Youth EquiDay is Saturday, Nov. 1! More info on page 4. The William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute October 2014 Stable Sheet.

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1 The William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute October 2014 Stable Sheet In This Issue: So Long, Miner 2 NY Morgan Recap Winter Trailer Prep; Youth EquiDay 2014 Do Slow Hay Feeders Lengthen Meal Time? NY State Horse Council; NYC Carriage Horse Update NYSHC 2015 Membership Form Featured Miner Morgan: HD New York 8 Youth EquiDay is Saturday, Nov. 1! More info on page 4 DelightMorganHorses NATURE VS. NURTURE AND REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGIES Embryo transfer is the process by which a donor mare is bred to a stallion (generally through artificial insemination), flushing the uterus of the donor mare 6 days after ovulation and hopefully catching that embryo to be moved into a recipient mare that s cycle is closely matched to the donor. ET is often done in cases where the donor is unable to carry a pregnancy, is maintaining a performance schedule that won t allow for pregnancy or to produce more than one o is m th not so fast offspring per breeding season. The technology is still pricey, but not unattainable, and is used more as breed registries allow. But is it really that simple? A research group in France says At a conference in Paris this past spring, results from a study where embryos from ponies (bred to one pony stallion), saddle horses (two different stallions were used) were transferred into surrogate mares of different sizes (pony, saddle horse, and draft). The resulting foals were evaluated for various Our first (and so far only) ET foal, HD Saratoga (Delmaytion Razmataz x HD Saranac) with her surrogate dam, HD Massena in size and metabolic measurements as these are reasonable predictors of growth potential as well as possible future disorders such as insulin resistance (IR) or osteochondrosis, a developmental disorder of the joints. Changes in gestation lengths and birth sizes were noted, particularly when pony embyros were born to draft surrogates and foals did not always catch up to the size of their siblings born to ponies as of a year later. Metabolism was changed too, showing See EMBRYO TRANSFER, Page 2 The William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute Stable Sheet October

2 I first came to Miner as a summer student in I loved being here so much, I knew before the internship ended, that if I had the opportunity, I would return as the year-long intern. I fell in love with my project horse, HD Thendara (Legacy s Viking x Seaway Showgirl), and six months after leaving, she was finally mine. Another six months later, and we both returned to embark on what I knew would be a year of some great experiential learning. I gained some valuable experience in stable management, but the highlights were the bigger projects I set for my own personal goals. I wanted to continue working with the mare, HD Mexico (Legacy s Viking x UVM Valkyrie), Maya after I saw the progress she made with the previous intern. Maya and I had a great time this year, progressing to jumping a crossrail course by the end of the summer and being a demonstration horse as part of the Almanzo Wilder Homestead Morgan Horse presentation. I also took on the gelding, Ringo The Ringo Kid (MSMF The Brass Ring x Jadine), Miner had rescued the previous SO LONG, MINER Brenna Foley and HD Thendara Dari year. I have always had an interest in rehab training and he was a perfect opportunity to explore that. It was about midwinter when he first talked to me and I saw that as a sign that he was ready to be a partner and have a job. We started from the very beginning and progressed to longlining and laying over his back before my internship was over- big steps for this horse that had experienced some training trauma in his early years. I was even able to accomplish some of what I called my Miner Bucket List. One of my favorite ways to ride is bareback. Maya and I developed a partnership and we could walk, trot, canter, and jump bareback. I was able to show one of the stallions, Townshend Rob The Wave (Tug Hill Whamunition x Townshend Roberta) in the bareback class at the county fair. I showed Strategy (UVM Springfield x Salem Maurada) at the New York Morgan Horse Show in a couple Western Dressage tests. And finally, I had the opportunity to feel what riding saddle seat was like with HD Valhalla (Legacys Viking x UVM Valkyrie), Miner s English pleasure mare. It was so different from my dressage and jumping background, but very cool! While I am sad to leave my Miner family, the best part about family is you can always visit! Dari and I have moved to a newly started dressage barn and our future is looking bright. My year at Miner has been a wonderful one. While I am sad to go, it s not really goodbye. Thank you, Miner Institute for helping to shape me into a better barn manager, horse trainer, and all around better horse person. Brenna Foley EMBRYO TRANSFER, Continued from Page 1 that the metabolism of the surrogate seemed to change the metabolism of the foal. Pony foals in draft mares had increased IR over pony foals from pony mares. The research by Dr. Pauline Peugnet of the French Agricultural Research Institute is continuing, but the message is clear- a foal isn t simply the product of the sire and dam s genetic pairing, but the external influences on the expression of those genes. Choose your surrogates carefully and take good care of all those pregnant mommas! Karen Lassell lassell@whminer.com HD Saratoga with her owner Nancy Harvey. Photo used with permission from Denlore Photography. The William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute Stable Sheet October

