Scary Scratches!

What’s up friends!

This is Snowdrift!  My buddy Lord Nelson asked me to help him out with this post to the “Holy Hoofprints” blog. As one of the fastest Horse Hero mares in the herd at the Rutgers Equine Science Center, he knew that I’d be able to write this in a jiffy!  Here goes! Read through it and check out the video of me running at almost top-speed on the treadmill!

With this fickle fall weather and Halloween creeping up soon, I wanted to quickly talk to you about a scary skin infection that is commonly known as “scratches”. I know horses that have had scratches before, and it is very unpleasant for us if not managed correctly! 

Compost Conundrums

Howdy all!

Me and Christi in the snow!

I hope everyone is staying dry and toasty in your home (and barn!) these days, and that you have all a fantastic start to the New Year! The snow was piling up just in time to celebrate all the winter holidays, and it hasn't stopped since! Christi and I had a blast playing yesterday, making Pegasuses in the snow, seeing who could race to the other end of the pasture quickest, and shaking tree branches to drop an avalanche of frost on each other's backs.  Despite the snow and ice everywhere I look, it does remind me of a question that I received from Claire, a 9 year old budding scientist...

Super Turf

Hay Kids! Today is a great day because I am going to share with you some super cool science. Recently, a team of scientists at Rutgers studied different grasses and their qualities in horse pastures. You probably are saying, “Yea, so what? Scientists study at a lot of stuff; what’s the big deal about grass?” Well, I am excited to tell you what scientists have discovered, that will help you A LOT, just by staring at grass! What is even more exciting is that you can hear all about preserving and maximizing your pasture grass at the Equine Science Center’s special event “Evening of Celebration and Science” on November 19! Register NOW!!

Doughnut Denial

Welcome back, friends! It feels like fall is just about here, finally!  I love the beautiful scenery that forms around my pasture and all of the different pumpkin and spice treats that come with these months, but what I am MOST excited about is CANDY!!

Dental check up...Float on!

Hey Everybody!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween!  The snow couldn’t stop me from getting some treats of my own.  As you already know, I love treats any day of the year and October 31^st is no exception!  I just can’t get enough of those sugary sweet delights!  But with my affection for confections, I need to take good care of my old chompers! I had a recent checkup from my equine dentist friend to help prevent any dental dilemmas. 

Sugar in Grass?? Sweet!

Have I mentioned how much I love this time of year?  Although the weather has been a bit dreary, I took full advantage of one the few nice days we’ve had and went apple picking with my good friend Magic.  The apple orchard is one of my favorite places to be; red delicious snacks above me and lush green grass below!  Speaking of grass, have you noticed how quickly it’s been growing lately? All the precipitation and cooler weather provide the perfect conditions for rapid pasture growth.  But as much as I love grass, I know that you can have too much of a good thing.

You may be surprised to hear that grasses contain large amounts of…sugar!  It’s no wonder why horses love it so much!  But just like humans, an excess of sugar could cause problems for horses.  Grass accumulates sugar and starch throughout the day and uses it for growth overnight, unless there is a freeze.

Consuming high sugar grass can cause a metabolic disorder called laminitis or founder in some horses, especially old guys like me, and also “easy keepers”; the chubby ponies and horses that get fat just thinking about grass.  Although it is not necessarily a bad thing, you should be careful not to use this term with a mare….I once told Christi she was an “easy keeper” and nearly got kicked in the noggin!  

If a horse is an easy keeper or has had laminitis before, limiting sugar intake by grazing it early in the morning before the grasses accumulate sugar (provided there was no overnight freeze) or by using a grazing muzzle throughout the day can hinder the development of metabolic disease.  This is especially important in the spring and fall, when sugar content is at its greatest.  My friends at the Equine Science Center are experts on this type of stuff!  For more information on metabolic disease, check out their Fact Sheet - Metabolic Problems in the Horse: Sorting out the Diagnosis.

