A Logical Look at Shoes

It seems that time and time again, the argument why a horse “needs” shoes is that they are sore without, and the shoes solve that. It is also argued that some horses have “thin n soles”, and some argue that it is genetic, and nothing will solve that except shoes.

Let’s take a look at these statements with logic. Shoes only cover the outer part of the hoof – the wall – and leave the sole uncovered. Bruising and abscessing happens on the inner areas of the hoof or the bulbs – all of which are still open to the environment with shoes on. Ditto for the “thin soles”. Why would putting a shoe on the outer part of the hoof stop soreness on the inner part? It certainly does not protect it. Rocks can still penetrate and cause ouchies.

If the damage can still happen, then why does the horse walk out better? Magical shoe properties?

Let’s look at why we would sustain damage and not feel it – paralysis and lack of blood flow. When you wake up in the morning after sleeping on your arm all night, it is dead, and cannot feel anything. Perhaps the shoe restricts blood flow, deadening the feeling in the hoofs. The hoof is a complex structure, designed to take the entire weight and concussion of a 100lb animal in full flight. Huge stresses are absorbed by this small area. Stresses are either absorbed by deflection (expansion) or they are transferred directly to other structures up the leg. When metal is firmly affixed to the hoof, the expansion of the hoof is hindered. We don't often think about the expansion that happens in organic materials under thousands of pounds of stress. We also don't think about what holding those structures immobile will do to the blood flow. If I am held immobile for long periods, I start to lose feeling. Imagine what hapens when the hoof is held immobile for weeks and months at a time.

Let’s also look at thin soles. Ever walk barefooted over rocks? For most of us, it hurts, if it is not downright impossible. We use loofahs to remove callous from our feet to make them look pretty and feel soft. Soft, pretty feet do not walk on rocks without pain. Take those same feet, and let them build callous for a few months, and presto – you can walk on rocks without pain. It has nothing to do with whether or not your parents could walk on rocks without pain – just matters whether or not you have callous.

Callous is a thickening of layers of the skin due to repeated stimulus. It is not that much thicker than smooth, soft skin, but it is hundreds of times tougher. When you remove the callous, it exposes more sensitive material underneath, and it takes time for that to regrow.

It is well known and well-accepted that pulling the shoes and letting the feet ”rest” HELPS the hoof. If taking the shoes off helps, then is it not logical that shoes HURT the hoof?

It really amazes me what “herd” mentality will allow people to accept as okay when it has no logic. THINK about what you are doing to your animals. They are not human, and do not like human things. The problem is forcing them to live to our standards, not theirs. The sad fact is that a lot of traditional horse keeping practices are not healthy for the horse. Sure, most of the time they seem okay, but the problems show up as lameness, colic, and pain. Shoes may get rid of the symptom, but not the underlying issue. The problem still exists - a hoof that is not performing to the best of its abilities.

Unfortunately, I do not have the time or the inclination to educate the masses. People are resistant to change. As always, I just encourage people to think as much as possible.

The "S" Word

If you want to rile up horsepeople fast, just start a discussion about slaughter. It is more likely to start a flame war on a horse bulletin board than most other topics. People who have opinions on the issue generally have STRONG opinions – and generally, these people are not swayed no matter how much information is put in front of them.

Let’s look at some of the general background on this issue. Horses are defined as livestock, same as cows, pigs, and chickens. They are not labeled as companion animals like cats and dogs. One of the main differences in these labels(generally speaking) is that livestock is a designated food product, and companions are, well – pets. Livestock is generally excluded from land plots smaller than a certain size, and can be generally restricted and/or prohibited from within city limits. Livestock feed, care and services generally file under the lower-tax bracket reserved for farmers. Pet care, feed, and services fall under the normal tax laws. (This means you pay more taxes on pets than on livestock.)

There used to be several equine slaughter plants in the US. These processed the meat for overseas consumption where horsemeat is a delicacy. (Laws making eating horsemeat illegal in the states prohibit domestic consumption.) However, horsemeat can still be processed for other uses, including the rendering of carcasses for glue and pet food. (Euthanised pets are also rendered and recycled into pet food. This practice is partialy to blame for the mad cow disease scare - and the reson some foods have a "ruminant free" label.) Human consumption brings a much higher price, allowing slaughter buyers to make a profit even though they now have to transport horses to Canada or Mexico. Slaughter buyers can pick up horses for between $10-$300 at auctions across the country and make money. People who don’t want to take the time and/or effort to market their horse to a using home can turn a few dollars fast by using an auction.

Why are so many horses available for such a small amount of money? The short answer is: Supply and demand. Certainly, there will always be a few statistical outliers – horses who are not useful (too old or lame) or unmanageable/dangerous/untrainable. However, the steady availability of dirt cheap horses indicates that there are simply more horses available than for which there are homes.

Most horse owners deal with limited space. This is either a lack of horsekeeping facilities or a limit on funds for boarding fees. There is also the issue of usefulness. If someone is into a specific form of competition, then there is frequently a specific range of ages that can compete. For racing, most horses do not make it past their 3yo year. They don’t win enough or don’t hold up to the pressures and break down. A constant crop of new horses is bred and tried before being passed on. It takes a knowledgeable trainer to get these discarded horses ready for usefulness in another discipline – but these trainers are far less numerous than the horses in need of training. This can also be the case with show horses – futurity bids are for 2 and 3 year olds… they are considered “seniors” after this age. People who want to win year after year at these shows have to continually cycle through young prospects. Do you think they just retire all of their older and failed show horses to the back forty? These horses can be expected to live another 20 years past their futurity years…. Very few get to remain with the ones who showed them at a young age.

So - what to do with those horses who are older/not winning? Anyone who has sold a horse can tell you how much a chore it is to find an appropriate home for one horse, nevermind a cadre of horses every year. Pile this up for years on end, and it could be a full-time job just trying to place horses - leaving no time for the showing which is the reason for the sales in the first place. Quick and dirty solution? Run them through the local sale. Sure, you don't get a premuim, but it is done and no longer "their problem".

…to be continued….

Silliness from the trail

Trail riding seems like a simple enough concept. However, the likelihood of finding someone who likes to trail ride the same way that you do is hit-or-miss. To some, a “trail ride” is anything that involves riding outside of a riding ring. To others, a “trail” is flat, groomed, and wide enough to drive a jeep down it. Those who profess themselves full-time “trail riders” generally prefer smaller trails with varied terrain and obstacles to keep it interesting.

One of the most common complaints seems to be that of non-gaited and gaited horses riding together. Honestly, this is more of a difference in riding speed preference than a gaited/nongaited issue. Riders of either type can ride at speeds that are entirely too fast or entirely too slow for others on similar equines. In order for any trail ride with a group to be a success, there must be an understanding of where/how the trail ride will take place. That way, everyone comes prepared knowing what sort of riding is in store. However, sometimes even this does not stop all problems.

