NEWSLETTER

Issue 48, July/August 2004.
Published by Cynthia Cooper.

Cynthia’s Say…

I’ve decided winter is too cold and wet here this year so by the end of this month I’ll be jetting off to South Africa again. Not for a holiday alas, but to teach numerous workshops and a 4 day camp plus two Natural Horse Care Seminars to the ‘hungry for knowledge’ South African students of natural horsemanship.

My trip will once again take me to Johannesburg, White River near the Kruger Nat. Park and Pietermaritzburg area which is further south inland from Durban. I am lucky to have dedicated students/friends in these areas who organize everything for me – all I do is turn up and teach.

This time, I’ll be facing a few new challenges – handling a Zebra (apparently its tame!), playing with a Friesian stallion who sounds a dream to ride and seeing giraffe, elephant and maybe lions up close on a game reserve ride – I hope they give me a fast horse!

In all, I’m sure my 4 weeks there will be a great experience so I’ll have lots of stories for the next newsletter in September when I return.

In the meantime, keep warm by the fire or by playing with your horses, keep those horses fed and sheltered and enjoy the rest of the short winter days while they last!

Cynthia.

HUGE HAY BAGS TO MAKE

Have you ever been annoyed at how much hay your horses waste when you throw it out on the ground for them? After all, it is the most natural way for them to eat but some horses don’t have the best of manners and will poo and wee in it after taking their fill. Or on wet days it gets trampled into the mud and good hay is wasted.

With the cost of hay these days chasing gold, I wanted to minimize waste so I came up with a cost effective solution to providing a constant source of hay for your horse to help himself to throughout the day.

All you need is a poly chaff bag, 2 pieces of bale twine and a few minutes on the sewing machine.

The eating hole at the bottom (cut the hole just above the bottom seam) should be no larger than 25cm square (for ponies it could be 20cm) and this needs to have the edge turned over and stitched so it doesn’t fray.  Then all you do is loop a piece of twine through the weave on each top corner of the bag to tie it to the fence or a tree.

This size bag holds about 5-6 sections of hay (1/3^rd of a bale) so is ideal for smaller horses and ponies for a days supply.

For bigger horses or those who rely on hay totally and for those people who want to refill the bag less often, you can make a bag that holds a whole bale by buying a cheap poly tarp that measures approx. 6’ x 4’. Fold it in half, stitch the top and side closed then make a drawstring on the bottom so the bale goes in easily. You cut the feeding hole a little above the drawstring and bind the edge so it doesn’t fray. You can then attach twine to the eyelets at the top to tie it off to a fence or a tree.

Its best to tie the bags so they stand upright and that way the hay falls down to the bottom as the horse eats it. The hay is kept dry and unless your horse pulls out hay and drops it, there is very little waste and as a bonus the hay is easy and clean to transport.

The only downside is if the horse gets to a patch of not so tasty hay, they will leave it and forgo the rest as they can’t nose around to find the better stuff when the bad hay blocks the hole, so make sure you only use good quality, dry hay with no mold or weeds.

If you don’t have time to mess around with making a big hay bag, most saddlers or rug makers would be happy to oblige for $35-$40 depending on the material used.

Teeth Check Time

One of the few things horses and humans have in common is the need for annual check up with the dentist.

In days gone by the farrier also practiced horse dentistry so it was easy to slot in a quick check of the teeth when he visited on a regular basis. But now horse dentistry is much more specialized and requires a little more skill than being able to wield a rasp to knock off the sharp edges. Therefore, we need to make a special effort to book the dentist for a yearly check up and do the necessary preparation before he arrives.

“Preparation – what preparation?” most people would say – thinking it’s the dentists job to educate your horse to have his mouth handled. Unfortunately, this approach has led to a lot of dentists having to resort to tranquilizers so they can do the job without injury and trauma to themselves and the horse.  Then you end up with a horse who increasingly fears the dentists visit.

It need not be this way if you are prepared to spend a few minutes a day or even a couple of times a week, desensitizing your horse to things around and in his or her mouth.

