QUESTION: I've seen horses that will "bow" for their owners when asked. I think this is cute. How can I teach my pony to bow?
ANSWER: This is an easy trick to teach if done in steps. Also, I use clicker training to achieve this. For you need to teach your horse what a "click" is and that it’s a promise of a treat-to-come. Simply "clicking" (you don't need a mechanical clicker to do this - just a click of your tongue will do nicely) Very easy steps to do this ...
1. "Click" and give your horse a treat. (a couple of bits of grain or a Cheerio work well as treats) Repeat several times.
2. When you think he/she "has it down" then have a friend distract your pony (or wait until he's distracted) and then CLICK ... See if he turns his attention right back to you expecting a treat. If so, he's learned to associate the "click" with the treat.
3. NOW ... You can teach the horse to "target" an object. A small, Walmart orange soccer cone does well for this or some other easy to see object that is safe and won't cause harm to the pony. Hold the cone about 3 feet out from the pony's nose and wait for the pony to "investigate" and touch with his nose. Tell him "Touch!" At the INSTANT he touches the cone with his nose, CLICK then give a Cheerio or piece of grain. Repeat ... 3 - 4 times. At first you may have to "help" him touch the cone ... Wait to see if he reaches his head out towards the cone then touch his nose with the cone and CLICK! Then hand a treat. Once the pony has successfully touched the cone upon request 3 - 4 times he's got is down.
4. Now, you can try moving the cone around a bit so he has to reach down or up or around to touch it. Again, 3 or 4 times of touching it successfully and he's got it.
5. Try a different object. Repeat the steps above.
6. Once you are sure the horse is understanding the cue "TOUCH" you can now begin to take an object and holding it down and between the ponies legs, encourage him to "touch" the object there.
7. OK, now you've got the pony stretching down and back to touch the object ... Time to teach him to lift his leg at the same time. Do this step by step as you did with the "touch". ...
--Ask the pony to lift its hoof. CLICK the INSTANT his hoof is coming UP. Treat.
--Once pony is responding to just a touch to his shoulder to lift his hoof, start to teach him to HOLD his hoof up by using an "intermediate" click (intermediate bridge signal) ...
--Once you have the "hoof in hand" ask the pony to "Hold it! Hold it! Hold it!" (int. bridge) and then CLICK (terminal bridge meaning the task is done)! TREAT. When the pony has held his hoof up "long enough" (as per your own judgement for time) ...
8. Now put the two behaviors together ... Ask the pony to bring his head down then while his head is down ask for his hoof. I use the cue for this combined behavior of "Can you bow, please?".
Doesn't take long for the pony to learn this. Ponies and horses are SMART!
Clicker Training can be utilized to teach a horse or pony all sorts of behaviors ... Its not just for "tricks"! The concept is to use POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT training ... That is, marking (clicking) and rewarding the pony for executing a favorable behavior (requested behavior).
DO NOT PUNISH the horse for a "wrong" answer ... There IS NO WRONG ANSWER! The pony/horse will only be trying to understand your cue and reacting accordingly. It's a LEARNING process for the pony and a TEACHING process for you. Not a "demand" to do something.
Remember, the pony or horse only need repeat a behavior 3 or 4 times perfectly and its forever embedded in their memory. They may, at one time or another, choose NOT to comply with you for whatever reason. And that's OK ... And they may not adapt quickly to something new because YOU are not being clear to them with your cues. So always be sure YOU are correct with your cues and REWARD THE TRY!
This is a wonderful, FUN way to help ponies and horses face spooky things, too ... simply encourage them to "touch" a scary object and it soon becomes a "game" for them!
Monday, August 13, 2007
Personal Space & Safety
I have a yearling - Glory... we did a great job in imprinting...but I would like to know what kind of exercises we can do with her to teach her about her space.vs ours... not being pushy, bumping into us...and curbing typical toddler behavior...
Little traumas maybe... sometimes she just drops and rolls when she doesnt get her way...that seems to be curbing more now...but I dont know if it was an early age thing that she's just growing out of...
