Newsletter XXXI
Hi
Welcome back to this month’s HorseConscious Newsletter!
Wow, it seems like I’ve never been so busy and I look out of my window and it’s glorious summer weather out there. [Note to self - must get out more.]
One of the main reasons I have been so busy is that is that I have been preparing for today’s HorseConscious call with Linda Kohanov. You have hopefully by now been able to hear the reply of the fantastic call we did a few weeks back. We had such a great time and the conversation was so interesting that we agreed to come back and do it all again! Well, not exactly the same conversation but you know what I mean.
Well, today’s the day and here are all the details:
at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern / 6pm UK / 7pm Europe
http://InstantTeleseminar.com/?eventid=22881315
And here’s a link to a timezone converter, where you can check what those times translate to where you are: http://bit.ly/o6tcuF
You will find the details of how you can listen in by going to the Instant Teleseminar page and clicking Listen-In on the left there. The great advantage of joining us live is that you will have the opportunity to put a question to Linda directly, so do please join us if you can.
Since the first call, Linda and I have actually hatched up a little something for you that you might find of interest. I won’t say any more for now, you’ll just have to listen in to the call to find out what it is…
Oh, almost forgot. If you can’t listen in live for any reason, perhaps because you live in Australia and you might be sleeping (poor excuse, don’t you think?), then a replay will be available over the weekend at the same link:
http://InstantTeleseminar.com/?eventid=22881315.
I get asked to mention lots of different events on HorseConscious and in the newsletter but unfortunately many of these are not a good match and are destined for the cutting room floor for one reason or another. However, the following all came across my desk this month and I thought them worthy of mention to you:
Horse Boy Workshop – Malibu Oct 29-30, 2011
Are you a parent, teacher, therapist or riding instructor dealing and working with Autism? How would you like to learn more about the Horse Boy Method and possibly get certified? Join us in welcoming Rupert Isaacson and his team to beautiful Malibu Mountains. Auditors welcome.
LOCATION: Connemara Ranch, 34342 Mulholland Highway, Malibu, CA 90265
DATE: Oct 29-30
CERTIFICATION: $500
TIME: TBA ( Full Days)
AUDITORS: $25 per day
Click image to see larger version and learn more.
For other trainings email: info@horseboymethod.com or visit www.HorseBoyMethod.com
Three Day Clinic with Carolyn Resnick suggested trainer Farah DeJohnette at ‘The New Horse’ in UK
Previously known as Meaders Farm, this small farm is nestled in the rolling Dorset countryside only 2 miles from the historic town of Shaftesbury, famous for its Golden Mile Hill, and surrounded by magnificent views. The mainline railway station at Gillingham is 10 minutes away.
Friendly staff and gentle horses invite you to join them for a special journey.
Contact: Carolyn Bourchier
Telephone: 01747 854 772
Email: carotalks@aol.com
Address: The New Horse, Bittles Brook Farm, Motcombe, Shaftesbury, Dorset, SP7 9NX
Open Studios 2011 by Janet Ferraro
“I’m amazed at how inspiring the horses are for me. I never tire of painting them. I truly believe that horses have the power to change our consciousness, nurture our spirits and delight our hearts. I hope you can make it by to visit with me and my herd of paintings at this year’s Open Studios Art Tour.” Janet Ferraro
Please click image for more details.
Date: Oct. 8-9th and 15-16th
Time: 11 to 5 pm.
Location: 471 Larch Lane, Santa Cruz, Ca. 95062
Contact info: 831-464-3738
If you don’t mind, I am going to keep my section of this month’s newsletter short and sweet. It’s Saturday and I need some chill out time before the call with Linda.
So until we speak later, I’d like to wish you a wonderful Saturday and here’s to an exciting October – I wonder what’s in store for us. Please let us know what’s happening in your life with horses. As Carolyn Resnick said in her recent blog post:
Watch out for new horse and human sightings and may the horse be with you.
I like that, so let us know if you feel the horse over this coming month on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/HorseConscious.
