Archive for July, 2009
Being Cast
Most horse people know what it means when a horse is cast. He has gotten himself in a position in his stall where he can’t get up on to his feet again. You might be saying to yourself what a dumb thing to do. Horses love to roll in the ring, in the pasture and in their stalls. Sometimes they get too close to the wall and can turn one way but can’t turn back because their feet are stuck by a wall, and they need someone to help move them away from the wall so he can stand up.
My horse got cast recently, no one saw it but by the time I got there he was hanging his head in a funny position and wouldn’t raise it up. I didn’t like the way he was standing, putting most of his weight on his back legs. We could see the muscles in his neck bulging into big knots on both sides. From the time he got cast till he managed to get up must have been horrendous. The vet couldn’t believe he managed to right himself but understood why his neck was so sore.
We agreed no riding until the neck loosens up and massages with liniment did the trick. The vet kept coming out and Baylee who is quite the actor would drop his head and give the most pitiful look. Twenty minutes later I knew what he was up to so after his massage I put a mint and gently encouraged him to turn his head. In both directions he gobbled up his treats.
When I went to the barn the next day, I massaged him and he had the most suprised look on his face when I brought out the saddle. You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time but you can’t fool mom.
In all seriousness Baylee was very lucky. Horses can die if they get cast and no one hears their crys for help. Craig Cameron tells a story about a newborn foal that his wife heard. She didn’t think it was a horse, the pitch of the cries were so loud and desperate. He went to where the mares were and shined his light only to see this poor little baby ’s feet tangled in a wire fence. He got him loose and took him back to mom and he was just fine.
Some barns have a rule that all horses wear a break-away halter in the stalls. The reasoning behind that is if the horse casts himself you have something to grab onto to help him get free. A break-away halter is useful for other things too. If a horse gets himself stuck in a corner the halter will break and free him immediately. The halter is canvas and the top piece is leather, if the leather breaks the halter is released from the horse’s head. You only have to replace the leather part of the halter as long as the rest is in decent shape.
There are some barns that say the chances of a horse getting cast in the stall are slim and would rather have the horses heads free. It is something that is worth thinking about. What ever you decide, don’t pile shavings so high in the middle of the stall that if the horse does roll he isn’t rolling downhill into a corner.
Where does cruelty start?
What is cruelty to a horse. One man’s definition might be very different than yours or mine. To force a horse to keep his head in a vertical flection while doing dressage is not thought to be cruel. Watching these horses dance to music their headset seems just right. Many would disagree. There are specific standards set in every equine sport and there are always dissenters. Tennessee walkers have had heavy weights on their hoofs, giving them that high step we associate with the breed. There is a process at horse shows called soring where the back of the hoof is burned to make the horse raise his feet higher. Most of these practices are outlawed and one show was shut down because inspectors showed up. Obviously they felt those actions were cruel. I would like to hear other opinions on these things. Are they cruel or is cruelty measured in how many people do it within each discipline? What bothers you may not bother me. Who should have the last word? The organization putting on the show, the breed group the horse falls into, the humane society, or the owner? I don’t have the answers, but I think we must start looking beyond what is allowed and look into our horses eyes and see how it looks from his side of the ring.
Learned Helplessness
I applaud the Horse Journal for the March article on “Learned Helplessness” and not wavering from their view in the July issue.
I have found not only too many horses are taught learned helplessness, too many are not suited for the jobs they are doing. Most trainers, train for a skill they want the horse to have, without evaluating the natural abilities of the animal before training begins. I see this over and over at barn after barn.
I saw someone change a good western horse into a jumper for no apparent reason. If the horse didn’t do the right thing, he got a beating Through fear he became a fairly decent jumper.
It sickens me to see horses in western pleasure walking and trotting with their heads slung so low. None have a shine or brightness in their eyes until they do an event like reining. All that pent up energy is finally allowed out.
Some horses have a natural ability to cut cows or to jump and that’s great to have a job they love. Some horses don’t want to train for anything. That doesn’t mean you don’t train them, that is a far too common mistake. All horses need a good groundwork program, to teach them respect for their owner and human handlers. As the training continues the relationship between horse and rider becomes not only one of respect, but also a trust for one another. It is a very rewarding feeling especially when it is based on a humane foundation.
