Washing Horses Tip

By Kendra Sagers

I hate bathing horses. At least I did until I found a way to do it more efficiently. The part I hated the most was getting wet and having to scrub the soap on and then rinse it off.

I found a solution. I purchased a garden hose sprayer like the one pictured. With this I simply add any shampoo or soap I choose. Then I turn the dial to the desired lather. If I am just doing an after ride spray off I usually set it to 1-2 T. Spoons per gallon, but if I want to really get a horse clean I will set it to 4 T. Spoons per gallon. You can play with the spray to set it where you need it, but I have found this really helps me at bath and cool down time.

Something to Watch For - Girth Itch

Girth itch is another member of the ringworm family. It is spread through contact with contaminated tack, grooming supplies, and environments; is highly contagious. Tack friction also plays a role in the cause of this fungus.

It appears as clusters of small hairless circles, one quarter to one inch across, covered with tiny scales in the girth or rein area. These may balloon into larger barren patches or may form crusts as the surrounding hair falls out in clouds of dandruff. Though not painful, this condition is often mildly to tremendously itchy. Treatment for girth itch is identical to that for other ringworm infections.

Early this summer when we contacted this fungus we immediately started using a fungus spray that you can find at this website, http://www.horse.com/Fungasol-Spray-BKA11.html enter this code at check out CULBR.

We have learned that living in Utah our cinches get sweaty and then because of the moist, mucky conditions from riding in the winter months this causes a fungus in your cinches. Because it is cold they never get a chance to dry out like they do in the summer time. So we have learned that you need to try and keep things as clean and dry as possible. Also sharing tack as mentioned above can be a problem so try and eliminate this if possible. Spring cleaning of tack and grooming supplies can help eliminate this fungus from your herd. http://www.horse.com/EZ-ALL-MULTIPURPOSE-CLEANER-BRC41.html use this code at check out CULBR.

Horse Maintenance Part 1

by Terrie Vickers

Horse care always needs to be done. Don't put it off any longer. These are only guide lines. You should always seek the advice of a qualified vet if you have any questions.

Deworming: Worming should be done every 3 to 4 months. The three classes of chemical wormer are:

1) Macrocyclic Lactone which is a Iverrnectin product ( Zimectrin, Eqvalan, IverCare,etc.)

2) Pyrimidine which is Pyrantel Tarlrate (Strongid, Rotectin P, Exodus, etc.)

3) Benzimidazole which is Fenbendazole (Panacur, Safe-Guard etc.)

Be sure to read the labels for active ingredients. No worming product is superior to all others. So rotate the product regularly to make sure you are covering all parasites.