KER.com - Full Article
December 23, 2019
By Kentucky Equine Research Staff
Traveling long distances can be stressful on horses. To minimize the negative effects of transport, consider some of the following suggestions.
• Be sure your horse is healthy prior to transport. Do not ship any horse with a fever, even if low grade. For interstate travel, a health certificate is often required, but this may be completed days prior to actual travel, so it is essential to monitor your horse’s health just prior to being loaded.
• Take frequent breaks during the drive to allow horses to eat and drink. Even if water and hay are available in the trailer, they may not consume enough while moving to ward off weight loss and dehydration...
Read more here:
https://ker.com/equinews/long-distance-transport-of-horses-seven-tips/?partner=ker&utm_source=KER+Newsletter&utm_campaign=cac71fd8ec-KER_Equinews_012220&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0d95781dfc-cac71fd8ec-11166
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Monday, January 27, 2020
How to Find Your Confidence After a Fall From Your Horse
HorseSport.com - Full Article
Trainer Anne Gage shares tips for how to overcome fear and anxiety about riding your horse after a fall or other scare, and become a confident rider again.
By: Anne Gage | January 14, 2020
It’s perfectly natural to feel anxious about riding after a fall. Even having a close call or seeing someone else fall can affect your confidence. Our brains are wired to keep us safe. So when we experience or witness a situation that our mind perceives as potentially harmful to us, it automatically sets off our built-in warning system. That fear trigger is hardwired into our brains.
Many adult riders even find they feel anxious without having a fall or a negative experience. The fear can come simply from knowing that you can’t afford to get hurt because of your age, physical condition or life responsibilities (e.g. being a caregiver to children or elderly parents, or being the sole income earner).
Regardless of what has caused your loss of confidence, following these seven steps will help you to rebuild it:...
Read more here:
https://horsesport.com/magazine/training/find-confidence-after-fall-horse/
Trainer Anne Gage shares tips for how to overcome fear and anxiety about riding your horse after a fall or other scare, and become a confident rider again.
By: Anne Gage | January 14, 2020
It’s perfectly natural to feel anxious about riding after a fall. Even having a close call or seeing someone else fall can affect your confidence. Our brains are wired to keep us safe. So when we experience or witness a situation that our mind perceives as potentially harmful to us, it automatically sets off our built-in warning system. That fear trigger is hardwired into our brains.
Many adult riders even find they feel anxious without having a fall or a negative experience. The fear can come simply from knowing that you can’t afford to get hurt because of your age, physical condition or life responsibilities (e.g. being a caregiver to children or elderly parents, or being the sole income earner).
Regardless of what has caused your loss of confidence, following these seven steps will help you to rebuild it:...
Read more here:
https://horsesport.com/magazine/training/find-confidence-after-fall-horse/
Sunday, January 26, 2020
I Met My Hero at the EQUUS Film Festival
HorseNetwork.com - Full Articleby ISA DEMASI
November 2019
On a hectic Monday morning just three days before the EQUUS Film Fest, I received an email from Bernice Ende, author of Lady Long Rider, informing her followers that she’d be attending the event.
I was struck with disappointment. How would I be able to get a plan into place so quickly and put off work deadlines to get there?
Reading about Bernice’s adventures and her gumption to cover thousands upon thousands of miles riding by her lonesome through the wilds and cities in the U.S., Canada and Europe on horseback had made a lasting impression on me. This was a woman I wanted to meet.
My fiancé walked in the room and found me staring into space. “What’s up?” he asked.
“I’m going to meet Bernice,” I answered in a trance. “In Lexington.”
The travel plans came together seamlessly. Within minutes upon arrival to the Kentucky Horse Park, I bumped into Bernice. I was going into the Visitor’s Building; she was heading to the International Horse Museum to meet and greet and sell her books. I was overwhelmed with happiness at meeting this woman who I deeply revere...
