Ticked off about ticks!

While we all enjoy the warmth of summer we and our horses hate the bugs that come out with the warm weather. Most of these insects are just a nuisance but some cause serious disease in humans and horses. Ticks fall into this dreaded category, carrying a multitude of nasty diseases that can infect humans, dogs, and horses. Lyme disease is the most prevalent of the tick borne diseases. Each year countless horses are infected. Some fight it on their own, while others become ill and require antibiotics to rid themselves of the bacteria causing Lyme disease. There is no way to stop all contact that your horse has with these tiny creatures. So what can you do to help prevent your horse from ticks as best you can? 

A tick must feed for over 24 hours before beginning to transmit Lyme Disease. Therefore, careful inspection of your horse everyday is one of the most important steps we can take to prevent infection. In reality, we all know how difficult it is to find a tick the size of an apple seed (average size of the dog tick), so it can be near impossible to find the deer tick that is the size of a poppy seed or smaller. Because ticks wait on the high ends of tall grass for animals to brush past to hitch a ride, keeping fields mowed is one step to reduce tick population. Additionally, keeping your horse's facial hair and lower legs clipped, along with trimming his tail to above average grass height, will help keep ticks at bay. 

There are commercial and homemade spray recipes that claim to repel ticks. Most contain pyrethrins and are safe for horses but if you have questions about a particular product please contact us first! 

Our best efforts can't stop all the ticks, so how can you tell if your horse has Lyme disease? The best thing you can do is "Know your horse's normal". Lyme disease most often causes subtle changes in a horse's attitude and performance. They become crabby and cranky while being groomed, and can become more easily startled or spooked. Alternatively the normally standoffish "hot' horse may become very affectionate and quiet Horse's affected with Lyme disease can appear lethargic and lose their desire to work or become muscle sore and loose their stamina. If you notice any of these subtle but concerning symptoms please call or email. 

Cornell University has developed a new more specific and sensitive test for Lyme disease in horses. This test makes diagnosis of this troublesome disease much more straightforward. With a simple blood test, we can determine if a horse has an acute case of Lyme disease (duration of 6 weeks or less), a chronic case ( over 3 months duration) and distinguish if a horse has a positive titer because of a previous vaccine or the horse has mounted it's own antibody response to fight the infection. Learn more about their process through the link below:

Abscesses - OH MY!

This August and September have presented an unusual number of horses suffering from abscesses. While generally straightforward and satisfying to to open and drain, some of these abscesses can become complicated and require more intensive veterinary care. Even for simple abscesses most owners are alarmed by the level of lameness that abscesses typically present as. Horses can be a little off to more commonly “3-legged lame” where standing on the limb is difficult if not impossible. The wet summer weather has softened the feet and allowed more dirt and bacteria to take up residence in the horse’s hoof. Sometimes this will grow out with no issue and other times it festers and forms an abscess.

Abscesses are also frequently associated with shoeing because the nails can be driven through one of these pockets spreading infection further up into the foot.

Soak your horse’s foot for 10-15 minutes in a warm water solution of epsom salt and dilute betadine. If your horses does not have pads, pack the foot with icthammol, magna paste, or poultice.

Call your vet and/or farrier for further advice. Many times the shoe will need to be pulled to establish adequate drainage.

Apple Knoll Farm Summer Jumper Challenge Wraps Up!

Another successful year in the books for the AKF NBEA Summer Jumper Challenge Series!

We had many great entries and it was exciting to hear and see the progress so many pairs made together over the summer.

The weather may have not cooperated with all the rain this summer, but those that competed made the most of it.

We congratulate all the winners in every level of entry - you worked very hard!

We are already excited for next summer and have some great new plans in the works, so be sure to keep an eye out for upcoming announcements about next year!