B's Boarding Stable

05/02/2024

It’s been a fun filled Spring on the farm as we welcome several additions: a billy goat named Fernando, who will be visiting us for a few months (in the hopes of impregnating Jill) as well as two new boarders: Jasper and Balios. We are so happy to have everyone’s hooves here at B’s Boarding Stable!!

03/27/2024

Shared Post from Equine, PhD

PART ONE: Hay nets and horse teeth, what do you think? Should we use them or forgo them?

Well I am excited to announce we have some research-based answers for you! We set out to evaluate this in a 2-year study and we found out this weekend that our manuscript, titled "Effect of hay nets on horse bodyweight, body condition score, hay use, and dental health in mature adult horses" was accepted by the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science! I am so excited to share the results in a two part post. This one will focus on dental health but stay tuned for part 2 where we will focus on bodyweight, body condition score, and hay usage!

Introduction: Hay nets are a common management practice used in the horse industry. They have been shown to slow down intake rate, so hay is available longer, and they reduce hay waste, which can provide financial benefits and reduce labor at horse farms. While studies have shown 73% of horse owners report using hay nets, there are still some unanswered questions regarding how they can impact the dental health of the horse, which has made some horse owners hesitant to try this management practice.

Materials and Methods: Thirteen mature geldings were used in a 2-year crossover design. During year 1, they were blocked by weight and seven were on the no hay net control (CON) and six were on the hay net (NET) treatment. These horses lived in identical neighboring pens with the only difference being NET horses had their hay placed in hay nets with 1.75”/4.45 cm openings (graciously provided by Hay Chix) while CON horses did not. At the beginning of the trial, blinded equine dentists (blind meaning they did not know which treatment each horse was on to prevent any bias) performed dental examinations on the horses where abnormalities and conditions were documented, followed by dental correction (horse teeth were floated). Incisor tooth length and the presence of bevels (slants on the incisors) were recorded before and after dental correction as well. Horses remained on these treatments for one year and digital images were taken of their mouth monthly and provided to two equine dentists so they could assess and assign a rostral oral cavity score. After the first year, horses had their dental examination and correction with the same measurements taken and they switched to the other treatment for an entire year before their teeth were evaluated a final time at the end of the study. We chose our timing so horses could be used as their own control and one year is often the recommended length between dental corrections for horses.

Results: Incisor length, the presence of bevels, dental abnormalities and conditions were the same regardless of hay net use after one year. Additionally, rostral oral cavity scores that were assessed based on factors including gingiva color and margin, chips, cracks, abrasions, feed stasis, among other things, were the same for both treatments at 47%.

Discussion: These findings suggest hay nets do not impact dental health in the horse when evaluated over the course of a year. While I have spoken with equine dentists who have reported the same anecdotal evidence to support these findings, it is important to monitor your horse's dental health regularly as there are some rare instances in which horses may eat aggressively and should be monitored with any type of feed restriction.

Conclusions: These results demonstrated that hay net use does not result in negative impacts to dental health in horses.

Funding: This research would not have been possible without funding from Hay Chix and we are so grateful for their support!

Wishing you all the best!
Dr. DeBoer

03/23/2024

There was an unexpected litter of kittens that will be ready for a forever home in the next week or beyond. If anyone local is looking to add to their family, be in touch with me! They are used to dogs and children and are litter trained and de-wormed. No other vaccinations have occurred just yet…we would love to find them a home!

11/28/2023

It’s been a busy Fall here at B’s Boarding Stable. We’ve spent much time preparing for winter as the seasons change. The c**t, Cinco, has had his first experience wearing a blanket and experienced multiple training sessions in the arena - both of which he took with calm stride. What a good boy!

We’ve also had lots of transitions - from the passing of our dear Zara and Rufo to the addition of Volo and Yieldy. The herd right now is a good solid bunch of horses who seem to really enjoy each other. Looking forward to a blanket of white snow on the ground and lots of holiday magic at the barn!

04/06/2023

Register now to learn more about Spring horse care tips from Penn State. Online event takes place Wednesday April 12th!

12/13/2022

The Penn State Extension Equine Team is recruiting horse owners who would like to participate in a study testing permethrin-treated equine fly masks and boots.

We are recruiting horse owners that are interested in participating in a research study to try to reduce tick bites on horses. Treatment groups will include horses with treated fly boots and fly masks, horses with untreated fly boots and fly masks, and horses with no treated materials. Multiple horses owned or cared for by the same participant can be enrolled. Participants with horses with fly boots and fly masks will not know whether their products are treated or not. At the termination of the study, the fly boots and mask will be given to each participant and those with horses that did not have treatment will be given a set as a thank you.



Study Enrollment Requirements:
Participants must be 18+
Participants must have at least one horse that has received at least one tick bite or had ticks removed from the coat in the previous year.
Participants must be willing to keep fly boots and a fly mask (provided by the research team) on their horse while the horse is outside for 4 weeks (starting in approximately March 2023).
Participants will be asked to conduct tick checks twice a week for four weeks (training will be provided) and remove any ticks attached to their horse for the research team.
Animals should be at least 15.0 HH to standardize sizing
Participants must be willing to not apply any additional tick or fly control methods during this time (starting in approximately March 2023).

