First Aid for Horses: The Heart

Do you know your horses average heart rate?

I bet you don’t.

Yet it’s one of the most important baseline readings to evaluate illness, pain, stress and overexertion in your horse.

About the heart rate

Taking the pulse rate via the maxillary artery under the jaw.

A normal resting heart rate for a horse is between 28-45 beats per minute, however this is not true for every horse. Some may have a heart beat much lower, as low as 24, and some may reach as high as 50. Each 'lub-dub' counts as 1 single full heart beat.

Anxiety, pain and exercise can also increase a horse’s heart rate to as much as 200 beats per minute.

It is a good idea to have a fair understanding of what is normal for your horse, so you can identify when they are unwell. A baseline should be done over several days, during different times of the day, and after different levels of activity, to give you the best understanding of what is normal for your horse.

How to take a heart rate for a horse

To assess the heart or pulse rate, you will need a timer (watch or phone) to monitor as you count the beats. It is easiest to do the counting for 15 or 30 seconds, then times the result by 4 or 2 respectively.

There are also some great pet apps that you can download for heart or respiration rates that make the job significantly easier, and quite a few of them are free! I personally like Cardalis, which is a free app for tracking respiration rate in dogs, but works just as well for respiration and pulse rates in other animals too; but there are plenty out there, just use one that works best for you.

Locations for Taking the Heart or Pulse Rate

Taking the digital pulse rate

There are 4 ways to take the heart or pulse rate of your horse:

1. Use a stethoscope to listen to the heart. Place the stethoscope on the left side of the chest just under and behind the elbow.

2. Take the pulse rate via the Maxillary artery (under the jaw). Cup your hand on the left side of the jaw with 2 fingers under the inside of the cheek. Feel along until you left side of the jaw with 2 fingers under the inside of the cheek. Feel along until you can feel a consistent beat.

3. Take the pulse rate via the Digital artery (near the fetlock). The groove just above and below the outside of the fetlock is the best place to locate the digital pulse. Due to the location, it can be difficult to hold the pulse and count for the allotted time, so the digital pulse is more often used to indicate if there is a problem with the leg or foot.

4. Take the pulse rate via the Radial artery (inside the front knee). This is the equivalent of the wrist in people, but can be very difficult to find in some horses. Place your fingers on the inside of the knee about 3/4 of the way around to the back.

What is abnormal?

This can vary, but here are a few times I would look for further help:

• The heart rate is consistently significantly higher than normal without any reason (i.e. no workout or stress factors applied). For example, if your horse’s normal heart rate is 30 beats per minute and has been sitting higher at 75 beats per minute for over half an hour, I would be suspicious.

• The respiration rate is also high, or the breathing exaggerated, without exertion or stress.

• There are signs of pain such as lameness, or colic symptoms.

• Listening the heart through the stethoscope is muffled, or sounds a bit like a washing machine, or has a gallop rhythm (this is hard to explain without having heard one before, so if your vet ever mentions it, ask the to listen as well).

• You cannot find a digital pulse and you suspect injury to the leg

• You feel heat around the fetlock and the digital pulse seems to be quite ‘thumpy’

• There is suspected blood loss, the pulse is weak and gums are pale.

As always, if you have concerns, seek professional assistance. But understanding what is normal and therefore abnormal for your horse may lead to faster treatment, which may save your horses life.

The secret formula to riding a square halt

Do you know the real secret behind riding a square halt on your horse?

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Katie explains the underlying principles of a square halt. Listen to the video or read the transcript below.

One of the things we get critiqued on in a dressage test is how to ride a square halt.

There’s a good chance that before you did your first dressage test your didn’t even know what a square halt was – you were just stoked that your horse stopped! (hopefully).

How do I make my halt square?

When I was first trying to figure this out, early in my dressage career, I would practice by going down the centre line and taking a peak over the shoulder. Darn, halt not square!

This resulted in me being at the halt and tapping on that leg, giving the horse a little niggle to move it into the square position – then the horse would walk off again. ARGH!

Here the standing base is narrow as he starts coming back into work before the shoulders and chest start developing

I’ve been doing a lot of research to see what other instructors advise, and it has a lot to do with the seat and riding the seat through, cuddling with your calves etc.

But that isn’t what I believe.

If you think about why we want a square halt in the first place it’s because we’ve correctly applied the training scale. It’s the founding basis of dressage, after all!

In doing this:

This mare is starting to square out and transfer weight onto her haunches from conditioning work

• The horse is moving the weight onto the hind while distributing the weight across all four legs evenly

• Engaging the stomach muscles

• Showing relaxation

• Showing swing

• And still breathing

So my standard for a square halt is not because you are holding the horse there, but because the horse has engaged it’s postural muscles and is holding its’ own posture.

You want to see your horse standing square when you untack them. You want them to be standing square when you tack them. You want them to be standing square when you mount them, when you handle them, when you move them around. That’s an indication that when you are training them, you are getting them to use their posture correctly and distribute their weight across all four legs.

A proper square halt applied in a dressage test

If they are not standing square, if they are standing with one leg in front of the other, it’s a good indication of where you are going wrong (and need to improve) in your training, which is currently allowing them to work crooked.

If they are worked crooked, they are not going to stand square.

This expectation of your horse being able to distribute its’ weight across all 4 limbs evenly is the foundation of our training in Preliminary Dressage. Because it teaches our horse how to transfer its’ weight onto the back and hold the weight evenly on all four legs, and then how to pick its’ own body up into self carriage before we start asking it to collect.

One of the things that is often missed in Prelim is that we make the horses frame by holding the horses head down and using the whip to drive horse into our hands.

What we want to do is to be using our training exercises that develop the horses musculoskeletal system so it is balanced and even throughout its body, which result in it being able to hold its own posture and drive into our hands.

I don’t care if your horse can stand square because you put it there. I care if your horse can stand square because it put itself there.

That is the result of your conditioning, training and using your exercises to get your horse to engage its’ hind quarters, start transferring the weight onto its’ hindquarters, use its’ stomach muscles, start engaging in flexing its muscles along its back so that it is travelling forward with relaxation and swing and developing even thoroughness through each shoulder.

Obviously, using your seat, legs and hands correctly all play a role in this, but you learn about that when you learn how to ride your horse into contact anyway. If you are learning how to use your seat to ride your horse into your hands, you are learning how to use your seat to ride a halt. If you are learning to use your legs to ride your horse into your hands and learning to use your hands to ride into contact, you know how to ride a square halt because you are working the horse squarely into your hands.

3 Weeks to Improve Your Riding

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Your posture is extremely important here, and there are some tips and tricks to help you in our 3 weeks to improving your riding course (click on the image to find out more), to help you use your seat properly.

We are also working on our Foundations of Equine Development: Green to Self Carriage, which is all the exercises I use to get your horse working correctly into contact, into your hands, teaching the horse how to put its weight into its haunches and how to distribute its weight across all four legs, whilst being in contact and self carriage. Make sure you are on our email list to get information on this courses release.

4 Causes of the “Girthy” Horse – and How to Rectify Them

Have you ever seen a girthy horse?

The one that seems to dislike the saddle the minute you place it on, ears back, non-friendly nose nudges or even nips as you do up the girth? Or perhaps the horse that tosses his head and thrashes around, rearing or even falling?

It’s not fun.

As an owner of one of those horses, we want to make them as comfortable as possible, but we still want to ride them – so how can we overcome the issues?

Your horse could be telling you he is uncomfortable, he is in pain, or it could be behavioural.

The way to overcome a girthy horse is to first know the root cause of the problem.

Here are 4 common reasons horses become girthy, and what you can do.

Poor tack fit

If the saddle or saddle pad are not fitted correctly, the tree of the saddle is twisted, or the girth is regularly pinching the skin, this could result in the unwanted girthy behaviour.

The Fix: ensure all tack is properly fitted. Do some research or even get a professional to reevaluate. You may have to invest in new or additional pads or specialised equipment, such as shoulder relief girths.