Many thanks! Patty
Hi Patty ... Well, I'm sure you did a good job in imprinting and I'm sure Glory is just being a normal yearling. They all, just like human toddlers, have to test to see what they can get away with and what's safe and what's not. PLUS ... Increase the attention span and focus so she'll know just where YOU are and she needs to watch out for you! *grin*
There is a simple exercise that is very effective and non-aggressive at all. Understand, however, that until the pony reaches about 3 or 4 years old that she will be testing you on a regular basis! \
Stand on the near side of the pony (left side) and face the opposite direction from the pony. Hold the lead rope in an overhand hold in your LEFT hand while the right hand either holds near the end of the lead (I like to work with a 10 - 15' lead) to swing towards the hip as "pressure" or hold a crop with a tassle on the end (also to use as "pressure"). While you walk back towards the pony's hip (focus your eyes and your own hips on the pony's hip) bring your left hand up towards the withers so the pony's head has to go around back and up a bit. As you do this you are walking towards the pony's hip, focusing on the hip and putting pressure on the hip with your presence/energy or swinging the end of the lead rope. (or tapping on the hip with the crop lightly, annoyingly.) You're asking the pony to step his inside leg (one closest to you) in FRONT of the outside leg and pivot right around on her front hooves. You don't want the pony to go in small circles .. You want the pony to do what's called a "hind-end disengagement" ... Or, turn on the forehand. A quick one. Once the pony steps over, RELEASE THE PRESSURE and praise her! Give her a little treat (A Cheerio or piece of grain)and tell her what a GOOD pony she is! Then, ask again ... Repeat this several times until you've made a complete 360 then switch sides and ask her the same from her off side (right side). You'll notice as you do this with assertiveness and kindness that she will begin to blink her eyes. This is good. This is what you want. A blinking horse is a thinking horse.
Now, you've completed a 360 from both sides of the pony, now, ask her to step back. Give a gentle pressure backwards on the lead rope while you focus your hips on her chest ... Putting pressure into her chest so she'll step back. One step back, release the pressure and praise her/treat her! Good! Next ask for another step back. Release and praise/treat again. Next ask her to step back 4 steps ... Release/praise/treat. You're not only exhibiting YOUR higher rank by getting her to step backwards but you are also praising her for the "right" answer/"right" behavior. Don't be afraid to escalate the pressure if she, instead of stepping back the first time, pushes into you. With an ASSERTIVE demeanor, increase the pressure but at the same time make yourself a bit bigger and say, "ExCUSE me! I think I asked you to step back. Now ... Step back!" EXPECT her to step back. Your demeanor will send out a "feel" to her that will either say "I'M YOUR LEADER and you must follow" or, "I'M THE BOSS NOW GET MOVING!" or ... "I'm sorry, I know you don't want to step back but I'm asking you to so you have to! Please?" You want to assume an ASSERTIVE ... "ExCUSE me! I believe I asked you to step back, Young Lady ... Now move those peanut hooves!" rather than a demanding, dictorial "I'm the boss now MOVE!" or the insecure, unsure, "Awww, please step back?!" By stepping back when YOU ask her to, she'll understand, through design, that YOU are higher ranking than she is and she must do what you request. You want to be fair and considerate at all times ... Never aggressive (VERY few instances where one needs aggression with horses) but ASSERTIVE ... *** expecting *** her to move just because you're her leader and you asked her to do so. Horses and ponies will not move backwards or sideways or spin around to face any other horse UNLESS that horse is higher ranking in the herd. If the horse is not higher ranking then that horse will risk getting kicked if encroaching on a higher ranking horse. Make sense?
Our attitudes/demeanors mean more to our ponies and horses than our voices or tools or even body language. They can sense our demeanors and sense our expectations as part of their survival instincts. So, be considerate yet assertively firm. As the "Dog Whisperer" would say ... "Use calm assertiveness." *grin*
Hope that helps a bit.
Little traumas maybe... sometimes she just drops and rolls when she doesnt get her way...that seems to be curbing more now...but I dont know if it was an early age thing that she's just growing out of...