3 The New York State Morgan Horse Society has hosted the NY Morgan Horse show since 1960 at the NYS Fairgrounds in Syracuse. Miner Institute has attended annually since 1986 bringing a variety of horses (purchased, donated, and HD bred) to compete in a variety of disciplines over the years. We ve had- English Pleasure (saddle seat), Hunter Pleasure, Western Pleasure, Roadsters, In Hand, English and Western Dressage, Hunters over fences, and Carriage Driving. It feels like a long time showing with a generation of horses, but this historic old fairgrounds has lots of stories to tell. In 1832 a group named the NYS Agricultural Society was founded with the mission to promote fairs and agricultural improvement culminating in the first NY State Fair in 1841 held in Syracuse. The state fair became an annual event, held at a variety of locations around the state until 1889 when a plot of land at a high traffic crossroads of the railroad (for ease of transport) was dedicated for the purpose. Other than from when World War II necessitated the use of the fairgrounds as a military base, fairs have been held annually at this location. Two weeks of the year is dedicated to the fair and the other 50 see a host of other events including the NY Morgan Show. Our story this year was 4 horses for 5 divisions with a couple of debuts for green horses. Included in the highlights was our first horse entered into the Western Dressage division. Brenna Foley finished out her yearlong internship exhibiting Strategy (UVM Springfield x NY MORGAN RECAP HD Troy with Patti Hoskins up and HD Philadelphia with Karen Lassell Salem Maurada), a 7-year-old gelding, in his first dressage tests. He was tense, but obedient, and gained confidence and relaxation with each successive test over the two days of the dressage division. HD New York (Legacy s Viking x Sugarlane Dominique) had been to the county fair before, but this was quite the trek for this green 5-year-old gelding! Odin was pretty sure there were lots of ghosts and gremlins hiding around the grounds and it took some convincing to assure him he d be ok, but he triumphed with several blue ribbons in his first dressage tests. He worked hard on bravery skills no small feat as next to the dressage warm up and show arena (the 4-H ring), a crew was preparing for a month-long haunted house! At any given moment, a headless manikin might walk by, a few stacks of corn stalks would rustle, or the giant evil clown head entrance might move, so Odin s fears weren t entirely unfounded! HD Valhalla (Legacy s Viking x UVM Valkyrie) showed well in her pleasure driving classes and although her happy feet still make the flat-footed walk a challenge, she performed beautifully and flaunted her over-level trot effortlessly. We d love to keep working on getting this just right, but at 11 years old, Hallie needs to join the ranks of the broodmares since her dam is going to retire. Pixie, HD Philadelphia (UVM Equity x UVM Valkyrie), took home several good ribbons in the carriage division including a 1st in a very competitive reinsmanship class. One of the most rewarding moments of the show came in the Futurity Alumni Hunter Pleasure class. Any horse that is a graduate of the futurity program is eligible to show and this year the class had 7 horses, including our Pixie and HD Troy (Legacy s Viking x HD Massena), a 7-year-old gelding purchased a couple of years ago by Heather and Axel Starck of Ontario, Canada. The class was full of nice horses that had great rides, but HD Philadelphia and HD Troy rose to the top, taking 1st and 2nd respectively! A real thrill for us as breeders of both horses for sure. The horses are home and putting on their wooly winter coats, but we re glad to have had a chance again to exhibit our horses, visit with other Morgan owners including other members of our extended Heart s Delight Morgan family. If you haven t ever been to the Great New York State Fair or the fairgrounds for some other occasion, it is a trip well worth taking. If you re there next September during the NY Morgan Show, stop on by our stalls, cheer us on, or join us for camaraderie at our ringside booth seat! Karen Lassell lassell@whminer.com The William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute Stable Sheet October

