horsetrax2

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HorseTrax Newsletter #2
January 3, 2002

In This Issue:

1*What's New?
2*Did You Know?-ERU (Equine Recurrent Uveitis)
3.*Breed Profile: The Thoroughbred
4*Fun Facts
5*What's In A Name: Results
6*What's In A Name?
7*Poems & Quotes
8*I've Always Wondered...Ear Signals
9*Quick History: Peter McCue
10*Quick Stats: John Henry
11*Would You Rather...?
12*Survey A
13*What's Their Breed?
14*The Reader's Input
15*A Final Neigh
16*References
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What's New?

    I've been very impressed with the number of subscribers since the last issue and the responses I received!! Thank-you all so much for your interest. Who could resist the opportunity for acquiring more horse knowledge, anyway?! Again, I will remind you that the first issue ran for three weeks because I needed to get back into the feel of doing the newsletter again. But now, a new issue will come out every 2 weeks. So look for HorseTrax #3 on January 17th. And remember, feel free to submit anything you'd like to this newsletter. Thanks again!!
Sincerely, Erin and Baron

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Did You Know?-ERU

     *Strangely, Quarter Horses and Appaloosas are mostly affected by this disease!! Why this is so, it is unknown, so if you own either of these breeds, please take special notice!!*
    ERU, or Equine Recurrent Uveitis, is one of the leading causes in severely decreased eyesight and blindness in horses. Unfortuately, this problem is not fully understood. What is known is that the body attacks its own tissues, known as an "autoimmune" disease. This can occur when a body substance is exposed to the blood cells of the immune system.
     ERU is believed to develop after an infection has broken the physical barriers between the contents of the eye and the blood, and the immune system begins to attack the eye as if it were an invading virus. Once this occurs in a horse, the antiobodies are present for its entire life and the possibility of recurring problems are at high risk.
    Early symptoms for ERU are as follows: aversion to light, keeping eye shut, tearing of the eye, swelling of eye and eye lids, rubbing of the eye. If the eye is examined, there will usually be white or blue patches on the cornea, enlarged blood vessels, constricted pupil, and possibly blood in the interior of the eye. As the disease develops, the tissues of the eye swell, blood vessels appear in areas where they are not normally seen, and the ability for the eye to react is lost.
     Treatment involves antiobiotics, anti-inflammatories, and sometimes steroid ointment. After treated, the horse may appear to be symptom-free, but that can change very quickly and unpredictably, so be on the constant look out. Most commonly, ERU leads to further damage to the eyes and can create blindness. There is no known cure or prevention for ERU. However, you can aid in the protection of your horse by constantly paying attention to the health of your horse's eye tissues, immune system, and the basic health of your horse. Believe it or not, this attention could save your horse's eyes.

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Breed Profile: The Thoroughbred

    Thoroughbred history begins 300 years ago in England. The horses there were somewhat small, measuring approximately 14 hands and were quite light. Englishmen desired horses that were tall like their draft horses, but lighter, swift, and with endurance. So, they looked to the well-known Arabian, whose reputation for speed and stamina were well known. They imported Arabians, Turks, and Barbs to cross on their mares for the 17th to the 18th century, creating the breed known as the Thoroughbred.
     Horse racing of this breed quickly became popular. Horses were not raced until they were 4 years old, and they ran long distances carrying fairly high weights upon their back (168 pounds). Yet prize money was somewhat low. As breeding inclined, so did racing. The Sporting Calendar was created in 1769 to carry race reports. (The Sporting Calendar was purchased by the Jockey Club in 1902). An Introduction to a General Stud Book and the General Stud Book (Volume 1) were put out in 1791 and 1793, making the Thoroughbred Stud Book the oldest pedigree of any breed of livestock in the world.
     The race horse has, in the last 200 years, grown in size. They range anywhere between 15.2 to 16.2 hands and weigh approximately 900 to 1,150 pounds. Their speed has increased, too, making it not only faster than its father, the Arabian, but the fastest breed in the world. They move with perfection in the gallop, and in the walk it moves low and pointy. Their temperament is naturally "hot", and are easily excited. Their use is widely recognized as the best race horse on the flat. In addition to racing, the best hunters are Thoroughbreds or part Thoroughbreds.