equine news
Be vigilant about Atypical Myopathy this spring urges BEVA
The dramatic rise in cases of Atypical Myopathy in the UK last autumn has prompted the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) to remind vets and owners to remain on high alert for further outbreaks this spring. Early diagnosis is essential to give the best chance of survival of this highly fatal disease. Atypical Myopathy is a serious muscle disease found in the UK and Northern Europe. It is linked to horses eating the seeds from trees in the Acer family, including sycamore and box elder. There were more than five times as many cases of AM last autumn than in the previous year and experts have warned that the disease tends to occur more frequently in the spring
following an autumn surge, possibly because of the growth of seedlings. The prognosis is poor, with survival rates of less than 25%. Horses that develop AM are usually kept on sparse pastures, near trees from Acer pleudoplatanus (sycamore) or Acer negundo (box elder) that shed seeds containing the toxin hypoglycin A. They are often not fed any supplementary hay or feed and may be driven to browse on an accumulation of dead leaves, dead wood and trees in or around the pasture but sometimes well-fed animals are affected. While the tree seeds may not be directly palatable, horses on poor quality grazing may ingest considerable
Dressage to Jockey in five months!
British Dressage Northern Region Development Officer Sarah Huntridge is stepping out of her comfort zone as she explains.....
“I am currently preparing for the biggest race of my life in a unique fundraiser for Macmillan Cancer Support - I’m training to be a jockey!
I currently work for British Dressage as the Regional Development Officer for the Northern Region and the only 4 beat gait I knew a horse had previously was walk, but now I’ve discovered gallop. I’m amongst 12 amateur riders signed up for the Macmillan Charity Race at York Racecourse. I have not ridden for over 2 years I am now back in the saddle and training hard. I have been very lucky over the past two months to have been given the ride on Lily, who belongs to Alison and Christopher Bartle. Six days a week I have been riding in a racing saddle at the Yorkshire Riding Centre, Markington to get fit. I will also
be heading off to the Northern Racing College, Doncaster for expert tuition as I have no previous racing experience and will shortly be riding out for a local race horse trainer. There will also be training days to attend at York Racecourse with former champion jockey Kevin Darley plus a fitness test at the end of April. On the race day I will be riding in front of a 27 thousand capacity crowd along the legendary Knavesmire which will be an incredible experience and nerve wracking!!!. I am really looking forward to the race and it is great to be back on a horse for such a good cause. I have pledged to raise at least £5000 for Macmillan, a charity which does so much to help those affected by cancer. I am currently sourcing sponsorship from local companies and the
The 12 race riders line up - Sarah Huntridge is sixth from the left
equestrian community. I will be organising some fundraising events prior to the race day to help me achieve my target as well as looking for sponsors. I am also asking family, friends and the equestrian community to make donations via my Just Giving Page at https://www.justgiving. com/Sarah-Huntridge/ - if you are unable to offer sponsorship please do make a small donation to this amazing charity. The Macmillan Charity race takes place on Saturday 13th June in front of 27 thousand spectators. It will be the finale of the Macmillan charity race
day, which features a full card of professional races alongside lunches, auctions, raffles and collections helping to raise money for Macmillan. Tickets for the day can be purchased from the Macmillan website at www.
macmillan.org.uk Please could you support me in this once in a life time challenge and make a donation no matter how small each pound makes a difference to someone’s life. If you are interested in the sponsorship opportunity please do email me at sarahhuntridge2@hotmail. com , it would be very much appreciated.
Nettex launches the ‘Try It Club’
Aimed at all riders and horse owners in the UK, the ‘Try It Club’ gives you a one off opportunity to buy selected Nettex Equine products at half the recommended retail price.
A series of monthly product trials will see club members being able to buy and try some of the popular Nettex ranges. You sign up on the Nettex website and
Equine Page 4
will receive a welcome pack with a hi-viz vest, car stickers and lots of other goodies – all for free! Club members can then visit their local Nettex stockist for repeat purchases.
www.nettexequine.com/tryit
The first promotion for the Try It Club is the hugely successful Mini range that combines 15 of the most popular products
together with selected items from the grooming range. Club members can buy any product for half price and if you spend over £15, postage is free. News of exclusive competitions and ‘money can’t buy prizes’ together with expert help and information relating to seasonal issues will be sent via email and available online to members each month.
www.theequinesite.co.uk
numbers of them. The clinical signs of AM may include muscle weakness or stiffness, colic-like symptoms, laboured breathing, dark red-brown urine, recumbency or even sudden death. Often the disease will present as an outbreak. Confirmation of diagnosis is by a blood or urine test. The toxin directly targets aerobic energy metabolism so therapy should be targeted at promoting glucose metabolism and provide fluid dieresis. Preventative advice for horse owners includes: • Check spring pasture carefully for seeds prior to turnout • Limit turnout if you are concerned about seed presence and ensure horses are well-fed prior to turnout • Provide supplementary feeding in the field to reduce the risk of horses being tempted to ingest seeds • Avoid leaving wet hay on the ground where it will rot • Fence off affected areas • Be aware that a field without sycamore trees can still contain
seeds spread by high winds or flood water
Professor Celia Marr, Partner at Rossdales, Newmarket, European Specialist in Equine Internal Medicine and Editor of Equine Veterinary Journal said: “New, collaborative research, instigated last year between the University of Liege, the Irish Equine Centre and the Animal Health Trust should shed more light on the characteristics of the disease in this country. Once we know more about the specific causes we should be able to make more positive progress with prevention strategies.”
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