Some riders are simply unprepared. This can range from not having the horse conditioned properly for the terrain and length of trail, to not having the proper training on the horse. The unprepared rider can either be accommodating – pushing through like a trooper: listening to advice and getting their horse through it with help – or they can be downright frustrating: whining, complaining and generally making everyone else miserable.

You can also run into people with very interesting ideas of how you are supposed to ride. I have heard riders complain about getting dust/dirt/mud/water on their boots/jeans/ tack. I have heard unceasing too fast/too slow complaints. People get upset when you pass or when you stay behind them. Some people do not think it is okay for anyone to move at a different speed than they are. Some pitch a fit if you get closer than 3 horse lengths to their horse (how would you carry on a conversation?) I have heard that gaited horses scare non-gaited horses. (Huh?) I have heard that the reason a horse kicked was that it was a mare (after they ran their horse into the back of said mare at a fairly good clip.) I even had to endure a complaint from a veteran rider who said they were stopped on a hill… (small grade – really should not have been a problem.)

Some people like to stop a lot for rest breaks, and some people get mad if you have to stop – whatever the reason. (Even a missing Chicago screw – who can predict that one? Heck – you don’t need a bridle to ride.)

Anyone heard any other silliness?

Trailer Loading - How NOT to do it

This past week, a friend of ours asked to borrow our dark grey two horse bumper pull trailer. Let’s call him John. My husband took the request, and told John yes before I had any input. John was going to pick up a horse he owned that had been at someone else’s house for the last year. The horse was supposed to be ridden about once a week. Now John has room to bring the horse home, so went to pick him up.

The horse is a 20yo QH gelding. Since he has a tattoo, I would guess he had been raced in younger years. John told me that the horse had had ankle surgery of some sort years ago, and he bought him as a light riding horse. A year ago, the horse was ridable and would come up to you in the pasture.

John gets there to pick up the horse, and the guy’s daughter meets him. She tells John that her dad had not touched the horse at all – it was in a back pasture running wild. John has some problems catching the horse – it runs away from him for about 15 minutes. Then he takes it up to the trailer to load. He outfitted the horse in his BRIDLE and tries to get the horse onto the trailer using a leather rein. The horse went about halfway into the straight load, then stops. John then PULLS on the horse, causing it to pull back and shoot backwards out of the trailer, breaking the rein in the process.

He tries luring it back with feed, to no avail. John then gets a rope and ties it around the horse’s neck, running it through one of the bars on the side of the trailer. Then a tug-of-war ensues, and the horse CHOKES himself down, collapsing. When the horse finally gets up, John tried to get behind him and PUSH him in, getting kicked in the ribs in the process. (Which he truly deserved by that point.) Hurting, with rope burn, John returns the horse to the pasture and goes home.

Can you recognize all the places where John went wrong?

1. First wrong was actually with my husband – he should have recognized that John is not a knowledgeable horse person, and at least one of us should have gone with him. Then the rest of the mistakes would not have happened.

2. John should have brought a halter and lead with him. I prefer cotton leads because they are less prone to causing rope burns. A pair of gloves and a sharp knife are also good to have in hand for an unknown loading situation. Gloves will protect your hands from all ropes, and a knife could cut the rope if there is a situation that warrants it.

3. Also, once John realized that the horse had been running wild, he should have worked with it for a few minutes, getting the horse to lead, back, and turn on command – making sure that the horse remembered how to listen and to focus on his handler.

4. Once the horse loaded halfway, John should have allowed the horse time to “chill”, and he also should have allowed the horse to back out a few times if he got nervous. Trailers are scary places for a horse, and even a seasoned loader can get nervous. Allowing the horse to reverse out – even ASKING the horse to reverse out, reinforces that the horse is not trapped. Pulling on the horse makes it feel trapped, and also makes a horse instinctively pull back. That is a tug of war you cannot win.

5. NEVER tie a rope around a horse’s neck. Choking a horse is not good. Imagine the panic you would go through if you could not breathe. You could also break the horse’s neck.

6. Feed sounds like a good idea, but doesn’t work. At best, it can refocus a horse that is fretting. When it comes down to it, a horse that does not want to poad will not load just because you are holding feed. It can also backfire – I once knew a horse that got used to getting feed in order to load. She would stand perfectly at the door, and refuse to move until the feed bucket went in. Then she would load perfectly. What then happens if no feed is available?

7. You cannot push a horse into a trailer. I can only assume that John had completely lost his mind by that point.

8. With an unknown loader, an open trailer is best. Light colors are best. Anything that makes the trailer look less like a dark, restrictive cave. For ramp or step-up, some horses don’t care, and some prefer one or the other. If a straight-load is the only option, one with a swinging/removable divider is less restrictive.

9. As with other areas of working with a horse, you should never let yourself get angry. Always leave yourself options – a few hours extra time, a different trailer, a trailering buddy, or a horse-savvy friend on speed-dial.

If trailer loading is scary, next time will not be any better. If you can load without force, next time should be easier.

Feeding Primer

Feeding horses is not difficult, but a lot of people do not understand what a horse needs. First of all, always feed to proper condition. Barring health issues, if a horse is thin, it needs more calories. If it is overweight, it needs less calories. You also need to realize that changes in amounts of exercise will require a change in feeding. A long weekend of riding will use a lot of calories, and a horse can appear visibly thinner after a long exertion. Plan to feed accordingly.

Most important in a horse’s ration is fiber. Fiber most usually comes from grasses or hays. Horses in light work and good pasture frequently do not need anything additional except salt. Fiber should make up at least 70-80% of the horse’s total feed. If there is not pasture available, fiber must come in the form of hay (also available bagged, chopped, or pelleted from feed stores), or there are complete feeds available that can provide the fiber needed. Another handy source of fiber is beet pulp. In times when hay is not plentiful, beet pulp can replace some (but not all) of the horse’s fiber needs.

When feeding horses, you should also remember that horses can get sick from eating moldy or insect-infested feed. Their hay should be clean and smell fresh. Grass hay should be leafy with few stems or seed heads. When you grab a handful, it should feel relatively soft – not hard.

If a horse cannot get the calories he needs from grass/hay, then a pelleted or “sweet” feed can be added. In this arena, not all feeds are created equal. Be sure to pick one that has some research behind it. The generic grain-n-molasses mix is not going to provide the same nutrituion as one that has been researched and balanced. There are many good ones out there. Some of the brands that can be found across the southeast with good feeds are Purina, Nutrena, and Southern States. There are others in other areas.

Horses should be fed as close to the ground as possible. They evolved as grazers, and a low eating position is more natural. The caveat to this is if your ground is sandy. Horses ingesting sand can get sand colic. A psyllium preparation can be fed to help move the sand out of the gut. In these areas, you can place clean rubber mats down under the feed pan. This will reduce sand ingestion.

