You know, we've used the words "understanding" and "influenza" quite a bit together over the years, and I'm still not sure we as horse owners understand influenza!

I get my flu shot every year, and still people I know get the flu because the strains have changed or for some reason we aren't completely protected by the vaccination (although we don't get the flu as badly as our unvaccinated friends!).

The reason I mention this now is that one of my friends who works closely in influenza research has suggested all horse owners in the United States booster their horses against influenza this year---Don't skip that vaccination!

Is there some specific reason? Not really. Just the statistical probability that a strain of flu that is different from what is in our current vaccines MIGHT surface or be imported.

We have some really good articles  in our "Influenza" category you can review. I would specifically encourage you to read the article  "Understanding Influenza."

Here are some flu facts from that article:

• Equine influenza is one of the most common causes of upper respiratory disease in horses;
• Flu is a viral disease;
• Flu is highly contagious;
• Flu is spread by the aerosol route (i.e., sneezing, coughing);
• Flu often causes a fever;
• Infected horses can shed flu virus prior to having a fever or other clinical signs;
• Flu can cause subclinical infections (no clinical signs);
• Horses with no clinical signs can shed virus and infect other horses;
• Flu does not produce chronic (long-lasting) infections;
• Flu does not produce latent infections (the virus does not persist in the body and become reactivated at a later time due to stress);
• Flu can spread down a barn aisle in a matter of days;
• Flu changes over time;
• A horse can get flu many times during his life;
• Horses that get flu usually don't get it again for 1-1½ years;
• Flu is not a hardy virus, it can be easily killed through disinfection;
• Vaccines might protect horses from getting sick (showing clinical signs), but might not prevent exposed horses from shedding the virus and infecting other horses;
• Horses can shed flu virus for a week or more, so quarantine recommendations are for 10 days to two weeks for exposed horses;
• Nasal swabs can be tested for the presence of flu virus in about an hour at a laboratory.
• Because flu changes, vaccines need to be updated to reflect those changes.

I also would encoruage you to go watch our  Webinar "Understanding Equine Influenza" sponsored by Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health.

Speaking of Webinars, we have a Webinar this week on Thursday, March 26, at 8 p.m. EDT, on Equine Ulcers--Your Horse At Risk. You can register here to watch that FREE Webinar and ask questions of the experts.

If you own horses, don't be surprised if one of them has ulcers. It's amazing how quickly the equine stomach can "turn sour" and irritation result that can lead to gastric ulcers. Doesn't matter if you have a high-class Thoroughbred racehorse, a three-day eventer, a Western pleasure mount, or a broodmare, ulcers might be part of their lives.

I have a question for you: Would you be interested in TheHorse.com segregating news by states? If there was a disease outbreak, an educational event, a welfare case that needed the outreach of the community, would you want to know if it was within your state?

We know it's sometimes difficult to find news about the horse health, management, care, and welfare in your states, even on TheHorse.com. But before we start making changes, we like to ask you, our users, if change is of value to you.

So, your turn. Do you want us to make news available by state? We could even offer an RSS news feed by state so if something happens in your location you would receive an alert.

I don't think the debate in this country will ever end over the slaughter of horses for human consumption; it's just too emotional an issue. The closing of the last equine slaughter plants was done through local and state lawmakers and, ultimately, by the federal government stopping the funding of meat inspectors at U.S. equine slaughter facilities. Contrary to what some people believe, the federal government has not passed any legislation that says the slaughter of horses for meat in the United States is illegal. Now the downturn in the economy and the issue of states' rights versus federal rights have brought horse slaughter facilities back to the forefront of industry discussions (see Update on State Slaughter Resolutions; Idaho Joins Debate), and we remain a country divided.

People in some states have a more agrarian outlook on horses; they see horses as livestock. This doesn't mean horses aren't appreciated or loved. The horse as livestock rather than “companion animal” is a reality to many in the United States.

The current battle lines, however, are being drawn not over the moral issues of horse slaughter, but over states' rights versus federal rights to have international commerce, i.e., equine slaughter facilities that export horsemeat.

Could Canadian meat inspectors come across the border to inspect horsemeat, or could the meat be shipped to Canada for inspection? That remains to be seen.

My prediction is that by the end of 2009 there will be an active equine slaughter facility in the United States, or at least the building of one will be under way in a state that has fought for that right.

So, if we have equine slaughter again in this country, can we make the process of getting there more humane? We need better laws concerning handling of horses at sales and during transportation.

Welfare Worsens

There are more and more stories of horses being abandoned, shot (and sometimes not even killed), starved, left to die, turned out on federal lands ... the list goes on. Some tell of going on trail rides for a day only to come back and find their trailer full of unwanted horses. Horse sales report owners leaving animals if they don't sell. Sale and show facility managers find horses in barns where there aren't even sales or shows under way! Farm owners report horses showing up in their fields overnight.

Then there are tens of thousands of BLM horses languishing in holding facilities unable to be adopted, euthanized, or sent to slaughter. This program costs millions of dollars each year, and keeping some feral horses in pens for years seems more inhumane to me than euthanasia.

The economy is going to get worse before it gets better, and some horse owners are going to have to give up their horses. What's to become of those animals?

The news says 47 of 50 states have budget deficits, and the federal government is more concerned about people losing jobs and homes than horses losing owners. If you can take another horse, please do. If not, help however you can.

I just discovered a cache of images of Dusty. Thought I'd share a couple. He really loves people. He's one of those horses that has worked hard all his life.

Here he is with my daughter and one of her friends.

I am NOT recommending you play around horses like this. Many of today's natural horsemanship trainers will encourage you to develop a bond with your horse like is shown here. I also know the old-time horse traders used to have their kids crawl under the belly of a horse they were selling to prove it was broke and gentle. (This was according to my grandfather, who was one of those kids who had to crawl under horses--whether they were broke or not!)

I was a little surprised to get a call from my daughter that a former school horse we owned--and she had "permanently loaned" to a local community program for teaching riding to kids--was coming home. He was living at a facility not far from our little farm in Kentucky, and he had been called a "great addition" to their program. But, they were cutting back. And because of his age he wasn't used to teach jumping. That's where they were making their money. Ergo, Dusty came home.

I'm glad extra hay was purchased this year since we added an extra mouth in the middle of winter. And I'm glad we have the room to bring him home to our little farm.

But this brought home how we are responsible for the horses we own. I never thought I'd see Dusty out our back door again. I thought he'd live his life out babysitting kids, which he loves. He has a little arthritis, so the regular movement was good for him, and he's one of those horses who loves attention.

How many other horses now will be looking for homes when previous owners thought they already had found a permanent place for them to live out their lives? My guess is quite a few.

Have you got retired or semi-retired horses living at your property? Have you or any of your friends taken back over the management of a horse that you thought had found a permanent home?

Please share your stories.