Many thanks! Patty
Hi Patty ... Well, I'm sure you did a good job in imprinting and I'm sure Glory is just being a normal yearling. They all, just like human toddlers, have to test to see what they can get away with and what's safe and what's not. PLUS ... Increase the attention span and focus so she'll know just where YOU are and she needs to watch out for you! *grin*
There is a simple exercise that is very effective and non-aggressive at all. Understand, however, that until the pony reaches about 3 or 4 years old that she will be testing you on a regular basis! \
Stand on the near side of the pony (left side) and face the opposite direction from the pony. Hold the lead rope in an overhand hold in your LEFT hand while the right hand either holds near the end of the lead (I like to work with a 10 - 15' lead) to swing towards the hip as "pressure" or hold a crop with a tassle on the end (also to use as "pressure"). While you walk back towards the pony's hip (focus your eyes and your own hips on the pony's hip) bring your left hand up towards the withers so the pony's head has to go around back and up a bit. As you do this you are walking towards the pony's hip, focusing on the hip and putting pressure on the hip with your presence/energy or swinging the end of the lead rope. (or tapping on the hip with the crop lightly, annoyingly.) You're asking the pony to step his inside leg (one closest to you) in FRONT of the outside leg and pivot right around on her front hooves. You don't want the pony to go in small circles .. You want the pony to do what's called a "hind-end disengagement" ... Or, turn on the forehand. A quick one. Once the pony steps over, RELEASE THE PRESSURE and praise her! Give her a little treat (A Cheerio or piece of grain)and tell her what a GOOD pony she is! Then, ask again ... Repeat this several times until you've made a complete 360 then switch sides and ask her the same from her off side (right side). You'll notice as you do this with assertiveness and kindness that she will begin to blink her eyes. This is good. This is what you want. A blinking horse is a thinking horse.
Now, you've completed a 360 from both sides of the pony, now, ask her to step back. Give a gentle pressure backwards on the lead rope while you focus your hips on her chest ... Putting pressure into her chest so she'll step back. One step back, release the pressure and praise her/treat her! Good! Next ask for another step back. Release and praise/treat again. Next ask her to step back 4 steps ... Release/praise/treat. You're not only exhibiting YOUR higher rank by getting her to step backwards but you are also praising her for the "right" answer/"right" behavior. Don't be afraid to escalate the pressure if she, instead of stepping back the first time, pushes into you. With an ASSERTIVE demeanor, increase the pressure but at the same time make yourself a bit bigger and say, "ExCUSE me! I think I asked you to step back. Now ... Step back!" EXPECT her to step back. Your demeanor will send out a "feel" to her that will either say "I'M YOUR LEADER and you must follow" or, "I'M THE BOSS NOW GET MOVING!" or ... "I'm sorry, I know you don't want to step back but I'm asking you to so you have to! Please?" You want to assume an ASSERTIVE ... "ExCUSE me! I believe I asked you to step back, Young Lady ... Now move those peanut hooves!" rather than a demanding, dictorial "I'm the boss now MOVE!" or the insecure, unsure, "Awww, please step back?!" By stepping back when YOU ask her to, she'll understand, through design, that YOU are higher ranking than she is and she must do what you request. You want to be fair and considerate at all times ... Never aggressive (VERY few instances where one needs aggression with horses) but ASSERTIVE ... *** expecting *** her to move just because you're her leader and you asked her to do so. Horses and ponies will not move backwards or sideways or spin around to face any other horse UNLESS that horse is higher ranking in the herd. If the horse is not higher ranking then that horse will risk getting kicked if encroaching on a higher ranking horse. Make sense?
Our attitudes/demeanors mean more to our ponies and horses than our voices or tools or even body language. They can sense our demeanors and sense our expectations as part of their survival instincts. So, be considerate yet assertively firm. As the "Dog Whisperer" would say ... "Use calm assertiveness." *grin*
Hope that helps a bit.
Terrified of Trailer
Q: Hi Gwen,
I was with a friend, and she stopped at one of her aquaintances house. There was a lady there with a small trailer, and a two yr old horse. The horse was there to be trimmed, when we were there the man had already finished with her, and you could tell her feet were sore by the way she was holding them. They were trying to load her onto the trailer, and you could tell she was just terrified. She jerked back, flipped over backwards, and they kept on trying to force her in. There ended up being 3 big men trying to force this poor girl in, they had a rope under her belly, one around her neck, and one behind her butt, plus they were hitting her with the ropes, swinging very very hard. I tried to intervene, it made me sick just to see it, but they refused any help. In an instance like that, IF you can get the owners to stop and let you have a go, what is the best way to get a scared horse in so that they will stop abusing it?
