News: Articles: An Amateur Point of View

An Amateur Point Of View

Understanding Equine Health, Part II—
New Products And Procedures
by Russ Vento

As Amateurs, It Is Our Responsibility To Educate Ourselves

  As I did last month, let me start off by saying that I’m not a veterinarian or a veterinarian’s assistant, and I have never been to veterinary school. Everything I say here is just from my experience in horses over the past 30 years. Like many amateurs, I enjoy learning about my horses, and I don’t think I’m alone in that. In talking to other amateurs, I get the feeling that many of us feel it’s important to understand as much as much as possible about our horses’ health, how they feel, and what we as humans can do to keep them healthy. Fortunately, many of us have trainers (and probably all of us have veterinarians) to oversee the situation, but in my opinion, it’s still better if we get involved and get educated. I ask questions about anything new, and in my experience, most trainers and veterinarians are glad to answer—as long as I am respectful of their time and expertise (or in other words, don’t ask when they are in the middle of doing something else, and don’t ask in an accusatory manner). Usually, an educated owner makes a trainer’s or veterinarian’s job easier.
  Last month, I detailed a few health issues and treatments that I’ve been through with my horses. This month, I’d like to talk about a few new procedures and medications that I’ve seen which may be very helpful in alleviating some equine health problems in the future.
  A new process one of our veterinarians has been using lately—and which we’ve seen success with—is shockwave therapy. It is used on horses who are sore in certain areas, and is just what it sounds like. Shockwaves are directed at a chosen site on a horse’s body to increase blood flow, and may cause a numbing effect, but the treatment ultimately is healing. That can work for the hocks, shoulders, ankles, backs, hips, wherever necessary, and its effect can last for 24 to 36 hours In my experience, most horses seem to really like it (as opposed to humans; I’ve seen it done to people, and it’s been very painful!).
  One aspect of shockwave therapy that I like to careful about is that there is some question that it may be used to mask injuries. In eventing, for instance, it can’t be used for a certain period of time before a competition. However, the positive aspect is that, especially on tendons or on chronic back problems, it promotes blood flow and strengthens those muscles and tissues, while taking away swelling and pain. It is used maybe once a week for three weeks, or every week to 10 days for three treatments. If you’re not into putting needles or medicine into your horse, it’s a great tool to use, and it is more than a quick fix because it helps to heal.
  There are also a few new products on the market now with real potential.
  One is A-cell, a synthetic tissue builder. Say you have a horse with a suspensory injury, a tear or a hole. The suspensory is what keeps that horse’s leg moving, what applies the pressure up or down. Suspensory problems don’t always show with swelling; many times the leg will look tight, so you’ll think it’s not a suspensory because it’s not swollen. Veterinarians can inject A-cell into the tendon and suspensory, and then put the horse on stall rest for 60 to 90 days. Following that, the horse is returned to work at a walk for 30 to 60 days, after which its work is gradually increased. It rebuilds that torn tissue or tissue with the hole in it, and actually makes it stronger. It’s innovative, and I’ve seen great results with it.
  With any suspensory injury, I think a horse needs six to eight months to return. We can’t expect a quick fix. In addition, suspensory injuries can reoccur. When a horse has a suspensory problem, we need to stop and regroup, and take the time required to heal the injury. If you treat a suspensory problem correctly, and give the horse the time it needs to recover, you may never have an issue with that horse again.
  IRAP (Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist Protein Procession System) Therapy. This new procedure helps horses with arthritis of the joint. Basically, veterinarians draw blood from the horse, extract cells from the sample of blood, cultivate the cells with substances that promote healing, and then inject the resulting serum into the ankle joint. The serum repairs damaged cartilage by stopping the inflammatory action and promoting healing. While not all results have been wonderful, I’m told that the key is in the lab work, in how the serum is created.
  In a little more detail, the process is that the veterinarian takes the horse’s blood, and it is taken to a lab within an hour. Then the serum needs to be drawn off within 24 hours (so this is not a process you complete right away). The resulting serum can be injected into the horse’s joint, or it can be frozen for use a week or even a year from now.
  IRAP is a new procedure, and currently being explored and worked out. There is a lot of speculation that it is better than using the steroid in the joint because it is taking something from the horse’s own body and putting it back in. On young horses especially, it is supposed to assist the joint to become healthy again and to help in keeping it healthy for years to come. For a horse with severe arthritis, this method does not work as well as injecting a steroid, so a horse with severe arthritis (such as in the hocks, or an ankle or something like that, which usually means older horses), it is better to use a steroid in the joint.

