LowCountry Acres

07/02/2024

Thanks for visiting Tanja and Ron! Please come ANYTIME!!

06/19/2024

Hanging with my big guy 😃

06/03/2024

Sunrise at LowCountry Acres

05/31/2024

A beautiful morning at LowCountry Acres.

05/09/2024

Here's a pic of our beautiful stallion, Earl, grazing in the mist.

05/08/2024

May is National Photo Month! Here are a few shows of LowCountry Acres Opal in the morning mist at dawn. Opal is my two-year-old seal bay roan grey European Brabant mare, born here on our farm. I took these photos with my Nikon Z 8 and Nikon NIKKOR Z 800mm f/6.3 VR S with a Nikon Z Teleconverter TC-2x and NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S lenses. I set my Nikon Z 8 ISO to 5000, so I could have a fast enough shutter speed to hand-hold the long lens and capture tack-sharp images through the low-light and dense fog.

04/30/2024

This is definitely worth reading....

We've shared this before, but PSSM continues to be talked about with our circles so we are sharing this once more...

The EBRA encourages PSSM1 testing and requires the test for all breeding stallions (though a positive test result does not disqualify them from breeding). Here's why. It is worth noting that a negative PSSM1 DNA test does NOT mean the horse is PSSM negative. A horse can receive a false positive. Also, most draft horses with the genetic mutation for PSSM1 are asymptomatic.

PSSM in draft horses is estimated to have emerged as far back as 1,600 years ago, says Stephanie Valberg, D.V.M., Ph.D.

If the data regarding the incidence of PSSM in Draft-related breeds are even close to accurate, which is up to 86%, it would appear that trying to breed away from this trait in these breeds would be extremely difficult. In fact, there is some suggestion that horses with PSSM, when they can deal with the condition, are superior in temperament, conformation, and even more importantly, performance. (citation: Susan A. Mende, DVM, Dipl ACVP)

"This trait is what allowed the draft horse to survive long hours of fieldwork on poor feed," says Hernando Plata-Madrid, DVM.

Since all draft horses are insulin-sensitive, draft horse owners have already adapted their feed and exercise regimes. So in many ways, they are ahead of the game when it comes to caring for horses who are diagnosed or undiagnosed for PSSM. (citation: Dr Eleanor Kellon, DVM Ph.D)

Most draft horses with the genetic mutation for PSSM1 are asymptomatic. The majority of draft horse owners, including Brabant owners, don't feed their horses starchy foods. Instead, they seek feeds that provide extra calories in the form of fat. Again, for hundreds of years, draft owners have developed food and exercise regimes to best suit the draft horse's slow metabolism functions, says Michael R. Stone, DVM. It just so happens that this regime is the remedy for managing horses with PSSM.

It should be noted that an important part of the management of PSSM horses is daily exercise. This enhances glucose utilization and improves energy metabolism in skeletal muscle. For symptomatic horses: If ONLY the diet changes, approximately 50% of those horses improve. If BOTH diet and exercise are altered, 90% of horses have fewer to no episodes of tying-up.

Tying up is a symptom rather than a specific disorder. There are two categories with tying up, horses that have sporadic/isolated episodes and those that have repeated episodes. Isolated episodes are more likely to be due to management/dietary factors. Common causes include electrolyte imbalances to plain overworking of a horse to heat stroke. (citation: Dr Beth Valentine DVM Ph.D).

So the ultimate question is to breed, or not to breed. Dr. Susan Menda says, "Given the high incidence of PSSM within certain breeds and the apparent performance capabilities of PSSM horses, it may not be feasible or even appropriate to try to breed away from this condition."

Dr. Beth Valentine shares the same view and does not advise trying to breed away from this trait. She believes that working horses may actually benefit from it and that may be why it is so common in so many breeds. The key to managing these horses is to feed the right diet and provide enough exercise.

As stated above, a negative PSSM test does NOT necessarily mean the horse is negative and MOST carriers are asymptomatic.

In the end, the EBRA considers the decision on whether to breed or not to breed a very personal decision with no one-size-fits-all answer. Therefore, we leave those decisions up to the mare and stallion owners.

We welcome any questions you may have. Please email [email protected] or feel free to ask in the comments. We'll do our best to provide a response. If we do not have the answer, we will surely seek it out from our resident expert, Dr. Beth Valentine.

Members, you can also watch Dr. Beth Valentine's clinic on PSSM here: https://www.europeanbrabant.com/forum/health-wellness/pssm-epsm-clinic

03/31/2024

My veterinarian, Dr. Kathryn Sharbrough Williams of the Charleston Equine Clinic sat down with me on Friday for the European Brabant Registry of America's Brabant Bulletin podcast. We discuss general equine health, barn emergency essentials, equine healthcare issues, end of life plans, how to build a good relationship with your vet, and so much more!