Read more here:
https://horsenetwork.com/2019/12/i-met-my-hero-at-the-equus-film-festival/?utm_source=MASTER&utm_campaign=b12adecd9f-HN_2019_12_13&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_5694ca6b0c-b12adecd9f-84641243&goal=0_5694ca6b0c-b12adecd9f-84641243&mc_cid=b12adecd9f&mc_eid=b3c9897994
Friday, January 24, 2020
Trail To Zero: 20 Veterans, 20 Horses, 20 Miles
TrailToZero.orgTRAIL TO ZERO - HOUSTON IS FEBRUARY 1, 2020 Bring your own horse and ride with us! Registration & Details NOW OPEN!
Why Create This Ride?
Trail to Zero was developed after countless conversations with veterans on an epidemic in our country – veterans losing brothers and sisters to suicide. Through heartbreaking conversations, it was apparent that this was tragically affecting so many. The common response was veterans at BraveHearts said horses had helped them in their weakest moments. As part of the largest PATH Intl. center for veterans in the country, our veterans wanted a movement; a 20-mile horseback ride. They decided to ride a mile for each veteran lost to suicide every day.
In 2017, BraveHearts pilot program for Trail to Zero began in NYC. Since then, BraveHearts has taken the ride to the next level by being able to bring more veterans into two cites (NYC & DC in 2018) to bring awareness to veteran suicide while also helping the veterans on the ride to heal and advance their horsemanship. In April 2019, BraveHearts presented at the N.A.M.U.C.A conference where hundreds of mounted police officers heard veterans stories from Trail to Zero. The response from the units were overwhelming and brought forth the opportunity to add a third city, Chicago, in 2019. BraveHearts rides will bring the overwhelming statistic of 20 veterans committing suicide per day to the forefront of Americans’ minds while also helping to educate veterans and Americans about equine assisted services and the benefits that it has as an alternative approach to healing.
It is our greatest hope that we may reach at least one veteran who is currently battling suicidal ideologies, letting them know that they are not alone, that their community cares, and that equine assisted services may help. We are forever grateful for the NYPD Mounted Unit, US Park Police Mounted Horse Unit, the Chicago Mounted Unit, and the HCSO-Mounted Patrol for standing behind us as we continue to ride until 20 becomes ZERO.
For more information, see:
https://www.trailtozero.org/
Darolyn Butler's Cypress Trail Ranch is supporting the BraveHearts Trail to Zero Ride in Houston. "We are offering 8 places in our horse trailer for any Veterans or others associated with Cypress Trails that want to support this effort. Your registration of $75 goes to the organization.
Cypress Trails Ranch will accept donations for the fuel and use of our horses, but no formal charge is established. You must go to 2400 Reed Rd (South of downtown Houston) on January 31 to check-in, show Coggins/Health Certificate, etc.
Please contact Cypress Trails Ranch before you register to make sure there is still trailer space available in our trailer. Veterans will be given priority, but anyone can ride in this event."
https://cypresstrailsranch.com/
Contact Cypress Trails
Thursday, January 23, 2020
How You Can Help the Horses of Australia
FEI.org - Full Article23 January 2020
Words by Nadia Aslam
Horse enthusiasts the world over are doing their bit to help those affected by the Australian bushfires...
Along narrow country roads, farms lie abandoned, horses run free; terrified for their lives amid a cloud of seemingly endless smoke.
As properties burn in southern Australia, many are left wondering, “what now?”. Families who have lived on the same property for 20 years have seen their hard work burn to the ground, and with property insurance an expensive cost, it’s unclear as to just how many will have funds available to rebuild once the dust settles.
The fires have been devastating for wildlife and across the country's equestrian community. For each horse lost to the fires, there’s a person left behind who can no longer turn to their four-legged friend. For each farm that burns, there’s a farmer who has lost their livelihood and must muster the strength to pick up the pieces to start from scratch.
But through this tragedy, something beautiful has happened. The world has come to rally behind Australia, with horse people the world over sending messages, funds, and supplies to do anything that they can to help. And while this support can’t take back what has been done, it’s doing a tremendous job of boosting morale in many Australian communities...
Read more here:
https://www.fei.org/stories/equestrian-fire-relief-australia-bushfire
Sunday, January 19, 2020
Free-Feeding Hay: When Will My Horse Slow Down?
thehorse.com - Full Article
Our nutrition expert offers advice for ensuring free-fed horses don’t overeat hay.