I trained my horse myself, I trained my dogs myself, I trained my cat myself. I’m not trying to brag I just don’t have enough money to train all my animals and send my kids to college.
I don’t expect my cat to do tricks, I do expect him to stay off the kitchen table because when he tried I disciplined him. I treat him like a cat. My dogs are pets, they can do tricks and they like to be together running around. They have the pack mentality. My horse is not a big dog, although he does follow me walking around the ring when we’re alone in there. He also needs to be out to pasture with other horses. My dogs aren’t afraid of things in the yard, they chase them. I had to train Baylee , my horse not to spook at things that worried him.
I taught my horse many skills and he just wants to be a horse doing a little of this and a little of that, and that’s fine with me. He just wants to be a horse and I love him dearly and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
COPD in Horses
COPD stands for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and in humans asthma is sometimes included in the definition and sometimes not. In horses it is also known as heaves and is considered the horse form of asthma. It may also be defined as episodes of obstructive lower airway disease in horses triggered by some allergen like hay or bedding. Something in the environment causes an allergic reaction that constricts the bronchi oles ( airways ) in the lungs and makes it difficult for the animal to breathe.
It can come on suddenly, or slowly over a period of years. The horse will not perform as well as he usually does and his performance continues to decline. Some horses will cough others will show the limited exercising ability.
Heaves can be caused by throwing down the hay from above and the dust that comes with it is the allergen. Sometimes it’s the hay itself, it may be moldy or dusty. Sometimes horses are allergic to their bedding and that makes it very difficult to figure out what the cause is. The hay is eaten on the ground usually on the bedding of the stall. Some horses are allergic to something in the pasture, just like people develop allergies to ragweed or pollen. It’s a good idea to soak the hay in a tub before feeding it to the horse. Then feed the hay on the ground since that’s the best headset for a horse that is eating.
Some symptoms of heaves can also be from heart disease or a respiratory infection. If fatigue continues call the vet. A horse’s heart rate in a well conditioned horse should be 30 beats a minute or less.
What to do if it is a respiratory infection? Usually the vet will prescribe antibiotics. For heart problems talk to your vet. The heaves are treated by keeping your horses hay on the ground covered. Soak the hay before feeding it on the ground outside the stall. If that works it’s the hay or the dust or mold. Change your bedding to something less dusty with a different base. Continue with the process of elimination until you find the culprit or nothing changes the horse’s breathing. If symptoms continue you will probably have to go to a cough syrup. You may also have to give a drug called prednisone or an inhaler for horses. If the symtoms go away hope they stay away. Make sure the barn you are in has good ventilation because that helps a lot. Your horse may respond well to herbal supplements or to antioxidants or vitamin c. Have a long talk with your vet, he’ll know which products work best for the majority of horses in his practice. Together you will find something that will help your horse.
Barefoot vs shoes
Not too long ago I was in favor of horses going barefoot. This was after years of having to be convinced that it was better for the horse and to his overall health. I thought my farrier who had always done a good job and been honest with me, was right when he said Baylee could go barefoot. So I had him pull his shoes and he seemed to be fine until the farrier got harder and harder to reach and Baylee needed some work done quickly. His frog began to grow out on his left front foot and both front feet were chipping and his back feet started to look odd. He had trimmed him oddly the last time he was done and he left funny raised areas where it should have been flat. He came out when I wasn’t there and couldn’t reach him after that. Finally I had enough, Baylee’s left front foot was sensitive so I decided to do only groundwork with him the next day. I was teaching a young girl how to longe a horse and when Baylee turned to the left I could see he was off. Fortunately the new farrier was coming out and the vet called the house asking if he could come give Baylee his shots.
I called my husband back and told him to get the vet out pronto because Baylee had come up lame. Turned out that he had thrush in the left front foot and the new farrier suggested shoes to get his off of the gravel and hard surfaces until he healed. The person who had to be convinced that going barefoot was the way to go and had really become a staunch believer was putting shoes back on her horse’s feet. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew Baylee wasn’t really a good candidate for going without shoes, but I stopped listening to my instincts and Baylee was paying for it.
What is the moral of this story. Listen to your instincts and don’t be influenced by the latest fad reported in the media. I tried something that I hoped would work and the outcome wasn’t what I had hoped for, but I did there is nothing wrong with tring something new. Baylee took a week off and is running fine now, after finding a fungus in his foot.
