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.
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6 TheHorse.com THE HORSE March 2018 Find out how certain supplements can benefit your horse's hooves. Sponsored by Zinpro. TheHorse. com/40220. Learn what you'll need to identify and retrieve your horse if he got lost during a disaster. Eric Davis, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, ACVIM, of the University of California, Davis, and Rebecca McConnico, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, of Louisiana Tech University, explain. TheHorse.com/39725. Janik Gasiorowski, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, and Retired Racehorse Project's Steuart Pittman answer your questions about moving racehorses into new careers. Sponsored by Retired Racehorse Project. TheHorse.com/40099. WHAT'S ONLINE Feed Your Horse Right Watch: Equine Recurrent Uveitis CURRENTLY on Do you have questions about your horse's diet? Send them to THEditorialStaff@TheHorse.com for a nutritionist's response. Sponsored by LMF Feeds. ■ Is Sugar Beet Pulp Too High in Sugar for Horses? TheHorse.com/40143 ■ Possible Problems Caused by Feeding Horses Bran Mashes, TheHorse.com/40120 ■ Copra Meal or Rice Bran to Help Horses Gain Weight? TheHorse.com/40172 David Wilkie, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVO, of The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, shares information about equine recurrent uveitis, also known as "moon blindness." Topics covered include clinical signs, causes, exams, treatment, and the disease in adult horses and foals. TheHorse.com/UKLectures. Listen: Transitioning Thoroughbreds Off the Track Read: Hoof Supplements At a Glance Listen: How to Collect Your Lost Horse After a Natural Disaster J.J. SILLMAN/COURTESY BROOKE SCHAFER ISTOCK.COM Read: 10 Insights Into Learning Theory ■ HORSE HEALTH This award-winning e-newsletter offers news on diseases, veterinary research, and health events, along with in-depth articles on common equine health conditions. Supported by Zoetis . ■ HORSE WELFARE AND INDUSTRY Get the latest news on equine welfare, industry happenings, and horse-related business. E-NEWSLETTERS Get Horse Health News Delivered To You! ■ SPECIALTY WEEKLY E-NEWSLETTERS ■ Nutrition ■ Soundness & Lameness ■ Reader Favorites MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTERS ■ Behavior ■ Breeding ■ Farm & Barn ■ Older Horse Care ■ Sports Medicine ■ Bluegrass Equine Digest is published monthly in partnership with UK Ag Equine and the Gluck Equine Research Center and is supported by Zoetis . 1 Creating and properly maintain- ing arena and racetrack footing is important not only for equine injury prevention but also for rider safety. In recent years it's been a growing research focus for scientists around the world. One of those researchers, Mick Peterson, PhD, is the director of the University of Kentucky (UK) Ag Equine Programs, a faculty member within UK's Biosystems and Agricul- tural Engineering Department, and ex- ecutive director of the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory (RSTL). The RSTL, founded by Peterson and Wayne McIlwraith, BVSc, PhD, DSc, FRCVS, Dipl. ACVS, a professor at Colorado State University's College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, has a more than 10-year his- tory of examining surfaces at race- tracks and equestrian sports venues worldwide, developing protocols and standards, and offering recommenda- tions. Peterson is considered one of the world's premiere experts in testing of high-level competition surfaces. Regardless of whether the RSTL team is working on a track (dirt, turf, or synthetic) or arena, its objective of surface testing remains the same. Here, we'll focus on racetrack surface testing; a later article will address arenas. "The goal (of surface testing) is to create a consistent surface and to meet the needs of the event," Peterson said. Ensuring racetrack surfaces meet the established criteria is fairly straightforward, he said. One param- eter the surface testing team can use to determine if the surface is doing its job well is race times for a particular day. However, it is critical on those occasions when a horse is injured and/ or safety questions arise that complete data is available to ensure the safest possible surface is provided for racing. Testing track surfaces involves examining its composition, as well as how the footing performs during use. Once investigators perform these tests, they can make recommendations for improvement, whether it be the foot- ing's contents or how it's maintained. Surface testing isn't a one-time event; rather, its a regular part of track maintenance. Part of their goal is to ensure proper long-term surface maintenance. The Maintenance Qual- ity System (MQS), which Peterson and the RSTL developed, involves a methodical approach of assessing and maintaining the surface prior to every event; it also assists track maintenance workers in enhancing the maintenance protocols already in place. This is the fi rst in a series of articles looking at the testing and maintenance of equine competition surfaces worldwide. N o matter the discipline—be it a horse race, show jumping