Posts Tagged ‘performance horses’

What is better than going to the barn and seeing your horse standing in the stall, shining like new money, mane perfectly pulled and laying beautifully on your horses’ neck, dapples everywhere just talking to you saying, look at me, tail free of tangles, almost reaching the floor, thick and wavy. Not to mention your horses forelock is where it should be, not too long or too short, and no dirt or dust on your horses nose and that shining look in your best buddies eyes. Wow!!!…Hah, GET REAL. These things happen only after many weeks or months of constant serious grooming and elbow grease.

A proper balanced diet as well as a regimented exercise program with a minimal amount of stress are contributing factors to a beautiful coat on your horse. Breeding will come into play but with hard work, a brilliant coat can be achieved.Successful, well groomed horses are very pampered animals. Of course they do have a price to pay, they must do what it is that is asked of them and do it well if they wish to continue this pampered way of life. Doesn’t matter whether you have a western pleasure horse, jumping horse or dressage horse, or even a racehorse, performance horses have a job to do and they will always be expected to have positive results from their performances. Nothing in life is free, not even for them.

So, let’s get down to business. First you will need a grooming box. Most of them today are made so you can sit them over the top of a board such as a fence board. You need at least one curry comb, preferably two of them, a fairly soft bendable one and you can get curry combs that look like they have small cones sticking out of a round base with a band to put your hand into on the other side.

Next you willneed a regular size soft brush, a regular size harder brush and a very soft regular size brush. You will need a smaller hard brush for brushing out the horses feet after you have picked them out. You will need a hoof pick, a mane pulling comb and a tail brush. Last you will need a few good rub rags. You will need a large spray bottle that will be used for a detangler for the tail. Old timers would not let us use anything but a hard brush on tails as you want to try and keep the tail as long as possible for swatting flies and gnats. If you are careful you can do a good job using a comb and detangler. Some eye wash in your box is probably not a bad idea, a good hoof care product and maybe an anti-thrush product. Last you should keep some type of wound care product in your box for easy access too (check out my latest blog).

After your horse has had a bath (complete details on bathing in recent blog “Giving Your Horse A Bath From Nose To Tail“) and is now completely dry, take your softer curry comb, stand in front of your horse after you have either tied him or her in the stall with a tie chain, (tie chains are not necessarily made of chain, there are rope, elastic or other varieties), or have your horse in cross ties either in a barn or outside on a wash rack. If you are right handed, use your left hand and hold the nose band of the halter lightly, and curry your horse between the eyes, very gently, currying is usually done in a circular motion, continue up towards the ears.

Now down both sides of the cheeks. Start on the left side of the horse, if you wish you can change to your other curry comb. Continue from behind of the ear, again in circular motions, straight down the neck, onto the chest. You should gently curry between the front legs and over their chest. Do this all the way down the whole side of the horse, (the curry is not for their legs but there is a soft rubber glove type of curry that is much better for horses who are shedding this type would be ok for the legs), under the stomach, close to the spine but not directly on the spine, over the horses rump, around to the tail down to the hock. Now you need to start on the other side of the horse behind the right ear and do exactly the same. You will know if you are currying too hard because the horse will keep moving away from you or will drop his or her back down low trying to get away from the curry comb, adjust to a lighter touch. Next, take your regular size soft and regular size harder brush.

Gently start brushing at the forehead, up between the ears, behind the ears making sure to move the halter back cleaning under the crown piece of the halter very well. Using the brush in your left hand, on the left side of the horse, and your brush in your right hand, alternate strokes from top to bottom covering all areas again working your way all the way back to the tail. You will use these brushes to brush their legs all the way down to the hoof. Go to the other side using the same alternating strokes with soft and harder regular brushes. Now, starting again at the front of your horses head, use the soft regular brush and your rub rag. Do exactly the same alternating strokes except that you can sometime use the rub rag in circular motions with your right hand giving your left hand a little break.

Grab your comb, comb forelock, mane and then tail using the detangler if you get a lot of resistance or excessive knotting, starting at the bottom of the tail working upwards. Now it is time to perform the very important picking of the horses feet with your hoof pick and your small hard brush. Stand by the horses left leg facing the back of the horse, asking your horse for his or her front foot by running your hand down usually the inside of their leg. This is a taught behavior to give you their foot and practice makes perfect. After you teach this to a horse and with regular practice of this important procedure, most horses have no problem with being obliging.

As they pick up their foot, use your left hand to hold the front of their foot, using your right hand, as you face the point of the pick towards the ground, run the pick on either side of their frog and clean out any unnecessary stones, manure or other things you know do not belong there. Still holding the foot with your left hand, grab your small harder brush with your right hand, brush out the bottom of the horses foot in a downward motion. Put that foot down, run your hand, as you are bent over, on the outside of the other leg and do the same.

