Canadian Horse Journal - SAMPLE - Early Summer 2019

PM #40009439 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Suite 202, 2400 Bevan Ave., Sidney BC, V8L 1W1

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EARLY SUMMER 2019

PHOTOS 14 Shutterstock/B Brown | 24 Shutterstock/Mr Brown | 32 iStock/Volgariver | 44 Shutterstock/C Hamilton

32 24 44

14 HORSE HEALTH

24 Barn on Fire!

14 Feeding Myths and Misconceptions

Horse barn fires are the most common of all farm fires. Learn these fire prevention strategies to reduce the ever-present risk.

32 About Fence!

Fencing is an essential part of any horse farm. Our experts weigh in on this valuable investment in protecting your horses and safeguarding your property.

44 Let’s Talk MUD

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Take these steps to reduce the mud on your farm and create a safer environment for your horses. www.HORSE Journals.com

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How to find accurate, reliable information about equine feeding and nutrition in the era of “alternative facts” and propaganda.

20 Happy Hips for Horse and Rider

The pelvis is a complex area that impacts every other part of the body.

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BARNS AND PROPERTY

ON THE COVER …Now, lightly fair, through lock and mane She gazes over the dusk again.

— James Wright PHOTO: ISTOCK/EMHOLK

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PHOTOS 52 Angie Field | 60 Tania Millen | 70 Courtesy of .Jessica McNutt

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70 60 DEPARTMENTS

SPECIAL FEATURES 10 The Hard Lives of Sable Island Horses

56 The Longe Cavesson

These tough little horses have adapted to the harsh realities of living on their island of sand, yet still face many challenges.

13 Scientists May Attempt to Clone Ancient Foal

Global warming has revealed the frozen carcass of a now-extinct species of horse that lived more than 40,000 years ago.

48 Tips for the Savvy Online Shopper

Pros and cons, and expert tips to help make your cybershopping a positive experience.

52 Horsemanship with Jonathan Field

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These exercises will teach your young horse to move forward with ease and willingness. www.HORSE Journals.com

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This indispensable tool for groundwork is one of the most useful pieces of equipment you can own.

60 Go Horse Camping for Fun and Adventure

The essentials of camping with your horse — any rider can get out there and join the fun.

70 In the Matter of Fairness

A Nova Scotia rider loses her amateur status and receives harsh penalties after accepting an honorarium for volunteering.

76 Canadian Farm Builders 2018 Award Winners

Talk about dream barns!

Check out the winning entries in the equine categories.

2 Celebration of Horses Photo Contest

8 Editorial 69 To Subscribe 74 Horse Council BC News 78 Products We Love 78-79

Country Homes & Acreages

80 Canadian Therapeutic

Riding Association News

81 Manitoba Horse Council News 82-83

Hitchin’ Post

83 Index to Advertisers 84 Roundup

HEALTH

Feeding Myths and Misconceptions PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/MONSTER ZTUDIO

Sorting Through the Quagmire of Misinformation

How many of us remember the days when the only way to find out the facts on a subject was to go to the library and look it up? Answers to questions we had about the care or feeding of our horses might have been found in one of the many reference books we all owned. Or, maybe we would find the information we were looking for by perusing the many equine magazines we kept “just in case.”

Now, all of us with a cell phone or a home computer have the information at our fingertips. The answers to our questions about the “best practices” for the care and feeding of our horses are as easy to find as a telephone number. This must be a good news story… right? No, not always.

Since the inception of the internet and in particular, social media sites like Facebook, myths and misconceptions about many aspects of horse husbandry have proliferated. Nutrition and feeding practices for horses have been a particularly fertile field for the development of myth, misconception, and sometimes absolute propaganda.

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PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/B BROWN

By Shelagh Niblock, PAS

All grass hay is non-GMO, but Roundup Ready® Alfalfa may have had an application of glyphosate applied. Alfalfa-grass hay mixes are always non-GMO because although the alfalfa will survive the herbicide application, the non-GMO grass will not.

Are Facebook and other internet sites reliable?

Facebook has literally thousands of interactive groups where members are invited to share their equine experiences and ask questions of the moderators and/or other members. Other internet sites are set up strictly for dispensing information. The objective of some sites is pure marketing of a product or service.

