Gudmar Perursson Icelandic Horses

Feed and Supplements

The foundation of each horse's feeding is grass, supplemented by grass hay with alfalfa added as needed. Horses with more demanding jobs (competition, breeding, mothering) get grain in addition, and after researching we have chosen Strategy, with Complete Advantage as an alternative for pleasure horses that need extra weight. (www.purinamills.com)

The only supplement we use is a hoof formula containing a minimum of 20 mg. of biotin along with lysine, methionine, and zinc, and only performance horses that were on this prior to coming to us, or are staying more than 6 months, will get it. Performance horses 15 years of age and over or those with identified joint problems will also get glucosamine > 5000 mg/day, with or without chondroitin or MSM.

Water buckets are emptied once a day, brushed clean and refilled with fresh water. Horses have constant access to white salt blocks.

Vaccinations and Coggin's Test

We follow the recommendations of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (www.aaep.org, www.thehorse.com)

Any previously unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated horse will complete the primary series of vaccines.

Herd health boosters are given twice a year, in March and October.

Additional boosters of Flu/Rhino are given to horses that travel during the show season (March-November) along with any other vaccines that are indicated by epidemiological risk. (Outbreak or high occurrence in an area to which our horses are traveling)

Please note that we recommend the botulism vaccine (a three-shot series followed by a yearly booster) as this disease is endemic in Kentucky.

Coggin's test for EIA is done yearly in March.

Deworming

Our deworming program has consisted of quarterly moxidectin and once-yearly combination moxidectin/praziquantel for tapeworms (70% prevalence in Kentucky). Pregnant mares get ivermectin as the safety of moxidectin here has not yet been determined.

While rotational programs are popular, there is no scientific evidence that they are superior. In 2009 we are embarking on a fecal-examination based program, whereby we will treat according to our local prevalence of parasites. We hope this will result in less empiric treatment and lower costs. The other major benefit is a contribution to halting the progression of resistance to drugs, which is a huge threat to all humans and their horses.

Summer Eczema and Other Allergies

We also work hard to identify early and treat aggressively those horses that are prone to summer itch, by keeping them in at night, and applying repellant and flysheets and masks when they go out. The barn has an automatic spraying system that dispenses insecticide on a regular basis.

We also have seen horses that cough throughout the summer and try to keep on top of that with antihistamines, small doses of cortisone, and antibiotics when needed. Eyes drain more at these times of the year and we apply ointment for those horses as well as flymasks.