High Pointe Stables

08/12/2024

06/25/2024

**Barn worker required**

Our lovely barn worker is headed back to school soon, we are looking for another person to join us at High Pointe

Baltimore Ontario (10mins north of Cobourg)
Looking for mature person to join our team, Mon -Fri 3/4 hours in the mornings
Experience with barn work essential
Must be reliable! able to work alone with own initiative when needed
Accommodation available for the right person
Space for your horse, potential to work off board
References may be requested
If you are interested please PM or send your details and level of experience to [email protected]

06/17/2024

READ AND SHARE! Dangerously hot temperatures coming this week!!

🐴Some helpful reminders and tips for navigating the hot summer temperature with your horse!🐴

⛔️IF YOU DO NOT HAVE TIME TO COOL DOWN YOUR HORSE CORRECTLY- DO NOT RIDE/WORK YOUR HORSE!⛔️

☀️Horses feel and regulate heat worse than humans do, therefore if you're feeling hot- they are feeling much worse!

☀️Plan your activities around the heat. Come earlier in the morning or later in the evening.

☀️Trailering in the heat can be extremely dangerous and also lead to overheating

☀️Be prepared to change your plans depending on the temperature, especially if you have to ride in the afternoon. The safety and comfort of the horse is *MORE IMPORTANT* than whatever ride/goal/plans you had hoped to achieve that day

⛔️IF YOU DO NOT HAVE TIME TO COOL DOWN YOUR HORSE CORRECTLY- DO NOT RIDE/WORK YOUR HORSE!⛔️

💧Untack your horse as quickly as possible and immediately hose with cold water, after riding in the heat. Your tack can be put away later!

💧Allow your horse to drip dry- do not scrape access water off*

*it is a MYTH that evaporating water creates heat on the horse

💧Don't ride your horse to cool them out. Get off once immediately done and cool out by hand with a loose girth*
*if possible- best practice is to quickly untack, hose, and walk out after. Reapplying water as needed

💧Offer your horse a drink of cold water immediately after riding*

*it is a MYTH that cold water after exercise causes colic! Your horse needs that cold water to bring down enternal body temperature and restore the fluids lost from sweating

💧While the sweaty areas seem to be the most obvious to hose off, it's critical to not forget about the legs! The tendons of the legs can be permanently damaged when over heated*

*this is also why it's never, ever a good idea to boot or wrap your horse in fleece, neoprene, leather, nylon, foam and other non breathable materials. Trapping heat into the legs should be avoided at all costs. If its absolutely NECESSARY to boot- make sure you are using a super breathable mesh boot. Only put on directly before its needed, and take off immediately after. Boots and wraps are tendon cookers and need to be used carefully and only if absolutely necessary

🌡We don't all carry thermometers in our back pockets! So when do we know they're cooled down enough?

💧A good rule of thumb that I follow, is when the water stays "cool" when on the horse, the horse is at a safe temperature. If the water is still heating up quite quickly after being applied, keep applying. You might be applying water anywhere from 5 to 20minutes depending on how hot your horse is.

💧Hose your horse before trailering somewhere, if it is very hot. Have all windows (and top doors depending) open, and stop frequently to offer water to drink, and sponge more water onto your horse. Better to arrive with a soggy horse than a sick one!

⛔️IF YOU DO NOT HAVE TIME TO COOL DOWN YOUR HORSE CORRECTLY- DO NOT RIDE/WORK YOUR HORSE!⛔️

Feel free to share- stay safe and healthy!

05/13/2024

"That’s it for this level. I’m going to do young ones and carry on for a bit, but this is my last Badminton, for sure. There’s no tears and sobbing, I’m very matter of fact about it – it’s the right thing to do."

We have so much to bring you from this year’s Badminton Horse Trials, including more on Caroline Powell’s sensational win, but we would be remiss not to immediately doff our cap to a one William Fox-Pitt

WILLIAM THE CONQUERER

The first British rider to become Eventing World No 1, Williams’ achievements in our sport cement him as one of the most successful event riders of all time

Representing his country at 5 Olympic Games - winning team Silver at London 2012, team Silver at Athens 2004 and team Bronze at Beijing 2008. Achieving seven team Gold, two individual Silvers and one individual Bronze at European Championships and winner of the HSBC FEI Classics four times (2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014)

The only rider to have won five out of the six CCI5* events worldwide (before the inclusion of Maryland in 2021), having won Burghley (1994, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2011), Badminton (2004 & 2015), Luhmuhlen (2008), Kentucky (2010, 2012, 2014) and Pau (2011, 2013)

