Equus1 min read
What A Warm Up Can Do For Your Horse
Your horse may be a little stiff at the beginning of your rides for a variety of reasons. Inactivity can cause tissues to contract, making it uncomfortable for a horse to use a joint through its entire range of motion. Inflammatory agents that collec
Equus2 min read
Management
Q: How long can hoof pads be left on a horse? My horse has sensitive feet and is much more comfortable with pads, but I worry about what’s going on underneath them unseen. Are horses with pads more likely to get thrush? Does he need to go without the
Equus3 min read
Keywords
choke---in horses, obstruction of the esophagus; in people, obstruction of the windpipe (trachea). corpora nigra---irregular, awning-like projection of the eye’s iris, suspended over the upper edge of the pupil to shield the retina from excessive lig
Equus1 min read
Advertisers’ Product Guide
The Gaited Horse Associations www.partwalkinghorse.com/www.walkaloosaregistry.com 92 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day www.kentuckythreedayevent.com 74 Morris Animal Foundation www.morrisanimalfoundation.org59 Blankets by Jacks Inc. www.jacksmfg.com 48 K
Equus3 min read
Passages
Hang around horse farms long enough and you become a master of opening sticky gates. “There’s a trick to that one!” someone will inevitably holler. You do, indeed, need to do something special to open many gates. You may find yourself, lead rope in o
Equus2 min read
This Month’s Experts
Anthony Blikslager, DVM, PhD, DACVS, is a professor at North Carolina State University, where he received his doctorate in gastroenterology. He earned his veterinary degree from the Virginia–Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine in Blacksb
Equus3 min read
Senior Care
Q: I have a 16-year-old gelding who I adore and plan to keep until the end of his life. My past experiences with old horses have been that overall muscle weakness compromised their ability to get around. Both of my other aged horses had some arthriti

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