Edition XXX

Hi

Welcome back to this month’s HorseConscious Newsletter!

Further to my comments last month about the strange weather, I must just say if you live on the east coast of the US, I hope you haven’t been too affected by Hurricane Irene.

We’re just coming off the back of a great weekend of calls, the first was with Sandra Wallin and Kim McElroy entitled “Going Deeper than Words”, where Kim and Sandra talked about how to access the power of centering and meditation with your horses and how expressive arts work hand in hand in making that state of being more accessible.

This centering has many benefits such as stopping you from worrying and allowing your “monkey-mind” to settle down, which in turn allows your awareness to open up and flower. Calmness and clarity ensue, leaving you in a state of presence from which you can engage with your horse in an open-minded and open-hearted way.

We do have a reply of the call, which is on Saturday September 3rd at 11am Pacific / 2pm Eastern. You can listen to this by going to:
http://instantteleseminar.com/?eventID=22266561

Kim and Sandra also treated us to a short meditation, which you can listen again or download here:

Listen to the audio:  

Download it here

If you would like to learn more from the two of them, you’ll be pleased to hear they are holding a benefit workshop at Return to Freedom Wild Horses Sanctuary from September 20 – 23, called “Drawn to Wild Horses”. For more details, see the Upcoming Events section below.

Our second call of the weekend was with the wonderful Linda Kohanov. The idea of the call originally was to talk about the life and passing of her mare, Rasa, who was the inspiration behind many of her books. However, the call drifted through a whole range of fascinating topics as we meandered from one to the next. There were well over 100 people on the call and they obviously enjoyed the call as they all stayed throughout the duration of the 80 minute call. Here’s some of the feedback I received afterwards:

“PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE COME BACK LINDA”

“Thank you SO much for a wonderful interview Mark and Linda. Truly incredible!” XXX

“This has been a phenomenal session thank you both so much. I have learned so much. Lynda is an amazing presenter”

“Thank you so much for the tele-seminar. I feel I have gone to church.”

“Great call. Hope to hear more from Linda !!”

“Thank you ever so much – simply grand idea to interview Linda Kohanov and let the world take part”

“Thank you so very, very much.”

The one topic that really caught my attention was when Linda was talking about leadership in community, which is really the subject of her next book due out in 2012, ‘The Power Of The Herd’.

Her descriptions of how horses operate within a herd and the kind of leadership we must show with our horses in our daily lives really captures, I think, today’s Zeitgeist (spirit of the age). After all the greed and war and terror and general non-cooperation we have all witnessed during recent times, it’s time the world showed a little more compassion and caring whilst not losing the ability to lead and make the tough decisions that are sometimes necessary.

By pure co-incidence (or not), this is an extract from a recent blog post from Carolyn Resnick on the same subject:

“I discovered that working with horses was boiling down to moral issues of leadership. And from that I noticed a universal code that kept coming up all the time while communicating with animals. I also discovered that in the human world, this code was the same. There is a way to communicate and lead that creates a connection and willingness in others.”

I don’t know why I should be but I am always amazed how similar the message is that comes from the Teachers we are blessed to have here at HorseConscious. In many ways, they are not just speaking on behalf of and about horses and the horse community but about humanity itself, wouldn’t you agree?

You will be pleased to hear, we also have a reply of the call with Linda, which is on Sunday September 4th at 11am Pacific / 2pm Eastern. You can listen in by going to:
http://InstantTeleseminar.com/?eventid=22266750

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I was listening this morning to a podcast which featured the very upfront and very smart Gary Vaynerchuk. You may know Gary from his now world famous Wine Library TV video blog. I urge you to at least watch it once!

Gary is somewhat of a visionary and trail-blazer when it comes to the online world and particularly social media. His new book entitled ‘The Thank You Economy’ is about the way we communicate, the way we buy and sell, the way businesses and consumers interact online and offline. In Gary’s own words: “The Thank You Economy is much more than saying “thank you.” The Thank You Economy represents a much bigger movement. This book could easily have been called The Humanization of Business or Manners Marketing.”

So what has all that got to do with leadership and horses, you may ask. A great deal I would suggest as through the power of the social media online, businesses can no longer ride roughshod over their customers. Customers’ demands for authenticity, originality, creativity, honesty and good intent have made it necessary for companies and brands to revert to a level of customer service rarely seen since our great-grandparents’ day, when business owners often knew their customers personally, and gave them individual attention.