Some websites are good at preying on our insecurities about the care we provide for our horses. Unfortunately, there is rarely any demand for accountability when posting on the internet. Often, information is promoted as fact, and although it may have a nugget of truth at its foundation, it is aimed purely at marketing.

The hay we feed our horses also provides an internet platform for plenty of

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/WAVEBREAKMEDIA

There are many myths and misconceptions to be found online, and some of them prey on our insecurities about the care we provide for our horses. Nutrition and feeding have been particularly prolific areas of misinformation.

discussion and often, for misinformation and half-truths. These sites frequently generate more questions than they provide answers for average horse owners. One such subject is the use of GMO (genetically modified organism) forages and glyphosate (Roundup®) on the forages we feed our horses. While there may be rationale for a debate about whether we should be using GMO crops or glyphosate on forages and other feeds, the truth is that they are used, but not widely, and only under certain circumstances.

Is the hay I buy a GMO hay?

There are no approved varieties of GMO cool season forages commercially available anywhere in the world. This includes forage varieties such as orchard grass, timothy, rye grass, brome, and tall fescue. Consequently, all grass hay is “non GMO.” Roundup Ready® Alfalfa (a GMO variety), however, has been approved for use in both the United States and Canada, although it’s very unlikely you would ever

find it in a mixed stand of forage containing both grass and alfalfa. Roundup Ready® Alfalfa cannot be sprayed with glyphosate (the herbicide RoundUp®) in a mixed stand because while the alfalfa will survive the herbicide application, the non-GMO grass will not. Horse owners buying grass hay or alfalfa-grass hay mixes will find that they are always nonGMO and will never have been sprayed with the herbicide glyphosate.

On the other hand, pure stands of alfalfa hay may be GMO (Roundup Ready®) and if so, may have had an application of glyphosate applied early in the life of the forage stand. The herbicide is not typically reapplied every year, although it could be applied to a mature stand to clean up a bad weed infestation. The amount of residual glyphosate on a Roundup Ready® crop of hay is reported to be low, and although research in ruminants has suggested it is safe, the research has not been done to determine the impact, if any, in the digestive tract of the horse.

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HAPPY HIPS for Horse & Rider

By Alexa Linton, Equine Sports Therapist Today we venture back in horses and down in humans, into territory that many believe to be the foundation of the skeletal system and the body itself: the pelvis. It is an area of much more complexity than many realize, an area that impacts, quite literally, every other part of the body. It contains and protects some rather important things, namely the urogenital system, and provides stability to many others. And in horses and riders, pelvic happiness is critical for success in the saddle.

As a student of osteopathy, I’ve assessed a whole lot of pelvises, many of them belonging to riders, and we’ve got some of the stickiest, most rigid ones around. The very same pelvis that is meant to follow our horses fluidly and create connection is often about as fluid as a concrete block. And 20

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many of our riding horses are not far behind, making it challenging for them to be gymnastically capable of what we’re asking under saddle. How do we know how mobile a pelvis is?

And more importantly, how do we help to mobilize this essential area?

First, put your geek hat on. We need to understand the mechanism of the pelvis to get a sense of what we need to do to support its mobility. The innominate bone is actually three separate bones at birth — the pubis, ischium, and ilium — which eventually fuse together, completing at as old as 17 years in humans. (In horses, the pelvis is still growing and fusing at age four, just one more reason to let our babies grow up before we start asking more of their bodies.) The meeting point of these three bones is the

acetabulum, a concave surface which doubles as the articulating surface for the femoral head. This is the ball-insocket coxofemoral joint, most commonly known as the hip joint.

The meeting of the two pubic bones is called the pubic symphysis and for riders, the mobility of this region is paramount to your comfort, especially at the seated trot. And on the other end of things, the ilium of the pelvis and the sacrum (the flat bone at the base of your spine) meet to form the two sacroiliac joints, attaching the vertebral column to the pelvis and the rest of the body (see Figure 1). Many riders are quite familiar with one or both of these joints in ourselves, because they are common areas of discomfort.

Not surprisingly, the same is true for our horses.

