Snakes and Horses

 Summer is here, and almost everyone is ready to enjoy some time with their horse during the long days. However, snakes pose a great hazard, especially if you live in a hot, dry climate with long grass. People living in Western and Eastern states are on the lookout for rattlesnakes, the most common type in the area. In the Southeast, you are most likely watching for water moccasins and copperheads, who live in humid climates. No matter where you live, though, snakes are most likely a major concern during the summer for both you and your horse.

Always watch for venomous snakes, such as this
rattler. (credit)

 Snake bites in horses most often occur when a horse is grazing and is bitten on the muzzle by a resting snake. When that happens, the horse's muzzle will quickly begin to swell, possibly blocking his airways. He may begin to appear depressed before the swelling even begins. If you see a pair punctures in the horse's muzzle, tell-tale signs that he has been bitten, phone the veterinarian immediately.

 While you wait, keep a close eye on the horse, making sure that he doesn't show any signs of respiratory distress. If he does, insert a syringe case, a segment of a garden hose, or another tubular item as far as you can into his nostrils so that he can breathe as his face continues to swell.

 Be warned that snake bites can become infected with bacteria from the Clostridia family, which can cause infections such as tetanus or sepsis.

 Fortunately, no venom is injected in almost 20% of rattlesnakes, and most adult horses survive, even if venom is injected. However, bites are most deadly when inflicted to one of the horse's lower limbs. As the wound swells, the blood flow into the limb can become restricted, and a near fatal crisis can occur.

 Veterinary treatment for snake bites uses anti-inflammatory medications and antibiotics since antivenin is expensive and most horse respond well to other treatments for snake bites anyways.

 While waiting for the vet to arrive, try spraying the wound with Melrose and Purification to reduce infection. Clove can also be helpful to fight infection.

 Make sure to closely monitor any horse that has been bitten, even if medical treatment has already been administered. Ensure that he is able to breathe, eat, and drink properly. Also, keeping him in a stable until he is well is advised because some cases can cause altered liver function, which photosensitivity. Keeping a photosensitive horse in the sun can have adverse effects to his body and skin.

 One way to prevent snake bites is to make sure no rodents get in the stable. Store food where rodents can't get to them, preferably in a rodent-proof container, thus attracting less snakes. Also, if you live in an area where snakes such as water moccasins and cottonmouths regularly patrol the waterways, check for them before leading your horse in to drink.

This post is linked to: The Home Acre Hop

Heat Stroke in Horses

 During the summer months, many people enjoy riding horses, but riding in hot weather involves some hazards, such as heat stroke. More than half the energy a horse uses for muscular activity is converted into heat. As the heat rises, his muscles demand more and more oxygen until his muscles become fatigued, resulting in heat stroke or heat stress. High temperatures and humidity definitely play an important factor in this, though heat stress is most commonly caused by overexertion and/or exercising in a way that causes him to overheat for an extended period of time.

When a horse exercises for a long period
of time, such as this eventing horse, he
continuously loses fluids and electrolytes
through sweat.(credit)

 The longer the horse exercises, the more fluids and electrolytes he loses, which also contributes to heat stress. Though racehorses are often lathered in sweat after a race, the exertion does not last long and their fluids are quickly replenished. However, longer exercises, such as endurance racing and eventing, leads to prolonged dehydration and imbalances in the electrolytes since fluids are continuously being lost through sweat to cool down the working muscles.

 Performance horses are conditioned so that their muscles work more efficiently, meaning that less heat is generated during workouts.

 Knowing how well your horse handles exercising in high temperatures is key to preventing heat stress. You should learn how to measure his vital signs, too. No matter how intense the workout, once the horse has stopped, his heart rate should be at 60 beats per minute(bpm) or lower and he should make less than 60 respirations per minute. After a moderate workout, his heart rate should return to less than 60 bpm within 10 minutes.

 Other symptoms are depression, weakness,  lack of appetite or thirst, hot and dry skin, and a lackluster appearance.

 Try to keep the horse cool during the day. For example, use fans, cold water soaks, ice boots, and shade, and offer him plenty of water; it is very important that he hydrates. Adding a few drops of peppermint to his water can help him keep cool and tastes good, too(horses love peppermint).

