Newsletter XXIX
Hi
Welcome to this month’s HorseConscious Newsletter.
Yes indeed, running a little behind with this month’s edition but here we are at last.
Being a Brit, I have to talk about the weather for a few moments because it’s been really weird, hasn’t it? In fact, just before I sat down to write this I had to go and put on a jumper – it feels very autumnal and yet here we are in mid August. Are you having unusual weather where you are too? If so, it’s rather worrying in my opinion.
As you can imagine, we get lots of emails on lots of different horse topics, which is really kind of people to think of us and want to pass on great info they find or just to tell us how they are feeling.
One email I had recently was from Diane Engdahl of the The NorthWest Sustainable Horse Council. This is what it says on their website:
“We serve as a resource for people of all income levels who would like to improve their horse property. Our goal is to help educate and provide interesting materials and solutions to common horse keeping problems.”
Given our recent discussions about the economy, this seems like a great idea. Their website is still under construction I believe but the Contact page works and you can get in touch via there if you would like to know more about what they have to teach.
I also recently heard from Julia Felton, who is from the UK and studied with Carolyn Resnick as her working apprentice. Julia has been featured in previous newsletters as she has given clinics on Carolyn’s Methods with Stina Herberg (more on Stina and Carolyn below).
Julia has more recently just finished her new book ‘Instinctive Horsemanship – Seven Steps to Communicate with a Horse in his Language’, which she is offering free to visitors to her Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/connectthruhorses
The book looks really excellent, so I would do yourself the favour of going across to Julia’s page and picking up a copy.
I mentioned Stina and Carolyn above and I am delighted to learn that Stina has begun working with Carolyn to produce a 20 chapter film project on “Riding at Liberty”. The video below is the first in the series and is called “Visualization”. It looks back at the story of how Stina came to be with the herd she now shares her life with.
In connection with the series that she and Carolyn are starting, Stina said:
“Carolyn is coaching me to learn to ride and communicate with the horse like from the ground on the back, it is an amazing journey, this is how I always wanted to learn to ride.”
Considering that practically all the teaching that Stina received from Carolyn was ‘distance-learning’, either by phone or email, it’s a tremendous testament to both of their skills. It’s going to be fascinating journey for sure and one I look forward to following. I will of course ensure that you get to see the videos too here on HorseConscious.
If somebody is going to ride, this is how it should be done, don’t you think? Without bits.
My question is always, how do we put across the message that there is a different, kinder, gentler, more compassionate way with horses to the millions upon millions of horse lovers who think it’s OK to beat a horse or use bits because they don’t know better?
This for me is the big riddle, the $64,000 question and I wish that I had the answer to it.
Maybe it’s just a matter of reaching a tipping point and in this time of social media, maybe this will happen quite quickly. However, when I see that the HorseConscious Facebook has 1,435 Likes and the Facebook page Horseback Riding has 1,016,719 Likes, I wonder whether that’s likely.
I do have ideas how to start to tip the balance in our favour but that will have to wait until I can put more resource behind it. In the meantime, I would ask you to do your best to spread the word and if you have any ideas on how to achieve a breakthrough, please drop me a line.
We have some very exciting calls coming up that I would like to invite you to. The first of which is this Sunday 14th August and is entitled:
“Nuture and Heal Your Horse with Love…
5 Holistic Health Experts Explain How
… and Why Fear in Horses is so Damaging”
In fact, I say ‘first’ as we are in fact running 2 calls on Sunday at the following times:
10:00 UK / 11:00 CET / 17:00 Perth / 19:00 Sydney
10:00 Pacific / 13:00 Eastern / 18:00 UK / 19:00 CET
To join the call that suits you best, just click the appropriate time above.
This should be a really fascinating discussion and picks up on some of the articles you will find in this month’s newsletter. The call will take the form of a round-the-table discussion and we invite your contribution as I’m sure you have a story or 2 you can tell from your own experience or what you may have witnessed with others.
The next call is one I hinted at in my last email and is with the very wonderful Linda Kohanov. As you may know, Linda’s mare Rasa who was the inspiration for her first books, passed away a few months ago and Linda has very kindly agreed to come on the call to talk about Rasa’s life and what it meant to lose her. Linda will be discussing Rasa’s transition, burial and memorial gathering and so it should be a very enlightening as well as moving call. I urge you to listen in:
Sunday 28th Aug at 10:00 Pacific / 13:00 Eastern / 18:00 UK / 19:00 CET
If you would like to taste of Linda’s thoughts and feelings on the subject, you can read this moving tribute from her site: http://eponaquest.com/a-tribute-to-tabula-rasa
The final call on our agenda is the rescheduled one with Kim McElroy and Sandra Wallin. We had the call planned for a few weeks ago but the night before, Kim was rushed into hospital for emergency surgery! Nothing too serious you’ll be pleased to hear and she has already made a full recovery – thank goodness.
So the call entitled Going Deeper than Words, will run again when Kim, Sandra and I manage to co-ordinate our calendars and I’ll keep you posted when that will be.
Before I sign off for this month, I must make mention to the copycat riots that are happening all over the UK at the moment.
I understand that certain minorities within our society find it tough to prosper, especially in tough times. As a result of this and the ensuing tension that causes with the authorities, that the original scene of rioting in Tottenham sparked by a shooting was the match to the tinderbox.
I accept that but what is not acceptable is the pathetic, copycat antics of the rioting that followed. I truly do not believe that these were all the result of racial tension, hence my description.