PHOTO: ISTOCK/SIMONKR

HEALTH

Given our verticality, our pelvis is shaped rather differently than that of our horse, but the principles are very similar. In health, the sacrum dissociates from and moves freely between the ilia, the three bones of the pelvis have fused well and have rebound, and the femoral head moves easily (but not too easily) in the acetabulum. As one can imagine, this is not commonly the case, especially when you add ligaments, muscles, fascia and dura to the mix, as well as take into consideration the intrinsic connection to the lower extremity, the vertebral column, the pelvic floor and our old friend, the coccyx/tailbone. If you’ve ever fallen hard on your tailbone or on one of your hips, these seemingly insignificant compressions have the potential to affect your pelvis and spine big-time, not to mention the happiness of your horse under saddle.

A hit to the tailbone can quite literally cause whiplash, or in some cases concussion, impacting the nervous system, the blood flow in the pelvis and lower extremity, and most commonly, limiting the mobility of the sacrum and with it, the

innominate. When the hip joint is limited in its movement in horse or rider, the lower extremity, sacrum, or innominate bones compensate, and movement can become lopsided and a very real source of asymmetry in our horses. As for whole body connection in the horse, the supraspinous ligament is a continuation of the nuchal ligament, attaching from the seventh cervical vertebrae all the way to the sacrum, the dura mater protecting the spinal cord runs from inside the cranium to attach firmly on the sacrum, and the myofascial chains connect all the way from cranium to pelvis and beyond (see Figure 2).

So what is the pelvic floor and why does it matter? In riders, it is thought of as the foundation of our core stability, essential to our seat and balance in the saddle. This “diaphragm” of pelvic muscles is critical in pressure regulation and drainage, keeps our internal organs from sliding away on us, and weakness or tightness can cause some very uncomfortable issues in certain cases. Becoming friends with this region will make everyone happier,

EQUINE HIND END

Tuber coxae

Sacroiliac joint

(anterior superior iliac spine)

Hip joint

Pelvis

Point of Buttock

Stifle joints

Stifle

Hock

Hock joints

Fetlock

Fetlock joint

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Sacrum

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21

Barn on Fire!

How to Reduce the Ever-Present Risk

The Currier & Ives lithograph of the Great Chicago Fire shows people fleeing across the Randolph Street Bridge. Thousands of people literally ran for their lives before the flames, unleashing remarkable scenes of terror and dislocation. Legend has it that this devastating fire was caused by a milk cow kicking over a lantern in the barn.

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By Kathy Smith It’s now nearly 150 years since the Great Chicago Fire, which, according to popular legend, broke out after Catherine O’Leary’s infamous milking cow kicked over a lantern in the barn on the night of October 8, 1871. The resulting barn fire, aided by the wind, destroyed three square miles of the City of Chicago, killing approximately 300 people, destroying 18,000 buildings, and leaving 100,000 people — a third of the city’s population — homeless before it was finally brought under control the next day.

The Great Chicago Fire changed the way public officials and firefighters viewed fire safety. Now, fire departments everywhere educate the public about the importance of fire prevention and safety.

Fire is an ever-present concern for

Firefighters battle a barn fire in Quebec in January, 2019.

barn owners. Farm fires pose a unique threat because farms tend to be isolated and without access to large quantities of water, and they’re located in rural areas without easy access to the services of the well-equipped fire departments of urban areas. And because barns and their contents are typically highly flammable, fires in these buildings can quickly burn out of control. According to the Farm & Food Care Ontario website, it takes only three to four minutes of the fire starting for the barn to be completely filled with smoke, and a barn will be completely engulfed in less than six minutes.

Most barn fires go undetected until flames are visible because they usually occur at night or during the early morning hours, and the buildings rarely have smoke detectors or sprinkler systems. Smoke detectors save lives because smoke is produced in the earliest stages of fire development. Once flames are present, the fire has become dangerous and unpredictable.

First responders to barn fires face serious challenges including lack of familiarity with the barn design or not knowing how to handle the animals involved. Animals are difficult to evacuate from a burning building, and unconfined

Photo: Shutterstock/Kotenko Oleksandr

photo: shutterstock/steve jolicoeur

Combustibles including cobwebs, dust, and loose hay and straw should be removed regularly.

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About Fence!

Surround Your Horses with Safe, Functional Options

By Margaret Evans

F

undamental to owning horses is the fencing used to contain them. In times past, the options were simply wooden boards or barbed wire, both of which are still used in many areas across Canada.

