1965-Voice Of The Tennessee Walking Horse 1965 October Voice | Page 37

TARHEEL REVIEW
by Elaine and Harold Thacker
Rt. 5, Winston-Salem, N. C.
vaccines for the prevention of the disease are available
and widely used in areas where the disease is frequent.
Every owner of show horses or ponies should have
his animals vaccinated. The cost is small compared
to the cost of your animal.
It takes two shots to immunize your horse or pony,
seven to fourteen days apart.
"BE WISE - IMMUNIZE”
(Continued from page 14)
North Carolina has, for the past few years, been
plagued by a disease called ENZOOTIC ENCEPH­
ALOMYELITIS (sleeping sickness). The cases have
become more and more numerous, especially in the
coastal areas.
The following article was in the Winston-Salem Jour­
nal, August 2, 1965:
"A sizable increase in sleeping sickness among ani­
mals in North Carolina was reported yesterday by Dr.
H. J. Rollins, head of the State Department of Agri­
culture, Veterinary Division.
"He said 100 cases of equine encephalomyelitis
(sleeping sickness) have been reported so far this
year, 91 of them during July, as compared to 71
cases during 1964.
"The State Health Department said no human cases
of sleeping sickness have been reported.
" 'It is reasonable to assume we will have a greater
number of cases in August and September, unless a
large number of animals are immediately vaccinated,’
he said.
"Rollins urged owners of horses, mules and ponies
to vaccinate the animals immediately.”
'Sleeping sickness’ is an infectious disease caused
by a virus and characterized by deranged conscious­
ness, paralysis, and a high death rate. In the usual
form there are no changes visible to the naked eye,
but microscopic changes are present in the brain and
to some extent in the spinal cord. Natural infection
has been observed in the United States chiefly in
farm horses. There is no age immunity, and it spreads
from horse to horse like infantile paralysis in man. It
is possible that animals acquire immunity without
showing recognizable symptoms even though they
have become infected. The virus can be transmitted
by insects, such as mosquitos and ticks, and it is
commonly believed that mosquitos are the chief source
of infection. The presence of virus in the bloodstream
of affected horses during the feverish stage of the
disease gives an opportunity for widespread trans­
mission by insects. While recovered animals are usually
immune, there are some exceptions. The development
of the disease is from one to three weeks. The domi­
nant symptoms are disturbance of consciousness, un­
controlled movements and paralysis. The onset may
be gradual or sudden, and the course is from a few
hours to a few days. There is usually an increasing
temperature in the beginning. The death rate in dif­
ferent outbreaks is from 20 to 90 percent. Effective
October, 1965
horses which showed signs of mistreatment. The letter
was read and met with the approval of the group at
large.
The next order of business was presented by Mr.
Hengen, representing the American Walking Horse
Association. He presented several good recommen­
dations which were formulated at a meeting of his
organization just prior to the open meeting. His first
recommendation was that all authority clarify a com­
mon misconception regarding the wording of the rules
having to do with the condition of Walking Horses in
the show ring. They stated that the wording referring
to "old or new scars” was misleading, and that it
should be pointed out that a horse having "old but
clean scars” was indeed suitable for show-ring activity.
A note was made on this recommendation and it was
to be considered by the board at a later meeting. The
next order of business presented by Mr. Hengen was
the allowable weight of boots for Walking Horses.
They recommended that the weight be raised to 16
ounces. This too was accepted and was to be con­
sidered by the board.
Mr. CHARLIE BOBO brought up the question of
boots with a comparison of the rules regarding Saddle
Horses and Walking Horses. His recommendation, with
the expressed support of the representatives of the
A WH A, was that Walking Horses be treated the same
as gaited horses. Mr. Hengen further stated that their
organization was recommending that Walking Horses
be checked outside the show ring prior to a class and
that the 'dropping of boots’ be eliminated from the
judging activities within the ring. This too was accepted
by the group and was to have been considered by the
board later.
Mr. Bobo also made a recommendation that some
consideration be given to developing more classes
for Walking Horses and that the age and size classi­
fications be similar to those now in effect for gaited
horses. This recommendation was also considered by
the board, as was further discussion regarding the
showing of Stallions by Ladies in Amateur Classes.
The results of the Board activities following the
open meeting have not been forwarded to the VOICE
but we should have this information for the October
issue of the magazine. We feel that open meetings
such as this help to improve relations in all quarters
of Walking Horse activity and that by working together
and cooperating for the common good of the breed,
all of the various organizations can increase their
benefits to the mass of Walking Horse enthusiasts
from coast to coast.
More on this next month!
37