1964-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1964 June Voice | Page 30
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HORSES!
HORSES,
ORSES,
by
Dr. M. E. Ensminger, Ph.D.
Clovis, Californio
You're Asking
I’m always pleased and honored
to have questions asked of me.
Now that I’m a hundred years old,
it doesn’t bother me in the least
to say, “I don’t know.” Here are
some recent questions, along with
my answers:
Q.—What can you tell me about
heaves? (This question was part of
of a long distance telephone call
from a horseman in one of the
New England States. I’m glad I
wasn’t paying the toll charges.
Based on my inability to help, I’ll
bet the person making the call
also wished she weren’t.)
A.—Frankly, I know very little
about heaves; and, judging from
the lack of agreement relative to
treatment, I don’t think anyone
else does. Professionally, the di
sease is given the high sounding
name “chronic pulmonary alveo
lar emphysema”; but in simple,
everyday language, it’s called
“heaves” or “broken wind.” It is
characterized by difficulty in forc
ing air out of the lungs, resulting
in a jerking of the flanks (double
flank action) and coughing. The
nostrils are often slightly dilated
and there is a nasal discharge
These signs are exaggerated by
dusty hay or dusty stables and by
exercise. For the most part, it af
fects horses 5 years or older, but
it has been noted in younger ani
mals.
The exact cause is unknown. It
does appear that respiratory infec
tions are contributory. Some au
thorities are militant in their be
lief that heaves are due to an al
lergy; in particular they incrimi
nate oats and linseed meal, even to
the point of deleting these ingre
dients from the ration and replac
ing them with best pulp and soy
30
bean meal, respectively. Others
are just as vociferous in advocat
ing that horses afflicted with
heaves be fed more oats, and less
of something else. Still others,
blame dry roughages in general,
and legume hays in particular. My
personal recommendations relative
to treatment are: Avoid dusty or
damaged feeds; keep stables well
ventilated and dust free; and feed
an all-pelleted ration, thereby al
leviating dust in the feed and les
sening the distended muscles that
accompany “hay bellies.”
Q.—Will fescue pastor cause
my mare to slink (abort) her foal?
A.—No; that’s an old wives tale.
Go ahead and use that good grass.
If your mare aborts, and you have
authoritative and positive proof
that fescue pasture caused it, you
may turn this columnist out to
pasture, Sir.
Q.—How should a box stall be
prepared for foaling?
A.—-Clean thoroughly, disinfect
(13-oz. lye per 10 gals, water; use
one-half strength solution in scrub
bing mangers and grain boxes),
sprinkle lightly with lime (quick
lime; burnt lime), and bed for the
occasion.
Q.—What is meant by a "quarter
crack?"
A.—It’s a vertical crack on the
side of the hoof; usually corrected
by keeping the hoof moist, short
ening the toes and using a correc
tive shoe designed for the particu
lar situation.
Q.—My horses are on poor pas
ture and a considerable distance
from my home. Could I self-feed
them a salt-feed mixture in pel
lets?
A.—Salt may be used as a gover
nor — as a way in which to limit
feed consumption. But it must be
used with discretion and properly.
If the pellets are small and hard,
horses are apt to swallow them
without the salt being fully effec
tive as an inhibitor, with the re
sulting hazard of founder. For
this reason, I would recommend
that you use a salt-feed block con
taining about 15% salt and 20%
protein, rather than pellets. A re
putable commercial feed company
should be able to help you.
JULY 1-2 .. . Louisville, Mississippi.
JULY 2 . . . Martin, Tennessee.
JULY 3 . . . First Annual Civitan
Horse Show, Fort Payne, Alabama.
Contact A1 Holt, Black Building, 116
First St., Fort Payne, Ala.
JULY 3 . . . Dunlap, Tenn. Contact:
Owen Fullen, Athens, Tenn.
JULY 3 . . . Murfreesboro Summer
Horse Show sponsored by Exchange
Club of Murfreesboro. Contact John
Hood, P. O. Box 1113, Murfreesboro,
Tennessee.
JULY 3-4 . . . Kosciusko, Mississippi.
JULY 3-4 .. . Tazewell County Horse
Show, Tazewell, Va. Contact: Roy Rich
ardson, Tazewell, Va.
JULY 4 . . . Athens, Tenn. Contact:
Owen Fullen, Athens, Tenn.
JULY 4 . . . Annual 4th of July Horse
Show, Jonesboro, Tenn. Contact: Horse
Show, Box 127 Jonesboro, Tenn.
JULY 4 . . . East Point, Georgia Horse
Show. Contact: Jimmy Seashole or Mrs.
Woodrow Garrett, Whitesburg, Ga.
JULY 4 . . . Florence, Alabama.
JULY 5-11 . . . Lexington, Kentucky
Jr. League Horse Show.
JULY 9 . . . Covington, Tennessee.
JULY 10 . . . Ripley, Mississippi.
JULY 10 . . . Cornersville, Tennessee.
JULY 10 . . . 11th Annual Walker
County Horse Show. Contact: C. N.
McKellar, Box 231, Jasper, Alabama.
JULY 10-11 ... Cedartown, Ga. Horse
Show. Contact: Jimmy Seashole or Mrs.
Woodrow Garrett, Whitesburg, Ga.
JULY 11 . . . Thomason, Georgia.
JULY 11 . . . Liberality, Madisonville
Rt. Tenn. Contact: Owen Fullen,
Athens, Tenn.
JULY 11 . . . Chapel Hill, Tennessee.
JULY 11 . . . Wickliffe, Kentucky.
JULY 11 . . . Elizabethton Rhododen
dron Horse Show. Contact: Eugene
Hopson, Elizabeth, Tennessee.
- ' s-u-t- Walking Horse