So businesses have to prove their leadership through how they treat their customers and when they do that, they will profit and the customer will feel like they are valued and receive great service. Isn’t that how it’s supposed to work?

Returning to a previous rant of mine from a few editions back, it’s just a shame our politicians haven’t yet been forced into the same level of accountability. Although I read the other day that Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz is calling upon business leaders to withhold political contributions from U.S. lawmakers until they strike a “fair, bipartisan” deal on the country’s debt, revenue and spending. Unfortunately many businesses leaders and industry groups are caught up in the same ego-driven struggle for power as the politicians where money is the only currency that matters.

As we’ve seen though in the horse world with the blue tongue dressage episode, the currency of social pressure is a very powerful one and through the power of the internet, in time I hope we will see the evolution of a compassionate democracy with leaders who are held accountable by their deeds not their words.

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Something I meant to put in last month’s newsletter was the announcement of the long-awaited publication in English of Alexander Nevzorov’s book ‘The Horse Crucified and Risen’. Here is what is says on the jacket:

“This is the first book in the history of mankind revealing the whole truth about horse and man relationships. Its author is well-known journalist, film director, scientist and founder of the most difficult and the most beautiful school of horse training and education, Nevzorov Haute Ecole, and he is living proof that a horse can be trained and educated without any means of constraint such as bit and bridle and punishment.

The book reveals secrets of horse training and discloses the truth about the painful essence of the equestrian sport. The true history of the cavalry and the history of those cruel instruments of strict enforcement that people used for horses over almost thirty centuries, never thinking that there is a completely different way…”

You can get your copy by clicking the image or ‘The Horse Crucified and Risen’.

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I seem to be slipping into the old news program style of finishing with something light-hearted at the end of the show, so here is this month’s contribution to that trend. Whilst surfing the old interweb, I came across this YouTube video which I thought was both fun and impressive. I know nothing about the owner/trainer but the dogs certainly look like they are having fun and it’s interesting to note that she seems to be using clicker training and treats. Anyway, hope you enjoy it:

 

Until next month, enjoy what’s left of the summer and if you live in the southern hemisphere, those sunny days are on their way!

Mark

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‘And God took a handful of southerly wind, blew His breath over it and created the horse.’ – Anonymous

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WARNING – SPRING FOUNDER IN HORSES – AND WHAT NOT TO DO

Spring is officially here in good old OZ and earlier than I can ever remember. The grass is running away.

We have just separated our herd for spring grass growth – with the miniatures, the Connemara Stardust, Mel’s horse 3/4 Arab but very heavy Bucky and Simone’s Morgan Sirocco unfortunately put into the pony paddock for the duration of spring.

The pony paddock here means restricted grass but as much hay as they can eat.

We cut hay last year, deliberately for low sugar content and have some organic, hand weeded, low sugar hay available for sale if anyone is looking for it around the Warragul area. It is VERY suitable for getting horses who are at risk of founder through spring!

I am a passionate believer in feeding horses as much as they can eat – even the tiny ponies. Horses digestive systems are designed to have roughage passing through almost constantly. They are at major risk of getting stomach ulcers when their last roughage feed is 4 hours old or longer.

Yes you read that right, but I will repeat it a different way to make sure that you are all quite clear on this.

If your horse last ate roughage 4 hours ago or longer, they are in danger of developing stomach ulcers, i.e. for stabled or yarded horses or horses on bare dirt diet restrictions – if they run out of hay for 4 hours or longer, they are in danger of developing stomach ulcers.

Kentucky Equine Research did a study where they stuck a camera down into the stomachs of a fairly big number of horses. (Sorry I can’t remember how many now, 100 horses sticks in my memory but don’t hold me to it.)

These horses were stabled, so the results may be slightly skewed by the added stress of stabling, but when we lock ponies away in yards to control their grass eating, they are stressed too.

The Centre scoped horses with clean stomachs and no ulcers who were fed no hay and had visble stomach ulcers already started when they were scoped 4 hours later.

On top of the stomach ulcer problem, I believe that one factor behind Cushings Disease is a restricted diet. So far, every horse I know that has had Cushings, has had periods during the day of no food. Now don’t chew my head off anyone! I know we were taught to restrict ponies’ food intake in that fashion, but from what I have learned in my years as an alternative therapist specialising in horses, I have changed my mind from what I was taught.

So how can we do what has to be done, reduce their sugar intake, reduce the amount of “goodness” in the feed they are getting so that they don’t founder from being overweight and keep the little beggars happy?

