Farrel McWhirter Pony Club
Redmond Parks and Recreation Department
The Check Up:
Giving your horse a check up every once in a while is a good idea. But before you do, there are a few things you need to know:
· A horse’s temperature ranges from 99-101 degrees F. To check a horse’s temperature, tie a string to the end of a thermometer, lubricate the thermometer with petroleum jelly, Vaseline, or saliva, move the horse’s tail to the side, and insert the thermometer into the horse’s rectum. Keep it there for about 3 minutes to get an accurate reading.
· Measuring an adult horse’s pulse, you should find it beating at 30-40 beats per minute. To check a horse’s pulse, press your forefinger firmly against the artery that sticks out slightly in front of the horse’s left jawbone. Count the beats you feel for 15 seconds, and then multiply the number of beats by 4.
· The respiratory rate of an adult horse should be 8-16 breaths per minute. To check the respiratory rate, place your hand on the horse’s rib cage or by the nostrils and count the number of breaths you feel (an in-out is one breath). Do this for 1 minute.
· Gut sounds that come from the horse’s stomach and intestines should be present. When there are no gut sounds, your horse could have colic or another illness. Check for gut sounds by pressing your ear against you horse’s barrel just behind the last rib.
· Check for dehydration in your horse by pinching the skin on his neck. The skin should flatten out in less than a second. If it doesn’t, the horse is dehydrated. Give him water if he is. If he doesn’t drink the water, try adding Gatorade or apple juice to the water.
· Capillary Refill Time (CRT) is a measurement of blood circulation. Normal CRT is 1-2 seconds. To check your horse’s CRT, turn up your horse’s upper lip and press your thumb against it for 2 seconds. There should be a white mark. The gum should turn pink within 1-2 seconds after taking your thumb away.
· The Mucous Membranes are the lining of a horse’s eyelids, nostrils, and his gums. Check that your horse’s gums are a pale pink (just lighter than a human’s). They should not be extremely pale, bright red, blue, gray, or yellow.
Call a veterinarian if you find anything wrong with your horse during the check-up.
The Insulin-Resistant Horse
Question: What is the Insulin-Resistant horse and how can I treat him?
Answer: "Insulin resistance, also known as peripheral Cushing's syndrome and Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS), is a fairly new concept to horse people, but the type of horse that is affected is familiar to many of us. It's the easy-keeping horse that tends to be overweight with a cresty neck and prone to founder. Morgans, Norwegian Fjords, and most pony breeds are among those frequently affected, but it can occur in almost any breed. It isn't clear yet whether horses become obese thanks to overfeeding and restricted exercise and then develop insulin resistance (IR), or whether the IR contributes to the obesity. However, researchers have discovered that abdominal fat stores can exert an influence over insulin, which regulates the levels of circulating blood glucose. A horse becomes insulin-resistant when glucose transporters (channels that carry the molecule into cells for use as fuel) become overworked and fail due to the high volume of glucose being processed. When this happens, glucose uptake remains low even when levels of circulating insulin are high. The equivalent condition in humans is known as Type II Diabetes. Laminitis becomes a concern with insulin resistant horses. Nicholas Frank, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, associate professor of large animal clinical sciences at the University of Tennessee, says there are currently three theories to explain why IR contributes to laminitis:
- IR may increase the amount of glucose getting into hoof tissue cells and starve them of nutrients.
- IR can lead to peripheral vasoconstriction (contraction of the blood vessels at the extremities, including the hooves), which limits the availability of nutrients to the tissues.
- When adipose tissues (where fat cells accumulate) reach their limit for fat storage, they can become stressed and release chemicals that trigger inflammation, thus lowering a horse's resistance to laminitis.
Briggs, Karen. "Nouveau Nutrition: The Insulin-Resistant Horse." Horse Illustrated. June 2008: 86.
Next Month's Topic
What do you want to know more about? Guestbook your ideas on next month's topic, or email a Pony Club officer your article or report, if you have one you want used on the website. Topics can be anything horse related, such as horse health, basic riding questions, riding disipline questions, horse care questions, or a question about the park's animals.