In 2011 William became the first rider to win a record six Burghley titles (on six different horses) and became one of the first riders to ever win a CCI*, CCI** and CCI*** at the same event on the same day - a feat achieved at Tattersalls

He is the record-man at CCI5*, with 14 grand slam titles and 64 CCI three-day event wins

To you, William Fox-Pitt Eventing

For so many years, you have been at the pinnacle of our sport. Your horsemanship is unparalleled, and it has been a privilege to support and watch you compete. You are the embodiment of discipline, perseverance, and teamwork and the epitome of determination and resilience

Watching you and Grafennacht on course yesterday was to watch a man still very much at the top of his game and a memory we will not forget

We wish you nothing but health and happiness, hoping we may see you out and about with the youngsters and never too far away from our sport, a sport in which you leave a lasting and formidable legacy

With great respect and admiration, Team ET x

05/11/2024

Beautiful skies at the barn tonight 😍

03/02/2024

**Barn workers required**

Baltimore Ontario (10mins north of Cobourg)
Looking for mature person to join our team, Mon -Fri and weekend worker
Experience with barn work essential
Must be reliable! able to work alone with own initiative when needed
References may be requested
If you are interested please PM or send your details and level of experience to [email protected]

12/03/2023

Under Quarantine. An important update on our herd.

As our riders and staff are aware, the riding school reopened two weeks ago after the Royal. One of the horses that shipped in presented with an abscess in her mouth. The horse had been cleared by a veterinarian, who had concluded that this was the result of an abscessed tooth.

Over the past week, two more horses from the same home displayed signs of infection, none of which were consistent with the "S" word, strangles. Two more veterinarians checked these horses, and told us it was an unrelated bacterial infection.

Yesterday, we made the decision to run a PCR test on our herd. The results came back with the news no one wants to hear. Four of the five horses from that herd tested positive for Strangles (one asymptomatic) along with one other horse.

Effective immediately, the Downtown riding school is closed. Horses who have tested positive have been isolated, and full biosecurity protocols are in place. We have identified three zones for our herd:
Zone 1 - Red zone - isolation area on the second floor of the facility.
Zone 2 - Orange zone - for horses who were stabled near the infected horses, but who have not tested positive.
Zone 3 - Green zone - for horses who have not had any contact with the infected members of the herd, and who have tested negative.

This is Day 1, and we are overwhelmed. We are working closely with our neighbours at the Mounted Unit and are in constant communication with our veterinarians. We are notifying our teams, our suppliers, our clients, and we are putting protocols in place to ensure this does not spread to the North herd. We are disinfecting, disinfecting, disinfecting.

Today, we would like to be teaching people to ride. Instead, we are sharing the first step in our unexpected journey:
https://aaep.org/issue/understanding-equine-strangles

11/18/2023

Frosty mornings! Sun is shining on Dorothy 🥰

10/29/2023

**FT/PT Barn worker required**

FT/PT barn worker, live in preferred.
Baltimore Ontario (10mins north of Cobourg)
Looking for mature person to join our team, Mon -Fri with occasional weekend work.
Experience with horses and barn work essential
Must be able to work alone with own initiative
References may be requested
If you are interested please PM or send your details and level of experience to [email protected]

10/13/2023

10/01/2023

Fall colours 🍁🍂🍃

09/08/2023

*Part time barn work*

Looking for a PT barn worker to join our team! 2 weekdays/1 weekend day 7.30 -10.30. Potential for more hours for the right person or
to work off board if you bring your own horse.
Must have previous experience.

PM or email if you’re interested
[email protected]

07/05/2023

06/21/2023

Indoor board available

Large stalls
Top quality grain twice daily
Large indoor and outdoor arenas with jumps
Heated lounge over indoor arena
Tack and feed room with locking keypads
Large paddocks with ad-lib hay all year round
Onsite woodland trails, access to multiple offsite trails
Own vet/farrier/coach welcome
Knowledgeable staff live onsite

$600 + hst monthly

Please email [email protected] or PM any questions or to arrange a visit

06/08/2023

Air Quality Alert ❗

Many parts of Canada are currently suffering from air quality issues due to wild fire smoke. EC’s current recommendation for horse-related activities is to follow Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) guidelines provided for human activity.

Environment and Climate Change Canada publishes the AQHI daily for regions across Canada and it is used to determine the level of exercise and competition safe for humans. Use the Air Quality Health Messages (found in EC's resource guide and linked below) when determining whether to modify activity in existing adverse or potentially adverse conditions in conjunction with the maximum forecasted AQHI for your location.

Our thoughts are with anyone affected by these conditions across the country. EC encourages any competition organizers to take air quality into account when making decisions to cease/reschedule for the health and safety of human and horse athletes and competitors to be supportive of difficult calls under extreme circumstances.