1. I always have them with a friend when they are locked up in smaller areas for spring. A friend is essential to a horses’s well being and happiness. Always assuming that you are not up for sleeping in the paddock to keep them company and help them feel safe enough to sleep, then another horse or pony is the answer.
2. I try to have plenty of room for them to run around and get a bit of movement happening. Horse’s bodies are designed to move around and standing in a small yard all day is a seriously unhealthy thing for them to do. It also makes them very sad. A long narrow lane way is often a good spring paddock for our smaller and fatter friends.
3. I always give them as much plain grass hay as they can eat, with some minerals to lick occasionally. Preferably low sugar hay, definitely low or no clover, no lucerne or alfalfa or any of the fancy high protein hays. I also don’t think oaten hay has enough nutrition in it for ponies to live off under no grass circumstances.
4. At our old farm we had a heavily treed paddock where I had the grass very long and dry and put the horses in for spring – that was quite successful for the bigger horses, but I was never quite game to try it for the miniatures.
5. If your ponies or overweight horses can’t move around enough in your circumstances, then start walking folks! I have hand walked my little guys in the past, then I got sick of that (there’s 4 of them and I have other things to do in a day!) so I taught them to lead out the car window to get some exercise. They loved it!
6. Some of you will need to get creative to follow these suggestions – but where there is a will there is way.  If you only have one horse at risk, what about finding someone else with the same problem and put your horses together for spring?

bookswithspirit.com, Jenny Pearce, DVM, MSc, August 25, 2011

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‘Closeness, friendship, and affection: keeping your own horse means all these things.’ - Bertrand Leclair

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THE IMPACT OF NAVICULAR BONE SHAPE AND FRAGMENTS IN HORSES

Navicular disease is not always straightforward for veterinarians to diagnose and treat, but new study findings that focus on the shape of the navicular bone (NB) and fragments found near it could help veterinarians better understand this disease in horses.

“The significance of distal border fragments of the navicular bone is not well understood,” the researchers noted in the study. “There are also no objective data about changes in thickness and proximal (upper) and distal (lower) extension of the palmar cortex (rear-facing outer layer) of the navicular bone.”

A recent retrospective study performed by Marianna Biggi, DVM, PhD, and Sue Dyson VetMB, PhD, at the Centre for Equine Studies at The Animal Health Trust, in Suffolk, England, examined the significance of fragments along the lower border of the NB, as well as the differences in thickness of the palmar cortex of the NB in 55 sound horses and 377 lame horses. The team hoped to better understand the distribution of distal border fragments and their association with radiological abnormalities of the NB, and to evaluate differences in the shape of the navicular bone in sound and lame horses and horses.

The sound horses used in the study had all undergone a prepurchase examination including radiographs of their front feet. The lame horses had foot-related pain and had undergone radiographic examination of at least one foot between January 2005 and December 2009. Horses used in the study were of varying breeds, disciplines, and genders. All radiographs were analyzed to determine the thickness of the palmar cortex and to measure upper or lower extensions of the palmar cortex.

Upon reviewing their findings, the researchers noted:

• Horses with radiological signs consistent with navicular disease had a higher frequency of fragments along the lower border of the NB than sound horses;
• Lame horses generally had a thicker palmar cortex; and
• Lame horses more commonly had a larger upper extension of the NB than did the sound horses.

The authors concluded that there were significant differences in NB shape between the two groups of horses and that “fragments were also associated with primary navicular pathology, suggesting distal border fragments may be a part of navicular disease.”

The team added that the evaluation of changes in shape of the navicular bone could also be important for researchers as they further their recognition and understanding of pathological (anatomic and physiological deviations from the normal state) abnormalities of the bone.

The study, “Distal border fragments and shape of the navicular bone: Radiological evaluation in lame horses and horses free from lameness,” was published in July in Equine Veterinary Journal. The abstract is available online.

Learn  how to take your horse’s vital signs, what first aid supplies to keep on hand, when you can help your horse yourself, and when to call the vet in the DVD First Aid for Horses.

thehorse.com, Casie Bazay, BS, NBCAAM August 11 2011, Article # 18665

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‘If you’re lucky enough to draw a good horse, you still have to ride him, then the next ones.’ - Chris LeDoux

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GROUPS DRAW LINE ON SALIX BAN IN THOROUGHBRED RACING

Thoroughbred horsemen’s groups largely support proposed changes in race-day medication rules for Thoroughbred racehorses but are drawing a line in the sand when it comes to the anti-bleeding drug furosemide, which is marketed under the trade name Salix.

