Equine Disease: We Remember all the Pretty Horses

When Zan Parr Barr entered the arena for the halter championship, one of my horse-loving friends told me, it was like he floated -- sort of like the Clydesdales in the beer commercials. I know that float, because we owned one of the descendants of Zan. We called him Cam. Cam was an Appendix-registered Quarter Horse who was the eighth-generation descendant of Man O’ War. His lineage hailed back to Poco Bueno and Zantanon. Zan Parr Bar was his great-grandsire.

Neal's horse, Cam

We bought our first horse, Mac, in 1998. We bought Cam in 1999 from the same breeder. They were pasture mates and they were instantly compatible. SanDee and I both caught our breath when we first saw this little gelding pick up his silky black tail and run. He ran as beautifully as all the great horses in his ancestry, flowing from one hoof to the next. He was the most willing horse under saddle, and SanDee developed an intense affection for this horse, who had a dun stripe down his back and dun-factor shadow-striping around the top of his legs. But that winter, the start of many diseases for this beautiful little buckskin occurred. Cam developed a sore in between the fork under his jaw. It developed into a large, purple bulbous mass and he had a greenish-yellow nasal discharge. "Strangles," the vet said. "Can’t give him antibiotics. He just has to endure it." He did, and other horse-owners said he would have natural immunity to it. Cam had strangles three times over the next few years, and I know people will say that’s impossible. That was only the beginning of his struggles with diseases. The next summer, Cam developed small sores across his back -- a sore or pustule irritated by saddles. He had those sores throughout the next six years. In addition, he occasionally had colic. Colic is an equine disease where the horse’s digestive tract is blocked. If it is severe enough, the horses stops drinking or eating, won’t defecate and seems to be in a lot of pain. Often the horse will lay on its side. In these cases, the vet will pump mineral oil into its stomach to help clear the digestive tract. Cam conquered the colic, but would fight it all his life. We were convinced there was something genetically wrong with this horse. He survived to the winter of 2005, though, and it was then that he developed a sore on his foreleg that would not heal. Later, he swelled up in his neck and was obviously very ill. He lifted his frail body into the trailer willingly, but the verdict was to put him down. We did the end of March, 2006. Almost every horse owner we know has a similar tale -- a horse that was so loved, but had to be put down because of disease. It is, unequivocally, one of the worst days of a horse owner’s life. But humans have caretaker in our DNA. So here’s to Cam and others like him. We loved them enough to keep them for a while -- then let them go. To keep the horse you love healthy while he's in your life, Jeffers Equine carries a large range of quality equine products.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Neal McChristy is a freelance writer with over 25 years journalism experience in magazine, newspaper and Web-based work. He has been contributing editor for a magazine column in the wide-format industry for seven years. He also has over 16 years’ experience as reporter and editor in the printing and imaging area. He and his wife have three horses.

They were "green," knowing little about horses when they began to acquire them in 1998. They learned about them through training lessons by Pat Parelli, John Lyons and others in the field of "gentle training" and "natural horsemanship". Neal lives in Pittsburg, Kansas, and currently writes action-adventure novels, which he has done for over 10 years. You are welcome to contact him at freelance9@cox.net