A: Well, actually, Angela gave a perfect example of how to do this without physical force in a situation where time is of the essence. But, depending on the time that everyone has, it all boils down to changing the horse's beliefs. People with ropes around the horse is serving one purpose only ... Scaring the pants off the horse! Absolutely embedding the fear of trailering (and of humans) into the horse and displaying a choreographed lesson in learning one cannot win a tug of war against a 1/2 ton animal.
Part of the foundation of teaching a scared horse onto a trailer (or anywhere else) is to learn to know/feel what an animal expects to happen next ... (horse's belief)... And then be able to teach the horse to change his beliefs. Neither you nor I nor anyone else can do that for him. The horse has to change his own beliefs and has to learn to actively override his choices to believe that the one choice that he's going to make is going to put him in a better place than the moment before. In this case, the horse was terrified and being asked to go into a small, cavern-like space with 3 huge men bullying him making him believe he's going to die. So, you can see that this cannot be done in any sort of humanely contrived time limit. But, with positive reinforcement, the time involved can be reduced considerably as each moment the horse is changing his beliefs is going to speed up the process for the next change. The first belief that needs to be changed is the belief the horse is going to die. That is a panic response that is autonomic. It's hardwired into the horse - the "flight" response. This is the strongest survival instinct the horse has. To override that one needs to catch the horse just the split second BEFORE it kicks into gear. Once its in gear then the horse HAS to move its feet and it ain't gonna be moving them towards the cave that's going to engulf him! So, let the horse move its feet. Let him move away from the trailer. Stay with the horse doing nothing ... Just staying with him. Once the horse starts to settle, mark that behavior (click) and reward him (treat). You mark the "settling", or the "relaxing". From there you can now get a foot in the door. Build up, step-by-step, figuratively and actually, to where you can begin to direct the horse's feet. You start with the head-down (relaxation) then work from there but only AFTER you've gotten the horse to stop moving its feet in fear. Don't FORCE anything ... Force is only going to undo all that you've already done and set you back gazillion steps. Remember to reward the try ... And once the horse has completed a task just 3 times perfectly, move onto the next step. Don't keep on repeating over and over and over. Again, know/feel what the horse believes is going to happen "next" and change that "belief" by asking the opposite. If the horse believes that you're going to ask for another step forward, ask for a step backwards or sideways and CT. Then ask for the step forward. That way you're interrupting the "stuck" belief and causing the horse to think. As he's thinking, he's changing his beliefs. So HE'S the one making the changes; you are not the one forcing them. It's important to allow horses to believe HE'S the one making the changes - everything your horse believes he's learned from his own interpretations and experiences. All beliefs are learned but not all are 'taught'.
I know this is a very general answer but it has to be cause each horse is an individual and has individual beliefs. But the concept is universal when working with horses at any time.
I was with a friend, and she stopped at one of her aquaintances house. There was a lady there with a small trailer, and a two yr old horse. The horse was there to be trimmed, when we were there the man had already finished with her, and you could tell her feet were sore by the way she was holding them. They were trying to load her onto the trailer, and you could tell she was just terrified. She jerked back, flipped over backwards, and they kept on trying to force her in. There ended up being 3 big men trying to force this poor girl in, they had a rope under her belly, one around her neck, and one behind her butt, plus they were hitting her with the ropes, swinging very very hard. I tried to intervene, it made me sick just to see it, but they refused any help. In an instance like that, IF you can get the owners to stop and let you have a go, what is the best way to get a scared horse in so that they will stop abusing it?
A: Well, actually, Angela gave a perfect example of how to do this without physical force in a situation where time is of the essence. But, depending on the time that everyone has, it all boils down to changing the horse's beliefs. People with ropes around the horse is serving one purpose only ... Scaring the pants off the horse! Absolutely embedding the fear of trailering (and of humans) into the horse and displaying a choreographed lesson in learning one cannot win a tug of war against a 1/2 ton animal.
