Soley Equine in Alice Springs, Northern Territory | Pet service

Soley Equine

Locality: Alice Springs, Northern Territory

Phone: +61 409 286 425

Address: Connellan 0870 Alice Springs, NT, Australia

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25.01.2022 Too often I hear complaints from horse owners about a Farrier. The Farrier doesn’t return their call, cancels their appointment, is in a foul mood, etc. I would... ask those same horse owners to consider the following questions (many of which also apply to your Veterinarian as well ) 1) are your horses caught up and waiting when your Farrier arrives? Your Farrier doesn’t have time to catch them or wait for you to try and catch them. 2) do your horses stand well for the Farrier? Your Farrier doesn’t have time to train your horses and isn’t getting paid for it. Work with your horses so they will allow their leg to be held for several minutes and allow hammering if you expect shoes to be placed. 3) are your horses legs covered in mud? Take a little time to at least clean their legs off. 4) do you have an adequate place for your Farrier to setup and work? This doesn’t have to be fancy. But it should be free of clutter, relatively flat, out of the mud, and out of the elements if possible? You may not have a barn, but a nice shade tree will do during the hot days of summer. A place out of the wind if it’s cold. Adequate lighting is a must if you expect your Farrier to do their best. 5) do you pay your Farrier at the time of service, or at least in a timely manner if an invoice is left? Your Farrier is not as wealthy as you may think. They depend on that money to pay their bills and care for their family just as much as you do. 6) does your horse constantly lose or bend shoes because they paw the fence, kick the wall, stand in mud or a pond, are in a paddock with a bunch of exposed tree roots, etc? We all know horses can be very adept at pulling shoes. But if there are things you as a horse owner can do to lessen the likelihood, then by all means do it. Especially if your Farrier has mentioned it to you. You likely don’t realize your Farrier loses money when they have to return to fix a shoe; even if you pay them. There’s little way to recoup the cost of that visit to their business. 7) do you keep your horses on a regular trimming or shoeing cycle? Don’t let your horses go weeks overdue. This causes more work for your Farrier to get that foot back to looking and working it’s best.....at the same price. Most Farriers make their schedule up weeks in advance based on what horses sk be due then. Don’t leave scheduling to the last minute as they are less likely to have time for you and will be in a hurry if they squeeze you in. So if any of the above questions give you pause, then perhaps there are opportunities for you to make your Farrier know they are appreciated and their work is valued.

21.01.2022 All horses deserve good hoof care.

14.01.2022 Feeling the Digital Pulse: This is the best diagnostic tool you can use. It rates highly with your stethoscope and thermometer for monitoring your horse’s vita...l signs. It’s important to learn where it is and how to feel it. A strong bounding digital pulse is always indicative of inflammation and pain. The most common causes of this are abscessing and laminitis. Learn to find it. Feel it when its normal (although it can be hard to detect when everything is fine) so that when it's abnormal it will literally jump out at you with a bounding pulse. photo: courtesy of google

10.01.2022 lol- someone made a Pete Ramey meme.

10.01.2022 The Equine Pain Face Horses may not be able to say how much it hurts in words, but recent research is demonstrating their face tells all. Learn to recognize the signs of the equine 'pain face'. Study: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/vaa.12212/pdf