Preventative Maintenance

  Obviously, the best way to keep your horse sound and healthy is to practice preventative maintenance—try to get ahead of problems before they happen. For example, you know the footing at a horse show might be difficult at a horse show, so you can put your horse on Isoxsuprine. You know its stress level is going to increase at a show, so you can use Legend®, Adequan®, Polyglycan®. The more you can do to prevent a problem, the more it will benefit you in general. Here are a few other suggestions along that line.
  Neigh-Lox®. We give our horses Neigh-Lox® on a daily basis, just as some people use it. The horses get a scoop in their food. The reason for this is that horses are born to graze 24 hours a day; we have put them in stalls, and they eat what we give them, when we give it. The antacid Neigh-Lox®, or a product like it, helps keep the horse’s stomach settled and healthy. Other suggestions for show horses prone to ulcers are GastroGard® and  UlcerGard®. I’ve just had the best success with Neigh-Lox®, which runs about $160 a month.
  Electrolytes. Electrolytes are hugely important. When we haul horses, we give them electrolytes and Banamine® The electrolytes encourage them to drink water, which keeps their systems—and electrolytes—in balance, while Banamine® is a proven stress reliever. During hauling, that also helps to prevent body-soreness in a horse.
  Platinum Performance vitamins from Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Center. Alamo Pintado is incredible. They can design a vitamin pack for an individual farm or an individual horse’s daily needs. You can run a blood test on your horse—let’s say it’s thyroid deficient. The vitamin supplement package can include a hair coat conditioner, glucosamine for a joint supplement, a regular balance of B12, chromium, yeast, all these things. They have products for everything, from hoof supplements to immune supplements, coat conditioners, semen builders, appetite stimulants, skin care formulas, electrolytes—you name it. In my experience, Platinum Performance products contribute to good preventative care.

In Summary

  So, those are a few of my thoughts. As I stated, I’m not a veterinarian. I’m an amateur who enjoys knowing more about my horses, as many amateurs do. The columns this month and last are for those who might want to ask questions, but would like a little background before approaching their trainers and veterinarians.
  I should also stress here that health issues in horses do not necessarily occur because a trainer did not take care of a horse, or worked it too long, or something like that. So many things play into a horse’s health. For example, that often-mentioned footing. At shows, it may be easy to think, “What a waste of time—look at all those people out there looking at the footing!” But if your horse’s footing at home is two inches deep and you go to a horse show where it is four inches deep, that’s a big stress and strain on joints and suspensories. If the ground is hard, that’s a lot of concussion on joints. It’s all part of the bigger picture.
  So watch the situation and get involved, because the more you know, the more sense all of these things make and the more easily you understand how your horse feels and what affects it. I spend time with my horses—brush them, feed them carrots, all that stuff—and look for their reactions. Learning to understand them is really rewarding, because I can’t repeat often enough, prevention is still the best care. Get on a healthy preventative maintenance program, and you might not have these issues.
  If you are hesitant to ask questions of professionals, then just remember that if your horse were your child, you wouldn’t dream of keeping your mouth shut. Our horses are like our children, but they can’t talk to us, so our best tool is watching and learning about them. I know that’s hard for those who have their horses in training barns and live across the country, but that 24 hours or weekend they spend with their horse is an opportunity. If that is you, then next time you are there to ride your horse, watch it walk, watch it get ready. Don’t just sit around and talk to people—watch your horse. Ask questions. Just remember, don’t put your trainer on the defensive. Get involved from a supportive standpoint, and ask the right questions at the right times. You guys are a team, and what works best for your horse works best for everyone.

For anyone who would like to email questions, topics, or comments, I can be reached at info@battagliafarms.com. I’d love to hear from you.

Russell Vento Jr. has been involved in the Arabian industry for 25 years, and since 1989 has been a partner in Battaglia Farms. He was honored twice with APAHA Amateur Horseman Awards. To date, he has owned or shown 30 U.S., Canadian and National Show Horse national champions, and he now enjoys watching his daughter Skyler win on many of the horses with whom he was successful. He has been a Large R USAE/AHA judge since 1996.