Respiratory Problems
Some older horses may have respiratory difficulties such as heaves (recurrent airway obstruction or RAO) or inflammatory airway disease (IAD). If your veterinarian has diagnosed a respiratory condition in your older horse, feeding and environment changes to reduce dust and allergens will be helpful. Feeding a complete feed such as Purina® Equine Senior® horse feed or Omolene #400® horse feed allows you to decrease or eliminate hay in an attempt to reduce the amount of dust and pollens the horse may inhale.

Suggestions to manage horses with respiratory conditions:
Strictly follow your veterinarian’s instructions with regard to housing/barn access
• Avoid excessive exercise.
• Keep pasture mowed if horse is allergic to outdoor pollens.
• Provide adequate ventilation in stalls and barns.
• Do not use dusty bedding in stalls or run-in sheds.
• Consult your veterinarian to determine if anti-inflammatory medications or other medical interventions are indicated.

Body Weight and Condition
As horses age, their metabolism is altered. They usually fall into one of two categories:
• Easy Keepers – Reduced metabolism and activity result in excessive weight gain that can be hazardous to the horse’s health.
• Hard Keepers – Loss of body weight, condition, and muscle mass caused by reduced digestive efficiency and medical issues affecting metabolic rates.

It is more common to see older horses that are underweight than overweight. As previously discussed, senior horses tend to have problems with poor dental condition, along with decreased digestive efficiency. In these situations, Equine Senior® horse feed fed to replace most or all of the forage in the diet can help.

If the older horse is too fat, aim to reduce its weight to maintain a body condition score of about five. As long as the horse is able to utilize good quality hay, a good option for taking weight off is to feed hay and Purina® Enrich 32® horse feed, or a moderate calorie feed such as Equine Senior® Active Healthy Edge® horse feed. If the horse cannot adequately chew hay, it may be beneficial to reduce the amount of Equine Senior® horse feed fed, or possibly feed Equine Adult® horse feed, which is lower in calories than Equine Senior® horse feed.

Obese senior horses may suffer from Equine Metabolic Syndrome (sometimes improperly referred to as hypothyroidism or peripheral Cushing’s disease). These horses tend to store excess fat, especially along the crest of the neck, over the shoulders, on the rump, and in the sheath (geldings), and often exhibit chronic laminitis. Horses affected with Equine Metabolic Syndrome may also exhibit insulin resistance, in which blood glucose (sugar) is not adequately removed from the blood via the hormone insulin. At this time, Equine Metabolic Syndrome is not completely understood, but it is believed by researchers that obesity, as well as a genetic susceptibility, are important predisposing conditions. If Equine Metabolic Syndrome has been diagnosed, it may be helpful to reduce the amount of starch and sugars in the horse’s diet to help decrease the amount of blood glucose. Equine Senior® horse feed is formulated to contain reduced levels of starch and sugars, and has been fed successfully to many horses with this condition. Purina® WellSolve L/S® horse feed is also an appropriate option for insulin resistant older horses. Additionally, it is important to consider the hay and or pasture fed in these situations, since grasses can contain high levels of soluble carbohydrates (starches and sugars).

Haircoat and Skin
Horses of all ages may suffer from poor haircoat and skin condition due to poor nutrition, but aging horses may be especially susceptible. Good grooming and proper nutrition can go a long way toward addressing these conditions.

An older horse with a long haircoat that sheds late in the year, or incompletely, may be suffering from Pituitary Pars Intermedia Disease (PPID), commonly referred to as Cushing’s disease or syndrome. PPID is caused by a tumor in the pituitary gland in the horse’s brain. Symptoms include the long haircoat, loss of muscle mass, and excessive drinking and urination. If you feel that your horse is exhibiting these symptoms, consult your veterinarian. Horses with PPID may also exhibit insulin resistance and can benefit from diets lower in starch and sugars and higher in fat and fiber. Equine Senior® horse feed has been fed very successfully to horses with PPID, and was designed to help manage the condition. However, veterinary care is essential in proper care of horses suffering from PPID.

Chronic Lameness
There are many causes of lameness in aging horses, such as chronic laminitis (founder), arthritis or stiffness from weakened bones due to demineralization. Veterinary care is important in diagnosing the cause of lameness and alleviating pain.

Suggestions to manage older horses with chronic lameness:
• Avoid obesity and heavy loads because extra weight burdens aging joints, tendons and ligaments. Overweight horses may also be prone to laminitis.
• Have a reliable farrier provide routine hoof care every 6–8 weeks.
• Provide regular, moderate exercise (if approved by your veterinarian). Gradual workouts at least four times a week are recommended. Avoid abrupt changes in exercise duration or intensity. Ride or walk on softer surfaces such as grass or light, sandy soil if lameness is a problem.

As far as nutrition, the objective is to provide a nutritionally balanced diet with more calories from fat and fiber (as compared to calories from starch/sugars) along with adequate high-quality protein and an appropriate vitamin and mineral balance to meet the aging horse’s needs. Some horses may also benefit from a high quality oral joint supplement, such as Purina® FreedomFlex™Joint Health Product, added to the diet.

In summary, providing a high quality, nutritionally balanced diet to meet the special needs of the aging horse, such as Purina® Equine Senior® horse feed, Equine Senior® Active Healthy Edge® horse feed or Purina® WellSolve L/S® horse feed in coordination with an overall health and management program as recommended by your veterinarian, will help ensure that your horse will live comfortably in good health for as long as possible.

Katie Young, Ph.D.

Technical Equine Nutritionist
with Purina Animal Nutrition

Dr. Katie Young is an equine nutritionist with Purina Animal Nutrition. Dr. Young has worked with Purina for more than 11 years, beginning as a consultant, and now in her current role as a Technical Equine Nutritionist. Her responsibilities include providing technical support for the Purina sales force, certified expert dealers and customers, developing and maintaining horse feed formulas and standards, as well as ingredient and production standards.

Dr. Young has almost 40 years of experience in the horse industry. She started riding as a child in southwest Missouri, first as a barrel racer, and later moving into hunter-jumper. After moving to Texas, Dr. Young continued participating in hunter-jumper shows, as well as dressage and combined training competitions, and played competitive polocrosse. Currently, she rides and competes in dressage and combined training with two of her six horses. Dr. Young has worked as a trainer and riding instructor for more than 30 years, and continues do so in the Kansas City area.

