Newsletter XXXIV
Welcome back to this month’s HorseConscious Newsletter!
Well, just when I thought we’d escaped the winter without snow, Siberia chose to dump on us today as we woke up to a covering of the white stuff. I wouldn’t mind so much except I’m due to travel to the UK on Saturday and memories of the 3 hour journey that turned into 12 last winter are returning. Yikes.
How are you doing with your New Year’s Resolutions? I decided I had to be a lot more focused this year and have been getting up at silly o’clock each morning during the week so I can exercise, shower, breakfast, study some German and be at my desk all before 8.00am. So far, so good and making good progress on some new projects which I will be telling you about in due course.
I still haven’t seen War Horse, the new movie by Steven Spielberg but am hoping to go next week when I’m in the UK. There were definitely some mixed reviews about it when I posted it on Facebook last week. As I wrote there:
I read that Spielberg had said about the leading character, “Joey represents common sense. If more people had the common horse sense of Joey, we wouldn’t be having wars.”
Having said that, Spielberg chose to tell the story through the horse himself, which was my hope for revealing not just the life of a warhorse as was suggested but how horses see life generally and wars in particular.
I heard from Helene who said that apparently Disney did not want the movie to sit up any controversy (surprise, surprise) but Spielberg was quoted as saying:
“In this day, people don’t have exposure, they don’t have interaction with horses. I hope this movie makes people appreciate the innate and natural intelligence of horses. Also I hope that this movie brings an awareness to the plight after horses both after World War 1 and the plight today in a very sad turn of events in which the slaughtering of horses is being permitted for food as a renewed export industry, which makes us all very sad.”
Helene thinks the ‘us’ refers the horse lovers within Spielberg’s family, who must have leaned on him a little!
I’m sure the movie will be beautiful to watch but despite his words or maybe because of the pressure from the studio, Spielberg has missed a huge opportunity to further the case for horses as intelligent, sentient beings whose take on the world is in some ways a lot more civilized than ours.
It’s funny, I was having a conversation with Stormy May a couple of years ago about how great it would be to make a movie about the transformative powers of horses. My thinking was that a mainstream movie that illustrated therapeutic working with horses can be mentally, physically and spiritually, then it could be the kind of breakthrough that the natural horsemanship, equine facilitated therapy/education and horse conscious movements have been striving for.
I had the plot all worked out and everything and was just short of the contacts, the know-how and the odd $2-$20 million to make the film! So, if you have those missing ingredients, let me know!
I am pleased to tell you about a special offer I have secured for you on the new Horse Diary from Alexander Nevzorov. You can you 20% off when you use discount code GV5LK98Z at the checkout.
Horse Diary – a complete horse record organizer containing 128 pages of fill-in-the-blank forms. Keep track of daily rations, blanketing schemes, hoof trimming, dental care, First-Aid kit and emergency plans. All of your records for vaccinations, deworming and general health control will be in one place. Detailed charts provide handy reference for body condition scores and important measurements that make it easy to monitor growth, development and health throughout your horse’s life. Using the checklists for monthly routines and yearly plans will keep your entire facility and program running smoothly and safely. A lesson diary and pages for extra notes help you tailor your training and management… All this and much more in one concise portable book. Get the book today by going to Horse Diary and using code GV5LK98Z.
Slightly more encouraging news from the ongoing saga of the carelessness of the BLM roundups. Last week US District Judge Howard McKibben acknowledged the validity of concerns brought concerning the humane care standards in the Bureau of Land Management’s wild horse and burro program.
On August 30 last year, Judge McKibben handed the Wild Horse Freedom Federation a victory when he granted a temporary restraining order against the bureau and its helicopter roundup contractor, which temporarily halted operations.
The judge ruled last week that although the plaintiff was free to address questionable conduct issues “roundup by roundup”, the court did not have the jurisdiction or supporting case law to be the “overseer” of the bureau.
Although he denied any further action on the motion to expand the issue beyond the Triple B roundup against the bureau, the judge said he will continue to be concerned with the care and handling of wild horses within Northern Nevada.
This ruling left the court’s door open for further litigation on behalf of the wild horses and burros should the situation warrant.