Today there are many safe and durable options for containing horses, and horse owners can select their preferences in structure, design, materials, colour, and visibility. Fencing is all about function, and function is dictated by the intended purpose, depending on whether you are running a boarding barn, breeding barn, training facility, or a family acreage with a few ponies for the children.

Planning Your Fencing

To start planning your fence, take a walk around your property, giving specific consideration to how and where your horses will be contained, their access to shade and water, the efficiency and safety of the area, and your need to access them on a day-to-day basis.

Make a checklist of items that can help both you and your installer decide on the best plan of action. A fencing expert will 32

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be able to offer suggestions for the most effective materials and cost savings, including things you may not have thought of.

Here are a few: • Consider the location of paddocks and pastures in relation to the barn, and the ease of moving horses between housing and pasture or paddock.

• Will the horses be out all day and in a barn at night? Or will they be out all the time, in run-out stalls, or only turned out occasionally?

• Decide the size your paddocks and pastures should be, and how many horses will be in a single turnout area? Too many horses in a small paddock can lead to stress or injury, and often social pressures force a horse to challenge a fence.

• Will separate paddocks and types of fencing will be needed for mares and foals, stallions, performance animals, and additional stock? Do you have any escape artists in your herd, or others that are a challenge to contain?

• Plan your fence to take advantage of the natural shade of healthy trees and remove any trees that are unsafe or may blow down over the fence.

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/CHLOE 7992

• If possible, place the fenceline along areas of higher ground, and for more secure posts avoid wet or previously excavated areas.

• If your property is adjacent to a main road, do you require a perimeter fence for extra security against unwanted visitors, and do you need the perimeter fence to deter predators?

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/ANNE KITZMAN

• Do you need pathways between paddocks?

Boards placed on the outside of the posts make for a weaker fence. The horse will push the boards out as he rubs on the fence or reaches through it.

• Think about your management objectives. For example, do you need dedicated individual turn-out areas for the types of services your stable offers?

• Do you want a portion of your fencing to be movable to access rotational grazing?

• Consider the size, number, and location of gates, taking into account the safe movement of animals and access for farm equipment. Gates and their placement are just as important as the type of fencing used.

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33

Let’s Talk MUD Source: Equine Guelph

Do you struggle with managing mud on your horse farm?

Some farms are more susceptible to muddy conditions than others. Mud is a result of prolonged wet soil conditions, which is often dependent on soil type and topography. After a rainstorm or spring snowmelt, clay soils drain more slowly than sandy soils and are therefore more prone to muddy conditions. In addition, muddy conditions are more likely to occur in areas of low elevation because runoff water tends to accumulate in these areas.

Mud is not only unsightly, it can create an unsafe environment for your horse. Horses that do not have solid footing are more likely to injure themselves due to a slip or fall. Muddy conditions also harbour bacteria and fungus that may cause your horse to develop health problems.

The good news is, there are steps you can take as a horse owner to reduce the amount of mud on your farm.

How to Reduce Mud on Your Farm RESTRICTION

It is always easier to avoid creating a muddy condition than it is to fix it. The first and most important step to managing mud on your property is to restrict horse access from the wettest parts of the farm.

This might mean reconfiguring paddock shapes to avoid a wet area, abandonment of a paddock altogether, or installing fencing to keep horses out of the 44

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Photo: Shutterstock/C Hamilton

ponds, wetlands, or streams which run through a pasture.

Horses tend to gather around wet areas.

The trampling of streamside vegetation causes bare soil and eventually mud. This results in increased amount of nutrients and sediment being lost to the aquatic ecosystem, which is harmful and may cause fish kills.

PASTURE MANAGEMENT — CREATE A SACRIFICE AREA

The best way to ensure that your pastures remain mud free is to give them the rest they require. Pastures require rest when their plants are dormant (i.e., in the winter) and during the growing season when they have been heavily grazed. During the winter, horses should be restricted to a sacrifice area. Sacrifice areas can be a small paddock, corral, or pen that serves as the horse’s outdoor living space during the winter months. Often, horse owners turn their horses out to pasture too quickly in the spring. This damages the pasture plants and delays their growth. Keep your horses in the sacrifice area until the pasture plants have six inches of new growth. This will ensure top quality pasture for the remaining spring and summer months.

