During a break at the recent Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event in April, I sat down with Jennifer Brocker, Vice President of Client Marketing, Veterinary/Pet Care, CareCredit, and Kate Hayes, Vice President Equine Expansion, CareCredit. The company recently surveyed horse owners on the expected versus actual costs of horse care, and the results were pretty surprising.  

The study revealed that while 83 percent of horse owners believe they’re financially prepared, actual costs can be three to four times higher than expected—especially when unexpected veterinary needs arise, such as colic or orthopedic injuries that can cost up to $10,000. 

Horse Illustrated: Can you tell us what the new Equine Lifetime of Care Study means for equine vets and horse owners, and why many underestimate the long-term financial commitment of owning a horse?  

Jennifer Brocker: We originally did our Lifetime of Care Study for companion animals (dogs and cats). And then we decided we needed the same kind of information for equine veterinarians and horse owners, so they have a better understanding of how much money they spend over the lifetime of a horse. The way we saw it was, you’re helping prepare them for what’s to come. And since cost of care is one of the biggest barriers for horse ownership or pet ownership, we felt it was important knowing in advance and being educated on the ways that you can be prepared financially over the lifetime of your animal. We also thought it was important that veterinarians have a view into that as well.  

Kate Hayes: It’s such a great tool to educate and empower clinics and practices and veterinarians, but then also on the flip side, like Jen said, to educate horse owners. Because whether people rescue a horse or get into riding for the first time, they know what a riding lesson costs, but they don’t know what the full expense of owning a horse costs. This [study] is a great tool to empower and to educate practices and clinics because this gives them information to pass on to their clients. 

HI: What are some strategies equine vets are using to navigate rising costs, including tools to reduce financial friction with clients, while maintaining high-quality care?  

Brocker: The strategy a lot of equine veterinarians use is, “If you can’t pay me today, I provide the care, and you can pay me later,” which leaves the veterinarian chasing the money. So we can train the veterinarians to say, “I want to take care of your horse, but that requires financial responsibility. Here are the solutions that we have in our practice to help you be ready.” The horse owner needs to understand that the veterinarian must be paid just like their board bill or hay bill is paid.  

Hayes: We’re a partner with them and their business to help that shift. Regardless of what type of veterinarian you are, it’s cost that’s the biggest point of friction between you and your clients. If you talk about it from the beginning, that moment of friction is reduced, so the unexpected medical moment doesn’t also come with an unexpected financial crisis.  

HI: How is CareCredit partnering with equine clinics nationwide to improve access to care while supporting sustainable practice growth? 

Brocker: We’re partnering up with [equine vet practices/clinics] on various levels. First, helping educate their team. How do you have a comfortable financial conversation with a horse owner? If you don’t talk about it and you’re not comfortable talking about it, that in and of itself is a barrier. So we have a lot of training and education to help the veterinary team not be afraid to bring it up, helping them with proactive confidence in that financial moment where everybody’s really emotional.  

The other thing [CareCredit is doing to help equine vet clinics] is we’ve created an all-digital financial experience, so regardless of whether you’re in the clinic or you’re out at the barn, you can apply for CareCredit, get approved, and pay—all from your phone. We’ve always been available in equine practices, but when we first went into it, our payment experience didn’t fit their model. Now they can get paid anywhere, anytime. 

Hayes: If you look at our partnerships on a bigger scale with the AAEP (American Association of Equine Practitioners), being an educational partner for them allows us a platform. Education is the key word here. It supports the sustainability of the profession by providing resources that are specific to their workflows, because the ultimate goal is what’s best for the horse and what’s best for the horse owner. If we can help remove some of the barriers that are between a horse owner getting the treatment for their horse, then that’s what we’re here for.  

We also partner with universities. The future veterinarian is also very important to us, so by the time that they’re in practice, that financial conversation isn’t as quite as challenging. It’s tough being a veterinary student—there’s a lot of information thrown at you, so of course the business side isn’t always top of mind. By supporting the universities and organizations that support the future veterinarian, it allows us a platform to be able to educate and help them before they’re actually in practice.  

HI: What is CareCredit?  