Abdominal Pain

Some horses may be living with chronic abdominal pain, such as that caused by ulcers, and the simple action of tacking up can create more discomfort.

The Fix: Identify if there are any other signs of abdominal discomfort, such as loose stools, dry stools, fussy eating, difficulty maintaining weight, or poorly digestion (evidence of grain in the manure). If there is, consult with your veterinarian about appropriate treatment, which can include further investigation, dietary changes or supplements.

Chiropractic Issues

If you horse has poor alignment across the back, shoulders, ribs or pelvis, you may get some negative reactions when tacking up. This could be a combination of currently pain or remembered pain.

The Fix: Chiro review is in order regularly for any horse, but applying training scale correctly can reduce the likelihood of misalignment occurring. Register here to find out  more about our course Foundations of Equine Development Green to Self Carriage.

Behaviour

Horses are often a lot smarter than most people give them credit for. They have a strong memory, so painful or scary moments, such as improperly introducing them to the saddle when they were being broken in, could create lingering issues.

Also, horses have an incredible ability to learn behaviours that give them the release they seek. In the case of a horse that may be girthy, it may have started out as an attempt to get out of work, and once that worked, they repeat.

The Fix: Behaviour issues can be difficult and lengthy to fix, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t possible. And when you understand the basis underlying the correct behaviour training for horses, it becomes a simpler process (although it may not take any less time, it just depends on the issue). A horse that is fearful will often stop breathing (read about these horses here), and you will need to help them overcome that. If you have a horse that has learnt these behaviours because of positive stimulus, training on pressure/release is ideally suited (read more here).

Girthy horses can be annoying, and sometimes dangerous, but we shouldn’t give up.

First Aid for Horses: Shock

Have you ever seen a horse in shock?

I have.

You may have as well, but didn’t realise what you were looking at.

Shock in horses is very much like it is for humans. It is the bodies way of coping with imminent death, where we end up with a sudden decrease in both blood circulation and blood pressure.

Shock, untreated, can kill.

It can be very subtle or extremely obvious when a horse goes into shock.

What causes shock?

Shock can occur for several reasons:

• Blood loss

• Severe pain, such as colic or an injury

• Septic shock from an infection turned toxic

• Dehydration

• Severe allergic reaction

• Extreme response to fear or emotional trauma

What are the symptoms of shock?

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Healthy, pink gums. Horses in shock will usually have a white or grey appearance in their gums, with the exception of septic shock.

A horse that is in shock may display several of these symptoms

• Pale mucus membranes (such as the gums, nostrils and eyelids), leaning towards white or grey in colour as opposed to a healthy pink. Septic shock can show up as bright red gums, or with a purple tinge to the gums near the teeth.

• Slow capillary refill time. To test this, hold your thumb or finger on the gum and press for a few seconds. This should leave a white mark. Then count how long it takes for the colour to return to normal. Healthy capillary refill time is under 2 seconds.

• Depression

• Shivering, cool to touch

• Rapid weak pulse (particularly if it’s over 80 beats per minute)

• Rapid breathing that is shallow

• Profuse sweating

• Anxiety or confusion

• Temperature may be low (but not always)

• The horse may lie down

What to do if I suspect my horse is in shock?

This, and I cannot stress this enough, is a serious emergency. It is time to get your vet to your horse NOW– not in 5 minutes, not in an hour.

Identify if there are any suspicious signs, such as an injury, or bleeding, and ask the vet what you can do. The more information you can provide your vet, the more likely they are to triage your emergency as the highest priority and bust a tail to get to your paddock.

There is little else you can do until the vet arrives. If your horse is cold or shivering, you may cover the horse with a blanket to try to keep their temperature regulated, but be aware they can just as quickly overheat in this situation. Stay with your horse and continue to monitor the situation, keeping them as calm as possible. If you can, relocate them to a safe location such as a barn or feeding yards, and place a halter on them. You may be able to offer them some water.

Once your vet arrives, they will assess and advise you of the best course of action. Depending on the likely cause of the problem, they may suggest anything from intravenous fluids (a drip), electrolyte injections, or other medications, as well as stemming any major haemorrhage if blood loss is the cause of shock. Their primary goal is to first stabilise the shock, then act on treatment accordingly.

Remember, shock can kill. Understand the signs and you could save your horses life.

A Breakthrough in the Treatment and Prevention of Laminitis

Research done by Queensland University of Technology has discovered a drug that may help prevent or treat laminitis in ponies and horses.

Laminitis: a common, painful and sometimes deadly disease.

Laminitis is a problem where the laminae of the hoof becomes inflammed, often affecting multiple hooves at the same time. There are many potential causes of laminitis, including obesity, insulin resistance, and ingestion of large quantities of high sugar feed. It is a painful disease that affects 1 in 5 horses and can result in euthanasia.

“QUT Professor Martin Sillence, from QUT's School of Earth, Environmental and Biological Sciences, said a new veterinary drug related to one used to treat human metabolic syndrome has been found to prevent laminitis in ponies with the equine version of metabolic syndrome. “

The team, lead by Prof. Sillence, found that when ponies and horses over-eat energy-dense pastures or feeds, it leads to a large release of glucose. This results in their pancreas over-producing insulin, creating insulin toxicity which impacts the connective tissue in the hooves, resulting in laminitis.

Controlled trials have been performed in Queensland and more clinical trials are taking place in Europe, so hopefully we will see this medication available soon.

To read more about this, click on the link in the source citation.

SOURCE CITATION: Queensland University of Technology. "Giddy up: Help for plump ponies is fast on its way: Researchers have found a drug that prevents laminitis in ponies." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 26 September 2018. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180926110933.htm>

14 Tricks to Remember for Your Dressage Test

Tips & Tricks of the dressage arena

Remember the first time you competed? Or maybe you are nervously awaiting your first competition...

Here’s a few handy tips for your first day (and second, third, so on):

1. The number 1 rule is to stay on the horse and stay in the arena. Everything else is a bonus.

2. Presenting in clean boots, jacket and tack is not mandatory but shows you respect the sport. Make the effort.

3. There is etiquette to follow in the warm up arena. Try to follow it.

4. It is highly likely you will be competing against people with more practice or skills then you. This doesn’t make you a loser – the fact that you showed up at all makes you a winner. Everyone has to start somewhere and that start is never at perfect.

5. If this is your horse’s first time, likely he will be nervous too. Rule number 5 is to teach your horse to be curious so he will be less flighty.

6. Breath.

7. Remember which way to turn at C once you enter the arena. It makes all the difference.

8. There is maths to learn in the calculation of the accuracy of the movements. Sorry, but true.

9. There are also letters to learn, and they aren’t in alphabetical order.

10. During your test, there are areas where the judges can’t mark you on the form. Use those spaces to ‘tune up’ your ride.

11. Don’t forget to salute at the end of the test, and make it obvious.

12. Your test score will depend on a combination of accuracy and the level of training you are at with your horse.

13. Remember, dressage is founded on the art of training your horse. Prep and Prelim are the foundation of training that set you up for success. Therefore, the only thing that score should matter for is where you can improve your training, not how you can get a ribbon.

14. And don’t forget to smile. You are enjoying an amazing sport partnered with your best friend. Not many other people get to do that!

 

What if your horse doesn't want you to ride?

Have you ever wondered what your horse is trying to tell you when they are:

• Bucking

• Rearing

• Bolting

• Flinching

• Tail swishing

• Stomping

• Ears pinned

• Swinging their heads at you as the girth gets done up

• Kicking their belly

• Running away when you try to catch them

Are they sore? Do their teeth need doing? Is their tack ill fitting?

All of these questions are very valid and must be ruled out but I’m about to give you the one answer you don’t want to hear.

You’re horse doesn’t want you to ride it.

