Misty Downs Equine Care

06/12/2023

In keeping with busting the myths and clarifying the misconceptions of modern dressage, today I say that they do not know what they have. Before all of us were born, authentic dressage became obsolete because it was primarily used to train cavalry recruits. “Dressage” translated then roughly to "training" horses and soldiers for war. WW2 changed the nature of war from pre-industrial horse cavalry and infantry foot soldiers to mechanized troops. Ultimately, dressage was redefined as a civilian horseback ballet. Untethered from its roots, dressage became a shadow fantasy of its former practicality.

European dressage transformed horses and their riders into the ultimate battlefield weapon for both offensive and defensive missions in its time. The collage of images you see below are called haute ecole or high school “Airs above the ground”. These movements were battlefield techniques, not ballet. This history has been forgotten.

The pictured “Airs” were used to intimidate, injure or kill enemy soldiers on a battlefield. The Courbette at lower right, was an offensive technique designed to break formations of foot soldiers. From their rearing position, a line of horses would hop forward on hind legs, threatening foot soldiers with the horses' front feet striking down toward the heads of infantry. The foot soldiers broke and ran from such techniques when a line of cavalry horses in the Courbette approached.

The Capriole at lower left was used to defend an individual cavalry rider who became separated from his unit on the battlefield. Foot soldiers would swarm such isolated cavalry horses and attack them with bayonets, clubs and pikes. To counter such a swarm, a well trained cavalryman would use the Capriole. The rider would cause his horse to rise up and kick out front and hind, which literally kicked the heads off the shoulders of a swarming foot soldier. Cavalry horses would do repeated Caprioles, landing and turning a few degrees and executing another Capriole until these actions created a wide berth from which the horse and rider could escape.

In the top is collection of the haute ecole "Airs Above the Ground", each pictured movement is of a weaponized horse. The movement's names are French because the French Cavalry, such as Napoleon's Imperial Guard, were the best trained in these battlefield movements.

I wonder how many modern dressage riders know this historical basis for their discipline and its most revered “artful” movements. I sincerely doubt that many have an inkling that the Haute Ecole movements were lethal battle techniques. A lack of historical understanding has allowed modern riders in many disciplines to adopt fantasy ideas of horsemanship that are based on nothing more than human imaginings.

22/11/2023

Quite often I hear horses who are not freely forward described as “lazy.” There are a few problems with this :

1- lazy is an anthropomorphic description. Horses don’t care about our ideas of work ethic, or even know what those are. Their priorities are eat, be secure in a herd, look out for danger, and eat. Their priorities are not inside leg to outside rein, they don’t care about doing straight flying changes, and they certainly don’t care that you have a show coming up. The only way they can become invested in your work is if it makes them feel good, as in brings them mental and physical well-being. Otherwise, you can threaten with your leg all you want and inspire fear response, but they aren’t lazy - they just don’t share your priorities.

2- most sluggish horses are extremely tight. Moving forward with a rider on their back is actually double or triple the amount of work that it should or could be. They are moving with a tight back, tight shoulders and weak abs and haunches. Likely the rider is tight as well, and quite likely the rider is not balanced as well as they could be and using reprimanding or nagging aids. This horse is working FAR harder then they need to be.

If a horse’s shoulders are supple, back is free to lift, core is engaged and working without interference, hind legs swinging at optimum range of motion, movement is easy and enjoyable. So your “lazy” horse is far out working a horse with looseness and alignment, because they have to work much harder just to go forward.

Imagine being pulled off your couch, given a 70 lb pack to carry that slips around and isn’t stable, and being asked to move forward through a series of obstacles without being fit or knowing how to position yourself. You aren’t going to be moving very fast either, and someone nagging you to speed up incessantly will probably make you quite resentful.

Something to think about next time you whip out the “L” word; which in my barn is a very very dirty word, along with stubborn ;)

07/11/2023

Loud people make quiet horses?
Maybe.
I don’t know about you, but as a highly sensitive person, when I’m around loud, quick moving, erratic and insensitive people, I tend to withdraw. If I can’t get away from them for whatever reason, the only way for me to get through being around someone like that is to somewhat disassociate.

