The Equestrian Blog

Be warned – Horsetail, Mares Tail or Scouring Rush

Just a quick question... As horse owners we're mostly all familiar with the battle against ragwort and how it has spread into every field, central reservation and grass verge in the country, but how many of us know anything about mares tail?

Horse or Mares Tail, (scientific name Equisetum Palustre), is toxic to horses and should in my opinion be equestrian enemy number one. It looks like it belongs in Jurassic Park and spreads like wildfire. From a few small patches last year my paddock is now covered in it and it looks as if it's spreading fast and here to stay.

I've been researching this plant and what I've discovered doesn't make for pleasant reading.. more at Mares Tail - Toxic To Horses

New Research on Cause of Horse Sarcoids

Posted by idex7 | Filed under Equestrian News, General Info

A UK vet may have linked common face flies to the spread of sarcoids, one of the most commonly encountered equine problems.

Jeremy Kemp-Symonds, MRCVS, a PhD student at the Animal Health Trust in Newmarket presented study results during the clinical research sessions at the 46th Congress of the British Equine Veterinary Association, held in Edinburgh, Scotland, Sept. 12-15, 2007

According to Kemp-Symonds, Musca autumnalis face flies feed on lachrymal (tearduct), oral, and nasal discharges, and wound secretions. "M. autumnalis is closely associated with predilection sites for sarcoids, and it's an important vector of veterinary diseases," he added.

The researchers collected and froze more than 500 M. autumnalis flies infesting six sarcoid-affected Thoroughbred or Thoroughbred-cross horses from the Wye Valley area (the border of England and Wales). They ran a type of DNA assay called a polymerase chain reaction test on the flies and on tissue from sarcoid-infected horses.

"Ninety-eight percent were coming back positive for BPV-1 and BPV-2 (bovine papillomaviruses)" These papillomaviruses are commonly accepted as the causative agent of the equine sarcoid.

It seems summer fly control may be even more important than horse owners thought. Will we be seeing even more horse fly masks this year ?

Read the full story on horse or equine sarcoids here......