Donkey Dressage- If they can do it you can too

Found this in cyberspace today.

Donkey Dressage!

The Importance of Hoof Care in Foals

In addition to training and teaching I also am a not for hire barefoot trimmer and yesterday I once again trimmed the 10 month old Mozzie Man.

His first trim was at a month old and he has been trimmed on as needed about every 2 months.

Hoof care is extremely important in foals.

Consider the Kayan people who from a very early age place brass rings around the necks of their women to elongate them.

What begins here.

Ends here.  

The same thing happens with foals although maybe not as extreme.  

Toed in, toed out, club foot, etc all of these conformational faults are exacerbated and amplified when a foal's hooves are not properly maintained from a early age.  

We have to trim adult horses' hooves because they loiter in little paddocks or meander around a few acres instead of traveling 20-40 miles a day in search of forage and our foals are no different.  

It is also important to note that a lame (not bearing weight or traveling abnormally) foal is something that must be addressed immediately.  Since foals grow so quickly a few weeks of untreated lameness can result in life long hoof and limb issues that would not have occurred naturally.  

And if the above were not enough to make you want to keep a close eye on your hooves.  I can speak from experience that it is 1000% times easier to train a 300 lb foal to stand (nicely) to be trimmed than it is to teach a 700, 800, or 1000 lb horse.  

For Daily Inspiration

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The trained eye- What you need to know when buying a horse

Can you spot the injuries?  

Check out this amazing post over at the The Horse's Back.

This is something everyone in the horse world should read.

Ex Racehorse Problems

In my experience many of these injuries can be fixed with time and proper rehabilitation.

And if any of your own horses are exhibiting some of these injuries I personally have had amazing results in my own horses and the horses of many of my clients with osteopathy and chiropractic care from Dr. Groves of the The Whole Horse in San Marcos, Texas. 

Personal observations- snaffle vs. curb in finished horse

My main mare Pie has been off for the better part of 3 years due to work, both our pregnancies, and now juggling work and a baby.

Starting in last month I have been able to focus on riding more so I will be posting some of my experiences.



For the past few years I have ridden her in this.

Looking to brush off the cobwebs in her mid I decided to start back in this. 

I rode her twice in the snaffle and then put her back in her regular curb.

I have written quite a bit on bits and biting if you need a refresher.

Bits and Biting Part One

Bits and Biting Part Two

Bits and Biting Part Three

Bits and Biting Part Four

Bits and Biting Part Five

Some of my observations:

There was a slight dullness in using the snaffle on Pie's advanced maneuvers compared to her usual curb. Without the leverage and angle of the shank to she did not have the "yellow light" to warn her that the bit was about to be engaged which made her less reactive/dull.  No having the "yellow light" warning the snaffle made me spend more time in her mouth.  

Her shoulder yields were less fluid in the jointed snaffle over the 3 piece mouthpiece of the curb.  The Jointed mouthpiece on the snaffle engaged both sides of her mouth vs the one side that is usually touched by the curb making for a less fluid movement.  

Having been ridden in a ported mouthpiece for so long Pie did not enjoy the lack of tongue relief she had in the snaffle, she chopped on the bit. 

In general I felt a lack of finesse taking Pie back down to a snaffle.   

Thoughts:

I feel that it is important to remember to view our bits as tools for communication.  

The anatomy of a simple jointed snaffle can make it harder for you to clearly communicate what you want your horse to do.  Especially when trying to do advanced maneuvers.  

Excessive bit play can be a call for tongue relief.

At the end of the day this experiment was a reminder that if your really want to achieve a super light bridle horse you may have to move up into a curb for some parts of your training or at least look further than a simple jointed mouthpiece.  

Of course no bit is a substitute for good training, timing and your release of pressure are what really determine how light and responsive your horse is but the right bit can aid in your horse's understanding and speed up the training process.  

Note:  All observations in the post were based on the experiences riding a very broke, light, and responsive horse.  The changes noted between the snaffle and curb were very minor but still enough to be noted.    

My favorite questions to ask the Vet

Unexpectedly had to take my cat into the vet this morning.  She peed bloody urine.  Looks to be a kidney infection or kidney stones.

After running the urine analysis the vet came back with two options.  Treat for infection or pursue diagnosing kidney stones.

As any pet parent I was a faced with a tough decision.

So I did as I always do when in these situations-  I asked the Vet "If she were your cat how would you proceed?"  To which he replied that he would first treat for infection.

So we are treating the Jude Kitty for an infection.

I love asking this question because I feel that it help get to the heart of what we all go to the Vet for anyway; to get our pet well again as quickly, easily, painlessly, and cost effectively as possible.

My second favorite question to ask is- "How much is _____ going to cost?"

I ask for pricing before consenting to testing, treatment, or medication.  While I love my animals very much I do not enjoy being surprised at check out.

I have the horses and the coyotes, I just need the bird

Found this on facebook today.

Yet another awesome thing to do with your horse.