Horses also evolved to eat small amounts over long periods of time, while moving several miles. To simulate this in a smaller pen, you can place small piles of hay in multiple areas. There is also an interesting concept in a book called “Paddock Paradise”. Basically, it illustrates how small areas can be set up to stimulate a horse to keep moving. As moving stimulates healthy feet and a healthy gut (also keeps them in shape) this is a good thing. Many small meals are much better and more easily digested than two larger meals.

I also want to mention alfalfa hay. Caution must be used when feeding large amounts of alfalfa, as it has an incorrect calcium/phosphorus ratio. It has also been shown to create enteroliths – stone-like accretions of minerals that can cause colic and death. If there is a choice in hay, an alfalfa mix or straight grass hay can be fed with less worries.

Helmets

Most long-time Equestrians grew up riding without helmets. Western disciplines certainly did not don protective helmets – the cowboy hat is the norm for the well-turned-out rider. The only place you would regularly see any protective gear was in jumping competitions – but even show jumping opted for the less-protective velvet cap.

Now there is a great “helmet debate” raging. Certain states have enacted helmet laws for those under 18 while in public places. Most boarding barns have helmet rules for children – and some have helmet rules for all riders. Most people are free to choose whether to helmet or not.

What is confirmed is that wearing a proper protective helmet can save you from serious head injury, should you fall from a horse or be bucked off and strike your head. There are hundreds of people who can attest to this.

However, helmet use is still not universal. Many people, including myself, do not wear a helmet while riding. Why is this?

For myself, it is an interesting story. I have always owned a helmet. I got into jumping in Elementary school, and have kept a helmet handy ever since. After I graduated from college, I got a new helmet to use while working young or unruly horses. I wore it in the round pen and on the first handful of rides I would take on any horse. For about a year, I wore it almost every ride I took. However, during that year, I seemed to fall off when I wore the helmet, and did not when I did not wear one. I was not riding young or rank equines – only my horses that I knew well and were not hot or silly. My husband put it together as helmet=falling for me. He asked me to stop wearing one. As I had not ever fallen on my head or even hit my head during these falls, I agreed.

That being said, I do not understand the mentality that would make someone ridicule a helmet-wearer. They are, after all, only protecting themselves.

I also think that parents should provide a helmet for their children, and encourage its use. I do not believe, however, that it should be a law. I am also a person who does not care if someone else decides to put their unhelmeted child on the back of an unrestrained horse. Bad parenting? I call it Darwin at work. We do have an overpopulation problem, so why not let the problem “fix” itself? Are we seriously that superior that we need to criticize others?

If you are concerned about striking your head/head injury, then putting a helmet on is the easiest thing you can do to protect your noggin.

Clipping too much

One thing that I always like to think about before doing something to a horse that it does not have done to it in the wild is: is this going to help the horse, or is this something that has no purpose/is superficial/possible harmful?

Take clipping for example. I have seen people clip ears inside and out, and shave the eye guard hairs and the chin hairs right off. Then they trim all the hair off the fetlocks. This is to make the horse “look nice” and is pretty much standard at horse shows.

Take a step back and look at what that does. Let’s start with the ears. The hairs on the inside of the horse’s ears act as bug guards – keeping nasty little critters from climbing down there and biting the horse/taking up residence in a very sensitive area. (I have had the displeasure of getting a bug in my ear canal once – bug on the eardrum HURTS, plus those feet are LOUD in there. Feeling creepy just remembering it. Ugg.) There really is no reason to clip those inner hairs. If you insist on cutting them, then be kind and outfit your horse at all times with a fly mask with ear covers. The kind thing to do is to clamp the ear closed, and then trim only the hairs that lie outside.

Now let’s look at the face guard hairs. Horses use their whiskers as an early warning system for collisions in areas that they cannot see. With widely spaced eyes and a long nose, the area of their face between their eyes as well as directly under their nose are blind spots. They cannot see anything there. The hairs bump an object first, signaling the horse to be careful, and “seeing” the object for them. Shave the eye lashes and the muzzle, and they lose that early warning system. As prone to injury as horses are, why would you want to let them stumble around with a blind spot and no warning system?

Next, the hairy fetlocks. The extra hair in this area helps deflect possible scratches/injury from woody brush. Without the extra hair, sticks and thorns penetrate easily. Not the end of the world, but it is the difference between you doing heavy work with gloves or bare-handed. It is doable, but not nearly as easy/painless.

Finally, if winter clipping the horse’s natural coat, you have to be extra careful and allow extra time to check blankets every day. It is best to have two of every weight for the horse – so you can launder/mend the one while the horse is wearing the other. Body clipping removes the horse’s natural temperature regulation. Although horses are comfortable at much lower temperatures than humans(50-60F is ideal temp to a horse)without the winter coat to provide that insulating air, they find it very difficult to stay warm. If possible, it is best to leave the horse with their natural coat. Horses with proper winter woolies can withstand temps well down into the teens, given a wind break and dry spot to stand. The only time they really need human intervention is with the combination of extreme cold and wet. Soaking the hair can leave a horse shivering – and a dry-off and waterproof blanket or shed for the duration will help.

Craigslist: don't believe what you read

I like to read craigslist farm ads. Why? Torturing myself, I think. So many horses on there are owned by idiots and/or in danger of going to slaughter.

It really burns me up to see the ads for the ancient horses who carried generations of their owners in the show ring, now arthritic, lame and unridable - and now being dumped. How can anyone justify saying: "good home needed, first $250 takes him"?

There are also stellar examples of people who are apparently blind saying their horses have perfect conformation (most usually mis-spelled as confirmation.)

Here is a for sale ad for what originally sounds like a nice quality horse. (Picture above.) Granted, for a stud prospect, he is very low-priced, especialy since someone actually bothered to register him and enroll him in an incentive fund. Here is the ad text:

We are selling our double-registered (AQHA/PHBA) Palomino Stallion. He is 9 years old and has a beautiful chocolate palomino coat that shines in the sun! He has the golden seal on his papers and is registered in the incentive program; negative for HYPP and coggins test. Up to date on all shots and hoof care. He is green broke and halter leads well. He's been under saddle before and is not a problem. He's a good breeding prospect and we've used him several times for that. We've got a filly on site that he sired. Beautiful horse and built incredibly well; his dimensions are impeccable. He's not been shown before, but has good conformation and good bloodlines. We're selling him b/c with a second baby on the way we just don't have time for him anymore.

The picture, at a glance, seems to show a nicely-proportioned horse. Hovewer, scan to the hind end and then look down. See it? This is a very good example of post-legged and posible DSLD. I'm sure the fact that his coat "shines in the sun" and he has the "gold seal" on his papers makes up for the fact that he, and most likely any of his offspring, are unusable for anything except standing in the pasture until their condition makes it too painful for them to stand. Nice to see yet another irresponsible breeder.

