Laminitis

I have been learning a lot. I thought that only draft crosses or heavier set quarter horses were prone ( more so ) to Laminitis, Founder or Seedy toe and that Thoroughbreds etc wouldn't be.

Turns out I was wrong and Laminitis is actually quite common in Thoroughbreds do to track injuries such as tendons causing uneven weight distribution.

Then you add on to that the fact they are pretty far from the natural environment of a pasture horse. Wet mud, dry grasses and forage. They are typically kept in box stalls and fed high protein feed for high energy, but this high sugar can lead to founder and even worse Metabolic Syndrome which is comparable to Type ll diabetes in humans.

Here I thought they had it made with personal trainers, dietitians and farriers. They would be paraded around in all these lavish sheets with bright colored leg wraps. Turns out those sheets are called coolers and are worn to prevent the horse from catching a chill after a race so that it Won't get sick and die ( there goes someone's investment ) so as long as they are still bringing in money everything appears to be fine aside from the obvious concerns of heart attacks or legs breaking.

I made a mistake when I was a kid never asking what happens to those ' retired ' racehorse that become an expense instead of an asset. Well, some are lucky enough to get a second chance at a life as a pleasure horse, dressage horse or hunter, jumper etc ( depending on whether it not they have sustained injuries ) but what happens to the ones that don't? Well, I'll post the video another day but am sure we get the idea.

Picture 1 racehorse - is a chart explaining Laminitis and Picture 2 is of the fat deposit resulting from Metabolic Syndrome.

Clinton Anderson "Basic Training" - Downunder Horsemanship

Visit to the Stable

We had good intentions tonight for our visit to the stable, riding Eli and working with Ella and the bit..

When we got there Eli was head bobbing at the gate having worked up a sweat. Ella was relatively relaxed.

So we took Eli into the barn first on his own. His loud snorting and neighing indicated that he was pretty worked up so we opted to groom and then lunge him. I've heard too many times that once you start an exercise you have to follow through and being green I didn't feel I have the experience or confidence to do this mounted.

I'm certainly glad neither one of us hopped on because as soon as we got into the arena to lunge, Eli immediately went into a canter/lope with a bit of hind end lifting (not bucking). So lunge is what we did, each direction at a walk, trot, canter - each transition coming after he would indicate he's calming down and focused ( licking lips, mouthing, sighs or deep breaths )

The end of the session was a stop on whoa and mouthing.

Ella wasn't worked up, it was dinner time and she left the paddock without a fuss. Into the barn and grooming no trouble at all. Attempts to put the bridle on and the exercise to have her drop or lower her head to no avail.

She can lift her head waaay up and when I would bring it down she would thrust it back up as high as possible. She is fine to put a halter on, doesn't mind her head touched - but the moment the bits involved it's a bit of a different story ( no pun intended).

This was the first time I've attempted to use a bit with her for our session. The intention was to put the bridle with bit on over the halter then lunge her (using the halter). Doing this to occupy her mind but at the same time get her used to the sensation of the bit in her mouth.

It wasn't a complete fail. I didn't succeed in getting the bridle on, BUT we proceeded to the arena to lunge and she did AWESOME.

She did her walk, trot and lope. She stops for whoa with minimal correction needed, more a reminder the first time whoa is asked. It seems when she has the idea of what it is you are asking of her she is more than happy to oblige - she has a big heart. We just have to work on gaining trust and respect and with that will come calm and relaxed.

We were able to get a bit of a trim done on Eli's mane. The photos pretty bad but the cut looks good.

Difficult to bridle horse?

Click on the link below and check out the YouTube video on how to get your horse used to the bit (without the bit, but desensitizing the mouth) and how to train them to lower or drop their head for you.

Dropping or lowering their head is safe and puts them into a relaxed state so is a good exercise for nervous horses.

Equine Acupressure

Something else I've been thinking about is learning some basic Equine Acupressure massage/exercise. This brings oxygen and fresh blood supply to the area increasing circulation and removes toxins such as lactic acid. This can help relieve muscle pain caused by tension, promote relaxation and aide in avoiding pulled or strained muscles.

Glucosamine Supplement

Picked up the glucosamine supplement for Eli, will start him on it today for the next month ( minimum two weeks). He will more than likely need it for longer as it takes about a month to show signs of improvement.

1-2 scoops a day.

This should help his joints. From what I understand humans and animals produce glucosamine on their own, but if there is an old injury present or any kind of inflammation (stocked up from the cold and minimal movement due to snow and ice) can cause the fluid needed to assure smooth movements in the joints, to breakdown and it's not produced fast enough to replace what been lost.

Not only should this supplement help reduce stiffness and cracking, but it should help alleviate any pain associated with the joints and help to prevent arthritis

Horse Stance (pose)

Further to the Martial Arts Horse Stance, Model - Anja Rubik poses on the cover of Australia Vogue, April 2011 edition, in a similar stance.

(photo by Marcin Tyszka from the Vogue website: www.vogue.com.au or can be found on the Design Scene website: www.designscene.net)

Horse Treats

A combination of recipes I came across all similar to the treats you can find in most livestock stores. This is relatively inexpensive and can make quite a few treats for your horse - the best part is knowing exactly what's in the treat and what is not in the treat.

Wonderful warm - winter rubber boots

Picked these up on Sale for $40, regular price $130. Love them, they are warm and grip the ice/snow..

Horse Hair Jewelry App

Found an App on the iPhone for Horse Hair Jewelry. If you download the App it will give you instructions/walk you through making your own.... If you are interested

Stiff & Cracking joints

Eli is a 9 year old OTTB and compared to Ella, a 9 year old STB has stiff, cracking joints and stocks up above his feet. Equine Glucosamine was recommend to help his joints and prevent the development of arthritis so I am going to give it a shot and start him on it this coming weekend..

Equine Education's photostream

Equine Education's photostream on Flickr.

Cowgirl Yoga: Poses for Riders

Cowgirl Yoga: Poses for Riders

Awesome Music Video with Horses

Yoga & Horses

Thinking of the Martial Arts Horse Stance and how beneficial it is to the horse AND rider got me thinking about Yoga. I'm sure there are yoga poses similar, sure enough there were and better yet there is Yoga for BOTH rider AND Horse. Here is a link to an awesome web page with Linda Guanti and her Horse Lewis:

Yoga with Horses - Linda Guanti and Horse Lewis

Below photos (2) are from her website

Horse Stance - Martial Arts

Something I discovered trying to work on strengthening my core is that there is a stance in martial arts and Tia Chi called the 'Horse Stance' or 'Wu Chi'. This is a beginners position and used to focus on building the foundation to transition into other poses. The primary focus is to build core strength to maintain balance and align the head, neck, back, hip, knee and ankle.

The stance provides the needed support and good posture that realigns the spine and removes pressure from painful trigger points.

There are many benefits to developing good Horse Stance, in my opinion much like the importance of ground work before riding it is important for the rider to work on strength and balance on the ground themselves as I am sure this will have a positive impact on their ability to ride and communicate effectively with the horse.

TIP: when starting out if it is to difficult to hold the pose start off in a seated position sitting up straight and work towards standing, balance.

I have included the Wikipedia link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_stance