Ridecamp: Re: [RC] Wine Country/Gastroguard

Heidi, I find it really interesting that you, as a vet 
and a breeder, would bring up genetics in a conversation 
when they are just beginning to scratch the surface of 
what will be revealed by the scoping studies.  We do not 
have any real hard data yet to support any of your 
conclusions, therefore anything that you claim here is 
still in the realm of theory.

K.





Heidi says:> 
> As you mentioned yourself, your horse is one that 
internalizes his emotions.
> And I think that the "mainstream" of Arabian breeding 
has been selecting for
> this type of horse for 30-40 years, as they really put 
on a "buzz" in the
> show ring.  This is not the normal type of mindset for 
the classic Arabian.
> And it is increasingly difficult to find horses with 
the old-style
> "survivalist" mindset.  I still think that horse 
selection is the #1 factor
> here, and that we need to be looking beyond just 
conformation issues.  How
> the metabolic functions work in a horse are just as 
hereditary as
> conformation
> > as Heidi points out - are management practice issues.
> > The significance here is that we have a population of
> > endurance horses competing that are on pasture that are
> > still showing ulcers.  What does that mean?
> 
> It means that confinement is not the only issue.
.  (Of course, how you manage those metabolic functions is a big
> part of it--but if you are already starting behind the line with a horse
> that is not genetically "designed" to be a metabolic survivor, your
> management issues become far more difficult.
> 
> I think that the researchers at the ride are likely right that
> bacterial/viral causes need to be revisited.  There are certainly some
> interesting aspects along that line in other species, and there is also the
> possibility that horses who suffer from infections (however seemingly mild)
> that have little or nothing to do with ulcers directly are still suffering
> stress due to being put back to work when they "seem" ok but may not be
> fully recovered.  Influenza is certainly a virus where there are lots of
> detrimental effects to going back to work too soon, for instance, even
> though the horse appears to be fully recovered and "just fine."
> 
> Heidi
> 
> PS:  I'm quite familiar with the open areas in CA, BTW, and I know that many
> horses do live "out"--but my comment was relative to other states/areas, and
> it has been my experience that a higher percentage of horses are confined in
> CA than in many other areas of the west coast.  So I was speaking to the
> results as a whole there, not just about your particular horse.  I'm sure
> the same applies in some areas of the eastern seaboard, and other heavily
> populated areas.
> 

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