TUNE IN:

S1, Episode 19: This week we sit down with equine veterinarian, Dr. Kathryn Sharbrough of Charleston Equine Clinic, to discuss general equine health, barn em...

03/25/2024

Opal, Pearl, and Agnes after a spa day 💕

03/21/2024

A lovely afternoon with the fillies and momma, Leah. (Nikon photos by Andy Dunaway)

03/20/2024

Opal is almost as tall as momma now!

03/09/2024

Horse Illustrated just dropped their April issue featuring the European Brabant and on the cover is our very own LowCountry Acres Floyd! Inside, on the directory page is All the King's Horses stud, Ash. There are some other great EBRA Members' photos included and a nice breed write-up too. But you'll have to pick a copy, or a dozen copies so you can give them away to friends, to see the incredible four-page "Breed Portrait" spread on the European Brabant. FYI, there's a little extra bonus on page 72!

Be sure to pick up your copies now! Click: https://www.horseillustrated.com/product/horse-illustrated-april-2024

03/07/2024

I am pretty sure there is a gray horse under there somewhere 🤔

03/07/2024

The girdles all turn two in just a few weeks. I can’t believe how big they’re getting.

03/03/2024

Hey Brabant mare owners, here’s a great post by the European Brabant Registry of America on stallion selection and breeding contracts!

The breeding season is upon us, so the EBRA is rolling out informative posts and podcast episodes focused on all-things-breeding over the next couple weeks. Today we’ll cover stallion selection tips and breeding contracts guidance.

If the European Brabant stallion you’re considering for breeding isn’t registered with the EBRA, we encourage you to do some research. People are naturally crazy about the European Brabant, but this craze has sparked some unscrupulous stallion owners to make false claims about their horse’s heritage. Some folks with grade stallions who have a draft-type body and roan coloring are passed off as being “Brabants” but there’s no documentation to prove that claim.

We are not saying there isn’t a chance that somewhere in the breeding is a Brabant, but how do you really know?
Therefore, we want you to be cautious about horses who are not registered and verified. We will go a step further and say that even if the stallion is registered with the Belgian Draft Horse Corporation of America (BDHCA) or the American Brabant Association (ABA) may not be a purebred European Brabant.

For instance, prior to the BDHCA closing their registry to imports they recognized Brabants into their studbook. These horses were crossed with American Belgians and/or other imported progeny. To know a stallion's percentage of Brabant in this instance, you have to do some pedigree tracing.

The same goes for the American Brabant.
The American Brabant is a new American draft horse breed that is different from the EBRA’s Tier 1 Registered purebred horses and their brethren living in Belgium and the Netherlands.

American Brabant, Book 1, stallions may only have as little as 25% European Brabant bloodlines, so you have to do your homework.

The ABA’s emphasis is on developing a workhorse phenotype, rather than breed preservation like us at the EBRA. It’s also important to know that the ABA’s Book 1 registered horses are derived from a variety of crossbreeds to include Percheron, Suffolk Punch, American Belgian and German Rhenish.

We are not here to dissuade you from breeding to an American Brabant stallion, but if your goal is to have a high-percentage offspring, you will have to be aware of the American Brabant stallion’s verifiable European Brabant heritage.

One other thing to note here is that the ABA considers the German Rhenish Coldblood breed to be 100%. While the German Rhenish is a Brabant heritage breed, the EBRA does not automatically recognize these horses as 100% without additional pedigree verification.

If you’re considering a BDHCA or ABA stallion as your next sire and you want help calculating their European Brabant heritage, we can help you! Simply email Rebecca at [email protected]. No matter what, always request a copy of the stallion’s registration form, a breeding certificate to verify mare coverage and, when possible, the stallion’s DNA profile, so you can submit that to the EBRA when applying for your offspring’s EBRA registration.

To hear all our stallion selection tips and breeding contract guidance, TUNE IN:
https://youtu.be/u5Aeb6rQGVQ?si=vwX_pBxz2N_4zkrf

02/26/2024

When your draft horses are on a fat-adapted and you wipe out Walmart. I left a few on shelves for other shoppers 🤣

02/25/2024

When your head is just too heavy to hold up… 🤣

02/15/2024

Earl’s grooming session has him sparkly clean’ish 😬

02/12/2024

In part 1 of the History of the European Brabant, we shared how our favorite ancient draft horse evolved in the low countries and the many names it garnered over the centuries like Brabant, Trait du Noord, Ardennes, and Flemish Horse. In part 2, we reveal how the Brabant became known internationally as the Belgian Draft Horse after Belgium's independence in 1831, and why some, like the European Brabant Registry of America, still refer to them as Brabants today.

Be sure to like and subscribe to the Brabant Bulletin where ever you get your podcasts so you don't miss more entertaining content like this!