Dr. Young earned a bachelor's degree from Missouri State University and a doctorate in Equine Nutrition and Exercise Physiology from Texas A&M University.

While investigating a 5,600-year-old village site in Kazakhstan, archaeologists determined that its Copper Age inhabitants were among the first cultures to tame horses. The evidence? The buried remnants of corral posts. Clearly, fences have been crucial to our shared relationship all along.

Unlike ancient horsemen who were limited to sticks and stones to enclose their horses, we benefit from a vast variety of traditional and modern materials from which to choose. Unfortunately, despite over 5,000 years of development, there’s still no ideal fence for every horsekeeping purpose. Each fence choice involves balancing safety concerns with aesthetics, cost, and upkeep.

Chances are you’ll employ a variety of materials and fence designs on your property for paddocks, arenas, and pasture fences—or even mix fence materials for a single enclosure. Choosing carefully will help maximize the safety, value, appeal, and utility of your fences. Before looking at the broad range of choices, let’s discuss safe fencing construction.

Safety
America’s West was tamed by blazing guns and barbed wire. Both remain murderous when used improperly. While barbed wire is relatively safe for huge pastures holding thick-skinned, placid cattle, the use of barbed wire for horse properties has caused untold tragedies. If you have any on your horse acreage, your first fencing priority is to remove it.

Building codes may ultimately determine fencing requirements for your land, but some general rules of thumb apply nearly everywhere. Field fences should be 54 to 60 inches above ground level. Err on the side of caution and go with a 5-feet minimum height where fences abut highways or anywhere that an escaped horse can flee your premises. Six feet is the safe minimum height for stall runs and paddocks.

At bottom, an opening of 8 to 12 inches will keep feet and legs from getting trapped, and also prevent foals from rolling under the fence. Fence openings should be either large enough that a hoof, leg, or even the head can’t become trapped, or very small (no more than 3 inches by 3 inches) to prevent a hoof from penetrating. To maintain tension, most wire fences, both fabric and high-tensile smooth wire, require triangular-shaped bracing at the corners and at intervals of about 1/8 mile. The acute angles formed by brace wires represent entrapment hazards if the horse can reach them; good design (such as boards used in corners to block access) can prevent injury, even death.

Visibility, especially with wire fencing, is too often overlooked. While a white plank fence of wood or PVC is easily seen by horses, wires can be almost invisible when a horse panics and runs—the time when the worth of a fence is truly tested. Improve visibility to wire fences by adding a top rail of wood; PVC; or durable white vinyl fence ribbon, either standard or electrified. This addition not only makes a wire fence more visible, it also deters horses from reaching over the fence to graze.

Regardless of fence material and design, one of your goals should be to present a smooth side to the horses. Do-it-yourselfers occasionally make the mistake of mounting boards on the outside of fence posts, which makes them easy for horses to knock loose. Further, the exposed posts can injure a horse that runs down the fence line. With cross-pasture fencing, you may not be able to avoid this exposure; in such cases, using an electric fence wire to create a psychological as well as a physical barrier offers a safe solution.

Corners also present problems, especially if you plan to pasture horses that don’t get along well. Any corner can create an entrapment situation where one horse is bullied. The problem is especially bad when the corner angle is acute (90 degrees or less). Some solutions include corners that curve. This requires placing wire fence barriers on the outside of the posts, but this is less of a problem in corners than it is along straight runs. Another solution is to affix planks across corners to block access.

Wood posts, field fence, a highly visible electric tape, and a twisted smooth-wire top line makes this an exceptionally safe fence.

Posts
The strength and integrity of a fence come from good fence posts, properly installed. Wire fences require tension, which means that corner assemblies and gate assemblies need to be braced against the pulling forces. Generally, when using wood posts, it’s best to use concrete to set corner assemblies and gate posts. Metal T-posts benefit from having sturdy wood corner and gate assemblies as well. These are an absolute requirement for high-tensile wire.

Wood is traditional and commonly used for fence posts. Whether you’re making a plank fence or just using wood posts, local availability and custom may determine your choices in woods. For instance, while hardwood fence materials tend to be readily available in the East, Southeast, and parts of the Midwest, softwoods predominate in the West. To deter decomposition, common softwoods that are resistant to rot and insect infestation include cedar, redwood, and cypress. Unfortunately, these woods are very expensive.

For this reason, horsemen often choose pressure-treated lumber (usually pinewood or fir); such lumber costs 1/3 to 1/5 of the above-mentioned varieties. With pressure treated lumber (or “PTL”), the manufacturer impregnates the wood with chemicals that resist rot, fungi, and insects. Look for treated lumber posts that are certified for in-ground use. Paint won’t bond to the material, so PTL fences are invariably natural.

Have you ever wondered how your horse sometimes seems to know what you’re feeling?

Dr. Allan Hamilton, a Harvard-trained neurosurgeon and a horse trainer, has written a book that connects the science and spirituality of horses like two halves of a whole as he explains how horsemen have much to learn in the presence of horses.

Hamilton works in two worlds: One world is the clinical, scientific world of medicine; the other is the intuitive, sensing world of horses. His book, Zen Mind, Zen Horse, bridges both worlds and explains how horses, as prey animals, evolved in a way that made them consummate, non-verbal readers of humans. That uncanny ability for horses to perceive human emotion is a hefty strand in the horse/human bond.

With glimpses at Hamilton’s book and suggestions he offers, we’ll take a look at what we can learn from horses, why they’re able to read even our imperceptible cues, and what we can do to understand and bond with our horses in meaningful ways.

Serendipity
It started with an injury. Hamilton, who served as a surgeon during Desert Storm in 1990, returned home with a back injury that forced him to give up riding for a full year. A lifelong horseman, he wasn’t happy to comply with that directive. In frustration, he turned to groundwork with his horses, and that perspective opened up a whole new world of understanding. He began to communicate with his horses—and to see how they perceived him—in new ways.

“I began to see that what was happening with horses was sort of a metaphor for other things. You can see all of life through horsemanship,” Hamilton says. And groundwork, he adds, is “one of the best ways for humans to enhance their awareness of non-verbal communication.” Not just communication with horses, but communication in all aspects of life. He contends that you can improve your communication and interpersonal skills by interacting with horses.

“Some days they match your mood, and there are other times where they mirror you, and say ‘this is what you look like.’ It’s one of their gifts—they read your body energy and give you a chance to see what you’re putting out. It’s another level of awareness that they bring,” he says.

