July 2022 Issue

Page 14 July 2022 EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN Dear Mal… I don’t know if I have a prob- lem with my beautiful 31-year- old gelding…or not. We’ve been together for 25 years and every day I’m profoundly grateful to be in his life. About two years ago I stopped riding him—prior to that I rode him three or four times a week on the trails around the farm. I see him every day and bring him carrots, treats, and I and groom him. I talk to him about all the adventures we’ve had together and how much I love him. He’s healthy and sound and seems very Go ahead...Ask da Mare Does My Horse Have Dementia? happy. Lately, though, he seems sort of distant. He doesn’t interact with me like he used to. He al- ways seems to be gazing over my head to some distant place. I’m wondering if it’s possible that my horse is developing dementia. It’s hard to even write this—harder still to think it’s possible. What do you think? -So Sad Dear Sad… Such a beautiful love letter to your wonderful—VERY LUCKY—horse. Here are some thoughts. First, there has not been a lot of research into equine dementia. So, it’s important for you to talk about this with your veterinarian. It’s possible there are some other issues your horse is dealing with. Is he eating nor- mally? Keeping weight on? Does he spend time in the pasture with his buddies? Or does he wander off and spend the day alone while his buddies hang out together? Horses, because of all we’ve learned about their needs and the things that affect their health, are living longer—and better lives. That’s a good thing. But all of these advances are taking us into new territory, and we sometimes don’t recognize all the signals that things are not quite right. De- clines are inevitable; but declines don’t always equate to profound loss. Instead, think about new ways to interact with your horse. Perhaps the routine you’ve es- tablished with him is now boring him. Maybe—even if you don’t ride him—he would like to take a walk with you on some of the trails you two enjoyed together. The first thing you need to do is talk to your veterinarian; then check in with some of the top veterinary schools in the country to see if they’re looking into the possibility of equine dementia and all its implications. You and your beautiful horse deserve the best of days. Dear Mal… A friend of mine went to the barn with me last week to visit my horse. She said she thought he was “kind of cute,” but his whiskers “grossed” her out. I wasn’t sure how to respond. She kept talking about how it looked like there was food or something stuck in his whiskers, and that if he were her horse, his face would be as smooth as glass. It kind of bothered me that she would look at this gorgeous Thoroughbred with the liquid brown eyes and dramatic blaze, and zero in on what she thought was a cosmetic flaw. After we left the barn we met some other friend for drinks, and my friend just went on and on about my horse’s “gross” whiskers. While everyone was laughing at my horse, I felt hurt and embarrassed and then angry. I don’t remember where I heard it, but I thought it was important to keep these whiskers. Isn’t that right? What do you think? -Hurt and Curious Dear Hurt and Curious… Let me get this off my chest. Your friend is ignorant and abusive. For her to mock you, your horse and to turn a moment you shared with her into a comedy routine is totally out of bounds. But I think you already know this. Now, let’s look at those whiskers, shall we? The clip/don’t clip dilemma is begging for expert advice. So, here are some thoughts. The whiskers around your horse’s muzzle and his eyes are part of his sensory equipment. In fact, they’re not actually whiskers in the sense that people have whis- kers. Instead, their actual name is vibrissae. The vibrissae help horses navigate their surround- ings, as they graze and eat. If you think about the horse’s eyes and how far from his muzzle they are, you can imagine that the whiskers are assets when it comes to the horse poking his nose around, looking for food. Humans always want to change nature to make things neat and clipped and smooth. But there are organizations that have be- gun to recognize the importance of vibrissae. In 1998 Germa- ny banned clipping of horses’ muzzles. Subsequently, France banned clipping horses’ muzzles. And in 2020 the FEI banned the practice. FEI veterinarians explained that this is not an issue of cosmetics; it’s an animal welfare issue and depriving a horse of “an important sensory mechanism” was tantamount to animal cruelty. Now, that is dif- ferent from “friend cruelty.” But, as I hope you understand, both should be avoided. Go forth and nuzzle your horse’s muzzle. Have a question for Mal? Email her at PAEquest@aol. com. Please submit your events to steph@eastcoastequestrian.net. Please provide event name, location, city, state and contact information for inclusion at no cost in East Coast Equestrian's calendar. Attention Event Organizers!