No matter how careful you are in your day to day life, trying to keep your horses and pets safe, it always seems that "Murphy's Law" will find its way in your backdoor. This page is set up to help you help your animals. Refer back as often as you like and I hope that if that emergency pops up in your life that there will be something on this page that you may recall and it will help you through a tough time. Good Luck and Be Safe.
Poisoning in Horses: Common Toxic Substances
by: Equine Disease Quarterly October 01 2008, Article # 12815
Poisoning in horses is not a common occurrence, but when poisoning occurs, effects can be disastrous and far-reaching. Listing all toxic substances is impossible, as virtually everything on the planet can be toxic at sufficiently high dosages. What dose is safe and what dose is toxic varies with each toxin, each animal, and each situation. Factors that influence risk from a toxic substance include animal age, concurrent diseases, exposure to concurrent toxins or drugs, reproductive status, and route of exposure. This article will briefly summarize some of the more common toxic substances that can pose risks to horses in North America.
Herbal Supplements: The use of herbal supplements for horses has become common in recent years. Many people believe that if something is "natural," it must be safe and non-toxic. However, some of the most toxic substances on earth are completely natural (such as botulinum toxin, taxine in yew plants, and nicotine). Many herbal and natural supplements are inherently toxic, and many herbal products contain impurities and unknown amounts of "natural" ingredients. Herbal supplements are not well regulated, and studies investigating risks associated with use of these products in horses are lacking.
Plants, Feeds, and Feed Additives: Pastures can contain toxic plants and grasses that can pose risks at certain times during the year or under certain circumstances. Too many toxic plants exist to list here, and importance varies greatly with geographic location. However, all weeds should be viewed with suspicion and identified if possible. Additionally, grains can be contaminated with seeds from poisonous plants. Many shrubs, trees, and ornamental plants can be toxic to horses.
Hay and feed pellets can pose a toxic risk when unintended substances are incorporated into the feed. These substances include toxic weeds, toxic insects such as blister beetles, and dead animals that can serve as the origin of botulinum toxin production. Rotting, decomposing feeds or improperly stored haylage can also contain botulinum toxin. Pelleted or supplemental feeds can contain contaminants such as ionophores (such as momensin) or antibiotics due to mixing errors or contamination from transport vehicles. By-products from grain distillation can be present in supplemental feeds and can contain mycotoxins and antibiotic residues.
Mycotoxins: Grains can contain fungal toxins. Grain screenings or broken grain pieces carry a higher risk of containing significant concentrations of aflatoxins and fumonisins, both important mycotoxins. Some grass forages can contain mycotoxins such as slaframine and lolitrems. Endophyte-infected tall fescue grass can contain egovaline and other mycotoxins that can cause reproductive problems in horses.
Metals and Minerals: Mineral and salt supplements potentially can contain incorrect concentrations of minerals due to mixing errors or accidental mislabeling. Direct exposure to toxic metals such as arsenic and lead can occur through contaminated soils; dump sites; ashes of burned, treated lumber; some pesticides; and paint from older buildings or bridges.
Pesticides: Pesticides include products designed to kill rodents, fungi, insects, snails and slugs, weeds, birds, and coyotes or other predators. Many horse owners have rodenticide products in their barns, not realizing that anything that will kill a rodent will also kill a horse if the dosage is high enough. Many pesticides contain flavorings or grain bases that are very attractive to horses. Risks from insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides are generally highest with concentrated products or treated seeds.
Industrial Toxins: Contamination of pasture, water, and air can occur from industrial chemicals and petroleum products that are emitted upwind or upstream. Industrial toxins are not a common cause of poisoning in horses, but veterinarians and owners should be aware of nearby industrial and mining activities.
Venomous Animals: Bites from venomous snakes--most importantly rattlesnakes, copperheads, and water moccasins--are common occurrences in horses in the southern and western parts of North America. Bees, wasps, black widow spiders, fire ants, and brown recluse spiders can also pose risks to horses.