I read a great quote this morning from a respected surfer and photographer of 30+ years, who said this:
“We express ourselves through our actions with nature. There is a defined set of truths when playing in nature. My knowledge has been gained by experience as well as observation, where personal responsibility is the law of life.”
I thought this tremendously insightful and especially the last 7 words:
“… personal responsibility is the law of life.”
We must all accept this truth as horses and all animals do. In the animal kingdom, there is no blame, no passing of the buck, no kicking of the can. Each and every animal is responsible for their own life and by extension through the different herds and groups they belong to, to their fellow travelers too.
Large sections of the human world seem to have either completely forgotten this, chosen to ignore it or have been so misguided in their upbringing that this truth has been lost.
Once again therefore, we are made to look like idiots while the horses must be looking on in bewilderment at the madness they see.
It’s probably my age that makes me bring out my soap-box so regularly these days but this whole idea of personal responsibility is one that comes back to me time and again. What do you think?
One of the guiding principles I operate by is that if something crops up on 3 or more occasions in a short period of time, I should take note and act upon it. Maybe you do the same.
Over this past month, I have had 4 different people ask me about websites and Facebook Pages. Now as you know, one of passions outside of the horse world is (online) marketing and I have helped a number of people over the years get online, including Carolyn Resnick.
So if you have a burning desire to start your own blog to tell the story of your journey with your horse(s), post video or pictures on your own website or you want a proper Facebook Page that is separate from your personal profile, then maybe I can help you.
Will bills and staff to pay, I cannot do this for fresh air alone but compared to regular website companies, you’ll find what I charge is extremely reasonable.
Anyway, no hard pitch here. If it’s something you’ve been thinking of doing and you feel as if you know, like and trust me, then drop me a line by replying to this email with a rough idea of what you would like to do and I’ll see what I can do.
Right, that’s your lot for this month. I hope you enjoy reading the rest of this month’s newsletter.
Until next month, may I wish you and your horses all the best.
Mark
‘A four-legged friend, a four-legged friend, He’ll never let you down.’ – Jack Brooks
WHEN YOU AGONIZE OVER THE BAD THINGS THAT HAPPEN TO DEFENSELESS HORSES AND OTHER ANIMALS
I hear far too often about dreadful things happening to horses and other animals. And of course, it’s not the hearing that’s the problem, it’s the fact that terrible abuse is still happening. We’ve just had another horrifying case of horse neglect and it seems like our agencies not only failed these animals but contributed to the horror.
There are many ways of helping defenceless animals. But how do we know what to do to be most effective?
An upset I was feeling about abused race horses gave me a rather different perspective that may be useful to you when you see cases of abuse or horrifying neglect.
A few years ago now, I bought Sunny to physically rehabilitate her (she had been lame for a year and a half) with the intention of racing her. I already had my own race training license that I had got so that I could control what happened to my horses.
I had been so distressed by what I saw in the racing industry, that I thought racing a happy horse successfully would show them there was a better way and save some of these poor creatures who had such terrible lives.
One day, I was in a deep and quite amazing meditation, deliberately roaming through different aspects of my life and creating things. I visualised Sunny running around the race track really happy and winning. (I was going to show them!)
All of a sudden, in my mind I could see her really distressed, galloping with her tongue hanging out the side of her mouth and I was shaking my head saying “no no! I am not creating that!”
When this REALLY loud and very clear voice in my head said …………
“WE ARE POWERFUL BEINGS CREATING OUR OWN DESTINY”
The understanding that flashed into my mind was that instead of me thinking they were powerless and needed rescuing – that nothing could be further from the truth.
These day I notice these powerful beings that are horses, at work creating their own destiny all the time – way too many times for me to think it is coincidence any more.
Just recently I was doing a distance healing session on a lame horse who didn’t like the trainer they had been sent to or the life that seemed to be looming because of that training.
So he went lame, had to leave the trainer, somebody told the owner about me, she bought Zen Connection with Horses, he had a healing session from me, part of which was about “don’t send me back there, I want you to be the trainer” and they are on this lovely new path together.
Coincidence? I don’t think so. There’s been way too many examples like the one above and they have been way too consistent.
At least some of you will be smiling at the thought that I even fell into that thinking that horses were victims trap. After 15 years in the “healing” industry, I should have known better.
Because of the words that were spoken to me that day, if I am affected by a horse or other animal’s terrible circumstances, I do some sort of technique to get a quiet mind and allow my subconscious or my soul, to let me know what it was that I needed to know or do to support that “powerful being creating his own destiny”…
So why is that slight distinction important?
I am still doing something about the terrible things that I saw in the racing industry and the blue tongued, rollkurred horse and the neglected ponies and any other terrible things that I see, right?
The distinction is important because when I get a quiet mind and allow my subconscious or soul to tell me what it is that I need to know or do to support this horse, then I am getting an answer that is consistent with what that horse or that animal wants – rather than me assuming that I know what they want.
And I get MY answer – not someone else’s.
The answer that is consistent with what that animal wants and the answer that is in harmony with all that is, is always more powerful, has longer reaching positive effects and is often different to what I would have assumed.
So if you are looking for a way to deal with upsets about neglected or abused horses or other animals in a really powerful way, then here is a simple technique to develop and get a quiet mind to allow your own subconscious or soul to tell you what it is that you need to know or do about that upset – to get YOUR answer.
“Notice your breathing” is one of many techniques that you can use to get a quiet mind and allow your best answer to float up from your sub-conscious. And it is exactly the same technique that we talked about earlier in this newsletter about how to move on after a fall from your horse.
Find somewhere comfortable to sit – it could be in an armchair or laying out in the garden looking up at the clouds – whatever suits you. Eyes open or eyes shut, either is OK, depending on where you are probably.
