Save Equus » Education

Geraldton TAFE Meets Save Equus

yvonne — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 02:31:26 +0000

Save Equus thanks the students of Geraldton TAFE Equine Studies for their interest in Save Equus and the welfare of horses. The students and teachers recently spent the morning with members of the Save Equus Animal Welfare Team and Ballesteros a recently rescued horse in the care of Save Equus.

Animal Hoarding – Trends in Equine Welfare – April 2008

yvonne — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 11:49:57 +0000

The Management Committee of Save Equus would like to provide the following advice concerning the situation known as Animal Hoarding. Save Equus has experienced a number of significant cases of Animal Collecting or Animal Hoarding in the past 24 months and believes this phenomenon is a serious threat to the welfare of horses in Western Australia

Our message is directed at people who are selling or rehoming horses, we want to inform you about Animal Hoarding and ask that you to be aware of the behaviour of hoarders when you are rehoming or selling your horse. The advertisement “free to good home” is very attractive to an Animal Hoarder so Save Equus urges you to give your horse a $dollar value and sell your horse for that $dollar value.

Save Equus also urges you to thoroughly investigate the person you intend to sell your horse to, so you are assured of their income, skill and capacity to care for the horse. Save Equus also urges you to sell your horse with a simple written contract that has provision for the horse to be returned to you if it is neglected or cruelty treated.

Animal Hoarding stems from a variety of causes and shows itself in different ways – it is a complex issue, as is all animal cruelty in our community. The work of Save Equus has been greatly assisted by the research of The Hoarding of Animal Research Consortium in America and acknowledges the following information is from the research of this Consortium.

An Animal Hoarder is a person who’s behaviour towards animals is driven by a their personal psychology. This also means hoarders display a number of psychological disorders including addiction. We describe the behaviour of hoarders below to increase your awareness and ability to recognise an Animal Hoarder.

How skinny is too skinny?

admin — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 14:06:15 +0000

Save Equus regularly receives calls direct from members and the public about horses of concern. We work cooperatively with the other agents of the Animal Welfare Act 2002 and once we have identified that the horse reported to us appears to be neglected or being treated cruelly, we liaise with special inspectors. We work to follow up and make sure the concerns raised with us are addresse

A very important indicator to us of a horse’s physical condition and general welfare is its weight, so gauging a horse’s weight to reflect its condition is an important part of Save Equus’s initial assessment of a horse. The following body score rating system, created in Victoria by Patricia Ellis (Attwood) of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, is the system used by Save Equus. This system helps us communicate about the condition of the horse.

We would like to advise members of this system, so that if you ever have the need to call us about a horse you are concerned about, you will be able to describe the horse’s condition to us more effectively.

An important thing to note when reading this body score rating system is to take account of the horse’s activity level. This information is noted in the body score rating system.

We do not recommend members go out assessing horses with this body score rating system – that is our job and we have trained our volunteers to do this. What we would appreciate is that if you are talking with us about a horse you are concerned about, you tell us about the horse’s neck, back and ribs and pelvis as per the body score rating system, so we get a better idea (first up), through your description, of the condition of the horse.

Methods of estimation

Assess visually and by feel, the horse’s pelvis and rump, back and ribs and neck.
Give those areas individual scores using a scale of 0 (very poor) to 5 (very fat).
Intermediate assessments can be given half scores.
Using the pelvic and rump assessment as the base, adjust that score by a half point if it differs by one or more points from the score for the neck or ribs.
Height measurement should be performed on level ground when the horse is relaxed and standing squarely. Use the highest point of the withers as the measuring site. Allowance should be made for shoes.

Body condition scoring system

Score	Neck	Back and ribs	Pelvis
0 Very poor	Marked ewe neck. Narrow and slack at base.	Skin tight over ribs. Spinous processes sharp and easily seen.	Angular pelvis – skin tight. Deep cavity under tail and either side of croup.
1 Poor	Ewe neck. Narrow and slack at base.	Ribs easily visible. Skin sunken either side of backbone. Spinous processes well defined.	Rump sunken, but skin supple. Pelvis and croup well defined. Deep depression under tail.
2 Moderate	Narrow but firm	Ribs just visible. Backbone well covered. Spinous processes felt.	Rump flat either side of backbone. Croup well defined, some fat. Slight cavity under tail.
3 Good	No crest (except stallions). Firm neck	Ribs just covered. No gutter along the back. Spinous processes covered but can be felt.	Covered by fat and rounded. No gutter. Pelvis easily felt.
4 Fat	Slight crest	Ribs well covered – need firm pressure to feel. Gutter along backbone.	Gutter to root of tail. Pelvis covered by soft fat – felt only with firm pressure
5 Very fat	Marked crest. Very wide and firm. Folds of fat.	Ribs buried – cannot feel. Deep gutter. Back broad and flat.	Deep gutter to root of tail. Skin distended. Pelvis buried – cannot feel.