📄 For more information, please consult EC's Guidelines for Equine Competition and Training During Extreme Environmental Conditions. https://shorturl.at/sCVX1

🔗: https://shorturl.at/bsuAE
➡️: https://shorturl.at/afzQ2

02/10/2023

: Yes, they do! Did you know that several studies have shown that horses prefer country music over rock or jazz? The slower tempo and major key seem to result in more restful behaviors in horses and more time spent eating.

So if you’re looking to relax your equine friends with music, pay attention to what you are playing in your barn!

01/01/2023

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

12/30/2022

😂

11/07/2022

Some different beauties at barn ❤️

09/14/2022

Last night’s beautiful rainbow 🌈

08/08/2022

Still looking for a barn worker to join out team, lovely apartment and space for your horse! Contact info below

**FT/PT Barn worker required**

FT/PT barn worker, live in preferred.
Mon -Fri with occasional weekend work
Experience with horses and barn work essential References may be requested
If you are interested please send your details and level of experience to [email protected]

07/26/2022

**FT/PT Barn worker required**

FT/PT barn worker, live in preferred.
Mon -Fri with occasional weekend work
Experience with horses and barn work essential References may be requested
If you are interested please send your details and level of experience to [email protected]

07/19/2022

COOLING HOT HORSES - THE STATE OF THE ART (UPDATED)

*** PLEASE SHARE ***

As there has been a lot of discussion on this topic around the cooling of horses at the Tokyo Olympics I have added some more explanation and I'm reposting.

WHY DO WE NEED TO COOL HORSES AFTER EXERCISE OR IF THEY GET TOO HOT?
-Horses produce heat 3-5 times faster on a per kg basis than we do
-Although horses are 6-7 times heavier, they only have 2 to 2.5 times as much surface area
-The majority of heat (~85%) is lost at the body surface
-Heat loss is also impaired in horses because they are covered in hair
-Horses can sweat faster than any other animal
-Sweating is efficient but slow
-Cooling with cold water is fast
-When horses compete in hot climates they can struggle to cool down after
-We cool them down with cold water (less than 15°C/60°F) to reduce the risk of heat illness and because there is no advantage to them being hot and uncomfortable after exercising. The quicker they cool, the quicker they drink, eat and recover.
-The methods to cool them are now well understood.

Since Atlanta 1996 we have known that using continuous application of cold water (less than 15°C/60°F) all over the horses body without scraping is the most effective way to cool down horses that are moderately to severely hyperthermic (re**al temperature in excess of ~40°C/104°F), especially in hot or hot/humid conditions.

The sources for this evidence are:

PEER-REVIEWED PUBLISHED PAPERS
1) Williamson, L.S., White, S., Maykuth, P., Andrews, F., Sommerdahl, C. and Green, E. Comparison between two post exercise cooling methods. Equine Vet J., 27(S18), 337-340.
https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/share/7MBUJJWJZPVWQKTNIJWN?target=10.1111/j.2042-3306.1995.tb04948.x

2) Marlin, D. J., Scott, C. M., Roberts, C. A., Casas, I., Holah, G., & Schroter, R. C. (1998). Post exercise changes in compartmental body temperature accompanying intermittent cold water cooling in the hyperthermic horse. Equine veterinary journal, 30(1), 28–34.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9458396/

3) Kohn, C.W., Hinchcliff, K.W. and McKeever, K.H. (1999) Evaluation of washing with cold water to facilitate heat dissipation in horses exercised in hot, humid conditions. American Journal of Veterinary Research, 01 Mar 1999, 60(3):299-305. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10188810/

4) Takahashi, Y., Ohmura, H., Mukai, K., Shiose, T., & Takahashi, T. (2020). A Comparison of Five Cooling Methods in Hot and Humid Environments in Thoroughbred Horses. Journal of equine veterinary science, 91, 103130.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32684268/

5) Kang, H., Zsoldos, R.R., Skinner, J.E., Gaughan, J.B. and Guitart, A.S. (2021) Comparison of post-exercise cooling methods in horses. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 100 (2021) 103485
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2021.103485

DATA COLLECTED & ANALYSED AT
a) Atlanta 1995 Olympic Test Event
b) Atlanta 1996 Olympics
c) Athens 2003 Olympic Test Event
d) Athens 2004 Olympics
e) Beijing 2007 Olympic Test Event
f) Beijing 2008 Olympics
g) Tryon 2018 World Equestrian Games
h) Tokyo 2019 Olympic Test Event
i) Tokyo 2020(1) Olympic Games Dressage and Eventing