In the past few months two organizations have taken the first steps toward a race-day ban on Salix. Breeders’ Cup won’t allow use of the drug in 2-year-olds during the 2012 World Championships, and the American Graded Stakes Committee (AGSC), which falls under the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA), voted to pull graded status for 2-year-old events next year if Salix, formerly known as Lasix, is used.

And on Aug. 14 The Jockey Club, during its Round Table Conference in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., called for taking “measured steps on the road to medication-free racing.”

Industry officials acknowledge next year could be messy. The rhetoric war is under way, though it’s hard to gauge the level of support of the anti-Salix and pro-Salix camps.

“I’m trying to keep an open mind,” said Alan Foreman, chief executive officer of the Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, which has affiliates in five racing states. “But I’ve been to a lot of racetracks and have talked to horse owners, trainers across the spectrum, veterinarians, and regulators. I have detected absolutely no support for a Lasix ban.”

Foreman noted the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium (RMTC), a group of 25 diverse industry stakeholders, voted not to change race-day Salix regulations “until the science says otherwise.” The RMTC did, however, endorse discontinuing use of adjunct bleeder medications on race day and having only regulatory vets administer Salix on race day.

“What’s disappointing is having (the RMTC) in place to deal with the situation and then having Breeders’ Cup and TOBA ignore it,” Foreman said. “Our position has been disparaged from day one. We try being transparent but it gets used against us.”

The National Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, which has 30 affiliates in North America, supports various measures but not the proposed ban on Salix.

Dan Metzger, TOBA president, said there is widespread support on his organization’s board of directors to move forward with a Salix phase-out. But he said it comes down to regulatory action.

“I’m not one for making hard-line predictions, but if there is a chance (to ban Salix), now is the opportunity,” Metzger said. “There is some momentum with regulators, and it’s the regulators who make the rules for the sport.

“In conversations we’ve had with regulators, the reception (to action taken by the AGSC) was favorable. From a wholesale standpoint, for as many people that have been passionate in opposing it there is a silent majority in favor of it.”

Metzger said a race-day Salix ban is “attainable but difficult.”

The possibility of losing graded status for stakes played in role in passage of other medication- and safety-related measures in racing jurisdictions. Given the tight time frame–not one regulatory authority has moved to ban Salix–the AGSC will proceed cautiously next year, Metzger said.

“I would say the committee will be as open and flexible as possible without undermining the credibility and integrity of the program,” Metzger said. “We’re being very diligent about communicating with racing commissions.”

The majority of graded stakes each year are raced in California, Florida, Kentucky, and New York. Kentucky has begun a review of its race-day medication policies but has signaled no immediate action on Salix.

Making changes can be complicated in many jurisdictions because regulations must receive legislative approval. For instance, in West Virginia, which this year adopted an overhaul of its rules of racing, the deadline to submit proposed changes for the 2012 legislative session already has passed, said Kelli Talbott, a deputy attorney general for the West Virginia Racing Commission.

During the Round Table Stuart Janney III, vice chairman of The Jockey Club and chairman of its Thoroughbred Safety Committee, outlined further recommendations regarding drug classifications, regulatory drug-testing limits for therapeutic drugs, laboratory standards, and tougher penalties for offenders. There appears to be widespread support, including from horsemen, for the changes.

“We’re working a new paradigm,” Foreman said. “It’s time to separate the real drug violations from therapeutic (testing) overages. We’re doing a lot of positive stuff, and the horsemen agree with all aspects except Salix. The Salix ban is a red herring.”

Others disagree. Janney during the Round Table said an end to using medication on race day “cannot come soon enough.”

In Happy Trails, veteran horseman and author Les Sellnow uses his firsthand knowledge of training and riding the trail horse to prepare every horse enthusiast for this fast-growing American recreational activity.

thehorse.com, Tom LaMarra, August 24 2011, Article # 187231

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‘A horse doesn’t care how much you know until he knows how much you care’.- Pat Parelli

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TRACK PADDOCKS: COMBATING HORSE BOREDOM

A confinement area (or paddock) is an enclosure meant to be your horse’s outdoor living quarters when keeping them off pastures. Using a confinement area protects pastures from overgrazing and soil compaction, especially during winter months when grass plants are dormant and soils are saturated.