All horses are highly sensitive, until someone creates lack of sensitivity in the horse.
Why would I want a horse to do that around me?
I’m certainly not saying you should tip toe around your horse, and you should very certainly prepare them for life. But why would you ever want to teach the horse that our body, our energy, our feel and the world at large is meaningless stimulus to be shut out?

Quiet, soft and calm people produce quiet, soft and calm horses. Smooth people who move with awareness create confident horses.

People who have self awareness and sensitivity to a horse’s needs produce quiet horses.

People who can prepare a horse to experience all of life’s uncertainties without creating a freeze or withdrawal response create quiet horses.

Quiet people create quiet horses.

Every horse needs a different touch, and only a person willing to spend more time listening than making assumptions about a horse can create a truly soft, calm but responsive horse.

As my teacher says: leave the life in, take the fear out!

10/07/2023

"She who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life!".... true even when tasked with cleaning the windows! Seemed like a natural use of lovely 18.2hh Shadrack and Becksie!

Training tip - Teaching your horse to 'park' will always be the most useful skill they will ever need in their life.

09/07/2023

😂😂😂

01/06/2023

People often say “I don’t want to do anything fancy, just trail ride...”
Sometimes they mean they don’t have lofty show goals and enjoy relaxing rides, which is just great! Sometimes, however, they mean they aim to cut corners with their and their horses education.

Let’s examine what’s involved in “just trail riding”:

For the horse:
-ability to trailer load and tie calmly
-ability to stand calmly while saddled and fly sprayed, often while tied to the trailer in a new setting
-ability to stand quietly while mounted, at the trailer and possibly on the trail
-the balance and fitness required to manage uneven terrain, hills, fallen trees, etc
-confidence and exposure enough to deal with the unforeseen: wildlife, ATV’s, bikes, hikers, dogs, etc.
-confidence enough to ride in a group (potentially with people who don’t have great environmental awareness or control of their horse and can potentially get you in some sticky situations) or alone
-confidence enough to ride back home or to the trailer without anxiety or rushing

Now the human:

-environmental awareness - taking note of themselves, the horse, and the environment at all times. Do you tend to zone out and just plod along, reacting once something has happened? Or can you stay aware and head off trouble?
- a balanced seat enough to manage hills and all kinds of terrain without grabbing the reins or interfering with the horses balance
-confidence enough to handle a little spook, jog, a canter or whatever movement happens as a result of “real life” on the trail
-fitness enough to have good posture in the saddle for a length of time

And much more....

A good trail horse can take quite some time to educate, and sometimes even more time than teaching an arena horse. Personally, I don’t want to be out in the woods or mountains without a good seat on a horse who is lacking education, but I like living and aim to live a long life with all my parts 🙂

Photo is of my personal horse who has become a great, reliable trail horse over the years (years!!) and my other, less confident gelding learning the ropes from her.

27/05/2023

Movement, turnout and a healthy herd structure are so crucial to a horses well-being that rehab simply doesn’t work without it.
You can’t fix a problem without providing for the deepest, most essential need of a being- horses are social creatures and movers at their core. Any training without providing for the horses basic needs is shallow at best.

08/04/2023

03/04/2023

There have been some transformational bits of knowledge I’ve stumbled on in my life. One of the most profoundly altering for me, that changed the way I ride, handle horses, and even think about horses, was understanding their vision, breathing and swallowing better.

Thanks to folks like Tami Elkayam and Leah Astrup for helping me understand how truly essential keeping eyes level with the horizon is for a safe feeling nervous system, and Daniel Dauphin for teaching me more about the mechanism of swallowing- and how a head in a position of imbalance can no longer swallow properly.

seeing, breathing and swallowing are essential components to quality of life. And yet, as I look around, I’m seeing horses with all these compromised literally everywhere. It’s shocking, eye opening, a bit humbling, and now an enormous part of my mission- to help people understand just how much manipulating a horses head and mouth without respect for vision, breathing and swallowing can chronically alter their entire body for the worse.

I chose this photo because it’s an obvious example of poor vision, breathing, and swallowing, but we need to be thinking of it in the context of ourselves and our horses and our handling- how are they able to see breathe and swallow when we ride? It will not always look this extreme- what are the more subtle signs your horse can’t see breathe or swallow well?