Posted by Clair Thunes, PhD | Jan 13, 2020
Q:I started free-feeding grass hay to my horses about three weeks ago, and they haven’t slowed down a bit. In addition to their free-feeding, they get a small amount of alfalfa hay (about 5 pounds each day, divided into morning and evening feedings) and a flax-based supplement and multivitamin. When will they stop pigging out on the day on the hay, and are there any signs of concern I should look for?
A:Kudos to you for wanting to feed your horses in a way that aligns more closely with their digestive anatomy and physiology. It can be a little scary to watch your horses gorge day after day. The majority of horses do self-regulate after several weeks. Some do so more quickly and some take longer. Of course, there are always the exceptions to the rule who just do not self-regulate.
It is important to pay attention to your horse’s body condition and weight. I would recommend performing a condition score and weight estimate on your horses every two weeks so that you can determine objectively if any are gaining weight. Some horses might be gorging and yet their weight might not change. Excessive weight gain, especially in breeds at risk of metabolic disorders, is always a concern no matter how hay is fed. Pay particular attention to the formation of neck crest fat...
Read more here:
https://thehorse.com/17722/free-feeding-hay-when-will-my-horse-slow-down/?utm_medium=Reader+Favorites+enews&utm_source=Newsletter
Our nutrition expert offers advice for ensuring free-fed horses don’t overeat hay.
Posted by Clair Thunes, PhD | Jan 13, 2020
Q:I started free-feeding grass hay to my horses about three weeks ago, and they haven’t slowed down a bit. In addition to their free-feeding, they get a small amount of alfalfa hay (about 5 pounds each day, divided into morning and evening feedings) and a flax-based supplement and multivitamin. When will they stop pigging out on the day on the hay, and are there any signs of concern I should look for?
A:Kudos to you for wanting to feed your horses in a way that aligns more closely with their digestive anatomy and physiology. It can be a little scary to watch your horses gorge day after day. The majority of horses do self-regulate after several weeks. Some do so more quickly and some take longer. Of course, there are always the exceptions to the rule who just do not self-regulate.
It is important to pay attention to your horse’s body condition and weight. I would recommend performing a condition score and weight estimate on your horses every two weeks so that you can determine objectively if any are gaining weight. Some horses might be gorging and yet their weight might not change. Excessive weight gain, especially in breeds at risk of metabolic disorders, is always a concern no matter how hay is fed. Pay particular attention to the formation of neck crest fat...
Read more here:
https://thehorse.com/17722/free-feeding-hay-when-will-my-horse-slow-down/?utm_medium=Reader+Favorites+enews&utm_source=Newsletter
Thursday, January 16, 2020
Feeding Horses Oils for Added Energy without Excitability
Horse-canada.com - Full Article
Oil is liquid fat, which is incorporated into many commercial horse feeds, or is used as a top-dress. Can your horse benefit from the added calories?
By: Shannon Pratt-Phillips, Ph.D. | August 28, 2019
Fats, like oils, can be useful additives to the equine diet, mostly as a source of calories (energy), but may also have added benefits for the horse’s coat condition and potential immune benefits.
All fat sources have approximately 9 megacalories (mcal) of digestible energy, which is more than two times the calorie density of corn, oats or most commercial feeds. Therefore, one measuring cup of fat would have significantly more than a measuring cup of grain mix. So a smaller amount of fat (by volume or weight) packs more calories into a diet very efficiently.
This allows you to increase the energy content of a horse’s diet without having to increase their grain meals. When horses have very high energy requirements (show jumpers, eventers, barrel racers and racehorses for example), it may be difficult for them to eat enough hay and grain mix to meet their calorie needs. Furthermore, due to the higher risks of digestive disturbances such as colic that are associated with higher grain intakes, due to their starch and sugar content, replacing some grain calories with fat calories may be a healthier option for your horse. Plus, it should be noted that adding in a cup of oil is likely cheaper than adding in the same energy volume of grain.
An athletic horse also has higher protein, vitamin and mineral needs than can be found in fortified grain mixes, but these increased needs are not to scale with the increased energy needs, and simply feeding more grain mixes to such horses would potentially result in overfeeding some nutrients. It should be noted that athletes that require bursts of power – such as leaving a starting gate or going into a jump-off – do need a good amount of starch and sugar in their diets to produce muscle glycogen, but these needs are typically met with most grain mixes...