If you’re familiar with confinement areas, you probably think of them as small areas that don’t give horses much opportunity to move about. However, an emerging trend, called track paddocks, may change the way you view confinement areas. Track paddocks are large, long corridors that circle the perimeter of a pasture or other area. The goal of a track paddock is to encourage horses to move about more freely and interact with each other.

Track paddocks are based on concepts brought to the forefront by author Jaime Jackson in his book Paddock Paradise, A Guide to Natural Horse Boarding. Jackson introduced a new way of looking at confinement areas based on his research into how horses live in the wild. Jackson’s ideas draw from his observations on how the horse’s natural instincts stimulate and facilitate movement, which Jackson feels helps keep a horse sound, both physically and mentally. Jackson and many others who have tried this approach feel track paddocks have many benefits including fewer vices, healthier hooves and overall improved horse health.

A track paddock is generally set up so that it runs along the perimeter of a pasture or property, with permanent fencing on the outside and temporary fencing on the inside. But there are any number of creative ways to shape a track paddock, including circling around a building, arena, or weaving through a trail course. The possibilities are endless.

Here are some things to consider when designing a track paddock:

• Soil type. Track paddocks require well-drained soils in order for them to be successful. Rocky soils would be a good choice. Wet or organic soils would be a poor choice as they will turn to mud with continued heavy use.
• Location. Try to choose a higher, well-drained area for your track paddock. A low-lying area will quickly turn into a soup bowl of muckm
• Land available. Living with horses on one or two acres requires greater creativity in designing track paddocks. Paddocks may be shaped to fit around a building, arena or pasture perimeter. Be sure to avoid sharp corners on buildings.
• Track width. This depends on the number of horses you have, their age, breed and temperaments. The narrower the track, the more the horses will move. However, if it’s too narrow and you have multiple horses, one may get cornered by a more dominant horse. This track paddock, at the September 24 farm tour site, goes around the outside of the arena.
• Additional movement can be encouraged throughout the track by strategically placing feed and watering points along with other stimuli (such as poles to step over) that activate curiosity or movement.
• Cost and chore efficiency. Remember, the bigger your track paddock, the more maintenance it will require (i.e., picking up manure along the way and putting down footing in muddy spots.) A larger track will also incur more costs (such as fencing or footing.)

If you’d like more information on track paddocks and happen to be in the Pacific Northwest next month, join me and the King Conservation District for a free farm tour on Saturday, September 24 in Issaquah, Wash. We will be touring Laughing Horse Farm, a 2.5-acre horse property that features a track paddock, a trail course and other innovative horse-keeping designs. Register and receive directions at 425/282-1949 or signup@kingcd.org.

smarthorsekeeping blog, Alayne, August 5,  2011

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‘To be loved by a horse, or by any animal, should fill us with awe -for we have not deserved It’.- Marion C. Garretty

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NEW ARTICLES ON HORSECONSCIOUS

 

When the journey began- Kathy Pike

When the journey began, the stillness of the sunny day quickly shifted.  The wind came up, caressing the walls of the arena, creating sounds of soft creaks and folds. Sand blew through the big door and along the floor as the snow capped Long’s Peak watched over the land from a distance.  I focused on my footsteps and the sounds of the rhythm beads I held to my hip. Birds, suddenly chirping louder, invading the inside of my being. Wind now blowing in gusts; butterflies twirled in my belly.  My big buckskin, Moon, walked next to me.  His head dropped as we both moved around the outside of the round pen.  My mustang, Corazon, with his stout powerful body followed behind me with Suzanne, and behind them my big, soft, curious mare Sylvie, with Reggie.

To read the complete article, visit Kathy Pike on HorseConscious.

 

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Equinisity Retreat with Margrit Coates

 

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Creative Blocks – Kim McElroy

Even though I am an accomplished artist, and I have been doing my work professionally for two decades, I still experience challenges in my art, just as in every aspect of life.

When I am beginning a new work of art, sometimes I run into what seems like a roadblock in the composition. Usually, the roadblock is caused by my own state of mind, my anticipation of problem that I am afraid I won’t be able to solve. In my attempt to protect myself from failure and disappointment, I resist proceeding to the next step in the process. Yet each time, I find that when I persevere and discover the solution, then the new idea is much than the one I tried so hard to hang onto. You would think that as many times as I’ve been through this, that I would recognize that every time I experience a roadblock, it is merely a detour to take a new road to a more perfect destination.

To read the the full article, visit Kim McElroy on HorseConscious Facebook.

