Breeding Canadian Horses, North Country Cheviot & Tunis Sheep

Herd Health

It is easy to say that horses raised at a particular farm are on a herd health program and are vaccinated, wormed and  trimmed on a regular schedule---- but what does that mean?  We do follow a herd health program and are constantly looking for ways to improve.  Our herd health program strives to prevent rather than treat diseases and conditions.

Why?   As a potential buyer you should expect the best of care for any animal you wish to purchase.  However that is a side benefit to our customers and not the real reason why we have implemented our herd health program.  We follow this program for two reasons: first the health and well being of the animals under our care and second to save money.  While the second reason may not seem obvious, health protection is always less expensive than disease or injury treatment.  The herd health program followed at Hawk Hill is outlined below.

Parasite Control  At Hawk Hill, all adult horses are wormed twice a year with a rotating program of products depending on the season and the parasites we wish to control.  We worm all horses on the same pasture simultaneously.   We have started fecal examinations to determine parasite burden and adjusted our program accordingly. Next Steps:  We will increase pasture rotation with improved manure management to decrease pasture contamination.  Goal:  Maximize parasite control with the minimum use of wormers. 

Vaccination: All horses at Hawk Hill are vaccinated annually for Tetanus,  Influenza, Rhinopneumonitis and East and West Equine Encephalitis.  All foals begin their vaccination program at 6 months of age to avoid conflict with maternally derived antibodies.  We will vaccinate for other diseases such as West Nile depending on local incidence. Since our horses have all been vaccinated yearly for rabies and evidence is that they have prolonged protection we are backing off our rabies vaccination to every second year. All pregnant mares are vaccinated for Rhino at 5, 7 and 9 months. We quarantine any new horses coming to the farm before introducing them to the herd.  Next Steps: If the cost of antibody titer testing is reduced we will monitor a subpopulation and adjust our vaccination program accordingly. Goal: Maximize for disease protection without the overuse of vaccines.

Hoof Care:  After several years of listening to often conflicting advice, researching and just looking at horses feet and dealing with foot problems, we have finally found a hoof care program that makes sense to us.  Despite the fact that our herd has been on regular 8 week trims by trained farriers, we felt that we could and should do something better.  Dr. Bowker of the Michigan State University College of Veterinary Medicine has done many year's research on hoof physiology, neurobiology and bio-mechanics including extensive research on the wild horse.  I am a biologist and Bob is a mechanical engineer and the approach that he recommends for hoof care makes sense from both our perspectives.  His recommendations are followed by the American Association of Natural Hoof Care Practitioners  (AANHCP). The Association requires a 1-2 year training program to certify practitioners.  We have started our horses on a 4 week schedule of regular trims using the parameters recommended by Dr. Bowker and are being mentored by an AANHCP practitioner.  Yes Bob and I are doing our own trims.  Within a very short period of time, we have seen better movement in our horses, better alignment in their limbs and a natural concavity developing in their soles.  Being scientists we are documenting the transition from conventional hoof care to Dr. Bowker's method with photographs and measurements. (We will post pictures soon) In spring 2006, Bob took a one day clinic with Todd Jaynes. In November 2007, I went on a 4 day clinic with Pete Ramey and Bob Bowker - exhausting but definitely worth every minute. We invested in Pete's 10 DVD set Under the Horse which basically is the clinic I took.  It is really helpful to review. As of April 2008, I figure I have done nearly 260 trims - a great learning experience.  We have xrayed several of our horses and adjusted our trimming to optimize the position of the coffin bone. Next Steps: Continue with the natural hoof care trims and document the incidence of lameness, abscess, and movement. Adjust diet to eliminate the incidence of laminitis. If we find this program does not meet our goal, then it is back to the drawing board.  Goal: Horses with flowing movement unimpeded by any foot problems; strong, solid feet that do not require shoes.

Diet:  Like hoof care, we are constantly reading, researching and listening to advice on proper equine nutrition.  Canadian horses are the true air fern, getting fat and even obese on a minimum amounts of feed.  This makes them vulnerable to conditions such as laminitis.  We produce our own hay at Hawk Hill and have recently been reseeding all our hay fields with a mixture of grasses.  We are starting a program of regular soil testing to adjust fertilizer and manure application for maximum production and plant health.  Soil quality is directly related to the nutrient quality of the resulting hay. We are researching hay harvesting practices to maximize nutrition while minimizing fructan and nitrate content of the plants as both these are related to health problems.  We are testing hay for nutrient content and supplementing accordingly.  Growing horses receive supplemental grain keeping in mind their unique nutritional requirements.  We are still going through an evolution of diet management and have much to learn. We are trying to feed to body condition where ever possible keeping our animals at level 3 of the OMAFRA  body condition scale.  However obesity is still a problem in some of our mares who are fed free choice grass hay, minerals and salt over the winter. Parameters such as general health, body condition, breeding efficiency, coat condition, energy level and longevity will be used to assess our diet program.  Next Step: Renew the balance of our hay fields, reseed and improve the quality of our pasture, set up a pasture rotation program, maintain an optimum body condition score for all our horses. We also are going to explore a "pasture paradise" arrangement for our easy keepers that will have a potential of going insulin resistant.  In the pasture paradise, a 30' wide dirt track is built around the edge of a pasture and patches of pea gravel and rock, mud etc are placed around.  Hay is fed in small amounts over the full track.  This forces the horses to constantly move, wear their feet and exercise...call it a no energy hot walker.   Goal: All Hawk Hill horses will maintain a body condition score of 3,  youngsters will receive the proper diet for their growth requirements, pregnant mares will maintain their condition throughout their pregnancy and lactation.

Exercise:  All Hawk Hill horses are kept on pasture or paddocks with a minimum size of two acres 24/7 year round. The youngsters do come in to the barn if it is a prolonged wet period in the winter or if ice conditions create dangerous footing.  They are all provided with shelters (though they rarely use it).  We feel that pasture boarding in a herd situation is best for the horses' physical and psychological well being.  Even our stallions are kept on pasture with companionship.  Next Step: Both for our sake and that of our horses, we will be reducing our herd size so that we can regularly exercise the remaining horses.    One permanent paddock will be set up as a pasture paradise summer 2009. Goal:  Both we and the horses will get rid of excess flab and get fit with a good muscle tone and condition.

Breeding:  Our breeding program has been a great success story at Hawk Hill.  We have had 10 healthy foals to date.  We are very proud of our breeding efficiency.  We use both AI and live cover and are running at about 85% first cycle - conception and live foal on the ground.  We use AI to reduce disease transmission and in the future will not use stallions from farms that do not follow a routine biosecurity program.  At a minimum all mares bred to a stallion should have a negative uterine swab.  Mares are vaccinated for Rhinopneumonitis during their pregnancy. Their diet is adjusted throughout their pregnancy and lactation to meet not only the needs of the foal but also to maintain the condition of the mare.  Unfortunately our breeding program is on hold.  However three of our mares are available for contract breeding.  Goal:  100% first cycle conception and live foal on the ground. 

Next Steps: Is there room for improvement in our herd health program?  Absolutely!  We are still learning and probably will continue to do so until the last horse leaves this farm.  There is always new research and ways to improve.  And if we ever think we know it all... something will come around to prove us wrong.

Laurie Maus MSc.