Oh no!! Shock, horror!! How dare I say that!?! Surely every horse should be filled with gratitude and happiness at the very idea of you riding it!?! No they do not.

 Need support getting started on helping your horse love riding again? Click here for the free mini-training!

Your horse wants 3 things from you:

1.     Stop jabbing it in the belly with your legs and pulling it in the mouth with your hands.

2.     Stop making it work

3.     Get off, feed it, scratch its butt, give it some treats.

This is a very hard realisation to come to as a horse rider because it now puts our beautiful companion - the one that makes our heart sing to be on its back, galloping off into the sunset with the wind blowing in our hair - at the level of slave. They have to do this because we say so.

And this brings up some strong feelings of guilt and shame that our pleasure is at the expense of another animal (well, hopefully that comes up for you). This came up for me when I figured this one out for myself.

After ruling out all the issues my horse possibly could have it came down to the last variable, ME. And it floored me. As a professional instructor and trainer, how could I possibly continue working in this industry with the idea that I was creating slaves for our happiness? This was a tough one, and for a while the main thing that kept me going was that just because I quit wouldn’t mean that industry abuse would stop or that people would stop riding. It would just mean that I had given up doing what I love.

To get the right answer you have to ask the right question.

So the question changed.

If I were to not quit but instead continue riding and advocating riding as a sport and hobby, how could I do this in a way that would get the horse to want to be ridden?

Which left me with 3 principles that has founded the rest of my training.

1.     Create a relationship with your horse SO THAT it enjoys your company

2.     Make the education process and learning fun and engaging SO THAT the horse wants to learn

3.     Make movement feel good SO THAT they want to move and train.

 This is not something magical that happens over night. It means consistently showing up for your horse every day, advocating for the life it deserves, being aware of its wants and needs are and only putting just enough pressure on them that they can grow and flourish.

In the short term this takes time and patience. But its well worth it for the gifts our horses give us.

This is our horses gift to us:

• Don’t worry about the time it will pass anyway (and what better way to spend it than with our horses)

•  Don’t become emotionally engaged in the results, instead use the results to learn from the experience

• Have trust and faith in the process that you and your horse are exactly where you need to be in this moment, and you don’t always get what you want but you do always get what you need.

• Just breath.

With these gifts the horse has given us we get to meet the person inside of us that is happy, at peace and ease with themselves and their lives who knows what it feels like for their heart to sing with glee. You know this person, you’ve met them before, it’s why you are a horse rider, it’s because you know that’s where you can find this person inside you. This person is the best version of yourself and when they come out in the saddle your horses heart also sings and you can make beautiful music together that is a pleasure to watch. Anything else is a bonus.

If you want this experience PLUS the acknowledgement of your peers and judges that you are a good rider we can get you that too. After all the training scale that dressage is based on IS the exercises that your horse needs for moving to feel good.

Need help getting your horse to love riding again? Check out this free mini training, available now!

The secrets behind your dressage scores

Have you ever thought about what the judges are actually marking you on in your Prelim test?

When you are in prelim, the foundation skills needed for prelim are rhythm and tempo, making your horse work in front of you leg, and keeping them into contact.

The judges are looking for the application of the training scale – how well you implementing the training scale at home for your horses’ physical, mental and behavioural development. They want to see that the test flows: one movement should flow easily into the next without resistance, which shows good behavioural training and exposure.

They are also looking for accuracy in the test – the diameters of you movements, the correct shape on the course.

If you can ride an accurate test without any behavioural issues you should get at least 50-60% in your scoring. This shows you have put enough training in at home to be able to navigate the movement in the arena without your horse being silly.

Obviously, this can depend on your horse’s previous exposure and at what level you are competing at – for example, if you are riding at an official day they would expect a higher standard than at an associate day.

The next thing your judges are looking for is your rhythm and tempo. This should be consistent and fluid throughout the test- it shouldn’t be hurried but it should be active.

The next is connection and working frame, particularly the consistency of the frame throughout the test, and that you can ride your horse with bend. When we achieve this, we should be starting to see our marks getting up to 60-65%. It shows that we are implementing our training scale well, that our horse is understands how to work with self carriage, connection, and knows how to carry that through transitions and onto the movements.

We can start pushing those marks up when our horse starts working with thoroughness and swing, and that they are not working on the forehand but they are pulling through the shoulder.

Lastly is impulsion. Once we start working with impulsion, we can see our marks pushing the 70%, or maybe even the 80%, depending on the quality of the horse and the level of competition that you are at.

Keep in mind, your scores can also be influenced by the first horse that competes (as he sets the bar for the rest of the day), and what level you are competing in.

So when you complete your test, receive your results and are seeing comments give us insight into what areas we should be working with.

More forward – know more about how to keep you horse in front of your leg without rush; how to create more forwardness in your rhythm and tempo.

More bend – we need to learn how to ride our horse more around our leg.

More frame – your horses’ development in being able to work with rounded connection and into your hands, having the sensitivity to the bit and the suppleness through the back to be able to maintain the connection.

When you achieve these ‘mores’, you would be at the next level of competition – and once you get there, there will be more ‘more’ to achieve!

And that is why dressage is an ever improving sport.

Do you feel like you are letting down your horse?

Looking out to your paddock, a whimsical flutter of hopes and dreams overcomes your heart. Your horse is grazing peacefully in the back corner of the paddock and lifts their head, noticing you coming towards them. They let out a soft nicker and start trotting up to you.

And then comes the guilt, you remember it’s been a week, a month or ever years since your last ride. You think your horse is wasting away in the paddock and because of you it won’t have a good future. I’m not good enough for my horse, they deserve more, they would be better with a different rider, I can’t be the rider they need, maybe I should sell them and get an easier horse to work with, maybe I should give up altogether.

This is such a common process for the hobby horse rider to go through… regularly, sometimes even every day. You convince yourself, no I’ll just try a bit longer and maybe it will all come together for me. Maybe I’ll try a new instructor, or go watch some other trainers on YouTube.

There are 2 problems with this scenario: we are attaching our own needs and desires to live a fulfilling life to our horse (really they don’t care if they don’t reach their full potential, working towards their full potential is fraught with hard work, stress and anxiety, much easier to just eat grass), and you’re probably comparing yourself with professional riders, that are on different journeys, with different road blocks. We think “oh if we could just do that one thing riding would be so much easier”. You dedicate months and months and when finally you achieve it, do you celebrate and congratulate yourself and think yes riding is easy now?! Of course not, you now decide there are 7 new things that if only you could achieve them riding would be easy.

As a professional rider it took me 7 years + the 13 years as a hobby horse rider (I’ve now been at this riding business 25 years and teaching for 13), riding hundreds of different horses, teaching hundreds of different students to truly grasp an understanding of what is going on and how best to support each individual horse and I’m still learning new things every day, with every new student and every new horse.

 What a professional rider knows that you don’t

•  There are always hurdles and road blocks that stop you in your tracks and can take months of diligent effort to work through.

• All horses have to go through the same physical development process just the same as all athletes and that requires patience.

• When to just exercise your horse and when to push.

• Some days, weeks or months your horse can just be off, and that’s ok.

• Your horse will never perform as well at a competition as they do at home and so you need to be training at least a grade about the level you’re competing at and even then you still need the moon and the stars to align for your perfect competition day and on that day the judge will decide they don’t like your horse or your last name.

• There is no one solution, only effort.

• You can’t be good at everything. Find out what you are really good at with your riding and get help with the rest.

• The path to success. The reason why you feel stuck at the level you are at is because you can’t see what’s next. You can’t see what’s next because you’ve never experienced it before. If you were to apply all the lessons you have learnt to date on a new horse, guaranteed will progress to this point quicker, however you will also have new road blocks and obstacles you haven’t experienced before and will get stuck at because you are applying the concepts you’ve learnt to a different personality and conformation type.

Don’t have the time, money and inclination to become a professional rider but need some quick and easy wins? Check out our 3 weeks to becoming a better rider mini course.