Carefully considering non-verbal communication, Hamilton developed a new philosophy with his horses, one that was grounded in science and practiced with spirituality. And he found ways to combine his work as a healer with his deeper understanding of horses. Hamilton offers seminars that range from teaching executives how to negotiate (which, he says, is what working with horses is all about) to helping doctors develop sensitive bedside manners. He offers seminars for veterans, cancer patients, women who’ve left abusive relationships, kids in the juvenile justice system, and people dealing with substance abuse. All of them, he says, benefit from the lessons horses teach.

For example, his retreat for doctors learning about bedside manners came about when he was at a hospital, doing rounds with a group of young doctors. “We’d blow into a patient’s room, and he or she would look startled.” It was, he realized, something he’d never have done when walking into a horse’s stall. Learning to approach people with calm, respectful body language is a lesson horses teach.

“Horses,” he says, “are quiet, loving, peaceful sages that are always offering up one more lesson about your self.”

A Matter of Chi
The lessons horses teach us have their basis in science, Hamilton says. Horses are able to pick up on a person’s emotions, mood, and energy because they’re prey animals that have evolved to read even the subtlest body language.

Yet, behind that science of self-preservation is spirituality. Hamilton looks at the spiritual beliefs of many cultures, and describes using the Asian concept of Chi.

“Chi conveys a notion of flow...it relates to the vitality of breathing and implies a concept of fundamental vigor,” he says. “At the same time, it carries undertones of personal willpower and determination.”

He describes Chi at work with horses as their “primary language,” and explains that over millions of years, equids fine-tuned and developed their non-verbal vocabulary. Their survival as prey animals depended upon it.

So what does that mean for your relationship with your horse? It’s a basis for understanding. When you approach your horse from the ground, you’re transmitting information to your horse, even if you aren’t aware of doing so.

In a herd of horses, one horse’s movement—the twitch of an ear or the slightest shift of hips—is “enough to send ripples of energy through all members of the herd,” he says. That Chi helps keep a herd safe and aware, sometimes over great distances.

“Your horse can feel your energy. Just thinking about one thing or another changes the energy you’re putting out,” he explains.

Hamilton uses round-pen work as a case in point.

“If I direct my vision to the area slightly behind where the girth would be, the horse drives forward. All I’m doing is making my eyes move, but the horse senses that.” And, he says, if your attention drifts away from the horse, he perceives that change and responds accordingly.

“Horses,” he says, “are virtuosos at reading the energy given off by another horse—or a person. Horsemanship is based on the energetic interaction between horse and trainer. So to become adept with horses we must change our sensitivity to Chi.”

ROBarrelHorse: I have an 18 year old broodmare that just recently foaled. She gets free choice grass hay, all she can eat, and 2 pounds of beet pulp, 2 pounds of alfalfa pellets, 1 pound of oats twice a day along with 1 cup of omega horseshine. I believe she is in good body condition. She's not too fat nor thin. Do I need to supplement anything else?

Dr. Katie Young: I would suggest at least adding some Enrich 32 to provide the essential nutrients that are typically lacking and/or imbalanced in forages and straight grains.  Depending on your horse’s body weight, feeding rate would be 1-2 lbs/day.

However, since your mare just foaled and is in early lactation (therefore her nutrient requirements are greatly increased over gestation), you may want to consider switching to one of the feeds designed to support milk production as well as growth and development of the foal.  Although your current ration may have supported your mare’s calorie needs through gestation, she may lose condition quickly due to the demands of producing milk for her foal.  Strategy GX, Omolene #300 or Ultium Growth will support your mare through lactation and are also suitable for the foal to eat along with its mom to help meet its own nutrient needs.  Also, it is important during this period to ensure that your mare is maintaining appropriate body weight and condition. We recommend maintaining a broodmare at body condition score 5-7, and not allowing the mare to fall below a score of 5 for best reproductive efficiency.  If you are not familiar with the Body Condition Scoring system, please visit our website www.horse.purinamills.com, and use the Body Condition Score Chart to determine your mare’s body condition score.

Susan Lang: I have a 35 year old American Saddlebred mare with PPID, fractured pelvis from osteoporosis due to PPID, had an eye problem, now resolved, and now skin crud. Add osteoarthritis in her Kees and all 4 fetlocks. I figure if I hurt, she gets the Previcox. I had 5 wonderful years on her once we taught her to be a horse and then a trail horse. My question has to do with her constantly changing her preferences for food. Yes, sloppy beet pulp and senior, then no beet pulp, just groats and Senior, then not much at all (peppermint extract in the food helps). Any other ideas on keeping her appetite up? She really decreases as the South Florida heat climbs. I feed her small amounts 3x a day.

Dr. Young: We do sometimes see older horses that become more finicky in their feed preferences.  Sometimes adding a small amount of Omolene #400 to the Equine Senior can be helpful.  I’d also suggest checking in with your veterinarian to determine whether the change in appetite may be related to pain issues.  If so, addressing that may level out her appetite preferences.

Horsegirl91: I have a 28 year old mare but she dose not act old. On cold days she is really stiff in the front what can I do? She dose not always come out of it.

Dr. Young: Your mare may have developed osteoarthritis.  I’d suggest checking with your veterinarian to help determine if that is the case.  If your vet feels that a joint supplement may be of benefit, our new FreedomFlex Joint Supplement has had great results in clinical trials.

MkC: Hi - I have a 30 yr old Arab mare who is eating about 3 pounds of Safe choice and mixed hay/day. She seems to be doing just fine on this, but I'm starting to wonder if she's on the best feed for her age. What are your thoughts? Thanks for your help!

Dr. Young: At 30 years, your mare may have some decrease in digestive capabilities, resulting in higher requirements of some nutrients.  Equine Senior Active Healthy Edge was designed specifically for horses such as yours – to meet the nutrient requirements of aging horses that are still well able to chew hay and maintain appropriate body weight and condition.

Dale berger: I have a 35 year old standerd bred mare. She gets senior feed and hay but has poor pasture. She needs more weight and muscle mass is poor. What else can I do for her? She will only eat so much senior feed and walks away. She is turned out on 5 acres 24/7. That is how she likes it. I don't live at the farm where she is turned out. I go there 2x a day most of the time so feeding is a little bit of a problem. She is turned out with her 21 year old son, so I can't just leave the feed out. She does have some teeth problems as well.