Best wishes
Mark
‘He is pure air and fire; and the dull elements of earth and water never appear in him.’ – Shakespeare
DOIN’ A LITTLE DANCE OF JOY WITH A HORSE
I realised the other day that lots of people have no idea of the very special meaning behind the “Doin’ a little dance” on the back cover of Zen Connection with Horses and at the bottom of a lot of my emails.
When I first started this work, it was about helping horses and people be with each other without fear. That was an excellent first step – but there was much better to come.
It happened a few years ago, at the very first clinic where we all consistently blew into a joyous feeling with our horses.
We had three very special New Zealand friends who had flown over for that clinic. One of them, a self styled Maori chick, (hello Tiriana!) was really into wriggling her hips in a kind of Maori hula and singing words from the song “Doin’ a little dance” whenever she hit another joyous moment – and there were lots of joyous moments and lots of singing the “doin’ a little dance” song.
My daughter Mel had a broken foot and she and her 3 year old daughter Bree were watching the clinic from the sidelines. I can still picture tiny Bree wriggling her hips and singing the song as she shared our joy at what everyone was getting with their horses. The joy was contagious and she was sooo…. cute!
They even got me wriggling my hips too and that sooo… was not my normal way of being!
The words “Doin’ a little dance” became a mantra for all of us for those joyous moments with our horses – and it still is all these years later – complete with hip wriggling.
So may you all “do a little dance” of joy with us! Feel free to join in the hip wriggling!
bookswithspirit.com, Jenny Pearce, DVM, MSc, September 21, 2011
‘Horse, thou art truly a creature without equal, for thou flies without wings and conquers without sword.’ - The Koran
ESTIMATING HORSE WEIGHT ACCURATELY
Weight tapes, formulas, or simply “eyeing it” are among the average horse owner’s options for estimating their horse’s weight on the farm. Clearly, guessing weight by eyeing a horse is a bit like a carnival game, but Auburn University researchers recently examined three methods and found out one stood out as a more accurate approach.
“Knowing the body weight of a horse is important in many facets of horse care, including designing feeding programs and administering medication,” reported the study authors, Elizabeth Wagner, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Animal Science, and Patricia Tyler, MS, research associate in the Department of Animal Science. “However, horse owners and veterinarians working in the field generally do not have access to a livestock scale for the purpose of obtaining a horse’s weight.”
In the current study, which was funded by the Alabama Horse Council, the researchers weighed 145 adult horses of varying breeds and body types on a portable livestock scale to determine their actual weight before these animals’ weights were estimated using three commonly used methods:
- A commercially available weight tape (following the directions that came with the tape);
- Using the estimation formula: (kg)=(heartgirth2 x body length) / (11,880 cm3) with length defined as “measuring from the point of shoulder to the point of buttock” (termed the “point measurement”); and
- Using the same estimation formula listed above, this time with length being defined as “measuring from the point of shoulder to the widest point of the stifle and tail when viewed from the rear” (termed the “stifle measurement”).
Upon reviewing their data, the team found that while all three of the methods used underestimated the horses’ body weights, one method had a smaller margin of error than the other two. Key findings included:
- The point measurement gave the most accurate estimates, underestimating weights by an average of 17.25 kg, or approximately 38 lbs; and
- The commercial weight tape gave the most inaccurate estimates, underestimating weights by an average of 65.81 kg, or approximately 145 lbs.
The authors noted that there are many weight tapes available on the market. Most brands use different measurement systems for estimating weight and, thus, will render slightly different results. “How each company designs and validates their particular formula is proprietary information and not available through the scientific literature,” they noted.
The researchers concluded, “No method is perfect, but when a scale is unavailable for determining a horse’s weight, the formula, where estimated weight (kg)=(heartgirth2 x body length) / (11,880 cm3), appears to be the best choice for estimating body weight.”
The study, “A Comparison of Weight Estimation Methods in Adult Horses,” has been accepted for publication in The Journal of Equine Veterinary Science. The abstract is available online.
