You and Natural Herbs for Health

You do everything for your horse, you get them the right supplements, naturally healthy foods, you make sure you give it to them everyday, but what about you. Take some time to keep or get yourself healthy so that you can ride more, play more and be generally healthier. Here are a few companies that have healthy herbs and supplements for people (Click on the underlined names to go to the site for product information)


Health & Herbs

We provide alternative herbal medicine, natural alternative medicine, and health remedies. We offer the latest info on natural herbs, dietary supplements, vitamins and alternative herbal remedies.

Young Living- Therapeutic level Essential Oils (tested)
When you create a customer, preferred customer or distributor account please use the following distributor # 1111482, Allison Gelfand
** The oils work great on most animals. I know the horses love them
-For Weaning I recommend Trauma Life
-For Skin irritation Lavendar
-For pain – Pan away or Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree)
-For Horse shows to protect against negative people Valor
Check out this E-book to guide you with using your esential oils
click here to see the E-book. very easy to download and comes with very good information.Highly reccomended

Dynamite – Human and Animal!!!

To order please e-mail me at Allison@sableranch.net so that we can get you taken care of and make sure you’re on the right track for you or your Animals.

** I am an independant distributor for Dynamite Marketing and For Young Living. I am not affiliated to Health & Herbs. I make no medical claims on mine or anyones behalf, consult your doctor if you have medical issues.

Premature foals and Joint Ill

One year we had a premature foal. She was about 5 weeks early. Friesians are known for having their foals 2 weeks early but 5 weeks was very scary. The mare was healthy, there were no indications that the birth was complicated or that it was going to need to be early. But the foal came early.

We want to share our situation and some of the information that we found when we started trying to help our premature foal.

We noticed that the first day she spent most of the time on the ground “pushing” herself in circles. She was obviously very small but her behavior was very “fetal” she was moving around on the ground as if she was still in her mom. She was clearly mentally/behaviorally not ready to be born. With her not getting up we were giving colostrums and feeding her. It’s good that we didn’t force her getting up because we found out later that there was a HUGE chance that her joints were not ready for her to get up. There was a case where a foal was born early and they had to actually keep the foal strapped down so that he didn’t crush his joints that were all cartilage. Her x-rays came out healthy at a week and her follow up x-rays were very healthy so we got lucky. But now that we know more about the premature foals joints we thought that it was important to share so that you can prevent lifelong damage to the foals joints.

We also noticed that her skin was like tissue paper. It was delicate and would snag on everything. It was so sensitive that even the straw bedding was tearing her skin. She got open sours on all her joints. We dressed her in a spandex jacket and wrapped her fetlocks to protect her but even the skin around her eyes was very delicate. She was put on several antibiotics to protect her from infection but she was falling apart with every move. This situation can commonly be called Joint Ill. It’s an infection that affects foals and appears in the joints. She developed a bladder infection despite all the antibiotics. The signs of this was that the foal was peeing out her umbilical cord. She got special iodine treatments to her umbilical cord to treat this infection. She was under attack from the world.

Giving her colostrums orally and from her mom was not doing her much good. Her intestines were too premature to actually absorb the colostrums. We tested her levels and they were very low. She needed a plasma transfusion. The coolest thing happened after the transfusion. Within 2 hours of the transfusion her skin started reattaching to her body. The tissue paper affect stopped and healing started right before our eyes.

After seeing the greatest healing power of the transfusion we now have a post birth procedure in place for any foal. We get a snap test to test the IgG levels (colostrums in the blood) on any foal. If they are low we give them a plasma transfusion. A snap test is relatively cheap and well worth knowing the IgG levels of your foal. Insurance companies require and IgG level to insura a foal that is 24 hrs. old. We have found that mares that have a lot of milk can cause the foals to have low IgG levels also. It’s a test that will save you a lot of money on any infections or problems that your foal may have.

To heal all the wounds where her skin peeled back we used Doc Underwoods till they were sealed then to get the hair to grow back without having white hair grow in we used Dynamite’s Wound Balm. http://sableranch.net/woundbalm.html . Today she has NO WHITE hairs!!! Not one scar and that is AMAZING. Friesians are not allowed to have white markings and if they do get them from injury then you have to present a vet’s explanation of the injuries. That makes it very important that the Friesians not get white hair when they have an injury.

