Creating a Valuable Horse Dr

Creating a Valuable Horse
Dr. Kirsten Voigt

As caretakers of horses we have a responsibility to give them a safe and healthy life. This is sometimes hard to do, given that we may not own them for their whole lives or even half. With slaughterhouses closed and the market being what it is today, there are more horses in our care than usual. This leads to some serious thinking about how everyone can do their part to ensure a good quality of life. Valued animals typically are taken better care of throughout life even if they change hands a few times. I’m talking not only about monetary value but also value in the eye of the beholder. This is made up of a combination of the human animal bond and the degree to which a horse performs the tasks expected of him. Two ways we can create a valuable horse are with good breeding and good training.

Breeding is a big responsibility. Physical ability and beauty are important but so is avoiding a serious genetic flaw. Adding all the good qualities of two horses and neglecting to account for the bad will not give favorable results. Admittedly, finding out the bad qualities may be harder to do because they are not advertised.

Many common problems in horses have some genetic basis. This is easily demonstrated by the fact that certain breeds are associated with certain problems suggesting that it is a familial trait. This doesn’t mean to stop breeding purebloods. It means start trying to figure out the family lines that have a low incidence of the problem. No “good deal” on a stud fee will ever make up for the cost of treating a disease that was inherited from that stallion.

Some diseases take years to manifest so you may need to look beyond the futurity years to get the full picture. Other diseases are fatal at a young age but can still occur when two parents with the same hidden trait are combined. Certain diseases have been linked to a specific gene and can be tested for but for those that don’t, it may require a family history to check for repeat incidence. Often diseases are highly, but not exclusively, associated with a physical trait that can be observed with knowledge of conformation or body type.

The following table is a list of several diseases that can be inherited.

Disease name and description.	Associated physical trait/s.	Breed commonly affected.	Genetic testing available
Brachygnathia aka Parrot mouth -Top jaw longer than the bottom jaw causing eating problems since teeth don’t align.	Top front teeth override bottom front teeth.	None more than others.	No
Cerebellar Abiotrophy -Lack of control of movements due to under developed portion of the brain.	Tremors and exaggerated, jerky movements.	Arabian Horses	No
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) aka Heaves -Allergy associated inflammation and scarring of the lungs causing respiratory problems.	Abdominal muscle near flank becomes prominent after a while due to the effort of breathing. Commonly called a heave line.	Studies have shown it runs in families but not a specific breed.	No
Cryptorchid -Failure of one testicle to descend into the scrotem.	Only one testicle in the scrotem.	Can be in any breed but prominent in Miniature Horses	No
Developmental Orthopedic Diseases (DOD) -Includes many conditions: osteochondrosis, osteochondritis desicans, angular limb deformities, flexural deformities, subchondral cysts, stenotic myelopathies, cuboidal bone malformations, and physitis	Depends on the specific disease process.	Predominantly in purebreds. Most commonly affected are Thoroughbreds, Quarter Horses, Standardbreds, and Arabians.	No
Glycogen Branching Enzyme Deficiency (GBED) -Muscle disease that is fatal with in 18 weeks of life.	Foals are weak and may have flexural deformities. Parents are carriers but appear normal.	Quarter Horses and Paints	Yes
Equine hyperelastosis cutis (HC) Aka HERDA -Skin separates between the deep and superficial layers resulting in "mushy" or "stretchy" skin that is not securely attached in multiple areas.	Skin can be abnormally stretched and sores may develop in areas that are rubbed from tack or blankets.	Poco Bueno/King bloodline of Quarter Horses and horses with Quarter Horse lineage, such as Paints and Appaloosas.	No
Hyperkalemic Periodic Paralysis (HYPP) -Muscle disorder causing intermittent muscle tremors and weakness.	Often have heavy muscling.	Seen only in descendents of the Quarter Horse sire Impressive.	Yes
Laminitis Aka founder -Inflammation and pain of the tissue	There are several causes for laminitis but cresty necked, over weight, easy keepers are more prone and tend to be more chronic with repeated episodes.	Can be in any breed but prominent in Morgans and ponies.	No
Lavender Foal Syndrome -Fatal neurologic disease causing seizures and inability to stand.	Dilute gray color hair coat that appears lavender.	Egyptian Arabians	No
Lethal White Syndrome -Fatal defect of the gastrointestinal tract that causes colic within 24-48 hours of life.	All white foal born to frame overo color patterned parents.	Paints	Yes
Narcolepsy -Uncontrolled episodes of loss of muscle tone and sleep.	None	Suffolk and Shetland pony foals	No
Navicular disease (syndrome) -Small pivotal bone in the foot develops degenerative changes and lameness.	Horses with smaller than average feet for their body size.	Quarter Horses, Appaloosas, Paints and some warmbloods more often have the predisposing conformation.	No
Occipito-atlanto-axial Malformation -Causes instability of neck joints due to malformed skull and vertebrae.	It is a cause of wobblers.	Arabian Horses	No
Patellar luxation -Small bone that normally sits in groove over stifle slips out of place.	Crouched appearance of hind limbs.	Miniature Norses	No
Polysaccaride Storage Myopathy (PSSM) -Muscle disorder that causes muscle destruction and pain that sometimes mimics colic. Happens at the start of training or after a period of rest.	None	Described in Quarter horses, warmbloods and draught breeds. Evidence of family line association in the QH.	Genetic testing in the process of being devel-oped.
Recurrent Exertional Rhabdomyolysis (RER) - Muscle disorder that causes muscle stiffness preceded by excitement and stress.	None	Occurs commonly in young nervous Thoroughbred, Standardbred and Arabian Horses.	No
Severe Combined Immune Deficiency Syndrome (SCIDS) -Disorder of the immune system leading to severe and fatal infections by 5 months of age.	None	Arabian Horses	Yes
Equine Recurrent Uveitis (ERU) Aka Moon Blindness -Episodes of inflammation in the eye that can cause degeneration of the eye and eventual blindness.	During episodes eye(s) may have a cloudy blue appearance.	Can occur in any breed but Appaloosas are 8.3 times as likely to develop it and more often blinded by it.	No

In those diseases for which genetic testing is available, the affected animal can be tested to confirm a diagnosis, but even more importantly prospective dams and sires may be tested prior to breeding to check for carrier status. This can help avoid breeding two horses whose combined genetics would result in a disease.

If you’re planning to breed, be sure to do your homework. Inability to continue as a performance horse due to heaves or laminitis is not a good reason to be a broodmare in retirement. This can only propagate the problem and do harm to the future offspring and the breeders reputation.

The second part of value is training. Gone are the days when just being a horse made them valuable. They are a dime a dozen right now unless they have a high level of training or superior bloodlines Many people are looking for the horse they can get on after work or on the weekend and have a good ride. With so many options, bloodlines alone may not be a strong enough selling point. Prospective buyers can easily find an equally bred horse that doesn’t cost them additional time and money on sending it somewhere for training.

What I’m advocating for is to invest in your horses’ future with age appropriate training. A yearling should be halter broke and willing to allow their feet and legs to be dealt with (just ask any veterinarian of farrier). A two year old may or may not start under saddle but still needs to be handled to improve manners and learn to stand quietly. By three years old most can be started under saddle and if you don’t have experience or a training mentor, a professional trainer is worth the investment. Well-mannered, amiable horses are less likely to end up in the unwanted population later in life. Our lives’ move fast and sometimes things prevent us from working with our horses, but it’s a worthy goal.

In a market flooded with horses, many are suffering from neglect. Careful and well thought out selection of breeding stock along with a little training time could greatly help reduce the number of unwanted horses in the future.