Learn more about horse husbandry and discover thousands of tips for keeping your horse happy and healthy in Understanding Basic Horse Care.
thehorse.com, Casie Bazay, BS, NBCAAM, September 15 2011, Article # 18827
‘It’s a lot like nuts and bolts .If the rider’s nuts, the horse bolts.!’ - Nicholas Evans
STRICTER RULES ON USING WHIPS IN HORSE RACING INTRODUCED
Stricter rules on using whips in horse racing are being introduced.
The number of times a jockey is allowed to whip a horse during a race will be almost halved.
There will also be more serious punishments handed out if the rules are broken – riders could be fined and lose part of their winnings.
Animal rights groups have welcomed the changes, and top jockeys and trainers support them too.
From 10 October, jockeys will only be able to use their whips seven times in flat races and eight in races over jumps, with a maximum of five times in the final bit of the race.
They’ll have to pay a fine if they are found guilty of over-using their whips, and could face a longer ban from the sport.
In this year’s Grand National, the winning jockey Jason Maguire was suspended for five days for whipping his horse too much. Under the new rules he would have to pay around £40,000.
Professor Tim Morris from the British Horse Racing Association says that there should not be a total ban on whipping.
He says: “If you are on a half-tonne of horse going at nearly 40mph over a jump and there are 20 other horses around you, you need a tool to steer, correct its stride, and balance a horse. It’s a very risky sport and we’ve got to look after jockeys’ safety.”
Top jockeys and trainers support the rule changes.
Champion Frankie Dettori, who was banned for nine days this year for using his whip too much, says: “I accept these new rules are in the best interest of our great sport.”
BBC.co.uk, CBBC Newsround, September 27, 2011
‘To see her is to love her, and love but she forever, For Nature made her what she is’.- Robert Barns
FIREWISE LANDSCAPING FOR HORSE PROPERTIES
Currently fires are raging in parts of California, Arizona, Texas and Oklahoma as well as in the Pacific Northwest, Montana, Minnesota and even Florida. Since September is still fire season for many parts of North America and since horse owners usually live in rural areas, I thought I would share some of what I learned this past month at a class I took on Firewise Landscaping.
Where Matt and I and the horses now live in southwestern Idaho, there is a greater need for wildfire awareness because of the dry desert climate paired with a high potential for lightning storms. Earlier this summer Matt and I went on a moonlight trail ride with horse friends in the Owyhee Mountains. A warm wind came up during our ride and off in the distance we could see ominously dark clouds and lighting strikes. By the next morning we learned that something like nine rangeland fires had started that night. Though we were far away, the smoke from those fires drifted in thickly over Treasure Valley the next day.
Reducing your risk of wildfire begins with properly landscaping your property, called firewise landscaping, which is something most of us need to consider and plan for. Firewise landscaping starts with looking at your defensible space–the area around your home or barn where vegetation is managed to reduce the chance of igniting during a wildfire.
There are three Firewise zones or circles of defensible space around your house or barn:
- Zone One = the 30+ foot circumference around your house or barn
- Zone Two = the area that’s between 30 and 60 feet around your house or barn
- Zone Three = the area that extends from 60 to 100 feet around your house or barn
In Zone One, include only low-growing, fire-resistant plants and hardscape–rocks, rock mulch or stone patios. Zone One plants should always be irrigated to keep them green. Keep these plants well-pruned, removing any dead materials and leaf debris. Mow or weed-wack grass or weeds. Strictly avoid conifers, which ignite easily and wick flames up their canopy to the tops of buildings. Ground covers are an excellent choice because they produce little or no flame when ignited and do not require much water.
Zone Two can include other low-growing, fire-resistant plants but should also continue with the rock mulch and hardscaping. Keep plant densities down. Shrubs can be added but should be kept at a distance from each other of twice their height. Keep the volume of plant material low by mowing tall grass and pruning trees or shrubs. This area, too, should be irrigated and remain green.
