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Wow! What a Horse!
Success in the horse industry is not just related to how your horse is bred, but also, to the way you take care of your horse companion. In my opinion there are two types of horses: “just a horse” and “Wow! What a horse.” This does not always note world champions, but it does note horses that their owners take very good care of them and provide the best for them to feel look and perform at their top level. No! Not all horses are world champions, but they will be more cooperative for you if this is how you treat them. You will know that they give you 100% every time.
My program consists of a team that I work with, they are: a veterinarian, a farrier, and an equine dentist. With my team and I, we work together to help the horses reach their potential. One is as important as the other and they all are experts in their field of study. To properly care for your horse(s), you need to make a team for yourself and become more knowledgeable in the area of horsemanship.
In my program, I start addressing a horse’s ability by looking at the things that I can change to better their physical and emotional lifestyle with the agreement of my team. My program is one of prevention rather than fixing problems. First item that I will look at is their nutritional intake. I believe that the horse’s body and ours, too, were made to live off of the land and not digest man-made preservatives or additives. The horse’s digestion system works best when they can easily breakdown their food and it can be quickly turned to energy. The longer food takes to digest and breakdown in the body, the longer the body has to wait to receive the benefits. I personally feed an extruded feed that is made to be more easily digestible and nutrients are more readily available to the horse because of the extrusion process. Now I like to add a supplement that will increase joint and ligament support and promote overall health. The supplement that I like to use is half bee pollen and half joint protection formula. The bee pollen is beneficial that it enhances immunity, has healing properties, and decreases respiratory problems. It, also, increases the power to concentrate and increases brain function. Bee pollen is full of vitamins such as: vitamin B and vitamin E and amino acids. The joint support system includes glucosamine and powerful enzymes to maintain normal joint health. In my feeding process, I like to have all my horses on Apple Cider Vinegar. This product has proven itself in many realms of the equine industry to be beneficial in healing wounds, helping by relieving arthritic problems, calming nerves, conditioning their coats and stimulates digestion in colicing situations.
After I get them on my preventive feeding program, then I will address their physical well being; such as: teeth, feet, and body condition. The mouth and feet of a horse are two areas that you never want to overlook. The mouth should be ulcer free and teeth floated and smooth with no sharp edges. The hinge of the jaw should glide smoothly left and right and they should be able to open wide. An equine dentist is a major player on the team of preventive heath in my program. I recommend having an equine dentist check your horse’s teeth every six months. If there is an issue that needs addressing then they can fix it at that time, before it becomes a problem. This goes for the feet, also, you need to find a good farrier that will trim or shoe your horse to his body angles. The foot should be level right to left and front to back. The foot is a very important part of the horse’s body. If the foot is not level or does not have correct size shoes on it; it can not handle the weight of the horse properly, therefore causing the horse to overcompensate and a problem forms. Lameness, unwillingness, body structure changes, and many more things occur when the mouth and feet are overlooked.
The daily routine of my horses is very important to my program. I feed twice a day and I give good clean coastal hay with their feed. I keep plenty of fresh water available. They get exercise everyday, whether it be lounging, pleasure riding or working on certain techniques that they need to develop. Then they get to run free in the pasture and enjoy the rest of the day as horses. I believe that free time in the pasture, or a good sized lot, is a priority to keep the mind of a horse free and full of life. They like to run, play, enjoy the sunshine and roll in the dirt just like we enjoy changing up our routine to do something pleasurable for ourselves. The more the mind is willing, the more our horse will help us in reaching our goals. Also, I check their bodies everyday to make sure there are no new scratches or bumps that need to be addressed. I like to help keep my horses feeling great with some massage and acupressure work. If I find a soreness or lameness issue, then I do bodywork and some alternative therapies that will fix the issue. By checking my horses daily, I decrease the chance of missing one of these issues and therefore letting it get in the way of their performance. Knowing the horse anatomy and how their body should operate normally, are a must, because knowledge gives you the upper hand on winning and having your horse perform at the top of their game.
During competition, I also have a routine that I like to follow. Sometimes time does not allow for this routine to be completely followed every time. However I change it to benefit the horse that I am working on and do what is necessary to make them comfortable and do their best. In my competition routine, I make sure I park where my horse will be safe and not get hurt or hurt some one else. Depending on the length of the drive, I like to stretch my horses’ legs by hand walking them for a few minutes and then offering them water. I make sure I know the order of events and decide on how much time that I will need to get my horse properly ready for their event. I like to saddle early and do a light warm-up, then come back to the trailer and stretch and address any soreness issues that would not work themselves out during the warm-up. Depending on the horse, I will go back a do a longer warm-up to help them focus and then get geared up for our run. Not all horses need a long warm-up. It is unnecessary to over warm-up your horse. You are wasting them and not allowing them to perform their best. If, after a proper warm-up, I have a horse that gets a little edgy and is not able to stay calm, then I will give an herbal calmer made of chamomile. This is not a drug. It is a flower and works great in the body, because it is natural and easy for the body to break down. The horse then goes out and does there best for me. I cool them out by hand walking and re-stretching their larger muscle groups and then I water and feed and/or hay them. My horses are rewarded; when we get home, with pasture time for a day or at least 24 hours, then we get back into our daily exercise routine.
I do not believe it is necessary to drug the horse to get them to run their best with my program. They are getting every thing that the body needs and there are no extras that the body has to fight to break down and use. We think drugging horses to make them run faster or stay calm is beneficial, however it is proven that it only hurts the horse in the long run. They will over work their body, therefore causing strained ligaments or muscles or torn ligaments or muscles. Also, their systems were not made to have drugs; it is hard for a horse to digest them. Some drugs that are used prevalently in the competition world are so touchy that with just one dose; that you have done for hundreds of runs, could cause detrimental problems in the body, such as: founder, bleeding, heart attacks, strokes and, of course, death. I do not want to take the chance on my “Wow! What a horse!” horse. I believe in them and they trust and believe that I do all that I can for them without harming them.
My horses love their job, because they feel good inside and out. I know they give me 100%, because I give them my 100% all of the time. Sometimes I know we run out of time or money and we can get in a hurry to have a world champion; so we get focused on us and forget the proper needs of our horse(s). This is when we start cutting corners and our program begins to fail us and our horses. We can not let this happen; if we want the “Wow! What a horse!” horse.
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My "Wow! What a horse" Horse
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This intel was contributed by Stepheny
Stepheny
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May, 2012
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