Folks - glaring issues in a horse indicate that the individual SHOULD NOT be bred. Doesn't matter what the bloodlines are or what the color is. I can guarantee that it will be easier, faster, and cheaper to just buy one of the hundreds of young horses already on the ground.

Uhh…I don’t know?

To keep up with some of the latest info out there, I do subscribe to a few of the major horse magazines. Equus in particular usually has excellent information in their “Medical Front” section.

They also have sections where various equine professionals answer reader’s questions. While some of the questions are extremely basic, the responses are usually professional, informed, and thorough. In the September issue, however, I believe that one of the responses was, basically, an “I don’t know” covered up with a lot of flowery language.

The question was from a reader with a 12yo horse that she had bred and raised. Every year, this horse was fully vaccinated. Two years ago, there was a bad reaction, so working closely with her vet, they decided to reduce the number of vaccines given at once. Still – bad reaction. This past spring, the vet gave a shot a Benadryl , and then only the rabies vaccine. However, the horse still had the same bad reaction.

For those of you who have never experienced it, reaction to multiple shots does occur with some frequency. The easiest way to avoid it is to spread the shots out. Another option is to give Benadryl (by a vet) in conjunction with the spread-out shots to reduce reaction. This girl seems to have already done both.

The answering professional – a PhD at a large Equine research center, gave this same advice, using almost double the space to do it. In the end, he gave no answer – only advised her to do the same thing, and cautioned against not vaccinating. The thing that I do not understand is why he did not tell her to check for titers for the various vaccines.

Most of us just randomly vaccinate our animals every year with a range of vaccines. However, it has been proved that most vaccines last longer than a year – most MUCH longer. It has also been proved that older animals often retain a “permanently vaccinated” status – the immune system, through repeated vaccinations, permanently recognizes the disease, and re-vaccinating only serves to stress the animal without adding any additional protection. Doing the test for the titers is more expensive (about double –I have looked into it before) than the annual vaccinations themselves, so it is not often requested. However, since there is a long, verified history of annual vaccinations for this horse, as well as the extreme health threat from the vaccinations, it would be very helpful for her to get the tests done. Then she could know with a certainty that her horse is still immune without having to risk the reactions every year. The costs of the tests would be far outweighed, in my opinion, than the stress and health risk of the vaccine reaction. It would also give her documented, verifiable proof for those shows and rides.

The reason this information is not readily available, in my opinion, is that most vets count on those yearly vaccinations to bring animals into their offices for a visit. It serves to get the uniformed public to get care for their animals, but is really pointless for those who educate themselves and know better. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to separate the two. Once you get to know your vet, they will realize that you are not the run-of-the mill public who knows very little about the care of their pet. They will start to trust your judgement, and be glad that they don’t have to spend extra time explaining.

For instance, we recently had a dog break her leg. Since this was a large, energetic dog, we decided to stabilize the leg before loading her up and taking her to the vet. We used our regular materials that we keep on hand – cotton batting to cushion the leg, some thin strips of flat wood moulding to hold the leg straight, more cotton batting, and then finished with vetwrap, snugging the whole thing up to and around her elbow to immobilize the whole leg, top to bottom.

Our regular vet was closed, so we went to a new vet. My husband walked in to ask if they could see her immediately, and they let us jump in front of some non-emergency cases. When we walked her in, the vet and several assistants were waiting to help. She hobbled in on three legs, and the vet looked at the wrap job. He then asked us why we were bringing her in to him if she had already seen a vet. The wrap job looked professional and correct – as if a vet had already seen her and wrapped it for us. There is something to be said for learning enough to handle minor issues or stabilize vet-worthy accidents.

As a last note, research is your friend. Often, vets with long-established practices have not become educated about the latest information. They can be quite resistant to change, but if you find something that will help your pet, research it and then bring that information to your vet. Some do not enjoy being ‘upstaged’, but the better ones will appreciate that you cared enough to bring it to their attention! Doesn’t your pet deserve that small extra effort?

"Just" a Trail Horse

I see this in print and spoken a lot. There really is no such thing as “just” a trail horse. They are not created in bulk at the trainer's in 30 or 60 days. A trail horse is one that must think, balance, and remain calm in a constantly changing environment with no boundaries. The horse must be brave in order to face random obstacles – including wildlife that suddenly bursts from cover. They must watch for variances in the terrain, and change their stride accordingly. They must be able to accommodate crumbly, rocky, hard, or deep footing. They must be able to negotiate water of unknown or murky depths. They must be able to handle the driver flying by and honking, the dog running out to bark, the flag waving, and the balloons on the mailbox.

A well-trained show horse must listen and respond correctly to their rider’s cues, on flat terrain with extremely small chance of wildlife. A trail horse must be able to listen and understand the rider’s cues, but it must also be able to think for itself enough to correct for terrain and distractions. If you can’t see the difference, go grab that winning trail course obstacle or western pleasure mount and take it out on a real trail. Don’t want to? I don’t blame you.

In my opinion, it takes a different class of horse to be a good trail mount. There must be no spook, balk, or silliness. They must be able to listen without the restraint of fences, and remain calm in the face of adversity. Being able to put a saddle on and ride down the driveway does not a trailhorse make.

A trailhorse should be able to lead the group, or follow at the back. It must be able to ride alone, and trust you enough for cues – not go blasting off down the trail because the other horses took off. It should stop and stand patiently and willingly for you to mount and dismount, on the trail or off. It should be willing to push through thick brush on cue, and not panic should it become entangled in a vine or unseen wire. It should be able to tolerate a fly bite without bucking out of control, and remain calm enough to listen to all instructions even if you rile up ground bees. You should be able to add or remove large, colorful jackets or rain gear from the saddle without the horse spooking. The trail horse should also tie easily anywhere, and load and unload easily from all sorts of trailers. It should not fear the sound of a soda can cracking open or the sound of Velcro ripping. It should be able to drink water from strange containers or streams on the trail.

In short, the trail horse should be a steady, intelligent partner with a mutual trust for its rider. The best trail horses are true diamonds, and worth more than their weight in gold.

Does your saddle fit?

Does your saddle fit? How do you know?

Over my years of riding, the most frustrating thing I have dealt with is getting a saddle to properly fit a horse. It is generally much easier to figure out that your saddle DOESN’T fit. Indicators can be a sore back, rubbed hair, uneven sweat marks, or white hair. White hair means that the saddle has been ill-fitting long enough that the skin has been damaged.

The biggest problem about saddle fit is that the horse’s back moves. Saddle fit is generally checked while the horse is standing, and the back is static. Another problem is that the horse’s back will change with age and level of fitness. You also have to consider that, like an ill-fitting pair of shoes, short-term use might not cause any serious problems, but chronic or long-term use can cause cumulative damage. In other words – you might not see any problems on those 30 minute rides, but once you start spending hours in the saddle, more misfit issues can arise.

