Back On Track
(Continued from Page E 4)
Once the lesion is identified,
the veterinarian will take pictures
and measurements. These re
cords serve as a point of reference
for the next time the horse’s leg is
checked for progress. The ultra
sound is videotaped and digi
tized.
The ultrasound equipment is
used mostly for leg evaluation,
but also to evaluate the lungs if
the horse has pneumonia or the
abdominal cavity area if the
horse has colic or suspicion of ab
dominal absecess or neoplasia.
The machines may also be
used to look at bumps, lacera
toins, eyes or at a developing foal
in a pregnant mare.
“We have a high-risk pregnan
cy program for a mare that may
have problems at end gestation,
and we monitor those fetuses
with ultrasound every week,”
Seco said.
Ultrasound is also used in foals
to detect internal problems, um
bilical infections or fractured ribs,
a common occurrence that hap
pens during the birthing process.
Also part of the equine sports
medicine center is the high-speed
treadmill, which helps diagnose
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horses that have been turning in
lackluster performances. The
horse is evaluated at rest while he
is being worked on the treadmill.
Although the treadmill is a part
of the sports medicine center, it
has been in operation for several
years.
Besides a sonogram of the ani
mals’ legs, veterinarians at the
sports medicine facility can do an
ultrasound of the heart, an echo
cardiogram. The operator can ob
tain several different views of the
chambers and valves of the
horses’ heart, and evaluate the
cardiac size and function.
Color flow Doppler detects
blood flow whether the blood is
coining or going and color
codes it. High-velocity flow will
be a different color, for instance,
than slower flow. “It can detect
leakages in valves that will cause
cardiac enlargement,” Seco said.
The echocardiogram, as well as
the other ultrasound exams, is
also taped and digitized so that
the veterinarian may go back to
reevaluate the horse’s exam. The
tape is also used in lectures and
presentations for the students,
said Seco.
The facility also houses other
important equipment for diagno
sis of cardiovascu
lar pathologies
such as electrocar-
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diography to monitor animals
with cardiac arrythmias, radio
telemetric electrocardiography to
monitor animals with cardiac ar
rythmias during treatment or
perform exercising electrocardio
grams, a Holter monitor system
to perform an electrocardiogram
in a patient during a 24 to 48
hour period and a machine to
pperfrom blood tests specific to
detect cardiac disease.
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Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 9, 2003, Boarder & Tramer-E5
(Continued from Page E 3)
September 19, 20
State 4-H Competitive Trail
Ride, Rothrock State Forest,
Centre County.
Saturday, September 20
Lancaster Polo Club versus Cow
town.
Sunday, September 21
Lancaster Polo Club versus Phil
adelphia.
Twin Brooks Horse Show Associ
ation Fall Show, Jim Theurer,
(717)469-0658.
September 23-28
29th Presentation of Dressage at
Devon, Devon, Sallie Dixon,
(610)644-1963.
Sunday, September 28
Lancaster Polo Club versus TBA
(Donecker’s Cup).
Saturday, October 4
State Groom and Clean Contest,
Buckey Ranch, Sheila Bush-
ong, (937) 884-7019.
Sunday, October 5
Lancaster Polo Club versus Stras
brug.
Fall Horse Show for riders with
disabilities, Thomcroft, Mal
vern, Maire Guggenheim,
(610) 644-1963.
Quarter Horse Congress, Ohio
Exposition Center,
Therapeutic Horseback Riding
Instructors Course, Thorn
croft, Malvern, Debby Had
den, (610) 644-1963.
Perfect Foal
(Continued from Page El)
his or her metre, and what are the
odds of producing that “perfect”
foal?
Evaluating The Mare
The first step for the
mare owner is often the
toughest one: an honest
evaluation of the mare
and breeding goals.
What is the reason the
mare should be bred at
all?
Does she possess some
qualities that make her
genetic material valu
able? Is the breeding
goal to produce an elite
performance horse or
simply raise a young an
imal? Will the foal be
marketed early in life, or
kept on the farm?
Mare owners need to
take a good hard look at
their breeding stock and
breeding goals before
they begin choosing po
tential sires for that
mare’s next foal. Only
then can they move on
to choosing a stallion.
Choosing A Stallion
When selecting a stal
lion, the mare owner
must realize that there is
no guarantee of success,
but he or she can dra
matically improve their
odds of producing that
special foal by consid
eration of four P’s: Phe
notype, Performance,
Pedigree and Progeny.
• Phenotype: While
the stallion’s entire ge-
(Tum to Page E 6)