Hayes: CareCredit is a health and wellness credit card that horse owners can use for all types of veterinary services, treatments, and diagnostics.* It’s a great fit for the equine profession because instead of invoicing after service has been completed, this gives you the opportunity to pay upfront—the veterinarian is able to capture payment in full up front, but the horse owner has 6, 12, 18 months of interest-free [time to make the payments].

*Subject to credit approval 

Brocker: I think one of the best things about CareCredit is once you have the credit card, you are financially ready for whatever happens, whether it’s wellness or unexpected or surgery. And you can use it for whatever animal you have at the veterinarian. It is truly your family credit card for life’s unexpected expenses.  

View the entire Equine Lifetime of Care Study here. 

To learn more or apply for a CareCredit card, visit www.carecredit.com.  

The post What Does a Lifetime of Horse Care Cost? appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Unfortunately, much of what happens in life is out of our control. Insurance can’t prevent bad things from happening, but it offers a financial buffer when they do.

Here, we’ll review the most common equine policies, what they entail, and different circumstances to consider.

Most Common Equine Insurance Policies

Restricted Perils

Also called Specified or Named Perils, Restriced Perils is the least expensive option and covers only what is listed in the policy, such as death by wind, fire and/or smoke, lightning, collision, or overturn in vehicular transit. Depending on the company, it may include theft.

Full Mortality

A full mortality insurance policy covers death due to any cause, except for willful neglect or destruction. It covers the insured horse in the event that he dies or must be humanely destroyed due to illness, accident, injury, disease, fire, smoke, lightning or theft.

Think of Restricted Perils and Full Mortality policies as “life insurance.”

Major Medical

Major Medical protects the horse owner against covered medical, veterinary, and surgical costs up to a specified amount per policy year.

Surgical

This policy reimburses for covered surgical expenses up to a specified amount per policy year. Surgical coverage applies to necessary procedures performed under general anesthesia, not elective surgeries, like castration.

Colic

This equine insurance policy reimburses for a medical or surgical colic.

Major Medical, Surgical and Colic endorsements aren’t available on their own, but can be added to a Full Mortality policy. Think of these policies as “health insurance.”

Equine Insurance Policy Details

“Full Mortality is the base policy, and then you can add to it,” says Rhonda Mack, an agent in the Ocala, Fla., office of EPIC Insurance, a nationwide company.

“Most insurance companies include a colic surgery endorsement with Full Mortality, but you can add additional coverage on top of that,” says Mack, noting that some companies allow “stacking” of endorsements.

A colic endorsement has a $10,000 limit and will reimburse the owner for medical or surgical colic expenses for an insured horse.

Major Medical typically covers issues like lameness, gastric ulcers, eye injuries, clinic costs, MRIs, et cetera, plus surgical costs, such as colic surgery. Some insurance companies include acupuncture and chiropractic in their Major Medical policy, but coverage varies with each company, so read your policy carefully.

The decision to purchase equine insurance is both financial and emotional.

“It’s based on your comfort level and what you worry about happening to your horse,” says Mack. “If your horse is facing a $12,000 colic surgery and you have to make a decision based on if you can afford it or not, insurance can give you peace of mind, knowing you have help with veterinary expenses.”

Horse Value

The premium for Full Mortality coverage is determined by the price you paid for the horse and his use (pleasure, show, racing, or breeding). If you bred the horse, your insurance agent can help determine a value based on stud fee, bloodlines, sales averages, et cetera.

“Most carriers now require a minimum Full Mortality insurance amount of $15,000 to be eligible for Major Medical,” says Mack.

The following examples are based on December 2023 policy prices.

An 8-year-old dressage horse insured for $25,000 under Full Mortality with a $10,000 major medical policy would have an annual premium of approximately $1,375.

A 10-year-old Quarter Horse trail horse insured for $5,500 with a $10,000 surgical endorsement and $5,000 free colic surgery would have an annual premium of approximately $350.

Reimbursement

Major Medical already includes surgical expenses up to a specified amount. For a relatively low price (usually under $200), owners can add a $10,000 surgical endorsement to their Full Mortality coverage.