Continue to the back of the horse, stand by his or her hind leg, start up high, running your left hand across the rump and down the inside of the left hind leg, asking kindly for their foot, clean and brush the foot and then ask for the right hind foot, you know the deal. Job well done, stand back as you will be able to see a difference. By grooming your horse in this manner on a daily basis, it will bring you great satisfaction as you will really be able to see the difference,and your horse just might give you a smile.

Beverly Jansen
http://bevshorseadvice.com
Co-Owner of BevWeb, LLC

I’m a licensed Thoroughbred Horse Trainer and a licensed Equine Message Therapist. I have devoted my entire life to horses and have over 40 years experience to share. My blog site was created to share my knowledge and will soon offer exceptional, all natural horse products that are above and beyond any other products in comparison and will guarantee fantastic results. I will also be posting “How To” videos on my YouTube channel soon.

Author: Beverly Jansen
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Duty tariff

Horses don’t lie. A horse is not going to put his ears forward and pretend he is happy if he is not. If those ears are plastered flat back, and his tail is wringing a vicious circle, you can be certain he is not happy. What you see is what you get.

Training and attitude are two different things. Training teaches the horse to react to cues; attitude is how the horse responds. A negative horse resents and resists. He may go through all the motions, but his performance will be tense and sullen.

The apathetic horse drags himself around dull and oblivious, saying, “I’m bored; I’m brain dead; I don’t care.” But a horse with a positive attitude shows powerful, focused action.

The Beginning

Let’s look at where attitude starts. First of all, if we were to place the horse on a Freudian couch, we would find that he likes to be comfortable. A comfortable horse is content. He is confident in his rider and in his role in the partnership. At the core of this relationship is trust.

Trust is an expectation. When the horse trusts you, he has learned from consistency what will happen if. In other words, if he refuses to stop, he will feel the pressure until he does. If he refuses to turn, he will feel the pressure until he does. If he responds correctly, he will be rewarded.

When the horse knows where he stands, his actions develop power because his confidence increases. If you can plug into the horse’s confidence, you can channel that energy into a powerful performance. He becomes a horse who knows his business.

Trust is understood through communication. Communication is a system that sends and receives messages. In order for this system to work, it must be a language that can be exchanged between the two communicating. It means we must do more than tell the horse what to do; we must also listen. Refinement in horsemanship is in direct proportion to the ability to read and react appropriately to what the horse is saying.

Lack of communication is a frustrating thing. If the horse cannot make sense of what you are saying he will be confused, and in reaction to this confusion, he will either tune you out or get hostile. This attitude will manifest itself in apathetic or negative action.

Through communication and attention to his reactions, we teach the horse to accept his role in the partnership, even when he’d rather be out under a shade tree with the breeze blowing his mane.

The Key Element

In order to work, all language must adhere to consistency. Imagine what would happen if you said “Pass the salt,” when you really meant, “Where is the milk?” Salt is salt; milk is milk; and whoa is whoa.

Based on your consistency the horse learns the language. He learns to trust his actions. This gives him the courage to be bold and to show his athletic power. To clarify, trust is an expectation, and consistency is how those expectations are established.

Horsemanship’s language is called the aids. It is a body language that uses a consistent pressure and release from pressure to express what is being said. If you do not understand the aids, the horse will not be capable of trusting you.

The horse may not want to do what you ask, but his attitude will improve as he learns to expect follow-through from you. Follow-through is a pattern of cue and enforcement that teaches the horse to expect your pressure and release from pressure when he responds to your cues.

The cue always remains the same. The enforcement gets increasingly stronger until the demanded response is given. It looks like this:

cue > enforcement > wrong action

cue > ENforcement > wrong action

cue > ENFORCEMENT > correct action > reward (release from pressure)

The cue doesn’t change. It remains consistent and present with every escalation of enforcement. Eventually the horse will respond to the first cue because he seeks the release from pressure. In other words, his obedience and confidence will increase as his expectations are reinforced.

His nature can make him happy in a world of obedience as long as you are fair and he knows what the rules are.

Inconsistencies are mental surprises that make the horse uncomfortable and destroys his ability to trust you. He does not want to be shocked, nor is he delighted by surprises. Shocks and surprises will damage his attitude, especially in the area of communication.

Another element of trust is respect. A respectful horse will pay attention. I’m not talking about a horse walking on eggshells, afraid of every move you make, but the respectful horse who is just aware of you and what you are doing. This a a calm and comfortable kind of respect based on the equine custom of pecking order.

