TOP 10
body language postures
Boarding Barn
contracts
Better safe than sorry!
Slow Feeding It’s not just for easy keepers
Get circulating!
Supplementation for the laminitic horse
The lowdown on liniments
Feeding horses
THEN & NOW Horse chakras
PUT A STING IN IT Leading the blind
Display until June 3, 2013 $5.95 USA/Canada VOLUME 8 ISSUE 2
April/May 2013
EquineWellnessMagazine.com
equine wellness
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Contents 26
54 features 10 Put a sting in it
26 Then and now
14 The lowdown on liniments
30 Slow down!
Fly parasites are a natural non-invasive way to help manage pesky fly populations.
Have you ever wondered how domesticated horses were fed in the past? There are some intriguing differences and similarities!
Understanding how liniments work, and what to look for when selecting one for your horse.
Slow feeding isn’t just for easy keepers.
16 louder thAn words
A detailed and thorough contract is a must for any boarding facility.
The top ten equine body language postures you should pay attention to.
22 Hoof essentials To become more involved in the care of your horse’s hooves, you need to pay attention to some fundamental points.
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equine wellness
36 Sign on the dotted line
40 An educated choice
A professional groom’s guide to selecting grooming and fly products.
44 Don’t get stuck
How old-fashioned static saddle fit differs from dynamic saddle fit for the moving horse.
48 Tangled
You may not think quantum mechanics and horses go together. One trainer explores this link to help horses become healthier and more balanced.
50 Wheels of life
Chakras aren’t just for humans - horses have them too!
56 Leading the blind
How to adapt yourself and your farm for a vision-impaired horse.
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50 Columns 8 Neighborhood news
Departments 6 Editorial
34 Integrative careers
21 Product picks
46
The herb blurb
28 Special advertising feature
54
Green acres
32 Social media corner 42 Wellness resource guide 59 Marketplace 61 Classifieds 62 Events
10 equine wellness
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By Wayne Blevins
To become more involved in the care of your horse’s hooves, you need to pay attention to some fundamental points. Anyone who owns and cares for a horse will eventually come to a crossroads in determining just how involved they should become in his hoof care. Every horse has different needs, just as every owner has different abilities and skills. However, no one knows your horse better than you do. You may observe him every day of his life if you are caring for him at your home. You may listen to everyone you encounter in your search to do the best for your equine friend, only to receive conflicting opinions. In the end, it always comes down to determining who to trust for the advice you need, and beyond that, following your own instincts and intuition.
To shoe or not to shoe If it is determined that a horse needs to wear shoes, it’s generally because the use of the animal exceeds the strength of his anatomy. Shoes are used, in many instances, to keep the hoof wear from causing lameness in a horse, or for correcting an anatomical problem. A professional horse shoer can use methods that he knows will correct gait or alleviate lameness, depending on his training and experience. There is a strong movement among horse owners to choose barefoot methods of managing hooves. The damage done by nailing steel to a hoof is easy to see, and the tools and skill involved make the thought of doing the job on your own not an option. I personally went to horseshoeing school as a 22
equine wellness
young man to learn how to take care of my own horses. In doing so, however, I fell in love with the trade and have ended up participating at a professional level for many years. Not everyone wishes to go to such extremes, but there are many places that offer shorter courses of study for horse owners.
Surround yourself with good professionals There is also great value in being around other horse professionals on a routine basis. An owner or manager of a horse facility (of any kind) is likely to pick up a few skills from the horse shoer that frequents his or her barn. This would become the person who, on a trail ride, would be able to tack a thrown shoe back on for a fellow riding companion. Knowing little details such as which way to face the nail when they set up to drive it, or how to block clinch the nail with a set of pullers as it exits the hoof wall, is sometimes talent enough to get a horse back to the barn safe and sound. Skills such as being able to pull a loose or bent shoe, or rasp down a nasty chip in a hoof wall, are also valuable day-to-day tasks that most horse owners can learn how to do.
Two building blocks for successful hoof care Just how successful an owner may be in doing her own hoof care depends on two things beyond farrier skills:
ONE - Training In this case, the owner may have an advantage over a skilled blacksmith. The familiarity of an owner’s touch can calm a horse far beyond the hurried procedural nature of the journeyman farrier. Being certain that a horse is standing straight and square is the starting point. Any other posture will cause an imbalance. A hoofjack or similar type of stand can ease the burden of a horse’s weight and offer stability to a tricky situation. Teaching a horse to support his own weight on three legs has a trick to it – always give the captive leg back to the horse before he demands it back. Although holding on to the leg through the first couple of protests is necessary, once the horse settles into position it is time to give the leg back. Release is always the best reward to a horse. Each time the hoof is handled, the length of time the horse must surrender his will is increased, until he becomes quite sure he will get his hoof back when necessary, thus diminishing his anxiety. This means many training sessions teaching the horse to support himself must happen before you start administering any barefoot trimming methods you may have learned, such as a mustang roll.
TWO - Nutrition The other important component is nutrition. If a horse is getting the nutrition he needs, it can be seen in the extrusions of connective tissue, specifically the hoof and hair. The sole of the hoof will become thicker, and the frog more substantial. Thrush and fungus find it hard to survive in a healthy hoof, shoes hold on better, and healthy hooves are more successful in transitioning to and staying barefoot. Your horse has no choice but to trust you to make responsible choices for his diet. There was a time when nutrient rich grasses were a staple all over the earth and horses thrived because of it. Today, equine wellness
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