Horse Management PDF

# Horse Management ## Faculty of Veterinary Medicine - Department of Husbandry and development of animal wealth - General Program - Animal behaviour and management - 2nd Level Students ### Horse - Domestication: 4500-2500 BC ### Breeds: - **Heavy draught horse**: - Ex. Shire, suffolk - Or...

# Horse Management ## Faculty of Veterinary Medicine - Department of Husbandry and development of animal wealth - General Program - Animal behaviour and management - 2nd Level Students ### Horse - Domestication: 4500-2500 BC ### Breeds: - **Heavy draught horse**: - Ex. Shire, suffolk - Origin: England - Height: 178 cm (170-180) cm - Colour: black, brown, chestnut, and grey - _Large white spots on the body, white marking on legs_ - **Physical characters**: - Largest breeds, large head, short strong back, well muscled croup - _Characteristic feature_: extensive hair on the legs start from knee and hock till pastern - Size: height 170-180 cm, wt: 1000-1200 kg - Uses: heavy draught animal, military purpose (خيول العرض العسكري) - **Light draught horse**: - Ex. Hackney, half bred percheron - Hackney (15 HANDS) - (brown, black, chestnut and bay) - _four white feed are common_ - **Riding horse (saddle horse)**: - Thoroughbred horse - Arab horse - Arab Thoroughbred (Anglo-Arab horses) - **ponies**: - Ex. Dartmoor, exmoor - Horse not exceed (13 hands) ### Breeds Table: | Breed | Origin | Height | Weight | Colours | Physical Characters | Uses | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | Thoroughbred horse | England | 160-170 cm (16-17hand) | 400-500kg | Common (black, brown, dark brown) | Fine head, large eyes, long neck, long croup Sloping shoulder, high withers Back: medium length Silky coat | Racing (walk is long, free easy and fast, balanced trot, long stride) | | Arab horse | Five great strains of blood (khamsa) - prophet Solomon 1) The Kehilan 2) The Selgawi 3) The Abeyan 4) The Hamdani 5) The Hadban | 14-15 hands Great intelligence Head: short, concave face, arched neck Gray, bay, chestnut | 400-450kg | All colours | Small fine head, head narrows toward muzzle | Racing, carrying loads | | Arab Thoroughbred (Anglo-Arab horses) | Arab Thoroughbred cross | 145-155cm | 400-450kg | All colours | | Racing, carrying loads | ### Comparing Thoroughbred and Arabian horses | Characteristic | Thoroughbred | Arabian horse | |---|---|---| | Temperament:| Intelligent, excitable | More intelligent, gentle | | Head | small | Wedge shape | | Nose | Strait | Arched (concave) | | Neck | Strait | Arched | | Lumbar v. | 6 | 5 (more strong) | | Coccygeal v. | 18 | 16 (higher) | | Forehead | Strait | Convex | | Height | 16-17 h | 14-15 h | | Weight | 400-500 | 360-450 | | Hoof | Fine | Large | ### Stallion Management #### Puberty: - Colts: 1 year (but used for stud at 4 years) - (at 5 years 120 service/ year) - Fillies: 1.5 years (but not mated till 3 years) - Breeding season: spring and summer (long day breeders) #### Exercise: - 3 month before covering season - walk for 2 hrs by his stallion man - Exercising paddock (treadmill) - Prevent fighting between stallion (stallion who damaged by other stronger horse, lost his nerve, become useless at service (psychological damage). > **Behaviour of stallions may change suddenly, so the golden rule is never trust a stallion during the breeding season and never give him a chance to take liberties.** #### Examination of stallion: - Periodic examination of semen sample - General examination of physical condition - (specially limbs and hooves) #### Management system during covering season: - **Correct time of service**: (24 hrs) before end of heat period - Those selected as being probably in season are "tried" at the "trying board" or "trying gate". - If ready for service they are then served; if not they are put back in the yard or paddock till the next day - The system of serving every day is probably more wasteful of the sperm, as the sperm have a much longer time of survival in the genital tract and would give just as good results. - **Number of mares served by stallion**: - Ex. Heavy draught horses - 2 years: 12-15 mares - 3 years: 30-40 mares - 4 years: 50-60 mares - 5 years: 80-90 mares - Older sires: about 17-18 years (reduction in number of service reach about 20 service at age 20 years, reach 15 service at age 25 years. #### Housing: - Well fed nutrition, Protein supplement (beans) or - Concentrates: 0.45 kg dried skim milk/day - Need grass: 0.45kg / 45kg live body wt - **Stall** - Floor space: 4x2m (heavy draught horse) - 3x1.8 (hunter) - Passage: single raw: 2.4 m - double raw: 4.2 # Brood Mare Management ## Management of brood mare: - Mare can breed up to 38 years (but 18-20 years is usually maximum age) - Estrus cycle: 3-4 weeks - Heat: 2-9 days (7 days) - Foaling heat: (7-11 days) - Ovulation: 1-2 days before end of heat - Mating: 1-2 days before end of heat - (day after day) ### Signs of estrous: - General irritability - Frequent urination in small quantity - Allow male to smell and bite - Mucous discharge from vulva - Hind quarter slightly apart, raise tail - Straddling stance - Winking, Pinking ### Detection of estrous: - **Signs**: - Teaser (vasoectomized): preferred