4 Although we don t always want to admit it, winter will be here faster than you think and one of the things on the list around here is getting the trailers put to bed for a few months. Miner purchased a new five horse aluminum horse trailer a couple of years ago to replace the old one which was bought new in the late 1980s. With proper care and attention, this new one should last a long time too. Since hauling a huge gooseneck around isn t always practical for one horse, we also recently purchased a smaller steel stock trailer. In the North Country, there s definitely a season to be out and about with your horse. While it may be hard to predict the just one more outing if the right weather presents itself, a full stem to stern cleaning and maintenance checkup before it settles in for a long winter s nap is in order. Beyond protecting your investment in the trailer, this kind of chore is important for the health of your horse; US Rider, a company that provides roadside assistance to horse trailers, has reported in the past that the leading cause of trailer wrecks is improper maintenance. WINTER TRAILER PREP Pull out the mats and thoroughly wash the interior. There are products on the market specifically for aluminum trailers to help clean and prolong its life, but even a good power washing or scrub with some soap and water will go a long way to keeping the floors and walls sturdy. When the mats are out, this is your best chance to check for any floor rot or places where the frame is becoming weak. Urine and manure are NOT your floor s friends, so getting rid of old bedding that s dirty will keep them together much longer. If you have a small knife or screwdriver, poke it into any places that appear soft or at all rotten- if you can do much more than scratch the surface, you ve got some boards to replace. Check all the bolts, nuts and attachments for tightness. A season s worth of winding roads and highway time can work even the most secure fixtures loose. Grease all the fittings and lubricate swinging doors, springs and panels so they ll be less likely to seize over the winter. This is a good time to check all the tires and don t forget the spare. Look for enough tread, even wear patterns and signs of stress on the tire walls. If you know you won t be using the trailer before spring, the best way to promote its long life is to fully protect it from the elements and hazard of just sitting there. Indoor storage with the frame on blocks to take the weight off the tires is best, but often not realistic. Consider covering with trailer cover or tarp (well secured since we know how hard old man winter blows) and getting tire covers- exposure to the sun is one of the causes of dry-rot on tire walls. I only recommend putting the trailer out of commission if you have an easy plan B to move a horse if an emergency were to arise; that is what the smaller stock trailer will accomplish for us at Miner. The small trailer will get much of the same treatment, but it will remain in a more accessible location for winter and be more ready to be put into use if needed quickly. Do it now and spring will be here before you know it. Karen Lassell lassell@whminer.com YOUTH EQUIDAY: SATURDAY, NOV. 1 Geared for 4-H kids, this event is open to the public and free of charge. Registration in the Horse Barn classroom is from 9-9:30 a.m. and the program will run from 9:30-11:30 a.m. This year we ll be focusing on lameness in horses and how to tell if, when, and where something is wrong that is making the horse uncomfortable. 4-H ers need to bring their approved helmets to be able to participate in the hands-on portion of the event. Pre-registration isn t required at Miner, but if you re coming with your 4-H group, check in with them! Dress for the barn; boots and warm things as needed! Questions? or call Karen: lassell@whminer.com or , ext The William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute Stable Sheet October

5 DO SLOW HAY FEEDERS LENGTHEN MEAL TIME? This past summer, I was an intern in Miner Institute s Summer Experience in Agricultural Research. As part of the research internship, I was involved with conducting an independent project and fortunately an equine study was available since I hoped to work with both cows and horses during my time at Miner. My project evaluated the use of slow hay feeders, specifically, Nibblenets, and measured their impact on feeding rate and behavior of Morgan horses. Why should we, as horse owners, care how fast or slow our horses eat? It comes down to how horses naturally evolved and are anatomically designed. Being hindgut fermenters, horses are meant to consume smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day allowing for a continuous supply of feed in the digestive tract. Unlike other species whose stomachs secrete gastric acids when meals are anticipated, the stomach of the horse secretes these acids continuously. Most modern day management practices are based on human convenience rather than horse physiology so we end up feeding 2 to 3 bulky meals. Those of us with easy keepers such as Morgans, need to restrict the amount of feed consumed because our animals may be at risk for equine metabolic problems. Consequently, this leaves many hours during the course of the day without feed passing through the digestive tract, which leaves our animals stomach walls vulnerable to ulcer causing How fast did they eat using the Nibblenet vs. off the ground? Average rate (pounds/hour) at which hay was consumed. acids. Several slow hay feeders have been developed to help accommodate our feeding management practices, while trying to extend meal lengths to improve conditions within the horses digestive system. We chose to evaluate the Nibblenets slow hay feeding system because it was a durable and safe black nylon mesh hay bag. We used the 28 x 22 x 6 bags with 1 ¼ openings. A total of six horses were evaluated for meal length and feeding behavior using a slow feeder clipped to the wall and control treatment fed from the ground for 2 weeks each. We soon found that some of our horses were very frustrated with the small 1 ¼ opening and before long the eyehooks holding the bags were being pulled from the walls in frustration. We quickly made an adjustment and decided to evaluate the Nibblenet bags with 1 ½ openings instead, which seemed to be easier on our horses psyche. To be fair to the manufacturer of the Nibblenets, they do recommend introducing horses to their system by gradually reducing the hole size. Major findings of the study were that the slow hay feeder did not extend meal time for most of the horses. Only one horse increased her mealtime by 30%. However, another horse actually ate faster with the Nibblenet (Fig. 1). In addition, since the Nibblenet was hung from the wall, it tended to encourage abnormal feeding posture with most horses eating from the bag with their head tilted sideways (see pic). This made us contemplate the possible impacts of horses eating in an unnatural feeding position for 5-6 hours per day. When considering a new feeding practice for your horse, it is important to realize that they are an individual and that what works for one may not work for the whole barn. For example, a couple of the horses were frustrated by the slow hay feeder, which resulted in pawing during mealtime while most of the horses did not mind having the hay bag in their stall. While these Nibblenets were not as effective as we hoped, there are several different designs of slow hay feeders available which may accommodate horse and owner preferences. Alyssa Couse couse@whminer.com The William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute Stable Sheet October

