I stumbled upon this quote which I loved:
"One's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions." --Oliver Wendell Holmes.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Not just for pasture pets
There is a perception 'out there' that barefoot may be OK for pasture ornaments but not for horses who are competing. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is is our goal to develop feet that are 'rock crunching' sound. That means they should be able to participate in pretty much any event and perform barefoot as well as, if not better than, shod.
Depending on the severity of the damage which the horse's feet have already sustained getting sound may involve a process which includes some compromises in the short term. What sort of compromises? For instance, being careful about footing. Related to this is taking the time to put boots on the horse if he needs them to be comfortable. Another issue everyone needs to think about is taking time out to educate yourself about how your horse's diet and lifestyle can be affecting his feet. In the 'good old days' we could put our head in the sand about such matters. We expected the barn manager to choose the best food, the farrier to keep the horse sound and the vet to know what to do when he couldn't. But today there is so much new information that our 'old school' caretakers just don't know what they don't know. For our horse's welfare we need to step up and get involved in a manner we could never imagine a few years ago. But all these compromises, for those who have followed through, are far outweighed by the benefits both long and short term.
The long term benefit is a longer, more productive life for the horse. Many people see a teen aged horse as past prime. But this is due to the fact that so many horses start to break down at that age and the reason they break down is due to the condition of their feet. They don't have the old saying, "No hoof, no horse" for nothing. Your teenager ought to be the one who is old enough to be safe and experienced yet young enough to still do the job with vigor. He can be if we give him the chance.
The short term benefits are varied. Dressage riders notice how their horse starts to float over the ground with longer freer strides. Endurance riders notice fewer injuries. Everyone notices the lower farrier bill. Not only from avoiding the high cost of shoeing to start with but by avoiding the costs associated with pulled or twisted shoes.
Even though it shouldn't be about the money the fact is horses are costly. Still, wouldn't you rather be spending that money on having fun (such as entry fees or lessons) as opposed to vet bills? Why not give your performance horse the chance to be all he (or she) can be?
Depending on the severity of the damage which the horse's feet have already sustained getting sound may involve a process which includes some compromises in the short term. What sort of compromises? For instance, being careful about footing. Related to this is taking the time to put boots on the horse if he needs them to be comfortable. Another issue everyone needs to think about is taking time out to educate yourself about how your horse's diet and lifestyle can be affecting his feet. In the 'good old days' we could put our head in the sand about such matters. We expected the barn manager to choose the best food, the farrier to keep the horse sound and the vet to know what to do when he couldn't. But today there is so much new information that our 'old school' caretakers just don't know what they don't know. For our horse's welfare we need to step up and get involved in a manner we could never imagine a few years ago. But all these compromises, for those who have followed through, are far outweighed by the benefits both long and short term.
The long term benefit is a longer, more productive life for the horse. Many people see a teen aged horse as past prime. But this is due to the fact that so many horses start to break down at that age and the reason they break down is due to the condition of their feet. They don't have the old saying, "No hoof, no horse" for nothing. Your teenager ought to be the one who is old enough to be safe and experienced yet young enough to still do the job with vigor. He can be if we give him the chance.
The short term benefits are varied. Dressage riders notice how their horse starts to float over the ground with longer freer strides. Endurance riders notice fewer injuries. Everyone notices the lower farrier bill. Not only from avoiding the high cost of shoeing to start with but by avoiding the costs associated with pulled or twisted shoes.
Even though it shouldn't be about the money the fact is horses are costly. Still, wouldn't you rather be spending that money on having fun (such as entry fees or lessons) as opposed to vet bills? Why not give your performance horse the chance to be all he (or she) can be?
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
A horse needs to be OK inside
Recently a couple of situations have come up that have caused me to reflect on how a horse feels about what we are asking him to do. Some horses we encounter make us look good by taking everything new in stride and never letting on that maybe they aren't entirely OK with the process. Or maybe they do let on but they never do anything so dangerous that we can't get away with letting those things slide. We can all attest to that sort of thing looking back, no?
Isn't training hard enough as it is without having to be concerned about how the horse is feeling about it? Besides, one could reasonably ask, how on Earth can I know what a horse is thinking or feeling? The truth is, if we are willing to listen they will tell us. They don't speak English, of course, so we have to watch their behavior. Lucky for us they wear their hearts on their sleeves.
Horses come in all varieties of horsey personalities. On one end is the mild mannered fellow who takes everything in stride. On the other end is the independent minded, smart, mouthy sort who pushes every boundary. It would be easy to think that the first fellow is as 'fine' with everything as he appears on the surface. It is equally easy to think that the second guy is indomitable and hardly the sensitive one.