0 Very poor		Very sunken rump Deep cavity under tail Skin tight over bones Very prominent backbone and pelvis Marked ewe neck
1 Poor	<	Sunken rump Cavity under tail Ribs easily visible Prominent backbone and croup Ewe neck – narrow and slack
2 Moderate		Flat rump either side of backbone Ribs just visible Narrow but firm neck Backbone well covered
3 Good		Rounded rump Ribs just covered but easily felt No crest, firm neck
4 Fat		Rump well rounded Gutter along back Ribs and pelvis hard to feel Slight crest
5 Very fat		Very bulging rump Deep gutter along back Ribs buried Marked crest Folds and lumps of fat

Typical body score conditions of various classes of horses

Endurance horses	1.5 – 2.5	Allowing body condition to fall below a score of 1.5 is likely to compromise a horse’s welfare. During winter, a long heavy hair coat complicates visual appraisal. You need to run your hands over the horse to get an accurate score. Poor body condition is not always due to lack of feed but could be related to parasite infestations, poor dental health, chronic injury or illness or lack of mobility affecting the horse’s ability to forage.
Polo ponies	2.0 – 2.5
Standardbred racehorses	2.0 – 3.0
Thoroughbred racehorses	2.5 – 4.0
Equestrian horses	3.0 – 4.0
Show horses	>4.0
Broodmares	2.5 – 4.0

A Cautionary Tale

admin — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 14:38:22 +0000

One of our committee members has recently been through a truly harrowing and distressing experience, with her three horses all getting sick with a mystery illness. No-one seemed to know what the problem was and, in spite of the valiant and dedicated efforts of her vet, she lost one of her precious friends.

It began with her finding her 18 year-old horse with his head swollen to twice its normal size. His eyes were about the size of cricket balls and swollen shut. His cheeks, gullet and all around his face were also swollen to at least twice the normal size. The symptoms were localised only to the face – there was no swelling inside the mouth, but the back of his throat was very swollen. He was looking for food, though he could only swallow minute amounts due to the swelling. His temperature was normal, as was his heart rate. His blood work showed no elevation in white blood cells and everything else was normal.

Every one was stumped! He was treated across the board for infection and allergic reaction (though to what they did not know). He had been in a new paddock which has a lot of native bush in it, but no-one suspected it was anything he ingested or else his whole body would have reacted, not just his head.

The question was raised as to whether it could be viral or toxin. Then the question of avocado poisoning was raised. Unfortunately the cases for these are so few that only one has been documented and information was scarce, even on the internet. The Ag Department was contacted, but had little to offer.

After one horse tragically losing the fight, the good news is that the remaining two are recovering slowly, but it’s taking time. Their owner is trying to build them up with gentle exercise and says they can manage only about 10 minutes at a time, then they’re exhausted. She can’t speak highly enough of Michael, the vet at the Oakford Equine Hospital who, she says, has “truly gone above and beyond” and with his continuing care all are hopeful a full recovery will be made.

So here is just a reminder to check your paddocks for bad plants. Although avocados were suspected by the vet, it has not been confirmed, so check everything!

Pepper

admin — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 15:00:31 +0000

Pepper came to us in 2005. When she was found she was under-weight, with part of her hoof missing. Save Equus was contacted because the RSPCA, in view of her state, had recommended she be euthanized, but her owner was looking for another alternative.

It took a long time to mend both her physical and mental injuries. She was quite feral, hated being near people and was violent with other horses. It has taken a lot of time, patience and gentle handling to get her to her current healthy state.

Pepper has recently been moved to a new foster home. After being spelled for a lengthy period, her original hoof injury is healing well and she is no longer lame. On arrival she was re-wormed and, having reverted to wild horse status, required re-acclimatising to the human environment.

She was treated for her fungal skin infection by washing with Quititch and Imaverol, a difficult job as she was not comfortable being handled, let alone washed!

When she arrived at her new location she was again quite feral, but her carers have handled and worked with her so that now she is more accepting of human contact and, in fact, seeks it out on occasion. She is feeding by hand and they are able to handle her without restraint or use of a halter. She is still very alert and is expected to stay a little bit skittish until a long term relationship/bond has been formed.

She has put on substantial weight. Her current feed regime is one and a half scoops of chaff with half a scoop of Equestrian supplement, one cup of Lucerne, and a cup of bran flakes (bran in the morning only). This is repeated in the evening, with a biscuit of oaten hay for night time.

Her coat is really glistening and her general attitude is warm and giving to contact. She has had her feet done, and a hair assessment by Antje Lopez from Balaan, who has also provided some supplements accordingly.

All in all, a completely different and unrecognisable horse from the one that came to us last year!

How To Rescue a Lady

admin — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 15:00:02 +0000

The call came in to Save Equus, from a member, that a horse just south of Perth metro had been seen, very skinny and with ribs showing. It’s a common story and all too familiar, I’m afraid. After a bit of investigating, the peak animal welfare body in WA said that this horse had been on their radar for many years and that many attempts had been made to correct the owner’s attitudes to feeding just hay. The owner’s ability to cover the costs, etc, was the main reason and they had been told to “leave us alone or just put the horse down”.

So, the Save Equus Animal Welfare Officer (AWO), Jayne, stepped in and made contact with the owner. He had cared for the horse and loved her like a child for a long time, but times had got a bit tough. After many convincing discussions, he agreed to sign the horse over to Save Equus.