Horse owners, farm managers, and veterinarians should be aware of the myriad of potentially toxic substances that can pose risks to horses and take steps to minimize the chance that poisoning will occur.
Contact: Dr. Cynthia Gaskill, 859/253-0571 ext. 148; Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center; University of Kentucky, Lexington, Ky.
Important Information
Subject: BEET PULP
FYI - from The Natural Horse Magazine:
Quote:
Beet Pulp: Now Genetically Modified
from The Center for Food Safety Extracted with permission from the June 2008 Food Safety Fact Sheet Why the Concern? Allowable herbicide residues on sugar beets have substantially increased In December 1998, the USDA approved Monsanto's first genetically engineered (GE) sugar beet for commercial planting and sale. Several months later, at Monsanto's request, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) increased the maximum allowable residues of the herbicide, glyphosate [see NHM Volume 10 Issue 5, "Soil"], on sugar beet roots from just 0.2 parts per million (ppm) to 10 ppm.6 Sugar beet roots contain the sucrose extracted, refined, and processed into sugar. EPA's policy change represents a staggering 5,000% increase in allowable toxic weed killer residues, some of which could end up in sugar. The Agency has also increased allowable glyphosate residues on dried sugar beet pulp, a by-product of sugar processing, from 0.2ppm to 25 ppm.7 Dried sugar beet pulp is fed to dairy and beef cattle, particularly in Europe, Japan, and Korea, and it is also fed to racehorses in the U.S.8 GE crops are not proven safe for consumption Market approval of GE crops is based upon research conducted by the biotech industry alone. No long-term health studies on the effects of eating GE foods have ever been conducted by any government agency. Furthermore, new GE crops do not require approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before they are introduced into the food supply. A GE plant is considered "substantially equivalent," and allowed to be planted, if superficial company research shows that no glaring differences exist between the GE plant and its conventionally- bred counterpart. This weak standard does not include testing for the presence of potential toxins, mutagens, carcinogens, immune system suppressants or new allergens created during the GE production process.9,10 GE crops increase herbicide use Herbicide-tolerant crops comprise a remarkable 81% of the GE crops planted globally,11 nearly all of which are Monsanto's Roundup Ready ® (RR) variety. Since 1995, the year before the introduction of the first RR crop, farmers have vastly increased their use of glyphosate on three major RR crops-soybeans, corn, and cotton. In fact, glyphosate use on those crops rose dramatically from 7.9 million pounds in 1994 to 119.1 million pounds in 2005.12 More recently, USDA data has shown an increase in the application of more toxic and persistent herbicides such as 2,4-D on soybeans and atrazine on corn, in part to combat increasing glyphosate weed resistance.13 Contrary to claims by the biotech industry that GE crops reduce herbicide use, USDA's own data shows the emergence of a trend towards more toxic and more frequent herbicide applications. GE plants contaminate conventional and organic seeds and crops Sugar beets are wind pollinated and their pollen can travel long distances. As such, GE sugar beets have the potential to cross pollinate with related Beta species such as chard and table beets, placing both conventional and organic farmers at risk of contamination. 14 For farmers who sell to markets that restrict GE foods, contamination could result in substantial economic losses. Moreover, GE sugar beet pollen has the potential to contaminate entire conventional and organic seed lines of Beta crops, and within a relatively short period of time. This could result in the permanent loss of non-GE seeds and foods and put increasing control over our agricultural food production systems into the hands of a few multinational corporations, such as Monsanto. RR crops promote glyphosate-resistan t weeds GE sugar beets represent the fifth major RR crop approved by the USDA. Although the USDA initially approved RR alfalfa, the courts withdrew its deregulated status in 2007, due to a successful CFS lawsuit. Just as overuse of antibiotics eventually breeds antibiotic-resistan t bacteria, overuse of the Roundup weed killer rapidly breeds Roundup-resistant super weeds. Agricultural experts attribute the growing epidemic of super weeds in the U.S. to a dramatic upsurge in Roundup use on the three major RR crops-soybeans, cotton and corn. Since sugar beets are often rotated with soybeans and corn, planting RR sugar beets will likely intensify glyphosate usage, weed resistance, and the spread of super weeds. U.S. scientists have documented 9 species of glyphosate resistant weeds in 19 states, including 4 that grow sugar beets.15 For the complete fact sheet: www.centerforfoodsa fety.org/ pubs/FINAL SUGAR BEET FACT SHEET--COLOR. pdf<http://www.centerfo rfoodsafety. org/pubs/ FINAL%20SUGAR% 20BEET%20FACT% 20SHEET-- COLOR.pdf> Help CFS support the rights of people everywhere to obtain food free from GE contamination and the rights of farmers to grow GE-free crops. Join the CFS True Food Network to get involved: www.centerforfoodsa fety.org<http://www.centerfo rfoodsafety. org/>
