Equine wellness
Equine
Your natural resource!
wellness
special issue:
performance horses
Monster
tame the clipping
Teach your horse how to clip
Equine
Thermography Coloring the world of equine lameness
Sweet Home Home
Our top 8 tips for selecting a boarding barn
keep your
Cool
Manage your horse’s hydration this season
What’s behind
Shockwave therapy Wow Factor!
Get that show ring shine – naturally VOLUME 7 ISSUE 3
Display until August 14, 2012 $5.95 USA/Canada
VOLUME 7 ISSUE 3
EquineWellnessMagazine.com
More Than
Metal
Shoeing options for transitioning horses equine wellness
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Contents
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57 features 12 Shave and a haircut
Teaching your horse how to clip doesn’t have to be a dramatic task. Learn how to tame the “clipper monster”.
16 Bit of a shock Many of us have heard the term shockwave therapy, and some have used it to treat injuries in horses. But how much do we really know about the principles behind this innovative treatment?
20 Keep your cool
Managing hydration and thermoregulation in warm environments is crucial to your horse’s health and performance.
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24 More than metal
When making the transition to barefoot, or riding over certain terrains, your horse may benefit from a little extra support. Let’s review some alternatives to traditional metal shoes.
28 The truth about training tools
Before condemning bits, spurs and other devices as cruel, consider this: tools are neither good nor bad. It’s how they’re used that makes the difference.
32 Home sweet home Selecting a boarding facility doesn’t have to be traumatic. Here are our top 8 tips to help you through the process.
36 Ring sour
Have show nerves have taken the fun out of competitive riding? These tips can help you return to the ring with a smile.
41 Coloring the world of lameness
Equine thermography is gaining attention from equine professionals and riders alike – could it help your own horse?
50 Wow factor
Getting your horse show ring ready doesn’t have to involve harsh shampoos and shine sprays. Check out this professional groom’s tips for getting the perfect look, naturally.
57 Driven to help
How one adoption organization is putting the horse before the cart.
62 What a show!
Odysseo pushes the boundaries of live performance to a spectacular new level.
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Departments
Columns 8
50
Neighborhood news
6 Editorial
53 Hot to trot
27 Product picks
58 Book review
46 Equine Wellness resource guide 54 Holistic veterinary advice – Talking with Dr. Joyce Harman 59 Marketplace 61 Classifieds 62
Events
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THE TRUTH ABOUT by Stephanie Krahl
Before condemning bits, spurs and other devices as cruel, consider this: tools are neither good nor bad. It’s how they’re used that makes the difference.
W
hat’s the root cause of abuse in the horse industry today? It’s a horse owner who lacks knowledge of the horse’s true nature, leaving an animal whose dignity and spirit have been taken away. If you’re like me, you have a difficult time enjoying events that don’t put the horse’s noble nature first. What you see is not harmonious or beautiful, and it’s not about adhering to one’s core values – it’s more about competition and winning.
This quote from Xenophon, an ancient Greek general, statesman, philosopher, horseman and author of The Art of Horsemanship, is often used to describe this type of human behavior: “Anything forced and misunderstood can never be beautiful.”
Developing communication When you seek true unity with your horse, it should be beautiful, magical and filled with understanding – it should be a dance between two willing partners. But where do you start? And how can it become a dance? How can it materialize into something beautiful where communication is clear and without force? This transformation doesn’t appear
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out of thin air, nor does it happen overnight. We are humans; they are horses. There are many differences between the two. Understanding equine behavior comes into play here, but you must also choose and use tools that line up with your core values. These tools must result in a level of communication between you and your equine companion that’s beautiful, clear, precise and easy to understand.
Are training devices cruel? Horse guardians often shun certain equine training devices. This is a valid reaction because many of these devices are used in a cruel manner – and some are intended to be cruel by design. However, if you understand the horse’s true nature, you know these artificial devices are usually not needed. True horsemanship is about simplicity, and understanding a horse from her point of view first. It shouldn’t be based on winning a blue ribbon or futurity money. The real horseman knows most training devices are simply a way to make up for poor feel and timing, bad hands and lack of knowledge.
I’m not implying you should never use training tools. Some are needed so you can more effectively communicate with your horse, and stay safe. Safety is number one.
Sticks, bits and spurs As you know, a horse’s body is shaped differently from yours – hers is long, and yours isn’t. This means you may need to use tools to extend your body so you can communicate as if you were like another horse. For example: You may prefer to use a fiberglass stick or dressage whip to help you more effectively communicate your message. The length of either tool can allow you to extend your body.
horse. It’s similar to holding hands, or dancing closely with another person. You more accurately understand each other, because you’re being held in an intimate manner. That kind of intimacy is a privilege, not a right – much like putting a bit in a horse’s mouth. That intimate dance is beautiful. It radiates an energy like no other. It mesmerizes you.
Some tools are needed so you can more effectively communicate with your horse and stay safe. Safety is number one. Signs of ineffective communication
When riding, most spurs are usually unnecessary and perceived as cruel. You can still achieve high level maneuvers without them. But what if they could refine your communication and help it become more accurate and precise? Your horse would understand more quickly and be less resistant. For example, using only the blunt area of your riding boot is not as precise or effective as using a humanely designed spur, which becomes an extension of yourself. When taking a discipline to an art form, you may use a certain type of bit to achieve more accurate communication with your
Someone who is exceptional with horses has a connection with them that appears almost invisible or magical. This type of connection is not forced. You won’t see the horse foaming at the mouth, her tongue turning blue or hanging out. She won’t be overextended at the poll, jerked by the rider’s hands or spurred to the point of having indentations in her sides. Nor will she swish her tail; and if she does, the rider should immediately recognize it as feedback. A swishing tail is not necessarily disobedience. Instead, it usually means the rider is
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