Yet for both of these horses it is necessary to look deep, past the 'calm' behavior of the first and past the mouthy, pushy behavior of the other, and ask what do I really see? I've actually got one of each of these types at the farm right now.
Mack is sweet, low key and polite. He's a real good egg and it is easy to figure that all is well with him. But I notice that there is a little wrinkle in his nose that comes up when he's a little uncertain. Working in the round pen Mack is tight through his body. When he turns it is not in a soft supple manner but stiffly. He's trying very hard to be 'obedient', insofar as he knows how, but it is clear that he's not really feeling good about everything that is happening.
Junior is the polar opposite of Mack. He's an extrovert to Mack's introvert. Junior comes a-running when he sees you enter the pasture. He is such an eager beaver! As a baby Junior was full of life and ideas of his own. He was pushy and mouthy as many youngsters are. Of course Junior took to clicker training like a fish to water. Yet at five years old Junior remains pushy and mouthy even though he has shown himself to be an incredibly quick study.
After working with both boys I have reached a point of seeing that they both have similar problems they just deal with them differently. But the fact is they both are not feeling that good about this preparing to ride business. On the surface it appears all is well and good. Right up until it isn't. Mack has an explosive spot that emerges when all the little things that are not feeling so good add up. Junior lets it all leak out by grabbing at whatever body part is closest (usually the hand that is holding the lead rope) rather than exploding down the line. Either way, sooner or later, it is in my best interest, health-wise if nothing else, to take care of these issues. I'm sure that both boys will ultimately end up as fine riding horses once they are able to let go of whatever they are worried about.
Isn't training hard enough as it is without having to be concerned about how the horse is feeling about it? Besides, one could reasonably ask, how on Earth can I know what a horse is thinking or feeling? The truth is, if we are willing to listen they will tell us. They don't speak English, of course, so we have to watch their behavior. Lucky for us they wear their hearts on their sleeves.
Horses come in all varieties of horsey personalities. On one end is the mild mannered fellow who takes everything in stride. On the other end is the independent minded, smart, mouthy sort who pushes every boundary. It would be easy to think that the first fellow is as 'fine' with everything as he appears on the surface. It is equally easy to think that the second guy is indomitable and hardly the sensitive one.
Yet for both of these horses it is necessary to look deep, past the 'calm' behavior of the first and past the mouthy, pushy behavior of the other, and ask what do I really see? I've actually got one of each of these types at the farm right now.
Mack is sweet, low key and polite. He's a real good egg and it is easy to figure that all is well with him. But I notice that there is a little wrinkle in his nose that comes up when he's a little uncertain. Working in the round pen Mack is tight through his body. When he turns it is not in a soft supple manner but stiffly. He's trying very hard to be 'obedient', insofar as he knows how, but it is clear that he's not really feeling good about everything that is happening.
Junior is the polar opposite of Mack. He's an extrovert to Mack's introvert. Junior comes a-running when he sees you enter the pasture. He is such an eager beaver! As a baby Junior was full of life and ideas of his own. He was pushy and mouthy as many youngsters are. Of course Junior took to clicker training like a fish to water. Yet at five years old Junior remains pushy and mouthy even though he has shown himself to be an incredibly quick study.
After working with both boys I have reached a point of seeing that they both have similar problems they just deal with them differently. But the fact is they both are not feeling that good about this preparing to ride business. On the surface it appears all is well and good. Right up until it isn't. Mack has an explosive spot that emerges when all the little things that are not feeling so good add up. Junior lets it all leak out by grabbing at whatever body part is closest (usually the hand that is holding the lead rope) rather than exploding down the line. Either way, sooner or later, it is in my best interest, health-wise if nothing else, to take care of these issues. I'm sure that both boys will ultimately end up as fine riding horses once they are able to let go of whatever they are worried about.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Take a longe lesson!
Sharon gave me a "longe lesson" the other day on our new school horse, Suntan. She wanted to try out the new guy in hopes of using him for longe lessons in the future. Wow! What an experience. Now folks may think that longe lessons are for beginners. Not so. Sharon's philosophy on longe lessons is to challenge the rider in creative ways that result in the rider discovering within herself the balance and suppleness needed to ride effectively. Sharon explains, "It is all about being able to access one's own body parts so that we can access the horse's." She continues, "I didn't make all this up on my own. I had the good fortune of experiencing all these exercises myself at Craig Stevens' Nation School of Academic Equitation in Snohomish, Washington." If you really care about riding well beg Sharon to give you a longe line lesson. You won't regret it! LG
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Just like a regular horse
We are so excited about the progress that Joey has made, especially in the last 2 or 3 months. Joey was given to Lauren in Florida as a navicular rehab case. The previous owners had come to the end of their emotional and financial rope when the vet and farrier declared Joey a lost cause due to Navicular disease. They had already spent thousands of dollars on treatment and special shoeing when Lauren entered the picture with a story of hope. Looking at the condition of Joey's feet, Lauren was sure that she could fix him. But in their minds they had done all they could do even if it were true that there was a possibility of having their horse back. So they offered Joey to Lauren and she snapped him up.It has been a long road. But the proof is in the pudding. Again the solution has been a combination of dietary changes, plus hoof balance, plus movement. Recently, we added an additional herbal supplement to support his muscles and tendons as he comes back to work. Over the course of the last year I rode Joey a handful of times. He carried himself very crooked and disconnected. I was able to encourage him to level out but no one else could seem to ride him! Then this spring he just started to look better moving around on his own. Lauren then added the AAKG and Jiaogulan to his diet. Since then it is like he's a different horse. We joke that now he's just like a regular horse.
