Equine wellness
Equine
Your natural resource!
wellness
Top Trail Riding Techniques Licking Lime Disease
Saving the
friesian
Top integrative approaches
Natural weaning
Secrets
Barefoot trail horses
Don’t be lame!
What causes lameness and how acupuncture and chiropractic can help
Got ulcers? Typical horsekeeping practices may be part of the problem May/June 2009 Display until July 7, 2009 $5.95 USA/Canada
VOLUME 4 ISSUE 3
EquineWellnessMagazine.com
equine wellness
Contents May/June 2009
Photo: Kim Speek
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features Photo: ©Mirrormere | Dreamstime.com
13 From rail to trail
Transitioning a young horse to trail riding can be tricky; try these three invaluable techniques
16 Got ulcers? Are your horsekeeping practices contributing to this common equine problem?
20 Licking Lyme disease Get the bite on this tick borne disease with both natural and conventional remedies
24 Before you buy
Getting a new horse? This simple pre-purchase exam can save you a world of heartache and expense
equine wellness
30 Dare to go bare!
50 Dutch Treat
Trail horses can go barefoot, but you need to take your time with the transition
With their rich black coats and flowing manes and tails, Friesians are what many horse-crazy young girls dream of. But did you know they’re endangered?
40 Nice to meet you!
52 Natural weaning
Nervous about adding another horse to your herd? Here’s how to do it so everyone stays safe and sound
46 Don’t be lame Learn the signs and causes of lameness, and how acupuncture and chiropractic can help
How you wean your horse may affect his attitude and even his intelligence for years to come
57 Fit to continue
Hitting the trail this summer? Try these acupressure techniques to improve his endurance and conditioning
46 13 Photo: ŠCynoclub | Dreamstime.com
Departments
Columns
10 Neighborhood news
8 Editorial
28 From agony to ecstasy
36 Equine Wellness
34 A natural performer
resource guide
Profile of a natural performer
56 Heads up
43 Holistic veterinary advice
61 Marketplace
Talking with Kim Parker, DVM, EDO
60 Book reviews 64 Did you know?
64 Classifieds 65 Events
66 Your health
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20 equine wellness
Trail horses can go barefoot too, but you need to take your time with the transition. These inspirational stories and tips will help get you started.
Photo: ©Bsauter | Dreamstime.com
Dare to go bare! by Anne Riddell with Julie Green
Gradually conditioning your horse’s feet to new surfaces is the secret to barefoot trail riding.
B
ob and Laura Drury were booked to travel west with their two horses for a month of trail riding and camping in the beautiful Rocky Mountains – a trip they’d dreamed of for years. Normally, their horses did not wear shoes. But their farrier recommended shoes in anticipation of the rough terrain, so front shoes and pads were
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put on each horse. They planned on having the shoes re-set just prior to leaving on the trip. After pulling the shoes during the re-set appointment, they found the mare’s feet were split and cracked, and it seemed too much of her sole had been removed in the shoeing process. She was
quite tender walking, not only on cement and gravel but on soft footing as well. Their dream trip to the Rockies was quickly fading away.
Transition gradually Whether you’re a weekend pleasure rider, an avid trail blazer who likes to go different places with your horse, or a fierce endurance competitor out for the gold, the rules for sound trail riding are the same. Your horse should never be suddenly asked to ride across unaccustomed terrain for any length of time. For example, a horse living and training on soft footing should not be expected to go out and perform on hard rocky ground. If your horse cannot live daily on the same footing you expect him to ride or perform on, then hoof boots are a must. Take your time! If your goal is to eventually trail ride your horse barefoot without the protection of hoof boots, then start introducing rougher footing gradually. Until that time, boots will save the day.
Your horse’s hooves
require gradual conditioning, just as his muscles do. A tale of endurance Endurance rider Julie Green was always told by farriers that her mare Khaelah did not have good feet – she had a long toe and low heels that used to curl under. Julie believed Khaelah would always need to be shod or her hooves would simply disintegrate. She lived in fear of removing the shoes and kept them on year-round for several years, all the while struggling to grow and keep a good hoof wall. She fed various hoof supplements and devotedly rubbed and brushed every potion known to man onto the hooves, trying to improve them. Over the years, they had a number of disappointing competitions where Khaelah lost front shoes, mostly due to wet ground that sucked the shoe/pad combination right off her hoof. They managed to finish those rides, either by tacking a shoe back on or with the use of a hoof boot. But the problem wasn’t going away, and it was limiting their potential. More importantly, Julie was tired of watching the shoes destroy Khaelah’s feet, not to mention the strain on her lower limbs when a shoe was torn off. She knew there had to be a better way. She had heard many success stories from other endurance riders about turning their horses barefoot, and decided she and Khaelah had nothing to lose and everything to gain by giving it an honest try. The first thing Julie did was get professional help and guidance from a Certified Natural Hoof Care Practitioner. Thankfully, Khaelah’s transition has been well managed and she has remained very comfortable
Even if your horse can handle the trail barefoot, I still recommend you carry these items in case of emergency:
•hoof pick •set of hoof boots •hoof pads equine wellness
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