During the summer months when horses have access to the pastures, care should be taken to not graze the pastures too short. Grazing should be limited to approximately two inches so that the pasture plants are able to quickly rejuvenate. If you are fortunate to have the space for multiple pastures it is best to rotate the horses between the pastures, moving them every five or six days. Each pasture should be of sufficient size to provide each horse with one to

PHOTO: CANSTOCK/LBRIX

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Good pasture management means restricting horses to a sacrifice paddock when the larger field or paddock is too wet or overgrazed.

two acres. During times of extremely hot and dry weather the pastures may not grow very quickly. Even when practicing rotational grazing, you may find that the pasture plants are slow to rejuvenate. At times like this, it is recommended that horses be confined to the sacrifice area until the pasture plants begin to grow and reach five to six inches. In early autumn when nighttime temperatures begin to drop, plant growth slows dramatically.

Turn your horses out only when the pasture plants have grown to five or six inches; otherwise leave your horses in the sacrifice area.

Taking care to not overgraze pasture plants in the autumn allows them to go dormant in a healthy state and quickly come out of dormancy in the spring.

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No matter how wet or dry your small paddocks or sacrifice areas are, it is always best to remove the deposited manure from them to prevent mud. Ideally, it is recommended that manure be removed at least once per week. Manure removal may be required at a more frequent intervals in high traffic areas such as around water stations and gates. Removal of manure from paddocks or sacrifice areas not only increases the visual appeal of your farm by preventing mud, but it also creates a healthier environment for your horses.

DIRECTING AND CONTROLLING INCOMING WATER

Soil and manure require water in order to be transformed into mud. By controlling the amount of water entering your paddocks/ sacrifice area, you can control the amount of mud that is generated.

The first step is to divert any roof runoff water away from the paddocks/sacrifice area. The installation of eavestroughs and downspouts on your barns and run-in shelters will reduce the amount of water entering onto your paddocks/sacrifice area. If possible, downspouts should be directed towards a low-lying area outside the paddock/sacrifice area.

Roof runoff water is clean and it should be discharged into a location where it will not become contaminated with manure or mud. Roof runoff water can also be captured by a rain barrel.This water can be used for cleaning purposes in and around your barn, helping to conserve water.

If your paddock/sacrifice area is located in a low-lying area, chances are you have seen surface runoff water flowing onto it. If it is not possible to move your paddock/sacrifice area to a higher and drier location, you may want to consider diverting the overland flowing water.

Surface runoff can be diverted by creating a berm to direct water away from the paddock/sacrifice area. Alternatively, a French drain can be constructed to reduce the amount of runoff. French drains

HORSEMANSHIP

The Young Horse 1

Freely forward. Be careful of conflicting aids. If you ask a young horse to go forward, give him a place to go and allow the reins to slightly drape so there is comfort to move into. At this stage only a few rides in, this colt needs to feel good about forward.

Only after this can we start focusing on closing the flexion in his body.

Moving Forward Freely and Training Tips

By Jonathan Field We’ve all had a horse that was hesitant to go forward with ease and willingness. I want to share the story of one such colt I started recently, and some of the strategies I employed to help him “free up.” These techniques work well for horses of all ages.

This article is ultimately about rider self-awareness, timing, and avoiding the overuse of pressure, which unintentionally dulls the horse. Take special note of the tips for success, and the pitfalls many riders face when their horse is dull to their aids.

This three-year-old gelding is quite tame and naturally calm. He had learned to stand quietly while 52

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receiving care for a hip injury earlier in life. Although he has a nice demeanor and is easygoing, he was also “sticky” about going forward.

A horse like this can often start out a bit sticky and sluggish, and then build resistance over time. In my experience, if this trend is allowed to continue, the tension will often build and can erupt out of nowhere in a huge bucking spell that catches the rider off guard. To avoid that situation for this colt, I used the strategy outlined below to help him move forward freely and easily, without any tension hiding under the surface.

With quiet horses, there’s

sometimes a misconception that they are dull, but the contrary is true — they can easily learn to tolerate or even disregard a rider who uses too little feel or timing.

The goal is for the horse to depart forward without strong aids, to continue to go forward without the rider having to ask every stride, and to go straight. The exercises with this colt were done out in the open pasture only after I had several rides in an arena and developed a good stop and bend through the hindquarters. This same concept in principle can be done in the arena by using the whole arena and going to the furthest points, such

as end-to-end or corner-to-corner.

