September 2025 Issue

EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN September 2025 34 Plantat ion f i eld internat ional & country fair September 18-21 Unionville•PA Photos©AKDragooPhotography Come for the tailgating, vendors and food trucks. Come for the live music and wine & beer garden. Come for the excitement and FUN! This is 3-Day eventing at its best! Lots of activities for the kiddos Sunday Tailgate Competition P lantation F ield . com General Adm. only $25 per carload* *in advance; $30 day of event Event benefits the Chester County Food Bank , Cheshire Hunt Conservancy and The Lee Lee Jones Patient Assistance Endowment Fund at Bryn Mawr Hospital Olympian Will Coleman and Diabolo, winners of the 2024 4* Go ahead... Ask da Mare Dear Mal, I’ve been totally grossed out by all the ticks this year. It’s bad enough that I find them on myself after walking my dog. But my poor horse has dozens of them on his legs, his neck, his head…I’m really worried. What kinds of things should I be on the look- out for, in terms of illness that could result from these things? And even though the tick sea- son should be over by now, I am still finding lots of them. What can I put on my horse to keep the ticks off? Grossed Out Dear Grossed Out, Ticks seem to be every- where this year—we first started seeing them here in Eastern Pennsylvania last De- cember. It used to be that ticks actually had seasons. They were prevalent (although not as abundant as they are now) in Spring and Summer, then in the Fall they started to drift away. By Winter it was rare to find any. But we have been having warmer winters, so the tick population never seems to actually die off. There are tick-borne diseases you should watch out for. Generally, your horse might have a fever, be lethargic, become lame or have swelling in his legs. It’s important to remove as many ticks as you can, and to treat your horse with a spray be- fore he goes out to the pasture. Read the label of the spray you use to make sure it does repel and/or kill ticks. It’s also a good idea to have your vet take a look at your horse if you notice any significant change in his behavior. The vet will know about what kinds of is- sues ticks are bringing in your region. Good luck with this creepy situation! Dear Mal, My sweet horse has been turned out with his pasture buddy Kicker for several years. They’re very close. But Kicker is quite ill and I found out today that they are going to euthanize him tomorrow. I feel so badly about Kicker, and even worse for my horse. Do horses get upset when they lose a friend? Is there any way I can help him get through this? Kick- er’s mom is a good friend and I know she’s totally distraught. Do you have any advice? Sad Dear Sad, I’m so sorry about all this and know how upsetting these days are for everyone in- volved. I’m glad you’re think- ing about how your horse will handle this, because horses do make deep emotional bonds with their pasture buddies as well as the people who care for them and love them. I can tell you what happened when my horse lost his best buddy several years ago. The owners of the farm were truly kind and considerate. They knew my horse’s friend was very sick and the vet was planning to eu- thanize him. But they wanted my horse to see that his buddy was at peace; so they took him to see his friend’s body after euthanasia. My horse cried out and was distressed, and they brought one of the wise little ponies over and put him in the stall next to my horse. It was a great comfort for him. But he was clearly missing his friend. I think the best strategy for you is to make sure you give your horse lots of extra attention, take him for walks and help him understand that you’re not leaving him. Good luck. I know it’s very sad, but the fact that you’re so concerned about your horse’s emotional health is a great bonus for him.