Sometimes lameness in horses isn't easy to see. Here are a few of the less-obvious indications of unsoundness.
Asking your horse to push his hip over requires him to engage his hind end and core completely. When done correctly, this maneuver can drastically change the way he moves and collects himself.
Veterinarians and riders should consider cardiac recovery times of more than 13 minutes as a warning sign of a problem.
Although they are athletic creatures by nature, horses are not all that different from us when it comes to getting out of shape after months of inactivity. If you aspire to a performance sport with your horse, he needs to be reasonably fit in order to perform at his best and avoid injuries that will […]
Master the art of approaching horses with this detailed, step-by-step guide. Discover the nuances of horse behavior, understand the importance of observing body language before getting too close and learn about general safety guidelines that will ensure a pleasant and secure experience for you and the horse. An informative guide for both novice and experienced horse handlers.
Many people enjoy setting goals to help give focus and guidance to the year ahead. If we map out our desired goals appropriately, make them realistic and attainable, then initiate them with baby steps, there is a greater likelihood we will achieve success. When we write down our goals we are, in essence, making a commitment and a contract with ourselves.
Try these three simple in-hand pole work exercises from the eight-time Olympian for a huge bonding and confidence-building experience
To improve suppleness in your horse try this easy exercise from world champion western dressage trainer Tim Christensen.
THE SCIENCE OF BONDING: HEART TO HEART WITH A HORSE Originally published in Horse Directory, March 2014 By Tom Gumbrecht We as horsepeople are drawn to horses; that seems obvious enough. When relating our stories about a particular episode that illustrates the horse-human connection, other horsepeople nod in agreement and sometimes finish our sentences, while those who have not been so afflicted might feign interest while stealing glances at their smartphones. That’s just how it is. Those that understand already know; those that do not, conventional wisdom dictated, likely never will. Lola makes the author smile: Science, emotion..or both? Tales of the horse-human bond, and the feelings of well-being we get from being in the company of horses, are the stuff of novels, poems, plays, movies and countless hours of stories in the barn aisles and tackrooms throughout the world. They are just that: stories, anecdotal evidence. We all know this, and most of us appreciate it. Even if not convinced, non- horsepeople often think our views to be harmless at worst, a little quaint perhaps and maybe even a little charming. They are our experiences, we enjoy relating them, and they can’t be proven or disproven. Or can they? We recently became aware of the work being done at the Institute of HeartMath (IHM) in Colorado which studies the heart as more than just a pump to keep our blood flowing. Scientists there believe the heart to be the center of not only physical, but emotional and spiritual well- being also, and have undertaken extensive research to support their theories. It seems that electromagnetic fields surrounding our hearts have the ability to affect other species as well. Dr. Rollin McCraty, Research Director at the Institute of HeartMath put it this way: “It appears that there is a type of communication occurring between people above and beyond body language and verbal communication. I believe we’ll see in future research studies that we are affecting each others’ moods and attitudes, both positively and negatively, by the electromagnetic fields we radiate. In our work with pets and their owners, we’ve seen that a pet owner can create what we call a heart filled environment when practicing heart- focused techniques. The pets respond by becoming more affectionate, more animated, and more connected with the pet owner.” After becoming aware of the work of the IHM in studying heart rate variability as an indicator of feelings of well- being in humans and small animals, Dr. Ellen Kaye Gehrke, who is involved with Equine Assisted Activities and Therapy at her Rolling Horse Ranch in California, began exploring the phenomenon with horses. In experiments conducted by Dr. Gehrke, following a protocol designed by IHM, studies showed that during exercises that promoted emotional bonding between human and horse, the beat- to- beat fluctuations in the human and horse hearts began to The author with Circus.. the horse that started it all.. synchronize, and ultimately matched one another. Heart Rate Variability (HRV) reflects heart- brain interactions and is sensitive to changes in emotional states. It is possible to accurately measure HRV rhythms in both humans and horses and relate those values to those known to reflect a positive emotional state (called a “coherent pattern” by the researchers). That coherent pattern and the positive emotional state it represents, are present when the heart rhythms are synchronized. Interestingly, that synchronization does not occur with a human subject who is indifferent toward the horse, but quite noticeably appears when subject has interest in the horse. The feeling of well being in certain humans when in proximity of horses is thus recordable and measurable. For many, these experiments, the