http://www.r-calfusa.com/news_releases/2008/081229-group.htm *Group Wins Major Animal ID Dispute; USDA Cancels Mandatory Premises Registration Directive * *December 29, 2008 Billings, Mont. – *Just over a month after R-CALF USA sent a formal letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service-Veterinary Services (APHIS-VS) demanding that the agency retract Memorandum No. 575.19 issued on Sept. 22, 2008, APHIS-VS officially canceled that particular memo on Dec. 22, 2008. Memorandum 575.19 *mandated* premises registration under the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) for producers engaged in interstate commerce and who participate in any one of the dozen or more federally regulated disease programs. R-CALF USA told the agency in its Nov. 10, 2008, letter that the memo "constitutes an unlawful, final regulatory action initiated and implemented without public notice or opportunity for comment, as required by the Administrative Procedure Act," and must be retracted. "We caught USDA in the unlawful act of trying to convert what was promised to be a completely voluntary animal identification system into a mandatory NAIS, and the agency backed down," said R-CALF USA President/Region VI Director Max Thornsberry, a Missouri veterinarian who also chairs the group's animal health committee. "This goes to show how an organized group of cattle producers can effectively defend their rights if they stand and fight together." The cancellation memorandum issued by APHIS-VS on Dec. 22, 2008, states, "VS Memorandum No. 575.19 dated September 22, 2008, is hereby canceled." "This action by USDA confirms what we've been saying all along – that USDA does *not* have the authority to implement NAIS and it is using underhanded and unlawful methods to coerce independent cattle producers into giving up their rights to their property," said Kenny Fox, who chairs the group's animal identification committee. "R-CALF USA encourages producers to not register their premises under the NAIS and to immediately request that their names and property be removed from the NAIS database if they had previously registered under USDA's coercive actions," Fox urged. The new APHIS-VS memo further states that APHIS-VS "has an established procedure for producers who request their premises record be removed from the NAIS premises databases." R-CALF USA advocates that USDA should use and improve existing disease traceback methods including state-sanctioned brand programs that do not require individual producers to register their property under a national premises registration program in order to improve USDA's disease traceback capabilities. "There is no need to violate producers' private property rights to accomplish this objective, and R-CALF will continue to work with Congress and USDA to improve our existing systems, but we will *not *tolerate the type of government intrusion on our industry that USDA envisioned with NAIS," Fox concluded. *Note: To view/download R-CALF USA's letter or the new APHIS-VS memorandum, please visit the "Animal Identification" link at www.r-calfusa.com or contact R-CALF USA Communications Coordinator Shae Dodson to request copies. *# # #* *R-CALF USA (Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America) is a national, non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring the continued profitability and viability of the U.S. cattle industry. R-CALF USA represents thousands of U.S. cattle producers on trade and marketing issues. Members are located across 47 states and are primarily cow/calf operators, cattle backgrounders, and/or feedlot owners. R-CALF USA has dozens of affiliate organizations and various main-street businesses are associate members. R-CALF USA directors and committee chairs are extremely active unpaid volunteers. For more information, visit www.r-calfusa.com or, call 406-252-2516. *
Wed Nov 19, 2008 7:51 am (PST)
Pinto Horse Association of America Inc. is a proud member of the Unwanted Horse Coalition, a broad alliance of equine organizations that have joined under the American Horse Council and strive to reduce the number of unwanted horses and to improve equine welfare through education. To help the UHC solve these problems facing the nation's horses, please take the quick, anonymous survey by clicking the link below.