To further complicate things, saddle measurements can vary between manufacturers.

Generally, the two saddle measurements are the gullet and the bar. The bars are what sit lengthwise down the horse’s back. They use terms like QH bar, semi-QH bar, Narrow and Wide. The tilt is what differs; but again, there is no set standard of what that is. The gullet indicates how far apart the bars are, and is measured in inches. Unfortunately, the gullet measurement is taken on the bare tree. Once the leather of the saddle is added, the measurement is distorted. Both gullet and bar work together to create correct saddle fit. (Aside: in traditional English saddles, there is wool flocking underneath the saddle tree that can be shifted and repacked to help fit.)

In a properly fitted saddle, the pressure-bearing surface is as large as possible. The bars will sit flush along the back, not digging in anywhere. (It is the spots that “dig in” that cause the pain and ultimately the white hairs.) Think of the saddle like a backpack. If it is well-balanced and “hugs” your back, it is easy to carry. If it is lumpy and puts more pressure in one area, it quickly becomes uncomfortable.

There are also a whole slew of gimmick saddles out there. They promise to fit a wide range of horses, or erase all saddle fit problems. Mostly they do not perform as promised, and generally cost a whole lot. I have fallen into that trap, lured by their promises. Don’t believe everything they say to sell their product. Some people really like the gimmick saddles, and they work for their particular horse – but NO saddle is “one size fits all”.

How do you find a saddle that fits? Well- you can try the “hand” test. First, set the saddle directly on the horse’s back. This way you can see any obvious mis-fit issues. Look at the contours of the horse’s back and the contour of the saddle. They should match closely – with the saddle gently cupping the back. Then, you take your hand, and place it underneath the saddle on one side. Slide your hand down the length of the saddle. You should feel even pressure all the way down. This really only evaluates major fit issues. If all looks okay, then you can do the white towel test. Use a white towel on the horse’s back, saddle up and ride. After riding enough to get the towel good and dirty, untack and take a look at the towel. You should see even amounts of dirt all the way under the saddle. Darker or lighter areas indicate pressure differences and a saddle fit issue. There is also now at least one company that markets a gel pad that does the same thing, but with high-tech materials. Ride for the designated time with the gel pad, untack, and you can see the problem areas.

Another way to evaluate saddle fit is using the wire method. Several saddle makers offer fit consults if you use a bent wire behind the withers, and then you can measure the wire once you remove it. Pictures of the wire on the horse’s back can show a saddle fitter what type of tree would be best for the horse. However, even professional saddle fitters can get it wrong.

The most recent method that I have found for figuring out saddle fit has been very helpful. Using templates printed onto paper and then cut out of cardboard, you can see which bar/gullet combo should be a fit for your horse. After many years of buying and then reselling saddles that did not work, I made a “reverse” template of my mare’s back behind the withers, and then farther along her back as well. I was able to take these two to a large saddle shop, and fit these “Reverse” templates to the underside of a saddle. Finally – a saddle that fits! Amazingly, my saddle used to always slide around – no matter how I tightened it, I still needed to find a step to mount or the saddle would come over. It happened so much, I was getting a complex about it. Turns out, a saddle that fits DOES NOT SLIDE! To use a cliché, it is the best thing since sliced bread. The crupper and breastcollar that were indispensable are now no longer necessary. We travel significant inclines, so that is saying something. I can mount from anywhere without the saddle sliding – even with a loose girth!

The saddle that fits your horse is out there – just try not to fall for gimmicks, and remember – if it doesn’t seem to fit right, it probably doesn’t. Good luck.

Too Early to Ride

There is NO reason to ever ride a horse for more than 5-10 minutes before it is a 3yo. By 3yo, I mean a horse who has been outside of its mother for 36 months . For those of you who don’t know, some registries give all horses of that breed another ”year” of age on January first. For example, a TB born in May of 2009 is officially a one-year-old on January 1, 2010. This means that the so-called two-year olds competing on the track could still be months away from actually having 2 years on the ground.

I have bolded that first statement for a reason. I would like to underline it about a hundred times. So many people train and compete horses who are still very much immature. Every time I hear ”the vet told me it was okay” I want to respond with “Well, of course – he knows he will get a lot more business from you down the road as your horse breaks down prematurely, too.” As a society, we have become enamored of instant gratification. This has moved into the horse world as well. We breed, raise, and train horses in the highest levels before they are physically or mentally ready to handle it. The earlier you train them and compete them, the earlier you can get your money out.

Disciplines that frequently ride horses as long yearlings are: racing, western pleasure, reining, and the TWH show horses. I’m sure there are other pockets of this behavior, but I have not had the (dis)pleasure of seeing it myself. The first three do so for “Futurities” – competitions that showcase 3 year olds. How do you get top performance out of a 3 year old? Start training it as a yearling.

Let’s look at how the Futurities started: Futurities started out as what it sounds like – a showcase of what young stock might be able to do in the FUTURE. A 3yo was not expected to be perfect or excel – a futurity would just showcase a nice prospect for future buyers/owners. The REAL training would happen after the horse had matured. Eventually, the Futurities became THE showing arena. These horses peak AT THREE, and then are retired to breed or sold off before the injuries induced by stress on an immature horse create serious problems. In show barns, it is not uncommon to see four-year olds receiving hock injections to keep them sound. WTF? Horses should not need help remaining sound until their teens at least!

By six, most show horses are retired. At six, trail horses are just hitting their stride. FEI will not allow any horse younger than six to compete in jumping. FEI champions are frequently in their teens. Why is that? They were not rushed into training, nor were they ridden in infancy.

This is one of those areas where greed overcomes intelligence. It is NEVER OKAY to ride a horse that young! I do not support Showing of 3yo’s, and I do not support racing. I do, however, enjoy competitions involving horses started intelligently – show jumping and dressage, among others.

And you call yourself a Trainer?

Unfortunately, the Label “trainer” is thrown around far too lightly. Myself, I can, and have, trained horses from halter breaking up to bridle less riding. I have only done so for myself and a few select friends. I do not call myself a trainer. However, I know I have a lot more skill than a lot of the yahoos out there using the “T” word to describe themselves.

To me, being a Trainer is being out there every day with the horses, learning from them as much as the other way around. You have a large pool of knowledge and experience to pull from, and every horse is an individual. If one method does not work, you have the flexibility to try another way. There is no “one-size-fits-all” way to train a horse. There are also no shortcuts – you teach a horse to give to pressure in the bridle, and move away from pressure on the leg. Each movement is broken down into small parts so the horse has a chance to learn each and be rewarded for the correct answer. A horse that you have trained leaves the barn willing and flexible – happy in his job, not bullied into it.

At the bottom of the barrel is ‘Billy down the road’. His claim to fame is that he has successfully remained on top of the rank horse in the next pasture. He then goes and advertises himself as a trainer on craigslist sans grammar and spelling that most of us learned by the fifth grade.