content of which I have only just brushed the surface of in these pages, are telling us what we already know. I have experienced the phenomenon of a changed emotional state by simply being in the proximity of horses in many instances. Some years ago, we made the decision to purchase horse property. The house we were selling was comfortable for us physically and financially and we had invested a lot of time and money into making it our own. Sometime during the agonizing summer of buying, selling and moving into a much larger property than I ever expected to live in, fear crept in.. followed by guilt. What was I doing? How could I jeopardize my family’s well being to follow a crazy dream? The frenzied activity of that season left little time for horses and riding. But one day the stress got so intense that I just shut down and drove to a local riding stable. I took a horse that I was acquainted with and headed out on trail for a few hours. In five minutes it all became clear; once I was in the physical presence of a horse, it all made sense once again. Everything will be all right. In fact, everything IS all right! As a man of words more than a man of science, I was amused but not totally convinced of the value of technology finding a way to validate our experiences which showed that being in the aura of a horse produced feelings of a positive emotional state and general well- being. But then I began to see the importance of having what we knew to be true anecdotally, to now be quantifiable, repeatable and recordable by using scientific methods: Horses help many who have not been able to be helped by more conventional means. We have all seen or heard stories, or perhaps witnessed or even personally experienced major emotional breakthroughs facilitated by horses. We marvel at the ability of our equines to provide a safe venue in which to process our most fragile feelings. Does it matter that researchers have now The author shares a quiet moment with Lola... identified that the large magnetic fields surrounding the massive equine heart might be responsible for creating that environment? It may. We live in a world where much of the cost of therapeutic treatment is paid for by health care insurance. Alternative therapies have a much better chance of being funded if there is clinical rather than anecdotal evidence that they work. The current research may open the door for increased funding for programs that produce results for those who need it most… or at least provide these programs with legitimacy to those who may raise a skeptical eyebrow to unconventional therapies. As one who works with words, I have in the past penned the phrase “the heart of the horse and the heart of the rider beat as one” or something similar, more than once. It’s fascinating to think that now science supports my beliefs! To learn more about the science of HeartMath as it relates to horses, follow this link: isar.dk/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Dr_Kaye_Article.pdf Archived articles are available at tcgequine.blogspot.com. Email the author at [email protected] Visit us on Facebook: Tom Gumbrecht. Visit my very self-absorbed paint horse on Facebook at The World According To DannyBoy.
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How does a veterinary behaviorist know for sure something is or is not a psychological problem?
Why is my horse lame? Why does he keep stumbling? Why does he seem to trip over his own feet? The horse suffering from back pain or injuries can exhibit symptomatic lameness, which can also manifest as behaviour issues including stubbornness or resistance. When the horse is displaying symptoms of lameness and logical treatments are not working, the horse’s owner may turn to injections, anti-inflammatory creams, or chiropractic adjustments at the sacroiliac joint.
I stopped regularly riding my gelding, Spero, a couple years ago. I was using a bitless, treeless set-up, however...
Rick Farr of Farr & Pursey Equine Vets shares his expert advice on infected joints in horses, how they can be treated and what the prognosis is
Major health issues, including obesity, insulin resistance, PPID, and laminitis, are precipitated and maintained by low-grade, chronic inflammation which can be caused by long-term consumption of feeds high in sugar and starch.
Observing and learning horse behavior is not a big secret. Learn how a horse communicates through body language and how to read your own horse.
Written by Sylvana Smith This article originally appeared in Eclectic Horseman Issue No.2 Those quick feeding-time or social visits can build—or undermine—your relationship with your horse. I would love to spend my days immersed in horsemanship, but that's not what I do. I commute two hours to a corporate cube, work all day to pay...
Kip Mistral We have all heard that overused quotation from Sir Winston Churchill “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.” Who can argue with the thought? It is why, perhaps selfishly, we love horses so much. But if you …
Nobody has opened more gates in competition with greater success than Cynthia Cantleberry. This Paso…
Having been a lifelong owner and exhibitor of Arabian horses, I always seem to find myself in the position of being the resident “question/answerer” about the breed among friends and at whatever barn I am boarding. Just recently, one of my horsey-friends approached me in the typical style and asked me something to the effect of …