 

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RATIOS IN EQUINE DIETS OF CALCIUM AND PHOSPHORUS 

A calcium to phosphorus ratio of less than 1:1 can have negative consequences on the skeleton. Simply put, a horse needs at least as much calcium in his diet as phosphorus, never the reverse.

Ensuring your horse maintains a balanced diet is one of the most important aspects of horse care. In particular, ensuring your horse maintains a balanced calcium and phosphorus ratio in his diet is critical, as horses with calcium or phosphorus deficiencies or toxicities are prone to various disorders, according to Ramiro E. Toribio, DVM, MS, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, associate professor in the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences at The Ohio State University, who recently composed a literature review on the topic.

In horses calcium helps maintain normal brain and nerve function and aids in heart, skeletal muscle, and intestinal contraction. Phosphorus helps regulate muscle and heart contraction, cell integrity, and glucose use.

The calcium to phosphate ratio in the equine diet is important because the two work closely together: “A balanced equine diet must have 0.15-1.5% of calcium and 0.15-0.6% of phosphorus in feed dry matter,” Toribio explained.

Deficiencies

Most animals with a calcium or phosphorous deficiency show subtle clinical signs, generally because most of the resulting damage is internal. When blood levels are low, the horse’s body will draw calcium and phosphorus from the bones to carry out bodily functions, which can lead to some serious consequences, as described below.

Chronic calcium deficiency is rare and is associated with abnormal skeletal development, lameness, weak bones, fractures, poor growth, and poor performance. Acute calcium deficiency also is rare and is associated with neurologic signs (e.g., seizures), muscle trembling, decreased intestinal motility, and, in pregnant mares, dystocia (difficult birth) or retained placenta.

Phosphorus-deficient horses often show clinical signs such as muscle weakness and trembling, said Toribio. Additionally, lack of phosphorus can hinder horses’ ability to regulate their energy needs properly, which can lead to high blood levels of glucose and fats.

Toxicity

Phosphorus toxicity is more common in horses than calcium toxicity, Toribio said. Horses with phosphorus toxicity often display similar clinical signs as horses with a calcium deficiency; the excess phosphorus binds to the calcium in the intestine, decreasing the body’s absorption of the latter. The horse’s body also tries to compensate for the excess phosphorus by using calcium from the bones, essentially weakening the skeleton.

Calcium toxicity is rare in horses and provided the horse receives enough phosphorus in his diet, there’s little risk of detrimental effects.

Toribio noted that while most horses receive a good balance of calcium and phosphorus from a daily diet of high-quality forage coupled with a commercial grain mix (some forages are low in phosphorus, so hay should be tested if the horse is eating a forage-only diet), some, including foals, high performance horses, and pregnant or lactating mares, could require a higher daily amount of the two minerals. Owners can fulfill an increased calcium and phosphorus requirement easily by providing the horse with a balanced vitamin and mineral supplement.

Simple blood tests can detect calcium or phosphorus toxicity or deficiency, so it’s advisable to work with your veterinarian if concerns mount about a particular horse’s daily intake of the two required minerals. Also consider having the nutrient contents in your horse’s hay and grass tested to ensure he’s receiving the appropriate amount of vitamins and minerals. Finally, your veterinarian or equine nutritionist at Equine Nutrition Australia can help you plan a balanced diet for your animal, complete with vitamin or mineral supplement suggestions if necessary.

The article, “Disorders of calcium and phosphate metabolism in horses,” appeared in April in Veterinary Clinics of North America: Equine Practice.

And please note, Lucerne hay has a Calcium / Phosphorus imbalance, and should not be relied upon as a staple of the horses diet.

weight-lifter.com, A World of Natural Feeding Techniques

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UPCOMING EVENTS

Kim McElroy and Sandra Wallin Drawn to Wild Horses at Return to Freedom Wild Horse Sanctuary

Does the idea of spending time with wild horses make your heart beat faster?

