The GREEN HORSE - sustainable horsekeeping

In the August/September 2005 of The Green Horse you will find the following articles:

Talking Point and Information Exchange
Won't Start? Do you have unstable fuel? by Liz Tollarzo
Poisonous Fruit Trees - Reader's Story
Spiders - Friend or Foe? part 2
Growing Your Own Equine Herbs by Fiona Adams
Wild Horse Update by Di McMurray
Buyer Beware - property purchase by Cyndi Mulders
Property Planning by Chris Ferreira and Tracey Bell

Won't Start? Do you have unstable fuel? by Liz Tollarzo

Unstable fuel may be the reason why your chainsaw, mower or power tools sputter and die.

With the rising costs of crude oil and resulting price rises of petrol, many property owners can be seen at the bowsers filling up their jerry cans whenever there is price drop. What many people do not realise is that the ingredients of fuel has, over the past five years, changed dramatically - limiting its shelf life.

The petrol companies have found that by adding various compounds to the crude oil, they are able to stretch the amount of petrol available from every barrel of oil. Due to these additive they can now use as much as 75% of the barrel directly towards its refinement into petrol, whereas previously only approximately 28% of a barrel could be used.

Under more and more pressure from the environmental enthusiasts, fuel companies are also adding oxygenating ingredients in an attempt to improve engine emissions and therefore air quality. All of these factors have unfortunately resulted in a fuel that is relatively unstable - reducing shelf life of petrol to a recommended 30 days and if stored in an above ground fuel container - such as a metal or plastic jerry can-this reduces to one week maximum!

Now, wondering why that whipper-snipper, mower or generator won't start? Haven't used it since last season perhaps? Leaving old fuel in equipment such as grass snippers, lawnmowers or really any petrol engine device can stop that engine from running well or even at all!

Fortunately, however, there are products available to help stabilise the fuel. These compounds work by limiting oxidation of the fuel and can extend the storage life up to one year. When storing or not running petrol engines for longer than one week, it is advisable to add a fuel stabiliser to the petrol tanks, to protect engines from damage by old fuel. Most stabilisers also claim to help quick and easy starting, clean the carburetors and fuel systems, reduce gum and other buildups within the engine and generally improve engine life.

As to the question, 'what do they actually add to fuel?', this can vary depending on the fuel company. The most common ingredients for oxygenating fuel are methanol, ethanol and methanol derivative (or MTBE). Both methanol and ethanol are types of alcohol, which, when used in fuel create an unstable element as the ingredients do not remain mixed. To add to this, alcohol absorbs water (often found in fuel or from condensation inside the tank) and combined, they become heavy and sink to the bottom of the tank. At the bottom of the tank, the alcohol/water component usually goes inside the engine first upon startup and depending on how much is present, this can lead to engine seizure. Alcohol is also an efficient degreaser, removing protection from engine parts - encouraging corrosion and increased wear.

MTBE was designed to eliminate these negative affects of raw alcohol, but it has it's own set of negative side affects. Close proximity to the fuel can lead to headaches, nausea, burning eyes and throats. Just a tiny amount of MTBE introduced to a water source makes it undrinkable and almost impossible to remove, making it a very real danger to ground water contamination. This is leading the United States to phase it out of their country and sell it overseas!

These alcohol products also help regain octane levels in fuel, a necessity in unleaded fuel. Other ingredients, which are used by fuel companies to boost octane content are Sodium, Potassium, Phosphorous and Manganese, all of which have nasty side effects on internal engine parts.

Unfortunately, fuel companies will continue to use whatever they find economical and within the environmental requirements to create the fuels we require to run our cars and machinery, therefore using a fuel stabiliser will help keep those engines running when equipment is not frequently used and help prevent damage or complete engine failure. It is also recommended to use a 'name brand' fuel company and avoid cut rate or economy brands, which may produce cheaper fuel.

Fuel companies are not required to let us - the consumer - know all the ingredients being used so, for now, all we can do is try and protect our machinery and equipment by purchasing from reputable companies, store fuel for no longer than 30 days, or one week in high temperature situations, and use fuel stabilisers wherever possible.