In short, check your foals IgG levels, take extra caution with the joints of a premature foal, and take care of your wounds so that you don’t get long term white hairs.

This filly at age 2.5 years old!

Entered into the studbook with the KFPS at 2.5 yo (normally 3yo) which is proof of soundness and confirmation quality! (photo Nadeen Davis)

 

Babies!!! – How do I know when my baby is coming

I’m going to start out a list of signs that your mare is about to have her foal, I encourage everyone to add their unique signs and any that I may not have listed…. The more you know about your mare the easier it will be to predict that your mare is going to give birth. Be very careful, a lot of the signs of giving birth are very close to colic signs. You should take them seriously either way. (photos will be added soon to help visualize)



5 days before birth (Grace)

- Widening and dropping of the belly. There is a band of muscles on either side of the mares belly that become very obvious. They run from the hip down towards the bottom of the belly. When the baby is heavy or in exit position those bands will look like they are holding up the belly. The mare’s belly can be low from the size of the baby or the position of the baby. Also the belly can look wide at the bottom like she is carrying a triangle in her tummy.  


37 days before birth (Monkey)



37 days before birth (Monkey)

-Growing a bag of milk, you should expect this about 6-8 weeks before the baby starts to come. If it’s a few weeks out and you don’t have a bag you should prepare by getting a bag of supplement milk and supplemental colostrums. Some mares don’t bag up till right before but it’s better safe than having a sick baby.  These mares are very good givers to their foals you can tell when they are about to have the foal because from the back view the nipples will start to part because the bag is filling in in the middle. I have had bags filling up all the way back between the tail and still not part the nipples till right before birth. Not all mares have this much bag these are just some examples. some mares are not this full even at birth but be ready.



-Waxing on the tips of the nipples, some mares run around a lot or hit the nipples with their tail so they may not have wax on them. But some mares do have wax “caps” on their nipples to hold the colostrums in. Some mares will be walking around spraying milk. You don’t want that, but it’s sometimes happens. Just prepare by having extra colostrums on hand because all that good first milk is squirting out before the baby is even born.

-Softening of the muscles around the top of the tail and around the hips. Give your mare a poke around the tushy to get to know what she normally feels like. As the baby settles into the exit position the mare’s hip muscles relax to allow the hips to spread for birth. You can feel this a few days before the baby arrives.

-Lengthening of the vulva. Take a peak under her tail well before she is due. Get to know how long she is from anus to bottom. Before birth she will relax all those muscles and the vulva will look longer and droopier. All the muscles on either side will start to get mushy and soft.


18 days before birth (Vness)

-You will also notice that when the milk bags are partially full the nipples point in towards each other. As the bag gets more and more full the nipples will start to point down and then even point away from each other. Milk will flood into the teats as part of the pre birth process so watch how full they are. Some mares don’t have much milk so don’t always count on this but be prepared with a bag of supplemental milk just to make sure.


-Decreased interest in exercise. I had a mare that when you lunged her in a group would stop and stand in the corner while everyone was running. She did this about 3 days before she actually gave birth. It was her red flag to us that the baby was knocking at the door.

-Less interest in food, not in a way that she stops eating all together but in a way where she may pick up some of her food and then eat slowly then leave it alone. Mares will try to chew to help relieve some of the pain but contractions and shifting are not pleasant for them so eating a large meal will not be on their mind.

-Irritability like she is just at the end of her patience
-Circling and nesting, pawing, looking for a good place to set herself down.
-Showing signs of abdominal pain. Signs like looking at her belly or scratching at it with her teeth like it hurts, not like there is a fly. Laying down and getting up, circling means you are getting much closer. but also be observant to make sure it isn't colic. Some mares can colic while pregnant. We had one colic because when the foal got in exit position it restricted her cecum and she impacted and coliced.
-Increased respiration. Birth hurts she will be having labored breathing.


under the tail you can see softened vulva, she's got a bit of dirt showing she's been down a 2nd time, if she'll let you clean her up and sit back and wait for the baby. this mare was not that sort so we went inside and came back out 10 minutes later and the foal was just out. She was not the type to let us near her at this time, all went well and the foal is now over 2 years old.