A Call for Help: Your Input is Needed in a Nationwide Survey on the Problem of Unwanted Horses
WASHINGTON-- (BUSINESS WIRE)--The problem of unwanted horses is being studied through a nationwide initiative of the Unwanted Horse Coalition (UHC) with help from equine associations , veterinarians, breeders, state and local law enforcement, horse owners, rescue/retirement facilities, and other facilities using horses. The first step is an online survey - and everyone with an interest in the welfare of horses is encouraged to respond athttp://survey. ictgroup. com/uhcsurvey/ .
With tens of thousands of unwanted, neglected and abandoned horses in the United States, some say the problem is a fast-growing epidemic. However, much remains unknown. Currently, there are few documented facts about the accurate number of unwanted horses, their age, sex, breed, recent use, value or what happens to them in the long run.
"Although there are numerous media reports and much anecdotal evidence of a growing problem with unwanted horses, there have been no studies or surveys done to attempt to document it," said Jay Hickey, president of the American Horse Council (AHC), the national association that represents all segments of the horse industry in Washington, D.C. The UHC operates with the AHC. "The downturn in the economy, rising costs of hay, the drought that has affected many parts of the United States, the costs of euthanasia and carcass disposal, and the closing of the nation's slaughter facilities have all made the problem worse. But no one knows its magnitude. That's why the first step toward a solution is to gather and examine the facts. The goal of this survey is to get the input, observations, opinions and suggestions from anyone and everyone involved with horses."
The Study on Contributing Factors Surrounding the Unwanted Horse Issue will be instrumental in filling factual gaps with actual data on:
-- Awareness of the unwanted horse problem and perceived trends in recent years -- Level of concern -- Factors contributing to the problem -- Direct and in-direc t experience with the issue -- Actions taken by owners -- Expectations about responsibility and assistance -- Solutions Phase I of the study is an online survey of people most affected by and involved with the issue of the unwanted horse. An independent research firm developed the questionnaire and is hosting the online survey site at http://survey. ictgroup. com/uhcsurvey/ . The firm will also tabulate and analyze responses, and provide a full report.
A comprehensive view of the problem depends on representation from all corners of the horse industry, according to Dr. Tom Lenz, chairman of the UHC. "To ensure the broadest possible participation, we're working to involve a variety of individuals, associations, state and local agencies, and equine-related companies to actively encourage their constituencies to tak e the survey and voice their opinions."
The American Association of Equine Practitioners defines the term "unwanted horse" as, "Horses which are no longer wanted by their current owner because they are old, injured, sick, unmanageable, fail to meet their owner's expectations, or the owner can no longer afford or is incapable of caring for them." This definition, according to Lenz, is a starting point to discover what's causing the problem and what can be done to correct it.
"Regardless of how horses reached this state, every owner-and the equine industry at large-has a responsibility to ensure that everything possible is done to guarantee the humane care and treatment of unwanted horses," Lenz said. "Our message now is to please go to http://survey. ictgroup. com/uhcsurvey/ , and provide us with feedback. Answers will be confidential. More important, this feedback will be invaluable in developing a strategy to solve the problem."
The American Horse Council (AHC)
Founded in 1969, the American Horse Council was organized to represent the horse industry before Congress and the federal regulatory agencies. The AHC promotes and protects all horse breeds, disciplines and interests by communicating with Congress, federal agencies, the media and the equine industry. The AHC is member supported by approximately 160 organizations and 1,200 individuals representing every facet of the horse world, from owners, breeders, trainers, veterinarians, farriers, breed registries and associations to horse shows, racetracks, rodeos, commercial suppliers and state horse councils.