The art of riding

As with any discipline there is a science to riding and an art. The science is the biomechanical and psychological result of our training techniques and style. The art is the emotion and intuition we evoke in ourselves and others when we ride. It is the way the movement of the bodies in unison inspires the watcher and the way it can touch something deep inside and evoke emotion. 

A true artist needs an imagination and a belief that anything is possible. They can take a lump of clay and through their imagination of what that lump of clay can be they can transform it into anything from a vase, to a bowl, to toys and figurines, to pot plants. It is what inspires a wood worker to craft furniture and toys and a painter to transform a blank canvas into a vision. 

As a horse rider you need to be able to see a horse and transform it through your imagination of what could be and discipline conditioning into an athlete, a dancer and a gymnast. You use your imagination of what could be possible to inspire your horse to work with dynamic flow and lose itself in the art of movement. We use our innate ability to manipulate and shape energy and through applying our movement to the horses movement we can transform it into artistic expression of our bodies flow of energy vibrating in harmony. 

Tips to becoming an artistic rider

Pre-visualisation

Take the time each year, each month, each week, each training session to stretch what you think is possible. Our experiences create self limiting beliefs of what is possible and over time we stretch our goals less and only define realistic, achievable goals to avoid disappointment. But an artist is not confined to reality, they are the day dreamers that believe anything is possible. Stretch what you believe is possible to achieve the impossible.

Create room for magic

We like to create rules and structure so that life is easier to understand. When we define the rules of the game we limit the possibilities of the outcome. If for example, you've had a couple rides leaving you feel flat and unhappy and come into your next ride feeling the same way and expecting the same result, you will not be creating an environment or possibility for a successful ride. Magic and possibility need space. They need room to be brought into reality. Come into your training sessions without judgement, without preconceptions, without constraints of what is possible and allow movement to flow through you and your horse. 

Inspiration

Inspired action requires inspired thought. If you are just punching out the training sessions and finding no joy in the dance take the time to find fresh inspiration. The will power to stick to a regime is draining but inspiration is empowering and energising. Take time to remember why you started riding in the first place and let your heart sing with the joy of doing something you love. 

Flow of movement

The way that figures and movement flow into each other is an art. It can help to listen to some music when you ride that has a similar rhythm to your horses. Let each movement, each transition, each stride, each aid flow into the next and the next and the next to become a graceful expression of your relationship with your horse.

Let go of your ego

Our ego stops us from believing in magic, it stops us from being our selves for fear of judgement, it protects us in social situations from losing our identity and sense of self to other peoples choices. In the process of our ego protecting us, we don't feel safe to be who we are truly meant to be. If you are to lose yourself to the movement you have to first be able to let go of our ego.

Being an artist is about flow and feel and being an artistic rider is using the flow of movement of the 2 bodies integrating into a harmonic rhythm. Being an artist means to lose yourself in the rhythm and flow of your heart, allowing that song to inspire movement and flow through and energise you. Where 1 + 1 = 3. Where the horse and rider combination brings inspiration to the hearts of others and allows them to believe in magic. Because a good rider is magic in motion.

First Aid for Horses – Colic

Colic is a scary thought for most horse owners, which conjures up images of long nights in the paddock with the horse and large veterinary bills. Let’s delve deeper and define this concerning problem.

Enteroliths from a horse, a cause of colic.

Colic, by definition, is any abdominal condition that causes pain, so in reality is a symptom of a problem, not the actual disease itself. Colic for some horses can be life threatening, and yet for others may be chronic and create discomfort for a long period of time. Colic may require surgical or medical intervention, or may be able to treated with diet or home remedies, but it can be difficult to determine the cause without medical attention and therefore is something we should be consulting our veterinarian about. Colic is widely considered to be the leading cause of premature death in horses.

What are the causes of colic?

There are a number of different causes of colic, which can make management of this issue complex.

Timpanic colic - also known as gas or spasmodic colic, is often caused by a change in diet, although parasites may also be a factor. The build up of gas may be due to excess fermentation or the slowing of the passage of the gas. While gas colic may self-resolve, it can lead to torsion or displacement, which can be life-threatening.

Torsion and volvulus – this is where the intestine twists upon itself, and may obstruct the blood supply to areas of the GI tract. Prognosis is not great for many of these horses and early intervention is a must if they are to survive.

Displacement – this happens when a portion of the large intestine shifts. It can be a result of excess gas. The relocation may disrupt the standard motility or movement of the gut, and therefore create other issues as well. Medical or surgical intervention may be required.

Intasusseption  - a form of colic in which a piece of intestine "telescopes" within a portion of itself, usually because a section of the bowel has become paralysed. It is kind of like a snake eating its tail. This is a life-threatening cause of colic that will require urgent surgical intervention.

Impaction – impaction is where a large clump of food or grit (like sand) form a clump in the bowel and create a blockage. It may resolve with medical intervention although occasionally surgery is required. Impaction most commonly occurs in winter, when there is less water intake and an increase in drier food supplied (i.e. hay), in horses with dental issues (poor mastication) or in horses kept on sandy or high dirt-to-grass pasture.

Parasites – heavy worm burdens may cause temporary blockages. It is important to carefully de-worm theses horses as they can have a serious immune reaction that can result in fatal peritonitis.

Other causes of colic – Tumors, Toxins, Colitis, Gastric Ulceration, Hernias, Enteroliths (mineral stones of the gut)

Dog sitting, a potential sign of colic

How can I tell if my horse has colic?

Early symptoms of colic

• Turning the head toward the flank
• Biting or kicking at the flank or abdomen
• Pawing at the ground
• Restlessness
• Depression
• Repeatedly lying down and getting up, or attempting to lie down
• Decrease or lack of appetite
• No or decreased bowel movements (note, passing manure is not a sign they do not have colic, as colic based in the upper GI tract will still pass manure for a while)
• Stretching out as if to urinate, but not urinating
• Decrease in abdominal sounds, or even no abdominal sounds

As the colic symptoms worsen and the horse is in more pain, you may see

• Sweating
• Rapid respiration
• Elevated pulse rate
• Rolling

flank biting, another sign of colic

What to do if my horse has colic?

• The very first thing to do is get in contact with your veterinarian. Colic can begin mildly but advance very quickly into a life-threatening condition. Be sure to describe the symptoms you are seeing and ask if your vet believes gentle exercise will help.
• Try to keep your horse from rolling. Rolling may twist the bowel and complicate the issue (however – safety first: a wildly thrashing horse may kill you). However, if you horse is just wanting to rest, it may be ok for him to lie down (check with your vet).
• Avoid feeding your horse hay or hard feed while you wait for the vet to attend.
• DO NOT administer any pain relief before your vet has examined your horse. This can mask the symptoms and lead to a misdiagnosis, and possibly the death of your horse.

How can I prevent colic?

There is no proven ways to prevent colic in horses, but some ways to help reduce the chances of your horse developing colic include:

• Introducing new feed gradually
• Avoid excess high sugar feeds
• Keep access to plenty of clean water
• Maintain a schedule of consistency
• If living in a sandy paddock, add psyllium husk to the feed, or avoid sandy paddocks altogether
• Ensure proper parasite control is maintained

Colic is a disease that is feared by horse owners, but with early, correct intervention many horses will recover. Get familiar with the symptoms, be proactive in intervention, and keep doing everything in your power to help reduce the risk of your horse experiencing this pain.

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A Trick to the Reins - the Independent Seat (Part 3)

If you haven't already read our blog the Independent Seat (Part 2), you probably should before you continue reading this.

As we improve our independent seat you will notice that you will need to use your reigns less heavily. In fact, the reigns will maintain light, even sided contact and conversation instead of being the heavy steering wheels and brakes they once were - your seat is now doing most of the "driving".