Part of the foundation of teaching a scared horse onto a trailer (or anywhere else) is to learn to know/feel what an animal expects to happen next ... (horse's belief)... And then be able to teach the horse to change his beliefs. Neither you nor I nor anyone else can do that for him. The horse has to change his own beliefs and has to learn to actively override his choices to believe that the one choice that he's going to make is going to put him in a better place than the moment before. In this case, the horse was terrified and being asked to go into a small, cavern-like space with 3 huge men bullying him making him believe he's going to die. So, you can see that this cannot be done in any sort of humanely contrived time limit. But, with positive reinforcement, the time involved can be reduced considerably as each moment the horse is changing his beliefs is going to speed up the process for the next change. The first belief that needs to be changed is the belief the horse is going to die. That is a panic response that is autonomic. It's hardwired into the horse - the "flight" response. This is the strongest survival instinct the horse has. To override that one needs to catch the horse just the split second BEFORE it kicks into gear. Once its in gear then the horse HAS to move its feet and it ain't gonna be moving them towards the cave that's going to engulf him! So, let the horse move its feet. Let him move away from the trailer. Stay with the horse doing nothing ... Just staying with him. Once the horse starts to settle, mark that behavior (click) and reward him (treat). You mark the "settling", or the "relaxing". From there you can now get a foot in the door. Build up, step-by-step, figuratively and actually, to where you can begin to direct the horse's feet. You start with the head-down (relaxation) then work from there but only AFTER you've gotten the horse to stop moving its feet in fear. Don't FORCE anything ... Force is only going to undo all that you've already done and set you back gazillion steps. Remember to reward the try ... And once the horse has completed a task just 3 times perfectly, move onto the next step. Don't keep on repeating over and over and over. Again, know/feel what the horse believes is going to happen "next" and change that "belief" by asking the opposite. If the horse believes that you're going to ask for another step forward, ask for a step backwards or sideways and CT. Then ask for the step forward. That way you're interrupting the "stuck" belief and causing the horse to think. As he's thinking, he's changing his beliefs. So HE'S the one making the changes; you are not the one forcing them. It's important to allow horses to believe HE'S the one making the changes - everything your horse believes he's learned from his own interpretations and experiences. All beliefs are learned but not all are 'taught'.
I know this is a very general answer but it has to be cause each horse is an individual and has individual beliefs. But the concept is universal when working with horses at any time.
The Nipping Pony
Q: I have a 3 yr old filly that is my daughters placement pony, now MacKenzie and Kayleigh get along GREAT most of the time, but Kenzie has this bad habit every now and then of reaching back and nipping whomever is touching her. And every time she has done it, it as been unprovoked, and very very random. Since there is no set trigger so far, I am not sure how to stop this behavior. Any suggestions?
A: 3 years old is still a baby BUT *should* be old enough to know that human critters aren't teething rings! Sounds like this is more of a way to cope with annoyance, however, than teething. Although remember, 3 year olds are still teething! At any rate ... I use Clicker Training to teach a horse not to bite or nip simply by allowing them to run into my finger on the side of the face and when the horse turns its head back forwards I click and reward. I also use the verbal cue "Face!" You can teach this separately from the nipping behavior and then when the pony goes to nip, tell her,"FACE!". Then be sure to CT her when she does "face".
I also will play with a nipping pony's or horse's mouth, A LOT! I will pretty much do so with the attitude of, "OH, so you want to get your teeth and mouth working? OK! Let's do it!" and I will vigorously massage the nostrils, the lips, the muzzle, stick my fingers (carefully) into the side of the mouth to "play piano" on the tongue and will keep doing it until the pony or horse starts to say, "Nooooooo! Stop it!!! You're making me crazy!!!!!" and then I'll keep doing it a bit more. *grin* So, everytime the horse or pony goes to "nip", I'll say, "EH! - FACE!" and then play with the mouth and tongue a bit. That being said, however, this is dependant upon the attitude of the horse or pony when nipping. A 3 year old is still going to be teething as I said. So *my* attitude is going to be different with a teething pony than with a deliberate nip out of annoyance. Your attitude will make all the difference in the world - more so than the actual "exercise" to face. With a pony that's nipping my attitude is more of a "teaching" attitude while with a bonafide biter or nipper I have an assertive attitude of authority. My attitude is directly corresponding to the attitude of the nipper/biter at this point. So, try teaching the "Face!" and using your click/bridge and treat to reinforce the lesson. Let us know how you do!