The Unwanted Horse Coalition (UHC)
The mission of the Unwanted Horse Coalition is to reduce the number of unwanted horses and improve their welfare through education and the efforts of organizations committed to the health, safety and responsible care and disposition of these horses. The UHC grew out of the Unwanted Horse Summit, which was organized by the American Association of Equine Practitioners and held in conjunction with the American Horse Council's annual meeting in Washington, D.C., in April 2005. The summit was held to bring key stakeholders together to start a dialogue on the unwanted horse in America. Its purpose was to develop consensus on the most effective way to work together to address the issue. In June 2006, the UHC was folded into the AHC and now operates under its auspices.
Jane Howard, MD, STM 6781 Berean Road Martinsville, IN 46151 (765)528-2528 Queen Mum Red Hats and Purple Chaps www.redhatsandpurplechaps.com
Dear Friends,
We hope all of you are enjoying a beautiful holiday season and are looking forward to a productive and positive 2009. As you may know, the Obama Administration is seeking input from the American public about the issues that matter to them and that they’d like to see addressed in 2009.
There are lots of important matters to be considered, to be certain. However, we owe a long standing debt of gratitude to our domestic equines, and have promises of protection to fulfill for America’s wild horses.
Let’s make sure that the new administration knows that Americans honor the role that equines played in building our nation, and the value of the wild horse roaming free on our western landscape.
Voting ends today. Please take a moment right now and cast your vote for either of the following categories.
Jill Anderson Director of Development & Communications Return to Freedom, American Wild Horse Sanctuary Ph: (805) 737-9246 Fax: (805) 800-0868
'All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.' - Edmund Burke
Warnings!!!!
****WARNINGS****
ISubject: Fwd: Poisonous Mulch....
For Those of us who are animal lovers!!!!! Please read - it could mean saving the life of your pet
Thanks
Checked on www. Snopes.com and it is true. Please tell every dog or cat owner you know. Even if you don't have a pet, please pass this to those who do.
Over the weekend the doting owner of two young lab mixes purchased Cocoa Mulch from Target to use in their garden. They loved the way it smelled and it was advertised to keep cats away from their garden. Their dog Calypso decided that the mulch smelled good enough to eat and devoured a large helping. She vomited a few times which was typical when she eats something new but wasn't acting lethargic in any way. The next da y, Mom woke up and took Calypso out for her morning walk . Half way through the walk, she had a seizure and died instantly.
Although the mulch had NO warnings printed on the label, upon further investigation on the company's website, this product is HIGHLY toxic to dogs and cats.
Cocoa Mulch is manuf actured by Hershey's, and they claim that 'It is true that studies have shown that 50% of the dogs that eat Cocoa Mulch can suffer physical harm to a variety of degrees (depending on each individual dog). However, 98% of all dogs won't eat it.'
Cocoa Mulch, which is sold by Home Depot, Foreman's Garden Supply and other Garden supply stores, contains a lethal ingredient called ' Theobromine'. It is lethal to dogs and cats. It smells like chocolate and it really attracts dogs. They will ingest this stuff and die. Several deaths already occurred in the last 2-3 weeks. Theobromine is in all chocolate, especially dark or baker's chocolate which is toxic to dogs. Cocoa bean shells contain potentially toxic quantities of theobromine, a xanthine compound similar in effects to caffeine and theophylline. A dog that ingested a lethal quantity of garden mulch made from cacao bean shells developed severe convulsions and died 17 hours later. Analysis of the stomach contents and the ingested cacao bean shells revealed the presence of lethal amounts of theobromine.
DOVER, Del. (WBOC/AP)- Delaware mosquito control officials say three sentinel chickens in Kent County and New Castle County are infected with Eastern Equine Encephalitis. They are the first cases discovered this year by the state agency responsible for monitoring EEE and West Nile virus. Blood was taken from the three chickens on Oct. 6 and was found positive for EEE on Oct. 9. State Mosquito Control administrator William Meredith says monitoring will be increased in the areas where the chickens with encephalitis were found. Delaware's Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control says residents should take precautions, including using DEET-based insect repellents and wearing clothes that leave little skin exposed. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, EEE is a mosquito-borne viral disease. EEE virus occurs in the eastern half of the United States where it causes disease in humans, horses, and some bird species. Because of the high mortality rate, EEE is regarded as one of the most serious mosquito-borne diseases in the U.S.