Click the link below to learn more about the process to apply for this study.

The Penn State Extension Equine Team is recruiting horse owners who would like to participate in a study testing permethrin-treated equine fly masks and boots.

10/31/2022

Welcome to the stable, Thor! You have settled in so smoothly and we are so glad to have you. Hopefully your calm personality will rub off on every horse here!

03/19/2022

Just a few springtime faces around the barn. Looking forward to seeing the grass grow!

03/12/2022

Welcome to B’s Boarding Stable, Sox! You picked a heck of a week to arrive with not one but two snowstorms here in March but you seem nonplussed about the whole shift in weather patterns and we are happy to have you. May you spend many more storms and sunny days here!

03/02/2022

With spring right around the corner, we wanted to take a minute to discuss the importance of vaccines. Vaccines fall into one of two categories: core vaccines and risk-based vaccines.

Core Vaccines – These vaccines are given annually to all horses, regardless of geography. Core vaccines are: Eastern and Western equine encephalitis, tetanus, West Nile Virus and rabies. EEE/WEE are spread through mosquitos. Tetanus caused by Clostridium tetani, a bacteria that is always present in a horse’s environment, and enters the body through wounds. Rabies spreads through bites from infected wildlife.

Risk-Based Vaccines – These vaccines are only given if there is a risk of the horse being exposed to the disease, or under the advisement of a veterinarian. Common risk-based vaccines include: Equine Influenza Virus (EIV), Equine Rhinopneumonitis Virus (herpesvirus/EHV -1/4), strangles, Potomac Horse Fever, botulism, anthrax, Equine Viral Arteritis (EVA), leptospirosis, rotavirus and snakebite. EIV/EHV-1/4 are highly contagious from horse to horse. EIV is primarily spread through aerosolized droplets, while EHV-1/4 are spread through aerosolized droplets, direct horse to horse contact, and by shared equipment. USEF requires vaccination every 6 months for entry to competitions for both EIV and EHV1/4. All horses in high traffic barns should receive this vaccine, even if they do not travel. Traveling horses risk exposure and can carry the virus and spread it to unvaccinated horses on the property.

We recommend vaccination for EIV/EHV 1/4 and strangles to horses that are frequently exposed to other horses (showing, trail riding, etc) or are stabled near show horses.

Vaccinating for Potomac Horse Fever and botulism is recommended by veterinarians based on geography. The Potomac vaccine is typically administered in the summer because this disease is correlated to the hatching of aquatic insects. The disease can cause diarrhea, fever, laminitis and mild colic. Botulism is present in some soils, and horses eating hay are at an increased risk due to small animals being trapped in the hay during the baling process. The toxin is released by decaying animals.

Vaccination is one of the best ways to stay on top of your horse’s health care.

Contact Bucks County Equine, LLC, with Dr. David Adam-Castrillo

02/19/2022

Hey friends, be on the lookout for birds this weekend to help out a great cause. Go to https://birdcount.org for more info!

Don't forget! Tomorrow begins the 2022 Great Backyard Bird Count! 🐦

Simply watch birds for 15 minutes or more, at least once over the four days, and report what you see.

Learn more ➡️ https://birdcount.org

11/26/2021

Welcome to the stable, Jimi! He’s an 8 year old Standardbred gelding lovingly rescued by his owner. He has such a kind eye and is a welcome addition - the herd has accepted him pretty quickly and he seems to be enjoying his new life with great views of the Sugarloaf mountain.

10/20/2021

The morning routine of calling the kids in for breakfast, filmed by a great friend who loves being at the stable as much as I do!

10/20/2021

Some photos taken by a good friend of mine as we enjoy Fall and all the beauty of Nature being at the farm. Get outside and play!

06/28/2021

Welcome to B’s Boarding Stable, Piper. You immediately seemed to feel at home and the whole herd is much more interested in you than you are in them, which makes for an easy transition. May you enjoy the view of the Sugarloaf Mountain as much as we do!

04/21/2021

Penn State Extension is conducting a survey to evaluate tick knowledge and tick control on horses and horse farms. This survey is intended to learn more about the preferences and opinions of both horse owners and caretakers and equine veterinarians on current tick control methods.

Your response will aid our research group in developing appropriate educational content for horse caretakers and veterinarians as well as appropriate tick control tools to prevent tick bites and tickborne diseases in horses. The survey should take approximately 15–20 minutes to complete:
https://pennstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0BQQhymmPR1xfU1?j=596762&sfmc_sub=22326047&l=159_HTML&u=13596606&mid=7234940&jb=2&utm_medium=email&utm_source=MarketingCloud&utm_campaign=02EQUI_2021_APR_EM_SV_TICKSURVEY&utm_content=02EQUI_2021_APR_EM_SV_TICKSURVEY&subscriberkey=003d000002z8FkfAAE