Newsletter 61

Sept/October 2006

In This Newsletter:

Manny's Colic surgery - progress report
Ameretto - what a cutie!
Wrangler Jayne Clinic
Barefoot Bits & Pieces
Paddock Paradise Update
70 Year Old passes Level 1
Book Review - All Horse Systems Go
Calendar & Classifieds

Hello Horselovers!
Spring is definately here with the warm weather we've had lately - the grass is growing, the wattles are flowering and its time to be on laminitis alert.
Its something I never really worried about as I don't have ponies so I wasn't aware that it can affect any horse on a subtle level. However, over the past few years, I've been observing changes in my horse's hooves which are seasonal and believe the two are linked.
My theory is that as the sugars and proteins in the grass increase, so does my horse's hoof sensitivity (due to small laminitic events). I have ridden my barefoot horses over gravel and rocks in the winter when their hooves are generally softer due to wet ground, and they handle it like grass.
But as soon as the spring and summer grass takes its toll, they tip toe over the gravel and behave like they are just being transitioned to barefoot - most have never worn shoes in their lives.
Another theory is that the horses also become susceptible to greasy heel/mud fever (same thing) which I used to blame on leech bites giving the bugs in the soil an entry point. But my horses have been bitten by more leeches than ever over winter and none of them have mud fever/greasy heel. During the spring and summer when they were on rich grass I was treating half the herd for this problem - and it was the horses I thought needed more 'good feed' that suffered the most.

So, this year, I'm not going to be deluded into thinking I'm doing my horses a favour by letting them onto rich grass. My tracks are being set up around each paddock (see Paddock Paradise update below) and the hay barn has been enlarged so I can store enough hay to feed year round.
Although we're taught to to stop feeding hay as soon as the grass is coming through, I'm convinced that like most other equestrian traditions, this one will need to be changed for the good of my horses. I don't want to have to deal with sore footed horses, seedy toe, abcesses and greasy heel any more!

I'll be keeping them all on the track (with plenty of hay) during the afternoons and nights so they can't gorge on high sugar grass, and those that can tolerate grass will be let into the middle of the paddock for a few hours in the mornings when the grass sugars are lowest.
I'll let you know how this goes - and I'd be keen to hear from others who are setting up their Paddock Paradise, wherever you are in the world. We can all learn from each other's ideas and/or mistakes.
Your ideas and successes will also help me write about this in my book which I've been trying to focus on (between feeding and caring for Manny 4-5 times a day!).
I have come up with the working title of 'A Horse Owners Manual - The essential guide to caring for and training horses .... naturally". There is still a bit to write but I have all my topics and chapters in place, and I'm excited about getting it finished - no promises of a date just yet though.

Manny's Colic surgery - progress report
Well it's certainly been an emotional roller coaster looking after my special boy these past six weeks since his operation to remove a tumour from his small colon which did turn out to be cancer - a lympho sarcoma.
After quite a few more colic episodes and much trial and error with his feeding, I have found a way keep his gut working (I hope!). It seems the first 2 weeks lulled me into a false sense of well being as Manny was eating and drinking (though not enough) and seemed to be well on the road to recovery. But then dehydration took its toll and he started colicking again, due to too much dry food and not enough water. He's never been a big drinker, and resists all tempters in the water like molasses, apple juice, electrolytes etc - he did enjoy 'bobbing' for apples for a few minutes, until he worked out he could get them easier if he tipped the bucket over! Then when he couldn't win that game any more, he lost interest.

So, it meant soaking all his hay and feeding him sloppy wet mashes, gradually adding feed I thought he could tolerate and cutting it out when he colicked again. It seems oaten chaff is difficult for him to digest, probably because it has tough stalks and more lignin in it, so against my principles, I have to feed him lucerne chaff. With that he gets a senior pre mix feed (Mitavite Gumnuts), along with some rolled oats, bran, sunflower seeds, garlic, rosehips, MSM, cider vinegar and Equine Formula from Tahitian Noni, all soaked in chamomile tea.

Manny looking good during his recovery, 4 weeks after surgery.

Through all this Manny has remained bright and alert, especially when he sees my filly who I've named Ameretto (Amy for short). she lives next to him and for some strange reason, he's besotted with her, even ignoring his best mate of 18 years to track where she is and talk to her at every opportunity. He would get most concerned when Amy is being handled, as if to say "be careful with that precious little one!"
Over a 2 week period I've introduced Manny into Armero and Amy's space so they can all be kept together on a fresh paddock. Firstly I had him on a line until I was sure his fascination with Amy was positive (some geldings have been known to harm foals like a stallion can when they think the foal is not theirs). Then while supervising him, I let Armero dictate the distance he was allowed to be from Amy while free. She's a great mum and put Manny in his place, but after a few sessions she is starting to relax and let Amy approach Manny.
Amy 's too scared to touch noses with him just yet (and mum is too protective), but I can tell when they all trust each other, Manny will be a wonderful uncle and babysitter.

