Pigeon Fever, Three Forms

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Pigeon Fever

Pigeon Fever

One thing to look out for this year when taking care of your horses is pigeon fever (also known as dryland distemper or Colorado strangles). Pigeon fever develops when a certain type of bacteria enters a horse’s body, probably via insect bites or breaks in the skin. The infection usually causes abscesses in the chest or elsewhere in the horse’s body.

Most horses make a full recovery from pigeon fever, but it can take weeks for the disease to run its course. It is a good idea to become familiar with pigeon fever. Owners should know what it looks like, how it occurs, and when your horse is most likely to get it. Your friends at Colorado Horse Property has done some research and would like to share what we have found.

Three Forms of Pigeon Fever

One form of pigeon fever is the development of external abscesses just under the skin or within your horse’s muscles. You find them in the chest and along the middle of the belly. This is the most common and most documented form of the infection and most horses recover fully once the abscess drains and the wound heals.

Another form of this infection causes internal abscesses to develop. This occurs when the bacteria is carried into the body and infect the liver, kidney, lungs or other internal organs. If you suspect that your horse has contracted this type of infection, then make sure to take your animal to the vet as soon as possible. An ultrasound may be needed to locate abscesses, assess their size and determine their maturity.

The last form causes swelling and ulcerations on the lower legs. These abscesses form within lymph nodes, causing the swelling of the leg. Signs of this form of the infection are lameness, lethargy and loss of appetite. Again, if your animal is showing any of these signs, make sure to take them to the vet as soon as possible.

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Horse Whisperer

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Horse Whisperer

What Is A Horse Whisperer?

The term horse whisperer was popularized by the 1998 film starring Robert Redford. But what does the phrase actually refer to? More commonly known as natural horsemanship, this type of animal husbandry refers to  a variety of horse training techniques. These techniques have seen rapid growth in popularity since the 1980’s.

The techniques vary in their precise tenets but generally share principles of developing a relationship with horses, using methods said to be derived from observation of the natural behavior of free-roaming horses and rejecting abusive training methods as seen in many domestic practices. Specialists will tell you that in reality, horse whispering is more about listening than whispering. These professionals understand how to read the body language of horses. Also, they are fully aware of the psychology of the horse.

The Professionals

Like other professionals in their fields of expertise, horse whisperers often spend years studying a horse and its behavior. Through developing a relationship with the horse, they are able to read the equine’s natural body language. They accurately depict what is going on with the horse. Also, from the most subtle changes in facial expressions, the flick of a tail, stamp of a foot, to rolling eyes and rearing, drooping lower lips, ear movements—the horse can speak an language that whisperer’s can understand and respond to in their own way.

In some public demonstrations, a horse whisperer will stand in an enclosure, of a reasonable size, which a young untrained horse is released into. The horse’s natural instinct is to fight or flight. Also, the whisperer becomes the herd, the safe place to be, by his use of body language. First, he sends the horse away, he has not yet invited it to join his herd! He drives the horse forward and keeps him away. For more information on this profession, where you can find a horse whisperer in Colorado, or information on horse properties in Colorado, contact Colorado Horse Property today.

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Horse Rescue Myth: All Rescues Are The Same

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Horse Rescue Myth

Horse Rescue Myth

If you are planning to move to Colorado with the intentions on obtaining horses, consider adopting a rehabilitated horse from one of our many horse rescues. Here is a list of the horse rescue’s in Colorado. You can also search for horse properties on our website. Also, there is a horse rescue myth out there in the horse community that all rescues are the same. This horse rescue myth could not be farther from the truth. Horse rescues in Colorado are unique organizations with their own policies and procedures, fundraisers and staff.

Horse Rescue Differences

Nonprofit rescues don’t pay income tax on the money it raises and your donations to it are usually tax-deductible. On the other hand, donations to private rescues are not tax-deductible, and they’re not required to make their records public. Also, they are required to pay income taxes on any money they receive from fundraisers, adoptions, etc.

Don’t confuse horse rescue with horse sanctuaries. Sanctuaries provide lifelong homes to horses in need and do not offer adoption options. This means that sanctuaries can help only a limited number of horses. Both of these types of organizations, differ from rehoming organizations. These types of organizations do place their horses with adopters, but many rescues of this type also offer a limited number of sanctuary spots to horses they deem unadoptable. There are many reasons why a horse may be unadoptable, typically for physical or behavioral problems.

Another way that rescues differ from each other are the may in which they take in horses, or where they receive them from. Horses can come to rescues from auctions, racetracks, owner donations or law enforcement impoundments in cases of abuse or neglect.