Just having a stranger wanting to prod and poke in the most sensitive part of their body is fear causing enough for a horse, so by getting them used to mouth handling, you are going to have a calmer, more accepting horse which your dentist will love.

To start with, you should be able to rub your horse’s nose and lips with your fingers without him shying away – use approach and retreat and gentle rhythmic pressure while gently holding the halter so you can follow his movement if he pulls away. Keep the rubbing going until your horse is showing signs of acceptance then immediately leave him alone for a minute.

As your horse accepts your hand and fingers in and around the lips, start with rubbing the gums (which some horses love) and then the tongue, remembering to stop when there are signs of acceptance (not pulling away, relaxing the head, licking).

Once they are comfortable with you rubbing the tongue on the side where there is a gap in the teeth, work towards acceptance of your fingers in the mouth on top of the tongue, entering where the gap is. Then see if you can gently hold the tongue for a second before releasing it, being careful not to pull it as you can break a very fragile bone connected to the back of the tongue, rendering it useless.

When your horse accepts you gently holding the tongue for a second or two, you can then work on acceptance of simulated dentists tools in the mouth. The rubber handle on a training stick or crop is a good thing to start with as its soft with rounded edges. You might even get them to like it by smearing it with molasses or apple sauce.

Acceptance of a worming tube will also help and I’ve heard from a student that cleaning the teeth with a toothbrush is something her ponies really seem to enjoy. 

Remember to allow the horse to check out anything you want to put in his mouth first, and even use it to groom him with so you are not being too direct line about getting it straight in the mouth.

The process may be quite fast for some young horses who are very mouthy anyway and love holding onto and chewing things so its good to introduce them to different objects and being able to gently rub their teeth with them.

For older horses who have maybe had a bad experience or who are naturally more wary and protective of their mouth, you will need to take it slowly and use some incentives like molasses or apple sauce.

Start with it on your finger then move onto other objects as they gain confidence which may have previously been shattered by rough handling or no preparation.

Choosing a dentist who has the right approach (slow and gentle) is also important for future confidence so ask around experienced horse people for recommendations. 

We need to realize that mouth handling should be a part of our grooming routine, just like cleaning out the hooves to check on growth and for anything caught in the hoof.

It gives you the opportunity to notice anything out of the ordinary such as an abscess, grass seeds lodged in the gums or other problems.

Some horses even need regular cleaning of tartar build up around the edges of some teeth on a regular basis which is something the dentist can show you how to do quite easily.

And the other big benefit is the trust it builds in the relationship with your horse so don’t delay, use the winter months when less riding time is available to develop your horsemanship in other ways just as beneficial for you and your horse.

Lili convinces Zarb that floating is fun.

Hi my name is Lili Foster and this is a story about floating Zarb ,my gray Arab, who was a problem float loader.

I’ve had Zarb for 19 months. When I got him he would walk right on the float with no problem, but then we hired a single float and it went down hill from there. It took us 3 hours just to get him in!

I didn’t float him for about a year because I didn’t have my own float and I broke my arm falling off Zarb .

Then Cynthia came and we desensitized him  to tarps, low tree branches and that type of thing.

We made a simulated float out of hay bales and when Zarb was ok going in that we started with the games. We did the yo-yo game, the circling game and the driving game for me to earn his respect. I put a hay net on the float ramp and let him eat, then I put the middle divider right across and I did the games on and near the float.Next I did a driving game on to the float a couple of times before I put his feed in the float

We put him in the float and wriggled the tail gate and he wasn’t fazed by that so we rhythmically closed the door three times .Zarb wasn’t worried by that either , so then we fed him in the float with the door closed twice and once he had finished his feed I backed him out. After he came off the float I did the circling game and loaded him two more times.

The next night I fed him in the float and he was fine so we took him out for a drive for about five minutes. When we got back I fed him in the I fed Zarb in the float two more times without going anywhere because when we took him for the drive he got a bit sweaty which meant he wasn’t really comfortable yet. Then we took him for a short drive in the float, fed him in the float when we got back and he  was fine with that.

So then we fed him in the float two more times without going anywhere just to keep it a comfort zone.

