Spirit Keeper Animal Sanctuary

06/02/2025

While the number of confirmed equine rabies cases every year is low, talking about this disease remains important because of the potential for human exposure—which does NOT have to involve a bite from an infected horse, as contact of skin or mucosa with the horse’s saliva could be enough to transmit the disease.

Rabies has many faces, but they are all deadly—once a horse shows clinical signs, the animal invariably dies within a few days as there is no treatment.

The good news is that modern vaccines are highly effective and current AAEP recommendations list rabies as one of the “core vaccines” that should be given to all horses annually to maintain immunity (read the full AAEP vaccination guidelines here: https://aaep.org/guidelines/vaccination-guidelines).

Equine rabies is a real risk for all horses, and a public health concern as well. Be sure to set up a regular vaccination schedule with your veterinarian if you haven’t already done so. Remember that strange behavior on behalf of your equine friend is always a valid reason to check in with your horse doctor!

05/02/2025

EFFECT OF HOUSING TYPE ON HORSE HEALTH

Horses are frequently housed alone. This may be done in an effort to keep the horse safer and more healthy. But are horses who are housed alone less likely to be sick or injured?

A field study looking at health issues of managed horses found that those housed in open barn groups showed fewer incidences of colic and lameness compared to stalled, isolated horses. While horses housed in open barns had an increased incidence of wounds, the wounds were minor enough to not interfere with the horses ability to work. You can read more here:

https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/evj.14054

27/01/2025

HERD BOUND HORSES 101

Herd bound is a term used to describe horses who become distressed when asked to leave other horses or when they are left by horses. They may call, sweat, run the fence line, weave, paw, or even hurt themselves breaking through fences or pulling back when tied, and so on.

It's important to understand a few things when dealing with the horse who behaves this way. The most important thing is that it's normal. It is normal for horses to get stressed when separated from other horses. Horses have evolved to live in groups, and outside of when a mare gives birth to a foal, healthy horses choose to be with others.

But when we humans want to do things with horses, this normal behaviour can become a problem. When horses are not sympathetically and progressively taught to deal with temporary social isolation, they will become distressed when separated from others.

Other factors such as certain weaning practices, particularly premature weaning at 4-6 months of age, and a lack of early and appropriate socialization experiences can profoundly affect how a horse will behave when separated from others. Traumatic events or lack of socialization can greatly worsen normal distress over separation. It can also make it much more challenging for horses who have experienced such trauma to ever be comfortable with temporary separation.

When helping horses overcome this distress it's critical that owners understand what to look for and how to respond. For example, during retraining, horses should show ‘attention without tension’; they should be aware of what's happening but should never be distressed. Also, the use of functional reinforcers – the very thing the horse is trying to gain by behaving this way - can be helpful.

Horse behaviour professionals do not recommend techniques such as flooding, which is fear-triggering full exposure to the thing the horse fears--in this case separation from others. Not only is it unnecessary to solve the problem, but it causes the horse great distress, makes it much harder for them to learn, and can even create new problems.

27/01/2025

Bear has been here almost 2 years and is just starting to come into the house on his own and feel comfortable exploring a bit.

23/01/2025

It’s not uncommon to find horses and ponies living well into their 20s and 30s, thanks to continuous advances in nutrition and health care.

Horse owners have a big impact as well and can help their horses thrive in their golden years through proper management practices like those illustrated in the graphic. But remember, although there is much you can do on your own to keep your older horse happy and spry, some conditions associated with aging require medical intervention.

Scheduling regular visits and keeping a good line of communication with your veterinarian will allow you to respond quickly to any ailments or injuries that could cause your horse a serious or prolonged set back. That means less worry for you, and a better quality of life for your old friend!

23/01/2025

https://denverzoo.org/zootales/dzca-welcomes-first-somali-wild-ass-foal/?utm_source=wordfly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=25-MKT-409ZooNewsJanuary_GP_01.22&utm_content=version_A

We're thrilled to welcome our first Somali wild ass foal, an exciting milestone for both DZCA and the Critically Endangered species Denver Zoo welcomes first Somali wild ass foal, an exciting milestone for both DZCA and for the Critically Endangered species

16/01/2025

14/01/2025

This is Sadie, she is a 9 year old Smooth Collie who was surrendered to Spirit Keeper Animal Sanctuary for reactivity to traffic, small animals, wildlife, cats, delivery drivers, and city life in general. She has come a long way here with a well-structured behavior modification plan and is doing well, but she has an abscessed tooth. Sadie is having dental surgery on Tuesday, January 14, 2025 at Critter Care Animal Hospital. If you would like to contribute to her surgical costs please call Critter Care Directly at 1-720-961-8550 or visit our Pay Pal Giving Fund, the link is on our website homepage: www.SpiritKeeperAnimalSanctuary.org

14/01/2025

Thank you for supporting Spirit Keeper Animal Sanctuary!