When it all goes right you have a beautiful healthy baby

Please feel free to add signs that I forgot or signs that are unique to your mare’s the more information we can share the safer our horses will be.

Yummy Drink

This has nothing to do with horses but if you are a Chocoholic like I am this is a drink that is over the top yummy.
start with a double sized mug... because we know we are going to want a lot! but also so that you have room for everything
put in 3 spoons of Nestle chocolate powder (any favorite substitute might be ok)
use either hot milk or powdered milk and hot water (either works great)
leave room at the top
put a layer of mini marshmallows
then a mountain of whip cream
then take your chocolate powder and sprinkle it all over the whip cream
you can add sprinkles if you have them but the best part is eating down the layers.
once you reach some of the hot chocolate and have a few sips add the marshmallows whip cream and powder back to the top again
YUM
or if your lazy just put the chocolate powder on the whip cream and grab your spoon!!!
Cheers! fellow chocoholics

Problems Conceiving or Unexplained Early Ebryonic loss?

This section takes into account that you have already had your mare examined by a vet, that they are visually reproductively sound and that all swabs and cultures have come back as perfectly normal or clear of issues. This is also for mares that present normal follicles in a regular pattern of 21 day cycles. I hope sharing this information helps at least one foal be born and saves 1000's in extra vet bills.

As mares get older, train a lot, have a lot of foals, they can develop a problem with their thyroid. We had a mare that didn’t conceive one year so we didn’t think much about it. She was 12 years old, had 7 foals previously, and was showing and training regularly. The second year we got pro-active and put her on Regumate (assists in keeping a mare pregnant). Even on Regumate she lost her foal between 30 and 45 days. We were shocked. How could a mare loose a foal on Regumate? Well a cheap test of her thyroid levels (Our vet charged $25) indicated that her thyroid was low. Conception and maintenance of pregnancy is very affected by the thyroid levels. If your having problems with conception this is worth a try. Some things to ask your equine nutritionist about if you find out that your horse has hypo-thyroid is Iodine and selenium in the diet plan.

Food for thought when breeding
Another thing that has recently been stirred up is how Soy is affecting breeding in horses. Soy contains phytoestrogens, which have estrogenic actions when added as a dietary supplement. There are no direct studies on horses but in humans, and rats ect. it's been found to affect the hormones and cause cycles to be irregular. There are a few horse breeders that have removed soy from their diets and found a significant increase in fertility and fetus retention. For stallions there would also be a concern about their semen potency. You can google how Estrogen affects your mare or stallion online. It's not necessarily a positive or negative but you should evaluate your needs. If your mare needs more Estrogen then soy may be a positive for her, if not then the excess could cause adverse reactions.

Another thing that I have experienced first hand with our Friesian mares it the use of ovulation inducing drugs interfering with conception and retention of embryos. There are far too many horses out there that are not Friesian and are successfully using these drugs for it to be something of notice BUT ... because I closely monitor all our mares by doing my own ultrasounding with increased frequency and monitor any and all medication that they receive I wanted to share something I noticed. I found that in many of my mares if I used any ovulation inducing drugs (combination or individual) that my conception % is greatly reduced and if conception does take place retention rate is lower and the embryo is usually lost between 28 and 55 days. Now those Friesian breeders out there are going to say... if you follow the directions and inject at 35mm (for 50 ovulation 36 hrs later) then you are doing it too soon for a Friesian. Yes, fully aware, so injection was between 45 and 48 (expected 55-65 ovulation in 36 hrs). Some didn't get past 50 for ovulation, some stayed past the 36 hrs and didn't actual ovulate (absorbed). I did have 1 mare successfully conceive, retain the foal while using ovulation inducing drugs and sadly lost her foal shortly after birth because of the aortic valve on the foal not closing after birth (see blog on aortic valve and Friesian). We can't connect the two incidents to each other. ** brand names are not shared because it is not the brand or product that is faulty in any way. Various brands were used over several years, the abnormalities are believed to be breed specific and are only mentioned to share trends that were experienced with Friesian mares. These situations were not witnessed with other breeds during this time