However you may notice times when the reigns become heavier and your contact needs to shift. A shift in the horse 

Tip #1:

Which ever rein you feel the most weight in is the hind leg the horse has left behind that you need to ride through. If your right rein feels heavier, they have disengaged the right hind and dropped through the pelvis. If you left rein feels heavier they have disengaged the left hind and dropped through the pelvis.

The trick to fix it is as follows:

Your butt cheek (on the same side as the heavy reign) should also squeeze to bring the hind leg through.

So not only do you need to learn how to use your hands and legs independently of each other but also each butt cheek! (As shown in the exercises on the fit ball in “3 weeks to improving your riding”).

Tip #2:

If both reins feel heavy they have disengaged both hind legs and are balancing on their forehand. If they are working behind the vertical they have disengaged both hind legs and are balancing on the forehand.

The trick to fix it is as follows:

Use your seat to cuddle your horse back into contact and into their hindquarters.

We are trying to create even balance of engagement to self carriage to thoroughness/ impulsion to frame. When we have too much rev or too much clutch we don’t have balance.

The Independent Seat (part 2)

Using your seat as a tool for communication

This article is best to read after you have done our course “3 weeks to improving your riding”. In this course we go into depth about the angles and lines we need in our posture that allows for maximum range of movement in both ourselves and our horses and also how to move and follow our horse. It includes 3 weeks of exercises designed by a personal trainer to help you hold this posture easier. This will also only work if your horse is working correctly in self carriage and connection. --Katie

Everything we are trying to do with our horses is to create more engagement, more self carriage, to create a stronger, more elastic top line so that our horse can move more freely, move with more power and agility, to reduce the concussion of the movement on their body and develop their core strength and soundness for a long and healthy riding career. The tighter we are through our thigh and the more we pivot at our knee and our hip in our dressage seat, even if we are trying to lean back to keep our upright, the more we are putting our horse onto the forehand. This is why all the angles and lines we discuss in “3 weeks to improving your riding” is so important. When we break these lines and angles we distribute our weight away from our centre of balance and then try to counter balance ourselves. Our horse then tries to counter balance our imbalance and both ours and our horses posture “shrinks and curls” to try and protect our balance. If we start with our center of gravity and work out, engaging the same balance points as we do on the ground we have the best opportunity of maintaining our posture and guiding our horse to maintain their balance, posture and center of gravity.

Once we understand how to do this and our connection is established we can then start to use our seat to communicate. This is our ultimate goal. The more we can communicate from our seat, the less we interrupt our horses flow and balance with our hands. If we do this exercise describe below without having established connection our horse will “jack up” and potentially also rear. Our horse needs to know how to sit into its haunches and lift through its tummy so that it is shortening its body in a way that lengthens the crest. Which is why we have our foundation exercises of self carriage that ensure our horse can first do all these things and that we also have an adequate feel of how to distribute the horses weight and balance effectively. Once these skills are established this is very easy. If these skills aren’t established your horse will let you know if you try this exercise. Make sure you listen to your horse and get help by someone who understands these principles if you are unsure.

Establishing a half halt with our seat.

Katie demonstrating the correct position in the saddle to improve your independent seat

First have all the prerequisites of self carriage established. Tempo changes, bend and changes of bend, transitions within the pace and pace to pace, shortening and lengthening the frame, rein back over a pole, trot poles and canter poles, introducing leg yield and shoulder fore.

Have the angles and lines of an independent seat as described in “3 weeks to improving your riding”.

At the halt:

• Cuddle your calves

• Squeeze your butt checks together like you are trying to hold a poo in

• Lift through and rotate through your pelvis like your practised on the fit ball in “3 weeks to improving your riding”

• Draw your shoulder blades together and open your chest

• Increase the angle through your elbows, taking your hands towards your hips gently, keeping a straight line elbow hands reins to bit.

The end goal is that the horse squeezes together and their head comes onto the vertical. Release the pressure for this.

To get this right you want to balance the amount of energy you are creating with your legs to the amount of wait you’re are creating with your hands.

Think about driving a manual car if you have the clutch out of gear it doesn’t matter how much you put your foot down on the accelerator the car won’t go. In a horse that understand self carriage and connection the contact is like your clutch you are balance the revs (forwardness from your legs) with the amount of clutch that is engaged (contact). If you don’t engage the clutch (contact) as you rev (legs) the car won’t accelerate with power (your horse will be strong out on the forehand). If you have to much revs (legs) to clutch (contact) your car will accelerate uncontrollable and do a burn out (your horse will take the bolt and spit you out the side). We are trying to find the balance between just enough rein add to say wait without stopping and just enough leg aid to say stay moving powerfully forward without rushing and this creates impulsion. When we go into this level of detail you can see why our foundations need to be so clearly established for both ourselves and our horses.

What we are trying to do here is establish this aid above which is our half halt by tightening and lifting through our seat to squeeze our horse together and lift the forehand.

We are not going to be riding like this all the time it is an add. We cuddle, squeeze, lift and draw our horse up and to us and then relax and allow our horse to move. We are creating a controlled tension which shortens, bounces and re-energises the stride and riding forward out of it.

As we ride forward our horse will going onto the forehead and we also have an opportunity here to create acceptance of the bit. As we relax and allow our hands forehand we are asking the horse to follow our hands forward out of the frame, to poke its nose out. Just before it gets to strung out, we cuddle, squeeze, lift and draw our horse in and up to us and then relax and slowly inch our hands forward encouraging our horse to poke its nose out seeking the contact. Rinse and repeat. This is your new half halt. The more often you ride this aid combination the stronger your horse will get through the chest and the shoulders and the more impulsion you will create.

This ability to shorten and lift into you is also your prerequisite to collection and why the transition from novice to elementary is so hard for some. If you have learnt how to get your horse into a frame by grounding them and putting them more onto the forehand you have to go back to scratch and relearn how to work your horse uphill into the frame if you are to achieve collection. The impulsion is a natural progression of self carriage that becomes collection.

Activating this seat aid is part of the puzzle. Your horse can only come uphill if you do first.

What is an independent seat, and why should you be aiming to achieve one? (Part 1)

The independent seat is a terminology that is thrown around a lot in riding. While the words conjure up a vague image of what it should be, do you truly know what it is, how to get one and how to tell when you have it?

What is an independent seat?

The independent seat happens when a rider can move one part of their body independently of other parts of their body and independently of the horses’ movements, while maintaining balance. The rider is moving with the horse but still maintaining a level of independence so if the horse stumbles or transitions gait the balance is maintained. There is a level of softness to the contact and aids, with no added pressure.

The independent seat is not legs jammed down into the stirrups with your ankles locked and knees firmly in contact, it is legs that are relaxed that naturally sit lightly in the stirrup and hug but don't grip the horse. The independent seat is not a rigid, inflexible posture, it is upright and balance and fluid in movement while at the same time lacking unnecessary movement. The independent seat is not hanging onto the reigns, but instead soft contact with the mouth that alters slightly in response to the horses actions and desired outcomes.

The independent seat is a beautifully communication with your horse that makes it look like you are both working as one. It is what we, as riders, would call an amazing feeling, and I’m sure our horses would agree.

But an independent seat is not a naturally easy achievement. It can take years of practice and correction of bad habits, both on the ground and in the saddle. An independent seat can also be tested, challenged or perfected by riding different horses.

How to achieve an independent seat

As a rider you need to remember first and foremost that you are an athlete. A weight lifter does not go from beginner to 180kg lifts in a short period of time – they use different exercises over a long period of time to condition their body and prepare for the end goal. It is with that in mind you need to consider what your end goal is: if you wish to compete or even just work on your horses’ fitness, you need to be fit as well.

To achieve the highly sought after independent seat you require:

• Balance

• Good Posture

• Core strength

• Coordination

• Positive and action oriented mindset

• The knowledge of how to use your aids to communicate with your horse

As you may see, a large part of your athletic development can occur outside of the paddock, in the comfort of your own home, with refinement of these techniques in the saddle. It is also something we need to consistently work at until it becomes second nature.