POCO BUENO and HERDA
Hereditary Equine Regional Dermal Asthenia Inherited Quarter Horse Disease Traces To Poco Bueno
by: Les Sellnow
2/26/04
Poco Bueno has been identified as the sireline associated with the brutal affliction known as hyperelastosis cutis (HC) or hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia (HERDA). He was a giant among horses. Built like a rock, he possessed power and speed. He made his mark in the show ring as a champion, then retired to the breeding shed. His greatness was carried on through his get, grandget, and on down the line through succeeding generations of Quarter Horses.
VERNON DAILY RECORD
Poco Bueno
It is primarily down through Poco Bueno’s bloodline, say researchers at Mississippi State University and Cornell University, that the recessive gene that causes hyperelastosis cutis (HC) has passed. HC is a brutal affliction that basically carries with it a death sentence. Although affected horses can be made more comfortable and their lives prolonged, there is no cure.
While Poco Bueno’s sire line is implicated as the origin of the disease, the majority of horses with HC trace directly to him.
The disease first surfaced in 1971. Today as more and more breedings double up on the Poco Bueno line through the mating of close-up and distant cousins, more and more cases of HC are showing up.
HERDA is a term favored by researchers at the University of California, Davis, while researchers like Ann Rashmir, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS, associate professor of surgery and head of the Hyperelastosis Cutis Research Program at Mississippi State University, and Nena Winand, DVM, PhD, a geneticist and assistant professor in the Department of Molecular Medicine at Cornell University, opt for hyperelastosis cutis. Rashmir and Winand are collaborators on research involving hyperelastosis cutis.
“It doesn’t matter what you call it,” says Rashmir, “it’s the same disease.” For the purposes of this article, we’ll use HC to refer to this hereditary disease.
When a horse has HC, there is a lack of adhesion within the dermis, the deep layer of skin, due to a collagen defect. Think of it like glue holding the skin layers together, only with HC, the glue is inferior. Because the layers are not held firmly together, they separate. When the horse is ridden under saddle or suffers trauma to the skin, the outer layer often splits or separates from the deeper layer, or it can tear off completely. It rarely heals without disfiguring scars. New damaged areas arise continuously, sometimes even without obvious trauma.
There are cases where horses with HC have lived to a fairly old age, says Rashmir, but they are treated as pets and great care must be taken to prevent trauma that can rip the skin. Sunburn can also be a concern. In dramatic cases, says Rashmir, the skin can split along the back and even roll down the sides, with the horse literally being skinned alive. Generally speaking, she says, the average lifespan for an HC horse is two to four years.
For some time, evidence pointed to Poco Bueno as the culprit bloodline, but up until now, Winand says, inadequate case numbers limited information available to researchers.
It is not supposition at this point, Winand and Rashmir state. It is scientific fact. They say 95% of the horses they have identified with HC trace back to Poco Bueno through both their sires and dams, with a few tracing back to Poco Bueno’s full brother, Old Grand Dad. The other 5% trace back to Poco Bueno’s and Old Grand Dad’s sire King and perhaps even beyond. The statistical evidence, Rashmir says, is not just from Mississippi State and Cornell, but includes HC horses from around the country as veterinarians have shared information.
“All of the horses diagnosed with HC are related,” Rashmir says.