Zone Three can contain other types of plants and those of taller varieties, including trees. To reduce fire risk, thin or prune branches and remove lower tree limbs approximately 6 to 10 feet off the ground. This reduces the fuel ladder risk that allows flames to leap from grass to lower tree limbs and climb to tree tops.
Examples of plants with increased flammability include sagebrush, juniper and conifers. Attributes in plants that increase flammability include:
- High resin content
- Low moisture
- Tall growth with lots of branches, cones or other leaf debris
Fire-resistant plants have the following characteristics:
- High moisture content (redflower currant)
- High salt or soap content (Honeysuckle, soapwort, saltbrush)
- Low growing, compact form (creeping phlox, stonecrop)
- Low oil or resin content (clematis, flax)
- Drought tolerant (penstemon, globemallow)
- Green stems (succulents)
A few other good examples of fire-resistant plants include quaking aspen, mature Ponderosa pine, fruit trees, golden currant, hawthorn, mock orange, snowberry, elderberry and sumac.
It is important to understand that fire travels uphill very quickly; a draw or valley works just like a chimney, pulling fire and flames up its sides. Houses, barns and other structures should be away from the edges of bluffs or tops of hills. In future articles I will talk more about firewise safety and preparedness for horse owners and I will talk about plants toxic to horses.
In conclusion, to avoid inviting wildfire onto your horse property, remember that if a landscaping plant’s not green, keep it low and lean!
For more resources on the current fire situation:
- National Interagency Fire Center
- USDA Active Fire Mapping News
- Also see Tips to Protect Horses, Livestock from Wildfire.
smarthorsekeeping blog, Alayne, September 14, 2011
‘They are more beautiful than anything in the world, kinetic sculptures, perfect form in motion’.- Kate Millett
NEW ARTICLES ON HORSECONSCIOUS
The Opposite of Reinforcement is No Reinforcement – Debra Olson Daniels
Most of us are cross over trainers. If we have been with horses for any length of time we have used correction based training. Yes, we would give a pet, a good girl or good boy, a secondary reinforcer, but we still would correct unwanted behaviors through various means.
If we look at the science behind operant conditioning / clicker training we see the opposite of reinforcement is no reinforcement. It is not correction. This can be a mind bender. The opposite of reinforcement is no reinforcement. This means when our horse is doing something we don’t want we ignore it and we reinforce what we do want.
To read the complete article, visit Debra Olson Daniels on HorseConscious.
Riding at Liberty 2
Lounge Lizard to Pegasus – Carolyn Resnick
When a horse has lost his natural herding instincts it makes it impossible to dance at liberty with him.
In this post, I am going to talk about how to use the round pen to return the natural herding instincts of a horse to respond to a driving aid. When you start with this exercise, I am setting it up so that the horse can see that we are wanting to bring back his herding response from a friendly approach. You initiate the game like you would surprise a friend with a good game of “Boo! I can catch you!” that would develop into a game of tag.
To read the the full article, visit Carolyn Resnick on HorseConscious Facebook.
FEED EXTRA FORAGE AT NIGHT FOR YOUR HORSE’S DIGESTIVE HEALTH
Horses’ digestive systems are designed to work constantly throughout the day and night.
True or false? Horses don’t need as much hay during the night because they sleep.
False, and dangerous. Equine nutrition expert Dr. Juliet Getty frequently has to bust this myth. Believe the facts:
- Horses are awake and moving most of the time.
- Mature horses will sleep up to two hours per day, broken into short periods.
- These 15 to 20 minute naps are intermittent throughout the day and night.
In other words, horses do not sleep for long periods of time the way humans and some other animals do. Being prey animals, horses must get their sleep in frequent breaks of short duration, ideally in a group situation where some take turns resting while others remain alert for dangers.
One more fact to keep in mind:
- The horse’s digestion is designed to process food continuously.
Horses are trickle feeders, designed to graze continuously to keep the digestive system functioning normally, thereby preventing ulcers and colic. Feeding them in sync with their natural instincts and physiology requires that they have forage available any time they want it. And that means 24/7.