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Horse Health, Tail Rubbing

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Horse Health

Horse Health Problems

Your friends at Colorado Horse Property knows how important horse health is to you horse owners out there. One issue that you might have this year is called Tail Rubbing, in which your horse might rub its tail raw.

There may be several reasons why this is occurring. The most common is pinworms. If you suspect your horse has pinworms, call your veterinarian before starting any treatment, to get their professional opinion. You’ll want to be sure to select a deworming agent that is effective against that parasite in your area. If you live in the Littleton area, then try visiting the Littleton Equine Medical Center for help with this issue.

Finding A Solution

The first thing you are going to want to due when you find that your horse has been tail rubbing, is to check for pinworms These parasites have made a resurgence in North America recently. The eggs trigger itchiness that helps spread them through the environment as the horse rubs against things.

Then you should inspect the tail itself. Separate the hairs to check the skin along the tailbone and lift it to examine the underside as well. The irritation may be due to ticks that should be removed. If the irritation on the skin of the tail is widespread, your horse may have contacted dermatitis.

If the your horse’s tail itself looks fine, check between the hind legs forward to the sheath. This is a prime location for tiny Culicoides midges to feed, which can set off an allergic reaction known as “sweet itch.” These insects also feed along the crest, so affected horses may also rub their necks. For more information on common horse health issues or where to find the nearest horse vet, contact Colorado Horse Property.

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Equine Therapy

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Equine Therapy

Equine Therapy in Littleton

Mental health is an issue that many Americans deal with on a daily basis. In researching options, you may have come across the term Equine Therapy. This is a unique and experiential type of therapy that involves interactions between people and horses. Also, you may hear the terms Horse Therapy or Horse Assisted Therapy. These terms refer to equine therapy and the definition given above.

Patients engage in certain activities such as grooming, feeding, haltering and leading a horse. Mental health professional supervise the activity. Make sure that the animal is comfortable during the process. Opportunity strikes during the activity and after the patient has finished working with the horse. Therefore, the equine therapist can observe and interact with the patient. This will help to identify behavior patterns and process thoughts and emotions.

Additionally, consider making the move to Littleton. Littleton is a great place to live, work, and raise a family. However, is it close to the premier horse therapy center Happy Dog Ranch. Search for homes in Littleton now, many of which include accommodations for horses on the land. Here you will find a link to information about the equine therapy ranch in Littleton.

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The Colorado Horse Park

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The Colorado Horse Park

The Colorado Horse Park

The Colorado Horse Park is the largest horse park in the western United States. It typically features more than 40 events per year. It also has 11 competition arenas, 100 boarding stalls, an RV park, and two covered arenas. The arena has 300 permanent stalls and portable stalls for more than 1,000 competing horses.

The Colorado Horse Park was rumored to be sold and developed into a subdivision, but news of a new ownership put these concerns to rest. Mark Bellissimo, owner of a large equestrian festival in Florida, bought the park in December 2014. Helen Krieble, who bought the park in 1993, neared retirement that September and put the park up for sale.

Colorado Equestrian Partners

The new partnership that now owns the park, Colorado Equestrian Partners, includes Mark and Katherine Bellissimo and other partners within the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center.

The Colorado Equestrian Partners purchased the park with plans to invest in improvements. These improvement included stabling and footing and key factors that energize the equestrian community. The partners planned to develop philanthropic initiatives along with outreach programs that work with local schools to raise awareness about opportunities in horse sports. And over the years since this new ownership they have done just that!

Today The Colorado Horse Park hosts a number of events. In this month alone it has hosted its second High Prairie Dressage event of the year, a cross county schooling on schooling course, the Marilyn Payne eventing clinic, and the Horsemanship Goodnight event. It also hosted an event during the month of June called Summer in the Rockies. The Summer in the Rockies event is a horse show competition in which riders can compete and win prizes. The event began on June the sixth and will end on July the eighteenth. For more information about The Colorado Horse Park, contact Colorado Horse Property.

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Colorado Horses

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Buying a horse property

Colorado Horses

Colorado horses form groups called harems. A harem has one adult male, several females, their foals, and younger horses of both sexes. This also includes one to five stallions. Each group is led by a dominant mare. Harems are usually small, containing between three and thirty-five animals; this number changes as young animals are driven out of their natal band and join other bands, or as stallions challenge each other for dominance.

Do not confuse a band or harem with a herd. In herds, there is usually a single stallion, though occasionally a few less-dominant males may remain on the fringes of the group.

