Page 28 - May 2007 The Game

28 The Game, May 2007 Canada’s Thoroughbred Racing Newspaper Stampede Park Stakes Recap
THE CONTENTED COLON
Equine Health
by Karen Briggs
Dave Landry Photo
If you took a horse's esophagus, stomach, small and large intestine and stretched the whole business out, it would measure well over 100 feet long. I point this out just to emphasize that the equine gastrointestinal tract is an immensely large and complex system. But despite its size, it's surprising- ly delicate. Under most conditions, it functions very well .... but it's extremely sensitive, and easy to upset. Colic is always a risk with domestic horses, and that goes double for horses under stress, as any racing animal is. And while not every case of colic is serious, every case should be treated as potentially so -- for as every horseman knows, it can be fatal.
Of course, colic is one of those catch-all terms describing any kind of pain originating in the gut, so it's impossible to pinpoint every possible trigger... but there's a lot we DO know about colic, and a lot of ways we can reduce the risk.
Keeping the beneficial fibre-digesting bacteria that inhabit the digestive system happy is one of the keys to reducing the incidence of colic in your barn. This can be difficult if your horse is under stress. If he has been shipped a great distance, if he has recently suffered an illness or a surgery, if he's training hard or racing, if he's recently been moved to a new herd situation, if he's a foal who's just been weaned, if he's been on antibiotics ... any of these scenarios, and many more than I could list here, can predispose his gut bacteria to dying off. At best, this will mean he won't get full value from his feed ... at worst, it can put him at risk for a colic attack.
The classic set-up for colic is when the horse receives a large, carbohydrate-rich meal (typically, one that is light on forage and heavy on grain). Under these conditions, the small intestine may not be able to completely process all of the nutrients before the meal is moved on to the large intestine by involuntary muscle contractions. Carbohydrates processed by the large intestine spell trouble. When large amounts of carbohydrates reach the fermentation vat of the cecum, they are broken down to produce not only volatile fatty acids, but also lactic acid. An increase in lactic acid lowers the overall hindgut pH level, which in turn can make the environment hostile for the gut bacteria. They begin to die off, and in the process may release endotoxins (poisons). Between these and the lactic acid itself, the stage may be set for colic. Suddenly the old horseman's saw about feeding small amounts, often, begins to make a lot of sense, particularly if your horse is on a high-grain diet (as many racehorses are).
Any abrupt change in diet can set off the same dangerous chain reaction. Thus it's always best if feed changes are made gradually, over a period of a couple of weeks, rather than suddenly.
What horses really need in their diets, for good gastrointestinal health, is fibre, and lots of it. Millions of years of evolution have optimized the equine digestive tract for extracting nutrition from gritty, fibrous grasses and weeds ... and when it's kept busy doing that, the system generally operates without a hitch. The further we deviate from the horse's natural pattern of grazing and foraging, the more likely that we'll present his digestive tract with a challenge it can't handle.
Horses aren't nearly as well adapted to processing carbohydrates (grains). You can help make this portion of his diet more digestible by feeding grain in
small quantities, and by choosing grains which are already partially processed, by rolling, cracking, or crimping the seedcoats. Pelleted and extruded feeds, which include grains ground finely and bound together with a binding agent, are also 'pre-processed' and easier to digest. Feeding partially processed grains rather than whole ones is a particularly good strategy if you're dealing with a horse whose digestive ability has been compromised by age (very old or very young), poor dental health, recent illness, surgery, or any number of other stresses.
If you have a horse who's particularly prone to colic, consider switching him to an extruded feed. Extrusion (the same process that makes dog kibble) cooks the grains, partially gelatinizing the starches and making them more readily available to the diges- tive tract. The large kernel shapes of an extruded feed also help slow down a horse who bolts his feed without chewing properly.
You can also boost the digestibility of a grain ration by adding a probiotic to your horse’s diet. Probiotics are cultures of live microbes, and/or their fermentative metabolites, which can help stimulate the growth of the beneficial gut microflora. Improved digestive efficiency (as indicated by weight gain, less undigested matter in the manure, and a generally improved outlook) has been reported as a result of the use of probiotics.
Consider adding a probiotic product to your horse's feed if he:
* is under stress from showing, racing, or shipping * is a hard keeper or has a poor appetite
* has loose manure or chronic diarrhea
* has recently undergone a dietary change
(or has just been weaned)
* has large amounts of undigested material in
his manure
* shows other signs of digestive distress,
such as recurring colic
* is recovering from surgery
* has received recent treatment with antibiotics or de-worming drugs
* has recently undergone a change of environment, such as being introduced to a new herd * is struggling to adapt to extremes of temperature (a heat wave or cold snap)
* is over 18 years old.
Depending on the format and dosage you choose,
probiotics can be used preventatively, on a short-term basis to treat specific problems, or at times when you expect increased stress levels (for example, before you ship your horse long distance). Some probiotics can be fed routinely, in a prophylactic mode; simple brewer's yeast, for example, is an inexpensive probiotic addition to the diet which not only helps foster a healthy population of gut microflora, but is also a beneficial source of B vitamins.
Finally, don’t forget about dehydration – a major contributor to impaction colic. Keep your horse’s water intake up by making it available at all times except immediately after a hard work-out, and if you have a horse who is reluctant to drink (especially away from home), try getting him used to a flavouring at home (try peppermint flavour or a fruit-drink powder), which you can then use when you’re shipping to encourage his fluid intake. Feeding wet feeds, such as sloppy soaked beet pulp or boiled grains, can also help.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Sales Handicap Stakes - Four year old & up Fillies and Mares $50,000
Winner: Certainly Regal
Owner: Alec & Isabel Gorrie, Dean & Wanda Hollingworth and Al & Bunny Noren
Trainer: Don Gilkyson
Jockey: Desmond Bryan
Breeder: Al Noren & Bunny Noren
Pedigree: 2001 mare by Regal Remark - Certain Exchange, by Time for a Change in AB
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Sales handicap Stakes - Four year old and up
$50,000
Winner: Teagues Fight
Owner: Rocky Mountain Turf Club Stable and Don Gibb Trainer: Doug MacDonald
Jockey: Staphan Heiler
Breeder: Horizon Farm Ltd.
Pedigree: 2003 gelding by Devonwood - One Hundred Plus, by Claim in AB
Woodbine Stakes Recap
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Jacques Cartier Stakes - Four year old and up $125,000
Winner: Stradivinsky
Owner: Live Oak Plantation
Trainer: Malcolm Pierce
Jockey: Emma-Jayne Wilson
Breeder: Live Oak Stud
Pedigree: 2003 gelding by Stravinsky - Lubicon, by Apalachee in FL
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Whimsical Stakes - Four year old and up Fillies & Mares $155,800
Winner: Seductively
Owner: Kinghaven Farms
Trainer: Ian Black
Jockey: Gerry Olguin
Breeder: Kinghaven Farms Ltd.
Pedigree: 2003 filly by Thunder Gulch - Torrid Affair,
by Alydeed in ON
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Woodstock Stakes - Three year olds
$125,000
Winner: Like Mom Like Sons
Owner: Norseman Racing Stable
Trainer: Sid Attard
Jockey: Patrick Husbands
Breeder: Happy Alter & Howard Walton Pedigree: 2004 colt by Carson City - Mycupoftea, by Williamstown in KY
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Star Shoot Stakes - Three year old Fillies
$125,000
Winner: Native Legend
Owner: William Sorokolit Sr.
Trainer: Darwin Banach
Jockey: Richard Dos Ramos
Breeder: William Sorokolit
Pedigree: 2004 filly by Tale of the Cat - Native Rights, by Our Native in KY