Read more here:
https://horse-canada.com/magazine/nutrition/feeding-horses-oils-for-added-energy-without-excitability/
Oil is liquid fat, which is incorporated into many commercial horse feeds, or is used as a top-dress. Can your horse benefit from the added calories?
By: Shannon Pratt-Phillips, Ph.D. | August 28, 2019
Fats, like oils, can be useful additives to the equine diet, mostly as a source of calories (energy), but may also have added benefits for the horse’s coat condition and potential immune benefits.
All fat sources have approximately 9 megacalories (mcal) of digestible energy, which is more than two times the calorie density of corn, oats or most commercial feeds. Therefore, one measuring cup of fat would have significantly more than a measuring cup of grain mix. So a smaller amount of fat (by volume or weight) packs more calories into a diet very efficiently.
This allows you to increase the energy content of a horse’s diet without having to increase their grain meals. When horses have very high energy requirements (show jumpers, eventers, barrel racers and racehorses for example), it may be difficult for them to eat enough hay and grain mix to meet their calorie needs. Furthermore, due to the higher risks of digestive disturbances such as colic that are associated with higher grain intakes, due to their starch and sugar content, replacing some grain calories with fat calories may be a healthier option for your horse. Plus, it should be noted that adding in a cup of oil is likely cheaper than adding in the same energy volume of grain.
An athletic horse also has higher protein, vitamin and mineral needs than can be found in fortified grain mixes, but these increased needs are not to scale with the increased energy needs, and simply feeding more grain mixes to such horses would potentially result in overfeeding some nutrients. It should be noted that athletes that require bursts of power – such as leaving a starting gate or going into a jump-off – do need a good amount of starch and sugar in their diets to produce muscle glycogen, but these needs are typically met with most grain mixes...
Read more here:
https://horse-canada.com/magazine/nutrition/feeding-horses-oils-for-added-energy-without-excitability/
Saturday, January 11, 2020
Equine Gastric Ulcers and NSAID Administration
KER.com - Full Article
December 12, 2017
By Kentucky Equine Research Staff
Although helpful for many painful and inflammatory conditions, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as phenylbutazone or “bute,” can cause gastric ulcers, especially glandular gastric ulcers. In turn, gastric ulcers result in pain, body condition changes, and poor athletic performance.
“Researchers and veterinarians once believed that NSAIDs caused gastric ulcers due to a suppression of prostaglandin production in the gastrointestinal system,” explained Kathleen Crandell, Ph.D., a nutritionist with Kentucky Equine Research (KER).
Prostaglandins constitute a group of fatty molecules that play a plethora of roles in the body, including hormone-like activities, modulating inflammation, and controlling body temperature and smooth muscle contraction, to name only a few...
Read more here:
https://ker.com/equinews/equine-gastric-ulcers-nsaid-administration/?utm_source=KER+Newsletter&utm_campaign=7cb74ca8f2-Focus_on_Ulcers&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0d95781dfc-7cb74ca8f2-11166
December 12, 2017
By Kentucky Equine Research Staff
Although helpful for many painful and inflammatory conditions, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as phenylbutazone or “bute,” can cause gastric ulcers, especially glandular gastric ulcers. In turn, gastric ulcers result in pain, body condition changes, and poor athletic performance.
“Researchers and veterinarians once believed that NSAIDs caused gastric ulcers due to a suppression of prostaglandin production in the gastrointestinal system,” explained Kathleen Crandell, Ph.D., a nutritionist with Kentucky Equine Research (KER).
Prostaglandins constitute a group of fatty molecules that play a plethora of roles in the body, including hormone-like activities, modulating inflammation, and controlling body temperature and smooth muscle contraction, to name only a few...
Read more here:
https://ker.com/equinews/equine-gastric-ulcers-nsaid-administration/?utm_source=KER+Newsletter&utm_campaign=7cb74ca8f2-Focus_on_Ulcers&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0d95781dfc-7cb74ca8f2-11166
Thursday, January 09, 2020
Is the RICE Protocol Helpful for Horses?