Pinpointing The Start
Just where along the line did the mutation occur? Winand says: “As of this writing, pedigrees from approximately 100 well-documented cases have been examined. These show that 95% of the horses identified with HC trace back to Poco Bueno through both their sires and dams. The other 5% trace back to other horses in this sire line, including King, Zantanon, Little Joe, and Poco Bueno’s full brother Old Grand Dad. While this suggests that Poco Bueno may have inherited the HC mutation from his sire, this may not be the case. With the available information, it is difficult to rule out the possibility of Miss Taylor, Poco Bueno’s dam, transmitting the HC gene to Poco Bueno. It may never be possible to scientifically identify the origin for several reasons. We have no pedigrees to date that completely differentiate the lines of King versus Miss Taylor, and even if we did, it is difficult to verify the accuracy of pedigrees this far back, or further.”
Diagnosis of the disease is made via pedigree evaluation and clinical signs and can be confirmed with a skin biopsy. In a number of cases, the disease has surfaced when the horse is two years of age and goes into training. The weight, pressure, and movement of the saddle, compounded by the rider’s weight, often are enough to cause the skin to separate, according to Rashmir.
There is some good news, the two researchers say. The genes that cause HC are recessive, and it takes two to tango. This means that both sire and dam must possess the recessive gene in order for an offspring to possibly be afflicted with HC. In this way, the disease differs from hyperkalemic periodic paralysis (HYPP), which descended through the bloodline of the Quarter Horse stallion Impressive. HYPP is caused by a dominant gene that can be carried by only one of the parents and still cause the affliction. With HC, both parents must carry the recessive gene for the horse to be afflicted.
The HYPP gene has been identified, and horses can be tested for it through a DNA procedure. Researchers around the country are working to identify the HC gene, but estimates are that they might be a couple of years from success, barring some unforeseen scientific breakthrough.
It isn’t just a matter of identifying the gene, says Winand. Once that has been accomplished, the researchers face the task of perfecting the test. “You must optimize the test to ensure specificity (thus avoiding any chance of false positive or false negative results)”.
In the meantime, the first line of defense by horse owners is to avoid breeding a known carrier to a known carrier. A horse that is an HC gene carrier is never afflicted with the disease. It is clinically normal and shows no signs of the disease. However, when two carriers are mated, there is a 25% chance the offspring will have HC.
Under the genetic law of averages, here’s how it works, according to the two researchers. When a normal horse (one that is not a carrier) is crossed with a carrier, 50% of the offspring will be carriers and 50% will be normal. When a carrier is crossed with a carrier, 50% of the offspring will be carriers, 25% will be normal and 25% will be afflicted (can develop the clinical signs of HC). When an afflicted horse is crossed with a carrier, 50% of the offspring will be carriers and 50% will be afflicted. When an afflicted horse is crossed with a normal horse, 100% of the offspring will be carriers.
Carrier status is established when a stallion sires an HC-afflicted offspring or when a mare gives birth to an HC-afflicted foal. When properly diagnosed, it only takes one afflicted foal to establish carrier status, Rashmir and Winand say.
There was a time in the past when some in the cutting horse industry referred surreptitiously to HC as the Doc O’Lena affliction because a number of HC horses carried his bloodline. Doc O’Lena was indeed a “prolific carrier,” says Rashmir, but it went beyond that--back to his grandsire Poco Bueno and beyond.
It has been established, say Rashmir and Winand, that the recessive gene was passed on to Doc O’Lena through his dam, Poco Lena, rather than through his sire, Doc Bar. There is no evidence that Doc Bar was a carrier, they say. Poco Lena had only one other foal, Dry Doc, and he, too, was a carrier, according to the researchers.
That, says Winand, is unfortunate. Under the genetic law of averages, there was only a 25% chance that both would be carriers.
The Poco Bueno bloodline begins with a mystery horse, according to American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) pedigree records. The horse was named Traveler, believed to have been foaled in the late 1800s, and he literally came out of nowhere. No one has a clue as to what his pedigree might be.