Do you need help with your independent seat? Check out our 3 Weeks to Improving Your Riding course, which focuses on the exercises you need to improve balance, core strength, posture and mindset, both on the ground and in the saddle.

What do the Dressage Letters REALLY mean?

Recently, at our very first workshop, we were asked what the dressage letters mean. Or more specifically, why aren’t they A-B-C-D etc?

And it left us both a little stumped. Why isn’t it simple, and what do those letters mean? To start, let’s look at the dressage arena and the position of those letters.

In the 40x20m arena, the letters read A-K-E-H-C-M-B-F with D-X-G in the centre. In the 60x20m arena, there are a few extra letters: A-K-V-E-S-H-C-M-R-B-P-F with D-L-X-I-G in the centre. It’s certainly not straightforward, and no rhyme nor rhythm to the layout.

So where do these letters come from?

There are several theories as to where the letters came from, but unfortunately, the exact origin is no longer known.

The most plausible of the theories is to do with the Imperial German Court. Before 1918, markings where found on the walls of the stable yard of the Royal Manstall, which was used as an exercise yard and coincidentally measured thrice the length as the width – 60m x 20m! It appears these markings where to indicate the spot the groom would hold the horse in anticipation of his rider. The riders where (with the exception of A, which stands for Ausgang (exit) and C, which has no correlation):

• K – Kaiser: Emperor/King

• V – Vassal: Squire

• E – Ehrengast: Honoured Guest

• S – Schzkanzler: Chancellor

• H – Hofsmarshall: Lord Chancellor

• M – Meier: Steward

• R – Ritter: Knight

• B – Bannertrager: Standard Bearer

• P – Pferknecht: Groom

• F – Furst: Prince

There are no definitions for the centre line marker letters.

How can you remember the dressage markers?

When the letters have neither rhyme nor reason, it makes it difficult to imagine your dressage layout in the arena, and therefore your test. Unless you have a photographic memory (oh how I wish!), you may end up resorting to the use of a mnemonic – a phrase or short sentence that helps you remember initials or letters.

There are many examples of this, and feel free to share yours, but here are a few:

• Clockwise from entry: All King Victor’s Expensive Show Horses Can Manager Really Big Plastic Fences

• (or my personal favourite) All King Victor’s Expensive Show Horses Can Make Really Pongy Farts

• Centre Line: Doing Lots Xtra Is Good

How do you remember the letters?

Feeding Your Horse (Part 3) - Nutrients

So far, we have run over calculating your horse’s energy requirements, and how to feed your horse. Today we will examine the actual benefit and use of their nutrients.

This guide will be exceptionally useful if you find your horse experiences regular issues such as laminitis, dry skin or low immunity.

Macronutrients (Carbohydrates, Fats, Protein)

Macronutrients provide the bulk of our horse’s energy or calorie intake. They also serve an important function in the overall way their bodies work.

Carbohydrates (sugar, starch and dietary fibre)

Carbohydrates form the bulk of feed for horses and comprise of 2 main categories – simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates. Sugars and simple carbohydrates and starch and dietary fibre fall under the category of complex carbs.

Starches and simple sugars are found most commonly in grains and concentrated feed. Excessive levels of these can contribute to blood sugar fluctuations and potentially contribute to conditions such as laminitis, cushings disease and tying up. Starches and simple sugars are easily digested absorbed by the small intestine. Starches require a particular enzyme to be broken down into simple sugars before they can be absorbed, and thus can become overloaded when a large quantity of concentrated feed is eaten, making it important to provide these in a limited quantity per feeding (see Part 2 for more information)

Dietary fibre or ‘roughage’ is exceptionally important for horses. Their gastro-intestinal tract, which actually is similar to humans in make-up, has evolved over several millennia to be able to ferment and digest the maximum quantity of nutrition out of dietary fibre. The ceacum(the equivalent to the now redundant human appendix) is responsible for housing the bacteria and protozoa that helps ferment and break down fibre for use within the body. The intestinal tract of the horse is also quite long, allowing a slower transit of food for maximum nutrient absorption.

The Glycemic Index (GI) is a description of how much a feed increases blood glucose level. Foods with a high GI increase blood sugar quickly. Foods with a low GI still affect blood sugar levels, but not as much or as fast.

Physical effects of high GI feeds

High GI feeds can generally be eaten faster. Less chewing produces less saliva. Saliva provides a buffer in the stomach to neutralize the acid, so less saliva can lead to more acid in stomach and result in stomach ulcers

High GI foods tend to move faster through the gut, which can create colic.

The speed and high sugar may create abnormal or unhealthy bacterial growth in the ceacum, which influences the development of inflammation, toxin release, colic and laminits.

Sugar and starch is absorbed quickly resulting in fluctuations of blood glucose level and insulin release. This increases the risk of cushings, laminitis, colic, tying up and equine metabolic syndrome

Foods with a high GI

Foods with a high Glycemic Index are high in sugar and often low in protein and fat. Most commonly are seeds and grains, as they contain all the sugar a seed requires to sprout. Sprouted seeds contain less sugar and therefore are a lower GI. Examples of high GI foods include:

• Sweet feed
• Corn
• Oats
• Barley

Foods with a low GI

Foods that are low GI are generally high in fat or protein AND dietary fibre. Most commonly examples are the hulls of the seed and also:

• Wheat bran
• Speedi‐beet
• Alfalfa
• Rice bran
• Soy bean hulls

Protein

Despite being herbivores, horses still need protein. This doesn’t mean you need to run out a cook up a steak or two (would you eat your former neighbor anyway?) as horses can receive and digest amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, from plants.

Protein is an important part of growth and is require as building blocks for muscle and other body tissues. It is also essential for healing and repair as well as general function, including the production of enzymes and hormones. Thus protein is an important component of the diet, even though it is only required in smaller amounts.

Mature adult horses require 8-10% of the total feed to consist of protein. Working doesn’t significantly impact this though we tend to feed at the higher end of the ratio to help recovery (bearing in mind that a horse in work has a higher energy requirement, so the same size horse in work will receive more grams of protein, but could still be fend the same percentage of protein in feed as a non-working horse). A young horse in growth stage requires significantly higher percentage of protein in their feed, being between 14-16%, to help with the growth phase. Geriatric horses also may need a similar protein percentage to growing horses (as their ability to effectively use protein decreases, their oral intake may need to increase), but their liver and kidney functions should be examined prior to increasing the feed as higher protein diets make these organs work harder and may exacerbate deterioration.  Pregnancy and lactation also need higher protein than a mature adult horse.

Below are some protein averages in common feeds, and you can see more specific protein requirements in the earlier chart.

Fat

Fat has a bad reputation, but is critical for our overall function. Omega 3, 6 and 9 play important parts in our inflammatory processes, vitamin absorption, and offer twice the energy to protein or carbohydrates on a per gram basis. The benefits of a high fat diet is generally that you can feed smaller quantities and provide more energy, but using the correct ratio of omega 3/6/9 can have significant benefits on overall health, and particularly for skin and coat issues.

Feeds that are high in fat include mill run, rice bran and wheat bran.

However, overfeeding high fat feeds can result in the deposit of fat around the liver and heart which is not beneficial to the horses overall health.

Micronutrients

Micronutrients are nutrients that don’t provide energy but are essential for the body to function accurately. These are our vitamins and minerals, and also include some substrates that act in vitamin-like ways.

The list of micronutrients is extensive, so we will focus on a key few. If you are keen to know more, you can read them here in the MSD Mercks Veterinary Manual.

Calcium & Phosphorous

Because of the way our horses are built and work, the skeletal frame is exceptionally important and therefore calcium and phosphorous should be given some important considerations.