Endorsements function by reimbursement, rather than paying the veterinarian directly. The horse owner pays the veterinarian and then turns in the invoices and veterinary report to be reimbursed for the covered expenses, less any deductible and copay.

For example, if the insured horse required a $9,000 colic surgery, after the deductible and co-pay are applied, the owner would be reimbursed about $8,000.

Horse Age

Age comes into play when insuring horses.

“After age 15, premiums get higher,” says Mack. “Most companies will insure to age 18, some to age 20. We consider all horses’ birthdays to be January 1, even if they’re born in June.”

Even though full mortality and surgical coverage aren’t usually available after age 20, Restricted Perils coverage is still offered.

Individual Horse Owner’s (IHO) Liability Coverage

Individual Horse Owner’s (IHO) liability coverage has nothing to do with the health of the horse. This policy protects the owner in the event their horse causes damage to a person or property.

“Equine liability is recommended,” says Mack. “Any time you own a horse, you have risk exposure.”

Coverage provides liability protection in many situations, such as if your horse gets loose at a show and injures someone.

You don’t need to own property to purchase this coverage, and it’s for those who don’t derive income from their horses. With IHO liability, the premium is based on the number of horses owned.

Mack says that an IHO liability policy with $1 million coverage covering a few horses generally costs less than $400 a year.

Many people mistakenly assume their personal homeowner’s policy extends to cover damage or injury caused by horses.

Insurance for Equine Businesses

People who own breeding and training farms or boarding stables should have a commercial liability or farm package policy, which includes the residence on the property as well as equine owner’s liability coverage. Care, custody & control is another option if you board horses you don’t own.

Let’s say your horse breaks through the fence and ends up on the road, causing an auto accident. If there is damage to the car and/or an injury or death of the car’s occupant(s), a resulting claim would not be covered under most homeowner’s policies.

However, if found negligent, it would be covered under a commercial farm owner’s policy or IHO liability policy. (Equine liability policies also cover defense costs).

Key Takeaway

If you decide to consider insurance coverage, don’t be afraid to talk to more than one provider, get multiple quotes, and ask plenty of questions.

In the end, your peace of mind is worth every penny.

This article about equine insurance policies appeared in the April 2024 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Equine Insurance Policies appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Standing sedation is the type most often used on the farm for calming a horse while keeping him upright.

“Basically, we’re taking the edge off,” says Magdalena Niedermeyer, DVM, of Burnt Fork Veterinary Clinic in Stevensville, Mont. “The horse is still standing, but he seems drunk. Sedation is not anesthesia, so if a horse really doesn’t like something, he can still tell you while sedated.”

Horses are often given a mixture of drugs instead of just one to ensure they are not a threat to themselves or those around them during the procedure. The type and amount of each drug used will depend on the horse’s size, state of mind at time of sedation, and how long the horse will need to remain sedated. Horses that are more anxious at the time of delivery may require more drugs than a horse that is calm.

How Equine Sedation is Administered

There are multiple ways to sedate a horse, but the bottom line is that the more quickly the drug gets into the horse’s bloodstream, the more rapidly he will become sedated.

Often the drug and administration route are chosen by a veterinarian; vets will often discourage horse owners from administering injectable sedation on their own. While this is because a good portion of horse owners don’t know how to administer drugs properly, it’s also related to the type of drugs being used.

Be aware that many drugs that sedate horses are powerful, and if inadvertently given outside of the vein or into an artery, they could have harmful effects. Additionally, if human contact occurs, some drugs could impose serious health risks, including death.

Sedation can be administered in the following ways, from most rapid to least rapid.

Intravenously (IV)

• Effects within minutes.

“IV sedation is the quickest sedation used by veterinarians for procedures such as joint injections, dental examinations, minor surgeries, and other standing procedures, in addition to emergency situations or colic,” says Holly Helbig, DVM, Equine Technical Services Veterinarian with Zoetis.

Intramuscularly (IM)

• Effects within 5 to 15 minutes.

IM sedation goes directly into the muscle and does not require the administrator to locate and administer through a vein.

Sublingual (under the tongue)

• Effects within 40 minutes.

