September 30, 2014

A horse in Virginia has tested positive for West Nile Virus. This is the first case of WNV in Virginia in 2014. The horse, an eight-year-old Paint Gelding stabled in Augusta County, had not been vaccinated. WNV is a mosquito-borne disease, and the first cases are generally seen in August and September, according to Dr. Joe Garvin, head of Laboratory Services at the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The mosquito season in Virginia can run through November, and many veterinarians recommend vaccination at least yearly, but as often as semi-annually in mosquito-prone areas. The protocol calls for two doses of the WNV Vaccine administered three to six weeks apart. Vaccination against Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE)—another mosquito-borne disease—is also recommended. WNV can be contracted by humans as well, though horse to human transmission is unlikely. The usual vector is through a mosquito that has bitten an infected bird. Prevention methods other than vaccination would be the elimination of standing water sites, use of insect repellents, and removing horses and people from mosquito-infested areas from dusk to dawn. There are no drugs with which to treat horses or humans who have contracted WNV. The mortality rate in horses is about thirty percent. A veterinarian should be consulted if a horse exhibits neurological symptoms, such as a stumbling gait, facial paralysis, going down, or drooping. Click here for more information on West Nile Virus in horses. Click here for more information on West Nile Virus in humans. Posted September 30, 2014

The New York Times affirms that riding can be moderate to even strenuous exercise, depending on how you ride. The report cites a study comparing the energy expended in various form of exercise. The energy expended is expressed in METs. A MET is the ratio of the work metabolic rate to the resting metabolic rate, or the amount of energy used as a multiple of just sitting still. To set some parameters for comparison, a 1-MET activity would be the equivalent of sitting still. A basketball game or a football game ranks as an 8-MET activity. Activities such as recreational badminton or golf (walking the course and pulling your own clubs) generally requires 5.5 METs. Riding a horse varies according to the gait, but in general, it requires about the same as badminton or golf. At a full gallop, 7.3 METs are required; a trot requires 5.8 METs; and walking the horse requires only 3.8 METs—about the same as bowling. Oh, and mucking a stall is a 4.3 MET activity! Posted September 30, 2014