11/03/2023

Apparently it’s March... already!?
Our wonderful, tidy calendar says it’s autumn now too. And so here is my annual “It’s not actually autumn yet – don’t deworm your horses straight away!” spiel.

Autumn is the No. 1 time of year to worm your horses, because it ties in best with breaking the bot-fly life cycle. A bot fly’s lifecycle is 12 months, so treating just once a year will break that lifecycle (and overtime decrease bot fly populations). By mid-autumn/early winter, the entire population of bot flies will be inside your horse, which means you can target all the bots on your property with a single dosage of a boticide dewormer (ivermectin, abamectin, moxidectin).

If you deworm your horses too early in autumn, you will not be targeting all the bot flies as they are often present well into autumn, laying eggs on your horses coat. If you deworm on the 1st of March, there will be bot flies, and subsequently bot eggs and larvae that come after the treatment and will remain within your horse for the year.

Therefore, hold off on the autumn deworming a little longer, if your horses are in good condition. Wait until the nights cool down and the bot flies disappear before deworming – and make sure that the dewormer you purchase is active against bots, otherwise it will all be in vain. If your horses need to be treated now, do so, but make sure you target bot flies again in early winter.

So that’s my bot-fly spiel. Normally I write about strongyles (my favourite), and so I shall of course make a mention of them here too.

I always recommend a mid-late autumn deworming for ALL HORSES because it a) cleans out any bots and b) all horses really should have a strongyle clean out once a year as well. I may be against deworming for the sake of deworming, however that is only if you are doing it 3 or 4 or more times a year.

Strongyles can have a lifecycle of as little as 6 weeks. In addition, at any one point, about 90% of the strongyle population is living on the pasture, not in the horse. Therefore, the concept of using chemical dewormers inside the horse to break the lifecycle of strongyles would not work. At all. So, we chose our annual deworming-clean-out to line up with as many other parasites as possible.

All boticide dewormers are also effective against strongyles so deworming in autumn is a 2 for 1 type deal. You should also consider using a dewormer that also contains praziquantel to treat for tapeworms to get a complete clean out, just in case tapeworms are present. If your horses are only being treated once a year, it is good to do as complete a treatment as possible.

Lastly… wait, second lastly.. this is a topic to complex to get into here, but: this time of year is key for larval cyathostomins, where encysted larvae have mass emergences from the intestine wall, in response to changes in weather (eg in VIC as it cools and becomes wetter again). Deworming and removing adult populations of worms can act as a trigger for larval re-emergence, which is also why I often baulk at deworming horses now. The larvae may slowly re-emerge coming into the cooler weather and treating in mid-late autumn may be a safer bet to remove adults and emerged larvae. The research on this is sketchy as best, however these are patterns shown in cattle and hypothetically should translate over into horses.
And lastly (pat on the back for reading this far): just because I’m recommending deworming all horses does not mean I am not recommending FECs in autumn. A FEC will tell you important things about your horses health, and pick up anything odd that may be happening (eg tapeworm you didn’t know about). It will also allow you to test drug efficacy. Autumn should be a key time for everyone to do a FECRT (faecal egg count reduction test), where you get FECs done before and after deworming to make sure that it worked. If you only deworm once a year, then you’ve only got one chance for a FECRT, and you cannot, I repeat, you CANNOT do a FECRT without a FEC before to compare to.

If you’d like to organise FECs and FECRTs for your horses this autumn, check out the website (link on the FB page) for postal submission and drop off points/events.

22/10/2022

20/10/2022

Did you know most horses chew and hold their jaw towards the side of their more sound front leg?

The right front heel here is lower and more sound. The left front heel is higher, more contracted and sore. Easy to see, right!?

Now, peek at the jaw position to the horse's right, with slight overgrowth of the horse's upper left and lower right incisors. This is super common, and should not be allowed to get worse! It will end up in a vicious downward spiral over time.

Second teeth picture is after adjustments = better jaw AND BODY balance.

It's always a work in progress getting feet and teeth better balanced--lots of bodywork helps, but providing for more movement is #1 in my book. There are some interesting exceptions to this pattern that I discuss in my book.