Laura Leigh, who is vice-president of the foundation and founder of Wild Horse Education, said: “This work is important, if that’s what it takes to get a written protocol to uphold the most basic premise of the act, humane care, then that is what will happen until we see change in practice. Words are empty until change happens in practice.”
Attorney Gordon Cowan, of Reno, said: “I am encouraged. This case has created focus on an important issue. “Although not a resounding win, the judge’s recognition of the importance of the issue and willingness to continue to hear these cases may yet lead to the desired outcome.”
Federation president R.T. Fitch said: “We found a dent in the BLM’s armor and likewise a Federal Judge who understands the issues. It is now incumbent upon ourselves and the advocacy to present noted discrepancies in an indisputable manner so as to permanently effect positive change in the handling and humane management of our national icons, the wild horses and burros of the United States.”
The president highlights a very important point there, in that finally the wild horse advocates have found a judge who is willing to listen to the issues. This will hopefully put the BLM on their guard now to be more circumspect in their roundup operations lest they are caught treating the horses and burros inhumanely.
On the subject of wild horses and the BLM, I am delighted to announce that the next HorseConscious call will be with Mara LeGrand, the director of the documentary movie Wild Horses in Winds of Change and Jonathan Ratner, the Wyoming & Utah Director of Western Watersheds
The call is taking place on Sun 12th Feb at 10am Pacific / 1pm Eastern / 6pm GMT / 7pm CET.
Mara is an award winning photo-journalist, screenwriter, videographer and film director. Wild Horses In Winds of Change is her third film, following on from her much acclaimed feature documentary, Heart & Soil, about local sustainable agriculture and award winning, narrative fiction short Ed Meets His Maker.
The mission of Western Watersheds Project is to protect and restore western watersheds and wildlife through education, public policy initiatives and litigation. The Project is a non-profit conservation group founded in 1993 with 1400 members and with field offices in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Arizona and California.
Mara, Jonathan and I would love to hear your questions about the current situation regarding the wild horses and what Mara discovered during her making of the film, so please visit this page to ask them:
http://instantteleseminar.com/?eventID=26169285
This is also the page to return to on the day to find all the details on how you can listen in to the call. I’ll send you an email reminder nearer the time.
 |
 |
Georgetown Cupcake, a small Washington, D.C., cupcakery recently received their biggest order from the Washington International Horse Show to make a full-sized horse jump out of cupcakes! The country’s leading indoor metropolitan horse show wanted a special jump made from the now famous sweets for an evening show jumping competition.
Apparently, at the same time, Sophie and Katherine, the sisters who own Georgetown Cupcake, were attempting to break the world record for largest cupcake. With the help of Mommy and Sophie’s nuclear engineer husband Steve, they set out to bake a one ton cupcake, first finding an oven huge enough for all 2000 pounds of homemade batter, and then baking it to perfection.
Right before I close off for this month, let me tell you about some more upcoming events and offers that may be of interest to you.
The HorseConscious call following on from the one on wild horses will be on Saturday 19th February on the subject of foal gentling with Anna Twinney. Make a note in your diary now and I will send you an email reminder as well.
As you may recall, Anna conducted a week-long foal gentling class in Connecticut at the end of November after helping Ray of Light Farm and Equine Voices Rescue and Sanctuary to rescue 12 foals and assist in the closing of a former Canadian PMU breeding farm.
This is the first of the videos from that workshop:
Anna now has a second class running from the 20th-25th February in Tucson, Arizona, where you can spend 6 fun-filled, info-packed days learning the Reach Out to Horses methods and work with a new group of foals, starting these young lives on the path towards a gentle, trust-based partnership with humans. For more information or to reserve your spot, please contact Anna at info@reachouttohorses.com.
Next up, Margrit Coates, the world’s leading animal healer and a renowned animal communicator will teach a two days horse healing workshop in Kescheid/ Westerwald ( near Cologne) Germany. The workshop will be on the 26th and 27th of May for beginners. Topics covered include :
- What healing energy is ?