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14/01/2025

We want to give a heartfelt Thank You to those who have sent us items from our Amazon and Chewy Wish Lists as well as the people who have donated this January to our Pay Pal Giving Fund.

We have raised $630 this month, so far. This will cover 4 days of horse feed, or 2 weeks of dog food, or 2 months of reptile food, or 1/2 of the veterinary expenses for Sadie to have an abscessed tooth removed at Critter Care Animal Hospital tomorrow (January 14, 2025). Wish Sadie well with her dental surgery and thank you again for your support.

13/01/2025

Thank you to those who have sent supplies from our Amazon and Chewy Wishlists! We recently received a bag of horse grain, cat food, reptile bedding, Rescue wipes, and paper towels. All much needed. With donations down and prices of goods having increased our expenses now exceed our income and we must ensure nutrition and vet care, propane, and electricity are being provided so what money we have is going to those things and we have run out of some of our regular supplies. Check out our wishlists for needed items. Links to those are on our homepage. https://www.spiritkeeperanimalsanctuary.org/

07/01/2025

Is your horse’s nighttime vision better than your daytime vision?

When comparing equine vision to human vision, the horse has a smaller visible spectrum (see image) which means they see a smaller range of colors than we do. However, horses have a structure in the back of their eye—called the tapetum lucidum—that humans do not have. This enhances vision in low light conditions and allows a horse to see better in the dark than a human does. However, reflections from the tapetum lucidum can also blur images and lead to poor depth perception at night.

Dilation of the pupil allows all species to see better in the dark. This process takes longer in a horse (45 minutes) than it does in humans (25 minutes). So, when a horse is asked to do something in a dark environment, it’s important to allow their vision proper time to fully accommodate.

Overall, the nighttime vision of a horse is better than the nighttime vision of a human. However, the horse’s nighttime vision is NOT better than the daytime vision of a human. Anytime you are asking your horse to function in a dim light situation, give them time to adjust. And if they are fearful, be patient and try to understand how things look from their perspective!
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Brought to you by the AAEP Horse Owner Education Committee

05/01/2025

FUN FACT FRIDAY!

Are you familiar with the many adaptations that help your horse stay warm during the cold winter months?

🌾 Hindgut digestion of hay produces the most heat, acting as a small furnace inside of the horse. This is why free choice; good quality hay is so important in the winter.

💪 Horses have a huge muscle mass and muscle activity produces heat. This includes running and playing and even shivering if their body temperature starts to drop. It is important to remember that these activities also will result in a bigger caloric demand so free choice hay and in some cases, grain, is often needed.

🧥 To blanket or not to blanket is a constant debate but either way, as it starts to get cold your horse will grow a thicker coat. If you decide to leave your horse unblanketed you may notice that they look “fluffy”. This is due to a phenomenon called piloerection where the hair stands up to better trap air within. Two layers of the coat also help with warmth. The inner layer is softer and has air pockets to create an insulating layer. The outer layer is coarse and has oils that keep moisture from penetrating the insulating layer and keep the horse warm.

⚖️ Wild horses go into the winter heavier than ideal, and the fat serves as an extra layer of insulation. However, if a horse is going to be kept heavily blanketed and in a barn during the cold weather months this is unnecessary and can lead to obesity related issues.

🦵Their distal limbs (below the knees and hocks) are made of mostly bones and tendons, tissues that are resistant to the cold temperatures.

🦶The hooves have an alternative route of blood circulation through larger vessels that can be used in low temperatures. This is why horses can stand in snow without detrimental effects.

👃A horse’s nose has a robust blood supply and is rounded so that it is less susceptible to frostbite than a human’s nose.
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Courtesy of the AAEP Horse Owner Education Committee