The Natural Order

The horse is a herd animal and pecking order is a natural part of his life. He knows it. He understands it. He is comfortable with it. The horse may occasionally challenge his position, and some horses are spoiled and rebellious because they have been allowed to maintain a superior attitude. But if it is made clear, through consistent use of the aids, that you are his leader, he will accept it as normal and be happy about it.

Respect has a natural awareness for space. Both animals and humans have what is called “their space,” and as the dominant steps into the space of the submissive, the submissive moves out of the way.

If the horse moves into your space he is challenging you. When I’m talking about space, I’m talking about that area where we protect ourselves, that place when we feel pressured to move. The horse’s attitude toward you will improve when he is not allowed to enter your space and push you around.

This respect for space will carry over from the ground into the saddle as the horse learns to stop challenging your authority. He can enjoy your affection or you may push him around; if the pecking order is intact, it will be comfortable for both of you.

Healthy respect also tunes up the horse’s level of responsiveness because the horse’s natural desire is to keep track of what is happening up the pecking order. He will be paying attention to you.

Attitude is absolute. It is there in one form or another, and as we teach the horse to trust us we encourage his positive side.

It is your responsibility to establish communication on the horse’s level and to understand his needs. You must be fair in your expectations and encourage him toward his potential at a reasonable pace and also take into account that his personality, level of training, and physical condition should match the work he asked to do.

With trust, his performance will gain power from the confidence he has. Good attitude shows. It gives the horse that sparkle that takes him over the line from average to exceptional.

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Author: Kathy Bennett
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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In my practice I see many horses suffering from the ill effects of hoof flares, especially the barefoot horse. In fact, with the barefoot movement becoming so popular, I see more horses than ever who have improperly trimmed hooves, sometimes with serious side effects. I’ve seen many performance horses with health and soundness issues directly relating to hoof flares. That’s why this article focuses on both the causes of hoof flares and the ways to prevent them.

Hoof flares are caused by a weakening of the attachments (laminae) of the hoof wall to the coffin bone inside the foot. In wild horses the separation that occurs at the lower part of the wall allows that portion of wall to break off so that their hooves don’t grow too long in soft footing. Horses in the wild live on rocky soil and rarely have hoof flares because constant travel over rough ground (up to 25 miles a day) keeps the hoof worn off at the correct length. Most domesticated horses don’t live on such rocky soil but, even so, there is no reason that, with proper trimming and management, the barefoot horse should suffer from hoof flares.

To determine if your horse has hoof flares run a straight edge from the coronary band to the ground surface of the foot and move this edge all the way around the hoof. There should never be any space between the straight edge and the hoof wall. Does your barefoot horse have hoof flares? If so, you might want to consider the conditions that allow them to form, including both mechanical causes, nutritional causes, and hoof wall infections.

** Mechanical Causes **

Obesity: An overweight horse or a horse with a large body but small feet will tend to have trouble with hoof flares because of the excess weight that has to be carried over such a small area. In a barefoot horse, the overtaxed laminae weaken and stretch, causing flares. Dieting and increased exercise are the obvious answers for the overweight horse but the small-footed horse will have to be managed with greater care. If you have a small-footed horse you will need to pay close attention to his diet and be sure that hoof flares are trimmed off at each trimming.

Too Long Between Trims: In the wild hoof flares are nature’s way of breaking off excessive hoof wall. In other words, the hoof wall is weaker where the hoof flares and tends to break off as the horse travels over hard, rocky soil. Without this mechanism the wild horse would end up extremely long flared hooves and would not be able to run from predators. Fortunately, wild horses constantly wear their hooves down with lengthy daily travel. The domestic barefoot horse is not as fortunate. Since most domestic horses live on soft ground and don’t travel as much as wild horses, they don’t have a chance to wear their hooves down daily, a little at a time. Instead, the domesticated horse’s hooves grow flares, which then break off in large chunks. This uneven wear makes it hard to shoe the horse or balance the hoof for even weight-bearing. The best way to avoid flares caused by hoof overgrowth is to trim your horse at regular intervals and be sure to keep a roll on the edge of the hoof wall to allow for easy breakover.

** Nutritional Causes **

Deficiencies or Imbalances: Horses need adequate minerals in the correct balance to have healthy hooves. Sulfur is especially important because it is a disulfide bond that holds the hoof laminae to the coffin bone. If your barefoot horse suffers from poor hoof quality it is important to analyze the nutritional content of your hay before adding expensive supplements. If analyzing your hay is not an option then consider giving your horse a food-based supplement such as Simplexity Health’s blue-green algae, which provides a very broad range of trace minerals in a balanced form that your horse can easily assimilate. Biotin is another nutrient that is important for hoof health but if your horse has plenty of beneficial bacteria in his gut, these bacteria produce will produce sufficient biotin. It is better to support your horse’s good gut bacteria by feeding probiotics than feeding biotin because the healthy bacteria does so much more for your horse, including keeping his immune system strong. Simplexity Health also offers high potency probiotics.

