Central Georgia Equine
Services, Inc.
FEBRUARY 15, 2016
Well, fall is just around the corner and school has started. The
staff at Central Georgia Equine Services, Inc. hopes everyone
had an enjoyable summer. As always we would love to hear
from you, you can reach us at 478-825-1981 and by email at
cges@equineservices.com
NEWS ON THE FARM:
“”Large enough
to handle any
challenge, yet
small enough
to treat each
horse as if it
personally
belonged to
us.”
A hearty welcome to Cristi Foster, the newest member to our staff.
Cristi will be our monthly newsletter editor. She will also be updating
our website, so if you have any suggestions or advice that would
make the newsletter and website more interesting to you give her a
call. Cristi will also be helping you with your
customer service needs and answering the
phones. Cristi enjoys spending time with her
husband, 3 children and her granddaughter.
Cristi is a true animal lover. She spent 13
years as a small animal veterinary technician.
The Foster’s have 2 cats, 2 yellow crowned
Amazon Parrots, 12 dogs, and 8 horses. Cristi
enjoys spending time training her Labrador retrievers and loving on
her broodmares and foals. Cristi has spent the past few years
breeding her American Quarter Horses for Reining. She is proud of
the quality of foals she has bred, and they are all doing well with
their trainers. When Cristi has extra time, she also enjoys cooking
and reading mystery novels.
BRAGGING RIGHTS:
Congratulations to all of our clients who participated at the State
Federation Show in Perry Labor Day weekend. Job well done!
SLEEPING SICKNESS ALERT
VACCINATE, VACCINATE, VACCINATE
“Trigger”
originally
named
“Golden
Cloud”
appeared
in
“Adventures
of Robin
Hood”
ridden by
Olivia De
Havilland,
before
being
acquired by
Roy
Rogers.
Few things will protect your horse from disease as easily and cost
effectively as a good vaccination program. We have had one horse
in Bibb County and one horse in Houston County that have died
from Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis this month, and 5 cases in
our surroundings counties confirmed by the State of Georgia
Veterinarian within the past couple of months. Eastern Equine
Encephalomyelitis commonly referred to as EEE, is a viral disease of
wild birds. Mosquitoes transmit the infection from bird to bird, then
from bird to horse and also humans during the summer months. By
mid-summer, we start to see outbreaks of the virus in unvaccinated
and incorrectly vaccinated horses. The virus that causes EEE cannot
be passed from horses to humans by contact, body fluids or any
other physical mechanism. Horses do not circulate sufficient virus in
the blood stream to reinfect mosquitoes. A sick horse does not
pose a health threat to its human owners.
The virus responsible for EEE attacks the central nervous system
(brain and spinal cord) and horses are particularly susceptible to the
virus. Onset is abrupt and horse cases of EEE are almost always
fatal. Symptoms vary widely, but all result from degeneration of the
brain cells. Western Equine Encephalomyelitis (WEE) is a milder
form of encephalitis that we also vaccinate for. The virus in
contracted the same way as with EEE, but the symptoms are milder.
Horses that contract the virus WEE have a good survival rate with
treatment. Venezuelan Equine Encephalomyelitis (VEE) is also a
virus contracted by mosquitoes. We typically do not vaccinate for
this virus in our area. Horses that live in Texas or Mexico, are
vaccinated for VEE. Below is a list of symptoms for
encephalomyelitis. If you notice any of these symptoms, notify your
veterinarian immediately.
Symptoms include:
1. Fever, depression
2. appetite loss
3. unsteadiness
4. loss of coordination
The best method to prevent encephalomyelitis is to vaccinate
your horse every 6 months in Georgia and to use good
mosquito control. Foals should be vaccinated starting at 4 months
and have a second booster 3-4 weeks after the first vaccination. Any
adult horse with unknown vaccination history should have an initial
vaccination and a booster in 3-4 weeks. Please contact Drs Cook and
Miller to set up a vaccination schedule that is right for your horses.
MOSQUITO CONTROL TIPS







Keep horses in stalls during dawn and dusk, when mosquitoes
are most active.
Use high velocity fans.
Turn off lights that attract mosquitoes at night.
Use fluorescent lights, which DO NOT attract mosquitoes.
Eliminate common mosquito breeding areas: shallow stagnant
water, puddles, buckets, tarps, tires, etc. (it only takes 4 days
for mosquitoes to hatch in standing water)
Clean water troughs at least once a week.
Use mosquito repellents. (Sprays, pour-on, braid tags, spoton, etc.)
Please make sure the mosquito and fly repellents you use on
your horses are manufactured specifically for horses.
QUOTE:
No hour of
life is
wasted
that is
spent in
the
saddle.
Winston
Churchill
FRIENDS WE HAVE LOST:
One of our long time clients, Dana Smith, has recently lost three of
her beloved friends, Tyco, Reality, and Sampson. These gentlemen
will be dearly missed. Cher Moore lost her friend Prophet. He will be
missed by all of his friends at Hearts and Hooves. Jacqueline Trotter
lost her wonderful Lady Grey to complications from colic. Kevin
Clark and his daughter Emma will miss Lilly, a horse they rescued a
year ago. Olivia and Donald Cook lost their dear friend In Clover to a
broken leg, she will be greatly missed. Sharon Gray lost her buddy
Jazz to colic. He will be in your hearts forever.
To all of our other clients who have lost “friends” this past year,
know that we are saddened by your loss.
HEALTHY HOME MADE HORSE TREATS
Prepared by: Cheryl Sutor 1998
INGREDIENTS:
1 carrot
½ apple
1 packet instant oatmeal
½ cup dry bran
¼ cup corn oil
½ cup water
½ cup wheat flour
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons brown sugar
INSTRUCTIONS:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Use a grater to grate both carrot and
apple. Stir all ingredients in a bowl until well mixed. Using a spoon,
place 1-inch circles on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes
or until crisp
Central Georgia
Equine Services,
Inc.
3398 Lakeview
Road
Fort Valley, GA
31030
Phone:
(478) 825-1981
Fax:
(478) 825-9267
E-mail:
We have a “BRAGGIN RIGHTS” area in the newsletter, so
anything you would like to brag on, just pass it along in an
email to cgescristi@bellsouth.net
Thanks and we hope you enjoyed the newsletter!
!
cges@equineservice
s.com
Please visit our
Website!
We would love to hear from you and welcome any suggestions
for future newsletters. If you have a friend you feel would like
to receive this newsletter, any comments, questions, or topics
you would like addressed, please email us at
cgescristi@bellsouth.net
www.equineservices.
com