I love the way he's using this hind end and the way it is pushing his neck up and out. He used to get all 'bunched up' so to feel (and see!) him moving out in such a fluid swinging way is like a miracle. I do love that kind of talk! SF
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Spring troubles
Recently, Lauren and I were talking about taking horses barefoot in the Spring. Horses are more likely to come up sore after trimming. We hate that!! But the bigger question is, "Why is that?"
There are a variety of reasons why some horses struggle after having their shoes removed. One major reason has to do with diet. Foods that are high in sugar, as new Spring grass is, change the normal microbial balance in the gut and the toxins that are released result in inflammation in the feet. Actually, everywhere in the body but it is in the feet where we notice that the horse is sore.
I mentioned Spring grass as a culprit but many horses are eating commercial feeds that are high in sugars. Hay, too, if it is cut in the late afternoon is also going to be high in sugar. So leaving your horse dry lotted and feeding high sugar hay will not control the problem. Adding insult to injury for mares in heat are raging hormones which also upset the internal apple cart putting the girls at even greater risk for laminitis in the Spring.
We've got several horses here who are on our watch list for laminitic episodes. But we put those horses on the dietary supplements they need to support them through the season in February. So far we've not had anyone come up sore and they are still eating grass.
Even our previously chronically sore guy, Zippity, a foundered horse who Lauren rescued in Florida is doing amazingly well now that his diet has been brought under control. Here he is (at left) looking sad, sore and skinny.
Today he's put on weight, even though we are feeding less food,
he's dark and shiny and most of all, he is SOUND. Yes, this is the same horse!
Many of our vets are still advising clients to shoe horses who are sore. This will only mask the problem which is systemic. We are hopeful that with more information vets will start to advise clients to start looking at the ingredients in their commercial feeds and the sugar content in their grass and hay. For more information about this issue check out http://www.safergrass.org/articles/laminitisdev.html SF
There are a variety of reasons why some horses struggle after having their shoes removed. One major reason has to do with diet. Foods that are high in sugar, as new Spring grass is, change the normal microbial balance in the gut and the toxins that are released result in inflammation in the feet. Actually, everywhere in the body but it is in the feet where we notice that the horse is sore.
I mentioned Spring grass as a culprit but many horses are eating commercial feeds that are high in sugars. Hay, too, if it is cut in the late afternoon is also going to be high in sugar. So leaving your horse dry lotted and feeding high sugar hay will not control the problem. Adding insult to injury for mares in heat are raging hormones which also upset the internal apple cart putting the girls at even greater risk for laminitis in the Spring.
We've got several horses here who are on our watch list for laminitic episodes. But we put those horses on the dietary supplements they need to support them through the season in February. So far we've not had anyone come up sore and they are still eating grass.
Even our previously chronically sore guy, Zippity, a foundered horse who Lauren rescued in Florida is doing amazingly well now that his diet has been brought under control. Here he is (at left) looking sad, sore and skinny.Today he's put on weight, even though we are feeding less food,
he's dark and shiny and most of all, he is SOUND. Yes, this is the same horse!Many of our vets are still advising clients to shoe horses who are sore. This will only mask the problem which is systemic. We are hopeful that with more information vets will start to advise clients to start looking at the ingredients in their commercial feeds and the sugar content in their grass and hay. For more information about this issue check out http://www.safergrass.org/articles/laminitisdev.html SF
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Welcome to the Nexus Center Newsletter
We've established this blog as a way to update our friends and clients about what is happening at the Center. Whether it is a new horse who is going through exciting changes, construction projects, or just our musings about training or hoof care we'll share it here. The website at www.nexuscenterforthehorse.net is still there and is a good source of information about the Center. We hope this blog will be more dynamic and provide a sense of community among us. Please feel free to share your comments! -- Lauren & Sharon
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