Recent dry weather has raised several questions about how horse pastures should be managed. These 10 tips for managing drought-stressed cool-season grass pastures in the Midwest can help ensure pasture longevity and maximize growth when rainfall comes. Read more about 10 Tips on Managing Drought Stressed Horse Pastures
Exercising muscles generate heat via metabolic reactions. Heat produced must be dissipated to prevent overheating, thus the horse sweats and evaporative cooling dissipates the heat. The amount a horse sweats depends on environmental conditions, the type of work performed, and the horse’s fitness. Horses may lose 5 to 7 liters (1 to 2 gallons) of sweat per hour when trotting and cantering for one hour under mild temperatures. As the temperature and humidity increase, sweating rates have approached 10 to 12 liters (>2.5 gallons) per hour. Read more about Electrolytes and the Exercising Horse
Hagyard Equine Medical Institute offers three undergraduate internships including surgery, medicine, and ambulatory care. As a surgery intern you assist in emergency surgeries, take daily care of patients in the two barns consisting of over 50 stalls, and handle horses of all breeds and disciplines including holding for standing procedures and x-rays. As a medicine intern it is your duty to care for your assigned patients and assist with their procedures. Read more about Hagyard Equine Medical Institute Internship Summary
Calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) comprise around 70% of the mineral content of a horse’s body. The majority of Ca is found in teeth and bones. Calcium’s major role is to provide bone strength but it is also necessary for blood coagulation, temperature regulation, enzyme activity regulation, neuromuscular functions as well as energy generation. Phosphorus works with Ca to give strength to bone. It also has a role in energy metabolism, cell membranes, and buffering fluctuations in pH. Read more about Calcium and Phosphorus – Two Important Macro Minerals for the Horse
Extension Horses HALTER courses are revitalized! Read more about Extension Horses HALTER courses are revitalized!
View the webinar by Dr. Randel Raub here. Dr. Raub discusses the following in the video.
ANS216 - Equine Science is an introductory course designed to develop an understanding of equine use and handling, health, maintenance, reproduction, selection, and management. A project is required where students could enhance their knowledge of professionals in the equine industry or research a current issue in the equine industry. Students had to interpret and apply the information by designing and recording a video. The videos that are approved by the author for viewing by the public are listed below. Read more about ANS 216 Equine Science Video Projects
Horse owners and enthusiasts will have an opportunity to learn more about management of equine during a monthly webinar on equine management decisions. Beginning Feb. 11, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will provide a monthly series of short virtual meetings over four months. The monthly webinar will touch be held from 12:00 - 1:00 PM and cover nutrition, the importance of soil for pasture and hay, weed control, and environmental management. Opportunities for participants to interact with the presenters will be available. Read more about ISU Equine Lunch and Learn
Water, the essential nutrient for life should be freely available for horses. The amount of water consumed by a horse is the best measure of water adequacy. The average daily intake of an idle horse weighing 1,100 lbs. under thermoneutral conditions is between 6 and 9 gallons. Heavy workloads and high heat and humidity may double to triple the requirement to 12 to 18 gallons per day. Lactation also increases water intake to a minimum of 8 gallons per day. Diet will affect water consumption. Grazing of lush, green pastures in the spring tend to decrease water consumption. Read more about Water Quality for Horses
Horses are non-ruminant herbivores, meaning they eat mainly plant material. The horse’s gastrointestinal tract consists of the mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine and the highly developed large intestine composed of the caecum, large colon, small colon and rectum (figure 1).
