Starting Your Day

By: Ted Howard Production Animal Consultation

Ever get up on the wrong side of the bed? Do you find that everything you attempt is met with frustration and upset? Normally these types of days could be prevented with a little foresight and preparation. Having a consistent routine and a plan for your day helps alleviate the “wrong side of the bed” situations.

The same concept of a consistent routine and plan holds true for how your horse needs to start his work day. Entering your horse’s pen quietly and in a non-aggressive manner is very important. Your horse needs to know you are his partner and deserves a moment to accept you into his area. When he stands quietly for you to halter, this is his way to communicate his willingness to start another work day with you.

However, if your horse is difficult to catch or turns and walks to the back of the pen, he is trying to tell you something. He is indicating that he doesn’t feel good about starting the day. This could be due to him being tired or burned out. It is important that our horses get frequent time off. I normally see feedyard horses ridden every third day. It is very important to rest your horse during difficult feedyard conditions, like muddy pens or deep snow. His unwillingness to be haltered may also indicate he is hurting somewhere and should be evaluated closely. Building trust between ourselves and our horse allows us to be more sensitive to what his is trying to tell us.

Once we have a willing horse haltered, we need to make sure he has time to eat prior to being ridden. Much like us, he needs something in his stomach before he starts working. It is very important that he eat a consistent diet. If he leaves part of his feed, he may not be feeling well and should be watched closely. Horses that tilt their heads while they chew may need their teeth floated or looked at. A horse with a sore mouth doesn’t respond well to having a bit in his mouth.

While our horse is eating we can start to brush and curry him off. The purpose of brushing a horse is to rid his coat of any mud, hay, or burrs. Anything that is stuck on his coat can cause soreness. It is very important to keep his legs rinsed off during muddy times. Dried mud can cause soreness and a horse to lose its hair.

It is important to notice if your horse flinches at anytime while you are brushing him. He will indicate when you run over a tender area. We need to pay close attention to his withers. Normally when a saddle does not fit properly the withers will be the first area to show soreness. The white hair you see on a horse’s withers is a sign of previous saddle sores. To help our saddle fit our horse we must use the correct pads. If trying different types of saddle pads doesn’t help the fit of the saddle, we need to change saddles.

When fitting a saddle to our horse, we need to recognize the diagonals of our horse. You measure from the point of the left shoulder to the point of the right hip bone. You then measure from the point of the right shoulder to the point of the left hip bone. Where these two lines intersect is where you need to be seated for proper balance for your horse. Therefore you need to be aware of where your saddle sits on your horse’s back.

Tack needs to be adjusted properly as you use it on different horses. It sometimes needs adjusted for your horse if he loses or gains weight. Having your headstall fit properly is very important. I like to see one wrinkle at the side of my horse’s mouth when the headstall is properly fit. The headstall fitting too tight is very uncomfortable for your horse and puts too much pressure on his mouth. This causes him to toss his head or show frustration in other ways. You should never create a sore in the corner of your horse’s mouth.

When we start our work day off in a consistent manner, we set the stage for a productive enjoyable day. We are better able to care for our cattle as well as create a positive environment for our equine partner, so that no one gets started on the wrong side of the bed…or stall.

Chuckles From Down Under

By: Jane Sullivan, Bell Veterinary Services

And Now For Something A Little Less Serious: A man in Denver calls his son in Chicago the day before Christmas Eve and says: “I hate to ruin your day, but I have to tell you that your Mother and I are divorcing; 45 years of misery is enough!”

“Dad, what are you talking about?” The son screams.

“We can’t stand the sight of each other any longer,” the father says. “We’re sick of each other, so you call your sister in Los Angeles and tell her.”

Frantic, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone. “I’ll take care of this,” she says. She calls Denver immediately and screams at her father: “You are not getting divorced! Don’t do a single thing until I get there. I’m calling my brother back and we’ll both be there tomorrow. Until then, don’t do a thing, do you hear me?” And hangs up.

The old man hangs up his phone and turns to his wife. “It’s OK,” he says, “They’re coming for Christmas and paying their own way.”