Have you ever shown up to the barn to find your horse’s eye swollen closed and dripping excessively? Sometimes they bump their heads, or even get flicked in the eye by a neighbor’s tail. No matter what the cause, early and appropriate medical management is crucial for eye injuries. Most veterinarians will not put off an appointment to look at an injured eye- even if the owner reports that it appears mild. So many things can go wrong with eyes, especially when the horse decides to rub the eye repeatedly on the inside of his front legs! Once this cycle starts, what originally was a minor injury can rapidly progress to a very serious condition. Therefore - as vigilant owners, we really have to “keep an eye” on eyes!
Horse’s corneas are vulnerable to injury because of their convex contour. The cornea is the outer most layer of the globe - or the “glassy” surface which we can touch with our fingers. They protrude off the horse’s face in order to accommodate a wide field of vision, but this added benefit of panoramic vision also comes with an increased risk of injury. Horse corneas protrude so far that some veterinarians will joke that “a horse’s cornea enters the room before it does.”
Corneal scrapes (also called ulcers) are nothing to sit on since horses will reliably advance their severity by rubbing their eye. The initial signs of an injury to the cornea are:
We can’t always see the injury on the corneal surface just by looking at it. Most of the time, the veterinarian needs to put a special dye in the eye called fluorescein stain. The stain will run off the surface of a healthy, in-tact cornea. But, if any layers of the cornea are scraped away, as is the case with ulceration, the dye will saturate the area and then show up in direct light.
Corneal ulcers are painful and extremely aggravating for the horse (and the owner for that matter!) The pain sensation can be overridden by applying pressure to the eye or by rubbing it. But the trauma induced to the corneal surface by rubbing only results in a worsened condition of the ulcer since it causes more layers of the cornea to peel away. For this reason, it is imperative that owners prevent their horse from rubbing the eye during the ulcer rehab period.
1. The veterinarian will usually prescribe antibiotic eye ointment to treat the ulcer. Unfortunately, the eye ointment is not very user friendly and must be given usually 4 to 6 times per day. And by “day”- we mean a 24 hour period! If the antibiotic ointment can be effectively given on a 24-hour basis, the healing period will be shortened significantly. If 24-hour dosing is not possible, then giving doses “first thing in the morning, and last at night” will be of added benefit.
2. When working on the horse, wear gloves. The bacteria on human hands are the strongest on the body, and often are resistant to some antibiotics. If we inoculate these bacteria into the horse’s injured eye during the course of trying to treat it, they will compound the problem and impede healing.
3. Keep your horse in a darker stall since light is a painful stimulus. Use of a fly mask is also helpful. Some people actually place a duct tape patch on the fly mask over the affected eye to provide an additional shield.
4. In addition to eye medications, the veterinarian will put the horse on an anti-inflammatory medication such as banamine. Make sure that anti-inflammatories are given at the exact interval and amount that the veterinarian prescribes. This way, you will maximize the comfort of the horse, and thus minimize the change of him rubbing his eye to alleviate discomfort.
5. Finally - DON’T dig through the tack trunk and find an old tube of eye medication to put in the eye yourself. Not all eye medications are the same and using the wrong one can have disastrous consequences. For instance, did you know that there is a kind of eye medication that, if applied to an eye with an ulcer, will stop the ulcer from healing for several months? In addition, there is another kind of eye medication that can cause severe colic and induce blindness by dilating the eye. Don’t take risks by trying to “self-treat”! Your horse needs his eyes and the risk is unacceptably high if you gamble on mystery medications.
When you find your horse with a squinting and watery eye, get him out of the light, put on a fly mask, stop him from rubbing the eye and call the vet. You and your horse will be glad that you did!
Mortality: Equine Insurance: it's All About Protection - Expert advice on horse care and horse riding
Mention the word "insurance" to most people, and You&apos;ll likely encounter an excitement level similar to that of a horse on ace. let&apos;s face it. The topic of insurance is boring, and insurance salespeople have a reputation for being some of the most tedious people in the world. Or as comedian Woody Allen once said, "There are worse things in life than death. Have you ever spent an evening with an insurance salesman?"
However, when you&apos;re confronted with an injured or dying horse or if you?ve just been slapped with a lawsuit, it&apos;s amazing how quickly insurance becomes important.
Milton Toby suggests you talk to veterinarians, equine clinic staff and barn managers/trainers. "You can&apos;t beat word of mouth references," said Toby, who added that equine insurance is a niche industry, which means most insurance companies try to provide good service to their clients. If they don&apos;t, they usually don&apos;t stay in business very long.
You, the insured, must know what the terms of the policy are and what they mean. Since insurance policies have been written by lawyers in boring legal prose, most people don&apos;t read them, or if they do, they may struggle to understand what they mean. Milton Toby says ask for clarification. "You need to know what you&apos;re signing," he said.
You must also notify the underwriter and agent of any changes in the horse&apos;s physical condition, location and/or use as soon as possible. This is particularly important with mortality claims and renewals.
Honesty on the application is imperative, according to Jorene Mize of the Jorene Mize Insurance Agency, who has been selling equine insurance for over 20 years. "If you misrepresent or falsify information, especially the value of your horse, you may find the insurance company denies your claim."