Your intention is important. So think for a moment about, and be clear in your mind about, what it is that you want from this quiet mind session – you want to understand what it is that you need to know or do about these abused animals, so that you can support these powerful beings in the most effective way possible.
With this technique, I am suggesting a focus on your breathing as a way to get a quiet mind. Your job in this instance is just to do the breathing and allow whatever insights float up from your subconscious as and when they are ready – however long that takes.
If at any time you find yourself with a busy mind, with thoughts flitting from this to that, just go back to focusing on your breathing again.
You will be able to tell the difference between thoughts floating up from your sub-conscious and the thinking of a busy mind, by the relaxation that you feel.
You will also be able to tell the difference between the thinking of a busy mind and the thoughts floating up from your sub-conscious because the insights that you get using this technique, will cause your upset feelings to go “ppfft!” and you will be filled with a sense of peacefulness or power and passion.
This quiet mind stuff is a beautiful habit to create, so if you are one of the people who just feel really relaxed but don’t get the message from your sub-conscious in your first attempt, then chill out and enjoy the relaxation – you’ll get the message next time.
After practise, if a quiet mind still seems like something very distant and too far away, you could get support from a meditation group (which is a deeper version of the quiet mind that I am talking about here and an excellent idea) or ask me about a healing session (another excellent idea!)
Now for the breathing technique to a quiet mind…
Notice everything about your breathing. Notice whether you are breathing through your nose or your mouth or both. Notice the feel of the air coming in your nose or your mouth. Notice where the air touches as it flows into your body, notice the air at the front of your nose or lips, notice it flowing into the back of your throat. Notice the movement of your chest and then notice any other part of your body that moves as you breathe.
Now, while you are noticing everything about your breathing, notice your heartbeat underneath and just sit there noticing breathing and heartbeat for however long it takes for the insights about this upset about abused animals to float up from your sub-conscious.
You could even have a little practice sitting in front of your computer now, while reading these instructions again, very slowly if you wanted. There are various levels of a quiet mind and even big insights can sometimes come through from just quietening our mind a little.
I look forward to hearing about some of the insights that people will get from this article and hope you enjoyed this newsletter and got heaps out of it. Don’t forget I love feedback. See you next time!
Jenny Pearce, Books with Spirit – Joyfulness between horses and people, www.bookswithspirit.com
‘Does it matter what affectionate people do,so long they don’t do it in streets and frighten horses!’ - Patrick Campbell
SINGER CRITICIZED FOR RODEO APPEARANCE, DONATION
An animal welfare advocacy group is criticizing singer and wild horse advocate Sheryl Crow for a scheduled appearance at the Cheyenne Frontier Days and for donating a portion of funds derived from that appearance to a wild horse advocacy group.
The annual Cheyenne Frontier Days, to be held July 22-31 in Cheyenne, Wyo., features rodeo-style competitions, concerts, and other events. Crow is slated to perform at the event on July 22. On July 8 Crow announced on her website that she would donate a portion of her proceeds from that concert to the Cloud Foundation, a Colorado-based wild horse advocacy group. According to a Cloud Foundation statement the donated funds will be used to build the organization’s Save the Mustangs Fund.
“I am aware of the contrasting and very passionate opinions that people have about this event and rodeos in general,” Crow said on her website. “In recognition of these differences, and out of my love for wild horses, a portion of the proceeds from the show will be donated to The Cloud Foundation.”
Steve Hindi, president of the Illinois-based animal advocacy group Showing Animals Respect and Kindnes, criticized Crow for appearing at the Cheyenne event on grounds that the Wild Horse Race presented at the rodeo is inhumane. The race features teams of horse wranglers and riders who attempt to saddle and ride previously unhandled horses. Hindi also criticized Crow’s donation of funds derived from the Cheyenne rodeo appearance as inappropriate.
“It would be like someone using dogs for research giving money to the local animal shelter,” Hindi said.
Hindi also said he was disappointed that the Cloud Foundation would accept a gift derived from proceeds connected to an event that puts animals at risk.
No one from Crow’s publicity team could be reached for comment, and no one from the Cloud Foundation was available for comment.
Get the latest information and resources on common behavior problems and approaches to behavior modification in the breakthrough work Understanding Horse Behavior.
thehorse.com, Pat Raia, July 12 2011, Article # 18517
‘His mane is like a river flowing, his pace as swift as light.’ - Bryan Waller Proctor
WOBBLER SYNDROME IN THOROUGHBREDS:RACING PROGNOSIS EXAMINED
Near the end of his long and storied life, one of the greatest Thoroughbred racehorses of all times, 1978 Triple Crown winner Seattle Slew, was diagnosed with cervical vertebral malformation (CVM, commonly known as wobbler syndrome). He underwent two surgeries to correct the problem and continued his job as a breeding stallion until he died in 2002.
Today, many young Thoroughbreds are diagnosed with CVM. Some undergo surgery before their racing careers, some are euthanized before the problem becomes too severe, and others are treated with a more conservative approach. Crystal Hoffman, DVM, with Peterson & Smith Equine Hospital in Ocala, Fla., reviewed a study on conservative CVM treatment at the 2011 American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Forum, held June 15-18 in Denver, Colo., that indicated in some cases, Thoroughbreds diagnosed and treated using this method early in the course of the disease can recover to have a successful racing career.
