February 25, 2008 by Capuce.

Magic of the 1 Rein Stop:

I feel like I’m the only person who knew nothing about the one rein stop up until the advent of YouTube!  Not one trainer, horse camp or lesson of any kind ever taught me this and it has to be one of the most important riding aids you could ever learn.

After learning about it on the internet from Horse Problems Australia I started teaching my new horse Cotton how to flex and stop on 1 rein.  To my surprise this simple aid came to my rescue just days after I started working with her.  I had taken her out for a walk down the road and back.  Just before we got to our turn around point someone on a snowmobile came flying by and needless to say I was now atop a bolting horse.  I took a hold of just one rein and gave consistent pressure and to my surprise Cotton spun down into a walk and then a stop and flexed her head to my foot.  I then flexed her to the other side and back.  This little exercise took her from being a panicked state to a calmer focused state of mind.  WHOO HOO!

When presented with this same scenario in the past I did what most people do, white knuckle grab both reins and yank back as hard as possible and pray that the horse starts to slow down.  Usually a bolt like this would result in a quick direction change and me on the ground or a ¼ mile sprint before I managed to at least bring us down to a canter from a gallop.   With the one rein stop, in under 30 yards we went from a bolt to circle to stop and flex. 

For more information check out my favorite Aussie trainer at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b9OvUiOdW8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmpDSbXPtzU

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January 12, 2008 by Capuce.

I have always thought that clicker training was a bit of a joke.  Not that I had tried it in the past but the concept just seemed silly.  I’ve had success training my pit pulls to advanced level without the use of a clicker and they do very well.

Horses seem to have a clicker mentality though.  The respond the best to reward at the exact second a behavior has been reached.  Unless you have the fastest whit and hands achieving this is rather difficult for the majority of us.  Thus enter the clicker.  An easy devise to give an audible reward to a desired behavior the second it is achieved.

So I started playing around with my newly purchased clicker Friday.  I worked my 2 horses and my boarders horse for 15 min each.  The goal was to touch a tennis ball at the end of a dressage whip.  This was a bit trivial for my old guy but great start for the 2 youngsters.

Today I did footwork.  Asking them to paw with a leg that I asked of them.  The beginnings of a Spanish walk!  I was amazed at how fast horses can learn and at what enthusiasm they perform their task.  Even more interesting is how they act when the session is ended.  None of them wish to stop, they continue to do their new tricks or hunt down the tennis ball in hopes of one last little morsel in my pocket.

I will continue this training throughout the winter as it’s really the only thing I can do daily with the weather being poor.

I hope you enjoy our little video from today.

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November 30, 2007 by Capuce.

This post is in response to the RNews article
http://www.rnews.com/Story_2004.cfm?ID=55944&rnews_story_type=18 

A barn fire is something I’m terrified of, especially since I have a less than ideal barn.  However, I have taken many steps to insure that my barn will have less of a chance of catching fire than others.  Here’s what I did, let me know what fire preventions you have in place.  

1.    Have a plan! – Make sure that if something does happen that you can react in a calm and cool manor vs. running around like a chicken.

2.    Fire extinguishers – make sure they are easy to get to and in key locations. 

3.    Halters/Leads – always know where your halter and lead ropes are.  Better yet, keep a spare set especially for an emergency and never move them.   

4.    In my case my stalls all have a door that leads directly to the outside.  This way should the barn be ablaze I don’t have to worry about finding halter/leads/or entering a burning building.  I can open the stall door from the outside and let the horse run out into the pasture directly.

5.    Hay storage – for some reason people are obsessed with keeping hay tightly confined in dark enclosed areas.  Keeping your hay stored in a location away from your animals is best but if your stock barn doubles as hay storage too, keep this in mind.  Hay needs air flow, make sure your storage area can allow your bales to breathe on all sides, use wood pallets to bring it up off the floor, don’t push the bales tight against the wall leave some space and if you can make sure that fresh are can enter the storage area.  Don’t forget to pick up those pallets 2x a year and clean out the hay that fell through the cracks.  

6.    Spider webs!  2x a year clean all of those too.  Spider webs burn fast and can spread fires.

7.    Proper wiring, we love our lights, headed buckets, heat tape on hydrants and more.  Make sure you have an electrician check your wring and keep horses out of reach of anything electrical they can chew on (wires, lights etc).  Also, if you have heated water make sure your hot water take is clear of anything flammable.  Last time I checked, pilot lights and hay/spider webs don’t mix either.

8.    Duh, no smoking!

9.    These are just guide lines.  The best thing to do is contact your local fire department and have them walk through your barn and make suggestions on how you can improve your fire safety.

What do you do for fire safety in your barn?

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October 22, 2007 by Capuce.

I’m sorry I haven’t written in a while but I’ll bore you with those details later.  Fall is here, the farmers are finally harvesting corn which means the trails behind my house are coming back to life!  There are some bad things that come along with fall riding that I would like to warn people about and how to protect yourselves against them.