Join Kim and Sandra for a unique getaway and let your creative nature run free in the company of America’s Wild Mustangs

Click images to see larger poster

Dates: September 20 from 1:00-5:00/ September 21-23 from 10:00-5:00
Location: Return to Freedom Wild Horse Sanctuary, Lompoc, California
Tuition: $1250 before August 15th, $1500 thereafter/ Buddy Rate $995
Deposit: A $600* will reserve your space (*transferable to another Drawn to Horses workshop)
Register here now: http://www.chironsway.com/training-workshops/equine-guided-programs/drawn-to-horses/drawn-to-wild-horses/

 

One-Day UK Liberty Clinic With Carolyn Resnick Suggested Trainer Farah Dejohnette

Would you like to know how to form a deep connection and friendship with your horse? Would you like to learn exercises and body language that will help build heart and desire to perform in your horse for any discipline? International rider and horsewoman, Farah will be introducing her integrated approach to horsemanshipin the UK this Autumn:

Click image to see larger poster

 

Horse Boy Method North Carolina Tour 2011

Horses Helping Children with Autism

For some years Rupert and Rowan literally lived in the saddle together on board a Texas Quarter Horse called Betsy. The story of how Rowan opened up to the outside world through Betsy is told in the bestselling book and award winning film, both entitled “The Horse Boy”.

Soon after Rowan’s success Rupert began working with other local children on the spectrum to see if what had worked with Rowan and Betsy would also work for them.

After a couple more years Rupert realized that he had a system of techniques in place, that targeted different types of autism spectrum challenges. Since 2009 he has been working internationally with the Horse Boy Method™ at camps and centers in North America and Europe.

North Carolina Tour 2011

Rupert Isaacson and his team will host 3 trainings in the Horse Boy Method in September in North Carolina.

Click image to see larger version and learn more.

For other trainings email: info@horseboymethod.com or visit www.HorseBoyMethod.com

Yoga and Rituals for Riding Clinic
St. Vincent and The Grenadines, Eastern Caribbean

Watch this lovely video with Stina’s explanation about what to expect:

Who: Farah (Integrative horsemanship), Stina (The Carolyn Resnick Method)
Date: Next clinic is 28th of November – 3rd of December 2011
Place: Richmond Vale Academy’s Nature and Hiking Center
Chateaubelair, St. Vincent and The Grenadines, Eastern Caribbean.

Clinic Elements:
- The Waterhole Rituals – The Carolyn Resnick Method
- Yoga exercises for Riding – beginner and medium levels
- Adjust your seat and check your balance for riding
- Nature Walks in the Jungle with a herd of former wild horses
- Bathe with horses in the River
- Waterfall picnic, Caribbean Drumming Night and Pirates of the Caribbean Dinner

www.richmondvalehiking.com
www.fdhorsetraining.com

Contact: stina@richmondvale.org

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BARN FIRES: AVOID HAY BALE COMBUSTION

Experienced agricultural producers in the southern Great Plains know that low wind speeds, high humidity, moist hay, and hot temperatures can be a recipe for disaster.

Under such a set of circumstances, tightly stacked hay bales have been known to combust. Without proper preventive measures, hay barns or any other structures close to the blazing bales potentially might be lost.

“When you go in and immediately harvest these forages, they have a high water content, which continues the process of respiration,” said Daren Redfearn, MS, PhD, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension forage specialist.

Respiration is a normal process that plants use to produce food. Unfortunately, it also produces heat. The respiration process will continue to produce heat until the moisture content of the hay drops below 40%. At 20% moisture, the hay is considered dry.

However, Redfearn reminds producers that mold will grow through respiration and will produce heat until that point. This heat can mix with oxygen and cause combustion. Combustion typically takes place along the surface of the bales because oxygen has trouble penetrating into the middle.

Before this happens, there are some preventive measures that should be taken.

“Make hay while the sun is shining,” Redfearn said. “Producers need to get their hay dried as quickly as possible.”

If there is any question as to whether the hay was baled at the correct moisture, the temperature of the bales should be closely monitored. A bale that measures less than 120°F is in little danger.

Redfearn said bales between 120° and 140° need some attention. These bales should be removed from a barn or structure and separated so that they can cool off. Once the temperature of a bale exceeds more than 140°, it is generally too late.

“Once you start moving them at that temperature, that’s when you really get the danger,” he said.

Combustion issues typically occur within five days to seven days of baling.

Oklahoma State University, July 24 2009, Article # 14589, thehorse.com

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‘Give a horse what he needs and he will give you his heart in return.’ – Anonymous

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DO TRAUMATIZED HORSES MAKES GOOD THERAPY HORSES?

Arriving at a prestigious mansion overlooking the picturesque Pacific Coast Highway, the Clinical Director quickly ushered me into her office, as I attempted to disguise my disbelief that this, of all places, housed some of humanity’s most psychologically challenged individuals.