competition, dressage test, reining pattern, or any other equine events that take place every year—all have one singular requirement they need to take place: appropriate and safe footing. In is Issue Feeding Healthy Senior Horses 02 Cold Spells Stress Livestock 05 Dr. Uneeda Bryant Recognized 07 Mineral of the Month: Zinc 10 Engineers inspect tracks prior to a race meet or before a change in season, depending on how long the venue operates each year, to ensure it is fully prepared for a safe competition. ANNE M. EBERHARDT/THE HORSE CA.UKY.EDU/EQUINE ❙ THEHORSE.COM ❙ JANUARY 2018 B R O U G H T T O Y O U B Y PART ONE: AN INTRODUCTION TO SURFACE TESTING Surface Testing: Keeping Horse and Rider Safety in Mind A At Glance S P O N S O R E D B Y Hooves are, quite literally, our horses' foundations, so it's no wonder we strive to ensure good hoof health. By Christa Lesté-Lasserre, MA / Reviewed by Clair Thunes, PhD iStock.com SupplementS e quine HOOF Genetics: strong hooves are inherited Nutrition: nutrients build good hoove s Environment: moderate moisture and good footing Exercise: movement encourages healthy hoof grow th Poor nutrition Rocky and hard footing Wet, muddy footing Urine and ammonia exposure the ingredients of a good hoof supplement: ■ Essential amino acids, the building blocks of protein: lysinE and mEthioninE ■ trace minerals: zinc, coppEr, an d manganEsE ■ Vitamins: Vitamin B Bi otin ■ Fats: lEcithin and/or omEga-3 Fatty Genetics i Stock.com Exercise i Stock.com Muddy footing i Stock.com What makes a G reat hoof? What's ba d for hooves? 5 steps to better nutrition for healthier hooves: Check your hay. Is it good quality? Fresh and palatable? Get a hay analysis to see a breakdown of nutrient content. Check your feed. Are you feeding the right kind for your individual horse? Are you feeding according to package directions? Check with your veterinarian. Does your horse have a health issue (such as pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction, or equine Cushing's) that's causing poor hoof quality? Consult a nutritionist. Even an online consultation with a nutritionist anywhere in the world can advise you on your horse's nutritional needs for better hooves. Select, if necessary, a hoof supplement with the help of your nutritionist. Hoof supplement Jani S tremper i S t o c k . c o m k e i t h l a r S o n 1 2 3 4 5 Thursday, March 8 ❙ 8 p.m. EST Metabolic Issues: What's the Difference? Learn what distinguishes PPID, EMS, and IR from each other and how to care for "metabolic" horses. Sponsored by Metabarol by Equithrive ASK THE HORSE LIVE! Visit TheHorse.com/ AskTheHorseLive There's a better way to interact with horses. Sponsored by Zylkene. TheHorse.com/ 40157. This download may be reprinted and distributed in this exact form for educational purposes only in print or electronically. It may not be used for commercial purposes in print or electronically or republished on a website, forum, or blog. For more horse health information on this and other topics visit www.TheHorse.com . Published by The Horse: Your Guide To Equine Health Care, © Copyright 2018 The Horse Media Group. Contact editorial@TheHorse.com . Special Report S P O N S O R E D B Y iStock.com 1 Horse training should involve the correct use of what is known as learning theory. Its main learning processes are habituation (becom- ing accustomed to things), sensitization, shaping, operant conditioning (positive and negative rein - forcement), and classical conditioning (using predictable signals). eHorse.com/36474 2 In one study, Scottish researchers found notable improvement in horses' cooperation with veterinary examinations and treatments when veterinarians, technicians, and other handlers applied learning theory during the visit. TheHorse.com/29918 3 An Italian-American study found that although only 34% of the respondents gave correct answers to definition questions about learning theory, more of them actually understood how to apply the learning theory with horses. Still, riders able to apply learning theory correctly repre- sented the minority. eir responses indicated that 41% knew how to use a whip correctly and 39% knew how to use their leg correctly. eHorse.com/37936 4 Positive reinforcement involves rewarding the horse for a desired behavior. Reward examples include treats, verbal praise, petting, and wither scratching. TheHorse.com/36895 PAG E 1 O F 2 1 0 i n s i g h t s i n t o L e a r n i n g t h e o r y a n d H o r s e s What if we had a better way to communicate with our horses? A system that reduced horses' fear and increased safety during handling. We do! Learning theory is the conceptual framework describing how knowledge is absorbed, processed, and retained during learning. Applying learning theory to horse training is changing the way we interact with our horses and challenging long-held training traditions and beliefs. As researchers investigate how horses learn, we all gain an improved understanding of equine intelligence and capability. Are you ready to find out more? Here are 10 research-based learning theory insights to get you started. Researchers have found horses learn tasks more quickly if their handlers use treats to positively reinforce wanted behaviors.