1.     Hunting season

2.     Trapping season

3.     Lack of daylight

Hunting Season:  Yup it’s that time of year again when there’s gun toting camouflaged  men in the woods.  This is not all bad.  Hunters are great people who help keep the wildlife population in check and healthy and I have great respect for them.  Not to mention I love venison!  Anyway, as a rider we need to ensure the safety of those around us by training our horses about hunters.  1. Make sure your horse isn’t gun shy, the last thing you need is to be on a bolting horse when a hunter fires a round off.  2. Orange!  Yes, go all out, make sure they can see you even if you can’t see them.  Orange helmet covers, vets, and even saddle pads are the best.  3. Be heard, now’s the time to practice for American Idol.  Talk, sign, whistle the whole time.  If you’re not much of a signer you can do what I do.  Sleigh bells! They never take a break from jingling and trust me, you can be heard from a really far distance away.  So can the deer and they run away from you!

Trapping Season:  Not many of you have to worry about traps but it is something I have to be cautious of.  I have a rather large coyote pack near my house and the farmers do trap them. I highly advise that if you ride along farmers fields make sure you ask if they trap.  Traps are normally placed along hedge rows so traveling through the field might not be an issue but to take a short cut through a hedge row might get you in some trouble.

Daylight:  Oh why did the government have to mess with daylight savings time?  They pushed it back by another 2 weeks so I’m stuck doing all of my morning chores by flashlight.  Lack of light doesn’t stop me riding though.  I only get to ride 1-2 horses before work in the morning which leaves 1 ride after dark when I get home.  No problem!  My riding helmet is outfitted in reflective red/white tape, my breast collar has a white flashing bike light on the front and tied to my horses tail is a red bike flashing light.  I also wear my trusty reflective orange vest to top off the ensemble.  I’m an equine disco ball riding down the road often under a full moon to help me see better. If you’ve never ridden at night I highly recommend it.  There’s a whole new trust relationship between you and your horse.

Well now that you and your horse are decked as a reflective orange disco ball may you have many happy trails in your hunting season future.

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July 20, 2007 by Capuce.

I’m increasingly appalled by the behavior of car drivers on my road.  People just don’t seem to know how to pass horses safely.  Flying by at 45-50 mph is NOT safe.  Honking your horn, blearing the radio, or revving an engine isn’t bright either.  A friend of mine a few years back was riding on a wide grass shoulder along a dirt road when her horse spooked at something in the grass.  He ran up into the road and in the path of an oncoming car.  Thankfully, the car was traveling slowly due to road conditions causing only minor bruising to the horse’s hindquarters but really beating up the car.  Luckily the rider was not hurt. This is a prime example of most horse car interactions.  The horse is not afraid of the vehicle but is afraid of the empty beer can tossed on the side of the road.  A vehicle passing too quickly at the wrong time could end up with a spooked horse on their hood instantly and the life of a rider on their hands. 

Thankfully the smartest people I’ve come in contact with on the roads have been bikers.  Yes, those big burly men on Harley’s are the nicest people.  They slow down to a stop, let me pass them and wait until I’m a good distance away before taking off.  THANK YOU BIKERS!  

I was hunting around on YouTube and found this British educational video for drivers on how to act when you approach horses on the road.  Nicely done, and yes, your car will lose if you don’t follow these simple rules.

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June 14, 2007 by Capuce.

Stone Bruise Abscess:

It never fails, I buy a new horse and within just a month of her arrival she abscesses out from a stone bruise. I think the gods are against me and don’t want me out on the trails! Just the same it’s always good knowledge to know how to treat one should you ever find yourself in my situation.

I always recommend calling your vet or farrier to diagnose the site and dig out the area in an effort to drain the puss. After that, it’s all up to you so here’s your grocery list:

1. Lots of duct tape
   
2. Diapers
   
3. Icthamol
   
4. Epsom salts
   
5. Milk jug
   
6. IV bag or bucket – for a fidgety horse get an IV bag
   
7. Clean towels
   
8. Old Mac boot - or other
   
9. Hoof pick/brush
   

After your trusty vet or farrier has left you’ve now got a lot of work to do. Here’s how I made my life easier.

1. In milk jug mix 1 cup Epsom salts to 1 gallon warm water – I used hot water so it was warm by the time I needed it.
   
2. Clean out the foot and dig site with the pick and brush
   
3. Place the foot in the IV bag or bucket. I like the IV bag personally for fussy horses who don’t like to stand still
   
4. Fill the bag or bucket with your salt solution above the white line on the hoof. If using the bag wrap the top with duct tape around the leg. This keeps it snuggly in place no matter how much the wiggle.
   
5. Check your watch, you want to give them min 15-20 min to soak
   
6. I use this time to make the bootie:
   
1. I make a cross out of the duct tape. 4-6 strips down with 4-6 strips across. If this is your first time making one use more tape than less, you can always cut what you don’t need away later
   
2. Stick your tape cross on a wall close to you and have your diaper and Icthamol ready.
   
7. When soaking is complete dry thoroughly with a towel. If you set the foot down make sure it’s on a clean towel. Dirt and open wounds don’t mix.
   
