Trail riding can be fun and relaxing, but it can also leave horses exposed to disease, especially if they are traveling to a new area or haven’t been given the proper vaccinations to help protect them from local disease threats.
“Whenever horses travel, they can be exposed to disease — either from contact with other horses or disease agents in the area,” says April Knudson, DVM, manager, Veterinary Services, Merial. “Even though they may not travel as often, trail horses can still be at risk for contracting serious equine diseases, including rabies, Potomac horse fever, West Nile virus and equine influenza.”
While on the trail, there is a possibility horses will come in contact with animals potentially infected with rabies. This is a serious
No matter if the equestrian is a part of a large group or a single owned animal, horse care/maintenance is a must. For example, at any given time a horse injury
Riding horses can be used in many spectacular ways. Horses can be used for therapy with special needs children. Horses can help ease soldier’s minds. Riding horses helps with emotional issues, diminish post-traumatic stress disorders, and allow children with special needs to have fun.
Potomac Horse Fever, also known as “Ditch Fever” is a potentially fatal, non-contagious equine illness caused by the bacterium Neorickettsia risticii (formerly known as Erhlicia risticii) that was first identified in the United States in 1985. With little knowledge of its exact origin, the earliest discussion of symptoms was in the Eastern region in 1979. Additionally, PHF is also a “copy-cat” illness that often imitates symptoms of other diseases, which can lead to a misdiagnosis, which is why it is critical that horse owners understand the threat Potomac Horse Fever is and what procedures should take place to prevent, as well as treat, the illness.
The best way to protect yourself from these unwanted expenses would be to secure an insurance policy of these horses you own. This is the best way for you to protect yourself and anticipate those likely medical bills that you may incur if they end up having issues or medical conditions along the way. Of course, it is only right
Some Soldiers took advantage of horses by not caring for their needs. These poor horses were not well-taken care which contributed to their contraction of diseases and illness. “The ignorance of unqualified inspectors led to the purchase of great numbers of sickly and worn-out horses for the army” (“warhorses”11). The Horses needed to be in perfect shape to fulfill missions. But many horses were put through so much that they would catch diseases by not being well-taken care off. “Even animals that were healthy when purchased were soon reduced to a pitiful condition by the low standards of care they received once in service” (“warhorses”11). The careless soldiers brought up death to their horses by not watching over them or their health. History today discusses how the horse camps were heavily overcrowded and the animals suffer by not being groomed and fed “horses suffered because their injury or illness offered the prospect of furlough to their rider” (Phillips174). This put the horses in a dangerous situation that resulted in their death. The dangerous conditions often put the soldiers in a difficult place. With the death of horses, it halted communication and transportation. Messages weren’t able to be sent quickly which brought problems to the war. Without transportation troops, could travel quickly because horses became unnumbered. While horses were dying off this resulted from a soldier spending more money buying horses. The war was already expensive and this was an unnecessary expense. More soldiers were dying because of the lack of protection because of exhausted
First of all, rodeos have to follow rules. According to the RCA rules a veterinarian will be on-site at all rodeo events. Animals are inspected by medical personnel immediately prior to and after the event. Any animal that appears to be sore, lame, sick, or injured is removed from the event and placed under immediate
Throughout the history of American Quarter horses the main issue of the industry is the extent amount of drug usage on horses. The use of drugs on horses can help for healing and speed up the time of injury recovering, yet most of the time drugs hurt the horses. Today, this abusive action has only increased since the founding of the association. Quarter horses are jeopardized by having drugs injected in them to gain endurance and speed, but people fail to mention the risks that can occur. Injecting horses with dangerous drugs can cause heart attacks that may cause death after their race.
As another worry, certain animals carry diseases. These diseases can get others sick. Source #3 states, “Different animals carry certain diseases. When animals go into public places, they
Before we jump into the main question, let's jump back to where it all started. Horse therapy dates back to around 600 b.c when the greeks rode horses for therapy. Later, in around 1946 equine therapy then was introduced in Scandinavia. Which then led to the North Americans beginning the handicapped riding which started around 1969. They soon recognized that riding horses or just being
If you’ve ever owned an animal, you know that being around them can be extremely therapeutic. After a stressful day at work or school, it is always nice to come home to your pet and feel comforted by them. Many dog owners even claim that their dogs can feel their pain. However, if you speak to anyone who has been spent their life around horses, they’ll tell you that the connection between horse and rider is unlike any other. Norwegian researcher Anita Maurstad explains in a recent article, that over time horse and rider can become so attuned to each other that they develop a state of co-being. Maurstad also found, through research, that horses appear to learn to relate to humans in ways that provide them with a good quality of life. A recent study from Washington State university has concluded that kids who work with horses have significantly lower stress levels. In addition to these, there have been numerous other studies that show that working with horses decreases blood pressure, reduced feelings of anger, tension, and anxiety. Riding horses also allows you to gain feelings of self esteem, empowerment, patience, and trust. Because of the overwhelming positive effects that horses seem to have, horses are no longer being used just for recreational or agricultural
Sources say that animals suffer from broken bones, torn ligaments, sprained muscles, and internal bleeding which can happen, but it is more likely for it to happen to the human competitor. Major injuries that are life threatening very rarely occur in sanctioned rodeo events. Cheyenne Frontier Days, the largest rodeo in the United States, has a less than one percent injury rate and the injuries are usually minor (“Animal Care” par. 3). A sanctioned rodeo is a rodeo that is sponsored by a professional rodeo association which will have rules and consequences for the injuries or abuse to animals. Some of these rules include, “Steers used in team and steer roping have a protective covering placed around their horns”, and “PRCA rules provide fines if a PRCA judge determines that a contestant pulls a calf straight over backwards in tie-down roping” (“Animal Care” par. 2). There are even guidelines that include the stock contactor or person who supplies the animals. This guideline states, “Any contestant or stock contractor caught using unnecessary roughness or abusing an animal may be immediately disqualified from the rodeo and fined” (“Animal Care” par. 2). Most of the abusive videos shown of rodeos actually take place in Mexico where the rodeos are not sanctioned and there are no rules regarding animal safety. There is also the belief that animals used in practice pens suffer
Horses can be dangerous! I would know because I have owned many. Dad and I always remember this event by going by the raspberry brush near my house. Every time this event is talked about I still wonder how it happened.
This is a highly contagious bacterial infection disease, Streptococcus equi, that is also known as distemper in equines. Contaminated drinking sources, feed containers, or being in contact with nasal or abscess secretion can be how other equines can acquire this disease. Isolation of the infected equine is the only way to prevent transmission through direct contact. Never use another equine’s individual drinking container, feed bowl, or halter, at any place where equines are gathered publicly.
After the events, cases around the country were reported along with many fatalities. EHV-1 was most present at the NCHA Championship that year. Most fatalities were due to the neurological disease. Table 2 shows the cases confirmed of EHV-1 and EHM along with the fatalities of different exposures due to the NCHA event outbreak. These horses came from 10 states and a total of 90 confirmed cases of EHV and EHM while 54 were at the event and are the primary exposed. 13 horses were either euthanized or died from the diseases (USDA APHIS.
When many people approach a horse, they instantly feel cautious of their surroundings. These people tense up and become terrified because of the horse’s size, how they look, or just because they have heard of people being injured from horses. Many people are intimidated by how big some horses can be and they do not want to be around them. Horses are only thought to be a dangerous animal, but they have helped humans in many ways. For instance, they have helped with farm work that humans couldn’t have done by themselves, and they were a mode of human transportation for many years. The things horses have done for humans have helped in many ways, but horses have many other purposes that can help people out. Although many people agree