A: 3 years old is still a baby BUT *should* be old enough to know that human critters aren't teething rings! Sounds like this is more of a way to cope with annoyance, however, than teething. Although remember, 3 year olds are still teething! At any rate ... I use Clicker Training to teach a horse not to bite or nip simply by allowing them to run into my finger on the side of the face and when the horse turns its head back forwards I click and reward. I also use the verbal cue "Face!" You can teach this separately from the nipping behavior and then when the pony goes to nip, tell her,"FACE!". Then be sure to CT her when she does "face".
I also will play with a nipping pony's or horse's mouth, A LOT! I will pretty much do so with the attitude of, "OH, so you want to get your teeth and mouth working? OK! Let's do it!" and I will vigorously massage the nostrils, the lips, the muzzle, stick my fingers (carefully) into the side of the mouth to "play piano" on the tongue and will keep doing it until the pony or horse starts to say, "Nooooooo! Stop it!!! You're making me crazy!!!!!" and then I'll keep doing it a bit more. *grin* So, everytime the horse or pony goes to "nip", I'll say, "EH! - FACE!" and then play with the mouth and tongue a bit. That being said, however, this is dependant upon the attitude of the horse or pony when nipping. A 3 year old is still going to be teething as I said. So *my* attitude is going to be different with a teething pony than with a deliberate nip out of annoyance. Your attitude will make all the difference in the world - more so than the actual "exercise" to face. With a pony that's nipping my attitude is more of a "teaching" attitude while with a bonafide biter or nipper I have an assertive attitude of authority. My attitude is directly corresponding to the attitude of the nipper/biter at this point. So, try teaching the "Face!" and using your click/bridge and treat to reinforce the lesson. Let us know how you do!
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
VACCINES & LAMINITIS
Once again, this spring, I've noticed a dramatic increase on the number of laminitic horses around Vaccinating time. So much so that I am researching frenetically to put together a viable article on this topic.
Last year at this time I received an overwhelming number of "emergency" calls that came in similar to this, "Hi Gwen. Just thought you might want to know that "Lady" has Laminitis! She's REALLY sore in her fronts! I called the vet and he said she had Laminitis. He thinks that she may have to go into shoes ..." Blah, blah, blah. With every call from one of my own clients I had to seriously question what *I* might have done wrong to cause Laminitis in my normally very sound barefooted clients! When trimming a horse for maintenance hoofcare I don't change the angles or do much else other than to bring back the toes a wee bit (by beveling a 45* angle) as nature would do and level the heels a bit. I never touch sole, rarely touch the bars and generally speaking on my regular clients I rarely rocker the toes as they maintain their own rockers nicely. So what in tarnation causes the horse to go laminitic with a regular maintenance trim!?!?!? I rack my brains, worry myself sick and begin to doubt myself every time. But EVERY CASE it came up (I finally got a bit savvy about it this spring whereas last spring I was stumped for awhile before figuring it all out) that the horse in question had just received Spring Vaccinations within a day to a few prior to the trim!
Last spring, as I stated, I got alot of "emergency" calls from "new" clients ... ones who were calling me for the first time. Again, looking back, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM had *just* received their spring vaccinations a day or two prior to the laminitic attack! This spring, as a current example, I pulled the shoes and trimmed up a horse who was very sore in her recently re-set shoes. Her hooves were very imbalanced, she was very long in the toe and low and forward in the heels; the shoes were not fitting her correctly and the owner asked me to pull them and trim her. So I did. That was in March. In that case I did change the angles of the hooves dramatically and while the horse was a bit tender for the first few days it didn't take long to get another phone call from the owner stating that her horse was moving better and she was more comfortable than she had been for a couple of years! Over the following 5 weeks or so the horse continued to improve and it was noted by all in the stable where she resided as well as by her trainer. The 2nd trim, 5 weeks after the initial trim, I did VERY little to the hooves except to bevel the wall at a solid 45* angle, level off one of the heels and that was it! About a week later I got a note stating the horse was very lame, laminitic and was going back into shoes! The vet felt that since the angles were so altered that it was a "mechanical" laminitis due to the trim. I have to question that strongly as the angles were altered 5 - 6 weeks prior to the laminitic attack and if any 'mechanical laminitis' were to pop up it would have been then. Developmental laminitis lasts for up to just 60 hours before the Acute Laminitic stage. It was weeks past that 60 hrs. time frame. However, upon further questioning, the horse had received Spring shots just shortly before the 2nd trim. That tells me that the Laminitis was metabolically caused; not mechanically.