Overfeeding: Besides making your horse fat, giving your horse too much feed that is high in starch will cause a shift in the bacterial population in your horse’s hindgut (or cecum). Normally the cecum is designed to digest only fiber but if undigested starch makes it past the small intestine into the hindgut, the fiber-digesting bacteria that live in the cecum die off and the starch-digesting bacteria take over. This shift can be devastating to your horse because it causes toxins to be released into his bloodstream that, in turn, cause an enzyme to be released that breaks down the laminae in the hoof wall. Well-known hoof expert Pete Ramey believes that this is nature’s way of allowing excessively long hoof walls to break off easily if the wild horse happens to move into a grazing situation with high sugar content forage. In the wild horse this bounty would be a temporary situation but with the barefoot domestic horse long-term high starch or sugar diets can cause chronic hoof problems that may eventually progress to laminitis.

** Hoof Wall Infections **

Many types of fungus and bacteria have been blamed for hoof wall separation or “white line” disease but in reality these pathogens are probably simply taking advantage of the environment created in the foot when the hoof wall attachments become weak from another cause. Once the pathogen is in place, however, to promote healthy hoof growth in your barefoot horse you may need to treat your horse’s hooves even after the underlying cause has been corrected. Very minor hoof wall infections respond to a topical mix of 1 ounce tea tree oil diluted in 16 ounces of apple cider vinegar. Deeper infections must be treated more aggressively. The best product I have found for persistent white line infections is White Lightning. This product is applied under a wrap or within an airtight soaking boot and it releases a chlorine gas that penetrates deep into the hoof tissue. It does not affect healthy tissue and the treatment should be done once a week until healthy hoof attachments have grown all the way down and there is no separation or stretching showing in the white line. Horses that don’t respond to treatment for hoof infections and careful management may have a weak immune system and treatment will need to be focused there to see results.

How to Trim Hoof Flares

If you barefoot horse does have hoof flares, I recommend trimming them aggressively. When I trim a horse with hoof flares, I rasp from the front of the hoof wall until I no longer have any space showing when I run my straight edge around the hoof. This may remove enough wall that shoeing will not be possible and the horse may need boots or pea gravel footing to be comfortable. Some trimmers are not going to want to do this but I feel it is the fastest way to grow out a healthy hoof as any flare that is left in place will tend to drag the new hoof growing down away from the bone. The best plan is to avoid hoof flares and with proper management of the hoof, diet, and immune system they should never be a problem.

For more information on managing the barefoot horse or for one-stop shopping for holistic horsekeeping products such as those mentioned in this article, be sure to click the resource box below.

Author: Dr. Madalyn Ward, DVM
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Here’s a quick test. Ready?

* Does your horse sometimes seem sluggish, gain or lose weight easily, or lose muscle over his top line but maintain a cresty neck?

* Does he stock up easily or sometimes seem prone to hoof soreness or abscesses?

If your horse displays any of these symptoms he could be insulin resistant (IR), a condition that has recently come to the attention of many professionals and owners in the horse industry.

Insulin is produced by your horse’s pancreas and is needed to move glucose out of the blood and into the cells where it can be used for energy. Some horses are genetically predisposed to develop a condition where their cells do not respond properly to insulin so glucose metabolism is impaired. However, not all horses that have this predisposition will develop insulin resistance. Triggers that can case this condition to manifest include high-carbohydrate or high-fat diets, mineral deficiencies, lack of exercise, obesity, and stress. Let’s look at each of these factors.

High-Carbohydrate Diets

Carbohydrate levels in feeds are best evaluated by looking at the non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) levels. Unfortunately, these levels are not listed on most feed bags but they can be obtained for most grains and hays at http://www.equi-analytical.com/. Some experts feel that a horse with IR should have a total diet that is less than 10% NSC. However, this low percentage is difficult to achieve as few feeds or hays have less than 11% NSC and they must be soaked to leach out the sugars to get levels this low. I feel most performance horses that are not showing serious symptoms, such as laminitis, and are still being worked regularly can handle NSC levels between 10% and 15%.