Dr. Young: Dale, you may want to try mixing a bit of Omolene #400 in with the Equine Senior to help tempt your mare to eat a bit more.  Ideally, she would be fed more meals during the day, but I understand that sometimes that is not feasible.  With the dental problems, she may very well not be receiving adequate nutrition from the hay/pasture, and the Equine Senior is the only part of the ration that is providing nutrients.  If that is the case, increasing the Sr may be your best option.  Again, if she will not eat the amount that she needs, mixing in Omolene #400 may be enough to persuade her to eat an appropriate amount of Sr.

Lauren D.: Hi! I have a 20 year old thoroughbred/welsh pony. He is a great jumper, and had some issues with his hooves about a year ago. Everything is back on track, and we are now feeding him the Purina Senior Feed. He really likes his feed, and has been acting a little spunky. I was wondering if this had anything to do with him getting a lot more protein and energy from the feed, or if it was the weather change (it was a warm, humid, rain). Thanks!

Dr. Young: Lauren, Equine Senior is fairly low in sugar/starch, and high in fiber, so is not usually a feed that results in horses exhibiting an increase in energy/activity (unless they were not being fed to meet nutrient requirements prior to the Equine Senior, and now are feeling better and acting the way that they do in good health).  Without knowing more about your pony and the total diet (body weight and body condition score, lbs of Equine Senior per day, pounds of hay/day, pasture, etc.), I can’t determine where you are on meeting nutrient requirements, or if another feed would be more appropriate for your pony (Strategy Healthy Edge, Equine Senior Active, possibly Enrich 32).  If you would like to contact our Customer Service Department, we’d be happy to go through your current feeding program and help determine the best feeding recommendation for you and your pony.

Natasha: I have a 26 yr old, 15 hh, TB gelding. He is a hard keeper and is semi-retired. He gets 5 quarts of Ultium Performance twice a day to help maintain his weight. Is there another feeding regimen that might perform better for him?

Dr. Young: Natasha, if your horse is doing well on Ultium and maintaining appropriate body weight and condition, I’d keep doing what you’re doing.  As long as his teeth are in good enough condition to allow him to eat hay/pasture, Ultium is an appropriate feed for older horses.  However, if he gets to the point that he can’t do well on long stemmed forage, then you’d need to look at Equine Senior as a complete feed to replace most or all of the forage in his diet.  Your veterinarian can help you determine if/when his dental condition warrants switching to Equine Senior.

Bellllla.: Hi! I own a 22 year old quarter horse mare. We currently ride at least 4 days a week and show often. We ride Western, do reining, and do a lot of trail rides. I have noticed that she has A TON of energy. We dont do timed events. She will NOT walk, more of a "jig." I know some of this is in the training, but I was reccomended to change her feed. We currently feed Purina Senior. Is there anything I could change it to to make her have less sugar, but enough other stuff to keep her fat? Shes not underweight, but could definately use a bit more fat. She also eats just fine. Any help? Please I beg you!!!

Dr. Young: Without knowing more about your horse and the total ration (how much Equine Senior and hay/pasture you are feeding daily, your horse’s body weight and condition), I can’t really make a specific feeding recommendation.  Equine Senior is fairly low in starch/sugar and high in fiber, but Strategy Healthy Edge or Ultium may be good options that are low in starch/sugar, high fiber, but also higher in fat and calories than Equine Senior.  If you would like to contact our Customer Service Department, we would be happy to help you determine the best feeding options for your mare.

Judy Hudson: My horse is 27. How much endurance is expected at that age. He is in good health

Dr. Young: Judy, the amount of endurance that your 27-year old would be expected to exhibit is highly variable – dependent on genetics,  conditioning/fitness, management, nutritional status, etc.  I’d suggest that if you are concerned about your horse’s endurance, you may want to check with your veterinarian to determine what you can expect from your horse and if there is anything that may need to be addressed.

Laura Tifft: Hi Katie, I have a33 year old QH mare that I have owned since she was a 4 year old. She is a wonderful horse and has given me some great memories. She can't chew hay anymore, she quids it so I try everything I can to keep her going. (She is able to eat the chaf from alfalfa hay so that helps). She is holding her weight well, but she is so picky about her senior feed, I am getting very frustrated. I have tried just about every brand of senior feed there is. She will like a particular brand for a few feedings, then she won't eat it. Same with every feed I try with her. She does love her sweet feed so I have even tried to mix senior with the sweet feed, but then she won't eat even the mixed feed. So I have supplemented her through this last winter with hay cubes, sweet feed, (senior when I can get her to eat it), and a special mix from a recipe my friend who is majoring in animal nutrition came up for me. I also supplement her feed with Vita-Plus every day. Now that spring is here, she is able to graze. Any suggestions for this old lady? Thanks.

Dr. Young: Judy, Omolene #400 may be a good option for you.  While it is not specifically designed for senior horses, we have used it with great success for older horses.  It is a complete sweet feed, designed to replace most or all of the forage in the diet (as is Equine Senior).  I often recommend adding a bit of Omolene #400 to Equine Senior when older horses are picky about eating, but in your situation, using Omolene #400 alone may be the best option.

Captdave: Boomer is a 19 year old Qtr Gelding. When I enter his corral he sometimes semi pins his ears back. Once out he is the normal very friendly Boomner. What's up?

Dr. Young: I’d suggest checking with your veterinarian to see if there is any type of medical condition that is affecting Boomer’s attitude.  If not, possibly a local trainer could help you out.  This is not an unusual behavior in a horse during feeding time, but it is always a concern if the horse acts on any aggression by biting or kicking.  As a nutritionist, I could help you determine if your feeding program is meeting Boomer’s nutrient requirements, but it sounds like this is not a feeding/nutritional issue.

Did you know that there are a great many wonderful ways that plants and animals can actually work for you on your horse property?

Native plants and animals can serve both utilitarian and delightful aesthetic functions on your horse property — all while saving you time and money, and reducing your impact on the environment.

Creating a natural habitat might increase your property value, too. The United States Fish & Wildlife Service Office of Migratory Bird Management reports that homes in neighborhoods with large trees for birds are worth more than similar homes in neighborhoods without trees.

Native plants are the ones that grow in your area naturally. They generally cost less to buy than nonnative landscaping plants and are equally attractive.

Native plants are better adapted to local climate and soil conditions than exotics, and are more insect- and disease-resistant, than nonnative ones, so you’ll be less likely to need to help them along with pesticides, fertilizers, and even extra watering after they’re established.

Following are eight reasons to “go native.”