Horses affected by CVM essentially have a damaged spinal cord. The major causes of spinal cord damage include malformation of the cervical (neck) vertebrae, trauma to the vertebrae, or excessive growth of surrounding soft tissue. Affected horses typically have a history of ataxia (incoordination) or weakness with no other visible abnormalities. Veterinarians usually diagnose a horse with CVM after a thorough clinical examination along with myelograms (a procedure in which dye is injected into the spinal canal and a set of radiographs is taken) that confirm bony abnormalities and narrow cervical spinal spaces in the horse’s neck. Hoffman cited several previous studies that showed poor return to racing for CVM-affected horses.
The conservative approach to treating the disease (which was the focus of the current study) involved medical treatment with NSAIDs, vitamin E, exercise restriction, and a diet change to slow young horse’s growth rate. Conservative treatment is most commonly used in young horses that have not yet finished maturing; the theory behind this approach is that a decrease in growth rate can allow for remodeling of the vertebrae to increase the size of the canal. Following that up with corticosteroids, rest, and turnout in a small paddock has been observed to help the young horse proceed normally with his life.
More invasive surgical interventions involve inserting a metal apparatus called a Bagby basket designed to fuse the horse’s vertebrae, which can widen the cervical spaces to reduce the amount of pressure on the spinal cord. This procedure can be performed on older horses that have matured as well as on youngsters and has reported success rates as high as 75%.
Hoffman discussed a recent retrospective study that examined 119 Thoroughbreds diagnosed with CVM from 2002-2010 and evaluated their racing careers post-conservative treatment. Sixty five percent of the affected horses were treated conservatively, while the remaining 35% were euthanized prior to treatment.
Hoffman reported that horses with a neurologic grade of 2 or lower (on a scale of 1 to 5) fared better than the group with more lesions graded at 2.5 or higher. Horses with spinal degenerative arthritis, narrowing of the vertebral canal (stenosis), or kyphosis (spinal curvature)–all diagnosed via radiograph–were less likely to return to racing. Horses with less extensive bony lesions as seen on radiographs had better outcomes.
Of the treated horses, Hoffman stated that only 27% were able to begin racing after receiving only conservative treatment. Hoffman added that of the 72% that did not race, some might have had success in other careers, but no follow-up information was available. Additionally, it’s unclear if any opted for surgical intervention after the completion of conservative treatment.
The study results indicated that conservative treatment for young horses diagnosed with CVM can be effective in allowing horses to lead a productive life in mild cases, but more advanced cases could require surgical intervention or euthanasia. Horse owners are encouraged to discuss all treatment options with their veterinarian before opting for euthanasia.
thehorse.com, Nancy S. Loving, DVM, July 09 2011, Article # 18501
‘Horseback riding is life, the rest is just details’- Anonymous
SUMMER PASTURE AND HORSE HEALTH: TIPS FOR SAFER GRAZING
About four years ago I was given an opportunity to learn more about horse health and grazing when I discovered I was the owner of a wonderful reining horse who had developed laminitis from stress issues with his feet. Hence the beginning of my journey to learn more about the laminitis disease process as well as diet and grazing. I was shocked to learn how much pasture management plays into the management of this disease.
If your horse is overweight or has suffered a metabolic disorder (such as laminitis, Cushing’s disease, equine metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, polysaccharide storage myopathy, etc.) one of the best resources for reducing sugars and simple carbohydrates is Katy Watts, Rocky Mountain Research and Consulting, Inc. Katy has DVDs and other educational materials available for purchase for a reasonable price.
In horses, “fat” is not healthy and the related high sugar and non-structural carbohydrate issues in hay and grass may explain why we are now seeing so many overweight individuals with metabolic disorders and insulin resistance problems. The way we’ve been grazing horses (overgrazed pastures) and the types of pastures we’ve developed (grass species with extremely high levels of sugars and carbohydrates, good for early-age market animals) may be contributing to serious horse health issues. Even for healthy horses, watching your horse’s waistline and doing your best to keep him/her in good health is an important first step to avoiding further health issues.
Here are some dos and don’ts that can help to reduce the sugar and simple carbohydrate load in your horse’s diet.
Do:
- Learn what a healthy weight for your horse is. Talk with your vet or consult a weight chart such as the one discussed in this article.
- Get a scale and weigh your horse’s daily hay. Not only will this eliminate overfeeding, but it will save you money by not wasting hay (from overfeeding.) Don’t cheat when feeding; a one-pound difference in a feeding is a big difference!
- Night grazing can be very useful. The best time to graze while gaining maximum benefit of forage without adding extra fat on your horse is between 3 am until 10 am. At this time pasture plants have used up most of the accumulated sugar built up during the day. Since there’s not many of us that want to set our alarm clocks to 2:45 am, what works for some horse owners is to turn horses out as late as possible in the evening (say, 10 pm), and bringing them in the next morning before heading off to work. Another useful alternative to night grazing is turning horses out on pasture in the early morning (like 6 am) and bringing them in by about 10am when plant production of sugar becomes high once again.
- Graze horses during the active growing seasons (spring and early summer.) Don’t be fooled by the late summer grass as brown grasses can be very high in sugars! Pastures are healthiest for horses (i.e. lowest in sugars) during the active growing season when plants are green and not stressed (i.e., not brown).
- Implement a rotational grazing program to help avoid overgrazing. The greatest amount of sugar in a grass plant is in the bottom three inches, so rotate pastures before they are grazed below three inches.Shady pastures and cloudy days will result in lower carb and sugar levels in grasses. Rotating horses to shady pastures may be an option for high-risk individuals.
- Easy keepers on pasture may need a grazing muzzle, a device that fastens on a horse’s head and only allows the horse to eat through a 2-inch hole at the bottom of the muzzle. An internet search will give you several options, plus tips on safety and how to use them.
