Northernhorse.com Blog

Back in the “old” days when a stallion became infertile it usually meant that he would be producing few if any more foals. So when I read that High Brow Cat was diagnosed as infertile I thought what a great loss that would be to the cutting world.

I then learned that High Brow Cat’s semen freezes particularly well, in fact his post-thaw analysis is better than many stallion’s fresh samples. And his frozen semen remains fertile for years. In fact when he had a bout of colic a couple of years ago during breeding season they used frozen semen to get his booked mares in foal with a 95% success rate – a better rate, in fact, than when they were using his fresh semen. Continue Reading »

Effective January 31, 2010, equine owners intending to sell animals directly or indirectly to Canadian meat processors, are being advised to record certain information. Those who wish to keep their sale options open should record all vaccines and medications given to their animals and record any occurrences of illness. As of July 31, 2010, it will be mandatory for all federally-inspected equine processing facilities to have complete records dating back six months for all domestic and imported animals. In order to help owners collect all of the necessary information, the CFIA is launching a new Equine Information Document (EID). The EID is the first step in the development of a comprehensive food safety and traceability program for the Canadian equine industry. The document will require an owner-signed declaration to verify the accuracy of the information. For the latest on identifying and recording health information for your equine, please visit www.inspection.gc.ca or call 1-800-442-2342.

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/meavia/man/ch17/annexee.shtml

Responding to industry demand, Olds College is changing its one-year farrier program to a two-year program starting this October. The college’s new Farrier Science Diploma will see students emerging with increased knowledge of equine anatomy, horse handling and horse husbandry. As well, emphasis will be increased on welding, basic blacksmithing and advanced corrective and therapeutic horseshoeing. In keeping with the college’s emphasis on hands-on learning, program completion will now require a total of 8 months of Directed Field Study, split into five-month and three-month sections respectively. Mark Hobby, President of the Western Canadian Farriers Association, believes that new farriers today need more training than can currently be found on the continent. While Hobby commends Olds College’s current one-year program, he says it is still not long enough. He adds the proposed two year program is essential for the future of farriers in the province.

Dr. Wendy Pearson, author of more than 20 scientific peer-reviewed research papers and speaker at events in the UK, UAE, China, Ireland, Australia, Netherlands, Italy, Botswana, USA and Canada, is one of the 17 international presenters on the agenda at the 28th annual Horse Breeders and Owners Conference (HBOC) being held in Red Deer on January 15 to 17, 2010. Her presentation is titled Natural Supplements for the Performance Horse – Sorting the Chalk from the Cheese. Continue Reading »

Winter Water…and we’re not talking about that white stuff

Horses require access to free choice, clean water at all times and in all seasons, and will drink an average of 30 litres of water per day. Many horses’ diets see an increase in dry feed matter, like hay, during the winter months. As a horse requires 3 litres of water for every kg of dry matter they eat, although horses drink less in cold weather, adequate water consumption remains a priority. Continue Reading »

The Breeds & Industry Division of Equine Canada would like to inform all stakeholders that due to the outbreak of equine piroplasmosis in the state of Texas, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has asked the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to suspend the issuance or endorsement of export certificates for horses and other equines originating from the state of Texas.

The imposed restrictions on the import of equidae into Canada from Texas are effective immediately. The CFIA has confirmed that the import restriction only applies to live horse, donkey or mule imports and not to equine semen or equine embryo imports. Continue Reading »

Although most of us are well aware of the danger of that young spring grass and it’s ability to cause laminitis, colic and diarrhea, many of us don’t realize that grass that has been stressed by drought can cause these problems too.

When stressed by drought most cool-season grasses accumulate sugar and fructan (a type of sugar). The growth slows but the sugar levels rise in intense sunlight. This can make the grass as dangerous as the new spring grass for horses predisposed to founder. It is many of our hardiest and most common grasses that are most likely to cause the problem. Continue Reading »

Import Restrictions Reduced for Horses from Texas and New Mexico Entering Canada due to Vesicular Stomatitis

Ottawa, ON—Equine Canada’s Breeds & Industry Division and Health & Welfare Committee would like to inform all stakeholders that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has eliminated import restrictions for horses from Texas and reduced import restriction for horses New Mexico that are entering Canada as a result of additional information it received from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) regarding the recent cases of vesicular stomatitis (VS) reported in these states. Continue Reading »

The Unwanted Horse Coalition has published their 2009 Unwanted Horses Survey.

The 2009 Unwanted Horses Survey, based on thousands of respondent perceptions, indicates the problem is perceived to be growing on many fronts. More than 90% of participants believe the number of unwanted horses, as well as those neglected and abused, is increasing. Almost all participants (87%) indicate that in the past year, this has become “a big problem,” compared with only 22% who said the problem was an issue three years ago. Continue Reading »

Vesicular Stomatitis Outbreak Requires Special Health Papers for Youth World

The American Quarter Horse Journal, July 7, 2009 — Due to the recent outbreak of vesicular stomatitis (VS) in Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, the Oklahoma State Veterinarian has instituted new regulations for horses entering Oklahoma from affected states. All horses attending the 2009 Ford AQHYA World Championship Show must have a health certificate from their veterinarian. Horses from Arizona, New Mexico or Texas must have this additional statement on their health certificate: Continue Reading »