“Sublingual administration requires the medication be placed under the tongue so it can be absorbed through the oral mucous membranes, directly into the bloodstream,” explains Helbig. “It is very effective because it bypasses the digestive system.”

Oral

• Effects within 40 minutes.

“When medication is labeled to be given orally, it’s designed to be placed in the back of the mouth and swallowed, like a deworming paste,” says Helbig. “It is then absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract and into the bloodstream.”

It’s important care still be taken when handling a sedated horse, no matter how the drugs were administered. A sedated horse is conscious, meaning he can still react to sound and movement.

It’s critical that everyone around the horse pay close attention and not be lulled into a false sense of security that he will ignore most things going on around him. Loud noises, like the banging of feed bins or clanging of stall doors, could elicit a forceful reaction, and possibly endanger those around the horse.

How Do Horses Act Under Sedation?

A sedated horse is easy to spot: He will often stand with his legs splayed out, looking like he’s trying to catch his balance. His head will droop, sometimes to the floor.

“Typically, when the poll [drops] below the level of the withers is when the horse is in the correct plane of sedation for work to be performed,” says Helbig. “While the horse is settling into sedation, he may abruptly ‘catch’ himself with a leg, or buckle or cross his legs (ataxia and incoordination). This is normal—don’t try to hold up the horse or wake him by patting his head or neck.”  This will delay the onset of action and prevent the horse from achieving the maximum plane of sedation. 

“Depending on the environment [including heat, humidity, sun or shade], the horse may also sweat over his neck, shoulder, flanks or around the ears. This is also normal and transient,” says Helbig.

Though it’s not entirely clear why a horse may sweat from sedation, it’s not a cause for concern, she says.

“It is believed that the sedation stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, causing an inability to thermoregulate. Vasoconstriction caused by these drugs also increases body temperature, [and] that triggers sweating.”

If asked to walk, the horse often looks like he’s drunk, moving his legs in an uncoordinated manner, unable to walk in a straight line. Though this can be disconcerting to see, a horse rarely falls, even while holding still.

“Even if they are unsteady, they can usually reposition and correct their balance themselves,” says Niedermeyer.

Helbig agrees.

“The same passive-stay apparatus that allows horses to sleep standing up allows us to sedate horses and keep them on their feet,” she says. “The apparatus has three main components: Patellar locking, the reciprocal mechanism, and the check apparatus, which are an arrangement of muscles, tendons and ligaments that, when activated, allow the horse to lock their limbs standing with virtually no muscular effort.”

How Long Does Equine Sedation Last?

“The duration of effect [of sedation] varies by the type of sedation and route of administration,” explains Helbig. “It can range from 20 minutes to a couple of hours. Some types of sedation are fast-acting and metabolized quickly, while sedation given IM or orally will have a much slower onset than medications given IV. A higher dose of sedation will likely result in a deeper level of sedation and a longer time the horse will be sedated. Your veterinarian will be able to give you an approximate amount of time for this to occur based on the type of sedation used and the dose.”

Sedated horses can be unstable. Typically after a procedure, two people (one at the head and one at the tail as an anchor) help safely guide the horse back to a clean, quiet stall to wake up, says Helbig. If a stall is not available, being alone in a ring or flat paddock is also acceptable.

The horse should not be offered hay, grain or water as he recovers; his muscles are still relaxed from the sedative, putting him at risk of aspiration or choke.

A horse coming out of sedation will begin moving his ears, chewing and licking his lips, and begin looking for food as the sedation begins to wear off, says Helbig. He will often urinate as well.

“There isn’t much owners can do for the horse [coming out of sedation] besides allow time for the medication to be metabolized, so it’s best to leave him alone until you see him starting to look around and interacting with his environment,” she says.

Key Takeaway

Equine sedation is crucial to various forms of veterinary care. Multiple methods of sedation are available to horses, and the type of administration—as well as the amount of medication used—varies based on procedure and the horse itself. The sedation process for horses is quite similar to the process in humans, though of course, we are dealing with a much larger animal which requires careful administration and precautions.

This article about equine sedation appeared in the October 2023 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Equine Sedation 101 appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.