Manny six weeks after surgery and back in the paddock.

Ameretto - what a cutie!

Nothing pulls on your hear strings more than a little foal nickering to you as you leave the paddock, then running from her mother to follow me, hoping I'll come back and play with her.
This beautiful filly has been the joy of my days and despite being foaled so early, she has thrived and loves all the attention she's been getting.
As there's been no grass over this past month of winter I've been feeding Armero four feeds between 8.30am and 10pm and giving her constant access to the yummiest hay I can find. Consequently, Amy is getting lots of cuddles and 'itches' each time I feed with a bit of hoof handling and leading every few days.

She is quite happy to have all her hooves cleaned, be touched (and especially scratched!) all over, and leads in her pretty pink halter!
We practice leading on the gravel driveway so her hooves have been getting some wear, and she has had Manny in her paddock for short periods in preparation for going out into a larger pasture with him. More herd members will be gradually introduced and in a few weeks time she will have another foal to play with when a visiting mare gives birth.

All her visitors are amazed at how quiet she is and eager to have strangers near, but Amy has learned where a good scratch comes from and has never been subjected to anything that she fears where people are involved. Its just wonderful to see what a positive influence you can have on a young horse, when you take the time to gain their trust, do a little often, reward the good things and ignore anything undesirable (like turning the backside to you for an itch or when fearful).

If you would like to see the sort of training I do with young horses from day old foals to 2 year olds, then order my Young Horse Training double DVD - its just $50 including postage in Australia. Click here for more info or contact me (details below) for payment options.

No fear of puddles for Amy - just curiosity.

Amy stepping out on her first stroll out of the foaling paddock.

Wrangler Jayne Clinic - Don't miss the only chance to learn with this dynamic horsewoman from the High Country of Victoria.

There are only two rider positions left for this clinic so be quick to register.
Jayne Glenn, better known as Wrangler Jayne from Mansfield in Victoria, is coming to Tasmania for the first time to teach a two day Advancing & Refining Level 1 clinic on September the 16th and 17th.
Some of the things Jayne will be teaching are:
~ Observing our horse's body language and understanding what he is REALLY saying;
~ Ways to build greater trust, confidence and respect through understanding,
sensitivity and patience.
~ Taking the time it takes: Approach and Retreat / Soaking / slow and right beats
fast and wrong etc. etc. to reach the goal of Softness and Lightness;
~ Refining the 'games' or introducing as necessary - relating these to how they
benefit horse and rider.
~ Refining the essentials - flexion, disengagement of the HQ, rein positions, yields;
~ Bareback basics; Saddling the considerate way; preparation to ride, asking
permission to get on;
~ Keys to natural riding - exercises to help the human to be a better rider for their
horse.
~ Being a passenger. Teaching your horse to follow a feel. And More!!

The venue is the Topline Rugs Indoor Arena near Westbury and rider positions are limited to 10. Riders must send a $100 deposit at the time of booking to hold their place, with the balance of $120 due at the clinic. Observers are most welcome at $50 per day which includes hot drinks (byo mug & chair). To book a position phone the clinic coordinator, Cynthia Cooper, on 63 695177 or email me (below).
For more information on Wrangler Jayne go to www.wranglerjayne.com

BOOK REVIEW

ALL HORSE SYSTEMS GO – Nancy S. Loving
In this full-colour comprehensive volume, Dr Nancy S. Loving, noted equine veterinarian and dressage, event and distance rider, addresses the challenges of keeping the working horse ‘working’.
Dr Loving provides a thorough understanding of the intricacies of the equine body as well as a ready reference for solving common problems and handling emergencies.
Never again will you lack concise guidance on what can go wrong, what to do when it does, and when to call in professional assistance.
This is not just another veterinary manual, however. While diseases are clearly explained, and relevant diagnostic tools and methods of prevention and treatment are offered, Dr. Loving sets her book apart by describing valuable methods of conditioning the various systems of the horse, from strengthening hoof and bone and developing muscle, to maintaining cardiovascular and respiratory health, including health concerns related to transport stress and competition.
You are introduced to the horse’s complicated digestive system and its common problems as related to poor dentition, improper feed and supplementation, parasite infestation, and psychological stress.
Along with a thorough review of nutritional requirements there is guidance in worming and vaccination programs, and controlling sources of equine anxiety.
Over 600 pages, 500 colour photos and 4,000 index entries enrich this consummate text.
All Horse Systems Go is integral to ensuring the horse can perform to the very best of his ability, whether the task is as simple as carrying you on a ride with friends or performing at the highest levels of competition.
This is a 5 star Veterinary book, first published in 2006 and highly recommended to all horse owners as a concise veterinary reference manual.
This book is available from www.amazon.com or from Natural Horse World for $75 plus postage - contact Cynthia for payment options.