High-Fat Diets

IR horses vary greatly in the amount of fat they can handle. In general the longer the condition has been active the less fat the horse can metabolize. Long standing IR will cause damage to the horse’s liver as the body tries to store the extra circulating glucose in the liver. This causes a fatty liver syndrome and the liver will swell, which blocks the bile ducts. Bile is needed for fat digestion and if flow of bile into the small intestine is blocked, fat will not be digested. In addition, the presence of fat will interfere with the digestion and assimilation of other important nutrients. I often suggest the herb milk thistle be given to horses that have IR because it has a protective effect on the liver. It also contains certain minerals, such as selenium, which help some horses cope with the muscle soreness that can occur with IR. I suggest one tablespoon daily of freshly-ground milk thistle seeds.

Mineral Deficiencies or Imbalances

Many minerals are important for carbohydrate metabolism, including but not limited to magnesium, chromium, manganese, and zinc. Mineral imbalances can also cause relative deficiencies if too much of one mineral interferes with the absorption of another. For example, magnesium and calcium use the same pathway for absorption so an excess of calcium can cause a deficiency of magnesium, even if the minimum requirement for magnesium in the diet is being met. The only way to definitely determine the mineral levels in your horse’s diet is to test all of your horse’s feed and hay. While this can be difficult it is worth the effort if your horse might be insulin-resistant. The website http://www.equi-analytical.com will give you the information you need to send in the correct samples. For horses that are not showing serious symptoms I prefer to look at the typical levels of nutrients in regional hay and feed samples; make sure the diet is balanced for macro minerals like calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium; and then use a food source that contains easily assimilated minerals, like blue-green algae, as a supplement to provide the micro minerals.

Lack of Exercise

Lack of exercise can affect the horse in several ways. First, it creates stress in many horses. Second, it contributes to obesity. Most diets designed for performance horses are based on keeping the horse at the correct weight when he is in work. As soon as the horse goes off work, either because of an injury or bad weather, he will start gaining weight if his feed is not cut. Third, exercise increases the cells sensitivity to insulin, even in IR horses. This is why we are able to give feeds with slightly higher NSC levels to performance horse in work.

Obesity

Obesity is a major trigger for IR. It is a sign that the carbohydrate intake of the horse has been higher than his need for a period of time. Excessive carbohydrate intake will increase the production of insulin, and continued exposure to high insulin levels can decrease the cells’ sensitivity to it. Obese horses are also less likely to exercise on their own.

Stress

Last but certainly not least is stress. Horses are fight-or-flight prey animals and, as such, tend to release glucose quickly into the blood if frightened. In a natural environment, a frightened horse needs this glucose to either run away or fight. These activities quickly consume the glucose in the blood. Domestic horses under chronic stress have a similar fight-or-flight response and will experience the continued release of corticosteroids. This causes glucose levels to stay high and will keep triggering the release of insulin. The high levels of circulating insulin are the cause of many of the symptoms we see in constantly-stressed horses. To avoid this situation, get to know your horse and determine what stresses him. Avoid putting him in these situations whenever possible. If you simply can’t avoid a known stress, be there to support him. A horse that knows he is loved and appreciated can handle much more stress than one who is treated like a tool.

Discovering Whether Your Horse is IR

To find out if your horse is IR you can have a simple blood test done that measures glucose and insulin levels, and then takes a ratio of glucose mg/dL divided by insulin mU/L. If this number comes out over 10 then you have nothing to worry about. If the number falls between 4.5 and 10 your horse is IR but is still compensating. If your horse falls in this category, you need to change his management (in terms of the factors discussed above) to prevent his condition from worsening. If the number is less than 4.5 then your horse is already compromised. If you do not immediately change his management, he could be at risk for laminitis.

For this test to be accurate the blood that is collected must be centrifuged to separate the serum within 30 minutes to one hour, and then the serum should be chilled and sent promptly to a lab. If the blood is not handled appropriately it will give a falsely low glucose reading. In many cases the glucose and insulin reading may be within the normal range but the ratio will still show IR. The trick is not to wait for your horse’s lab readings to go outside the normal ranges before making changes in the way you manage your horse.

Luckily, performance horses with IR tend to respond well to dietary changes. The main thing is to get the NSC levels down. Most sweet feeds contain 60% NSC so it is almost impossible to get the levels low enough. Oats are 50% NSC, making it a challenge to feed but it can be used in very small amounts if combined with grass hay plus alfalfa hay to bring the energy up. A diet of 3 pounds of oats, 3 pounds of alfalfa and, 12 pounds of grass hay would still have a NSC level of 18%, which is too high.