The late Robert Denhardt, author, and one of the founding fathers of the American Quarter Horse Association, described Traveler thusly in his book, Quarter Horses: “Traveler’s history has been traced back to Eastland County, Texas, where he was working on the railway. He was just a sorrel work horse in a large remuda owned by the contractor. It has never been adequately explained just how it happened that a stallion was allowed with the horses, but there was no disagreement on this part of the story. Traveler was not a young horse when he left the railroad--his age has been estimated between eight and 10. He had to be broken to the saddle, even though trace-chain marks showed on his side and collar marks on his shoulders. He had been worked plenty, but not ridden. According to one old-timer, he pitched terrifically, but showed great intelligence and soon quieted down.”
Despite his age, Traveler raced successfully. However, it was as a sire where he shined. He sired an excellent racehorse in Little Joe. That stallion in turn sired Zantanon, and Zantanon sired King, the sire of Poco Bueno. Poco Bueno was born in 1944. King and Poco Bueno became legends in their time, and in the breeding shed they sired outstanding cutting and performance horses.
One of the greatest sons of Poco Bueno was Poco Tivio, foaled in 1947. The researchers say that he was a carrier of the HC gene. Poco Tivio became well known for his excellent producing daughters, many of which were bred to Doc Bar. It was a magic cross, with many of the offspring becoming champions and big money winners in the cutting arena. Unfortunately, under the genetic law of averages, many of them also would be HC gene carriers.
It wasn’t long before cutting horse enthusiasts reasoned that if a little of the Poco Bueno bloodline through descendants like Poco Tivio and Doc O’Lena was good, a lot might be even better. Through the years there has been a good deal of inbreeding, which has allowed HC to flourish in the gene pool reservoir and now is manifesting itself with greater frequency.
A check of the 2004 Quarter Horse News Stallion Register, Rashmir says, reveals that out of the top 100 cutting horse stallions, lifetime, based on earnings of offspring, 14 are known HC carriers.
“That,” says Winand, “is just the tip of the iceberg. This thing (HC) is going to mushroom in the next several years, and there is no way to stop it. Because of the popularity of sires that are (or were) carriers and the use of assisted reproductive technologies (shipped cooled and frozen semen, for example), it is likely that the HC gene is present in thousands of horses.”
“We didn’t have that many cousins carrying the HC gene being bred to each other in the past,” says Rashmir. “Now we do.”
Winand says that another study, also based on statistics published in the 2004 Quarter Horse News Stallion Register, reveals that between 1998 and 2002, some 1,241 offspring of HC carrier stallions were sold at public auction for $26,749,650. One-half of those offspring, based on genetic law of averages, she says, also are carriers.
Winand emphasized that other disciplines besides cutting are involved in these bloodlines--reining, working cow horse, and even pleasure horses. “It is not just a problem with cutting horses,” she says. “It can involve all disciplines when Poco Bueno is involved.”
“It’s not the horses’ fault,” says Rashmir. “It’s the way we have bred them. Many of these horses have been, and are, wonderful athletes and, though they are carriers, have no outward signs of the disease. Breeders are going to have to take responsibility for their decisions and not breed known carrier to known carrier.”
Mississippi State University has taken a step to facilitate that process. Horse owners can send pedigrees involving potential matings to Rashmir and she will analyze them and seek to determine the degree of probability of the offspring inheriting either the gene or the disease itself. A fee of $25, which goes directly into the HC Research Fund, is charged. The address is College of Veterinary Medicine, P.O. Box 6100, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762.
With Rashmir’s help, the first step in curtailing spread of the HC gene pool can be taken by individual breeders.
The American Quarter Horse association is concerned about HC, says Gary Griffith, executive director of registration for AQHA. He says the announcement by Rashmir and Winand, to his knowledge, is the first public revelation concerning the Poco Bueno bloodline being the primary reservoir for the HC gene.
He said that AQHA is funding research at the University of California, Davis, which is attempting to identify the gene responsible for HC. Hopefully, such research, he says, will provide a simple genetic test that will identify HC carriers. “All of the information stemming from research into this problem will be passed on to the appropriate (AQHA) committees for consideration and action,” he says.
There is good news for owners of Poco Bueno-bred horses--not all of them are HC gene carriers. Many are not. The goal is to determine which ones are and avoid breeding carrier to carrier
