The Horse:Your Guide To Equine Health Care provides monthly equine health care information to horse owners, breeders, veterinarians, barn/farm managers, trainer/riding instructors, and others involved in the hands-on care of the horse.
Issue link: https://thehorse.epubxp.com/i/570682
8 TheHorse.com THE HORSE October 2015 Keep in touch! @TheHorse facebook.com/TheHorse @TheHorseMag Manage horses like they live in na- ture, they say. Let them move around constantly and forage, they say. We who love and care for our horses understand these tenets and strive to follow them at all times … we really do. But what if our horses' constant movement—or, in Dorado's case, oc- casional acrobatic spell—is to their detriment? Erica stressed over Dorado's stress; I could see it in her expres- sion when she spoke about his recovery. Dorado is a social butterfly who stays on the move and usually is turned out for the better part of 24 hours. She knew that, confined, he had the potential to develop ulcers, and she knew from his history and nature that he might not tolerate long-term stall rest. But she made the best of her situation, as many of us do when push comes to shove with our horses' well-being: ■ She placed two haynets in his stall at different positions to keep him eating 24/7. ■ She made sure he had plenty of clean, fresh water, adding electro- lytes to one of the buckets. ■ She tried to offer him entertain- ment, in the form of a stall toy. (Funny enough, he gives it a wide berth, but at least Erica feels like she's done something to help him!) ■ She made sure he was stabled be- side a buddy as often as possible. Dorado graduated to paddock turnout recently and, true to form, he got a little bored with grazing and his newfound freedom within a few minutes, waiting at the gate to come back in and watch the goings-on of the barn aisle. Erica experimented, adding an older gelding to his paddock that refused to participate in any rearing, bucking, or other extracurricular ac- tivities Dorado would try to launch. It appears, 2.5 months out, that she's done a good job in keeping Dorado's gut in good shape, all the while keeping his body in one piece. This month several researchers give us valuable insight on physi- ological stress in horses, from recog- nizing signs to minimizing stressors in your horse's life (see the article beginning on page 21). Interestingly, Camie Heleski, PhD, an equitation science researcher at Michigan State University, points out that managing stress isn't neces- sarily synonymous with avoiding it—some potentially stressful experi- ences are stimulating and helpful for our horses if we approach them with care, planning, and preparation. And for those of us who lose sleep over our horses' stress levels, that's very good news. h Stressing Over Stress VIEWPOINT STEPHANIE L. CHURCH Editor-in-Chief @TH_StephLChurch D orado gets bored easily. Very easily. So says Erica, our news editor, about her 19-year-old off-track Thoroughbred who was sidelined by a laminitis episode in early June. Tasked with getting her horse well and protecting the sensitive structures in his feet from any further damage, Erica had to restrict Dorado to his stall 24/7 for two weeks, fol- lowed by another two months of stall rest and twice-a-day walks. Some days Dorado was relaxed and calm on the lead. Others, he was like a kite on a blustery day. Publisher: Marla Bickel Editor-in-Chief: Stephanie L. Church Managing Editor: Alexandra Beckstett News Editor: Erica Larson Digital Managing Editor: Michelle N. Anderson Art Director: Brian Turner Digital Producer: Jennifer Whittle Brand Manager: Shawna White EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Scott Anderson, DVM Jerry Black, DVM Anthony Blikslager, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVS Tom Brokken, DVM Ann Dwyer, DVM Benjamin Espy, DVM, Dipl. ACT Margo Macpherson, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACT; Kyla Ortved, DVM, Dipl. ACVS Debra C. Sellon, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM Debra Taylor, DVM Educational Partnership Disclaimer: The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP), one of The Horse's partners in equine health, has no involvement regarding editorial management or advertising content within this publication and thereby does not endorse any editorial or advertising content unless so acknowledged within the individual article or advertisement. ADVERTISING SALES AND SERVICES advertise@TheHorse.com West Coast Advertising Executive: Yvonne Long, 859/276-6701 ylong@TheHorse.com East Coast Advertising Executive: Leigh Walkup, 859/276-6710 lwalkup@TheHorse.com Sales Support: Kelly Stephens, 859/276-6740 kstephens@TheHorse.com PUBLISHED BY THE HORSE MEDIA GROUP LLC For up-to-date news, in-depth horse health articles, and more, go to TheHorse.com MEDIAGROUP LLC