Minimize mud. Native plants and trees can help dry up an annoying wet area or be the first line of defense in intercepting runoff from the hillside behind your property. A mature Douglas fir can use from 125 to 150 gallons a day. Other types of water-loving plants include willow, dogwood, cottonwood, aspen, and cedar. Vegetated swales channel away surface water. And, if placed down slope from your horse’s paddock, can pick up excess water and nutrient runoff. Check with your local extension agent or conservation district for specific recommendations on plants suitable for your area and soils.

Bust the dust. Use native plants to help cut down on blowing dust from your arena polluting your neighbor’s property. Generally, a buffer of at least 20 feet deep is recommended. It should include evergreens, deciduous trees, and shrubs. A row of evergreens makes a nice privacy screen between you and your neighbor.

Provide timely sun and shade. Well-placed deciduous trees and shrubs around your barn and paddocks can provide cooling shade in the summer, while the bare branches in the winter allow the warming rays from the sun to reach through to your horses.

Control erosion. Trees and shrubs hold valuable topsoil in place, keeping it from getting washed away by rain or blown away by wind, which can potentially cause a surface- or ground-water problem. If you’re raising pasture grass, protecting valuable topsoil is paramount. Plants need soil and nutrients to be healthy, so put those native plants to work as a filter strip to catch nutrients and hold topsoil in place.

Control runoff. Native plants are also useful around streams, ponds, wetlands, and other water bodies. Trees and undergrowth are nature’s system for filtering runoff contaminants, such as nutrients from manure and sediment from mud.

Feed fish. Vegetation supplies food and shelter for fish and other aquatic life. The overhead canopy trees keep water cool. Cool water is able to carry more oxygen than warm water, which benefits fish.

Encourage insect-eating swallows to move onto your horse property to reduce the flying-insect population.

Photo by Alan Blickle

Banish bugs. One swallow consumes thousands of insects per day. During the spring and summer, violet green, cliff, and barn swallows can be seen and heard diving, darting, and chirping on

horse properties throughout much of the United States. Other types of insect-eating birds include other types of swallows, bluebirds, and purple martins.

Lure insect-eating birds to your property by providing a habitat for them. Help them build their nests by putting out tufts of horse and dog hair. Also, build or buy nesting boxes specific to the type of swallows in your area.

Encourage bats to take up residence. One bat can eat hundreds of mosquitoes in an hour. Create a friendly bat habitat by placing bat houses by early April. Place a bat house on a barn, pole, tree, and/or the side of a house, ideally within a half-mile of a stream, lake, or wetland. Note that it can take up to two years for a bat colony to find your house.

Control rodents. Encourage larger birds, such as owls, hawks, and falcons, which prey on problem rodents, to be a part of your habitat. Protect large trees and snags that provide housing for these predators. Some of these birds will also do well in nest boxes.

Plant trees outside of confinement areas and pastures to keep trees away from teeth and hooves. Trees inside these areas should be protected to the end of their “drip zone,” or the tips of their branches. To protect your trees, use fencing and physical barriers, such as large rocks and logs.

Moving closer I spotted a swelling on his chest, in front of his left shoulder. I stepped through the gate and ran my hand over the protuberance: It was firm but not hot, and it covered his left front chest and extended down between his front legs.

“What happened, Wes?” I asked, rubbing the star on his forehead. “You get kicked?”

Wesley is pastured with two other geldings, and these boys do get rowdy. My horse Zeke had once been kicked in the chest, and the injury had produced a hematoma, a blood-filled swelling, the size of a grapefruit. That must be it, a hematoma, I thought.

I slipped the halter over Wesley’s head, and we headed toward the barn. He was moving sluggishly, reluctant to bear much weight on his left front leg.

My brow furrowed. This could be more than a hematoma. Was it a shoulder fracture? A tumor? I’d lost my first mustang to an aggressive sinus cancer, and I am forever fearful of seeing equine cancer again. Taking a deep breath, I reassured myself that it was probably not cancer and Wesley would be OK. I stroked his neck and encouraged him to come along.

I put Wesley in a stall with hay and water and gave him two grams of phenylbutazone (bute), which I stock for my arthritic horse, to control his pain. In the meantime, my husband hitched up the trailer so we’d be ready to take Wesley to our local veterinary clinic first thing in the morning.

Wesley’s swelling looked about the same the next day, and he had trouble climbing into the trailer because his shoulder and leg made the step up painful. But he’s a good horse, and once he was loaded, we drove to see Steve Shideler, DVM.

Not so simple
“That looks like an injury. Could be a hematoma,” Shideler said as Wesley backed off the trailer. Walking slowly to accommodate Wesley’s pain, we led him to the treatment area.

The veterinarian palpated the swelling, then he cleaned the center of the mound and inserted an 18-gauge needle to see if he could aspirate (draw out) any fluid. Nothing. Shideler said Wesley had probably experienced some trauma. He administered a dose of penicillin in case some infection was present and prescribed daily warm compresses and continuing the bute as needed, but he said he would expect the swelling to go down over time as the injury healed. Relieved, we loaded Wesley and returned home.

Alone in a paddock, Wesley stood quietly for the application of warm compresses. He’s a mild-mannered horse, and he appreciated the attention and the head rubs. We gave him two grams of bute for three days and then tapered him off of it by day five. Bute can cause gastric ulcers, so I didn’t want to keep him on it too long.

But once the bute was stopped, Wesley’s pain seemed to increase. And, instead of shrinking as we expected, the swelling on his chest grew bigger. Now his head bobbed when he walked, a telltale sign of how painful weight-bearing had become. I put him back on the bute.

The Monday after Thanksgiving, I called Shideler to report that Wesley wasn’t feeling better and the swelling was getting worse. We discussed alternative diagnoses. The possibility of cancer came into the conversation; my heart sank. Shideler recommended taking Wesley to the university clinic, where a specialist could ultrasound the swollen area to get a better idea what lurked beneath that ballooning skin.

A different diagnosis
Worried, I emailed a photo of Wesley to Alison Eddy, DVM, at Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine; she’s treated our other horses before. Eddy replied that, although she couldn’t diagnose the problem without examining the horse, she thought the swelling looked like pigeon fever---an infection that causes large pus-filled abscesses under the skin. Also called dryland distemper or false strangles, pigeon fever gets its name because the swellings, which often appear on the front of a horse’s chest, mimic the bulging profile of a pigeon’s breast.