A better diet would be 2 pounds of rice bran, 4 pounds of alfalfa, and 12 pounds of grass hay, which offers enough calories for a horse in light work and still has a NSC level of around 14%. This diet also has a 3.5% fat content, so it is not likely trigger any digestive upsets. Some feed companies are now recognizing IR and listing the NSC ratios of their feeds. If you want to simplify your math you can get one of these feeds and then test just your hay. If you don’t buy large amounts of hay you may be able to ask your supplier to test his loads as they come in and let you know the NSC levels of the hay you are buying. If you are not able to test your hay you can soak it for 30 minutes in hot water or one hour in cold to lower the sugar levels. This may seem like a lot of work but could make a big difference in your horse’s health!

Author: Dr. Madalyn Ward, DVM
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Feeding the boarded horse is slightly different than feeding the horse that lives on pasture. The boarded horse may spend more amount of time in a stall and therefore requires a different feeding regime. The boarded horse does not usually have an ample supply of roughage and it is your job to provide him with as much as he needs. The boarded horse may also eat grain but not always have a place to release any energy acquired from it. This makes it important that you feed him only what he requires and not what he desires.

The horse’s exercise regimen should be considered when developing a feeding strategy. Age, gender and size all play key roles in deciding how much the horse should be fed. A four or five year old horse that is ridden for an hour a day will do well if he is kept on a maintenance diet. He is not working extremely hard and would be considered lightly worked. It does not matter if the horse is a gelding, mare or stallion. The horse should receive approximately one percent of his weight in hay per day and will work well on a ten percent protein feed ration. If the horse is a pregnant mare, however, her feed intake will need to be increased throughout the year so that she will have enough energy to sustain her pregnancy. She may also need to be fed a higher protein ration later in her pregnancy.

Horses that are used for a sport such as jumping, roping or cutting will have different feed requirements from the lightly worked horse. The horse will need about one percent of his body weight in hay, however, he should be fed a higher protein ration. He may also require a larger amount of feed depending on how well he gains weight and keeps his weight. A general rule of thumb is that if the horse requires more energy then you should gradually increase the amount of feed he intakes. High performance horses will also do well on fat-added diets as their bodies will use the excess fat in performance situations and it will help sustain their glucose levels. This holds true for heavily worked cutting horses, roping horses, racehorses and cross-country eventers. These horses are doing an extreme amount of physical work.

The nutrition requirements for feeding horses is generally that a mature adult horse requires eight percent protein for daily maintenance. If the horse is on a very good grass hay or alfalfa hay, he will not need supplementation from grain. This horse is lightly worked and more of a weekend rider. Younger horses require ten to twelve percent daily protein depending whether or not they are being rapidly grown or not. A horse that is being rapidly grown must receive a constant supply of energy. Switching a rapidly growing horse to a diet for a horse that is not being rapidly grown will result in devastating health effects. Owners can buy a well balanced sweet feed from the feed store with a good alfalfa hay and will meet their horse’s feed requirements. If the horse begins losing weight, gradualy increase his feed until he appears to be gaining weight again.

A classic feed ration for horses is oats and grass hay. As this is hard to mess up and your horse should not founder on this feeding regime, it is actually not the healthiest regime for a horse. There is a calcium to phosphate ration figured into all feed rations. This ration should be 2:1. The ratio in oats and grass hay actually has an upside down ratio of 1:2. While this may not cause noticeable effects in a horse now, it my cause him to lose calcium as he ages due to the phosphate tying up the calcium in the bones. This may cause the horse to be more susceptible to broken bones. Another common scenario found is people who feed their horse a mix of both oats and sweet feed. There is a common misconception that sweet feed causes horses to be hyper, when in actuality the horse should have his grain ration cut back or removed completely. Many people believe that the molasses in the sweet feed is what causes horses to be hyper and will “cut” the feed with oats. This actually hurts the horse more than it helps as the feed is balanced on it’s own but when you add the oats then the balance of the feed is changed. It is best to pick one type of feed and stick to it rather than change it. If you must change the type of feed, then you should do it gradually as not to disturb the microbacterial population that resides in the hind gut of the horse. Many racehorse trainers and show horse trainers choose oats because they can find them anywhere they travel. They supplement the oats with a well-balanced hay and insure that their calcium to phosphate ratio is okay.

The boarded horse may require a hay bag or interval feedings of hay depending on the quality of the hay. It is best if the horse is able to munch on grass hay all day and receive alfalfa with his grain. This will keep is digestive system working properly as if he were grazing in the pasture. This is not always capable of happening and splitting the hay ration in half and feeding it to him twice a day will suffice. Some farms offer multiple feedings per day. If you find a facility that offers this, this great for your horse’s health. Horses have small stomachs and benefit from receiving five or six small meals a day versus two large meals per day. This immitates their natural grazing behavior and allows their digestive system to work properly. Multiple small meals per day also eliminates many of the causes of colic as well. The system is not being shocked by large amounts of carbohydrates and sugars all at once.

