Nutrition - including allergy advice, conversations around equine obesity, new products to the market and adding oil to your horse’s diet

By Haygain

GET A JUMP ON ALLERGY SEASON!

Breakthroughs in equine allergy research confirm that allergen avoidance remains the best horse health strategy.

While much of the world only recently learned the health hazards of microscopic airborne particles, horses have been struggling with their impact for eons - whether their owners know it or not. Allergic reactions that manifest as compromised respiratory function, skin problems, general malaise and poor performance start as tiny airborne particles that infiltrate, irritate and trigger inflammation inside the horse's body. As with people, inflammation anywhere in the horse’s body is bad. In the equine respiratory tract, it impedes the flow of oxygen needed for all cells to function, especially muscles. Deep in the lungs where gaseous exchange transfers oxygen to the blood stream and removes lactic acid from the muscles during exertion, inflammation restricts both these critical processes. ‘Dust’ is the innocent-sounding description of the conduit for mould, fungi, bacteria and other allergens that activate inflammation, the body’s defence against all foreign matter. Unfortunately, most horses’ biggest source of nutrition, hay, is loaded with these allergens. This is true even in hay of good nutrient quality and that looks and smells fine. Hay is grown in microbe-rich soil, transported on highways and stored in environments that can often accelerate the growth of whatever contaminants it contained at harvest or picked up en route to the barn. That hazy cloud that emerges from a shaken flake of hay illustrates this dangerous element in most horses' breathing zone. Breakthrough Equine nutritionist and digestive physiology expert Meriel Moore-Colyer, PhD, is excited about new findings regarding allergens that affect horses. As a graduate dean and professor at the Royal Agricultural University in England, she supervised a recent breakthrough study that evaluated almost 400 potential allergens from a blood sample. Bronchoalveolar lavage (a lung wash) has been the standard for identifying allergens in the respiratory system. But this procedure is invasive and requires the horse to rest for a week or so afterward. Conducted by Samuel White, PhD candidate, MSc, BSc, the study included twelve equine subjects with Severe Equine Asthma, a condition at the most extreme end of the Equine Asthma Spectrum. Each was exposed to the same potential allergens in a controlled environment, and blood samples revealed which triggered a reaction represented by antigens. This was the largest scale allergen assessment in Severe Equine Asthma horses to date. The results established a wide range of previously unidentified allergens and highlighted fungi and mites as the main reactants. Pollen and latex were newly identified as a problem for horses, as they are for many people. At an average size of 6-8 microns, pollen had previously been thought to be too big a particle to infiltrate the lungs. They’ve now been identified as extremely potent allergens. This initial study established a sound platform for future diagnostics by providing a reliable, fast, repeatable method for screening of potential allergens. Crucially, it enables targeted allergen-avoidance regimes, which are the cornerstone to treatment. Allergen Avoidance The results of White’s study and the fast-evolving body of knowledge on allergens speak to the complexity of the subject. For example, it’s known that repeated exposure to an allergen will cause a progressively more severe response, whether that’s coughing, wheezing or decreased capacity to use oxygen at lower levels of exertion. It was generally thought that horses with hypersensitivity to insect bites were more likely to be vulnerable to various allergens, but that’s now in question. “A horse that is a generally allergic character will probably have a heightened reactivity to all sorts of things, but that’s not always the case,” explains Moore-Colyer. “Determining if one reaction can predict another is one of many areas we are looking into. Scientists thrive on these questions, but horse owners only need to know one thing regarding allergens.

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Allergen avoidance is the cornerstone to effective prevention,” asserts Moore-Colyer. The easiest and most effective way to do that is using a Haygain Hay Steamer, which Moore-Colyer helped develop and tested extensively before the product’s commercial launch in 2009. Using steam heated to 100°C and injected evenly through hay in a thermally sealed chest, this process reduces up to 99% of the dust, mould, fungi, bacteria and other allergens found in hay. While affordable, commercial applications of White’s discoveries are a ways off, hay steaming gives horse owners immediate access to the best way of reducing allergy risks in the horse keeping environment.

www.haygain.co.uk

STOP THE PUBLIC INTERFERING WITH OUR HORSES

Equine scientist Dr David Marlin has thrown his support behind the

national Stop Feeding Our Horses campaign, designed to

educate the public on the dangers of feeding equines without owners’ permission.

