Fort Riley, K-State join forces to provide equine care

Photo By Kaitlin Knauer | Sgt. Christopher T. Johnson participates in equine care Nov. 16. Several horses, two mules and a mini pony from the Commanding General’s Mounted Color Guard had a big day when a team from Fort Riley Veterinary Treatment Facility and Kansas State Veterinary Health Center, Equine Field Service met at the CGMCG stables to assist the Troopers with the herd’s dental work and branding of the historic U.S. insignia.  

KS, UNITED STATES

11.19.2021

Story by Kaitlin Knauer 

Fort Riley Public Affairs Office

Several horses, two mules and a mini pony from the Commanding General’s Mounted Color Guard had a big day on Fort Riley, Kan. Nov. 16. A team from Fort Riley Veterinary Treatment Facility and Kansas State Veterinary Health Center, Equine Field Service met at the CGMCG stables to assist the Troopers with the herd’s dental work and branding of the historic U.S. insignia.
“So the partnership has to do with just getting procedures done and a learning opportunity for the vet students,” said Chris Blevins, Clinical Professor, Kansas State Veterinary Health Center, Equine Field Service. “We have fourth-year students that are coming out during their clinical and helping with these procedures. We usually will work with Mounted Color Guard with any medical issues they have in conjunction with the Fort Riley’s veterinarians.”
Four students from the university’s program assisted as part of a hands-on, equine-health services learning opportunity.
“We’ve probably been out of here the last five years consecutively for doing dentals, so yeah, it’s been really nice,” Blevins said.
The veterinarian teams also assisted CGMCG with “teeth floating” – a process to examine and repair a horse’s teeth to reduce irritation when a horse eats or wears a bit.
As for the branding process, the team relies on “cold branding” used by the Bureau of Land Management to humanely identify livestock,
“What they do is they’ll have this liquid nitrogen, so it’s not fire branded,” said Sgt. Christopher T. Johnson, CGMCG pasture maintenance and wagon master. “We’re not sticking it in the forge and then letting it get red hot and then sticking it in the skin. Now this is far less painful on the horses. It really doesn’t burn the skin as much as it attacks or changes the hair follicles. This process has no smoke. You just sit there, let the iron get cold and then just hold it on there for 15 seconds.”
The U.S. insignia branded into the animals represents a long lineage of Army history and tradition. No matter how many years the equine serve their nation, they will forever be a part of the U.S. Cavalry.

• Date Taken: 11.19.2021
• Date Posted: 11.19.2021 17:22
• Story ID: 409724
• Location: KS, US