- Exercising a horse as little as 30 minutes per day, three times per week, can make a big health change by improving his overall metabolism. Most horses with metabolic issues are not getting enough exercise. Horses (like their humans!) need regular exercise as part of their standard care regime.
- Treat each horse as an individual. Just like with people, the dietary needs for one horse may not be the same for another horse.
Don’t:
- Don’t allow grain or treats in your horse’s diet. Except for specifically developed low-carbohydrate products, all grain, complete feeds and concentrates add huge amounts of sugars and non-structural carbohydrates to a horse’s diet. Horses only require these in their diets when lacking in energy or weight.
- Don’t overgraze pastures. The greatest amount of sugar in a grass plant is concentrated in the bottom three inches. Allowing horses to overgraze pastures adds high amounts of sugars to their diets.
- Don’t graze during cool weather (under 40 degrees) and especially if it has frosted. Pasture plants store carbohydrates at very high levels during these times, making it a particularly dangerous time to graze. This is a key issue and will play havoc with an at-risk horse’s metabolic condition.
- Don’t graze pastures that are under stress or drought conditions (yellow, brown or dried-out grass) as these are likely to be high in sugars. Essentially, anything that stresses the plant increases the concentration of sugars in it, because stressors (i.e., drought, poor fertilization, cold weather) reduce the plant’s ability to use those sugars to grow new plant tissue.
- During long periods of sunny weather, eliminate or substantially reduce grazing time for at-risk individuals. Consider grazing late at night instead (see above.)
- Confining a horse in a stall along with reducing physical demands sets the stage for serious metabolic problems.
Remember: Seek help from a veterinarian and/or and other professionals experienced in this area especially if you have an at-risk individual. Also, keep in mind that for any changes you institute, you need to give the situation time in order to evaluate its effectiveness. Any changes in diet need to be done gradually, over a period of time, in order to give the horse’s gut time to adjust. For more on this topic see The Grass is Not Always Greener.
smarthorsekeeping blog, Alayne, July 20 2011
‘Horses change lives. They give confidence, provide tranquility. They give us hope!’ – Toni Robinson
NEW ARTICLES ON HORSECONSCIOUS
How I Choose Horses: Part One, The Science And Theory – Alexander 
I can surely say that even if we use the most serious approach in choosing our horses, even if we put an incredible amount of reliance on the hippological, veterinary, behavioral and bio expertise advice, the “main” horses in our lives are not “chosen”, they just “happen”.
To read the complete article, visit Alexander Nevzorov on Facebook.
Appreciating Our Horses – Debra Olson Daniels
Magic and I love to play together. For with clicker training the horse learns to love his work and to take ownership of the behaviors. This is how we can get horses to work at liberty in collection or any other seemingly amazing movement. They have been taught in small steps, rewarded often for the correct movement and after time they own it! With this process of clarity and appreciation the love grows deeper.
Through the methodology of operant conditioning we can inch our way towards anything we want..
To read the full article, visit Debra Olson Daniels on HorseConscious.
Journey to Enlightenment- Liz Mitten Ryan
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS WITH HORSES- CAROLYN RESNICK
I wrote my book Naked Liberty to provide the missing link in all training methods, including my own. That missing link is what the individual horse and individual human bring to the table. We must consider the horse as an individual. All relationships in life require this knowledge of one another, if the relationship is going to be harmonious and supportive. An important ingredient to the missing link that is needed for a method of training to work for us is to understand the social order and the bonding needs of horses. And to be able to respond to a horse in a way that will bring about a better connection. It is important to be aware of how horses influence us to be a better version of ourselves.
A Show of Contrast Between Energies That Appear the Same
I remember a man came to my ranch that was full of love. He was about 80 years old or older. The horses gathered around him like they had found their soul mate and they had. This man was my healer’s father. I had always admired Behrooz’s father. I felt he had every aspect I would like to have in a husband: kind, aware, and fascinated with nature to his bones. His energy caused me to feel at peace. In his company, I had a strong awareness of the healing effect that source energy provides. I was completely humble, willing, and respectful in his presence. I liked myself better when I was with him, and had a desire to be a better person in his presence. When I had to wait for my appointments to see Behrooz, and his father was there, I did not mind how long I had to sit in the waiting room for Behrooz because this old man’s energy relaxed me and caused me to love him to the depths of my soul. He was magnetic. I had a great respect, appreciation and understanding for who he was.
I think this is what the horses felt when Behrooz brought him to my ranch to visit the them.
Here is a photo of Behrooz and his father and myself.
I had another person years ago who came to my ranch that was a deeply loving and caring person who practiced yoga. He was a yoga instructor and practiced meditation very much on the same path that Behrooz, his father, and myself were on- but the horses were not drawn to him. They were aggresive to the point of biting, which is something that my horses just don’t do. It did not make sense at the time. The problem was his energy was not yet settled. Way deep down inside of him was a large anger for what was wrong with people in general. People did not live up to his standards. He was not humble. Horses are people too, so they were able to read his energy right off and did not trust him. They were repelled.
There are all kinds of ways to love. Some ways bring harmony and unity, and deep lasting bonds, and others that create disaster and all kinds of relationships in between.
The Dynamics of Personalities
Methods of horse training can work and not work by what the individual brings to the table, and how the two energies respond to one another caused by their personality type. Understanding the dynamics that is required to create a connection can help you in your choices in how to approach different personalities of horses, and in your response and in your leadership interactions.
