WELCOME TO CHERRY CREEK EQUINE
SERVING THE HORSE SINCE 1984
General Care
There are a lot of things that go along with routine care with horses. Sometimes it is hard to keep it all straight. We of course keep detailed medical records for your horse when we come see them, and our clinic sends out reminders for routine care, but sometimes it is nice to see what we as horse owners should keep track of. Below are some of the main recommendations we have for routine care.
Vaccinations
We recommend vaccinating your horse twice yearly. In the spring (March/April) we vaccinate with a 5-way plus West Nile Vaccine. This vaccine includes Eastern and Western Encephomyelitis, Rhinopneumonitis, Influenza, Tetanus and West Nile Virus. Encephomyelitis and West Nile Virus are transmitted by mosquitoes, so it is important to get the vaccine on board before the insects start showing up. In the fall (September/October) we vaccinate with Influenza and Rhinopneumonitis.
Rabies is also a vaccine we recommend. Colorado has confirmed cases of rabies yearly, so we suggest once a year horses get vaccinated. Make sure to discuss your rabies vaccinations with your veterinarians. Keep in mind – the state only recognizes the validity of the rabies vaccination if given by a licensed veterinarian. Also, reactions to rabies vaccines can happen, so it best to work with your veterinarian to give the rabies vaccine instead of administering it yourself.
Reactions to vaccines are not unheard of. If your horse has a history of vaccine reactions we can work with you to minimize their risk. Just let us know when you call to schedule your appointment and we can help you mediate it.
Pregnant mares and foals have a different vaccination protocol. Please call us at 303-841-6006 to find out what those are.
Deworming
There is a ton of information about deworming protocols. Research has shown that excessive deworming schedules have created resistance in many worms. We have simplified our deworming program to twice a year deworming. We prefer moxidectin (Quest) in the spring and fall when you do your vaccinations. The key to successful deworming is to make sure you absolutely are dosing your horse at the appropriate weight. You should not overdose or under dose your dewormer. This can cause a variety of issues that no one wants.
If you have reason to suspect your horse has a heavy worm load (such as coming from a feed lot or extremely dirty environment, or weight/health issues) please discuss this with us. The deworming protocol needs to change in these cases, and there isn’t a one-answer-fits-all.
We offer fecal testing if you would like.
Horses under 2 years old have specific deworming programs that they need to follow. If you have a young horse and want to know how to deworm them properly please call us at 303-841-6006.
Diet
Horses can all have different needs with their diet. That being said, we have a fairly easy feed calculation that works for most horses. That being said, if your horse is overweight, underweight, or you have feed related concerns please call us at 303-841-6006! However, if you just want to see if you are feeding appropriately feel free to run the calculation below.
Step 1: Determine what your horse’s IDEAL weight is (for example, most 14.3-15.1hh horses are around 1,000 lbs)
Step 2: Determine Total Daily Intake. Horses should eat between 1.5% and 2% of their ideal body weight. For the average, healthy horse we calculate with 1.75%.
Total Daily Intake = Ideal weight x .0175
Step 3: Total Daily Intake is broken into two categories – forage (hay, hay cubes, hay pellets) and concentrates (grains). We recommend 10% of their Total Daily Intake to be a concentrate, and the rest to be forage.
Concentrate = Total Daily Intake x .10
Forage = Total Daily Intake – Concentrate
Now lets do a real life example. Let say I have a Quarter Horse around 15.2 hands. His ideal weight should be 1100 lbs.
Total Daily Intake = 1100 x .0175 = 19.25 lbs per day
Concentrate = 19.25 x .10 = 1.9 (I’m going to round up to 2) lbs per day
Forage = 19.25 – 2 = 17.25 lbs per day.
So my horse is going to get 17.25 lbs of hay per day and 2 lbs of grain per day. I can split this into however many feedings I want, but I am not going to feed him more or less than that amount.
EIA (Coggins) Testing
Cherry Creek Equine is a federally accredited laboratory and one of the only local labs able to run Coggins tests. If you need EIA testing for any upcoming shows, let us know at your next visit! A negative Coggins certificate is valid for one year.
Address:
2565 Gold Creek Drive
Elizabeth, CO 80107