I took him for a drive for 15 minutes to a local horse beach and left him in the float for 5 minutes before unloading him.

I let him walk around, do the 7 games and then I took him back home fed him in the float unloaded him and put him back in the float two more times. I took Zarb to the beach again for a ride and he was great with the beach but he was such a sook in the water.

FUTURE WORKSHOP SCHEDULE

As the price of petrol climbs and I start to rationalize using the car, I’ve come to realize that when driving time exceeds the time spent on a private lesson, it adds up to a lot of un-productive time.

Therefore, I have planned a rotating schedule for visits to all corners of the State on a regular basis to enable everyone to access my workshops and group lessons. This new schedule will start in September after I return from my South Africa trip and those that are interested in attending can contact the coordinator in their area or me after September 2^nd.

Depending on interest, the scheduled day will be a full workshop or two half day groups of different levels. Here are the details:

Full day workshop – min. 4 – max. 10 - $66 per person. Children under 16 - $44

Half day groups – min. 3 – max 6 - $55 per person. Children under 16 - $33 (prices include GST) 

In some cases it may be possible to do a half day group then a couple of private lessons if there are not numbers for a 2^nd group.

Coming Event Details

Ground Skills Workshop for Beginners – this is a follow up workshop to the Horse Psychology day held in May so its ideal for those getting started with the ground skills needed for your horse to see you as the leader. BYO lunch, free hot drinks provided. $66 for riders and $33 for observers at the Topline Rugs Indoor arena, Westbury starting at 9.30am. Arrive at 9am to register please.

Natural Nous Play days and Pony Pals – These days are for all natural horse people to get together and socialize their horses and themselves, to have fun at a venue away from home and to share ideas and activities. Starting time is 10am and the morning is available to do your own thing while in the afternoon we try to coordinate a group activity. Participants are asked to bring a challenge (idea) for this.

The Pony Pals group in the morning from 10am to lunch time (approx. 12.30) is for children aged 5 to 15 with supervision and active help from their parents. Cynthia and Helen organize various activities and show kids and parents how to have fun safely with horses. 

Cost for the day is $7 per rider of which $5 is ground hire and $2 goes to the group to buy videos and books for loan.

Un-touched Horse Handling day – A herd of thoroughbreds was recently saved from being turned into dog meat and amongst them were many relatively untouched horses ranging from yearlings to 6 year olds. They have been branded and gelded then enjoyed a life of freedom in a big herd. Now they must be re-homed and therefore taught to lead and travel, have their feet handled and be wormed.

If anyone is interested in taking part in this process or seeing how it is approached naturally, please contact me for more details.

Classifieds

Wanted

Double horse float in good condition around $3500 - $4000 ph. Caroline on  64261414.

For sale or lease,

Level 2 Anglo-Arab mare.  Contact Fiona. 6362 4604.

Give away.

3 free-range chooks.  Contact Helen 6362 2481. For sale.  Three drawer filing cabinet.  Best offer.  Contact Helen 63622481

For Sale

Parelli gear: Hackamore - $80, 12ft lead- $45, 45ft lead-  $90, Bareback pad - $270, cinch $25, Rein leathers- $35, Horsemans Reins - $55, Isabell Werth Wintec 17" fully mounted dressage saddle, excellent order $850.Phone 63445987 or 0407445987.

For Sale

Unique opportunity to purchase the only Friesian Warmblood currently for sale in Tasmania.  Wallbrook Jethro is a stunning black weanling colt (will be gelded).  His sire is the magnificent Othello.  Jet will mature to approx 15hh and will promise to offer himself as a versitile horse, suitable for both riding & harness.  Raised to be reliable, respectful & responsive, perfect for a natural home!

Please phone Nadeen or Lee on 64257287 or email us at wallbrook@bigpond.com for more information.

Classified adds are offered free to all subscribers so email or phone me the details for the next newsletter by the 3^rd of September.

Looking for quality natural horse equipment at the best possible price?

You can order direct through me for Natural Equine Equipment which can be viewed at

www.naturalequine.com.au