TUNE INTO PART 1: https://www.europeanbrabant.com/brabantbulletinpodcast/episode/7b413304/history-of-the-european-brabant-part-1

LISTEN TO PART 2: https://www.europeanbrabant.com/brabantbulletinpodcast/episode/7c44d227/a-history-of-the-european-brabant-draft-horse-part-2

02/11/2024

I am holding a hat raffle in honor of my dear friend and fellow Brabanter, Dr. Hernando Plata. All proceeds will be donated to his family. The raffle winner will receive a consultation with me from which I will design and create a unique, custom piece of wearable art.

Each raffle ticket is $25 and participants can buy as many tickets they wish to increase their chances of winning. The drawing will take place on February 19th, so act now! You can enter by sending money via Venmo or PayPal (scan the QR codes or click the links below). Be sure to include your name, email and phone when sending money, so I can put your name in the "hat" for the drawing!

PayPal: https://paypal.me/SLPearsall?country.x=US&locale.x=en_US
Venmo: https://account.venmo.com/u/Stacy-Pearsall

02/09/2024

Check out Opal, our home grown filly who is sired by Earl out of Leah. She’s 88% EBS and in about six months, she’ll undergo her QM evaluation with the European Brabant Registry of America. She’s a seal bay, roan, grey so her color changes nearly every day. I love this girl. Can’t believe she’ll be two soon! Don’t worry y’all, I’m not riding her. She’s just saddled for ground training.

02/09/2024

Our LowCountry Acres show team and European Brabant Registry of America Ambassadors Terry, Hayden, Nick and Brayson, work hard in training and in the ring. This accumulation of ribbons from 2023 is proof of their dedication. Thanks team!

02/07/2024

My abridged view on when and how I start youngsters at LowCountry Acres

02/03/2024

Agnes is growing up! We are just doing groundwork with the saddle on, but she’s coming along.

02/01/2024

Here's a humorous design perfect for people too preoccupied by what matters most in life.... their horses! Get your hands on this brand new design today! Available in crew neck or v-neck tees, various color combos and sizes. Sales support European Brabant Registry of America activities. SHOP: https://www.europeanbrabant.com/mechandise

[Design features 2023 Champion Stallion AKH Aspen EBRA REG # EB0018 owned by Olga Pushkareva]

02/01/2024

This group photo of European Brabant fillies Opal, Agnes, and Pearl, alongside their handlers, was taken one year ago. The young ladies of LowCountry Acres have grown a bunch since then, and you don't want to miss the chance to see just how much in person! We've posted our show schedule, so you can make plans to come see the girls and their handlers in action!

Please Note: The schedule is subject to change. Some dates may be dropped and added on short notice. Drop us a line and let us know you're coming to a show. If you can't make a show, you can always book an appointment to come see them at the farm.

01/30/2024

I’ve entered! Let’s see your predictions are closer!

All the King's Horses is raising money for the European Brabant Registry of America by hosting a 50/50 Foaling Prediction Contest.

To participate, simply send your $20 entry fee to All the King's Horses via PayPal (search [email protected]) or Venmo (search Rebecca-Courtney-15). For your convenience, you can scan either payment platform's QR codes provided on the 50/50 promo image by using your phone's camera and it will take you straight to that platform's payment center! Be sure to include your name and email address at payment, so Rebecca can send you the 50/50 predictions form.

Participants will be sent a form of the 2024 mare and sire pairings, where they can guess the birthdates, colors, and genders for each anticipated foal. AKH will keep track on who is closest throughout the season and the winner will take home 50% of the funds! The rest will generously donated to support the work of the EBRA.

/// For other payment options, contact Rebecca Brown Courtney by email at [email protected] ///

01/25/2024

GUEST PRESENTATION! SAVE THE DATE! During the 2nd Quarter Members Meeting (Monday, April 15th at 8 PM EST), certified Equi-First Aid USA specialist, MJ Aylesworth, will be sharing lifesaving tips and tricks for horses!

MJ of Spotted Ponie Therapies will cover what to keep on-hand for emergencies, what your vet needs to know during an emergency, how to take vital signs, and how to deal with lacerations, punctures, colic, choke, collapse, shock, pain recognition, as well as some injury prevention techniques.

Must be a European Brabant Registry of America Member to attend! JOIN TODAY!

https://www.europeanbrabant.com/become-a-member

01/15/2024

A critical part of the EBRA's mission is to support and promote optimal horse health and to invest in reputable, independent, science-based studies that may improve the welfare of the European Brabant breed. By contributing to the study of equine diseases that impact our breed, we hope to improve and/or eradicate those which affect our horses. In 2023, the EBRA donated to the Ghent University's Pathology Department to be used for the purpose of studying Chronic progressive lymphedema (CPL) in Belgian (Brabant) Draft Horses. As an organization, we will continue to monitor and support these, and other studies, that will help us achieve our mission.

Do you want to support our mission? Become a Member today! You don't even have to own a European Brabant or live in North America to join. We welcome all enthusiasts from around the world. JOIN - https://www.europeanbrabant.com/become-a-member