Endurance.Net: Consider this...: 10/2020

Friday, October 23, 2020

This invasive weed spells trouble for horses

Wild parsnip, which is found throughout the United States, can cause phototoxic reactions in horses even if they don't eat it.

CHRISTINE BARAKAT
UPDATED:OCT 16, 2020 • ORIGINAL:OCT 15, 2020

Researchers in Utah have discovered that wild parsnip—an invasive weed found throughout the United States—can cause phototoxic reactions in horses even if they don’t eat it.

Many photosensitive skin reactions occur after a horse ingests a plant that contains photodynamic compounds. When ultraviolet rays from sunlight pass through the horse’s pink skin, they interact with the compounds in the skin and blood, resulting in painful burns with extensive blistering.

However, Utah State University and U.S. Department of Agriculture researchers recently determined that horses and goats may develop photosensitive skin reactions after simply coming in contact with the sap of wild parsnips...

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Want a Better-Behaved Horse? Consider Feeding a Low-Starch Diet

Thehorse.com - Full Article

A Virginia Tech researcher investigated the impact of diet on lesson horses. Here’s what she found.

Posted by Alexandra Beckstett, The Horse Managing Editor | Jul 30, 2019

The amount of starch in a horse’s diet can affect him both behaviorally and physiologically. To better understand its effects, Tanner Price, a graduate student at Virginia Tech, in Blacksburg, assessed university riding program horses’ behavioral and metabolic responses to diets with varying fat and starch levels. She shared her findings at the 2019 Equine Science Society Symposium, held June 3-6 in Asheville, North Carolina. In her study, Price split 20 riding horses into five groups of four. Each group received a different starch-to-fat ratio in their diet, ranging from 7.1% to 14.3% starch. Throughout the 21-day period, all horses were fed twice daily, housed individually in stalls, and ridden in regular collegiate lessons (beginner to advanced equitation and hunter/jumper classes).

Price asked riders and instructors that were blind to the horses’ treatment groups to complete a behavior survey after each lesson. They evaluated each horses’ behavior when being caught, led, and groomed, as well as his energy levels while ridden, reaction to leg aids, relaxation, submission, and more...

100 Miles for Hope by mule

Legion.org - Full Article

By Henry Howard
OCT 19, 2020

Achieving the goal of American Legion National Commander Bill Oxford’s 100 Miles for Hope challenge was easy for Trish Carlisle.

“It’s all on my mule, Bella,” Carlisle says, adding that she has ridden a mule about 15 miles a day since 2005. “I ride all over Arizona. I lead therapy horse rides for veterans and their spouses. We just get out for a day and relax so they can get away from their stresses and responsibilities.”

Knowing that her registration went to support The American Legion’s Veterans & Children Foundation (V&CF) was an added bonus.

“It was just a good thing to do to help the veterans and families,” said Carlisle, a member of American Legion Post 94 in Sun City, Ariz., who is also the department chaplain.

The commander’s 100 miles campaign runs through Veterans Day. There is still time to register to support the Legion’s V&CF and finish the 100 miles, by walking, running, cycling, riding a motorcycle — or even a mule...

Monday, October 19, 2020

Road to the Tevis Cup post # 15: Books about the Tevis Cup

Jessicaeblack.org - Full Article

October 18, 2020 / Jessica Black / 0 Comments

Fantazia is still recuperating from her smoke exposure–in fact, today (October 11) was the first day the AQI did not go over 200. So no new training updates. Instead, I will list all the books about the Tevis Cup I can find between now and when this post goes public.

Nonfiction books about the Tevis Cup
Fiction about the Tevis Cup
Books about endurance in general...

Read more here:
https://jessicaeblack.org/

Still Riding at 86

FEI.org - Full Story

17 October 2020
Words by Richard Mulligan

Linda Senser looks back on seven decades in the saddle...

These wonderful photos encapsulate perfectly the joy and fulfilment that come from a lifetime’s devotion to horses.

Linda Senser will be 87 years old in December, and continues to ride after 68 years in the saddle. She’s owned more than 60 horses since buying her first, Honey Pot, in 1953, the same year that Queen Elizabeth II was crowned and Eisenhower became the US President. Arthritis, a total hip replacement and back problems may have led her to give up skiing recently, but Linda has absolutely no intention of retiring from riding.

Indeed, Linda has found that at times when she could barely walk due to back pain, the agony could be alleviated through riding...

Friday, October 16, 2020

New Horses Are Rollercoasters - Ashley Wingert

GoPony.me - Full Story

September 30, 2020 / Ashley Wingert

I got a bit off track this month for blogging…not for lack of content, but more getting sidetracked and before I knew it, it’s the end of September.

We’re two+ months into things with Liberty, and after the one-month honeymoon, the hamster started falling out of the wheel a little bit, and we’ve definitely moved into the period of ups and down and the testing phase.

