First off, let me wish everyone a Happy New Year! This is an exciting time of year as we prepare our broodmares for foaling. Over a year’s worth of planning, genetics and hope will soon begin to unfold; but the preparation is not yet complete. Annual vaccinations are due for most of us and particularly for a broodmare owner.
We try to vaccinate our animals twice a year and January is the first of that two part series. We feel the January vaccination, followed by a June-July booster, provides our horses with the best protection possible. We generally vaccinate for tetanus, sleeping sickness, West Nile, EPM, Influenza and strangles. However, you should consult your veterinarian for a vaccination schedule that is right for your program.
Another bonus of vaccinating on this schedule is that the new foals will be protected through the broodmares colostrum. Up until the last trimmest, the mares nutritional requirements have remained about the same as she was before conception. The last 3-4 months however, the mare’s nutritional requirements will increase as they will increase again after foaling.
If you are unsure of feeds and feeding a good place to look is www.nutrenaworld.com. There you can find a wealth of knowledge from the feed experts.
Finally, you cannot forget your de-worming program. There are several de-worming programs to choose from that meet your program preference. We use a daily wormer and then target specific parasites with paste wormer every six months. Most de-wormers are safe for your broodmare, but always consult the label or you veterinarian.
Last month I had a question from Jill that asked: "I really enjoy being around horses but have no desire to ride. Besides just watching horses in the pasture what other ways can I enjoy them?"
Jill, you are part of a large group of horsemen that do not ride. Some horsemen own horses that are ridden, trained and shown by professionals, others show these horses in halter classes and some show in lunge line classes. Our industry has become so specialized that most often the great horses only do one event, and that is their job.
Our program here at May Performance Horses is to begin with a yearling and with limited showing in lunge line and some halter classes create a solid framework for riding classes as a two year old. We have had several customers that purchase weanlings and yearlings just for that reason.
These customers hire us to train these youngsters through their two year old year and then sell the horse as a proven show horse and the customer again purchases another baby to do it all over again. Usually the sale of the two year old will support the total expense of the program from yearling through the two year stage affording the customer the enjoyment of horse ownership and showing with little or no cost.
For those of you who have an interest in participating in a program like this feel free to contact us. We can show you how the program works, the cost and the unbelievable enjoyment you receive.
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