How to assess your horse’s
HAY
DOES YOUR HORSE NEED
Swim
THERAPY FOR YOUR HORSE
?
Equine Dentistry —
when LESS is MORE
Lessons in
LEADERSHIP The pros & cons of
HOOF DRESSING
TTOUCH
for digestion DISPLAY UNTIL MARCH 2016 VOLUME 11 ISSUE 1
$5.95 USA/Canada
Feb/March 2016
THE RETIRED RACEHORSE PROJECT
WHAT IT TAKES TO HELP TB EX-RACEHORSES LAUNCH SUCCESSFUL SECOND CAREERS EquineWellnessMagazine.com Equine Wellness
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Conte 24 55 FEATURES 10 YOUR HORSE’S HAY Assessing hay types and how they fit his needs.
14 HOOF DRESSING
Many people love to put hoof dressing on their horses’ hooves – it makes them feel like they are doing something good for their horses, and the hooves look nice after. But is it beneficial or detrimental?
16 EQUINE DENTISTRY – WHEN LESS IS MORE
The general rule is that a horse’s teeth should be floated every year. But this may not always apply – your individual horse, as well as who is doing the floating, are big factors in how often his teeth need to be done.
20 MICROCURRENT THERAPY
This ages-old therapy uses subtle electrical current to help with a wide variety of ailments and injuries.
4
Equine Wellness
24 THE RETIRED
50 TTOUCH FOR
Helping Thoroughbred ex-racehorses launch successful second careers.
These gentle, non-invasive exercises can offer your horse relief from minor digestive issues, improve his digestion, or reduce his discomfort while waiting for the vet in colic situations.
RACEHORSE PROJECT
28 LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP
Understanding how horses interact with one another, and how you interact with them, can help you determine and develop your leadership style in the workplace.
32 SWIM THERAPY FOR YOUR HORSE
Swimming as therapy can help your equine recover faster and with less stress.
36 BAND-AID OR TREATMENT?
Treating symptoms rather than the cause of disease may help in the short term, but can negatively affect your horse’s health in the long run.
DIGESTIVE HEALTH
55 DOES YOUR HORSE NEED GRAIN?
We seem to automatically assume that all horses have to eat grain. Let’s look at what your horse really needs to stay healthy!
nts 32 COLUMNS
DEPARTMENTS 6 Editorial
8 Neighborhood news 39 Green acres
23 Product picks
42 To the rescue
31 Business profile: The Rocky Mountain School of Animal Acupressure and Massage
44 Herb blurb 46 Holistic veterinary Q&A
40 Equine Wellness resource guide
48 Minute horsemanship
45 Heads up
62 Acupressure at a glance
49 Social media corner 57 Book review 58 Marketplace
44
60 Classifieds 61 Events
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Photos courtesy of Megan Stapley Photography
Hundreds of Thoroughbred ex-racehorses will meet at the Kentucky Horse Park this year from October 27 to 30 to participate in the Thoroughbred Makeover.
THE RETIRED
Racehorse PROJECT
HELPING THOROUGHBRED EX-RACEHORSES LAUNCH SUCCESSFUL SECOND CAREERS. In an effort to help curb the unwanted horse population in North America, many people are coming up with creative options and opportunities to help horses find homes. One rapidly-growing organization is the Retired Racehorse Project. Its mission is to help Thoroughbred ex-racehorses find second homes and careers through retraining, education and awareness. by Kelly Howling
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Equine Wellness
FILLING A NEED Steuart Pittman, the organization’s founder, and a group of friends who believe strongly in the abilities of off-the-track Thoroughbreds as performance horses, came together in 2009 to host the Retired Racehorse Training Symposium. The event not only promoted these horses for riding and performance, but offered much-needed insight and information on their care and training needs. “We filed for nonprofit status in 2010 after the symposium drew 350 people from ten states, with very little marketing,” says Steuart. “We realized that the demand for information about transitioning these horses from racing was huge!” Indeed, one of the biggest obstacles for people taking horses from the track for riding is likely a lack of experience, knowledge, and resources, in addition to the negative stereotypes. The Retired Racehorse Project is working to fill that gap and dispel many ex-racehorse myths.
A NEED FOR SPEED Photo courtesy of Megan Stapley Photography
Finding homes for these horses is a priority. “Fifteen thousand or so Thoroughbreds are retired from racing each year,” says Steuart. “If demand for them is weak in the riding markets, they become a part of America’s unwanted horse population. If the demand is strong, they not only find homes but people pay enough money for them that racing owners and trainers get a
LOOKING FOR A HORSE?
Interested in adding an ex-racehorse to your barn? Part of the Retired Racehorse Project’s mission is to make it easier for people to find and purchase or adopt these horses. “Retired Racehorse Project always has well over 100 horses listed at various stages of training on its horse listings,” says Steuart. “Our online and printed resource directory identifies 300 farms and organizations, as well as racetracks, where people can shop both online and in person. CANTER affiliates across the country are great sources as are their Facebook groups, all of which are linked from RetiredRacehorseProject.org.”
Amy Lent on Face of Glory participates in Competitive Trail at the Thoroughbred Makeover.
Equine Wellness
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