The Mouth Read more about Digestive Anatomy and Physiology of the Horse
The University of Minnesota Extension Livestock Team has released a set of customizable forms that can be used to create an operations contingency plan for their farm. The contingency forms are meant to provide livestock owners a starting point to outline essential livestock care if they and/or their managers become sick with COVID-19 or another emergency occurs. In these situations, care would likely need to be administered by a non-household member. The contingency plan is meant to cover short-term (e.g. Read more about Horse Operations Contingency Farm Plans
Kristen Reno has joined the team in the horse barns at Iowa State University and will serve as the new equine operations assistant along with manager, Nikki Ferwerda. She will be assisting with all aspects of mare, stallion and foal care, as well as breeding work and preparing horses for sales. Read more about Department of Animal Science adds new equine reproduction specialist
The colorful and extraordinary breed of the Gypsy Vanner horse dates back to the eccentric Gypsy travelers in England. These sturdy caravan horses were not only flashy horses but were also part of the art form that the Gypsy travelers displayed. From their stout strong stature, flowing manes and tails to the feathers on their legs, these horses were looked upon as a symbol of power and strength among the Gypsy culture. Today, they continue to hold awe and wonder amongst breeders and onlookers as a symbol of power and strength.
2020 Fair Special Edition: Iowa 4-H and FFA Livestock Show Read more about Iowa 4-H Livestock State Fair
Iowa 4-H is calling all 4-H members, leaders, alumni, judges, and friends to create face masks for their community, including friends, neighbors, hospitals, and care centers. Our goal is to create 10,000 masks and we need your help!
Horses can give us emotional solance and physical support, allowing people to tare away from worries, stress, and personal problems we face in our daily lives. Read more about Spending time with horses can improve your health!
Where did the famous barrel racing of the modern day today come from and why has it become so popular? For how long I’ve know about barrel racing I never really knew the history behind how it all started. I wanted to dig into the rich history of rodeo and the infamous clover pattern. It all started in the 1930’s when Faye Blackstone from Parrish, Florida as she was in her trick riding career, but it seemed to become replaced she started her horsemanship to the barrels. She began the barrel racing event with a couple other cowgirls in 1950 in Florida. Read more about Why a Clover Leaf Pattern?
Do you love horses? Do you want to sharpen your people skills? Have you ever wanted to live in Colorado? Consider shaping up that dusty cowboy hat and becoming a wrangler for the summer! It’s a fast-paced hands-on opportunity that will surely spice up your resume. This last summer I worked as a wrangler in Estes Park, Colorado, and it was an experience not to be forgotten. Read more about Wrangling the Rockies
Colic is a term used for when a horse is having mild-severe abdominal pain. This type of situation can have many causes such as ingestion, diet types, quick change in diet, parasites, lack of water, stress, and twisted stomach. It is important to be able to spot this problem with a horse as soon as possible as it can be very severe and could possibly lead to death. Read more about A Severe Tummy Twist
Energy is supplied to the horse via the diet but fundamentally energy is not a nutrient. Horses need energy to carry out their body’s essential daily functions, including the digestion and absorption of food, activity, growth and reproduction. The total energy contained in a feed is called gross energy (GE). The GE of a feedstuff is not a good indicator of the energy available to a horse from a feedstuff. Thus, with horses, we use digestible energy (DE) which is GE minus the energy contained in feces. Digestible energy is expressed in Mcal which is a multiple of the unit of energy calorie. Read more about Energy, Feed Ingredients and the Horse
Forages as hay or pasture make up the major share of the horse's daily intake. The energy and nutritive value of forages varies considerably and to a large extent is determined by the fiber content and fiber quality. Fibrous carbohydrates, also known as structural carbohydrates, are not digested in the small intestine but rather are digested by billions of bacteria in the hindgut. Some of the end products of bacterial fermentation include substances called volatile fatty acids (VFA) which are absorbed from the hindgut and used as a valuable source of energy. Read more about Fiber and the Horse
We all know that having horses requires more than just jumping on and riding! One way to help youth get motivated to learn more about the science behind horses is to encourage them to get involved in Equine Extravaganza.
A summary of my wonderful summer and school plans. This summer was a slow grind of online classes and a whirlwind of working. This summer I worked as a wrangler at the Mair Farm and Stables Summer Camp. Read more about A Summery Summer Summary
Twelve 4-H members from around the state gathered to participate in Animal Science Roundup this June 23-25. Animal Science Roundup is an extension of the Iowa 4-H Youth Conference that takes place every year at Iowa State University’s campus. The horse section is organized by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Specialist Peggy Auwerda. Read more about Animal Science 4-H Horse Roundup