Real ad…enjoy! The emphasis is my own.

TRAINER - $150 (LIBERTY)
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Date: 2009-08-23, 10:43PM EDT
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Hello thanks for your time i will brake or train or horse i have been around horses for about 4 years i have green broke two qurter horses and saddel broke a draft horse i also do farm work so if you need help let me know.
• Location: LIBERTY
• it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests



Some top of the line trainers become “Big Names”. The underlying problem with Big Names is that they have become too busy to do training themselves. They have hordes of helpers doing most of the handling, while the Big Name jets around the country doing expos with pre-screened horses. Don’t forget hawking the special $85 stick or $100 halter you must have. Most of the time, the starting point – the horses – get lost in the rush to commercialize.

Some “Big Names” are better than others. You really have to watch and decide for yourself. Try not to drink the Kool-Aid along the way. If you feel the need to buy strange, expensive contraptions, spend $800 on videotapes, or need to play elaborate games in order to make “friends” with your horse, you need to back away slowly.

Somewhere in the middle, you will find hardworking, knowledgeable, actual trainers. You still have to be very careful with your choice. Even trainers that come with recommendations are sometimes closet abusers. You would be shocked, nay, FLOORED to find out what goes on behind the barn at some places.

Most importantly, you should never leave your horse unsupervised at a barn for long periods of time. Make unscheduled visits. Check up on your horse to make sure it is being properly cared for. If it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t!

You cannot ride a barefoot horse on rocks...

This one always makes me snicker – especially when we are on a particularly rocky stretch, and someone makes this comment to me…. Not realizing that my horses are all barefoot. All it takes is conditioning them on rocks – either on your normal trails, your gravel driveway, your rocky pasture, or you can add pea gravel around commonly traveled areas in the pasture(like feed and water troughs.)

I stumbled into barefoot by “accident”… the only good farrier in the area (and I mean ONLY – I wouldn’t let any of the other hack jobs near my horses with a ten foot pole) got injured at the appointment before ours. Even though his leg was broken, he knew our horses were polite, so he put us first on the schedule for a few weeks later. The day before he was going to come out, his father died. By this time, having the shoes hanging by a thread was worse than me pulling them off. I bought some easyboots so I could continue riding.

Suprisingly, even without the boots, the horses quickly adapted. It was from that point that I started to research. Many years and many successful transitions later, I got the Pete Ramey DVD set. He showed in a scientific fashion what I had noticed just by trial and error. I picked up a few new pointers, too. I started doing all my own trimming. I also trimmed for a rescue, and was able to transition all of the horses that came through – from a QH with TINY feet, to gaited horses, to OTTB’s with cracked, thrushy pancake feet.

Online I got to know a few more people who did barefoot. This is a video that one of them took of four barefoot horses on day 3 of hard riding. All horse’s feet were maintained by their owners, and did beautifully over the long weekend. You can hear the clacking of hoof against rock.





One thing that always makes me wonder is when we meet up with someone on the trail whose shod horse is sore from the rocks, and they still don’t believe we did the same trail barefoot – when we are right in front of their eyes.

Not all people can go barefoot – you have to do it right. Some horses will transition quickly, others can take a year. Depends a lot on the effort you put into doing it right, and how much you ride. Barefoot is NOT pulling the shoes and - voila! It takes time to toughen the feet – sometimes you have to grow in a whole new, correct, hoof.

The absolute best part about barefoot? You never again have to miss a ride due to loose or missing shoes!

Horseshoes VS. Barefoot

There is currently a large debate going on about whether to shoe or go barefoot with your horse. I do not find it to be that simple. The problem is more of a lack of information about the horse’s foot physiology and proper function. Here are my thoughts.

Horseshoes first became necessary when people started keeping horses in cities – tie stalls were very popular, and sanitation was minimal. Horses standing in urine and manure-soaked bedding would get soft feet, prone to cracking and flaking. Shoes helped to protect the foot and keep the horse in service longer.

Over the years, the fact that a horse would often start limping when they lost a shoe was used to prove that shoes are necessary. Obviously, if the horse is sore without a shoe, you must keep them shod, right? I grew up “knowing” that you needed four shoes on a horse in order to ride it. Anything less was barbaric. Most people who were raised with horses learned this same “fact”. Looking at it logically, it is not a case of A, therefore, B.

It is not that the horse is sore because they lack a shoe, it is the fact that their feet were trimmed improperly. For years I stood by, watching while the farrier took the knife to the sole and frog, paring down to the neat and pretty white sole underneath, and trimming the frog to perfectly smooth dimensions, making sure it did not touch the ground . The fact is, the bottom of the horse’s foot creates a thick layer of callous, compressed smaller and smaller, tougher and tougher, as time goes on. Every time the sole and frog are trimmed, this callous is removed. Remember running around in the summer as a child? You couldn’t walk over the gravel driveway at the beginning of summer because your feet lacked callous. By the end of summer, you could barely feel the rocks any more. Same with the horse. Use/friction/stimulation creates callous.

The horse’s foot is a complex structure. The inner bones are surrounded by tendon, ligament and muscle. This is surrounded by the laminae which hold the outer hoof wall to the inner structures. The hoof is designed to take the pressure of the landing on the elastic heel bulbs and frog, dissipating the pressure smoothly throughout the structures of the leg.

The fact is, most shoers pull the structure of the hoof completely out of touch with the ground, allowing the wall to take the entire load. This, in essence, hangs the hoof upside-down, pressure-wise, from what it was designed to do. (This is a very complex mechanical issue, better explained by others. Look it up online – research is your friend!)

Another common issue is long toes. We have not been conditioned to see this. The easiest way to see long toes, is to look at the hoof close-up, from the side. The first ½ inch of growth down from the coronary band will show you the angle that the hoof “wants” to have. If, farther down the hoof wall, you can see a different angle, then you have long toe/hoof wall separation. Once I started looking for this, I realized that most horses have at least some hoof wall separation. Most farriers leave hoof wall separation. Most shod horses have hoof wall separation. Very scary!

Do your horse a favor. Go out, and look at their feet. Chances are, you will see hoof wall separation. Research, research, research. Become educated. Don’t just let others tell you what is okay. You would like to trust your vet and farrier, but sometimes THEY don’t know any better, either!

That being said, there are some great farriers out there who can minimize hoof damage. Hopefully you can find one.

Another option is to take your horse barefoot. This has found great success for thousands of horses and riders. We have NOT “bred the hoof off the horse”. The thing with barefoot is that you must be committed to doing it RIGHT. You must feed correctly, exercise correctly, trim correctly, and condition the foot correctly. You CANNOT just pull the shoes and go. You are doing the horse a huge disservice by rushing it and then saying that your horse cannot go barefoot. Boots are a must for the transition time. Every breed from Mustangs to Thoroughbreds off the track have been successfully transitioned. Again – research and educate yourself.