She explained that pigeon fever is caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis and is more common in arid regions of southern California and the Southwest. However, she added, they’d been seeing more of this infection in Mississippi this year than they had in the past. Eddy assured me that pigeon fever isn’t usually life threatening, but it does require treatment. I made an appointment at the university for the next morning.

With Eddy’s permission, I gave Wesley two grams of bute one hour before loading to help reduce his pain, and he gamely climbed back onto the trailer. Eddy and the other equine veterinarians were waiting and ready to examine Wesley as soon as we arrived at the hospital. All his vital signs were normal---no fever---and he was bright and alert. His only sign of trouble was the classic hallmark of pigeon fever: pectoral swelling and pain from that king-size abscess. All of this pointed toward that diagnosis---most horses with pigeon fever eat well and have no fever. Eddy told us that an ultrasound of the swelling, to look for the pus pocket, would help confirm their diagnosis.

The swelling was shaved for the ultrasound, and Wesley’s dark-tipped ears flicked forward momentarily with concern as the equipment was wheeled toward him. He stepped back, but after being allowed to sniff the apparatus, he sighed and settled.

A hypoechoic area--one that is dark on the monitor, because it isn’t solid like normal tissue--was found two centimeters (almost one inch) below the skin. This was the abscess. The good news was that draining the pus would start Wesley on the road to recovery. But there was some bad news, too: The abscess didn’t appear to be well encapsulated; that is, it was ill defined and spread out somewhat. If it were opened, the pus might not drain completely, and the abscess would only return. If instead the abscess was left to mature, or “ripen,” the body would wall off the infection into a distinct area that would drain more readily. They couldn’t fix my horse that day.

Eddy estimated Wesley’s abscess might be ready to open in two or three days. Because draining an abscess is a routine veterinary procedure, we had the option of taking our horse home and letting Shideler take care of it when the time came. However, Shideler was heading out of town, so we chose to leave Wesley at the clinic, where he could be monitored until the abscess was ready for lancing.

Crash course
I knew nothing of pigeon fever, so Eddy took a few minutes to explain it to me. Caused when C. pseudotuberculosis enters cuts or wounds as small as fly bites, pigeon fever can take three forms. About 90 percent of the time, the disease causes abscesses, most often on the chest but sometimes under the belly or in other areas, usually near the lymph nodes. In a second type of pigeon fever, the bacterium is carried to the liver, lungs, kidneys or other organs and internal abscesses form; these cases are more likely to be fatal. A third type, called ulcerative lymphangitis, affects the lymphatic system on the lower legs and is much more serious and slower to heal. This type is extremely rare in the United States.

I gave thanks Wesley had the most common and treatable form of pigeon fever. But I wondered how my horse had contracted this infection. Eddy said that C. pseudotuberculosis resides in the soil, and it thrives in arid or droughty conditions. The bacteria enter the skin either directly, when a horse with a cut or abrasion lies down, or indirectly, when he is bitten by a fly carrying
the pathogen.

The disease is common in California and the Southwest because the bacteria flourish in the hot, dry climate. Eddy commented that Mississippi had seen an increase in cases over the past two years. Most of the South has been parched from reduced rainfall those years, and large swaths of the Midwest have been experiencing droughts; in fact, the whole country has seen warmer temperatures. These conditions have enabled pigeon fever infections to sweep eastward and northward in recent years, and veterinarians who had never seen a case in their careers are now treating horses with the illness.

We left Wesley munching horse treats offered to him by the staff. Eddy called me the following evening. The overstretched skin covering Wesley’s voluminous abscess was threatening to split. The veterinarians now believed the lesion was mature enough to make the procedure successful. I gave the go-ahead.

Well-mannered Wesley required no sedation, only the local injection of anesthetic (Carbocaine) to numb the area. Eddy told me that while the process of draining a pigeon fever abscess may be relatively straightforward, it is an extraordinarily messy spectacle. After piercing Wesley’s skin where it was stretched so tight an exudate was beginning to ooze, the veterinarians had guided a 14-gauge catheter into the abscess until pus was aspirated. With the abscess location confirmed, a scalpel was guided alongside the catheter to drain the abscess.

Copious amounts of tan, odorless exudate spilled from the opening; this characteristic appearance of the pus helped confirm the diagnosis of pigeon fever. Because the abscess wasn’t quite fully encapsulated, the veterinarians made a second incision to open another pocket of infection. Wesley fared well during the procedure, and with the wounds left open, he was ready for discharge.

Healing at home
I had to work the next day, so my husband picked up Wesley and received our discharge wound-care instructions. Because the drainage from his wounds might be able to infect other horses, we were advised to isolate Wesley until all the exudates appeared to have exited and the swelling had diminished. Some experts even recommend burning all bedding or hauling it to a landfill, then bleaching all hard surfaces in the stall and any tack that’s come in contact with the horse.

More recent evidence and expert opinion suggest that isolation of a horse with pigeon fever and disinfection of equipment may not be necessary. However, we decided it was just good hygiene to keep this horse with a draining wound away from the others. We also wore disposable exam gloves to treat him and washed our hands after touching him.

Wesley’s daily wound care involved inserting a soft rubber catheter into the open cavities and flushing the pockets with a saline solution. Eddy told us how to make our own saline, using distilled water and table salt. She also advised us to coat Wesley’s chest area below the wounds with petroleum jelly to help protect his skin from the oozing exudate.

Ever the stoic gentleman, Wesley tolerated the treatments well. In less than two weeks, his wounds healed, the swelling resolved and he was released to return to his herd and his duties as a riding horse. We did elect to disinfect his halter and the stall, and I washed the saddle pad

I’d been using on him, too.

Pigeon fever has been around for a long time in the Southwest, yet I’d never heard of it happening here. However, cases have been on the increase in Texas and the South, and the disease has appeared as far east as Florida and Kentucky. The hot, droughty summers we’ve seen in recent years could make the infection more common in states where it had never been before. I hope that my experiences help you recognize the signs of pigeon fever sooner should the infection appear in your area. Finally, Wesley and I are off for that ride.

For more information, see “On Watch for Pigeon Fever” (EQUUS 368).

This article first appeared in EQUUS issue #426.

Most horses are eager to chow down on the first green shoots of spring grass. But new pasture growth poses some risks, particularly for laminitis-prone horses, who may develop the devastating inflammation of the hoof’s soft tissues after ingesting too much sugar-rich early growth grass.