Three Important Elements for Connection with Horses
We have three ways to influence a horse: through in our response, or through our leadership, and through our alignment with source energy. When we are aligned and feel the connection that we share with everything, it improves our approach in our leadership and response. When we are aligned with source energy, we have a hand that guides us to approach a horse with more skill than we have when the alignment is not present. My book brings awareness for the appreciation and love of nature that creates this alignment. When we are aligned a horse is more prone to be optimistic and respectful in our presence.
There Is A Wheel…
We must understand the wheel of connection. It is like jumping rope, we have got to match the rhythm of the rope to step inside. Connection is like that. There is an ever turning wheel that we need to fit into. We have got to know where we are in the process of communication with the ones we love. When we do not know when to listen, respond, and lead, communication is difficult.
This Is The Formula Of How to Enter the Wheel of Connection for Communication to Be Harmonious
In the beginning, it is important to put yourself in a state of joy before you respond and communicate. When you are in a state of joy and in alignment, you naturally want to connect with your horse. Your want creates a feeling. Listening to your feeling when you communicate with a horse, you naturally project. When you project, you become, and your horse sees who you are. When you become, you interact. When you interact, you care. When you care, you perceive. When you perceive, you naturally want to perfect. When you perfect, you expand. When you expand, you emerge. When you emerge, you have found your authentic self. And this is what horses bring to our personal empowerment.
For more info on Carolyn Resnick and her work, visit Carolyn Resnick on HorseConscious.
HENDRA VIRUS STILL CAUSING PROBLEMS IN AUSTRALIA
The Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) has reported that 12 horses in Queensland and New South Wales have tested positive for hendra virus since late June. Six facilities in Queensland and three in New South Wales remain under quarantine while veterinarians test the other horses on the properties for the dangerous virus.
Hendra virus has been known to yield numerous clinical signs in horses including respiratory distress, frothy nasal discharge, elevated body temperature (above 40°C, or 104°F), and elevated heart rate; however, authorities caution that hendra infection does not have specific signs.
According to Andrew W. van Eps, BVSc, PhD, MACVSc, Dipl. ACVIM, senior lecturer in Equine Medicine at The University of Queensland School of Veterinary Science, this year has seen an increased number of confirmed hendra cases at separate facilities (rather than one large outbreak in one location, as has occurred in previous years). “From its first identification in 1994 in the suburb of Hendra, Brisbane, Queensland, there had been 14 independent ‘outbreaks’ of Hendra virus up until this year, and those occurrences have resulted in 45 horse deaths and four human deaths (20 of these horse deaths and two human deaths occurred in the original outbreak in Hendra in 1994,” van Eps explained. “The other occurrences have all involved only small numbers of horses each time and often only single horses. This year so far in Queensland, there have been six separate ‘outbreaks’ with eight horses dead since June.”
Van Eps explained that hendra virus is prevalent in the flying fox (a type of fruit bat found in Australia) population, and researchers believe horses contract the virus from these bats. The exact method of transmission, however, remains unclear.
“It is not known exactly how the bats transmit the virus to horses, but (the virus) is present in the urine, feces, and placenta/placental fluids of bats,” van Eps said. “It is thought that these materials are dropped onto areas where horses are feeding or drinking (thus transmitting the virus to the horse).”
Although the definitive reason behind the hike in confirmed cases remains unknown, van Eps noted that some believe the devastating flooding and cyclones that hit Australia earlier in the year could have played a role: “The severe flooding and cyclones that occurred in Queensland earlier in 2011 might have altered or destroyed some fruit bat habitats and resulted in them being stressed, which in turn has resulted in more shedding of hendra virus by the bats, and possibly some altered distribution of colonies.
“Also, due to the markedly increased awareness amongst the public and veterinarians, many more horses are being tested than was the case previously,” he added. “This means that cases that might have gone undiagnosed in the past are now being identified.”
So is there anything that can be done to control virus spread? While van Eps noted that there is a possibility the virus could spread to such states as Victoria and further throughout New South Wales, the spread is largely dependent on the bat population.
“There have been calls from the industry to cull or eradicate bats, but this is unlikely to help and may in fact stress existing populations, leading to increased shedding and transmission,” he explained. “The bats are also an important part of the ecosystem in Australia.”
The AVA recently issued a statement indicating that eradicating the bats in hopes of controlling virus spread could only make matters worse.
“Calls to eradicate flying foxes in an attempt to control hendra virus are ignoring the facts,” Barry Smyth, BVSc, FACVSc, Dipl. ACVS, president of the AVA, said in the statement. “They fly and travel long distances and would be very difficult if not possible to eradicate.
“We understand people’s anxiety about this virus,” he continued. “Vets who see sick horses every day are really in the firing line of the disease, and the number and range of cases this year is certainly alarming. Our best option for dealing with this deadly disease is the hendra horse vaccine currently in development. We’re looking forward to the vaccine being available as soon as humanly possible.”
Earlier this year Australian researchers announced that a hendra virus vaccine is nearing completion, and it could be available to consumers within a few years if final testing is successful.
In the statement Smyth acknowledged that the virus is more widespread than usual this year, and that it should be considered a national problem: “With the unprecedented number of cases across a vast area this year, it’s clearly a national and urgent problem. Both flying foxes and horses travel large distances in Australia, and we believe all horses will need to be vaccinated to adequately protect against the disease. We think that vaccination should be a condition of entry into events, races, and shows.”
thehorse.com, Erica Larson, News Editor, July 19 2011, Article # 18554
TURN DOWN THE HEAT!