The solution is simple: Feed enough hay at night to make certain there is some left over in the morning. If your horse runs out of hay and you wake to find him kicking and pawing, he is hungry. But even if he seems to be waiting patiently, he may be in discomfort or outright pain due to the acid bathing his empty stomach. Certainly, he is also mentally stressed; this stress can lead to a multitude of health problems (including, ironically, being persistently overweight).
Ease your horse’s discomfort and keep his digestion healthy by giving him more hay than he could possibly eat. Once he realizes the supply will never run out, he will self-regulate and actually begin to eat less because he has relaxed, both physically and emotionally. And you can sleep better, knowing that all night long your horse is eating just the way he was meant to—like a horse.
Dr. Juliet Getty has taught and consulted on equine nutrition for more than 20 years. Her website, www.gettyequinenutrition.com, offers a library of helpful articles, a forum on nutrition, and a calendar of appearances, teleconferences and interviews.
horsechannel.com, Dr. Julliet Getty, September 15,2011
WILDFIRES: WHEN EVACUATION IS NOT AN OPTION
Thanks to record summer temperatures and persistent drought, several wildfires have flared in Texas this year, according to information contained on the Texas Forest Service website. Since Sept. 1 the Texas Forest Service has responded to 181 fires covering a total of 118,413 acres. On Sept. 5 the agency responded to 22 new fires affecting 7,544 acres, including 10 new large fires, according to the website. As of Sept. 6, firefighters continued the struggle to control the blazes.
Throughout the Labor Day weekend, Texas horse owners used Facebook and other Internet avenues to share news about available resources including transportation, feed, and shelter beyond the fire zone. But veteran firefighter Gina Gonzales, of the Loveland Fire Rescue in Loveland, Colo., and an assistant instructor for The Large Animal Emergency Rescue Inc. (TLAER), said evacuation is not an option for some owners. When that’s the case, owners should take these “shelter in place” steps before the fire advances:
- Stock water: Fill every available bucket, trough, and other container with enough water to accommodate animals for between five and seven days.
- Stock feed: Horses sheltered in place should have enough feed to accommodate them for between five and seven days.
- Gather hand tools: Have metal shovels and heavy-duty metal rakes on hand to extinguish cinders that might fall onto your property. “Wind can carry cinders as far as a quarter mile,” Gonzales said. “Hand tools are the best way to extinguish them.”
- Gather equine identification information: Owners will need definitive identification to reclaim animals displaced during a wildfire event or other disaster from animal control or welfare authorities.
- Mark your animals: Animals should also be marked with the owner’s name and contact information. Gonzales recommends owners use indelible markers to write this information on horses’ hooves, or on duct tape placed on the horses’ neck or buttocks.
- Mark your property: Place placards on property fence gates informing firefighters that animals are being sheltered in place there. Owners should also include their names and contact information.
- Remove horses from barns: Horses should be relocated from barns even if those structures are equipped with sprinkler systems. Paddocks or metal-construction areas provide safer shelter. Close up the barn to prevent scared horses from running back inside and becoming trapped.
- Be alert to signs of smoke inhalation: Along with risk of lacerations and other injuries, horses sheltered in place run the risk of smoke inhalation. Owners should be able to recognize signs that their horses have inhaled smoke. “If you see soot around your horse’s eyes or coming out of its nose, that horse has been breathing smoke,” Gonzales said.
Keith Taraba, DVM, of the Northeast Texas Equine Services in Pittsburg, said risk of smoke inhalation could last up to 30 days after fires have been extinguished. Left untreated, smoke inhalation can have long-term consequences including lung cancer in horses. Veterinarians treat smoke inhalation with antibiotics, as well as drugs that dilate airways and steroid drugs that reduce tissue inflammation.
“If owners find their horses coughing, sneezing, or breathing more heavily than usual, they should seek treatment as soon as possible,” Taraba said.