Here are some precautions you can take as your pastures are transformed from winter brown to spring green.

• Restrict grazing time if necessary. When introducing your horse to a lush pasture in the spring, turn him out on it for only 10 to 15 minutes on the first day, then increase the time by five or 10 minutes per day, to give his intestinal flora time to adjust to the new, richer food source.

• Feed hay prior to turnout. Offer your horse his normal hay ration before turning him out. If he’s already eaten his fill, he’ll be less likely to overindulge on grass.

• Use a grazing muzzle. These devices, which fit over the muzzle and restrict the amount of grass a horse can bite off at once, can reduce the amount he can graze during his turnout time. Grazing muzzles are especially useful for controlling the calorie intake of obese horses as well as generic viagra price protecting the health of those prone to laminitis. If your horse is at risk for laminitis, ask your veterinarian how much grazing and turnout might be acceptable, given your local conditions. For some, especially those adept at getting their muzzles off, year-round turnout in a dry lot might be the only option.

Even after you’ve started turning them out on pasture for longer stretches, horses may still need supplemental hay to get all the nutrients they need. Many toxic weeds grow quickly in the early season, before the grass is well established. If your horse is getting all the nutrition he needs from grass and hay, he’ll be less likely to sample different types of plants.

This article first appeared in EQUUS issue #426.

You go to catch your horse for a ride and there it is—a big, ugly laceration right in the middle of his chest. You panic when you see blood running down his leg, and it looks like he’s cut right down through the muscle. Now what?

Breathe. Relax. Believe it or not, even a big, deep laceration in your horse’s chest is likely to heal quickly, and without much trouble. Why? Because it’s an area with large muscles, good blood flow, and few critical structures at risk of being damaged. But if you find a tiny little puncture at the back of your horse’s pastern, that’s another story. Even the smallest, most benign-looking wound in that area could mean trouble.

In this article, I’m going to help you understand what makes a wound more serious, and why. First, I’ll give you a quick rundown of the five critical factors to evaluate when faced with any wound. Then, I’ll give you some real-life scenarios so you can decide whether that wound is a nightmare or a nuisance—and what you should do about it.

Factor 1
Location, location, location. The location of a wound is one of the most important factors in determining its severity. If it’s over a well-muscled area of the upper body like the chest or croup, you’re in luck. There’s good blood supply and few critical structures to complicate healing. It’s likely to heal well, even if it’s big and deep.

The same is true for wounds on the head. They often heal quickly and well with few complications, even if they look horrifying at the start.

Wounds on the lower legs, especially those below the hocks and knees, are typically more difficult. Blood supply may be limited, and there’s little extra tissue between the skin and the more critical underlying structures. A wound that’s directly over a joint or tendon sheath is the scariest of all because penetration risks infection of one of those critical, closed-off structures—a potentially life-threatening complication.

Factor 2
Other signs. Is it “just a wound,” or is there some other symptom that could mean something more? Most commonly, excessive bleeding may be cause for concern, and might happen any time a large vessel is disrupted. If blood is bright red and spurts in pulses, that’s the most concerning of all, as it means a high-pressure artery is likely to be involved.

Lameness is another sign that a wound might be serious. If your horse is lame with a wound, a critical structure such as a joint, tendon, or ligament might have been damaged. Severe lameness might also mean a more serious injury, such as a broken bone.

Finally, if the wound is on your horse’s face, signs such as squinting or tearing might mean his eye’s been damaged. Blood from his mouth, or difficulty chewing, could point toward an injury to his teeth or jaws. Anytime a wound is accompanied by another problem, it’s likely to be more serious, and to require special care.

Factor 3
How deep? The depth of a wound is important for helping you decide just how serious it is, and whether it needs sutures.

To determine just how deep it is, try to separate the edges by putting pressure on either side. (It helps to clean the wound with cold water from a hose before this step.)

If the wound is fresh and you can pull the edges apart, it’s likely to have penetrated the full thickness of the skin and would heal best with sutures (unless it’s a puncture wound; see page 2). If you can’t pull the edges apart, chances are it’s just an abrasion and sutures won’t be necessary.

Keep in mind there are areas on your horse’s body where the skin is up to one-quarter-inch thick, meaning a deep abrasion can look much more frightening than it is. Most non-full-thickness injuries will heal without much trouble.

Finally, a very deep wound, even if it’s small, might end up as the most nightmarish of all, due to risk of penetration of more important deeper structures—taking us back to location as a crucial factor. A tiny but deep wound over a joint may turn out to be a much bigger issue than a huge abrasion over a well-muscled area.

Factor 4
How big? If all other factors are equal, size does matter. A wound that’s less than one-half inch in length typically won’t need sutures, even if it’s a full-thickness deep through the skin. A wound that’s between one-half and one inch might heal better with a stitch or two, and a wound that’s longer than an inch will almost always heal better if it’s sutured.

Again, though, location plays a role in this decision. A longer wound on the well-muscled upper body is likely to heal even if it isn’t sutured, while a shorter wound on the lower legs will be much more problematic if left to heal on its own. As a general rule, a call to the vet is an important step for any full-thickness lower-leg wound.

Factor 5
How old? It’s always best if you discover a wound immediately so that you’re able to make a treatment decision right away, while the damage is fresh. Fresh wounds that are attended to immediately are much less likely to become nightmares than are wounds that are days or even hours old.

Excessive swelling or drainage of yellowish/brownish thick fluid are two signs that a wound is older and possibly in need of special care. However, contrary to popular belief, even a wound that’s a day or two old may often still be sutured, and will heal much better as a result.

Now that you know the five basic factors to evaluate on any wound, let’s take a look at some common wound scenarios and whether the wound in each will become a nightmare or a nuisance.

With nutrients to optimize digestive balance, EQ8^TM Gut Health features live probiotics to enhance the functionality of the hindgut and provide an extra barrier of protection for the intestinal wall. Through the use of BioFuze^TM technology, specific only to Buckeye® Nutrition, live probiotics are evenly distributed in the feed and remain protected to become beneficially active in the horse’s digestive system.

“The BioFuze^TM technology that we use to add probiotics to EQ8^TM Gut Health is something that separates us from other companies,” said Amber Moffett, manager of research and development, Mars Horsecare US Inc. “We are the only ones that have the ability to add live probiotics.”
Buckeye® Nutrition’s system of utilizing the BioFuze^TM technology allows for the probiotics to be uniquely applied to the extruded particle. Because probiotics are heat sensitive, the BioFuze^TM technology ensures the viability of beneficial bacteria when it reaches the small intestine.