- How to activate your healing skills
- When to use healing energy and contra indications
- Feeling and sensing energy
- Signs of healing acceptance
- Horse chakras
- How to give healing to horses
Costs for the two days workshop 360,00 Euro, for further information please contact Doris Lütz at doris@rainemusic.co.uk
If you fancy a bit of chilling out with horses in a tropical paradise, Carolyn Resnick trainers Stina Herberg and Farah DeJohnette are offering a Yoga Rituals For Riding workshop in St. Vincent in the Caribbean from Tuesday 28th February until Sunday 4th March 4. Topics covered will include:
- Yoga for riding, breath, relaxation
- Positive visualization/intention/goal-setting
- Carolyn Resnick’s Waterhole Rituals and their application to Connection, Bond, and Preparation for Riding
- Carolyn’s Uberstreichen exercises
To secure your spot today, visit http://fdhorsetraining.com/Showschedule.html and choose from the PayPal drop-down options.
Finally, if you live in the north Los Angeles area and don’t have access to a horse, you may be interested in this from another Carolyn Resnick acolyte, Talley Hutcherson, who is offering a scenic horseback ride in the Santa Monica Mountains above Malibu via Travelzoo for just $59 per person instead of the normal $130. This 1.5-hour guided journey takes you past wildflowers, mountain streams, open fields and scenic outlooks over the Pacific Ocean. This experience with Connemara Ranch is regularly $130. You can get the deal by going to http://www.travelzoo.com/local-deals/Beach-Cities/Other/11328OK, that’s about it from me for another month. Before I go though and in case you missed this on the HorseConscious Facebook page, here again is the image that produced 47 comments and 191 likes in just a couple of days. You seemed to like the picture so it seems…
If you have any interesting new stories or points you want to make, please just reply to this email and I will personally read it. If you want to shoot the breeze and meet like-minded horse conscious folks, then head over to either our Facebook page (link above the image) or visit http://www.HorseConsciousCommunity.com
Till next time, all best wishes
Mark
DIARY DATES:
Click Events to see a list of classes and workshops being held by the HorseConscious Teachers.
Photo sent in by Juergen Rust
‘A pony is a childhood dream, a horse is an adulthood treasure.’ - Rebecca Caroll
EQUINE EMOTIONS
The question of whether animals have feelings has perplexed philosophers and animal behaviorists for centuries.
Your mare always seems happy to see you when you arrive at the barn — nickering loudly and often galloping away from her playmates to meet you at the paddock gate when you call her name. Although it makes you feel good inside that she’s so eager to greet you, a question keeps popping into your head: Does she really have emotional attachment to me or does she just equate my presence with all those free, crisp carrots?
The question of whether animals have feelings has perplexed philosophers and animal behaviorists for centuries. Philosopher Rene Descartes once argued that because animals could not be proven to have feelings, they should be regarded as automatons that acted mechanically. A few centuries later, George John Romanes (a student of Charles Darwin) argued for “injective knowledge,” or that you could infer what was going on inside someone’s mind by observing their reactions to particular circumstances and by knowing how another feels in the same situation. For example, if one animal experiences fear in a dangerous situation and acts a certain way as a result, you could presume that another animal acting similarly in the same situation is also experiencing fear.
The debate continues today. Behavior science is no longer subjective, and when studying animals, scientists have to observe, quantify and explain specific aspects of their behavior without adding personal interpretation. You see, two different people can look at the same equine behavior but come up with two entirely different interpretations, just because of their own life experiences and world views. For example, I used to exercise horses for someone who believed that animals did not have emotional lives. We would hack our horses together, spending hours on the trail debating the motivations behind the things our horses did. I’d argue passionately about how horses have their own unique motivations for their actions, but he’d come back with how that same behavior could occur automatically, without emotional drive. Neither point of view could be proved right, but we each believed in the truth of our points of view.
That is both the beauty and the shortcoming of behavior science. Only motivations that can be proved are legitimate explanations for behavior within the scientific method. Placing emotional responses on animals may not be wrong, but it cannot be proved to be right, either. For this reason, ascribing human emotion to animal behavior is considered to be unscientific and is generally not done. Most of what animals do gets explained by two basic and proven animal drives: to stay alive at any given moment (which ultimately results in individual survival), and breed and nurture offspring (which ultimately results in survival of the species). Seeking food, water, shelter and mates can all be accounted for by the drives to survive and reproduce.