It's ALL connected. This page also has more on this...scroll back!

**www.insighttoequus.com** under construction 🤠

27/07/2022

📍 Relationship BEFORE Training ✅
If we build a relationship with a horse first and maybe ask a little less or in a little slower way then long term you can literally ask a horse to willingly do anything for you.

⚠️ If you just “train” a horse without a good relationship you will always need to train more or use more everything!

💕 Liberty isn’t the first thing I teach my horses, in fact it’s one of the last things as I 💯 believe we all need to remember why we wanted to do ‘Liberty’ in the first place?! It was to have that special relationship with our horses!…Right?

🤗 I think of using a saddle, head collar or bridle as holding my horses hand while we build a great relationship, then in time when the relationship is strong and you have many great experiences together you no longer feel the need for a rope, head collar or bridle then I teach the cues for the horses to be at ‘Liberty’.

Freedom is only free if it’s absolute! 🥰

📝 This isn’t relevant to just people interested in Liberty, it’s about Horses overall, I personally would love to see relationship building being taught to young people as it’s so important to achieving anything with horses.

Many many years ago I worked for a rider who didn’t have a great relationship with her horses, (she was a top, very successful competitor at Olympic, world championship level) but her horses put their ears back at her in the stable and would turn there bums towards her, and interestingly they would “let her down” in the competitions, one example they would fly around badminton but then stop at the smallest fence on the course etc etc.

📌 My point is if you have a great relationship with your horse, invest time into your relationship with your horses then they will help you out in return (whatever your goal) rather than the horses thinking this is my moment to leave (if at Liberty) or stop when your nearly around a tricky course! Emx

15/05/2022

03/02/2022

Young horses and 'the breakers'😐
Ulcers, brachiocephalicus tears, sacroiliac ligament tears, hamstring tears, swollen knee joints, extremely twitchy wither, hoof imbalances and a depressed horse are all the things I saw in a 2 year old yesterday 😞
Why⚠️ - because the owner sent her to someone's she trusted, someone she had worked with, someone with a good reputation in the discipline she has chosen.. 🐴 and I have seen many young horses exactly the same from reputable trainers.
But he pushed the process in 4 weeks and advised the owner she was not soft and was a difficult horse. She arrived back home with bit marks, swellings where the spurs go and generally very sore. 😞
It is our responsibility as owners, trainers, breakers to ask the question of 'why' ❓
Why is a 2 year old resistant or difficult ❓- 🔹️is it because they don't understand our cues - then we need to take more notice, listen and teach more steps politely,🔹️ is it because they physically cannot do what we are asking? - then they need a bodywork assessment and treatment before and after and perhaps during the process. 🔹️ Is it because they are in pain/discomfort from our tack or from ulcers?
It is just not ok,🚫 it takes one incident to cause permanent damage- I have treated many horses where one pull back has resulted in injuries from the poll to the tail that have caused ongoing issues.
That first introduction to beibg tied up, the first introduction to a saddle, the first introduction to a rider, the first introduction to a walk, trot, canter under saddle should be a positive interaction to set the horse up neurologically, mentally, physically for life!! 🐎
This all hits closer to home because I have a 2year old sitting in the paddock that I plan to start myself - do I have any experience with this
- No❗ however I am a very powerful observer who asks a lot of questions and does my best to listen.✔ I educate myself to help her, I recognise pain and discomfort,✔ I have a support group I can call on but if their advice does not make sense to me or is not working I will seek more knowledge. ✔Will I make mistakes - absolutely!❌ It is a big responsibility that I take very seriously and if she "misbehaves" the only person to blame is myself - what have I missed? Where am I not listening? ✅
Horses are honest, they are a product of their experiences so we just need to set up their experiences in the best way we can and teach them how to respond to situations in a calm manner for our own safety and theirs ❤
What can you do for your young horse? 🦄
1️⃣ Ground work - all the cues they will need in the saddle should be first taught on the ground recognising difficulties and addressing them before. So Ellie May struggles to step her R shoulder across - Why? She does not make a relaxed upward transition to trot - why? These need to be addressed before thinking about a saddle.
2️⃣ Body work as a foal and before any starting process especially if you are sending them away.
- Nuchal.lig damage, pelvic asymmetry, rib restrictions are just some of Ellie-May's issues from her paddock accidents.
3️⃣ Are their feet balanced? This will give you a good indication of balance in the body and hence balance in the mind as a balanced body is a balanced mind. I love the words from my trimmer - 'all feet are balanced' which took about 6 months for Ellie-May after I got her. Including bodywork and ground work
4️⃣ Treat them for gut ulcers if you are sending them away. Ulcers can begin within a few hours of stress let alone going to a new environment, with strange people, diet changes and expectations they make not understand. A prevention such as Equigesta pre Digestive EQ, kelato gastro aid.
5️⃣ Take their time not your time. Allow then the time they need. Listen to their challenges by observing their behaviour and give lots of breaks. It may be a 6 month process or a year. Ellie May has started her prep - I throw my arms over her back while I am walking her, i have sat gently on her while she was laying down I am teaching her how to listen to the headcollar and cavesson, how to bend, how to step each leg, how to respond to lighter and lighter signals every day!
6️⃣ The first few rides should be no more than 5 minutes for their mind but also for the health of their back and then we should be getting off every 5 minutes to allow recovery of the back fascia and blood vessels which is also a great mental break as they get used to being ridden more.
7️⃣ Most of all trust yourself, know your abilities. If you have fear get some help. Trust your gut. Do not be forced by anyone to do something that does not feel right as you are the one who is going to have to deal with the long term consequences.
8️⃣ Listen to your horse and do not label them as rude, difficult, naughty etc. Ask why? Is it a product of inconsistently? A product of pain? A product of not knowing?