08.01.2022 Best hay to feed your horse? Short answer may be the hay you can actually can get hold of and the hay your horse will eat! In some parts of Australia, especiall...y with the drought, there may be little to no choice. However, putting that aside, since this question comes up a LOT including during my equine nutrition seminars, I'll try and answer this in more detail looking at the most common hays. Lucerne hay - in small amounts can be brilliant for boosting calcium and protein as lucerne is renowned for being high in these nutrients. Protein is quality, high in essential amino acids. The rest of the nutrient profile isn't as predictable so difficult to estimate. The reason why lucerne shouldn't be fed in bulk is due to the high calcium to phosphorus ratio. A high calcium intake isn't directly toxic but when not balanced with phosphorus, the excreted excess in urine can precipitate out as calcium carbonate. The sludge (calcium carbonate and mucus) can build up in the bladder, cause irritation by forming stones and could block urine flow. https://www.msdvetmanual.com//urolithiasis-in-large-animals Known to be common in geldings, probably because the urethra is more narrow. Dr Kellon VMD recommends the ratio of 1.2 to 2:1 for calcium to phosphorus for the whole intake. The high calcium in lucerne makes it ideal for horses on high oxalate pasture like Kikuyu, Setaria and so forth to provide much needed calcium. Lucerne does contain phytoestrogens or isoflavones but at low concentrations in the growth stages typically harvested. Another advantage is that lucerne is considered to help buffer gastric ulcers. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10895901 Note: -The high pectin level in lucerne coupled with high protein that produces a lot of gas is why many horses will show bloating and diarrhoea if lucerne is introduced too rapidly. The same thing can happen to varying degrees with any hay change. -High lucerne intake and especially if combined with alkaline drinking water has been linked to the potential for enteroliths. For example https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15188822 -For a number of insulin resistant/elevated insulin horses, lucerne is a risk factor for laminitis. It's generally low in sugar + starch but some horses react possibly to the amino acid profile, we don't know why. Or a horse can be intolerant of lucerne, which can happen with any feed ingredient. More information: https://balancedequine.com.au/nutrit/8-is-lucerne-evil.html Teff hay Generally I have found from the numerous Australian Teff hay tests that it's fairly reliable for safe levels of sugar + starch (if we are concerned with preventing insulin spiking in IR/elevated insulin horses, it's sugar (ESC) + starch we look at, not NSC), though I do have one test with over 15%, clearly not safe. Guideline is sugar + starch to be under 10%. For the rest of the nutrient profile, the calcium to phosphorus ratio is all over the place, sometimes calcium is higher, other times phosphorus is higher than calcium (what we call an inverted ratio). Nutrient levels have a wide range so one test can't be considered 'typical'. There are reports of Teff containing oxalate levels at levels to be concerned about yet I haven't found anyone with actual evidence. If you know of any, would love to see it. There is only one study and it was on Teff straw. Minerals and oxalate content of feed and water in relation with ruminant urolithiasis in Adea district, central Ethiopia https://www.revmedvet.com/2004/RMV155_272_277.pdf Teff hay has been fed for many years to horses around the world, especially in America and there have been no reports of oxalate issues. Oxalate metabolism is complex, incompletely understood and varies not only by type of plant but also different strains of the same plant: Oxalate accumulation in forage plants: some agronomic, climatic and genetic aspects https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org//d8c7a6bb8b7ed25e5dbdecf5 Worthwhile being aware that many plants contain oxalate but in a number of plants it's so low, we don't consider it to be an issue, for example, oaten hay and Rhodes grass hay. http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au///109982/pastures-for-horses.pdf Unfortunately the banned stimulant synethrine has been found in some Teff hay. "Although this does not imply that all Teff Grass Hay is affected as this is likely a seasonal and regional issue, EA recommends that members do not feed this hay to competition horses." https://www.equestrian.org.au//warning-regarding-detection Oaten hay (and wheaten, very similar) Renowned for being the 'candy' of hays, oaten often tests high in sugar + starch and is NOT recommended as a safe feed for IR/laminitis prone horses. I have found over the years that oaten hay tests can be highly variable and can be over 20% for sugar + starch. Sometimes sugar + starch can be low which is great but often the nutrient levels for the rest of the profile to be low/poor as well. This is not surprising when hay growers leave it as long as possible before harvesting, the more mature the hay, the lower the expected sugar + starch levels but then the same will apply for protein and other nutrients. Possible to have a great nutrient profile but only way to know is to test a sample in a lab, can't tell by looking at it as is the case for all hays. These hays especially can't be said to have a profile that is 'typical', broad variability in all the nutrient levels. For example calcium can be higher than phosphorus or the other way round. A disadvantage with high sugar oaten hay is that a horse will spend hours grazing on it which can lead to dental issues. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28707363 Rhodes grass hay Over the years this hay has been the most reliable with low sugar + starch levels. Of course not guaranteed but it would be my expectation. Calcium and phosphorus levels are variable, ratio can be inverted but usually calcium is higher. Wide variability with the rest of the nutrient profile, impossible to have 'typical' values. One potential issue with Rhodes is when growers leave it too late before harvesting. Fermentability of Rhodes grass declines rapidly as it matures - as do all grasses, but Rhodes grass is considered inadequate even for beef cattle if it contains more than 10 to 15% seed heads. Ryegrass hay Poor ole ryegrass has a poor reputation due to issues with annual ryegrass toxicosis and perennial ryegrass staggers. Annual ryegrass toxicosis is caused by a group of highly toxic compounds called corynetoxins. They are produced only when annual ryegrass is infected with a specific nematode (Anguina funesta), and when that nematode is infected by a bacteria (Rathayibacter toxicus), and when the bacteria is infected by a bacteriophage. Infection can be recognised as a yellow slime on annual ryegrass seed heads. Perennial rye grass staggers is caused by a fungus (endophyte) called Neotyphodium lolii. It is found in perennial, long rotation and a few hybrid ryegrasses. Understandably if you have ever had to deal with either ryegrass toxicosis or staggers, you are going to hate ryegrass and vow never to feed it but these issues do not apply to all varieties of ryegrass grown for hay. The more recent varieties are claimed to be safe for horses. Now I know there are certain people/websites saying that no ryegrass is safe but there are thousands of horses in Australia on ryegrass pastures and hay that show no issues at all. To be safe, if you can avoid it, perhaps do so. Another potential issue that has been identified is that ryegrass being a C3 grass is known to accumulate the storage carbohydrate fructan more than C4 plants (eg Rhodes). Is this a problem? A number of studies have shown that fructan does NOT cause insulin to rise but that sugar and starch (glucose units) do, which is why we look at sugar + starch, not NSC. For example: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22966077 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16677122 I've found that many ryegrass hays test low in sugar + starch and equally many are high, not safe for IR horses. For a horse owner desperate for low sugar + starch hay, it's possible that the much maligned ryegrass hay they have access to will be fine. I know of severe IR horses that are thriving on low sugar + starch ryegrass hay. In terms of the rest of the nutrient profile, very broad range of levels, calcium can be higher or lower than phosphorus. Again, there is no such thing as a 'typical' profile. Lab testing is the only and best way to find out. Grass hay/meadow hay Since grass or meadow hay can be any combination of these hays and any other species of grass harvested for hay, it's impossible to generalise. Anything is possible with the nutrient levels and mineral ratios. One thing we can rely on to an extent is that the older or more mature the grass was before harvesting, the lower the protein as protein is always highest in actively growing young shoots. The growth stage matters with protein. Same applies to potassium, fortunately high levels of potassium are rarely an issue in horses as they excrete the excess in electrolytes via the kidneys and urine, can be as fast as within an hour. Exception is the genetic condition Hyperkalemic Periodic Paralysis HYPP. So the best hay is often the one you can get hold of but if you have a choice, my pick would be a combination of Rhodes grass hay or a quality grass/meadow hay combined with a small amount of lucerne, mineral balanced by testing a representative sample in a lab. Only with data can it be mineral balanced. My horses though (and my budget) are very fortunate, they have plenty of green nutritious grass. Phew. B.Sc M.Ed

05.01.2022 A little piece a fellow trimmer from GT Hoofcare wrote on why we charge what we do. Thanks Evie.. Food for thought.