On the other hand, if a horse does something that seems like a unique — maybe even emotional — behavior, it’s still pretty difficult to prove his motives. Because we don’t whinny and nicker, and because they haven’t quite mastered English, Spanish or German, horses are not able to tell us their reasons for their actions in absolute terms. Instead, we have to watch what they do and interpret it as best we can. In my own horses, I’ve observed behavior at times that does not seem to fit an explanation by the two basic drives. For example, one of my mares would act distressed and stop eating whenever her pasturemate was removed for long time periods. Refusing to eat was not exactly good for her personal survival, nor did it do anything to improve her reproductive fitness. To me, the behavior seemed more complicated and personal than “drive” behavior, something more along the lines of how we feel when we’re depressed and lonely.
In a similar vein, some of the research being done with primates is also indicating capacity for emotion. Many of you are familiar with Koko, the gorilla who learned sign language with Dr. Francine Patterson and had a seemingly loving relationship with her orange tabby kitten, Ball. She has been known to express herself as “sad” in relation to apparently distressing events, or to express sentiments such as “love” with respect to people and other animals. Granted, these expressions might seem simplistic when you compare them to our human feelings, but keep in mind that the capacity of these nonhuman animals to learn such human “language” is equally basic, similar to that of very young children. While we have detailed means for expressing every little detail about how we feel, animals don’t. So it is possible that their emotional lives might be much more basic than ours, felt strongly and simply, in the moment and without great complexity.
As a result of such studies, the evidence is building that primates are capable of feelings similar to ours. If primates (not including us) show a capacity to express specific emotions using the language we teach them to communicate with, then might it also be possible that other nonhuman animals, such as horses, also experience similar feelings?
Let’s assume for a moment that horses do have the capacity for emotions. What are the advantages to this? The disadvantages?
One important advantage is that it helps in horse training by giving us a familiar framework for relating to horses. It is easier to understand their behavior if it can be related to our own. If the horse acts in a way that seems frightened, we can assume he is afraid of whatever is happening around him and can handle the situation accordingly.
Another advantage of assuming our horses have the capacity to feel is that we must then accord appropriate respect to them. We must keep in mind their emotional well-being, which is not necessary if we think of them as lacking feelings. Thinking of horses as having emotions requires us to have a certain amount of consideration which we might not otherwise feel like we need to provide. The end result is a higher and more humane standard of care for horses, benefiting horses and society in general.
On the minus side, where do we draw the line? If our horse kicks for no apparent reason, do we assume that horses know the difference between “right” and “wrong,” and hold him accountable for behaving without conscience? Because he has emotional capacity, does he also have a code of morality? I personally equate a companion animal’s emotional development to that of very young children, in whom emotions are mainly self-serving and in whom morality is absent. Even in humans, knowing right from wrong is not innate but must be taught.
Another disadvantage is that it gives owners an excuse for their horses’ bad behavior. It can be used as a crutch to explain away things that should be addressed. For example, a horse that bites a passerby could be excused as “unhappy” or “having a bad day.”
It is possible that we could simply be wrong about ascribing the capacity for some level of emotional life to animals. But considering what can be gained in our partnerships with animals by giving them credit for possessing at least rudimentary emotions, what will we lose if we aren’t right? Considering our physical similarities to nonhuman animals in terms of the “hard-wiring” needed for emotional capability — that is, possessing brains, nerves and pain receptors — I find it extremely unlikely that emotional capacity is uniquely present only in the human animal.
Just because science is struggling with this issue, you as an owner don’t need to be. You and I know beyond a doubt that our animals are individuals of personality and character — and eventually science will catch up and find ways to measure this emotional aspect of their behavior. It might be that horses only have the emotional capacity of very young children, but that is still a powerful emotional life worth of our consideration. When we as humans disregard our horse’s emotional well-being, it leads to a host of problems that can be avoided simply by just giving credit where it’s due.
horsechannel.com, Brenda Forsythe Sappington, M.S., Ph.D.