Remember it is never the horses fault- they are a product of their environment, their experiences, our breeding etc. .🐴

Let's set our horses up for success through our own education and take more responsibility for them.🦄 Teaching from a place of calm and relaxation rather than fear and expectations. 🌱

From the owner in response to this post

"It’s about time welfare takes priority! It has definitely impacted me in an unimaginable way and changed the way I view horse starting, I think I was a product of the industry thinking that horses had to be started as 2 year olds to “get ahead” and be broken in by so called professionals. And the fact that I gave him that horse, with no expectations on time. I didn’t care if it took a year. But I wanted it done slowly and right. And for him to then do it all within a month breaks my heart. I have learnt the hard way that this is not the right path. I want to thank you so much for coming to see my horse yesterday, it meant the absolute world to me and her and to have someone confirm what I already knew, that she wasn’t a “bad” or “naughty” horse but in pain, brought me to tears!
I only wish I could turn back time but I’m so glad shes on the right path to feeling better."

02/02/2022

Herbs are amazing at healing, my horses can certainly testify to that!

In the event of a serious wound or accident sustained by your animal, remember that herbal medicines given alongside emergency veterinary care are essential for healing damaged tissue.

Backed by credible research (and clinical observation) we know that particular herbs have the ability to regenerate new healthy tissue and improve micro circulation to the area (critical!).

It is the enhancement of wound epithelialisation that prevents scar tissue or proud flesh, an all too common problem in horses. I use both topical and orally administered herbs for the best outcome.

11/01/2022

What is the most suitable way to use herbs when treating animals?
Well this all depends on what illness is being treated, the animal species, the animal as an individual and what herbs are available.
Dried or fresh herbs are well suited to horses due to their particular digestive system as herbivores. However I rarely use dried herbs for the treatment of acute and sub acute illness, nor when a clinical outcome is essential.
There are some basic, 'food' herbs that I use regularly for maintenance and perhaps prevention. However when I am looking for a specific physiological change in function of bodily systems, organs, tissues or cells I do not use dried herbs.
Perhaps one of the main reasons is, I do not know the quality of these trade herbs that are available for anyone to purchase.
Most often I reach for fluid extract herbs to treat large herbivorous animals. And this includes topical applications for wound healing, joint problems and the like.
Firstly they have a long shelf life allowing me to keep a good stock of a wide range of individual herbs.
Secondly I have great faith in practitioner only fluid extracts due to the stringent quality testing they undergo before and during manufacture. This ensures the important active plant chemicals are present, contamination is not present (environmental pollutants, species substitution) and the energetics of the herbs are preserved. As well as the raw material being ethically sourced.
When treating dogs and cats I have the option of using herbs in tablet form (not those sold in health food stores!) for ease of administration and efficacy. As well I use fluid extracts, due to their flexibility in being mixed to suit that particular individual.
Small amounts of finely chopped fresh herbs are a useful addition to the diets of dogs and cats, however more as 'food' herbs and for the presence of chlorophyll.
Dried or fresh herbs made into infusions (teas) can be useful in some instances, in particular for topical applications. And some high volatile oil content herbs like peppermint, fennel, chamomile can be of benefit added to the feed as infusions.
So before you go googling online, ponder some of the above 🍀