 

Well I’m off to lunch…all this talking about grass and sugar is making me hungry! 

Until next time friends,

Lord Nelson

Entering the Homestretch of Summer!

Hello Friends,

Sorry I haven't had time to post about my activities lately. Boy has my summer been hectic! I had a great time with my friends from the Harness Horse Youth Foundation; showing them around the research facilities here at Rutgers, putting on an equine treadmill demonstration, and even giving out some goodies for them to remember me by! It was a great time had by all. For pictures from the event, visit our Facebook page and don't forget to "Like" us while you're there!

If You Can't Stand the Heat...

...get out of the sun!

While most of my human friends can enjoy the air conditioning on a hot and humid day, I seek the shade of a tree or run-in shed to keep cool. This heat is tough on any horse, and since I'm (a little) older than most, I have to be especially careful to be sure I'm consuming enough calories to keep my body functioning and maintain a healthy body weight. Some horses may lose as much as 7 to 10 percent of body weight in sweat per hour in extreme temperatures. That's about 9-10 gallons of horse sweat...gross! Dr. Malinowski keeps my diet high in calories by increasing my grain, adding corn oil to my feed, and feeding me a wide variety of...doughnuts!

June - Celebrations and Itchiness!

June is my favorite month of the year! Not only because it marks the official start of summer, or because the school year is finally over, but it is also the Month of the Horse! New Jersey Department of Agriculture Secretary Doug Fisher and the Equine Science Center's own Dr. Malinowski, kicked off the month of the horse on June 10th at the Standardbred Retirement Foundation Farm (the same folks who brought my research horse pals to Rutgers!) by announcing the various events planned to celebrate New Jersey's state animal! It's like a party that lasts all month long!

Come to Jersey Fresh!

Hello again friends,

I've mentioned before that the horse is the state animal of New Jersey. We even have more horses per square mile than Kentucky! Speaking of which, did you see the Kentucky Derby last Saturday? What a great race!

This weekend there is a great competition being held at the Horse Park of New Jersey that showcases the equestrian sport of eventing and is sponsored by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture's "Jersey Fresh" initiative. The event, which runs from today through Sunday (5/15), attracts some of the nation's best riders and is fantastic fun for the entire family!

Family Fun at Ag Field Day!

We all know that spring brings warmer weather, greener grass, and sunny days...but the best gift of spring is the foals! Here at the Rutgers Equine Science Center, we have one of our very own! Foals are so cute with their fluffy tails and wobbly legs, and are much more developed than newborn humans. The horse is a precocial species, meaning that newborn foals are neurologically mature after birth. This is because horses are prey animals in the wild and are most vulnerable immediately after birth, so they must be able to identify danger and flee if necessary. In fact, a foal will usually stand within an hour of being born (after a few failed attempts of course!). Can you imagine a human baby being able to stand an hour after being born?!

The new Rutgers foal's name is RU Skylark and belongs to one of the mustangs in the Young Horse Teaching and Research Program named RU ShyAnne. Both mother and baby will be on display (along with the other mustangs in the program) at Ag Field Day at Rutgers Day on April 30th at the Red Barn on the G. H. Cook Campus in New Brunswick. If you really fall in love, some of the mustangs will be available for bid at an auction held on Sunday, May 1st at the same location. If buying a real horse is out of the question, stop by the Equine Science Center's stand and get yourself the next best thing...a Lord Nelson beanie baby! They're just as much fun, they'll fit in your car on the ride home, and the best part is you'll never have to clean up after them! I look forward to meeting all of you, my loyal followers, on Saturday!

Your pal,
Lord Nelson

"April Showers bring May Flowers..."

You've heard the phrase "April showers bring May flowers", but rain also brings lush green pastures that horses love! And now is the time for a delicious salad made from dandelions. As the spring season goes on, it makes me happy to see new sprouts of grass grow out of the dirt that dominated the pasture in the winter months. Don't get me wrong; I love hay, but there's nothing like grabbing a huge mouthful of fresh grass from the ground as the sun shines down and a warm breeze makes my tail float in the wind...it's almost enough to make me forget that the rider on my back is trying to get my head up!