The initiative, set up by Hannah Johnstone and actively promoted by former groom Natalie Munir, was set up in the wake of a large number of incidents which resulted in horses and ponies suffering illness, injury and death after unauthorised feeding by members of the general public. DrDavidMarlin.com – the science-based independent information resource for equestrians – ran a dedicated survey addressing public interference with privately owned horses and received 2,745 responses –demonstrating the strength of emotion felt by horse owners on this subject. While the poll was not exclusively related to feeding horses – rather it covered incidences where members of the public interacted with privately owned horses without consent, for example entering fields, chasing

GROUND-BREAKING: FREE

ONLINE FORAGE CALCULATOR

In the effort to educate horse owners and battle the welfare crisis in equine obesity, Trickle Net have launched the first free online forage calculator of its kind.

The new resource has been developed over several months, and uses data pulled from the latest available research in approximating the dry matter forage requirements of horses and ponies on a grass and hay diet. Built with guidance from Louisa Taylor BVM BVS (Hons) BVMedSci (Hons) MRCVS of Vetrition, the calculator requests horse owners to input their horse’s weight, hours turnout and type of pasture with the amount of hay fed and the feeding goal. The results are instantly available to the user and displayed with a host of recommendations and advice around feeding horses on a weight control diet. As an added bonus, the calculator also tells the user how much money they will save if they have been over-feeding forage. The tool can provide a good starting point for owners, though it does not replace working with an equine nutritionist. Owners are directed towards the services of Vetrition and Practical Equine Nutrition for personalised weight loss plans for their horses. The calculator is supported by BETA, Redwings Horse Sanctuary, The Laminitis Site and Care Equine Education. Information on diet and nutrition, laminitis prevention, management and weight control can be accessed from supporters via the calculator page. You can try out the Trickle Net Forage Calculator at

www.tricklenet.co.uk/forage -calculator

horses, leaving gates open, damaging fences and gates – it did include this aspect of intrusion. The poll revealed the following worrying statistics: • 79% of horse owners reported experiencing members of the public interfering with their horses/ponies on private property • 59% stated that this had got worse during the past year • 44% of respondents said their horses/ponies had suffered as a result of the actions of the public, with 90 cases where the classification was significant (the examples for

‘significant’ were specified in the survey as euthanasia or fatality) • 72% of owners who had experienced trespass had not reported this to the police. Of 294 incidents reported to the police, in 20% of these the police were considered to have been helpful and 20% they took action, leaving 60% of incidents where the respondents said the police declined to help. Commenting on the responses to the survey, Dr David Marlin said, “There is clearly an immediate need to educate members of the public to understand the potentially grave consequences of their actions.”

DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS ABOUT EQUINE OBESITY

Equine obesity is indisputably one of the biggest threats to equine welfare in the UK and BEVA is ramping up its efforts to help vets and owners recognise and address the problem in the right way. The Association has launched a second phase pilot project to help increase engagement with vets and owners on the topic, including a video on how best to tackle the topic of talking to owners about equine obesity.

“Equine obesity may not be a huge issue for those working with racehorses and elite sports horses, but for those of us working with almost all other members of the UK equine population it is an all too familiar encounter,” said BEVA President Lucy Grieve. “Approaching the conversation about a horse’s weight with an owner can be difficult; sometimes what we say is not what the other person hears but making small changes in how we word things can have a big impact.” BEVA has been tackling equine obesity for several years now, recognising that veterinary professionals are in a unique and privileged position to support owners. This year the Association has teamed up with Tamzin Furtado, a social scientist at the University of Liverpool with a background in global health, and a specific interest on how human behaviour change can improve the management of obesity in horses, to provide advice and guidance on having difficult conversations about equine obesity. In addition, last summer’s pilot scheme using a traffic light colour system of vaccination reminder stickers which vets can place on the front of passports at each vaccination appointment has been simplified for further trials. The updated scheme involves vets issuing a black or white sticker during a vaccination visit, relating to the horse or pony’s current weight. The QR coded sticker directs owners to a series of five short videos providing practical advice on ways to manage or reduce their horse’s weight by looking at hard feed, exercise, grazing, hay and rugging. “Using a less direct method of communication such as this seems to make it more comfortable for owners to recognise and accept that their horse is overweight,” said Lucy. “This should be the kickstart they need to embark on a supported path of rehabilitating their horse to a healthy body condition.” “Obesity is a ticking time bomb,” said Lucy, “and we all need to work together to avert the crisis. By initiating conversations in the right way, we can help owners recognise and maintain a healthy body condition for their beloved horses and ponies. In so doing we should be able to significantly reduce the many serious obesity-related health problems - surely this is the biggest motivator for all of us to engage with this project.”