MORTALITY INSURANCE. Many people call mortality coverage equine ?life insurance.? However, since equine mortality insurance only pays for the value of the horse (either "agreed upon" or "fair market value") rather than a horse&apos;s anticipated lifetime future earnings, the analogy isn&apos;t accurate. Mortality insurance helps you recover the financial loss from your horse&apos;s death. (We&apos;ll discuss equine "health insurance," aka major medical/surgical policy next month.) Click here for prices from underwriters on policies, learning your horse&apos;s true value and mortality vs. major medical coverage.
Depending on the carrier, equine mortality insurance can be obtained for a horse that is 1 day to 20 years old. However, some insurers impose an increase in premiums after age 14. Beyond age 18, carriers may restrict coverage only to theft or deaths resulting from certain "acts of God" (i.e., lightning, earthquake, flood or fire).
Equine mortality insurance may provide for "full mortality" or "limited mortality" coverage. Full mortality insurance covers death directly or indirectly from most accidents, illnesses or diseases, and will cover death from euthanasia done to prevent further suffering. (Note: Mortality insurance will not cover economic euthanasia.)
Because colic is a common, often fatal, condition that is often amendable to surgical treatment to preserve a horse&apos;s life, You&apos;ll usually need to also purchase an emergency colic surgery supplemental rider with the full mortality policy. Expect to pay an additional premium for this.
Along with colic coverage, most mortality policies offer an automatic ?Guaranteed Coverage Extension,? which provides mortality coverage for a period of time (usually up to 12 months) after expiration of the policy, if the condition causing death occurred and was reported to the insurer during the policy period.
The less comprehensive ?limited mortality? policy, also known as ?perils? insurance, only covers deaths under limited circumstances, such as fire, lightning or floods. Because this type of policy is narrower in scope, it&apos;s generally less expensive and may be a reasonable choice when a horse owner cannot get insurance for other reasons.
A mortality insurance policy won?t cover a horse&apos;s death if it&apos;s due to owner neglect or intentional misconduct. Some policies also require that your horse be under daily care and supervision. Watch for other limits, such as no coverage if the horse leaves the continental United States, unless you have written approval from the insurer. Check your insurance company before sending your horse on a cruise.
LOSS OF USE. Often added to mortality insurance is a Loss of Use policy, much like disability insurance in people.? It provides coverage for a horse that suffers a permanent injury that? leaves him unable to perform his intended use but doesn&apos;t require euthanasia.
FAIR MARKET VALUE VS. AGREED UPON VALUE. Ask most horse owners what kind of price tag they would put on their horse&apos;s life, and they?re likely to say it&apos;s priceless. However, in insurance, a horse&apos;s value is about real dollars and cents, not affection. When buying mortality insurance, you must establish the actual monetary value of your horse. it&apos;s critical to know whether your policy is based on an ?agreed upon value? of your horse or the ?fair market value? of your horse at the time of its death.
?Agreed upon? value is a dollar amount determined by the horse owner. Obviously, the higher the value of the horse, the greater the insurance cost to you will be. However, should your horse die while being insured under a mortality policy with an agreed-upon value, the carrier will pay you the full amount of the agreed-upon value.
Under a ?fair market value? mortality policy, the value of a horse is the amount the horse was monetarily worth at the time its death. Predictably, legal conflicts may arise when an insured loses a horse and expects to be compensated for what they thought the horse was worth at the height of its career but only receives a fraction of that amount because, at the time of death, the horse was a retired pasture ornament.? For that reason, it&apos;s wise to opt for an ?agreed upon? value mortality policy.
WHAT?S THE COST&apos;? The current economy is making most people look carefully at their budgets, so insuring your horse may seem a low-priority expense. However, having mortality insurance can soften the financial blow of losing your equine investment.
If you have a relatively inexpensive recreational horse and aren?t concerned about paying the veterinarian if your horse colics, you may not need mortality insurance at all. However, if you have a horse in which you?ve invested your money and your time in training and showing, or a horse, which if lost, means a significant financial hit to you, mortality insurance is wise.
Because illnesses and injuries can quickly worsen to the point of being fatal, notifying your insurer at the very first sign of illness or injury is extremely important. Failure to do so may result in your insurer denying your mortality claim later on. ?You can never go wrong by notifying too often,? said Milton Toby.
Furthermore, insurance companies may refuse to pay if you fail to get reasonable care from a licensed veterinarian to preserve your horse&apos;s life prior to its death.? This fact makes a strong case for purchasing a major medical policy with your mortality insurance.
In cases where a horse must be euthanized immediately, insurance carriers will generally not require pre-notification that might prolong the horse&apos;s suffering. However, you should have clear documentation that immediate euthanasia was necessary. This can get sticky.
Know your insurance policy?s requirements for notification and have this information, the policy number and the company?s phone number readily available wherever your horse is at the moment. It can be invaluable during a crisis.
Be sure you know what your policy?s specific requirements are following your horse&apos;s death. You will likely be required to have a licensed veterinarian perform a post-mortem necropsy, and you may be required to preserve your horse&apos;s body pending examination by a veterinarian from the insurance company. Some insurers require a sworn proof of loss statement to be submitted by the owner within 60 days and the company may also reserve the right to question the owner under oath within 30 days.
BOTTOM LINE. Whether your horse is a beloved family member or a business investment, compensation for its loss can assist you with financial recovery. However, you need to understand the policy you?ve purchased thoroughly, so you&apos;re prepared if and when the time comes that you need to use it. It isn?t just the price of the policy that matters.
Article by Susan S. Quinn, Esq. One of the first Horse Journal writers, Susan is an avid dressage rider and attorney.