Prior to foaling it is important to screen the mare for Neonatal Isoerythrolysis (NI), also known as “Jaundice Foal Disease”. An “NI Positive” mare is one that will produce antibodies in her colostrum that will attack the foal’s red blood cells once the foal has absorbed the antibodies. These antibodies were formed by the mare in response to exposure to a blood type different from her own. This can occur...
Horses with dental problems may show obvious signs, such as pain or irritation, or they may show no noticeable signs at all. This is because some horses simply adapt to their discomfort. For this reason, periodic dental examinations are essential to your horse’s health. It is important to catch dental problems early. If a horse starts behaving abnormally, dental problems should be considered as a potential cause. Waiting too long...
Now that long awaited foals are on the ground and learning to run, buck, and play, it is time to consider measures that you as an owner can take to help them have a long happy life. One of these preventative health measures is vaccination against diseases that can have devastating effects on the horse including Tetanus, Eastern and Western Equine Encephalitis Viruses (aka Sleeping Sickness), Equine Herpes Virus (aka...
Newborn foals can be exciting, fun, and enjoyable. You may have a beautiful mare you have competed on, worked cattle with, or personal riding horse and you want another one like her. There are plenty of motivations for breeding a mare. Make no mistake, though, there are many factors to consider before diving into the breeding process. Does breeding your mare make sense? Determine if the mare is a good...
Through the years, Bandalero Ranch has taught many stallions both young and old to use a phantom mare. Most stallions will mount readily and can be collected successfully with relatively few attempts. It is difficult to predict how a stallion will act until teaching begins. A stallion whose behavior is “quiet” or those stallions slow to breed may take more time due to their timidity, or low libido, however they...
Myths of Equine Dentistry Written by Carl Mitz, Bandalero’s Equine Dental Provider Only old horses need to be floated. I feed corn, so my horse doesn’t need to be floated. Fat horses surely won’t need to be floated. I do not ride my horse(s), so they don’t need to be floated. These statements are simply not true! All horses require routine dental maintenance, from cap extractions, tooth extractions, floating, molar...
Have your horse “vetted out.” Your veterinarian should be contacted and requested to perform a pre-purchase examination of any horse you might consider purchasing. A pre-purchase examination is entirely different from a veterinary examination pertaining to normal vaccinations, deworming, or any other sort of veterinary procedure. Generally, horses are sold with no warranties, with some limits, and if the buyer elects not to have the horse “vetted out,” the buyer...
Freeze Branding Freeze branding is a very cold branding iron, I prefer the commercially made brass irons. L+H Branding Irons in North Dakota is where I have purchase them over the years. With freeze branding the pigment follicle responsible for the color of your horse can be changed while leaving the growth follicle (hair) intact. After healing, the hair that will grow back will be white in color and give...
Colostrum Bank By Patrick M. McCue, DVM, PhD, Diplomate American College of Theriogenologists An owner or farm manager generally does not know in advance which foal will need supplemental colostrum. An on-site supply of frozen colostrum can be critical for the health of a valuable neonate. The best colostrum donors are mares that have had one or more foals and are 4-15 years of age. Vaccination 4 to 6 weeks...