‘Horseback riding is life, the rest is just details.’- Anonymous
‘Noblest of train that wait on man, the flight-performing horse.’- William Cowper
BROODMARES’S NUTRITINAL NEEDS DURING LATE GESTATION
Late-pregnancy mares need to be fed adequately so they are not undernourished, because the last few months of fetal development see the most growth, tissue accumulation, and weight gain. This growth particularly accelerates in the last two months, according to Laurie Lawrence, PhD, professor in the department of animal and food sciences at the University of Kentucky, who, along with research staff and students, oversees a broodmare band of 20 at UK’s Maine Chance Farm.
Because a mare will rob her body to feed the fetus first, it’s important she maintain a healthy weight during pregnancy. When considering her calorie needs, make sure her Henneke body condition (BC) score remains stable. BC scores range from 1 to 9, with 9 being obese and 1 malnourished. In late gestation, aim for a score between 5 and 6.
“It’s not an issue if she’s a slightly higher score, but a lower score can compromise a mare’s ability to get rebred,” Lawrence cautioned. “With an appropriate body condition, you can’t see the ribs but you can feel them, and there is a fat cover over the topline. The mare will appear pleasingly plump.
“It’s important that mares receive adequate feed to fuel fetal growth,” Lawrence continued. “To accomplish it, they can use a combination of body stores and diet. Ideally, a mare will get sufficient feed and use the nutrients from her diet to supply the fetus’s needs. That way she retains her own body stores for herself.”
Lawrence points out that in late gestation, a mare’s voluntary feed intake does not increase with her body’s needs. Thus, owners should feed mares higher amounts of grain at more frequent intervals because the mare might not be able to manage large amounts of feed as the foal fills her belly. She instead needs to nibble throughout the day to meet her nutritional requirements.
The quality of feed is also very important and determines what mix a mare is fed. Lawrence recommended that each mare be evaluated individually.
“Professionals will look at a mare every day and make a judgment about her condition, adjusting feed up or down, as she needs it. That might not be necessary for everyone, but a weekly check should be routine,” she said.
As mentioned, owners should feed enough grain to maintain the mare’s body condition. The amount fed depends on the protein percentage of both the grain and forage used. If it’s more than four pounds, divide it into multiple feedings. Keep in mind that if you overfeed protein, mares will excrete the excess.
Choose a concentrate designed for broodmares that contains an appropriate percentage of protein and mineral content. Adjust the amount of concentrate fed according to the amount and type of hay fed. For instance, if you feed timothy hay, the mare will need a higher protein concentrate. If you feed alfalfa, which has a high protein content of 16 to 18%, the mare can have a lower protein feed. If a mare is maintaining body condition on forage alone, consider feeding a balancer pellet, which is a concentrated source of minerals. Mares need adequate amounts of copper, zinc, calcium, and phosphorus, as well as other trace minerals, during gestation.
“Have water and a salt block available at all times. Animals will usually regulate their salt intake, but they will not recognize the body’s need for trace minerals,” Lawrence said. The mare’s water intake will increase dramatically as soon as lactation starts.
If horses are fed in a herd, monitor the heavily pregnant mares to see where they fall in the herd’s pecking order. They might compete well in the beginning and defend their feed, but as they near term, they might not eat their feed as quickly and more dominant mares might move in to finish their portion. BC score these mares regularly to be sure they don’t lose ground.
Research shows that both inadequate and excessive feed are detrimental to broodmares. Underweight mares, in particular, have longer gestations. As Lawrence puts it: “If you turn down the oven, it takes longer to bake the cake.”
Veterinarians and nutritionists do not recommend a “fat,” or high, BC score, but mares do need a buffer for the beginning of lactation. During pregnancy most mares should consume 2% of their body weight per day (for example, a 1,200 pound horse requires 24 pounds of grain and hay/pasture). After foaling, total feed needs will increase (that same mare would now require 30 to 35 pounds of total feed) because of the increased demands of lactation. (Plan for variation if feeding moderate- or low-quality hay.)
Lawrence reminds owners to transition the mare’s feed intake gradually as she approaches her foaling date. “Don’t increase her feed by dramatic amounts. Do it slowly, over seven to 14 days. Ideally, you’ll stay with the same hay, but if you have to change, start seven to 10 days before she foals. She will voluntarily eat more food, but you have to be careful not to upset her GI tract in the days before or after foaling,” Lawrence cautioned.