I’ve had her out on trail twice and she’s been brilliant. She’s bold, brave, forward, thinks before she spooks (if she even bothers to spook…she’s much more inclined to stop, think, process, then move on) and seems to love being out on trail. The arena, not so much. We’ve also got a major hiccup in our trailer-loading abilities. So more of this month has been spent on ground work and arena work versus trail work. I’m not concerned about that part, I already know she’s a good trail horse, and conditioning miles are all she needs out there. But I want her solid and reliable and cooperative on the ground and in the arena as well...

Thursday, October 15, 2020

Bombproofing the Rider

Horse-canada.com - Full Article

Spooky horses can erode our confidence as riders. We get nervous, the horse gets tense and it can derail the most well-planned de-spooking program.

By: Karin Apfel | July 12, 2012

Spooky horses can erode our confidence as riders, especially after a bad experience. We get nervous, the horse gets tense and it can derail the most well-planned de-spooking program. Don’t we all wish we were as cool under pressure as Chesley Sullenberger, the pilot who carefully landed US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River in 2009, saving 155 passengers from a sure crash when the engines failed? What was his secret? What made him able to function so effectively in an emergency? Was he simply not frightened?

In a CBS 60 Minutes interview, Sullenberger was quoted as saying that in the moments before the crash he experienced “the worst sickening, pit-of-your-stomach, falling-through-the-floor feeling.” So, he certainly experienced fear. How did he manage to overcome it? Speaking with news anchor Katie Couric, he said, “One way of looking at this might be that for 42 years, I’ve been making small, regular deposits in this bank of experience: education and training. And on January 15th, the balance was sufficient so that I could make a very large withdrawal.” In other words, his competence was a combination of his rigorous Air Force training, his familiarity with safety procedures as an accident investigator, and his many hours of flight experience.

As riders, we must also educate ourselves and gain experience in order to be mentally flexible under duress. We must also have our safety procedures in place and a plan to deal with surprises...

FAQs About Horses and Alfalfa

Thehorse.com - Full Article

When fed and managed properly, horses can benefit from alfalfa’s high nutritive value. But is it right for your horse? Learn about some common things to consider when feeding this forage in this article excerpt from the October 2020 issue of The Horse.

Posted by Chelsie J. Huseman, PhD PAS | Oct 10, 2020

Common (as well as a few less-common) things to consider when feeding this forage Alfalfa is a perennial legume forage commonly used in horse diets. Nutrient-rich, highly palatable, widely available, and affordable, alfalfa can benefit a variety of horses. While many horse owners and farm managers consider alfalfa a mainstay in their feeding programs, the forage remains a source of questions and confusion. In this article we’ll address some common, as well as less-common, considerations you need to make when feeding your horses alfalfa...

Monday, October 05, 2020

Everything You Need to Know About LED Lighting

LampsPlus.com - Full Article

LED lighting has come a long way in such a short period of time. The man who is recognized for conceiving the light bulb, Thomas Alva Edison, says that he “tested no fewer than 6,000 vegetable growths, and ransacked the world for the most suitable filament material” as part of the process of inventing the light bulb, which got a patent in 1880 (Source). Edison is said to have acknowledged that this was tedious and very demanding work, particularly on those he employed to help him. Having done its work for over 100 years, the bulb, as invented by Edison, is gradually being replaced by a light emitting diode (LED).

While LED lighting has been around for some years now, many questions about it still exist. Is it worth changing to LED lights? Are LED lights more expensive? Do they truly last as long as they are said to? Will they save energy? Do they increase the amount of heat in a room? Will they one day completely replace the traditional light bulbs we have known for over a century? In this article, we took some time to answer the most common questions about LED lighting. We start by defining what it is and its technical details, how it differs from other sources of light, how LED light works, and the categories into which it falls. We then look at the cost and efficiency of LED lighting and its advantages and disadvantages. Finally, we look at what the future of LED looks like...

Thursday, October 01, 2020

Seven Feeding Myths Shattered

HorseIllustrated.com - Full Article

By Karen Briggs -August 18, 2003

Despite the ability of many horse people to diagnose a strained suspensory at 30 paces, fix a faulty flying change with just a smidge more outside leg, or understand the intricacies involved in getting that recalcitrant tractor to start, a surprising number of us are baffled by the basic principles of equine nutrition. We’re content to believe the myths and misconceptions that flourished in our grandfather’s day, to feed whatever our neighbors are feeding … or to just plain get overwhelmed by the whole subject! The result is that a great many horses are fed more according to tradition than to sound scientific fact, and their overall health may suffer because of it.

But feeding horses really isn’t rocket science. It’s pretty simple to understand, if you try. It’s time to debunk some of those pervasive nutrition myths, and replace them with solid facts on which you can base your feeding program.

MYTH #1: Horses need grain in their diets...