It seems, upon researching, that horses who have metabolic issues, are going to be more sensitive to vaccinations than those who are healthy. While many horses "appear" to be healthy (ie. easy keepers) it may well be that those "healthy" horses are acutally experiencing upsets in the glucose metabolism and also the hormonal systems which are going undetected. The overloads of carbohydrates, sugars, chemicals, additives, etc. all wreak havoc in any animal's system. More and more research is being done on this topic with more and more alarming findings. ( AHVMA )
My caution to all, now, is this .... IF you have your horses vaccinated do NOT have hoofcare work done within a couple of weeks following the vaccination day. Plan your vaccinations in between hoofcare appointments. Better than that see what vaccinations you can eliminate from your regular "scheduled" routine. It's been recently found that Americans are over-vaccinating their animals (and kids!). There are some excellent websites with good, solid information. Google up a search on "over vaccinating" or just plain "vaccinations" and see what you come up with. Your horse DEPENDS on you 100% for his/her total well-being. It behooves us to learn as much as we can and not just "believe" everything we hear. (including reading this! *grin*)
I will be publishing an in-depth article on this topic shortly. Keep an eye on www.thepenzancehorse.com and www.barefoottrim.com for updates. Thanks! Happy and Safe Horsemanship to You! (and lots of Blessings, too!)
Last year at this time I received an overwhelming number of "emergency" calls that came in similar to this, "Hi Gwen. Just thought you might want to know that "Lady" has Laminitis! She's REALLY sore in her fronts! I called the vet and he said she had Laminitis. He thinks that she may have to go into shoes ..." Blah, blah, blah. With every call from one of my own clients I had to seriously question what *I* might have done wrong to cause Laminitis in my normally very sound barefooted clients! When trimming a horse for maintenance hoofcare I don't change the angles or do much else other than to bring back the toes a wee bit (by beveling a 45* angle) as nature would do and level the heels a bit. I never touch sole, rarely touch the bars and generally speaking on my regular clients I rarely rocker the toes as they maintain their own rockers nicely. So what in tarnation causes the horse to go laminitic with a regular maintenance trim!?!?!? I rack my brains, worry myself sick and begin to doubt myself every time. But EVERY CASE it came up (I finally got a bit savvy about it this spring whereas last spring I was stumped for awhile before figuring it all out) that the horse in question had just received Spring Vaccinations within a day to a few prior to the trim!
Last spring, as I stated, I got alot of "emergency" calls from "new" clients ... ones who were calling me for the first time. Again, looking back, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM had *just* received their spring vaccinations a day or two prior to the laminitic attack! This spring, as a current example, I pulled the shoes and trimmed up a horse who was very sore in her recently re-set shoes. Her hooves were very imbalanced, she was very long in the toe and low and forward in the heels; the shoes were not fitting her correctly and the owner asked me to pull them and trim her. So I did. That was in March. In that case I did change the angles of the hooves dramatically and while the horse was a bit tender for the first few days it didn't take long to get another phone call from the owner stating that her horse was moving better and she was more comfortable than she had been for a couple of years! Over the following 5 weeks or so the horse continued to improve and it was noted by all in the stable where she resided as well as by her trainer. The 2nd trim, 5 weeks after the initial trim, I did VERY little to the hooves except to bevel the wall at a solid 45* angle, level off one of the heels and that was it! About a week later I got a note stating the horse was very lame, laminitic and was going back into shoes! The vet felt that since the angles were so altered that it was a "mechanical" laminitis due to the trim. I have to question that strongly as the angles were altered 5 - 6 weeks prior to the laminitic attack and if any 'mechanical laminitis' were to pop up it would have been then. Developmental laminitis lasts for up to just 60 hours before the Acute Laminitic stage. It was weeks past that 60 hrs. time frame. However, upon further questioning, the horse had received Spring shots just shortly before the 2nd trim. That tells me that the Laminitis was metabolically caused; not mechanically.