I would also like to include information about injectable hormones that cause the depletion of a Corpus Luteum (CL) to bring a mare back into cycle faster or short cycle them (prostaglandin). These hormones can also be used to terminate an unwanted pregnancy at the very early stages of pregnancy. With my Friesians I have notice that a mentionable few (not all) have not given me a viable follicle on the cycle post injection of these hormones. I have had a few conceptions using this hormone to "short cycle" a mare, however I should also mention I witnessed an elevation in early loss when these products were used (loss prior to 50 days).
** brand names are not shared because it is not the brand or product that is faulty in any way. Various brands were used over several years, the abnormalities are believed to be breed specific and are only mentioned to share trends that were experienced with Friesian mares. These situations were not witnessed with other breeds during this time.

The above two apply directly to my Embryo Transplant (ET) issues discussed below. The vet will most likely want to use an ovulation inducing drug to 1, better time the ovulation for accurate flushing at 7 days. 2, to save on semen shipments and make sure the semen gets there on time for the follicle and that the follicle lets go for the freshest semen. Ok those all sound good BUT if your mare fills the above description.... you won't have a viable follicle resulting in no conception or weak embryo at transplant and potentially early loss (before 50 days). You don't have to use this drug to do ET. You can ask the vet to scan the mare regularly till the mare naturally ovulates. You can ask the stallion owner to send 3 doses, or plan on a 2nd shipment if the stallion's semen doesn't last long. They can inseminate  (Friesian at 50/55mm and 55/60mm and if they have to 60/65mm). Yes it's time consuming but if it's what it takes to get your foal it's not impossible.

Now the next step after flushing the embryo out is to give the mare the hormone to break down a CL so that if there is a 1% chance there is an embryo in there, it doesn't survive to conceive. Also so that the vet can get the mare back up and ready for another try because ET can take a few tries for complete success. BUT... again if your mare is like the one's above then the follicle the offer on 2nd cycle will be less viable and possibly contribute to not conceiving or early embryo loss for your try # 2 so you keep repeating again and again with the lower and lower success chances each cycle. You can do ET without this hormone. You can request that your vet not use it, and that they scan the mare at 15 days post ovulation and if the embryo is in there (usually not after the 3 flushes to transfer) but if it's there then you as the owner have 2 choices, keep a foal and have your mare carry, or pinch the embryo off and she will cycle again in about 5-7 days.

White keuring bridles

If you are going to an FPS/FHANA Keuring you should know the traditional presentation of the breed. Traditionally you will show all horses 2 and older in a white leather headstall with a bit. This headstall is the brow band style with a throatlatch. There is no noseband on this bridle. Instead of reins you will have a lead attached to the bit. You can use a chain or clip to the bit but it’s usually a chain on the end of your lead. So prep your young horses to have that chain hit their chin and slide across the bit before they get to the show. You should also get your young horses used to the bit that they are going to use. They make traditional gold bits with horse shoe shapes on either side, but that is not a requirement. Any clean snaffle bit that fits your horse is appropriate. If you horse is very hard to handle and stop and the best bit for them is a curb bit then that can be an option. Ideally you will want your horse to go in some sort of a snaffle that doesn’t have a chain under it. Just remember the stud chain on the end of the lead will run through the bit and act as a curb chain.

We sell White Keuring Headstalls and Leads at http://sableranch.net/whitetack.html . We have white bridles with padded browbands, crystal browbands, Rolled leather bridles and matching leads. All of the white bridles that we sell have been used in keruings and are acceptable for keurings.

Once in a while you will see people show their horse in a black bridle. This is not against any rules. It is not traditional but you will not be asked to leave if you have a horse that wears a black bridle. It should still not have a noseband, and it should have a browband and throatlatch.

If you are showing in IFSHA the rules say traditional. That would mean white, but there are many people that show in black bridles. Not all judges are familiar with what is traditional for Friesians because they may not even have their Friesian Card for judging. Check with the Rules Official at your local show to see what they expect you to wear. It’s always safe to wear white, but if you prefer black (most people do) then consult the Rules Official. They ultimately control the rules of the show and If the judge doesn’t know then they ask the Rules Official. But Traditional is White.