Want to determine your horse’s weight? Learn how with our video tutorial and Horse Weight Calculator.
thehorse.com,University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, January 25 2012, Article # 19493
‘The air of heaven is that which blows between a horse’s ears.’- Arabian Proverb
Lectio Equaria Palaestra – Alexander Nevzorov
“LECTIO EQUARIA PALAESTRA is a very old School technique, by which absolutely any horse can learn to read and count quickly and easily, grasping the language of human numbers and letters, so seemingly alien to her.”
In 2010, Alexander completed production of the film by the same name as the school element, LECTIO EQUARIA PALAESTRA, or LEP, which literally translates to Manege Horse Reading.
“This film represents a screen version of famous quotation by Einstein: Human mind which has once extended its borders can never go back to old dimensions. It is a film about human mind capacity which has made it clear that intelligence is not our exclusive possession. It is an attribute of many mammals. If anyone nurtures illusions of this kind they have to reshape their views.”
To read the complete article, visit Alexander Nevzorov on HorseConscious.
Playing In the Woods – Debra Olsen Daniels
Magic and I are having fun together playing at liberty in the woods. The connection and bonding comes through the power of positive reinforcement. Sometimes Magic and I go to a place together where there is just love and play forgetting we are different species.
Training Horses through Evolution and Freedom of Choice – Carolyn Resnick
When working with the nature of horses you do not need to “get it done” to advance your horse’s training. Evolution will do it for you. Nature is always working for us if we can be in tune with it.
The celebrated method of horse training in this country is based on making the thing you want the horse to do easy and the thing you do not want him to do hard. This method does not taking advantage of the evolution of a symbiotic bond and connection between horses and humans in the training of the horse.
To read the complete article, visit Carolyn Resnick on HorseConscious.
IMPROVING HABITAT TO ATTRACT WILDLIFE HELPS YOU AND YOUR HORSE
While development seems to be a fact of life today and most of us can’t do much to stop the encroachment of buildings and development, horse owners actually can do quite a bit to provide wildlife with suitable living conditions. Inviting many types of wildlife into our horse places actually has wonderful payoffs to horse and property owners, as well as for our neighbors and the environment.
Some payoffs include natural insect and rodent control, and low cost/low maintenance landscaping that can double as a dust barrier, wind break, shade, mud management, or a buffer between neighboring uses. Vegetation planted for wildlife also acts as a natural biofiltration system and helps preserve water quality and protect soil. Plus, wildlife is free! As horse and land owners, you and I know that there are few animals we can enjoy that are as low cost and low maintenance as wildlife.
At Sweet Pepper Ranch we recently installed an owl box to help with rodent control in our barn and fields–and because we enjoy seeing raptors around. Our county installed it as part of their non-toxic gopher control program, making it cost-effective for us. This past summer we also worked at planting native plants, creating brush and rock piles, and planting hedgerows.
While it’s winter in most of North America and we can’t plant now, it’s a great time of year to dream and plan. So let’s begin! Encourage wildlife by providing three things: cover, food, and water (Tip: you can also use these same principles to discourage unwanted wildlife by eliminating their habitat on your property.) Here are some examples of each:
1. Cover
- Provide nest boxes specific for swallows, owls, kestrels, bats, butterflies, mason bees, etc. so that babies and eggs are protected from predators.
- Provide brush piles, great for little birds such as chickadees, also frogs and other small wildlife.
- Provide rock piles, home for snakes, lizards and other helpful bug and rodent catchers.
- Leave snags and downed trees, which provide cover and/or food for birds such as woodpeckers, ravens, hawks, and eagles.
- Plant hedgerows, which birds such as quail and small animals live in or use to get from place to place.
- Provide nesting materials, such as little piles of horse hair, sticks, or hay left in strategic spots.
2. Food
- Leave some grasses unmowed under trees, along edges of forest or in corners of the pasture so birds can hide and hunt; also seed eating birds such as finches and pine siskins will increase.
- Plant crops you can share with wildlife such as berries, nuts, flowers, herb,s and fruits for birds, butterflies, and bees.
- Go native-landscape with native plants which will provide the most reliable cover and food for wildlife in all seasons, especially important around streams, ponds and lakes.