8. Pack the abscess site with Icthamol and anywhere else there’s heat up to and including the white line.
   
9. Diaper time, wrap the hoof up in the diaper and cover that with the duct tape bootie you made. The center of your duct tape cross should be a little wider than the sole of the hoof.
   
10. Let the horse put their foot down and finish wrapping around with more duct tape. Make sure you get above the coronary band and that it’s loose enough not to restrict motion of the foot. The purpose of the boot is to keep dirt and debris out of the dig site
    
11. You’re welcome to turn out just like this or if you have a young horse like mine the use of an Old Mac boot comes in handy to give your wrap a longer life when turned out.
    
12. TURN OUT YOUR HORSE! Don’t baby them with stall rest it does them worse believe it or not. By turning them out you increase blood flow to the infection site and encourage puss to drain out into your diaper.
    
13. After soaking 1-2 times a day and 1-3 days of this procedure your horse should be sound but don’t stop! Keep up this task for at least 3 days after soundness has returned and keep the hoof wrapped longer to ensure that the dig site has time to heal.
    
14. If you take the time and effort now you’ll prevent another vet/farrier call later.
    

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June 12, 2007 by Capuce.

Provide ample fresh clean water:
Empty and refill buckets daily with fresh COOL water. Ponies and foals may have trouble reaching to the bottom of a shallowly filled trough. Make sure everyone in your paddocks can reach the water.

Use a wet COLD Sponge or hose down the large blood vessels with cold water along the inside of the legs, belly, and neck. Don’t spray the horse’s face or get water in its ears—sponge them down gently.

Schedule your horses training session for early morning or late evening when it is cooler.

After working your horse in hot weather cool your horse down slowly:
Loosen girths or belly bands immediately after a work out. Offer sips of cool, not cold water and walk the horse slowly. Muscles are more apt to stiffen if the horse is allowed to stand and moving muscles dissipate heat better than stationary ones.

Use electrolytes if your horse is sweating hard or your horse will be working hard (a long trail ride or competition). Electrolytes replace salts lost in sweating. You can put electrolytes in the horse’s feed, or use a large ended syringe to squirt into the mouth. Use electrolytes made for horses. Electrolytes made for other livestock may be unsuitable.

Make sure there is a place for your horse to avoid the sun—either a building or a shade tree, if stalled hang up a fan for continuous air flow. Make sure the horse can not reach the cord or fan itself, it can’t be tipped, and that it is plugged into a ground fault interrupt electrical receptacle if there is any chance of electrical wiring coming into contact with moisture, such as a spilled water bucket or a curious horse’s mouth.

Clip horses with heavy coats, but don’t clip too close since exposed skin can sunburn.

Apply zinc oxide cream to horses with pink noses to prevent and treat sunburn.

USE FLY SPRAYS, FLY MASKS & FLY SHEETS!
Horses will overheat in hot weather from stomping, kicking, biting and pacing at flies.

During very hot weather keep your horses stabled during the day, and let them out at night.

Keep a bucket full of ice water and old towels on hand to refresh you and your horse. Place them over your horse’s neck, and your own. A drop of lemon, mint, or citronella essential oil on the people towels is an energizing touch.

Call a vet and take immediate action if your horse exhibits any of these symptoms:
• Elevated respiration in an inactive horse (normal range is 4 to 16 breaths per minute).
• Elevated pulse in an inactive horse, or pulse that does not drop after several minutes or climbs once exercise has stopped.
• Profuse sweating or no sweating at all.
• Elevated body temperature above 103F.
• Irregular heart beat known as ‘thumps’.
• A depressed attitude.
• Dehydration. Test for this by observing your horse’s flanks. If they look caved in, he is probably dehydrated. Pick up a pinch of skin along your horse’s neck. If the skin snaps back quickly the horse is sufficiently hydrated. If the pinched area collapses slowly the horse is dehydrated.

What to Do Until The Vet Arrives:
Use shade, cold water, breezes and fans to keep your beloved horse as cool as you can. Stand your horse in a pond or stream. Sponge or spray the large blood vessels along the inside of the legs and belly. Offer sips of water.

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April 1, 2007 by Capuce.

If you’re like me you’ve probably let the winter cold hold you inside, going out just long enough to feed, muck, and break ice on water buckets. All the while your horse just lazes around filling himself with hay 24/7.

Great, now it’s spring, the weather is nice and both you and your horse are plump and out of shape. What to do? Here are some tips to keep both you and your horse sound while legging up for long summer trail rides.

- Stretch your horse before and after riding

- Warm up and cool off. Never put your horse out if he’s steaming. Walk walk walk

- Gradually build up distance and speed over time. If you haven’t done much all winter start with a walking trail ride one day. Ring work the next day and another trail ride on day 3. After a couple of weeks of this move up to longer trail rides and incorporate trotting in them and eventually cantering.

- Call your friendly Farrier and get them sporting the latest in footware.

- Boots, protect your horses legs with spint or sport boots if they’ve been idle. Consult your vet if you’ve never used boots before.

- Play desensitizing games: walk over a tarp, pick up an unbrella, put on a raincoat, etc.  If you have a nervous horse do these tasks in hand before mounting and use the buddy system.

- Best of all have FUN!

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