Love is in the air!

Hay everyone!

How about this crazy weather we've been having? I've been busy climbing the mountains of snow that have formed in my paddock...the other day my owner couldn't find me because I was behind a snow pile that towered over my head! Check out some of my snow filled pictures in my photo gallery below! I just can't wait for spring to come!

Anyway, Valentine's Day is coming up and love is in the air! I'm looking forward to a romantic day with my gal pal and fellow snow mountain climber HugMe Christi. I'm so in love, that when I see her, my ears perk up, my eyes light up, and my heart starts to beat just a little bit faster! Horses are lovers...we have big hearts! The average weight of an equine heart is between 7 and 9 pounds, but some are even bigger than that...the famous racehorse Secretariat's heart was an estimated 22 pounds! So how does the massive equine heart work? Read more to find out!

What is Lordosis??

Hi friends,

Did you ever see a horse that looks like its belly is pulling its spine toward the ground, causing its back to slope downward just behind its withers? If you aren't sure what I mean, just look at some of the pictures of myself that I've posted here! The condition is commonly known as "sway back" but its scientific name applies more to yours truly..."LORDosis!"

Although the dip in my back may seem to be a cause for concern, it really doesn't bother me or prevent me from living a normal and active life. My owner does make fun of me however; he says eventually, he will have to start strapping the saddle to my belly and riding me upside-down for the saddle to fit properly!

Happy New Year and Happy Birthday!

Hi Friends,

Welcome to 2011! I certainly hope that the recent weather event (the blizzard!) that ended 2010 isn't a prediction of what's yet to come. I'll have more on that a little later - just keep reading!

New Year's Day is always special for horses in the Northern Hemisphere - it marks our birthday! As you can see from my picture, I celebrated enough for all of my fellow equine friends. I actually cheated and celebrated my birthday a day early (December 31) so that I could share my "affection for confections" with my owner, who brought me cupcakes with candles, and one of my caretakers, Josh, whose birthday is New Year's Eve. You may not be able to tell from the picture that I could not contain my excitement when I saw that plateful of cupcakes. Josh said that I was trembling in an effort to reach out and grab one of those treats!

Holiday Overindulgence!

Hey Gang,

Even though I JUST recovered from my Thanksgiving feast, I am already gearing up for more holiday dinners and sweet treats! I've been taking advantage of this festive holiday season to eat all the little goodies I could swindle from my caretakers! They are always careful not to over-feed me, because that could lead to some serious health problems. When humans overeat they may need to spend a couple of days at the gym, but when horses overeat, it could be deadly!

Why You Shouldn't Look A Gift Horse in the Mouth...

Hey Future Equine Experts!

Have you ever heard the phrase, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth?" Ever wonder what it means? Today, it means to be thankful for a gift (even if you secretly want something better) and don't take something given to you for free for granted; but the roots of the phrase go back to when horses were used for everyday work, and when people depended on them for survival.

Did you know you can tell a horse's age by examining its teeth? I ask because to understand the phrase, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth," you should know how to estimate a horse's age.

Age - is it really just a number??

Last week, the Equine Science Center was well represented at the first Dorothy Havemeyer Foundation Equine Geriatric Workshop. That means that a bunch of scientists and veterinarians got together to talk about old horses - one of my favorite topics!

HAY Gang!

Ooops - I meant hey!

You'll never guess what happened last week when I went apple picking - there were no apples! No matter where we looked, all the apples had already been harvested. All we could find were tomatoes (Yuck!). I was really bummed out until later in the week when a couple of pretty cool things happened...

"No foot, no horse!"

Hi Friends!

The extremely dry summer we had finally took its toll on me a few weeks ago; therefore, I haven't been able to type with my hoof for a while. Let me tell you what happened...