12/11/2021

10/11/2021

What are the implications of mismatched front feet?

Many horses have high/low front feet, where one foot has a steeper angle then it’s opposite.
But do we realise how much effect this can have on the entire musculoskeletal system!?

We can have different types of high/low.
A boxy foot and an ideal foot.
An ideal foot and a flat foot.
A flat foot and a boxy foot.
Studies have shown that that amount of difference in angle between the two is proportional to the effects on the horses biomechanics.

These horses may require much more regular physiotherapy or chiropractic due to the profound compensations which are akin to sub clinical unilateral lameness. Especially in the back as Gomez Alvarez et al. (2007) measured the majority of compensations for lameness are seen in the spine.

This is a great example of how the hoof and the horse are inextricably linked as the hoof conformation is created by physiological influences. Below is a comprehensive graphic of the effects of high/low.

Read more…

https://www.theequinedocumentalist.com/post/high-low-hoof-conformation-farriery-and-whole-horse-relevance

More information and discussion in our webinars with Dr Kilmartin and Dr Clifford where we delve into the two way relationship of the hoof/horse connection at this link..

https://equineeducationhub.thinkific.com/courses/Conformation

https://equineeducationhub.thinkific.com/courses/Hoofhorse

08/11/2021

Finding relaxation is the base of all training 🪴

I would like to share this little progress comparison from one of my students. This is an example of what you can achieve with only a small amount of time and effort, and a little bit of understanding.

Believe it or not, the only work this horse has had is 10-15 minutes of walk in hand, approximately 2-3 times per week.

We can see there has been a lovely release through the whole body.
- More ‘space’ in the body (look at the spine!).
- Improvement in the posture of the shoulders and chest.
- Softening and release through the neck, with more strength building in rhomboid, splenius and trapezius muscles.
- the body seems overall more proportioned, and more!

Not only has this horse found release through her body, but mentally:
- She is rushing less.
- She is more comfortable to pause and take a breath.
- Overall she is more present and engaged.

Onwards and upward with this beautiful girl, and endless praise for her owner who has done such a wonderful job 🌟

09/09/2021

How much do rugs, hoods and tail bags interfere with communications? Are they major barriers to dialogue and sensory pleasures?

There are many good reasons that horses wear hoods and rugs – protection from severe weather or biting insects for example. There are many horses however who are routinely rugged throughout their lives just to keep them clean, to prevent their coat from fading or to preserve their mane and tail.

Just like us horses relish the feeling of the wind through their hair or the sun on their back. And while we might raise a smile or an eyebrow and wink at a loved one, horses take pleasure in communicating with a softening of the eye, flick of the ear and quiver of the muzzle.

Communication is also a serious business. A horse's survival is based on the ability to communicate effortlessly and effectively right across multiple members of the herd. Horses have fine-tuned these communications skills into a broad and effective language of subtle body movements and postures. We risk frustrating these remarkable communications skills when we routinely rug.

As enlightened horse owners we regard animal communications as the foundation of our holistic approach to training. Positive feedback loops are therapeutic, they allow our horses to bond with us, they allow us to read their body language and to ‘talk back’ using our own visual cues.

Elderly horses or those with poor body condition or allergies that make rugging a requirement benefit from a few minutes respite every day. It can make a world of difference to mind and body balance - a special time to relax and speak softly to you and to each other.

So next time you reach for a rug, do it mindfully considering when you might be able to remove it again.

https://www.belindabolsenbroek.academy/blog/freedom-for-expression