While making the decision what and how to feed your horse there are a couple of thoughts to consider. First, look at how much work your horse is doing now and how much work your horse will do in the future. Secondly, look at what he is being fed by his current owner. The owner or breeder should have the horse on a good diet, however, you may decide that the diet needs tweaking. You should also look at the horse’s body condition and decide whether or not he needs to gain or lose weight. The individual needs of the horse must be assessed before committing to a feeding regimen and even then he may require some adjustments along the way. If you do feel that your horse should receive extra grain for extra hard work on a particular day, it is best to feed it as another meal and not include it in his nightly ration. This will help him digest properly without causing him to overeat at one meal. As a rule of thumb, you can expect an average horse to stay in shape on one pound of concentrate and and one and a half pounds of hay for every hundred pounds that he weighs. This may and most likely will need to be adjusted as your horse ages or begins to receive more exercise.

Author: Ron Petracek
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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It is often the little things that make a big difference when it comes to horse health care.

Have you ever noticed how some horses who have been doing poorly start to thrive when one or two little things are tweaked in their management program? Horses are relatively simple creatures and their needs are not complicated. The devil, as they say, is in the details when it comes to horse health care.

7 Little Things That Matter a Lot in Horse Health Care

As a zen cowgirl who has seen a lot of horses come and go, both performance horses and backyard pleasure horses, I’ve classified 7 areas of “little things that make a big difference” when it comes to horse health care. Take a gander and see if you agree with me.

#1 – Basic Nutrition

Horses are phenomenal creatures in that a little nutrition goes a very long way. Horses are accustomed to eating lots of food that is high in fiber and low in nutrients, so when you add just a small quantity of power-packed nutrition to their diet, the results are pretty astounding. Don’t you think it’s amazing that you can change the health of a 1,200 pound creature by just adding 1 liquid ounce of nutritional supplements to your horse’s feed?

I feed an ounce of my special horse goo, which I mix up on my kitchen table, to each of my 4 horses and the results are pretty amazing. The goo, which includes XanGo’s mangosteen juice plus Simplexity Health’s Essentials, is a wonderful maintenance tonic that keeps my horses healthy, happy, and symptom-free. The mangosteen juice is a wonderful antioxidant and source of trace minerals, while the Essentials have probiotics, enzymes, and blue-green algae. Together the combo significantly contributes to my horses’ well-being, even in tiny doses.

#2 – Plenty of Long-Stem Chewable Food

To stay healthy horses need to chew on something pretty much all day and all night. To keep both mind and body happy, horses need plenty of long-stem chewable material, like hay. They also need to be walking while they eat, as this helps their digestion and keeps them active. Since hay doesn’t meet all of a horse’s nutritional needs, I view it as entertainment. Chewing on hay all the time keeps a horse occupied and out of trouble. It is tempting to feed soaked beet pulp pellets and a Senior feed instead of hay when hay is in short supply, but this kind of diet doesn’t offer the long-stem feeds that horses need to stay healthy. If you must feed beet pulp, choose the shreds over the pellets because the shred are longer-stemmed than the pellets, which are chopped up.

One thing that works very well for horses not on a giant pasture is Jaime Jackson’s Paddock Paradise concept, which keeps horses walking and eating all day long. Just Google Paddock Paradise to get the scoop.

#3 – Basic Body Maintenance

Basic body maintenance is an essential part of good horse health care, but doesn’t need to be complicated or cost a lot. If you horse has its nutritional needs met and is kept out of trouble by having plenty to chew on, veterinary care boils down to hoof care, dental care, regular de-worming, possible vaccinations, and any bodywork that might be needed.

Depending on how much hands-on work you want to do, you can handle most of the hoof care, de-worming, vaccinations, and body work yourself. I wouldn’t recommend taking on the dental care. I do everything but the dental care for my horses. It is possible to learn bodywork (massage, acupressure, Equine Touch) from books or workshops. The same goes for hoof care, especially if you keep your horses barefoot. If you don’t want to handle these chores yourself, scheduling one visit per year with your veterinarian should take care of dental work and vaccinations. Then add in visits from the farrier every 6-8 weeks and body work as needed, and you’re good to go. Just keep it simple.