Someone turned up the heat and humidity this week which sadly resulted in the loss of more than 1,500 beef cattle in South Dakota. While cattle are generally more sensitive to heat than horses, with heat indexes of over 100 degrees this week in many parts of the country, it is vitally important that all animal owners take special precautions.
Here are a few simple ways that you can help your horses stay more comfortable during periods of extremely high heat and humidity:
Adjust Your Routine
Consider giving your horses some time off work during periods of high heat and humidity. However, if that is not plausible, changing your schedule so that you work horses first thing in the morning or later in the evening (thus exercising during cooler, lower humidity times) is the second best option. Provide your horses more frequent breaks from hard work in the course of you riding, driving, or training. Taking walking breaks periodically is a good way to help your horse cool down and regain normal respiratory rates.
Monitor your horses closely during work to verify that they are properly sweating return to normal respiratory function.
Provide Free Choice Water
Make sure your horses have continuous access to fresh water. This may involve hanging and filling additional water buckets for stabled horses and placing and filling additional water tanks for pastured horses. High heat and humidity can cause animals to drink much more than their normal amounts because of water losses due to sweating. It is vitally important that your horse maintain proper hydration during excessive hot weather.
Since water intake can significantly increase, it is really important that owners are diligent in checking their horse’s water supply. Automatic watering devices, water tubs, and buckets should be checked at least twice daily and possibly more often (and refilled regularly in order to maintain a continuous water supply) during heat extremes.
Adequate Salt
Horses (and humans) require salt especially during times when we are sweating excessively. Many owners provide free choice access to salt blocks or feed loose salt with their horse’s feed, and for most horses and in most cases that is sufficient. If your horses have free choice access to a salt block, check it regularly and replace it before it runs out.
Excessive sweating also effects the electrolyte balance and you may consider speaking with your regular veterinarian to determine if you need to add supplemental electrolytes to your horse’s diet during periods of high heat and humidity.
Shade is a MUST
There can be a huge temperature difference between standing in the sun and standing in the shade on a hot day. Mature trees provide natural shade and also allow horses the opportunity to enjoy any available breeze. Constructed run-in sheds, wind blocks, and barns are also a great source of shade, but might not offer an opportunity for natural air flow, in which case fans should be added.
Keep in mind, when stabling horses that there is a “hot” side of your barn. In the morning the east side of your barn generally will be hottest as the sun is shining on that side. Likewise in the later afternoon, the west side of your barn will likely be hottest. This is especially true if you have windows on both sides of your barn, as the sunlight naturally increases temperatures. Stabled horses that are especially struggling to stay cool might need to be moved to the west side stalls in the morning and the east side stalls in the late afternoon in order to avoid excess heat from the sun.
In the heat of the day, stand inside your horse’s stall and then move out to a shaded are in the pasture. Which location is cooler? If it is cooler out in the pasture, then that might be the best location for your horse to be housed during this heat. Likewise if your barn is cooler than the shaded areas of your pasture, then it might be best to keep your horse in the barn during the day. Airflow can most likely be blamed for the difference between temperatures in your barn as compared to your pasture.
Create Airflow
Horses that are pastured, with access to natural shade from trees and other wind blocks, benefit from normal breeze. Stabled horses need to have airflow created by adding fans, which move air into and out of the stalls, and opening windows and doors. It is important that your horses have airflow within their stalls especially during high heat and humidity.
Aisle fans can be helpful to cool your barn, but often do not move air within horse stalls. Floor fans, placed outside of stalls, facing into the stall through stall bars or grates can be helpful, however most farms hang fans either attached to the bars of the stall or high on the stall walls to move air. Check the airflow in your stalls by standing in the stall with the fans on. You should be able to quickly realize the effectiveness of your airflow system and make appropriate adjustments.
When choosing fans for stabled horses be especially careful to select the best fan for the job. Industrial or commercial fans tend to move more air and are tested and built for more long term use and varying conditions than household fans.
As with all electrical equipment, keep the electrical cords and the fans well out of reach of all farm animals. Keep fans free of cobwebs, dust, and loose items that may become tangled in the blades. Check fans regularly to verify that they are in working order, functioning properly, and free of debris.
Monitor Your Horse
Yes, when the ambient temperature is high, your horse will be hot and therefore his temperature may be higher than normal and he may have an increased respiratory rate. He should, however, not be panting. Your horse should produce a lot of sweat, choose to stand in shaded areas, consume more water and salt, and perhaps be slower moving when the mercury rises. All these are normal responses to high temperatures for most mammals.
Failure to exhibit any of these normal hot weather coping mechanisms may be cause for concern.
If your horse is not sweating during hot weather, he may be suffering from anhydrosis or heat stress and you need to try to cool him down and contact your veterinarian immediately.
If your horse is panting or open mouth breathing, you need to try to cool him down and contact your veterinarian immediately.
Tips for Cooling a Hot Horse:
- Move him to a shaded area with good airflow (natural or created by a fan)
- Hose him off with cold water, being sure to scrape the excess water off
- Sponge his neck, heart girth, and under belly area with a 1:1 mixture of cold water and alcohol
- Stand him in front of a fan and or sponge him with cold water in front of a fan
- Offer him cold water to drink
Remember
Living in high heat and humidity is very stressful for outside animals which can make them vulnerable to disease and heat related ailments. If you are concerned about changes in your horse’s behavior or his ability to cope with the heat, it is best to contact your regular veterinarian immediately.
Careful consideration and management of your horse herd during weather extremes is the best tool to maintain their health and wellbeing.
Edited Press Release July 22 2011, Article # 18574 - thehorse.com
‘There are only two emotions that belong on the saddle; one is a sense of humor, the other is patience.’ – John Lyons
EQUINE THERAPY: IS IT GOOD FOR THE HORSE?