"Excessive intakes of certain minerals may be as harmful as deficiencies; therefore, mineral supplements should complement the composition of the basic ration. For example, if the horse is consuming mostly roughage with little or no grain, phosphorus is more likely to be in short supply, especially for growth, than calcium. However, if more grain than roughage is being fed, a deficit of calcium is much more common. The total mineral contribution and availability from all parts of the ration (forages and roughages, concentrates, and all supplements) should be considered when evaluating the mineral intake." Merck Vet Manual

Calcium and phosphorous are required in greater quantities during growth, pregnancy and lactation than for a mature horse. Geriatric horses may require higher phosphorous than mature horses but calcium should be monitored and reduced, especially if renal function is compromised.

Both calcium and phosphorous play an important part in the development of bone, but also in areas such as cell membrane protection and neural function. The calcium:phosphorous ratio should be in balance of ideally 1.5 calcium to 1 phosphorous.

Salt

Salt (sodium chloride) requirements are largely influenced by the work, or more accurately, sweat production. Horses will generally self regulate salt intake and as such should have free access to salt blocks or licks.

A Note about Supplements and Additives

• Multi vitamin – find a well reputed source to ensure the horse gets its dietary vitamins and minerals
• Oil – calorie dense option to increase weight. Feed no more than 500mL. 250mL of oil has roughly the same calorie content of 2.5kg of oats. Balance of omega 3, 6 and 9 is important in feeding oil. Try to avoid over feeding omega 6. Ensure that you use cold pressed oil and store in a cool environment out of direct sunlight.
• Soybean meal ‐ contains the full spectrum of essential amino acids. Great sources of protein for muscle mass and over health
• Psyllium husks – 1 cup a week can help maintain motility of bowels and may reduce incidence of colic

There are plenty of other supplements and additives each with their own merits. Horse feed is an art not a science, if you find something that works for your horse use it, if you are using something that doesn’t seem to be working, don’t use it. Feeding horses is expensive enough without feeding additives that aren’t doing anything!

Biosecurity Warning - Anthrax

Biosecurity warning: Anthrax confirmed in Dirranbandi-St George area in early July 2018. Anthrax can infect horses that graze in contaminated fields or eat contaminated feeds.

Anthrax is a zoonotic disease (meaning it can spread to humans) that affects many grazing animals, predominantly cattle and sheep, but also horses, goats, pigs, dogs and people.

The bacteria Bacillus anthracis is responsible for this disease and can cause sudden death, weakness and blood-stained discharges after death. It is a category 1 biosecurity risk, and needs to be reported immediately.

Read more on the recent outbreak of anthrax and the biosecurity risk here: 

https://www.business.qld.gov.au/industries/farms-fishing-forestry/agriculture/livestock/animal-welfare/pests-diseases-disorders/anthrax

https://www.vision6.com.au/em/message/email/view.php?id=1187063&a=10433&k=CWYft-M2_i2sb-H2ucvpGjQxx2jOtHxfSgro_nLVFro

The Pain is Real – Coping with Arthritis in Horses

What is arthritis

Arthritis, also known as Osteoarthritis (OA) or Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD), is a disease that creates pain and inflammation in a horse’s joint.

Arthritis is a progressive disease where the cartilage in the joint is slowly degraded or worn away. As the cartilage wears, it exposes bone and nerve endings, becoming extremely painful and inflamed and leading to symptoms such as lameness, joint swelling and general discomfort. Unfortunately, arthritis is a chronic disease that cannot be cured, so management is key, and the earlier we intervene, the better the outcome is for the horse.

The cause of arthritis in horses includes injuries to the joint, age (progressive wear), or infection. With the arthritis caused by injury, the symptoms of arthritis may become visible long after the initial cause. It is not a stretch to say that every horse that has lead an active life is going to develop some form of arthritis if they live past middle age.

The earlier we intervene, the better the prognosis is for our horses.

How can you tell if your horse has arthritis?

If your horse has been in some level of work, or had an injury, or over the age of 18, it is likely your horse has arthritis.

You can monitor for symptoms such as:

• Favouring a limb or side, even if there is weight bearing

• Lameness and limping

• Swelling in the joint

• Intermittent tenderness in the joint

The only accurate way to diagnose arthritis is via a radiograph (x-ray), however most vets can identify the potential diagnosis of arthritis via clinical history and examination.

How can we reduce the likelihood of a horse developing arthritis?

While there is no evidence that we can prevent arthritis, there are steps we can take to reduce or delay the onset arthritis in our horses. And it starts as soon as they are born.

In young foals and weanlings, the correct nutrition can actually impact the potential for OA to develop. A diet that is in excess or limited in selected nutrients, including total calories, can misbalance the ratio at which the body forms its bones, cartilage and muscles, thus increasing the risk of joint issues. Restricted exercise can also unbalance the musculoskeletal development.

Younger horses, from 2-5 years, should not be started under saddle until they are physically mature. Once started, the process should be gradual to allow for correct skeletal and muscular development – no matter how fast they respond to the work.

In mature horses we should ensure that we work their bodies in balance, ensure they have correct training to cope with the physical burden of a rider – and ensure our riding is balanced also. It is also a good idea to keep your horses’ body condition score between 4-6.

In our older horses, it may seem counter-intuitive but exercise really does help reduce arthritis or the symptoms.

Other things you can do that could help reduce the risk of arthritis developing include:

• Correct physical conditioning through training

• Ensure proper farrier care is taken through all stages of life

• Allow periods of rest when exercising and developing your horse – a pause in training will often do more good than harm

• Identify potential causes for injury and be proactive about post-injury arthritis management

• Keep an ideal body weight and condition to keep lean muscle mass, especially in older horses

My horse has arthritis- what can I do?

There are multiple options for managing arthritis in your horse. Remember, the aim here is to reduce the pain of arthritis while slowing the progression, as unfortunately there is no cure.

Non-steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAID’s): Your vet may prescribe these to provide short term pain relief for both mild but more usually severe pain associated with arthritis. These drugs reduce inflammation but must be prescribed and should be used with caution as they may have side effects when used long term, such as upsetting the gut lining or impacting on major organs. Discuss the use of these with your vet as options.

Corticosteriod injections: These injections aren’t used frequently as they can have many negative side effects, but your vet may use these intermittently to dramatically reduce the inflammation in the joint and give other solutions, such as nutraceuticals and exercise, a chance to impact. These can only be administered by your veterinarian.

Pentosan Polysulphate Sodium (PPS): Studies have shown therapeutic levels in synovial fluid (the fluid that helps reduce friction in the joints) following intramuscular injections. These injections are delivered once weekly in a series of 4 injections, and on occasion the injection may be administered directly into the joint. There are fewer side effects with PPS but should be used in caution with other medications, and always under veterinary supervision.

Nutraceuticals: There are many oral nutraceuticals on the market. Some contain glucosamine or chondrotin, which are essential building blocks of healthy cartilage, and there are many other products with a range of natural or herbal extracts that may have benefits to arthritic joints in horses. Some nutraceuticals may help improve synovial fluid output, some may reduce inflammation and swelling. Unfortunately, not all supplements are created equal, nor do they have to have studies to prove their efficacy (or in some cases that do have studies, they may not be on horses). Speak to your vet about your best options rather than wasting your money on 4-5 different options. And note – what works for one horse may not work for the next. (If you want me to do some research on the strength of efficacy of studies of any nutraceuticals you are using or interested in, please comment below!)

Acupuncture, acupressure and light therapy: These are therapies that, from a number of horse owners, seems to have some benefit. I am not aware of any studies but from personal experience feel these are great options if they are available to you.

Exercise: gentle exercises that help to stretch the limb and move the affected joint without too much pressure are crucial for long term health of the muscle and reduction of pain. In actual fact, running through the dressage training scale from the very foundations is a great way to realign muscular development that can help support painful joints. Your horse will let you know when they have reached their maximum movement capabilities.

Hydrotherapy and swimming are also great exercises that allow your horse to perform a range of motions without having to weight bear. A limb that is toned with strong muscle is more likely to have good blood flow and therefore more impact from medications and supplements, as opposed to a limb that has muscle atrophy.