This simple concept often proves difficult in application, but the key is to carefully apply this method and be disciplined about not overusing your aids by applying too much pressure.

You may also need the assistance of a riding crop.

Pick a point to ride to with the goal of riding right to that location. Having said that, you will also accept a small effort in that direction as a “try” forward.

Mistakes are made in small ways. If the horse goes forward off the cue, but the rider continues to ask with a grinding leg aid trying to get the horse all the way across the arena, the horse will receive no release for moving out and will begin balking or slowing.

Focus more on teaching soft, willing cues forward and less on crossing the arena in one try. Each small surge forward, even if it is only a few steps, must be rewarded by releasing.

Looking at the point you are aiming for — sit up in your saddle, then create an energizing feel through your seat down to your leg with a light squeeze right to your heels. If your horse doesn’t respond, lift the crop into his sight along your side and just behind your leg, and give a few light, obvious waves. If that doesn’t initiate a step forward, begin lightly tapping the crop on the rump until a forward response comes. Release the leg aid immediately, but keep focusing on where you want to go. Repeat this until you get across to your location,

and each time you do this, expect a little more of a surge forward before you quit the stimuli. Each “try” forward should be a bit more than the last. By doing this, after several times going across you should be moving into a forward canter. When you reach the end, be sure to rest your horse in the exact location you chose — and facing the outside of the riding arena or field. Stay there at least twice as long as it took to get there, then turn and go back across.

A word about safety: As speed picks up along with responsiveness, be ready to bend and turn your horse if he tries to buck or goes too fast and starts

taking you across rather than you taking him across.

Remember, circles focus a horse inward, while long straight lines with rest points at the end open him up. Every warm-up ride, I determine if the horse has more forwardness or more balkiness, and on that basis I decide what needs to be done in that riding session.

With a really sticky colt, I integrate this exercise many times throughout the session, and then begin to add a few circles in the middle of the arena before we get to my rest point at the opposite end. Over time, I expect the horse to hold this forwardness longer before the rest point.

2

This is probably the most important part. After having traveled across a long distance on a straight line, allow the horse to stop and rest at a predetermined point.

Pretty soon you will stride out and your colt will perk his ears forward with interest and look where he is going.

3

After a short rest, head out across the field in a straight line in another direction. This exercise can be done in an arena, too.

The goal is to go to a few points furthest apart from one another, such as corner-to-corner or end-to-end.

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53

TRAINING

The Longe Cavesson

An Essential Tool for Groundwork

By Jec A. Ballou

Due to its effectiveness in helping the horse carry his body with good form, the longe cavesson is arguably one of the most useful pieces of equipment, yet only a surprisingly small number of riders know about it. While early depictions from the 16th century refer mostly to its value in lateral poll flexion, its benefits for groundwork extend to a horse’s entire body. For anyone who performs groundwork it is an indispensable tool, as I will explain.

Common misalignments of horses during groundwork include a twisted poll that comes from a handler using a line attached under the chin, or one-sided pressure on the bit when using a bridle.

The alignment and state of positive — or negative — tension in the poll directly affects the rest of the body. Within the poll region is a vast bundle of nerves that, through a network extending down into the body and limbs, coordinates signals throughout the entire musculoskeletal system. When there is stiffness or crookedness in the horse’s poll, it will be mirrored in the musculature of his trunk.

Without proper posture, groundwork training can deepen muscular imbalances.

Because a cavesson allows the handler to position the horse’s head and poll from 56 56

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PHOTOS COURTESY OF JEC BALLOU

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an attachment point over the bridge of his nose, it does not twist or tilt his head sideways when asking his spine to bend from ears to tail. Instead, it gently swivels the head laterally at the poll junction.

This way, it helps loosen that junction while keeping it aligned correctly. As the horse flexes his poll, he can then align his trunk, and his hind legs can step under his body and drive off the ground with equal force. When the poll is misaligned, or tense and braced, his hind legs push with unequal force (see Figure 1).

Dating to at least the 16th century, based on references by Italian dressage trainer Frederico Grisone, the longe cavesson originated as a way to develop lateral flexion without applying pressure to the bars of the horse’s mouth. It avoided hurting the mouth and sidestepped any tension or resistance the horse might have offered in his jaw and neck. It is most typically used for groundwork, although some historical illustrations show a variation of cavessons for early bitless riding of young horses.