“We all know how critical digestion is for the performance of a horse, whether athletic or reproductive,” said Moffett. “The beauty of EQ8^TM Gut Health is that it has live probiotics as well as high fiber, high fat and digestible starch sources that allow the horse to eat smaller meals. This is the trifecta of a well-balanced diet for horses.”

EQ8^TM Gut Health utilizes cooked grains to ensure optimal starch digestion in the foregut. With the risk of excess starch reaching the large intestine minimized, the feed also minimizes any digestive imbalances that could lead to health issues such as loss of appetite, poor performance or recurrent colic. The feed is also scientifically formulated to support proper stall behavior and reduce excitability in the horse, whether in the show ring or out to pasture.

“If a horse doesn’t have a healthy digestive system, then they are not able to utilize the nutrients that we give them,” said Moffett.

Horse owners like EQ8^TM Gut Health because it helps their horses to feel better, look better and perform better. Allison Springer, 2012 Olympic Qualifier and Rolex Reserve Champion, feeds EQ8TM Gut Health to her horse, Arthur. As an Irish Sport Horse, a breed of horse known for its challenges in regulating its body weight, Arthur maintains his weight regularly and is able to perform.

“Since I started feeding EQ8^TM Gut Health, I have noticed significant improvement in Arthur’s health and overall attitude,” said Springer. “I know his digestive health had so much to do with our great season.”

Buckeye® Nutrition, with more than 100 years of developing equine nutrition products, takes feed safety seriously, implementing many programs mandated in human food manufacturing facilities. For more information about Buckeye® Nutrition, visit www.BuckeyeNutrition.com or call the Buckeye® Nutrition Care Line at (800) 898-9467.

First, we should define the senior horse. We typically think of a senior horse as one that is in its teens, but individual horses become seniors at different ages. The age at which a horse’s nutritional needs shift from those of a mature adult horse to those of a geriatric horse is determined by genetics and the way that horse was managed throughout its life. Basically, the horse itself determines when it becomes a senior. I look for some common indications of changing nutritional needs to determine when to start addressing the needs of a geriatric horse. For instance, it becomes more difficult to maintain the horse’s body weight on its traditional diet of hay or grass and feed, or the horse starts dropping wads of partially chewed hay on the ground (quidding). Some horses require dietary adjustments around age 16-17, but others go well into their twenties before needing any major diet changes. It is best for the horse if you pay close attention and address any special needs before significant decline in condition or health occurs. Also, working with your veterinarian will be helpful in determining when to begin addressing concerns of the aging horse, as well as essential to ensure the continued good health and longevity of your horse.

Some of the problems common to older horses include worn or missing teeth, decreasing digestive efficiency, respiratory problems, difficulty in maintaining body weight, poor haircoat and chronic lameness. Each of these situations may have causes unrelated to age, but addressing the nutritional needs of the individual horse can possibly improve or help manage the condition.

Monitoring Dental Condition
As a horse ages, the grinding motion of chewing wears the teeth down, and the teeth then erupt to replace what has worn away. At some point in a horse’s life, there is not enough tooth left to replace the wear, and the horse can no longer chew properly. Further, as the teeth wear they can develop sharp edges or points that can lacerate the cheeks and tongue. Finally, inadequate chewing can cause lack of salivation, which may result in poor lubrication for swallowing, thus increasing the possibility of choke.

Regular dental care is essential to maintain the horse’s teeth in good shape to chew properly. Senior horses often have difficulty chewing hay and even possibly grass due to poor dental condition. Even with excellent dental care, the time may come for an older horse to get its roughage from a source other than long-stemmed forage because it just cannot chew adequately. Purina® Equine Senior® is a complete feed, which means it contains all the essential roughage so that even a horse unable to chew hay will receive adequate fiber. At some point, Equine Senior may replace all of the hay in the horse’s diet. As the horse ages further, it may be beneficial to add water to Equine Senior® to produce a mash or gruel which will be even more easily edible for the horse with extremely poor dental condition.

If the older horse is still well able to utilize long-stemmed hay in its diet, then Purina Equine Senior Active Healthy Edge is designed to provide the nutrient profile needed by an aging horse along with appropriate good quality hay/pasture.

The Aging Equine and its Digestive Tract
As the horse ages, its digestive tract becomes less efficient due to decreased motility, digestion and absorption of nutrients. In these situations, feeding a processed feed instead of whole grains and including higher nutrient levels in the feed will help provide adequate nutrition to meet the horse’s needs. Equine Senior® and Equine Senior® Active Healthy Edge® are both formulated to meet these increased nutrient requirements when fed as recommended.

Older horses may also suffer from colic due to a higher incidence of lipomas (fatty tumors), poor teeth, reduced exercise, and a higher risk of impactions. According to a study at Texas A&M University, the leading factor for increasing risk of colic is a change in hay. Making all diet changes gradually, providing adequate water, good-quality feed and hay, and following good management practices will help reduce the risk of colic.

Working with your veterinarian to keep the horse on a proper deworming and parasite control program is also vital to maintain the health and efficiency of the digestive tract.

Preview: Be sure to return for the next column!
In my next column, I will discuss respiratory issues, maintaining appropriate body weight and condition, haircoat, and dealing with chronic lameness in aging horses.

Katie Young, Ph.D.

Technical Equine Nutritionist
with Purina Animal Nutrition

Dr. Katie Young is an equine nutritionist with Purina Animal Nutrition. Dr. Young has worked with Purina for more than 11 years, beginning as a consultant, and now in her current role as a Technical Equine Nutritionist. Her responsibilities include providing technical support for the Purina sales force, certified expert dealers and customers, developing and maintaining horse feed formulas and standards, as well as ingredient and production standards.

Dr. Young has almost 40 years of experience in the horse industry. She started riding as a child in southwest Missouri, first as a barrel racer, and later moving into hunter-jumper. After moving to Texas, Dr. Young continued participating in hunter-jumper shows, as well as dressage and combined training competitions, and played competitive polocrosse. Currently, she rides and competes in dressage and combined training with two of her six horses. Dr. Young has worked as a trainer and riding instructor for more than 30 years, and continues do so in the Kansas City area.

Dr. Young earned a bachelor's degree from Missouri State University and a doctorate in Equine Nutrition and Exercise Physiology from Texas A&M University.