- Plant for each season with diversity.
- Limit or eliminate chemical usage. Many grub eating species (such as robins) will stay away if you contaminate their soil with synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers.
- Consider keeping your cat indoors. Cats and dogs provide many useful functions for unwanted wildlife around barns and houses, but every bird and mouse they kill is one less for our native predators, and pets don’t discriminate between good and bad wildlife.
3. Water
- Birdbaths provide water at the right depth and are easily hosed out weekly to prevent algae and mosquitoes. Alternately, you can use shallow plant saucers placed on the ground. Keeping these unfrozen in the winter is important as well.
- Water barrels–put your roof to work by placing barrels under your downspouts and sharing it with the birds. Pond plants or non-toxic mosquito dunks can be added for insect control. A small board or floating stick is good for smaller critters, such as beautiful dragonflies.
- Ponds and fountains–the sound of running water is always a great attractant and soothing for humans too!
As horse owners and landowners, we share a special bond with all animals and nature; wildlife is an extension of our environment, our farms, and our animals. Plus, wildlife provides us with beauty and important moments of relaxation and enjoyment as well as education from observing and caring for them.
By providing a bit of habitat for wildlife, we as horse owners can become an asset to the environment, and in return, wildlife enhancement techniques will benefit us and our as
smarthorsekeeping blog, Alayne, Jan 11, 2012
‘The good horseman is not so much a part of the horse as he is part of the horse’s movements.’- Alessandro Alvisi
‘The man who does not love a horse cannot love a woman.’ - Spanish Proverb
STUDY CONFIRMS HORSEBACK RIDING HAS HUMAN HEALTH BENEFITS
Research commissioned by the British Horse Society (BHS) has proved that regular participation in horse riding is good for human health.
The research, carried out by the University of Brighton in partnership with Plumpton College in East Sussex, U.K., looked into the health and well-being benefits of horse-based sport and leisure. The findings indicated that horse riding and activities associated with horse riding (such as mucking out stalls) expend sufficient energy to be classed as moderate intensity exercise–the level of activity recommended by the British Government/National Health Service that when achieved for 150 minutes per week will help to keep a person healthy.
Other key findings include:
- Evidence shows that regular periods of trot work in a riding session may enhance the energy expended and the associated health benefits;
- Horse riding is especially well-placed to encourage physical activity among women of all ages. Evidence indicates that the vast majority of riders are female, and more than a third (37%) of riders who took part in the survey were above 45 years of age;
- The study found that horse riding stimulates mainly positive psychological feelings; and
- Horse riders are strongly motivated to take part in riding by the sense of well-being they gain from interacting with horses. This important positive psychological interaction with an animal occurs in a very few sports.
Mark Weston, BHS director of access, safety, and welfare, said, “While there was anecdotal evidence available on the physical and psychological well-being and health benefits of horse-based sport and leisure, there was a lack of empirical evidence to support, or challenge, these claims. The results of the survey will provide this empirical evidence.”
The full report is available as a PDF download on the BHS website.
thehorse.com, Edited Press Release, January 1, 2012, Article # 19369
BREEDING SOUNDNESS EXAMS FOR STALLIONS
With breeding season fast approaching, stallions should undergo breeding soundness exams before starting to breed mares, whether via artificial insemination or live cover.
Because overall health is critical to a stallion’s reproductive success, a stallion must be in good physical condition and not overweight at the start of the season. Stallions carrying too much extra weight might show decreased sperm quality. Like all horses, they need exercise to maintain mental sharpness and a healthy body condition.
“It’s not good for the stallion to be fat,” said Ed Squires, PhD, Dipl. ACT (hon.), director of University of Kentucky (UK) Ag Equine Programs and executive director of the UK Gluck Equine Research Foundation. “The problem … is that fat in the scrotum insulates the testicles, which increases the temperature which, in turn, affects sperm production and quality.”
Squires points out that in the Thoroughbred industry, stallions are rarely fat. They generally are turned out in a paddock, able to exercise freely, or they are in a sophisticated exercise program. But in the show horse industry, more stallions are overweight. Part of this is management: The non-Thoroughbred world doesn’t always have access to the same type of housing and turnout as the Thoroughbred world; they rely on alternatives such as hot walkers and hand walking.