Horse Hierarchy

It is no secret that horses have evolved to live in herds. As with many animals that live in large groups, establishment of a stable hierarchical system is important to reduce aggression and increase group cohesion. Dominance can depend on a variety of factors, including an individual horse’s need for a particular resource at a given time. Some horses may be dominant over all resources and others may be submissive for all resources.

The herd stallion is not the king of a harem of females. The horse that tends to lead a wild or feral herd is often a dominant mare. The mare will lead the herd to food and other resources as well as control the groups routine and movement. This mare will ensure the general health of the group of horses under her.

However, there was a recent theory published that says there is no single horse that leads the group. In this 2014 study, researches observed many harems. They discovered some herd movements may have been started by any individual horse. They also found that some higher-ranked mares are followed more often by other herd members. For more information on horses and their behaviors, contact Colorado Horse Property.

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Colorado Feral Horses

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Colorado Feral Horses

Colorado Feral Horses

What are Colorado feral horses? Feral horses are horses that live in an untamed state but have ancestors who have been domesticated. This separates them from what are commonly known as “wild” horses. In fact, there are zero original wild horses from pre-domestication times that are in existence today. Therefore every horse living in the wild today are in all technicality feral.

The best-known examples of feral horses are the “wild” horses of the American west, including Colorado. When Europeans reintroduced many horse breeds to the Americas some horses escaped and formed feral herds. We call these herds “mustangs” today. For more information on feral horses in Colorado, contact Colorado Horse Property.

Feral Horses Around the World

In North America, feral horses are descendants of horses that were domesticated in Europe. Certain genes show similarities of both modern and fossil North American horses. However, they are not members of the same species. The west protects feral horses under the Wild and Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971. But Colorado is not the only place where these horses can be found. You will find feral horses in parts of Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, India, and many other countries.

Australia has the largest population of feral horses in the world, with in excess of 400,000 horses. The Australian name equivalent to the ‘Mustang’ is the Brumby. English settlers brought these feral descendants of horses to Australia. More than 400 feral horses live in the foothills of Cincar mountain in Bosnia and Herzegovina. These animals, which descend from horses set free by their owners in the 1950s, enjoy a protected status since 2010.

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Rocky Mountain Quarter Horse

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Rocky Mountain Quarter Horse

Rocky Mountain Quarter Horse

The Rocky Mountain Quarter Horse Association (more commonly known are the RMQHA), is an organization that supports everything about the horse breed known as the American Quarter Horse. This association has been around for over seventy years. Also, it has shared the Colorado dedication to and enthusiasm for the American Quarter Horse. What does it have to offer you? If you like to keep up with Regional Quarter Horse news, then the association has a lot to offer you!  This association is the industry leader in providing horse owners and enthusiasts with heritage, education, programs, and activities.

RMQHA Events

The association hosts a day for their practicing members and new horse owners, in which participants get the royal treatment at Arapahoe Park. Arapahoe Park is a horse-racing track in Arapahoe County, Colorado. In fact, its located at 26000 East Quincy Ave in Aurora. The Park hosts Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, Paint Horse and Arabian horse racing.
The RMQHA hosts over twenty approved shows and special events annually throughout Colorado. Also, the association offers Special Event Classes in cattle-related classes. Truly there is an event for everyone with the RMQHA! If you have any questions about the Rocky Mountain Quarter Horses Association, like how to join or help support the horse community in the Front Range, then contact your friends at Colorado Horse Property.

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The Heritage Ride

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The Heritage Ride

The Heritage Ride

The Colorado Horse Council, an organization that operates out of Brighton Colorado, is the founder of the famed Heritage Ride. The Heritage Ride is a large event for horse owners and enthusiasts. It focuses on making people aware of the efforts of the equine industry in Colorado.

The Heritage Ride focuses on education of those in and out of the equine community. It is also a fundraiser to support the work that the Colorado Horse Council does to protect horses. This year marks the sixth annual Heritage Ride event and will be showcased in a couple locations along the Front Range. Also, the ride is approximately 2 hours long, depending on location.

What is the Colorado Horse Council? This organization is a grass-roots, all-breed, non-discipline specific organization. In fact, they link horse owners and the Colorado horse industry into a common voice. This protects their common equine interests through legislation and education. It also employs a full-time contract lobbyist, who works with the State Legislature on horse and agriculture-related issues.”

This event is a day-long equine adventure, where there will be educational opportunities for you to learn about trail riding, equine safety and more. Attendees may also have the opportunity to ride with guest clinicians from the Rocky Mountain Horse Expo, another popular event that the Colorado Horse Council hosts every year. Also, if you are looking for a horse property for sale in Colorado, contact Colorado Horse Property today and speak with one of our horse-person realtors.

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