The best thing about barefoot is that owners generally have a lot more knowledge about the horse's hoof and how it functions. They better understand the hoof mechanics, and can see the difference for themselves. They will not stand idly by while an “expert” butchers the foot.

Whatever you choose, do so with knowledge. So many people think that just because they pay for a farrier every 8 weeks, they have sufficiently cared for their horse’s foot health. Unfortunately, there is a huge range of competence in farriers. I am still ashamed, looking back on the bad shoeing jobs that my horses went through before I knew any better. You owe it to your horse to educate yourself and get it done RIGHT.

Old Does Not Equal Skinny

It really amazes me how many people think that it is normal for an old timer to get skinny. No, no, no, no no! Older horses can have various issues, that if not properly cared for, can cause an early demise. The foremost of which is dental issues.

Equine teeth erupt from the jaw at a constant slow pace throughout their lives. This allows for surface wear from chewing tough grasses and plants. However, most horses do not wear their teeth evenly. This can cause sharp hooks and points that can lacerate the gums, causing painful chewing. This will stop a horse from eating as much, and consequently lose weight. A quick floating can take care of those sharp edges.

Tooth loss can also cause problems. An empty socket can cause overgrowth of opposing teeth, preventing proper grinding and causing weight loss.
Sometimes, the older equines have problems digesting as well. Luckily, there are many quality senior feeds out on the market. They provide a more readily available source of nutrition for the aged equine. They can also be soaked and turned into mush for those without teeth.

I remember one incident almost twenty years ago. I was loping my 26yo down the side of the country road, and one of the neighbors saw me. He happened to be having a conversation at that exact time with another neighbor who had come for a visit. Neighbor#1 was saying that he needed to get a horse younger than the 19yo for his daughter. The 19yo apparently was “old and worn out”, and did not have enough energy. Neighbor#2 (Who knew my horse) pointed at me loping down the road and asked if he needed something like what I was riding. Neighbor #1 said yes. Neighbor #1 was completely flabbergasted when told that I was on a 26yo.

Since then, I have had the pleasure to own an even older horse. The girl in the picture up top was 30 at the time of the picture, and still doing 6-plus hour rides in the mountains with vigor. Notice that she is not skinny – she does not even have a sway back! She had been on an all-senior feed diet for two years.

All in the Name of Winning....

Apparently, the desire to win brings out the worst in a lot of people. We have invented cruel ways of tying a horse’s head up, down or around to get a headset. We cut, numb, break, or ginger tails to get a tail set. We lunge a horse for hours to get it “calm”. We add painful nails or irritants on legs or under saddles to get “animation”. We drug. We break and ride and compete babies before they have even had a chance to finish growing. We use crazy bits, rigs, or gimmicks to fast-track horses instead of actually training them. We perpetuate deadly diseases because the horses “look” good. When tests or trials are designed to catch cheaters, the cheaters find ways around the tests.

NONE of this is acceptable! It does not matter if Susie in the barn does it, or the Big Trainer down the road does it, or you are told that you will not win unless you do it. It does not make it right!

All in all, it is difficult to be a real horseman and keep competing honestly. It takes more time, more knowledge and more patience to come by all the fancy moves the right way instead of the quick way.

Most of my friends that used to show have stopped. They got frustrated by seeing the cheaters being rewarded, time and again, with ribbons, while they struggled to place.

If you still manage to show honestly, I applaud you. Please do not give in to the pressure to cheat. It is ultimately the horses who suffer.

Rescue - What makes a good one?

Rescue is one of the things that is near and dear to my heart. I spent years of my time and thousands upon thousands of dollars in helping horses.

First of all – there is no money in rescue. Not even a little bit. If you are lucky, adoption/rehoming fees will cover the feed bill – nevermind the vet or farrier. The most successful rescues have lots of volunteers, lots of land, and a great fundraising strategy. (This means actual events or organized mailings/flyers/word of mouth/sponsorships – not just begging for money online.) There is a limit on the horses they can take in, and a limit on the rehabbing efforts they will put into any one horse. It would be nice if rescues could spend $5000 for surgery for each horse, but that $5000 spent to keep a permanently lame horse alive might be better spent feeding several otherwise healthy, ridable horses.

In my opinion, a REAL rescue rehabs AND trains the horses before rehoming them. There is a place for retirement farms – hopefully funded by those who used the horse for years before providing that green pasture. However, a horse has the best chance at a good life if it is trained. Plus, rehoming horses leaves a spot open for the next, and the next, and the next…. There are always more in need out there.

When looking for a rescue to support, I do a lot of research. There are several things I like to see before my money goes anywhere.

1. Is the rescue 501c-3 certified?
This is not necessary for a good rescue, but most of the good ones have gone through the trouble to get certified. Plus, you can easily look up previous year’s financial reports.

2. Can you visit the facilities?
If they will not let you visit, this is a red flag. Expect to have to make an appointment. They might have to arrange for a knowledgable volunteer to be there to answer questions. They may also require you to sign a hold harmless form – accidents do happen, especially around horses. The facilities should be clean, and in good repair. They do not need to be expensive -just adequate shelter, safe fencing, clean water. Stalls should have been cleaned in the last 24 hours.

3. Can you see pictures/hear success stories?
Online or in person, they should be brimming with pride at their successes, and ready to show the kind of difference they have made.

4. Is there an adoption contract?
Read it all the way through. It does not need to be iron-clad, but it should show that some effort is going into rehoming the horses. It is personal preference whether the adopter owns the horse, or if title remains with the rescue.

5. Is there a regular vet on call?
A rescue is usually tight on funds, and I would expect them to be able to care for minor issues on their own. However, they should have a good working relationship with a vet for those larger problems. This also holds true for a farrier. It is nice to be able to do trimming without the expense of a farrier, but one should be available for big problems.

I also do not think that a general rescue should be breeding. There are exceptions – if there is a breed rescue who also provides well-bred foals for a specific purpose – but there should certainly not be any questionable/random breeding going on.

I have found that rescued horses are very greatful. They make excellent mounts. If you are looking for a horse, think about adopting a rescue. Just research first!

Bits - Overview

There are thousands of bits on the market. Which one should you use? I cannot go into huge details here, but will give a brief overview.


The first consideration is bit size. The size of a bit is the distance lip-to-lip where the bit sits. Most horses can wear a 5 to 5 1/2 inch bit. Others may take larger or smaller. A too-large bit will shift and bang the horse’s mouth. A too-small bit will pinch the cheeks.

Generally, horses are started in a simple loose-ring or d-ring snaffle. This bit provides a 1 to 1 ratio of the pull you put on the reins to the pressure put on the mouth. A single joint in the center of the mouthpiece puts pressure on the bars. This does not automatically make it a gentle bit. With hard pressure, the bit scissors in the center, and pokes the roof of the mouth. There are also dozens of different mouthpieces. Generally, the thinner the mouthpiece, the more severe the bit. Add-ons like twists also increase the severity.


