As we start the winter polo seasons on both coasts, I will try and bring some insightful (I hope) comments and observations about the equine health world in this column on PoloZone. I certainly will keep it light and informative and present all the angles I can. Most of the material will relate to the current state of medicine, new techniques or procedures and some personal opinions on it all. Hopefully, I can keep a regular schedule, but I doubt seriously that I will be terribly consistent. Sorry, just being honest.
Some interesting studies have recently been reported and I wanted to summarize and pass this information on in the first installment.
First, a recent report identified 3 risk factors for EPM infection. EPM stands for Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis – a progressive neurological disease of horses that can start with something as innocuous as a simple hind end lameness and can quickly turn into a debilitating situation where the horse can barely stand up at all. The report, out of Texas A&M, shows that horses living with cats, horses used for Western performance or racing and horses over 2 years old are at the highest risk. On the surface these results are perplexing and do not seem to have much effect on polo horses. It is known that cats serve as intermediate host for Sarcocystis neurona, the causative agent for EPM, but opossums have always been cited as the bad actors in this disease. So no one is really suggesting you boot out all the kitties from the barn just yet. Western horses do not make up a big percentage of polo horses, but we certainly have our share of ex-race horses. When you combine that with the fact that most polo horses are over 2 years old (at least they better be!), then you could have an increased risk factor. From my viewpoint, these findings are like most research studies – nice to read, but not that practical in the real world.
The second report deals with the color of a horse and its risk of dying from West Nile virus infection. The study, done in Canada eh, states that light colored horses (grey, white, palomino, buckskin and dun) are 4.4 times more likely to die when they contract the viral infection. This is as compared to darker or multi-colored horses. Unfortunately, they could not come up with the exact reason for this difference – only to state that the immune response might be related to coat color. No matter what color of horses you have, make sure and keep your WNV vaccines current. The USDA reported 430 cases of WNV in US horses last year. In California alone, 28 cases were reported and 14 of these horses died. While that is still too many, compare it to 2004 when 540 cases were confirmed and 229 horses died in California. Vaccines are not always perfect, but they are helpful.
The third study evaluated the effect of early exercise on tendon health in horses. In this study, done by the Japan Racing Association, early exercise means foals from weaning up to 15 months of age. The foals were divided in to 2 groups and all were turned out on pasture for 4 hours a day. One group was also given additional treadmill exercise 5 times a week. The results stated that the superficial flexor tendon (the one most likely to “bow” as we like to say) would be stressed by this treadmill exercise but showed no negative effects microscopically as compared to the extensor tendon. The researchers seem to infer that we should exercise our foals to help prevent tendon injuries later on in life. I guess if you do not plan on buying a treadmill, then you should chase your foals around the pasture with the golf cart 5 times a week – or not. I think the jury is still out on this study.
In a slightly more disturbing report, equine rescue organizations are reporting a dramatic increase in the number of abused and neglected horses taken in. There is almost a two fold increase over the past year. This is especially true in the drought stricken Southeast. Reasons for this seem to be related to both the lack of hay due to the drought and the increase cost of equine feed. In any case, this is an alarming trend. Horse ownership comes with the inherent duty of proper care – not providing it is inhumane, and in most cases it is also unlawful. The polo world has always battled a stigma of less than standard care and it is up to all of us to dispel this myth by treating, feeding and housing our horses the best possible way.
Until next time, be safe out there and try not to ride into any backshots!
MM