HorseSport.com - Full Article
Dr. Ali Miletic examines how and when the human medicine approach to treating injuries through the RICE protocol is effective in horses.
By: Ali Miletic | January 28, 2018
Q: I’ve heard recently that the RICE protocol for humans is outdated. Does this apply to horses as well?
There has been some recent discussion in human medicine that the common way of treating an acute injury (especially soft tissue, like a sprained ankle) through Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation (RICE) is outdated and can actually do more harm than good. Let’s look at the components:
Resting an injury is never a bad idea. It allows the body to heal, and is usually the best way to prevent excessive pain and further damage.
Icing is used to reduce inflammation, pain, and bleeding. Vasoconstriction occurs when cold is applied to an area; when the vessels constrict, less blood flows through them and therefore less blood is brought to the area, resulting in less swelling. Cryotherapy, or use of cold temperatures as medical therapy, is also considered an analgesic (pain reducer). This is accomplished by changing the threshold for the conduction of nerve impulses to and from the tissue...
read more here:
https://horsesport.com/magazine/just-health/rice-protocol-helpful-horses/
Dr. Ali Miletic examines how and when the human medicine approach to treating injuries through the RICE protocol is effective in horses.
By: Ali Miletic | January 28, 2018
Q: I’ve heard recently that the RICE protocol for humans is outdated. Does this apply to horses as well?
There has been some recent discussion in human medicine that the common way of treating an acute injury (especially soft tissue, like a sprained ankle) through Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation (RICE) is outdated and can actually do more harm than good. Let’s look at the components:
Resting an injury is never a bad idea. It allows the body to heal, and is usually the best way to prevent excessive pain and further damage.
Icing is used to reduce inflammation, pain, and bleeding. Vasoconstriction occurs when cold is applied to an area; when the vessels constrict, less blood flows through them and therefore less blood is brought to the area, resulting in less swelling. Cryotherapy, or use of cold temperatures as medical therapy, is also considered an analgesic (pain reducer). This is accomplished by changing the threshold for the conduction of nerve impulses to and from the tissue...
read more here:
https://horsesport.com/magazine/just-health/rice-protocol-helpful-horses/
Saturday, January 04, 2020
Meeting Horse-Whisperer Jean-Francois Pignon
FEI.org - Full Story
5 January 2020
Words and images by Rebecca Ashton
We spend some time with renowned horseman Jean-Francois Pignon at his beautiful property in France, and learn about how he became a worldwide “horse-whispering” phenomenon…
We are in the infectious company of Jean-Francois Pignon. His six black horses are all just two years old and already he’s playing with them. The way they came into the world is a story in itself. A local vet owned a “dangerous” stallion. It was either go and visit Jean Francois or be put down, so Jean Francois took him on.
“It was very interesting working with him,” Jean Francois explains. “He was very sensible. If you stayed and moved with him, it was very interesting.”
That’s a theme you hear a lot with the Frenchman. After all these years, he still finds the horses very interesting, there’s still something to learn from each one.
Needless to say, he changed the vet’s horse completely. As payment, he took some services from the stallion and ended up with six black foals. Hence the show, as they will join his already established team, who are all white...
Read more here:
https://www.fei.org/stories/meeting-horse-whisperer-jean-francois-pignon
5 January 2020
Words and images by Rebecca Ashton
We spend some time with renowned horseman Jean-Francois Pignon at his beautiful property in France, and learn about how he became a worldwide “horse-whispering” phenomenon…
We are in the infectious company of Jean-Francois Pignon. His six black horses are all just two years old and already he’s playing with them. The way they came into the world is a story in itself. A local vet owned a “dangerous” stallion. It was either go and visit Jean Francois or be put down, so Jean Francois took him on.
“It was very interesting working with him,” Jean Francois explains. “He was very sensible. If you stayed and moved with him, it was very interesting.”
That’s a theme you hear a lot with the Frenchman. After all these years, he still finds the horses very interesting, there’s still something to learn from each one.
Needless to say, he changed the vet’s horse completely. As payment, he took some services from the stallion and ended up with six black foals. Hence the show, as they will join his already established team, who are all white...
Read more here:
https://www.fei.org/stories/meeting-horse-whisperer-jean-francois-pignon
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