Reader's Story - Poisonous Fruit Trees
While most horse owners keep an eye out for unsafe or dangerous situations in a horse paddock, not many would consider fruit trees as a threat to the health of their equine.

For Vicki McQuoid, the ornamental pear and peach trees in the paddock were a hidden danger to her ponies Tom and Pedro, and like most people she didnt give fruit trees a second thought when the ponies became ill.

Over a period of five months, on and off, both of the ponies had been showing the same symptoms, first colic, loss of appetite, lameness, incoordination of gait, depression, diahorrea followed by constipation (blocked bowel), irregular laboured breathing, discoloured urine, thirst at first and then no will to drink at all, jaundice (yellow eyes and gums), and temporary blindness so bad that if she walked up to them they would panic as they could not see her. The ponies had received veterinary attention however, did not appear to improve after treatment

They would also lay down a lot as if they had colic, but in hindsight they were possibly trying to escape the pain of the liver, which was very inflamed.

Tom, the bigger pony showed the first symptoms, but started topick up after veterinary treatment for an infected liver. A few weeks later Pedro started showing the same symptoms and was also treated for liver infection and he seemed to pick up.

A few weeks later when Vicki went to feed the ponies, Pedro would not come up for his tea. As she went over to catch him, he could hear her but not see her - he was temporarily blind. He was standing under a tree that had the leaves eaten off up to the 'pony reach' height.

By the next morning Pedro had deteriorated badly, so Vicki rang the vet. After examining him, the vet urged Vicki to get Pedro to the veterinary hospital or he would die. Treatment began immediately he arrived. Leaving him in the vet's capable hands Vicki returned to the paddock to check all the trees. and found there were four others in the bottom paddock and two in the top paddock that had also had their leaves stripped to the ponies' reach height.

Taking cuttings of these plants to a nursery, the manager gave Vicki the latin names of the trees - Pyrus (Ornamental Pear tree) and Prunus (Peach tree). These names were then phoned through to the Vet, who in turn phoned Murdoch University for confirmation of their suspicion - that the plants contained Cyanide. Murdoch were able to list all the symptoms that both ponies had experienced.

Pedro spent four days at the vets fighting for his life. He had a blockage due to the cyanide poisoning shutting down his system, and endured countless enemas, injections and drenches. Thankfully the vet was able to save him.

Both ponies have been lucky to survive and will recover. The offending plants have now been identified and completely removed.

The symptoms were so varied ,that even though Vicki had five different vets come to treat these ponies, she does not criticise the treatment and rapid response from any of them as it made it very hard to pinpoint the cause of sickness.

Vicki wanted to warn others of the danger of what may be lurking in an otherwise innocent looking paddock. If your horse is intermittently ill, with no obvious cause, and has similar symptoms check your paddock to make sure that they are not eating any plants or trees that they shouldn't be. If you are unsure of any plant take a cutting to your local nursery and ask to have it identified by its latin name.

Fruit Trees:
Apples, as well as common fruits such as cherries, plums, almonds, pears, peaches and apricots are related and the seeds of these plants and their wild relations can be poisonous. The greatest concentrations of the toxin glycoside occuring in vigorous shoots, seeds and wilted leaves. Glycoside produces cyanide.

Although the pulp of the fruit itself is safe, children are traditionally warned to avoid eating apple seeds - with good reason as they contain the concentrate of the toxins.

Main Toxin:
The seeds, bark and leaves of these trees contain a cyanide-producing compound called amygdalin. In addition, wild cherries (chokecherries) produce prunasin, a similar compound. Poisoning can occur by consumption of young shoots, leaves, and/or quantities of seeds by livestock or children.

Wild cherries, and the berries of the closely related Mountain Ash are more likely causes of poisoning than domestic fruits, as the seeds, pits and stones of the latter are too large and unpalatable to swallow.

Wild cherry bark has been reportedly used to brew a stimulating tea, but the potential for cyanide poisoning makes it a risky beverage or meal for a bark chewing horse.

In humans, large doses of cyanide cause anxiety, confusion, dizziness, headaches and vomiting. In severe poisoning, breathing difficulty, increased blood pressure, heart rate and kidney failure can be followed by coma and convulsions.

Above information supplied courtesy of Holistic Animal Medicines.