Newsletter Update December 2005

In This Update:

Summer Horse Keeping Tips
Equitana Letter
New Product Review Page
Student News & Photos
Event Info - January Camps
Calendar & Classifieds

Hello Horselovers!
A whole year has zoomed by and its hard to believe we're about to start another. My apologies if you haven't received a newsletter recently - I had to find a new way to notify everyone as new email spam settings caused problems!

This news update is really to wish you a happy holiday season and New Year when it arrives. The best thing about Christmas is that it gets families and friends together and in touch again which I think is the important bit.

Having returned from Equitana I stirred the pot with a letter to the organisers, judges and competitors regarding the 'Way of the Horse' contest on the last day. Someone had to speak up for the horse so I did....

Here's what I wrote: (at the time of publishing this I had not received a reply from the organisers).

Dear Equitana Organisers,
Thanks for putting on another fantastic Equitana - its such a wonderful way for the horse industry to get together and share new products and ideas.
I went all day, every day for the four days and still didn't see everything!

Alas, there were some things I wish I hadn't seen - but I did, and feel I must comment on them. Most of the presenters are good horsemen (according to humans - many horses would think differently) and they can do some amazing things with horses, but few of them truly care about the horse more than they care about their image or ego.

There were only three from all the horsemanship demos I watched (most of them) that did seem to put the horse first - Anky van Grunsven, Janette Wilson and Carlos Tabernaberri.
Many of the horses in other demos had dull expressions, showed their annoyance by swishing their tails, ears back all the time and being un-settled in the mouth.

You can have all the good horsemanship techniques in the world but without listenting to the horse and having compassion for their feelings, it means nothing.
All are preaching that we need to be good leaders for our horses - most are being dictators and treating the horses like anything but a partner.

So, on Monday afternoon I watched the Way of the Horse with apprehension.
Firstly, I think its sad that the myth that young horses should be started at 2 years old is perpetuated by using such young horses who are neither mentally or physically fit enough to cope with such pressure. Maybe that's because the horsemen need an advantage but it instills in the public as racing does, that young horses must be started at 2 when in reality, many are not ready to cope with the work thrown at them and therefore break down in their teenage years that should be their best.

Secondly, while I think the concept of allowing people to see young horses being started is good, I don't think it does the horse or the image of horsemanship any favours by having such a time pressure.
Maybe a better way of doing it would be to have the selected horsemen working with the young horses as part of their demos throughout the four days of Equitana with the goal being to have them ready for a judging session on the last day. Not only would it encourage people to come for more than one day to see their progress, it would allow the competition arena to be uitilised for some other activities for a few more hours so a different horse sport could be introduced such as polocrosse.

Thirdly, I think the whole process with the young horses could have been accomplished without having to use a bit which was obviously used far too roughly for any horse's sensitive mouth let alone a newly started one that has never worn a bit. I don't know if that was a requirement for the comeptition, but if it was, maybe it could be stated that the use of the bit could be optional.
Most natural horsemen don't use a bit on the first rides and by seeing it used in the competition in such an abusive way, does nothing for educating the public that the horse's mouth is the most sensitive part of its body and should be treated with respect.
The commentators said the horses were in good shape and had been vettted and checked before the competition but I saw no-one check the horses and their mouths in particular, after the competiton.
If this event goes ahead again, then I will organise the RSPCA to be present as well as demonstrators from Against Animal Cruelty Australia to protest.

There are rules about abuse with the whip, there are rules to keep rodeo stock from being abused so its about time rules for bit abuse is included.

I hope for future Equitana's you think a little more about who you invite to be part of the Way of the Horse - may I suggest there are plenty of good horsemen in Australia who should be invited to compete in the next one. I'd like to suggest three of the best - Ken Faulkner from QLD, Sam Watson from WA and Philip Nye from Tasmania.

I look forward to your reply.
Cynthia Cooper.

Call me radical, call me crazy, but this is the way I saw it and I feel strongly enough to stop hiding my thoughts.....for the horses.

Two New Web Sites to Browse on...
An excellent web site I came across from Russia is www.hauteecole.ru which features amazing photos that show bridleless training in its finest form. Alexander and Lydia Nevzorova advocate that bits should eventually be banned from competition to stop the level of cruelty horses receive, especially when the pressure is on.
They also recommend Parelli Level 1 training as a good foundation. Its a thought provoking site well worth visiting.

Another site full of useful information is www.horseproblems.com.au - give yourself plenty of time to read all the helpful articles and if you like what you read and have a problem to solve, email John and he will promptly reply.

Summer Horse Keeping Tips
Before you go away on holidays (and hopefully arrange for someone to look after your horses), here are some things to consider for your horse's comfort and well being during the hotter months.

Access to shade and fresh water at all times:
These are basic necessesities no horse should be deprived of but sadly many are. If your paddock has no natural shade, provide some in the form of a shelter shed, shade cloth structure or make a lane to a place there is shade.
Fresh, cool water is vital so make sure the supply can't fail like automatic waterers do and buckets that can be tipped over. As dams dry up, make sure horses can still reach water without getting stuck in mud.

Watch grass intake: Especially in areas where there is a high rainfall and it stays lush. Sugars are higher in the grass during the day so if you need to restrict intake, let them out on grass during the cool of the night. Be aware that stressed grass can produce toxins that cause laminitis so don't put horses onto a freshly cut hay paddock or on pasture with a green flush after rain following long dry periods.

Protect pink skin on the nose: Horses sunburn too and white markings on the face often result in sore, crusty areas that are painful and can lead to cancer.
Protection with a sunscreen for horses such as 'Filtabac' (available from Horseland or your vet) is one that stays on well and helps heal sores too.
If you need to use a fly mask there are designs with inbuilt nose protectors or if you attatch one to a halter, make sure it will easily break if caught on something. Providing adequate shade also helps.
Filtabac is also an excellent treatment for mud fever/greasy heel if used daily.

Protect them from bothersome flies: Again, shade areas help as flies prefer bright light. Bot flies won't follow horses into sheds or very dark shaded areas.
Find a good fly repellant and wipe it on as often as necessary. (see Product Review Page for a good one)
Remove bot eggs frequently in an area that the horses don't eat from to reduce worm burdens and the spread of bots.

No rugs: Allow your horse to regulate their own body temperature and repel insects by rolling in dust.

Exercise in the cool hours: Horses are like us, they get lethargic when its hot so get up early or ride late to make the most of the cooler hours, expecially for strenuous exercise.

Allow access to salt and minerals: If you have them freely available, your horse will take what it needs to replace those lost in sweat. Lumps of natural rock salt are ideal and a mix of dolomite, seaweed meal and garlic will keep your horse healthy.

Soak hooves before trimming: Either make a footbath or use soaking boots to make the trimming easier and give your horse hoof mositure in very dry times.

Take care when transporting: When its hot, the inside of horse floats and trucks can be stifling. Make sure there is plenty of ventilation and when you stop, open all doors and windows to make up for lost airflow.
If your horse has a long distance to travel, ensure they will drink water by adding molasses at home to train them to drink any water. Molasses is also a natural electrolyte but you may need to give a supplement as well. Don't put rugs on travelling horses unless they need protection from rain.

• Ground skills on-line and at liberty
• Riding skills for safety and fun
• Games you can play together
• Saddle and bridle fit/selection
• Hoof and health care
• Natural feeding
• How to motivate yourself and your horse to enjoy learning.