 After an exercise, walk him to allow his muscles to cool before completing the workout, then let him drink all the water he wants if he just completed an aerobic exercise. If the exercise was anaerobic, then let him drink only in small intervals until he has cooled down. Ideally, the best time to ride is in the morning or evening, when it is cool.

 The same advice also applies to trailering. Trailering in early morning or evening is a good way to prevent heat stress and dehydration. Always make sure to give your horse water every few hours while trailering, which also prevents heat stress.

 If your horse does get heat stroke, try cooling him down while you wait for the vet to arrive. Adding a few drops peppermint oil to bucket of cool water and then sponging the horse down can have a cooling effect. A fan can also help.

 Once the vet comes, he/she will treat the horse with intravenous fluids to restore hydration, maintain circulatory health, and cool the internal organs and muscles.

How to Treat Hoof Infections Naturally

Everyone knows how important a hoof is to a horse---no hoof, no horse. Horses have used hooves in self-defense and to protect the soft, frog inside of the wall. But what if a hoof becomes so infected that your veterinarian suggests amputation? What do you do then?

 This same exact thing happened to a show horse in 2000. Even though the pastern and coronet band were swollen to the size of a cantaloupe, the owner did not decide to amputate, as the vet had suggested. Instead, he used essentials oils to relieve the swelling. It worked miracles.

Day 1:
 According to the Essential Oils Desk Reference, you should cleanse the wound with Thieves oil blend and helichrysum(a type a plant belonging to the daisy family), then bandage it. When this had been done to the show horse I have previously mentioned, the pain was alleviated enough for the horse to stand on the foot.

Day 2:
 By the next day, the swelling in the show horse's hoof had gone down by 50%. They(the owners) once more cleansed the wound with Thieves and helichrysum before filling it with Animal Scents Ointment.

Day 3-14
 For the next twelve days, the wound was cleansed morning and night with Thieves, Melrose, and helichrysum, then filled with Animal Scents Ointment.

 Today, the horse walks as well as it used to, displaying no discomfort. At first, the pastern was still slightly swollen, but it was healed completely in within eight months, and only a small scar remains on the pastern.

Aromatherapy for Horses: Peace & Calming Essential Oil Blend

 Have you ever seen or ridden a very jittery horse that spooked at everything it saw? Maybe you have been trying to introduce your horse to a new environment or train it for something it has never done before. If you have ever been around horses, you know how hard this can be and probably ask yourself  if there is something you can do to ease this stress.

  The answer to that question is yes, something can be done.  You can use essential oils.
  

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 Essential oils are potent, concentrated oils made of plants, such as flowers or herbs. These may include lavender, calendula, chamomile, basil, oregano, and many others. The oils are far more potent than just plain herbs or flowers. As plants dry, they lose potency, but if they are distilled when fresh, the resulting oil is as potent as the day the plant was picked.

 For example, it takes about 28 cups of peppermint tea to equal the healing powers of one drop of peppermint oil. Also, it takes 5,000 pounds if rose petals to produce one pint of rose oil and 2-3 tons of melissa plant to make a pound of oil. As you can see, there is a lot of nutrients per drop.

 Not only do they improve health, but the also lighten mood and relieve stress. Studies have shown that the fragrances create strong effects on both the limbic (this controls the emotions) and the hypothalamus(controls hormones) systems.

  Now let's return to the original question. How can you make a jittery horse relax? Horses, too, can benefit from the oils I previously mentioned. A brilliant blend to use for this is Peace & Calming(an oil blend from Young Living), as the name suggests.

 Anytime something stresses your horse out, try letting it inhale the oil. You can even diffuse it in the horse trailer using Young Living's portable essential oil diffuser whenever you bring your horse to shows, competitions, or anywhere else.

 Horses can only learn when they are calm and actually focused on learning, not running. Because of this, Peace & Calming can also be used before your horses's training sessions to make sure he or she gets the most out the it.

 As you can see, Peace & Calming can be used anytime your horse is either stressed because exposure to something new, or frightened. Don't forgot, though, that essential oils work just as well for humans as it does for horses. You can use it to relieve your own stress and anxiety. Remember that if ever feel stressed about a

If you are interested in learning more about essential oils or want to buy some for yourself, hop over  Jo's Health Corner