6 NEW YORK STATE HORSE COUNCIL The New York State Horse Council (NYSHC) is the state s equine volunteer umbrella organization devoted to creating a forum in which horse enthusiasts of diverse interests can use their horsepower to guarantee a future of horses, horse sports, trail development, land use and horse-related businesses in NY State. NYSHC members consist of individuals, equine organizations, stables and businesses. The group makes its mission to create a strong, unified voice for all interests toward the preservation of a future for horses in New York State. A 2015 membership form is located on the facing page. You can also download a form at whminer.org/equine.html or at nyshc.org. MAYOR DE BLASIO STILL HOPES TO END ICONIC NYC CARRIAGE HORSES New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has said that he still intends to implement a ban on the historic and iconic NYC carriage horse industry. However, as of September 4, the carriage horses look well-kept and well presented on the hack line and two-thirds of New Yorkers are currently in favor of the industry. The Central Park Conservancy is currently renovating the Central Park Plaza and replanting some trees lost in a 2011 snow storm. This will provide more shade for the carriage horses as well as beautifying the city, but it would be nice to see them provide some hitching posts also, in case needed. These well-regulated and wellloved horses are shown in my recent photos looking content in their jobs! One horse is on his way into Central Park with admiring tourists and stops at one of two water troughs in the park to drink his fill. Another horse waits patiently in the shade for his next trip on Central Park South. Submitted to the NYSHC on Sept. 5, 2014 Alison Clarke, NYSHC Southeast Regional Director aclarke33@optline.net FASHION DESIGNER TAKES UP CARRIAGE HORSE CAUSE On September 3, NYC fashion designer, Victor de Souza, used the NY horse-drawn carriages to convey his models to the opening night at New York Fashion Week, in a desire to showcase elegance and history. He succeeded in portraying this and his Fall/Winter fashion show was a big success. In spite of an ugly protest over several hours by animal rights activists, which included PETA, NYCLASS, Friends of Animals and Coalition to Ban Horse-drawn Carriages (selfprofessed horse heroes ) shouting and waving placards closely into the faces of the horses, the procession finally set off and Mr. de Souza s stunning models were showcased in an exceptional way in the parade of carriages through beautiful Central Park. Learn more about NYC Carriage Horses at The William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute Stable Sheet October

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8 The William H. Miner Agriculutural Research Institute 1034 Miner Farm Road P.O. Box 90 Chazy, NY Change Service Requested Non-Profit Organization U.S.POSTAGE PAID Chazy, N.Y Permit No. 8 FEATURED MINER MORGAN: HD NEW YORK HD New York (Legacy s Viking x Sugarlane Dominique). Odin was born in 2009 and has always been a character! He was featured in a Stable Sheet article in February 2010 about acquired flexural deformities, since we were dealing with a case of growth problems and contracted tendons with him (article is archived online at html). He s grown up well with no leg problems at all vets and farriers wouldn t know he d ever had an issue if we didn t tell them! As a 5-yearold, Odin s really beginning to bloom and had loads of fun being a summer student project and also a budding dressage star. He s as sweet as the day is long and his poofy forelock is indicative of his lively personality! Sale Price: $5,000 Learn more about the Miner Morgans at The William H. Miner Agricultural Research Institute Stable Sheet October