In the fascinating new field of equine therapy, there are a litany of activities that can be performed with the horse, and amongst these, an even greater number of potentially promising outcomes.
While in the majority of the evaluations of these interventions, the focus is on the therapeutic impact on the client, what is often lost is the effect exercises performed in the name of equine therapy may have on the horse.
As an example, one of the activities commonly performed as a completion of the equine therapy sessions, or workshop is painting the horse. Here, clients are given several buckets of colored paint and instructed to “decorate” their equine partner. Granted, the programs who offer this activity will proclaim that it is both therapeutic and not harmful for the horse (they state that the paint used is nontoxic), yet one must ask, is any activity that carries even the slightest chance of harm to an animal “therapeutic”?
Even further, behavior based equine therapy programs often look solely at the client’s behavior and responses to determine the efficacy of the program. For example, “Was the client able to get the horse to perform the intended task — such as jump over a log?” The response of the horse, on the other hand, is typically not taken into account. And for an animal that is uniquely tuned to notice the most minuscule threats in the environment, again, one must wonder if having inexperienced people forcing activities that are frequently very unnatural is healthy.
Now factor into the equation that some equine therapy programs offer certifications as “equine therapists” in as little as three days. How is it that a person with little or no horse experience can be trained to interpret and understand the very subtle language of the horse enough to prevent harm to him. Or no less important prevent harm that may come to the client from a terrorized horse? This question becomes implicitly important when considering that when the horse is forced to perform activities that make little or no sense to him, and his emotional well being is jeopardized, he will eventually do the only thing he knows to do in situations such as this — and that is run.
But an even larger question remains: How can practicing therapists expect a positive therapeutic outcome when the environment is not therapeutic for all parties involved — including the horse? Wouldn’t this be a little like conducting a family session that is emotionally detrimental to one family member in the name of helping the other? How can the wellbeing of the one who is intended to be helped possibly be improved by witnessing another human’s suffering? The case, in fact, is no different when working with horses.
The therapy session should always include the horse, with questions such as, “Is the horse understanding what is asked of him?” “Is he in agreement with the goals of the session?” “Is the horse’s voice being heard?” and perhaps the most important, “Is the horse better for the equine therapy session?”
Photo by Daisyree Bakker, available under a Create Commons attribution license.
blogs. psychcentral.com, Claire Dorotik,LMFT
‘ There’s nothing in life that’s worth doing, if it can’t be done from a horse..’ – Red Steagall
ENTERIC BACTERIA: CAN HEALTHY HORSES BE CARRIERS?
Many horse owners will agree that keeping their charges safe from disease risk is a top priority. But could a healthy horse in one’s own backyard be a disease risk for other horses? At the 2011 American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine Forum, held June 15-18 in Denver, Colo., Angelika Schoster, DVM, a DVSc candidate at the University of Guelph’s Ontario Veterinary College discussed novel epidemiologic features of several bacteria often related to diarrhea and colitis (inflammation of the colon) in horses. Schoster explained that some healthy horses might also carry these bacteria and act as potential reservoirs to infect others with gastrointestinal ailments caused by the organisms.
Schoster described a study in which researchers evaluated healthy horses for several enteric (intestinal) pathogens known to cause colitis, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal ailments in equines: Clostridium difficile, Clostridium perfringens, Salmonella, and Escherichia coli. In addition, they examined the antibiotic sensitivity of commensal E. coli (nonpathogenic), as it can be a good indicator of antimicrobial sensitivity in the common pathogens.
Twenty five horses from five farms were examined monthly over the course of a year. None had any known gastrointestinal disease, nor had they received any medications at the time of enrollment into the study.
Researchers did not detect C. perfringens or Salmonella sp. in any of the horses. However, they did detect C. difficile in 44% of the horses and on 60% of the farms, and the bacteria detected was a toxigenic (produces a toxin) form of C. difficile. Schoster noted that researchers believe the toxigenic strain ribotype 078, which is similar to a strain becoming increasingly important in human enteric disease, is becoming more prevalent in horses. The study results suggest that C. difficile shedding occurred only for short durations. Simply put, while it’s not uncommon for healthy horses to carry bacteria, it’s relatively unlikely that they will actually infect other horses.
E. coli was isolated in 77.3% of case horses, and 13.4% of the isolates collected were resistant to one or more antibiotics, with 6.8% being multidrug resistant (i.e., resistant to three or more antibiotics). Trimethoprim-sulfa drugs had the highest resistance rate (72%) followed by tetracycline with 22% resistance. Other drugs that demonstrated resistance problems included ampicillin, cefoxin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, and kanamycin.
Schoster concluded that the while many healthy horses might carry disease-causing bacteria in their gastrointestinal tracts, study results suggest there’s little risk of these horses falling ill, infecting others, or perpetuating antimicrobial-resistant bacteria: “The low prevalence of commensal E. coli antimicrobial resistance suggests that healthy horses on pleasure farms are unlikely to be a major reservoir of resistance in enteric bacteria.”
Of course, consult a veterinarian if health concerns do arise, as certain bacteria can cause serious problems for susceptible horses. Additionally, since antimicrobial-resistant bacteria are a growing problem, if an antimicrobial is warranted ensure that it’s used properly so as to not contribute to resistance.
thehorse.com,Nancy S. Loving, DVM, July 11 2011, Article # 18512
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‘The good horseman is not so much a part of the horse as he is part of the horse’s movements.’ – Alessandro Alvisi
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