to use it before using the other valuable stallion ## Management of mare before and during service: - Use of teaser - Service hobbles (provide safety, restraint) - Use trying board - Wash external genitalia and bandage the tail - Mare hind quarter should be quickly swung away from stallion #### Precaution after service: - Walking exercise for 10 minutes after service ## Pregnancy - **Signs of pregnancy**: - Cessation of estrous - Change temperament (more docile, more calm) - Increase size of abdomen - In latter stages: udder swelling and turgidity - Flank hollowness - Concavity of spine - Waxing (1-72hr prior to parturition) - At 2/3 pregnancy (7 months), movement of fetus can be noticed at the left flank - **Duration**: 336 days (11 months) #### Pregnancy diagnosis: - Ultrasound scan: 10-12 days of pregnancy - Rectal examination: 40 days (orange size fetus) - cervical changes (16-18 days) - _tubularity and firmness_ - Blood test: - 45-100 days (eCG and pregnant mare serum PMSG) - Urine test. - 120-150 days: estrogenic hormones in urine (foetal gonads) - Biochemical test: - Cuboni test: (after 100 days) detect estrogenic hormones in urine - Mucin test: (60-90 days) detect pregnancy in vaginal mucous (pregnancy cells). - Pregnancy diagnosis: #### Care of pregnant mare: - Working mares: stop hard work (last two months) - Riding mares: riding only 5-6 months of pregnancy, jumping not allowed after 3-4 months of pregnancy - Racing horse: only used in first 3 months - Mare carrying her first foal: - (udder massage, stroke inside her thigh in last 3-4 weeks) - Deworming every two months - Vaccination against tetanus and strangles in last month of pregnancy - Foaling box with sufficient bedding: (last two weeks) - In case of constipation: bran mash #### Feeding: - Mare must be flushed, avoid obesity (affect ovarian function, decrease fertility) - Increase nutrition specially in last third of pregnancy (fetal development is rapid) - Hay ad-lib + 0.34kg-0.57kg concentrate ration/day/45kg body wt - **Concentrate ration composition**: - 1kg beans - 1.8 kg bran - 30-60gm mineral mix. - 30-60gm vitamins - (In-foal mares): should get bran mash - (avoid constipation)/ twice a week with 60-90 g - Avoid purgatives - Last two weeks: isolate mare in loose box - (foaling box) ### Foaling #### Signs of approach parturition: - Seeking solitude (seeking isolation) - Distended udder (2-6 weeks before foaling) - Dropped abdomen (1 week before foaling) - Waxy teats (few days) (1-72hrs before foaling) #### Parturition (Foaling) - First stage: rupture of fetal membranes - Second stage: 10-30 minutes - After birth stage: 1-6 hrs if increased to 12 hrs need veterinary aids #### Management of mare at foaling - (Don't be harry in pulling the foal out quickly because 1/3 blood of foal is still outside his Circulation) #### Management of mare and foal after foaling - (post foaling care of foal) - Drying body by rubbing with a warm towel (avoid pneumonia) - Remove mucous from respiratory tracts (if not breathing oxygen therapy (mouth to nose resuscitation) - If umblical cord is still intact, wait for 5 minutes because 1/3 foal blood still run te placenta, cut (3-5 cm from abdominal wall) - Receive colostrum (antibacterial, protein, vit., min., laxative) - Administration of tetanus antitoxin and (penicillin-streptomycin). - Rectal enema (1st 12 hrs) to passing mechonium. #### Post foaling care of mare: - Placenta consider retained after 6hrs, need veterinary aid to prevent metritis - Offer cold water to mare after foaling replacing water loss during parturition (sweat) - Heat after foaling comes in the 9th day (nine day heat) ## Foal Management - **Suckling foal**: - It is best to let foal run with dam for 4 months after birth - Weaning at 4 months - Mare during this period must receive a ration which the foal can digest (foal start to nipple 2 weeks of age) - At age 2 months: foal eat 0.9 kg of the mixture - At age 5 months: 3.6 kg daily - **Orphan foal (motherless foal)**: - When mare die or not give sufficient milk, the foal can be helped by - **Foster mother**: heavy milking mare - (can rear 2 foals) - (1) Skinning the dead foal and put its skin onto the Orphan foal (not recommended) - (2) Apply some exercise to mare to get mild sweat then wipes into swab of clothes (special parts preferred ex. Mammary, inguinal and perineal region) and rub it to poll, face, withers, dock and tail of foal - **Artificial feeding**: - **Modified cows milk**: - (mare milk is higher in sugar but lower in fat) - Cow milk: add 14 gm sugar (glucose, lactose) - 42-56ml lime water - **Mare milk substitute**: - Given warm at 38°c - Fed 0.14 litre/hr/day (day and night) decrease intervals gradually and in - At 2 weeks (6 feeds/day) - At 4 weeks: (4 feeds/day) foal can put out to nipple grass - Weaning: foal must be put under care to avoid psychological shock - Gradually: (take about one week) - Isolate foal from mother 1 hr in the first day of weaning, 3-4 hrs in the next day, 5-6 hrs in the next day and so on, provide companions to the weaned foal - Suddenly: provide attractive food and green food, clean water to foal - Watering of horse: 10-12 gallons daily