For an artificial insemination program, semen should be collected several days in a row to stabilize sperm output collection. Then a reproductive specialist should conduct a breeding soundness exam on the horse.
“It’s important to look at semen, usually by January, to assess the horse’s semen parameters going into the breeding season,” Squires recommended. “Breeding soundness is an indication of where the horse is in terms of quality and sperm production, and those factors will determine how many mares he can handle. Additionally, once the stallion reaches his ‘teenage’ years, it’s important to check sperm regularly so you have a baseline for his sperm count and quality in case changes occur dramatically.”
A breeding soundness exam measures:
Motility. Progressive motility, or sperm “quality”–an important parameter–measures how many sperm move in a straight line across a field. Owners should look for a range of 60 to 70% of the sperm being progressively motile with below 50% being a problem.
Total number of sperm in the ejaculate. This will vary according to testicle size, season, and age of the horse. Look for sperm count in the 10 to 20 billion per ejaculate range. For a breeding evaluation, two collections can be taken one hour apart. There should be half the sperm in the second ejaculate as in the first.
Testicle size. Testicles can be measured either with ultrasound to measure volume or plastic calipers to measure width. This should be done several times a year to measure relative changes in size.
Bacterial shedding. A horse can be physically healthy and still shed bacteria, so take swabs from the urethra, semen, and prepuce for bacterial cultures.
Morphology. Generally more than 50% of the sperm should be morphologically normal.
According to Squires, a breeding soundness exam before the season begins helps owners determine how many mares the stallion can likely handle. It will answer the following questions:
- Is the stallion fit, not fat?
- Has he changed from the previous year?
- Is his semen healthy in terms of sperm count morphology and motility?
Learn more about raising horses and mare care in the handy reference Understanding the Broodmare.
thehorse.com, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, January 27 2012, Article # 19502
”They are more beautiful than anything in the world, kinetic sculptures, perfect form in motion.’ - Kate Millett
EQUINE THERAPY IN THE MEDICAL WORLD?
While the power, beauty and grace of a horse can easily fascinate those who are both new and old to horses, are we sometimes so overcome by the physical appearance of horses that we fail to understand the emotional makeup of our equine friends? Or, perhaps, even worse, do we simply not believe that horses can be profiled on an emotional level in the same way people can?
There is one man who would strongly disagree.
Kerry Thomas is a simple man. Born color blind, he sees the world in black and white, but more importantly, he sees the world much in the same way horses do, having studied wild herds in Wyoming and Montana. To him, the emotional makeup of the horse is more important than the color, conformation, or even athletic ability of a horse. As far as he’s concerned, the mental capacity of the horse controls the physical output, and to that end, he is looking for a trainable mind.
So just how does one discern whether or not a horse has a trainable mind? By watching them, of course. Thomas clarifies, “To understand any species, means to understand the environment in which they are geared to live.” And this is what Thomas spent several years doing, while he was out studying wild herds in Wyoming and Montana. What he learned about how horses manage space and react to stimuli, offers a window into their emotional world. These patterns of behavior, Thomas explains, then translate into physical patterns of motion.
What this means to the equine therapy world is that the way horses manage space within a herd is very telling in terms of the emotional make-up of the horse. For those who work with horses, namely equine therapists and the horse experts they often work alongside, much of their education should involve watching horses in their natural environment — in the herd, that is.
For the thoroughbred racing world, what Thomas brings is a fascinating resource. Simply by watching a young thoroughbred with his herd mates, or even in a race, this seasoned horseman can often predict the outcome on the track. And those whose money rests on the determination and grit of the sleek performance machine that is a thoroughbred racehorse, may just want to bet their money with Thomas. After all, he predicted Animal Kingdom’s Kentucky Derby win after simply watching a video replay of his past races.
For more information of Thomas, or his upcoming book, “Horse Profiling: The Secret To Motivating Equine Athletes,” visit www.thomasherdingtechnique.com
blogs. psychcentral.com, Claire Dorotik,LMFT
‘Will is to grace as the horse is to the rider.’ - Saint Augustine
Filed in