“So,” she began slowly, “we have already purchased three horses for our equine therapy program.” She pointed out her sliding glass door at a small barn and white fenced pasture extending down the hill toward the house. “They have all suffered extreme trauma,” she paused again and turned toward me, “We thought that the client’s would be able to connect with traumatized horses better.”

I looked out toward the three horses grazing on the hill, a buckskin gelding, gray gelding, and dark bay mare, and wondered if it is true that traumatized horses do make good candidates for equine facilitated psychotherapy programs.

To answer this question, let’s first consider what trauma is. In either horse or human, trauma involves a the temporary overwhelm of both the psychological and the physiological systems. Whatever the stimulus is, be it witnessing another death or near death, or experiencing it firsthand, the psychological and physiological systems are not equipped to handle what is presented. In fact, during extreme trauma, being fully psychologically and physiologically present would exacerbate the trauma. This gives reason for the most common defense in the face of trauma, which is dissociation. During dissociation, the person, or horse, temporarily detaches from the situation psychologically so as to avoid the terrifying sensations that are being experienced. But is is also important to note that physiological detachment also occurs, which results in the freeze response, whereby the individual is unable to move. This is also the typical “deer in the headlights” syndrome.

While the short term effects of trauma involve dissociation and detachment, the long term affects can be hypervigilance, increased startle response, avoidance of any stimulus related to the original trauma, and re-experiencing of the traumatic event. This might present as an individual who appears tense, nervous, and yes, detached. This individual might also have restricted patterns, such as avoiding social settings, crowds, and public places. In the case of a horse, this may also mean a horse who is somewhat avoidant of people, skittish, and prone to nervous explosions, or running off. More than anything, however, this horse is not able to respond fully to stimulus from people, as he is to bound by his own emotions. Much in the same way that a traumatized person is emotionally blocked, so is a traumatized horse.

How this may play out in a equine therapy session, is through inaccurate responses on the part of the horse. For example, let’s say that the horse’s trauma was being hit on the head. Now the patient reaches up toward the horse’s head to secure the halter, and the horse backs up wildly. The un-educated therapist may interpret this response as a reflection of the patient, such as the patient’s tendency to approach people too intensely, scarring them off. Or even worse, the therapist may attempt to decipher the horse’s shying away as mirror for the client’s own behavior — suggesting that perhaps he shies away frequently. Clearly, neither of these explanation is true. Instead, the horse was responding to his own trauma. In this way, one could say that the horse was not able to respond to the person openly and freely. As the art of equine therapy depends on the honest and unmarked response from the horse, it is obvious then that this would be compromised in the case of traumatized horses.

Just as therapists who have not overcome their own psychological issues struggle in therapy sessions, and do not make the best therapists, horses, who have not been fully rehabilitated from trauma may also not be the best equine therapy candidates.

Photo by Nancy Devine, available under a Create Commons attribution license.

blogs. psychcentral.com, Claire Dorotik,LMFT

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‘ Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people.’ – W.C. Fields

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Self Realization Through Horses – Carolyn Resnick

In all of my years of being wildly attracted to horses, training them for show and having them serve me in some way; I used horses to always guide me in my approach in how to communicate with them through getting their approval as well as their performance. It was always a spiritual journey for me. From approaching horses this way, I discovered that horses liked where I was coming from and showed it through their willingness to be trained and to perform. When they didn’t, I knew my responsibility was to let them do what they wanted to do, which always led me on to some new awareness and growth in myself. I learned at these times that I loved horses completely for who they were. This awareness was very valuable and further deepened my understanding of the importance of sharing a cross-species bond with a horse.

I discovered that working with horses was boiling down to moral issues of leadership. And from that I noticed a universal code that kept coming up all the time while communicating with animals. I also discovered that in the human world, this code was the same. There is a way to communicate and lead that creates a connection and willingness in others. These matters set the style of my method and my connection with you, the reader. Since we are having a class coming up with close to 100 students, I would like to ask a few questions. It opens the mind to the possibilities of how to connect with a horse. The three questions I would like to ask are as follows:

1. Why is leadership important when working with horses?
2. What does self-realization mean to you?
3. Do you feel that horses have a natural connection to us as we have to them?

To give you answers to Carolyn’s questions, please visit this post on her wonderful blog For more info on Carolyn Resnick and her work, visit Self Realization Through Horses.

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DIARY DATES:

Click Events to see a list of classes and workshops being held by the HorseConscious Teachers.

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‘Horses change lives. They give confidence, provide tranquility. They give us hope!. ’ – Toni Robinson