New Web Sites to Browse on...click here to see www.tasmanianhorse.com

For a great natural newsletter called Neva Say Neva and online ordering of Natural Equipment click here.
Lee and Danny Woodland previously manufactured rope equipment for Parelli and now have their own business which includes a monthly newsletter catering for all forms of natural horsemanship in Australia and New Zealand. Lee welcomes contributions and they run monthly competitions to win useful equipment such as a 22'ft line for the winner of a story about The Most memorable Day with My Horse.
Danny reached Instructor status and Lee has achieved level 2 with Parelli so they are well qualified to service your equipment needs with quality gear at reasonable prices.
Lee puts a great newsletter together and this month has an excellent article on horse trailer maintenance and safety checks so take the time to enjoy the read.

Barefoot Bits & Pieces

Jeremy Ford along with Jen Clingly and husband/film maker, Andrew, have been to Alice Springs and Adelaide to conduct hoof trimming courses and to film brumbies on Wilpoorinna Station near Maree. Alice Springs Clinic organiser, Kristal says "The Barefoot Clinic was a great success! Jen and Jeremy did a wonderful job inspiring us to consider a better way to look after our horses. Their knowledge, care and ability to provide clear information was amazing. There were 13 horse lovers at the clinic so everyone had a good try at the trimming. Many rasps, knives and books were sold so look out Alice horses!!"

I'm sure we'll hear more about this adventure in the next newsletter.

Margaret Richardson, moderator of the Yahoo Group barefoothorseinaustralia, has started the wheels turning to put in place a Certificate 3 Trimming qualification by distributing a survey. Marg hopes all horse owners, trainers and businesses will assist with completing the survey so if you can help, please click here to access the file which can then be emailed or posted back to Marg.

Paddock Paradise Update

All new ideas have learning curves so I'm inviting other readers who are experimenting with this way of keeping horses to send me feedback for my book. If you're not sure what Paddock Paradise is all about, see the July/August newsletter where I detail my initial set up.

The horses eating small piles of hay I put out for each one on various areas around the track. You can see the gravel section they are using even though not forced to by fences.

From my initial set up on 10 acres of hillside, I discovered the horses were traveling around the track well, especially when I increased the herd size from 4 to 6. Then it rained a bit and the track got slippery and muddy in sections so they would just go the minimum distance between food and water. Also I stopped spreading the hay around the track as I wanted to feed it in the shelter of the trees or in the hay boxes so they weren't able to waste so much. They still had to travel from the top of the hill to the bottom to get water and I tried to encourage more movement by feeding them their bucket feed each morning in the area opposite where they liked to stand and eat hay. But because they could see me from their hay area, they would just stand at the fence as if to say "we can see you but we can't work out how to reach you"! They were well aware of how to get to the feeding area - just reluctant to slip and slide down the hill unless I led them!
Also, they were rushing down the slippery areas and this ploughed up the soil quite a bit so that could become a problem in the future.
This was very frustrating so in the end I took the fence down just so I could keep my time and energy at a reasonable level. I will have to put better footing down (more gravel) on those slippery sections so they feel safe traveling before the track is re-installed on this particular paddock.
Now that winter is over and its not nearly as wet as in previous years (unless we get huge amounts of spring rain), I will be setting up the track again in other paddocks to keep my fatter horses off the grass.
I've used this time to have some maintenance done on the external fences and to ensure all steel posts are capped and new electric wire will carry the current around so my internal track fences will work properly when they are most needed (when the grass grows and is tempting them to push on the fence).
So far, I've only had to use one white tape on tread in posts which are easier to move, to keep them on the track, but that could all change when there's grass on the other side!

In the next newsletter the rescue and rehabilitation of Shirley shown below will feature in Barefoot Bits & Pieces.

• It only occur during spring and summer (wrong!)
• Horse X will be my guinea pig – if he/she is OK then so will the rest of the herd (wrong!)
• Only ponies are at risk (wrong!)
• Only fat ponies are at risk (wrong!)
• Keeping the hooves trimmed will help (wrong!)
  

• a total ban on “treats” (carrots/apples/bread/pellets/grains, a munch on the lawn for 10 minutes)
• feed poor nutritional, quality hay.
• Restrict grass completely or with a grazing muzzle, or to early mornings when the sugar content is lowest.
• exercise/movement - as much as possible by making long, narrow pens or tracks which have no grass, and active riding/leading often (daily if possible).
• an intimate awareness of each horse/pony, in particular the way it moves. If a slight change in the way it moves is noticed DO SOMETHING. Although subtle changes in movement will be harder for many people to pick, this is a warning sign that will be apparent well before the cresty neck, bruised feet, obvious lameness etc. Trot them out on gravel to look for tenderness and if it is evident, then they are most likely laminitic.

Contact Details:
Cynthia Cooper - Natural Horse World
46 Wattle Lea Lane, Golden Valley, Tasmania,
Australia. 7304. Ph. 0363 695177.
Email Me