Semen– Frozen vs. Chilled vs. Fresh

Quality semen
Fertility rate is the best indication of sperm quality. Many factors affect the quality of semen. Stallion physical health, nutrition, frequency of collection and diseases can affect the quality. How the semen is handled post collection is very important. Maintenance of temperature, frozen or chilled is very important. Semen can usually only last 24-48 hours chilled. If it’s frozen it can last forever, but if it’s thawed slightly it will affect it’s viability. Progressive Motility is not an indication of fertility, however it is an indication of the health of the semen, if nothing is swimming forward, nothing will get to the egg. Fertility rate is truly your best indication of healthy sperm.

Frozen
No all stallions produce the same quality semen. Some can be frozen and some can’t. If you are picking a stallion that is not in the same country as your mare you will be limited to Frozen semen. There are sometimes decreased fertility rates with Frozen and some mares don’t conceive well with Frozen semen. Frozen semen on average will have a lower Progressive Motility than chilled, but remember PM is not an indication of quality.

As a whole Frozen semen is a great opportunity to increase the DNA variation of your offspring and the population, and to have sperm on hand exactly when you need it. When it’s stored on site it can be thawed out right when your mare ovulates and you don’t have to wait on stallion collection schedules and shipping. There are many people that sell and import Frozen semen, but be careful who you buy it from. How the semen is handled affects it’s thaw motility, so it’s important that it’s handled correctly at collection, transport, storage, and thaw and insemination.
Some people sell Frozen semen from stallions that have low fertility with frozen semen. Frozen semen usually doesn’t come with a guarantee of fertility, motility or a live foal guarantee. Questions to ask the seller is if they have ever tested the semen either under a microscope or by breeding mares, find out what their success rate was with the semen. Find out if they have been trained professionally to handle frozen semen, and where it’s been stored.

We have frozen semen available for Fabe, Dries, Bente, Gjalt http://sableranch.net/frozensemen.html, all of our semen was tested under a microscope or on mares. I’ve been trained by Colorado State University in Handling Frozen Semen. We are happy to help you with your frozen semen needs.

Chilled Semen
This is the most common method when using stallions that are in the same country as the mare. Some stallion owners provide frozen and chilled but chilled is the most common.
The fertility with chilled depends on several factors. The stallion health, collection method, The extender, the travel time to get to the mare, how the mare reacts to the extender, and more. You will not have much control over the stallion handling prior to shipping but you will what to make sure that the semen is shipped to you with next day delivery. The faster the semen gets from the mare to the stallion the better. Stallions are usually collected on a schedule so know that schedule. If they only collect Monday, Wednesday, Friday you will only have semen on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Saturday delivery may not be available in your area so be aware of the schedules. So when you are getting your mare ultrasounded you need to account for collection schedule, shipping time, and ovulation estimation.

Fresh
With fresh your mare and stallion have to be in the same location. It’s still recommended to artificially inseminate (AI) even with the two of them in the same location. The reason to AI is to avoid having the mare kick the stallion, the stallion bite the mare, added weight on the mares hips, and the most important… Diseases. There are many diseases that can be transferred from mare to stallion and stallion to mare. If you choose to live cover there are some things you can do to protect both the stallion and mare. Check to make sure the mare is actually in heat and receptive to the stallion. It’s amazing how angry a mare can get towards a stallion when she is actually not in heat. Secondly you should wrap the mares tail so that the hairs don’t cut the stallion or get pulled into the process. Also there are breeding hobbles that can restrict the mare from getting a good kick at the stallion. They are not fool proof and they are not a guarantee of no kicking but they might help. Also if your mare has never worn them before you should test them out prior to introducing the stallion so there are no surprises.