Once a shank is introduced, the leverage increases. ( I also want to point out that no bit with a shank is EVER a snaffle. A snaffle is ONLY a bit WITHOUT any leverage. So many people, even catalogues, get this wrong.)The length of the bit from the mouthpiece down is the shank. The length from the mouthpiece up affects poll pressure. The longer these are, the more pressure they exert. Things like added sliding gag action, thin rope nose pieces, and severe chin straps add to the pressure.

The straighter the shank, the less pre-signal. Pre-signal allows the horse to know a command is coming, before mouth pressure engages. (Horses that look like they are “reading the mind” of the rider are often working off of pre-signal – among other things.) Ports provide tongue relief. However, tall ports can put pressure on the roof of the mouth. These should only be used on properly-trained horses and riders with excellent hands.

One of the most mis-understood and mis-used bits is the Tom Thumb. The confusing signals it sends do the exact opposite of what a “training” bit or “colt” bit should. Plenty of explanations of this are out there.


Bitting is a science in itself, but nowadays I have seen way too many people using harsher and harsher bits. The barrel racing circuit is overrun with harsh chain-gag-shank combos that rely on pain to force the horse into submission. Well-known clinicians are pandering crazy twisted-wire mouthpieces that would slice a tongue off in the wrong hands. Don’t even get me started on the “mule bits”, or people who “need” huge shanks to get their horses to gait. You can get gait out of a loose rein with a snaffle.

One recent statement that really annoys me is put out by the AQHA for their trail riding program. One of their recommendations is that you outfit your horse in a stronger bit than you use in the arena – supposedly for more control. Excuse me? How about TRAINING the horse for control – not intimidating it with a stronger bit? A one-rein stop or other techniques work really well for emergencies, and do not require stronger bits.


ANY bit can be nasty in the wrong hands. However, the goal should be to TRAIN the horse to listen to soft and light cues in a mild bit – only moving “up” in bit to further refine the horse, not intimidate it.

Walking a Colicking horse

Colic is a general term for stomach/intestinal pain or distress. Signs include laying down and rolling, looking at the flank, and general restlessness. Colic can be an obstruction caused by sand, enteroliths, dry matter, gas, or tumor strangulation. Twisting of the intestines or prolonged obstruction can cause intestinal death and will result in the death of the horse if surgery does not correct it.

The old information always told us to walk a horse until it stops colicking - that letting it lay down would cause death. However, this is just not true. As long as a horse is not thrashing/rolling constantly when it lays, it is perfectly fine for the horse to rest on the ground. Think about it: if laying down or rolling would "twist a gut" and kill the horse - horses everywhere would have perished.

The truth is - colic death is caused by internal injury to the intestines - complete blockage/rupture or intestinal tissue death. These can sometimes be remedied by timely surgical intervention. You do need to get the horse promptly to a surgical center on your veterinarian's advice. Time is critical in these cases.

The best ways to up your chances of having your horse remain colic-free has to do with your horsekeeping practices. Horses were made to have a constant low-level gut fill paired with almost constant movement - grazing all day is ideal. The way a lot of us keep our horses - in a stall with two large meals per day - is very unnatural. We should always do our best to keep something in front of the horse to munch on - hay or grass - and keep them moving in a paddock or pasture. Walking stimulates the gut, and constant fiber keeps everything moving downstream. Grain meals are also high in carbohydrates - which causes other problems which I will discuss later.

That being said, it IS possible to care for a horse and keep it healthy while living in a stall. However, it takes a lot more work and dilligence than most casual horse owners have the time to provide. If you are a weekend rider and only dump a scoop of grain to the horse once or twice a day, it will be a lot easier and healthier to put your horse on pasture.

Cooling a hot horse

I wanted to kick this off with a post that has immediate relevance: cooling the hot horse.

For years there was a rumor rolling around that you could not give water to a hot horse - that it would cause the horse to colic. Luckily, the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta took a scientific look at this. They found that giving water to a hot horse will not cause it to colic. The water should be of moderate temperature (not have ice floating it - cool or room temperature is fine) and should be paired with other temperature-regulating strategies - shade, a fan, and wetting the large muscle groups.

Common sense cooling for an overheated horse: remove tack, move the horse to a shaded location, offer cool or room temperature water, and wet the large muscle groups - neck and chest, and haunches. You can sponge, hose, or use a bucket to pour water over the horse. Use a sweat scraper or your hand to push excess water off of the horse - large amounts of water will not cool the horse as effectively as a thin layer (which evaporates , creating the cooling.) Repeat as necessary.

I do have a related example of someone taking a good piece of information, and then randomly applying it to all conditions: a hundred-mile endurance rider once told me that you should NEVER put water over a horse's haunches. She stated that it would cause muscle cramping and hurt the horse. IF you are in the middle of a hundred-mile endurance ride, this piece of advice has some validity - extreme athletes need to "warm" the muscles before extreme efforts. In the middle of twelve hours of trotting/galloping down the trail, immediate and significant drop in muscle temperature could cause cramping if asked to perform at high effort again immediately.

However, this does not apply to the regular rider taking a ride of several hours. If your horse is overheating, cool them. A hot horse in moderate work can have water poured/sponged over the haunches. You can walk them out afterwards or continue on your ride. Just use common sense.

Introduction

Owning a horse. From the first dreams of that pony to an adult's realisation of lifelong dreams.... many have to wait a lifetime for that equine companion. You finally bring the horse home, and then the confusion starts. Whether you are a child listening to your parents, or an adult starting from scratch, you start to realise that every other horse owner has opinions -and that THEIR opinion is the only right one.

For some reason, horse owners are one group of people who become very set in their ways. Things are done a certain way because they have ALWAYS been done that way. This oddity also passes the barrier into the veterinary and farrier professions. The professionals you should be able to trust are frequently just as uninformed as the horse owners around you.

The only way to sort all of this out is to leave yourself open to new studies and new information. Talk to everyone, and pull the truth apart from the tradition. Look at scientific studies. Ferret out the real from the misinformation floating around.

I have owned horses for thirty years. Unfortunately, the first fifteen years I fell into the rut of doing it because it had always been done that way. Then I started to open my eyes and use my brain. I started researching new studies and talking to everyone I could, trying to find what is truly the best for the horse. Over the years I have gained a lot of knowledge, and heard a lot of really stupid comments from "experts". I plan to share what I have learned.

I am not the be-all-end-all of information on horse care - but what I do have is common sense. I have spent years wading through opinions, techniques, and questionable practices. I have rescued horses in dire straights. I have seen healthy horses lamed and destroyed due to lack of information. I just hope that you can benefit from some of the things I have learned, and use it as a springboard for your own knowledge gathering.