Mike McHardy’s Rathmor Stud is in sizzling form, one of the leading KZN-based farms currently on the national log sporting a winners to runners percentage of 39.1%, with Average Earnings Per Runner of R37,977 and season earnings of just over R1,7-million. Producing winners weekly around the country and in particular for owner Mr Mario Ferreira,…
A fantastic story by Daithi Harvey, and update about Flying The Flag’s second dam, Cassandra Go. Flying The Flag stands at Bush Hill Stud and his first crop will be yearlings in August 2018.
Peter Gibson will be giving an informative feedback presentation at the KZN Breeders AGM on Thursday 11 February, regarding the recent Asian Racing Conference that took place in India which also addressed the movement of our horses internationally out of South Africa.
The ‘Dummy’ Foal, 04 October, 2012 – Dr Jenny Lawrence, Bosch Hoek Equine Hospital This condition is more formally known as neonatal hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) and is seen as abnormal behaviour during the first few days of life. Other common names for the disease are ‘wanderer foals’ and ‘barker foals’. The exact cause of…
Physitis, 14 September, 2012 – Bosch Hoek Equine Hospital Physitis is a developmental condition seen in young, rapidly growing horses, leading to visible enlargement of the growth plates, often accompanied by heat and pain over the swelling as well as varying degrees of lameness. (“Physis”=growth plate + “itis”= inflammation). Growth plates are the areas on…
Extended Pregnancy Gestation In Mares A boarding mare owned in a partnership at Rathmor Stud named War Echo (Complete Warrior – Distant Echoes by Prince Sao) has now had two “extended” gestation periods with both her foals and we discussed this unusual behaviour with Dr Allen Bechard of Almiray Veterinary Practice. The mare was sent…
How “The Great White” Came To Be Natalia Banasiak (B.Sc Zoology) has kindly provided us with an insight into how Rathmor Stud’s white Thoroughbred colt with the brown ears came to be. Traits are passed down from the parents down to the offspring: half a foal’s genetic make up comes from the dam and the…
Broodmares – Productivity vs Age – Dr Allen Bechard We discuss the breeding lifespan of mares with Dr Allen Bechard of Almiray Vet Practice who gives some enlightening insights into the effects of age on a broodmare with regards to productivity, fertility and conception. Mares are individuals and can differ greatly from one horse to…
West Nile Virus 31 May, 2012 – Dr Jenny Lawrence What Is It? West Nile Virus is a viral disease that causes neurological signs. It is transmitted by mosquitoes and is carried by wild birds, crows are known to die from the disease. Like Horsesickness, it is not a contagious disease. Humans can be infected…
About West Nile Virus We have all heard the shocking news about our recently crowned Champion stallion, for the 5th year in a row, Jet Master suffering from this virus. Here are some facts, with the assistance of Dr Sarah Seitz (Bsc DVM) about what the virus is. West Nile Virus or WNV is a…
The Facts Around Broken Legs – Part III Potential Complications with surgical repair of fractures Post-fracture complications impacting a horse’s chance of survival can happen preoperatively during transport of the horse to the hospital, intra-operatively (during surgery) and post-surgery during recovery and healing. Infection is the most important complication of orthopedic surgery in horses. Infection…
Mare Breeding Season Information – Veterinary Perspective Dr Alan Bechard of Almiray Farm provides a brief summary of the vast subject of what goes into breeding a mare, and to produce a viable foal. The aim of this communication is to provide mare owners with some information as to what happens to the mares in…
The Facts Around Broken Legs – Part II Whether a fracture can be repaired or not depends largely on the type of fracture, the horse’s performance type, size, temperament, the bone involved, the location, configuration, and how well the fracture is repaired. A veterinarian has to weigh up all these factors when making his/her decision…
The Facts Around Broken Legs We were all equally shocked and saddened by the news of the death of a good horse like Big City Life at the Vodacom Durban July, and of course, Rabiya’s death a few years ago, and the subsequent emotional outburst following the of the consequences of a horse breaking its…
Lameness Evaluation And Diagnostics 26 April, 2012 – Dr John Hodsdon General lameness evaluation hasn’t changed over the last 100 years, it still requires a thorough and methodical approach with careful palpation and observation being the essence. Modern improvement has come through diagnostic analgesia and imaging which has expanded treatment options. This has allowed us…
Equine Dentistry 6 August, 2012 – Dr Helen Tiffin Equine Dentistry was the very origin of the veterinary profession more than a century ago, now recently in the last 20 years there has been a major resurgence of interest in dentistry with a large amount of research being done. Dental disease in horses is a…
Epistaxis 3 July, 2012 – Dr John Hodsdon Perhaps the most widely recognized of all disorders affecting racehorses is “bleeding/epistaxis” or Exercise Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage (EIPH). We now know that most racehorses bleed at some time during their careers. In fact some horses might bleed every time they undertake strenuous exercise. It also occurs in…
Raising And Care Of Orphan Foals 24 October, 2011 – Dr Sarah Seitz The birth of a long-awaited foal is an exciting occasion. But what if something goes wrong – the mare gets sick, or doesn’t produce any milk, or perhaps she dies. This article will discuss some of the options/considerations for caring and feeding…
Quick & Clean Guide To Equine Abortion 19 September, 2011 – Dr Sarah Seitz There are many reasons for equine abortion. The more common causes that I will discuss include placentitis, viral abortion, and non-infectious causes of abortion such as twin foetuses and umbilical torsion. Some Key Points: – Placentitis(inflammation of the placenta) is a…
Contracted Tendons & “Tippy Toed” Foals 13 December, 2011 – Dr Sarah Seitz If you see your mare’s newborn foal prancing around the stall like it is wearing invisible high heels, you might be a little concerned that your foal is dreaming of being a ballerina instead of a racehorse. Don’t worry; one of the…
Introduction to Equine Breeding – Part II – Dr Sarah Seitz (BSc, DVM) Last time, I gave a brief overview about seasonality and the estrus cycle. This article will cover the basics of pregnancy, lactation and foaling. The average length of pregnancy in a mare is between 335 and 342 days (an easier way to…
Introduction to Equine Breeding – Dr Sarah Seitz (BSc, DVM) With the breeding season approaching in a few months, I thought my first two articles should be a brief introduction about the very basics of equine breeding. In this article, I will cover a little bit about seasonality and the oestrus cycle. Horses are seasonal…
Superior And Inferior Check Ligament Desmotomy10 December, 2012 – Prof Jeremy Hubert, Bosch Hoek Equine Hospital When Boots, a 5 week-old Quarterhorse colt was examined he displayed contracture of the fetlock joint to the degree where he appeared to knuckle over at the fetlock while the foot collapsed to the inside of his body when…