#4 – Space to Roam

Wild horses travel up to 25 miles per day in search of food and water. Horses are meant to be on the move, all the time, so if at all possible give your horse plenty of room to run. If you keep your horse in a stall, schedule as much turnout as possible. If you have a choice between keeping your horse in a run or a stall, choose a run. It always amazes me that horse people pay more for a smaller space (stall) than they do for a larger space (a run) or for pasture care. A run or pasture ends up being cheaper boarding options than a stall, not to mention healthier for your horse. If you have limited room or no pasture for grazing, consider the Pasture Paradise concept (Google it) to make the most out of a small space and keep your horse moving.

#5 – Match Your Horse’s Job to His Personality

Every horse is a particular personality type, just as people have personality types. Each type wants to be loved in a different way. Veterinarian Dr. Madalyn Ward has developed a horse personality typing system that helps you determine your horse’s personality type, and understand how best to manage your horse. Check out the Horse Harmony Test.

More importantly, once you’ve figured out your horse’s type, see if your horse’s job, management, diet, and so forth match his personality type (you can get all the details in her book, Horse Harmony). Tweaking your horse’s management program so that it fits his personality can go a long way to keeping your horse healthy and happy.

#6 – Other Horses to Play With

Horses are herd animals, which means they are not meant to live alone. Horses feel safe and secure when in a herd. To keep your horse happy, he needs to at least be able to see and hear other horses. Better still would be if your horse could interact with other horses in a herd situation. Of course, your job is to ensure that the herd is composed of suitable companions for your horses so that your horse emerges from a play session injury-free and happily satisfied. If you keep your horse where he cannot see or hear other horses, consider bringing in some kind of companion, even if it’s not another horses. Horses often get along with donkeys, mules, goats, or even llamas.

#7 – Time Off to Be a Horse

This is especially true for performance horses who are campaigned heavily all year long. Most horses are more than willing to do their jobs, but they need down-time to just be horses. If you have a performance horse on the circuit, consider turning him out to pasture for a month or two during the winter. While he may lose some of his physical condition, his mental condition will be restored, and he will work all the better for you. This is a case of “less is more,” where slightly less work equals more effective showing later in the season.

Horse Health Care – Why the Little Things Matter

These little “tweaks” to your horse’s management program can matter a lot because at the end of the day, a horse is a horse, not a motorcycle. Horses are living, breathing creatures who have adapted remarkably well to domestication, but nevertheless have some basic needs that date back to their ancestral roots. You’ll be amazed how much happier a horse can be when his basic physiological and psychological needs are met. For instance, many a wood-chewing horse has been restored to normalcy by simply having constant access to long-stemmed feed like hay or beet pulp shreds. Putting a round-bale into your horse’s pen is a simple “tweak” that can produce big results (and equal less carpentry work for you)!

Got any other great “tweaks”? Leave a comment so everyone else can benefit!

Author: Stephanie H. Yeh
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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As there are different techniques for dog grooming or health care for the dog breeds, the same is true about horses… Have you heard about acupuncture for horses? Acupuncture is something that most of us our familiar with. However many people are perhaps ignorant of the fact that acupuncture is also used on animals for example on different dog breeds (canine acupuncture). Equine acupuncture is a method where this particular treatment is used to cure horses.

There seems to be some confusion over the origins of this unique method. Some claim that it was found in China while others believe that equine acupuncture was found in Tibet. The thing that must be kept in mind is that this treatment was one that came about 3000 – 4000 years before organized western medicine came into use.

Equine acupuncture gained global popularity during this time since the horse was a significant animal and was used for war and for transportation. However there are still those who think negatively of acupuncture considering it to be unproductive and somewhat primitive. This is indeed a misunderstanding. Good results gained through use of equine acupuncture on horses suffering from varying health problems and acupuncture being effective on people suffering from arthritis has lead to its widespread acceptance.

Some people might be amazed to know that equine acupuncture is extensively used in the case of performance horses and veterinary acupuncturists have accompanied several Olympic teams during games. In this case the motive is not just to treat any clinical conditions but also to ensure that the horse in question is in the best possible level physically before the games. The fact that it’s unnecessary to use drugs in equine acupuncture makes it all the more attractive since horses that are given drugs face the risk of being disqualified from competitions.

Some people have are of the notion that acupuncture is painful. This is not so in a majority of cases. People might get a numb or a ‘warm’ kind of feeling at most Even in the case of horses in equine acupuncture since the needles used are very thin, being only about 0.18 – 0.25 millimeters in width it’s unlikely that there is going to be any pain.

If you do intend to have equine acupuncture done on a horse that you might own make sure that the veterinarian you hire is qualified for the job. Certification on this regard is issued by 2 bodies and you might be able to find online the veterinarian working closest to your house who is qualified at equine acupuncture.

It must be kept in mind however that equine acupuncture is a treatment that tends to be somewhat costly. Though this unique treatment is unconventional it is effective.