When we arrived to load ‘Lady’ on the float, it was an extremely difficult task set before us. You see, Lady had not left this paddock for about 22 years, and she was 31 years old! After trying everything in the book to load her, we decided to take a different approach, leave her there and organise supplementary feed to be delivered. This was a win/win situation, we felt the horse would get better nourishment and gain weight and feel better for it. The owner was happy with the assistance, and if the horse looked better he would not get people stopping on the road side to complain.

Things went well. Wesfeeds’ Tony Christensen agreed to assist Save Equus and the pattern was complete.

After a few weeks Lady started to feel better and had become quite vocal, expressing herself to the owner at every chance. After a few months, her condition had gone from very bad to a visible difference and looking much better. And you would say she was quite ‘perky’ now.

But, just as things had settled down and the routine was set, we got a call from the owner to say that the property had been sold and we had one week told move her or she would have to be euthanised. Instant panic for us! Maybe an open float would work this time? We tried, but no such luck. She wasn’t having a bar of the float method at all. Time for ‘Plan B’ we would just have to walk her to her freedom. Whatever it took we couldn’t fail her now, We had all been through too much to give up at this stage.

After careful planning, and with the local police informed on which roads we would walk, we got started at 7am that Sunday morning, the last day she had left to live on this property. I was a bit emotional as we started the walk. With a safety/support vehicle behind us, and wearing a bright coloured safety-vest, this was the best we could do. We settled down quite well and after a couple of kilometres, relaxed into a fair stride. The cars and trucks were a frightening thing and I kept between her and the road, trying to walk as far over on the verge as possible. Some parts were very narrow and we had to wait for a break in the traffic before moving forward. We would stop for a rest every half an hour or so, and I didn’t know how she would take all of this, or whether she would even survive the walk at all. We had fresh water and food in the support vehicle, at the ready for both of us, but a strange thing was happening she didn’t want to stop! It was almost as if she was saying “Come on, let’s just get it done and over with, I want to get out of here!”. So, that’s what we did, just kept going.

She noticed many things during that walk. There were other horses and animals on the way. You see, she had not seen any other horses for about 20 years and probably didn’t know that others still existed. She neighed and whickered to all and sundry as we walked along.

At one point, after about 2 hours walking, another strange thing happened. Four young colts ran up to the fence-line on the other side of the road, and yelled out. Lady stopped and looked across, with the occasional car passing in between. I stood there and shouted, “And so you should all stop and salute this grand old lady!”. Well, they all turned around and started walking nose to tail along the fence-line as we continued our walk. At this point I was fairly bawling my eyes out. It was just too much to think that they may have actually understood me or were doing it for her, irrespective of what I had said, but there they were, all in a row. Just amazing!

I was starting to tire a bit. Not her though! She was pounding the dirt, still not wanting to stop and if we did, she’d walk and stamp and scrape the ground until we got going again. After about 2 and a half hours we were joined by other Save Equus members and I felt a little relieved that the journey was nearly done. It was certainly great relief to sit in that car and have someone else walk with her for a while. It also gave me time to reflect and feel that we were actually going to make it.

I decided that I would lead her for the last bit of this walk, another 3 or 4 kilometres or so. There was no doubt that the trip had forged a bond between us and that trust was evident from both sides. We got closer to our destination and I was feeling very foot sore. I hadn’t walked like this for 30 years or more, but determination was pushing us both, and any pain barriers just had to be broken. The last 200 metres was on asphalt road, then the home gate was in sight and relief started to set in. At last, we arrived at the end of her journey to freedom, having covered about 12 kilometres in 3 and a half hours. Emotions ran high for everyone there, and she was safe now. We were greeted by Alex (one of our little ones) and she was happy to rub noses with him. The photo later showed her with a definite smile. We had not really understood the significance of that moment. This was, from what we are aware, the first contact Lady had had with another horse for about 20 years!

Later that day, during a walk around her new home, she took it upon herself to start trotting around as if she owned the place. She had accomplished what we all thought impossible. For a horse of 31 years, to do what she had done was a miracle of determination and stamina.

Now after several months in her new home, a new lease of life has lifted her back to a normal feeling of health and vitality. Lady has some control now. At 5am every day she yells at me to get up and give her her breakfast. And to tell you the truth, I don’t mind it one bit. Her yelling diminishes to a deep whicker when she finally sees me walk down to the stables, next to her night paddock. She gets rugged at night (to help her put on and maintain weight without too much stress to her system) and washed and hooves trimmed, just like horses should normally have. And all done without a lead rope! She just doesn’t need it. Lady stands still or walks beside me whenever we are together and where ever we go, moving around her new home without any restraint, taking control as she feels the need to.

So there you have it, a very true story of life at its best for a ‘Lady’. We are indebted to the members of Save Equus, Wesfeeds’ Tony Christiansen, Geoff Ahmat, Kim Robinson and Europa Saddleworld Maddington for helping to provide this fine old ‘Lady’ with a comfortable and respectable life.