The one thing that I know is always dependable is groundwork, and it worked again.
Happy Horses
These are happy horses
WHY are these horses so happy and content?
They are doing what horses are designed to do! EAT GRASS all day long.
The next best thing for horses is to eat good quality hay, and plenty of it.
Grass and hay (which is a family of dried grasses) are the optimal food type for a horse’s gut.
It keeps the digestive process in order, and keeps the intestines’ content moving. Just as people need “roughage” and “fiber” to stay regular, as horse needs this even more, as it is the mainstay of their diet on the open range. The horse gut is not like ours. Horses ferment their food in the digestive process. We do not ferment our food, so we can’t digest the fiber that a horse can. Conversely, a horse’s gut cannot digest a steak.
Grain is not a substitute for hay. It is a supplement to hay for vitamins and minerals when a horse is stabled.
In fact, grain can lead to colic if overfed. We will talk more about these issues in an upcoming newsletter.
Riding Disciplines
This is a little background, a dash of history and some insight into why so much of this website is devoted to riding safety and responsibility. We hope that you have read our free introductory manual, So You Want to Ride a Horse!, as a prelude to coming aboard. The manual is free for those who are serious enough about riding to provide two bits (that’s a horse joke) of information, your name and a valid email address, where we can reach you, in the tiny form at the bottom of the page. When you respond to your thank you email, you will be granted access to the down-loadable document.
There are many disciplines in horseback riding. I’ve done several, and I must tell you if you are in my generation, there’s only one way to go, and that’s Western. I started learning in English, and while I hate to admit it, it is the way to go to learn balance and a good “seat.” I have a very rare disease called Behcet’s Disease, and I have the neurological component which is similar to MS. When I learned that riding could help with these problems, I went to a local therapeutic riding school. After several months of work, I made it onto the drill team.
I learned dressage patterns because I needed them to be on the drill team. After about 2 years my instructor said “you really need to get a horse of your own, you are ready.” So, I went to an English barn, and there must be something about the way I look in the saddle, because I was always being put in situations I thought I wasn’t quite ready for. I had just started cantering when I went to the new barn. The teacher had me going over small jumps on a very fast horse whose name I will leave out because the owner stopped riding and donated him to the barn. Well, the horse wasn’t going to stop and I didn’t have time for questions, so I hung onto his mane and we jumped. Every time the instructor said how beautiful my form was, (well, maybe she needed glasses) she asked “just once more?” You guessed it, my lesson ran overtime. As I came out with my horse in tow, people started complimenting on my jumping. The poor horse must have had a sore neck where I had grabbed his mane so tightly.
I was so tired and overwhelmed I just thanked everyone and got one of the workers to take care of the horse. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but I slept well that night.
Now I just ride for pleasure and therapy, in a Western barn, where everyone from kids to grandparents have fun and compete for real. Every age range takes lessons and participates in the high skill events, such as Barrel Racing, Pole Bending, Keyhole and so on. My husband and I just watch in awe as these riders test themselves and their horses in real rodeo type events.
There are even some just plain show-off shows, where the horses and riders are dressed up as fancy as they can be and follow the judges directions to look as much in control as possible. It can be everything from Circus to High Drama.
Outdoors, Trail-Riding is a great way to relax in the woods with friends, just taking in Mother Nature from the back of a horse who would rather stop to eat than do anything else. Believe it or not, you have to stay alert and in control at all times, since your “vehicle” still has a mind of his own. You may not agree with what he is thinking, but you had better be ready to deal with it quickly. It is too easy to forget that you are on the back of of an animal that can bolt away in a split second. The laws of Physics don’t favor you staying aboard unless you are alert and in control.
We have just scratched the surface of Riding Disciplines. For a lot more fun and information, sign up with us now.
Horseahaulic World
Care, Compassion and Consistency
Every animal has a unique personality and disposition. Because of this, every animal needs to be trained with his or her individual needs in mind. This requires a unique trainer, with a wide range of experience and a wealth of knowledge. Whether you want to train a young animal, or an older animal, you need expert guidance to effectively and safely train your animal. We think of the three C’s of horse training: Care, Compassion and Consistency as the cornerstones of good training. All of this needs to be wrapped in Patience and Humor. The horses can be temperamental, but the humans must show no sign of temper. A scared horse is a very dangerous horse.