The cavesson also improves longitudinal balance by guiding the horse to stretch and lower his neck to round his topline. It accomplishes this by the handler applying light traction on the longe line to draw the horse’s head and neck in the desired posture. If, however, a horse is unable to follow this request, either through fear or physical limitations, the pressure can disappear promptly. It is not fixed or restrictive. Instead, the cavesson helps shape the horse’s body more through suggestion rather than by holding him in a certain position.

A useful longe cavesson should be no thicker or heavier than a basic bridle. It should have a jaw strap positioned well ahead of the throatlatch area (see Figure 2), which stabilizes and prevents the cheek straps from sliding forward near the horse’s eyes. The curved section over the horse’s nose is most commonly made from lightweight steel wrapped in soft leather. Firmness of this piece EARLY SUMMER 2019

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HOLIDAYS ON HORSEBACK

Go Horse Camping FOR FUN & ADVENTURE Article and photos by Tania Millen

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pending all day with your horse, visiting with friends, and riding a variety of trails pretty much describes horse camping, so it’s no surprise that many riders consider horse camping to be the ultimate adventure. Although performance riders often haul to a different facility for a clinic or competition, put their horse in a stall, and camp out in their rig, trail rider-style horse camping is a bit different.

For trail riders, horse camping means hauling to a horse-friendly campsite or trailhead, setting up some sort of horse accommodation, and camping for a few days while riding the surrounding trails. The “facilities” may be nothing more than a parking spot, so horses and riders often need specialized skills and equipment, plus a willingness to make-do with whatever is available.

This article focuses on the essentials of horse camping so that any rider can get out there and join the fun. There’s lots to think about: where to go; how to get ready; set-ups for sleeping, eating, and accommodating horses; what to take; how to stay safe; and what trail riding gear to use. These topics are all discussed below.

Where To Go Canada has plenty of horse campsites and trails. Many parks, public lands, private ranches, and bed, bale and breakfast operations (BBBs) cater to horse campers. To find them, contact regional and provincial equine organizations, talk to friends, research online, and hit up social media. A few horse campsites are listed below to get you started.

Get Ready Before loading up and going camping, ensure that you and your horse are ready.

• Make sure your truck and trailer are well-maintained.

• Decide how you’re going to sleep and eat. Practice new camping and cooking skills at home.

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THE 2019 FORD F-150

GET OUT AND STAY OUT

With our most capable F-150 ever, there’s no limit to where your journeys may lead. So, load up your F-150 with all the gear necessary for any adventure. And it’s loaded with technology and innovations that help you get there, and get work done (but only if you want to).

BEST-IN-CLASS* TOWING AND PAYLOAD THAT EASILY HANDLES THE BIGGEST TOYS

AVAILABLE WI-FI HOTSPOT† CAPABILITY FOR BOTH WORK AND PLAY

BACK IT UP RIGHT THE FIRST TIME WITH AVAILABLE PRO TRAILER BACKUP ASSIST‡

EXPLORE THE 2019 FORD F-150. FORD.CA/UNDISPUTED Vehicle may be shown with optional features. *When properly configured. Maximum towing of 13,200 lbs with available 3.5L V6 EcoBoost engine configuration. Maximum payload of 3,270 lbs on F-150 XL Regular Cab, 8′ box, 5.0L, 4x2, Heavy Duty Payload Package and Heavy Duty Wheel. Class is Full-Size Pickups under 8,500 lbs. GVWR based on Ford segmentation. SYNC Connect, an optional feature, is required. Certain restrictions, 3rd party terms, or message/data rates may apply. 4G network complimentary 5-year subscription included (after which, fees apply) for remote features excluding Wi-Fi Hotspot, activates with vehicle sale date. Requires compatible 4G cellular network connectivity, and is subject to 4G network availability. Evolving technology/cellular networks may affect future functionality. Additional data plan for Wi-Fi Hotspot required.

See dealer for details. ‡Some driver input required. Driver-assist features are supplemental and do not replace the driver’s attention, judgment and need to control the vehicle. ©2019 Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited. All rights reserved.

EARLY SUMMER 2019

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