Finally, Gonzales recommends that owners residing in wildfire-prone areas reduce fire-damage risks by creating so-called “defensible spaces” around their properties.
Defensible spaces are 100-foot perimeters that surround barns, paddocks, homes, and other structures. These spaces are devoid of overgrown brush, flammable chemicals, or trees that could fuel cinders emanating from wildfires.
“If you have a defensible space, be sure your horses are placed within it if you have to shelter in place,” Gonzales said.
For an inspiring and gripping first-hand account of how the Louisiana State University’s Equine Rescue Team saved hundreds of horses and other animals following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, read Horses of the Storm.
thehorse.com, Pat Raia, September 08 2011, Article # 18787
‘Bread may feed my body, but my horse feeds my soul.’ – Anonymous
THE NATURE OF THE HORSE AS HEALER
Horses have always had to escape predators. As prey animals, their survival has forever depended on their ability to run. While horses are fast creatures by nature, they are not the fastest. However, they can typically run for longer periods of time than most of their predators.
In order to remain alive, then, they had to become better at detecting potential predators than the predators were at remaining undetected. They had to sense that they were being stalked before a predator was able to get too close, and therefore able to overcome them before they could outrun him. So the horses’ task of surviving then, becomes directly related to their ability to perceive any potential threat that enters their environment, and to react quickly to this threat.
For this reason, horses are constantly watching everything in the environment. People often describe this as “flighty” or “nervous,” as the horse can react very quickly, often without warning. Yet this is the horse’s only way of ensuring his safety. What this means as a healer is that the horse has an innate ability to detect subtle psychological shifts within a person that render him unsafe.
How is it that a horse is so finely tuned to “read,” people, and thereby offer healing, even when the answers are not obvious? Well, when a horse scans the environment, a heightening of the sensations that provide feedback for the events in the environment occurs. These sensations consist of a sight, sound, touch, taste, kinetic sense, and a variety of physiological responses including heart rate, breath rate, temperature, muscle tension, and nerve impulses.
For the horse, some of these sensations may be more acutely developed, providing more accurate, or rapid, feedback, as to changes in the environment. However, together, they all comprise a part of the horse’s survival mechanism. And the extent to which these sensations are heightened depends on the amount of vigilance the horse has to his environment.
The more vigilance to the environment, the more heightened the horse’s responses will be. What this means when working with people, the horse, as a healer, registers with his physiological response to the person, the amount and direction of psychological vulnerability in the person. For example, if the horse reacts very strongly to a person, demonstrating obvious alarm, it is clear that the emotional intensity within the person is very strong. Then by disseminating the meaning of the horse’s response — interpreting his response as a herd animal — the direction of the person’s emotion can be ascertained. For example, if the horse demonstrates what would be classified in herd behavior as protective, toward the person, he is responding to a vulnerability — that needs protection — within the person.
Due to their innate nature, horses are tremendously adept healers. And in understanding their nature, and the meaning of it, humans, armed with horses, become incredible healers as well.
blogs. psychcentral.com, Claire Dorotik,LMFT
‘ In the steady gaze of horse shines a silent eloquence that speaks of love,loyalty,strength,and courage.’ – L. McGuire
The Path Continues- Stormy May
There is so much happening right now in alignment with the creation of this world of OurHorses that it’s going to take a few newsletters, blogs, some social networking and world-wide gatherings to keep up with creating and reporting on the changes which we are in the midst of.
Below is a video gift to help people feel the space that free horses can take us to. Give yourself the gift of 13 minutes in the pasture with us. With over 800 views in the 4 days that it’s been posted, we think this video strikes a chord with more than just horse owners. If you know of others who might like this gift you can forward this email or go directly to the YouTube page (link at the bottom right of the video player) and send it from there.
To learn more about Stormy May, visit The Path of The Horse on HorseConscious.
DIARY DATES:
Click Events to see a list of classes and workshops being held by the HorseConscious Teachers.
‘There’s something about the outside of a horse that’s good for the inside of a man.’ – Sir Winston Churchill
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