It seems, upon researching, that horses who have metabolic issues, are going to be more sensitive to vaccinations than those who are healthy. While many horses "appear" to be healthy (ie. easy keepers) it may well be that those "healthy" horses are acutally experiencing upsets in the glucose metabolism and also the hormonal systems which are going undetected. The overloads of carbohydrates, sugars, chemicals, additives, etc. all wreak havoc in any animal's system. More and more research is being done on this topic with more and more alarming findings. ( AHVMA )
My caution to all, now, is this .... IF you have your horses vaccinated do NOT have hoofcare work done within a couple of weeks following the vaccination day. Plan your vaccinations in between hoofcare appointments. Better than that see what vaccinations you can eliminate from your regular "scheduled" routine. It's been recently found that Americans are over-vaccinating their animals (and kids!). There are some excellent websites with good, solid information. Google up a search on "over vaccinating" or just plain "vaccinations" and see what you come up with. Your horse DEPENDS on you 100% for his/her total well-being. It behooves us to learn as much as we can and not just "believe" everything we hear. (including reading this! *grin*)
I will be publishing an in-depth article on this topic shortly. Keep an eye on www.thepenzancehorse.com and www.barefoottrim.com for updates. Thanks! Happy and Safe Horsemanship to You! (and lots of Blessings, too!)
Thursday, April 19, 2007
The Journey
This written in response to a forum at NHE:
If one comes from many years as a horseman I think that NHE and its philosophies are a journey into another thought realm and lifestyle. Just as we help the horse to change his or her perceptions of the world around humans we humans must change our perceptions as well. Both species being those that are comfortable with the familiar and both species those that dislike disharmony. Trying to blend two different species together into a singular realm of presence is nothing less than a stupendous effort on both sides. Probably more so for the human than for the horse. But, it is that singular realm of presence that is that which we strive. It is wrought with frustrations and tears and many questions; most of which the horse, if listened to very carefully, can answer for us. We only need to get into the mind existance of the horse, himself, to understand that reality in which our horses live. To do that we must become small in thought ... singular, momentary, that "now" thought and leave the anticipations of what might become or what has past behind. It is a difficult journey at times and filled with what may seem impossible tasks at times but the spirit of the horse, if we seek that, will lead us along the way with the guidance of Our Creator.
If one comes from many years as a horseman I think that NHE and its philosophies are a journey into another thought realm and lifestyle. Just as we help the horse to change his or her perceptions of the world around humans we humans must change our perceptions as well. Both species being those that are comfortable with the familiar and both species those that dislike disharmony. Trying to blend two different species together into a singular realm of presence is nothing less than a stupendous effort on both sides. Probably more so for the human than for the horse. But, it is that singular realm of presence that is that which we strive. It is wrought with frustrations and tears and many questions; most of which the horse, if listened to very carefully, can answer for us. We only need to get into the mind existance of the horse, himself, to understand that reality in which our horses live. To do that we must become small in thought ... singular, momentary, that "now" thought and leave the anticipations of what might become or what has past behind. It is a difficult journey at times and filled with what may seem impossible tasks at times but the spirit of the horse, if we seek that, will lead us along the way with the guidance of Our Creator.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
St. Patty's Day Nor'Easter
Well, Mother Nature gave us a doozey. The gates to the paddocks are all frozen; tack & feed shed doors are frozen; there's two inches of ice on top of soft snow on top of more ice. These are the times when I wish I had a "traditional" barn where all the horses are in nice, warm, stalls and I could just go down the rows and dump grain and throw hay then sit in a nice, cozy stall or indoor to play. Barns really ARE for humans ... the horses are having a blast running around in the ice and snow right now. I guess they decided one more day or two of the white stuff is gonna be OK. It's not particularly cold out right now, either. Close to mid-30's so the stuff is going to melt rather rapidly. Spring birds are out there in there icecaves in the trees singing in the praises of the season. I think I'll wait a bit longer, though, to where I can get the gates opened, to go out and play with the horses. Today will be a good day for that.
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