Chiropractic sessions: While your chiropractor can not work miracles by reversing the arthritis already developed, they are crucial to help ensure that any movement abnormalities (that occur due to the pain in one or more limbs) don’t become a permanent change to their conformation, to reduce the likelihood of muscular atrophy and also reduce the damage to non-arthritic limbs.

Would you like to share your experience with arthritis in horses or ask a question? Comment below!

Feeding Your Horse (Part 2): Calculating Feeding Requirements

Today we are going to share some tips on calculating feed for your horse.

With such a wide variety of feeding options and a massive number of variables with every single horse (size of paddock, turn out hours, paddock mates, along with physiological changes), it’s a small wonder so many of us have questions about feeding our horses.

Calculating feed quantities is absolutely a mix of science and art. We will share the science and allow you to play with the art depending on your situation.

So here are some facts:

a) A guide to calculating feed breakdown based on a healthy horse at various stages of health

• Horses require at least 1.5% of their body weight in food each day, and can eat up to a maximum of 2.5-3% depending on energy requirements, activity level, age, and size of the horse (notably weanlings and ponies will exceed these maximums if on good pasture).
• Roughage (including grass) should make up a minimum of 50% of their total diet, and recommended to be at least 1.5-2% of their body weight. Roughage is exceptionally important to aid digestion, feed gut flora and provide satiety.
• It is with the above point that you can assume that a lot of healthy, mature horses that are maintaining or in light work can maintain solely or almost solely on roughage, with very little grain supplementation, with horses in intense work needing a higher percentage of concentrate supplemented (see charts a & b).
• Older horses, growing horses, reproducing horses or horses with illnesses have varying requirements based on body condition, muscle condition, disease and growth requirements, and require more in-depth analysis for feeding calculations.
• Concentrates (high sugar/energy foods) fed at greater than 0.5% of your horses’ body weight in a single feed can seriously disrupt the gut flora and digestion, and predisposes your horse to all manner of gastric problems including ulcers, colic and laminitis. If your horse needs a larger percentage of concentrate in the feed, ensure to split the feeds over several meals to avoid problems (chart c).
• Feeding more than 50% of the total feed as a concentrate has also been well documented to increase the risk of several problems including laminitis and colic.
• Large feeds (greater than 0.25% of the horses body weight) of concentrates should not be offered within 1 hour of stressful situations (heavy exercise, transport), nor to exhausted horses.

b) An approximation of the feed for a horse, which can alter depending on body condition, feed selection and general health.

c) Maximum recommended concentrate per feed (not day) by horses body weight

Feeding for energy

While we initially start by looking at the total weight of food compared to body weight, we must also consider the energy requirements.

Example 1:

A 500kg horse in light work with a body condition score of 5 requires 69.9 MegaJoules per day to maintain healthy energy and weight (see Part 1: Calculating Energy Requirements for full details).

Energy Requirement: 69.9 MJ

Estimated feed intake based on weight: 9.75kg

Roughage intake approximation: 7.8-9.75kg

Concentrate intake approximation: 0-1.95kg (Note: maximum concentrate in single feed should not exceed 2.5kg for a 500kg horse)

Through pasture yield calculations, we estimate that this horse is eating at least 6kg of pasture each day (I'll go more into detail on how to calculate that in a later segment).

average energy and protein from common feed souces

Pasture average intake: 8.5MJ/kg or 51MJ

Leaving 18.9MJ to make up in additional food, at least 1.8kg in roughage.

Lucerne: 8MJ/kg x 1.8kg = 14.4MJ.

There is now 4.5MJ left to feed for.

Barley: 13MJ/kg. 350g will provide 4.5MJ.

Total Weight of Food: Pasture (6kg) + Lucerne (1.8kg) + Barley (350g) = 8.15kg, or 1.63% of total body weight.

This is less than the 1.75% body weight recommendation, but contains higher than 50% roughage and meets the required energy needs for a 500kg horse in light work.

Example 2

Same horse, but now it is winter and the pasture is not yielding as well.

Energy Requirement: 69.9 MJ

Estimated feed intake: 9.75kg

Roughage intake approximation: 7.8-9.75kg

Concentrate intake approximation: 0-1.95kg (Note: maximum concentrate in single feed should not exceed 2.5kg for a 500kg horse)

Through pasture yield calculations, we estimate that this horse is eating at least 6kg of pasture each day.

Pasture average intake: 5MJ/kg or a total of 30MJ.

Leaving 39.9MJ to make up in additional food, at least 1.8kg in roughage.

Lucerne: 8MJ/kg x 1.8kg = 14.4MJ.

There is now 25.5MJ left to feed for.

Barley: 13MJ/kg. 1.95kg would offer the missing 25.5MJ.

Total Weight of Food: Pasture (6kg) + Lucerne (1.8kg) + Barley (1.95kg) = 9.75kg, or 1.75% of total body weight.

Hopefully, this has given you a great starting point at calculating feeding requirements. Later this month we will release more information on nutrient requirements and estimating your pasture's yield.

Feeding a horse is a combination of art and science. Each horse has different requirements depending on their age, reproductive status, work level, body condition and health status. This blog is intended as a guide for feeding of mature horses that are not reproducing, have an ideal body condition score between 4 and 6, are healthy and may or may not be in work. If you have an aged horse, breeding horse, is a growing horse or is an unwell horse we recommend you speak with your veterinarian for support in feeding your horse. Equestrian Movement and their staff accept no responsibility for any actions undertaken as a result or in part due to this blog.

Information sources: MSD Veterinary Manual, Rowan Barbary Feed

Afraid to Ride (Diary of an Adult Rider) - Part 2

So while I am a competent rider, I will admit to not always being a confident rider.

This became extremely apparent when I started working with Custard after I lost my mare.

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Custard is a gentleman and has never done anything to actually harm me, but there has been several moments riding him that have resulted in a shakeup of my confidence level, and they all come down to a mismatch in our training – I have been trained to expect a conversation with my horse when riding him, and Custard had no idea how to do this.

The first time he had a freak out while I was riding him, I ended up freaking too, as there was nothing I felt I could do to bring him back to me and I felt I had lost all contact - including the brakes. My brain was firing with images of how we would both end up dead, impaled on a fence picket.

Despite a lot of work and Custard’s increasing ability to talk with his rider, it’s still a niggling memory that flares up any time that he has to work a little bit out of contact – like at the moment, when he is trying to coordinate lifting his forehand in trot with a rider (or trying to get out of engaging his core by attempting to trot with a rider).

It was actually during one of those moments, in the midst of my heart-in-the-mouth moment, that I actually REALLY noticed my reaction – the anxiety increase, the need to curl into the foetal position, the clamping down on the reigns – I’m sure my face would have grimaced too. Nothing that a competent rider should really be doing to your horse, don’t you agree?

That moment got me thinking. If my confidence can impact on my competence, inversely shouldn’t my competence affect my confidence?

In that actual moment, after a minute or 2 of deep breathing and an internal monologue that consisted of phrases like “You can ride in trot”, “He can only hold it for a few steps so he is unlikely to take off” and my internal bitch piping up with “It’s time to put your big girl knickers on!”, that I decided to stop letting fear control my riding competence.

Custard and I had our first trot together the other day. It wasn’t pretty – we were both awkward – but it was real progress for us both.

Let’s hear it for big girl knickers!!!

UPDATE January 2020

It excites me to tell you that I no longer experience nerves when riding Custard in the arena. He has softened to our lessons, learnt that it is ok for him to say when he has had enough, and he has also learned that I won’t push him too far out of comfort zone (and never into pain zone).

The thought of taking him on a trail ride fills me with a couple of butterflies, but the great thing about that is I know only a small portions of that is nerves, and the rest is excitement!

2020 will be his year to have a comfortable, confident trail ride outside of the paddock - keep an eye on our facebook group for updates on our progression!