If your mare has less than desirable results have your semen checked by a veterinarian. You can also ask if the stallion had any infections or illnesses in the past few months, or if there are other people having the same problem conceiving. Also have your mare checked for infection, thyroid deficiency, allergic reactions to the extenders, ect. Not all breeding problems are the stallions fault, the mare contributes her fair share of problems also. (See the Thyroid Blog, Infection blog, mare uterine exam blog)

Babies Babies Babies!!! – Breeding/ Insemination Information

Breeding your Friesian mare is similar to that of any other horse. You have to have a mare that is in heat, usually from April to September in North America. A mare comes in heat approximately every 18-25 days for 3-8 days depending on the mare. Take the time to get to know your mare. Realize when she is showing signs such as blinking the vulva after urination or at another horse, posturing while urinating in small spurts, cream colored urine, more irritable than normal. There are many signs. But you may have a mare that has no signs. I have noticed that my Friesian mares don’t show very much and when they are presented to a stallion they take a while to warm up to him to start showing. In those cases ultrasounds are very helpful. Most Friesian stallion owners know this but please be aware that Friesians ovulate at a much larger follicle than the average horse. Our mares ovulate between 55mm and 65mm, the average quarter horse will ovulate at 35-45mm. Friesians are also known for holding on to their follicles for an extra day or two. So please work with a vet that is familiar with the specific reproductive habits of the Friesian mare, and more importantly your Friesian mare. The time of ovulation is the most important time because you have a narrow window on either side of ovulation to inseminate. About 8 hrs before and 4 hours after, Less if it’s with frozen semen.

Babies Babies Babies!!! - Timing your baby

Spring is just around the corner! Babies on the way, babies just arriving, planning for new babies. There is SOOOOO much to think about. Let us help you with some thoughts.

Timing your baby

Are you showing your foal in the FHANA Keuring? Are you focusing on IFSHA shows? Are you worried about weather? Is your mare open (not pregnant) in foal? What kind of timing do you have to consider for YOUR foal.......

Gestation for a horse is 11 months. Friesians have been known to have foals about 2 weeks early so don't set the date on your calendar in pen. All of our calculations are going to be based on a general 11 months to keep things simple.

If you are planning on showing your FPS Friesian foal at it's foal Keuring, it is best to have your foal be 3-4 months old. Historically the USA Keurings are in September/October. You will want to be thinking about breeding in April and May. If you know your mare takes a few cycles to conceive you should account for that by starting a little earlier.

The reason 3-4 months is ideal is because the foal must show with it's Dam at the keuring. A 1-2 month old foal is very small and doesn't show off their movement as well because they are still "wobbly". If your foal is starting to naturally wean itself you will find that they just run around the arena without paying attention to it's Dam. If your foal is not 3-4 months you can still show at the Keuring, the judges have seen all ages and sizes and will give their best opinion that day. But if you are planning, and your mare doesn't already have a foal on the way, and the foal Keuring is important, April is the start to your breeding season.

If you are focusing on IFSHA shows then you will be thinking along the lines of show season starting in the Spring. Do you want your foal to show early in the season in halter classes? Do you want your mare to be showing not the foal? The general idea is to have your foals born as close to January or February (breeding season starting in Dec. Jan) so that the foals are larger for their age. The weather in your area may not accommodate winter deliveries and you will probably have to have your horse on lights to get them jump started on heat cycles in the winter. If you want your mare available for show season you might want to consider having the mare either give birth in January so that the foal can be weaned at 4 months (April) and you can still have most of the show season without a foal tagging along. Or you can have the foal born late in the year so that the mare can show all season then have the foal and enjoy being a mom all winter. IFSHA World/National Championships are usually the end of October so if the foal is planned to be born in late November or December then the mare can still show.

Planning when it’s best for your foal to be born is a very important part of breeding. If your mare is open (not pregnant) then just sit down with your schedule and the calendar and figure out what is best for you and your foal. Remember to plan around 11 month gestation and 4-6 months of nursing.

Welcome

Hello to all!!
We are very excited to start this new blog on Friesian Horses. It will be a chance for us to share our experiences with you and for you to share helpful information about Friesian Horses with everyone else. We would like this blog to be eudcational and a great resource for Friesian horse owners, breeders and addicts. We will be posting Keuring information, breeding information, interesting facts, tips. We will share products that are Friesian and wide horse friendly. I hope you enjoy this blog and find it very helful in your adventures with your Friesian. You can always find extra information on our web page http://www.sableranch.net/
Thank you for joining us
Allison