Cooling hot horses with cold water DOES NOT
1) cause muscle damage
2) cause laminitis
3) induce shock
4) give horses heart attacks
5) prevent them from cooling by constriction of skin blood flow

Water left on horses DOES NOT
1) insulate and prevent heat loss
2) cause them to overheat

It is NOT MORE EFFECTIVE TO
1) start at the feet and work up
2) scrape water off whilst cooling (it causes them to warm up)
3) focus on large blood vessels
4) cover the horse with wet towels
5) place ice on large blood vessels near the surface such as the jugular veins or femoral arteries
6) put ice in the re**um
7) rely on misting fans

*** PLEASE SHARE ***

05/29/2022

10 things veterinarians want horse owners to know about Banamine.
1)Banamine is a brand name. Flunixin meglumine is the drug name but many people refer to it by the popular brand name “Banamine” made by Merck. This medication is available in injectable liquid and oral paste formulations.
2)Flunixin is classified as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug which can be shortened to “NSAID.” NSAIDs reduce inflammation, pain, and fever by decreasing certain biochemical reactions in the body. Other drugs that are also classified as NSAIDs include phenylbutazone (Bute), firocoxib (Equioxx®, Previcoxx®).
3)Flunixin treats pain. By far the most common implication for the use of flunixin in horses is analgesia, or pain control. Flunixin provides good pain control for visceral (in the belly) and ocular (eye) pain. It is often used in cases of colic (abdominal pain) to make the horse more comfortable which reduces the risk of harm to the horse and handlers. It is important to note that flunixin does not cure the cause of colic; it temporarily relieves signs by providing pain relief.
4)Flunixin can reduce fever. A normal horse’s temperature is between 98.5 and 100.9°F. Like humans, horses can develop a fever secondary to an infection or illness. Many febrile horses will not eat or drink well when they have a fever but their appetite improves once the fever decreases. Flunixin can be used to reduce the horse's temperature often making them feel better. On a cautionary note, we often recommend owners take a temperature BEFORE giving flunixin as this can also a mask a fever.
5)Flunixin lasts 12 hours in the horse’s body. Some owners with a sick horse give a full dose of flunixin and then redose the horse a few hours later when he/she became uncomfortable again. This practice is not recommended for two reasons. First, overdosing can increase the risk of adverse effects including kidney damage and gastric ulcers. Second, if a horse's clinical signs do not resolve with a full dose, an examination by your veterinarian is likely warranted sooner rather than later and administering a second dose may delay treatment.
6)Flunixin can cause gastrointestinal and kidney damage. The same pathways that are down-regulated by flunixin to reduce pain and inflammation also partially protect the kidneys and stomach. At a normal dose the risk of these side effects is reduced. However, patients treated with an overdose or long term dosing are at an increased risk for renal (kidney) damage, gastric ulcers, and hind gut (colon) ulcers .
7)“Stacking” NSAIDs is not recommended. As previously stated, other drugs commonly used in horses that are also classified as NSAIDs include bute, Equioxx and Previcoxx). It is important to note that giving either of these medications together or in combination with flunixin can cause the same adverse effects as overdosing. For this reason,we do not recommend “stacking” NSAIDs or administering two of these drugs together. Many geriatric patients receive Equioxx or Previcoxx daily for pain and inflammation associated with arthritis. If this is the case, we recommend discontinuing that medication before starting another NSAID an allowing enough time for the body to clear the first drug completely.
8)Flunixin does not cause sedation or cure colic. Although we often use flunixin in colic cases, it is for the purpose of pain control. Alleviating the signs of colic by controlling pain is safer for the horse and handler when a horse is being treated and gives the horse’s body time to respond to treatment (ie oral fluids, IV fluids, motility agents). We often recommend removing hay/grain from a horse that has been administered flunixin for signs of colic until he/she can be examined by a veterinarian. In some cases, once the horse FEELS better he/she will try to continue eating and make the colic worse. If you think your horse may be colicking, we recommend calling your regular veterinarian and following her/his recommendations on medications and feeding.
9)Flunixin should NOT be given in the muscle (IM). Oddly enough, Banamine is still labeled for IM use in horses on the bottle but I strongly recommend against this practice. In rare cases, IM administration of flunixin (or phenylbutazone) has been known to cause a secondary condition called “Clostridial myositis” which can be fatal. The medication irritates the surrounding muscle tissue and bacterial spores can take advantage of the inflamed environment and cause a massive release of toxins. This disease is extremely painful and the treatment can be quite gruesome but horses that are not diagnosed and treated promptly may die from toxic overload. For this reason, we recommend only injecting flunixin in the vein (IV) or squirting the injectable fluid or paste in the mouth.
10)Flunixin injectable solution can be administered by mouth. The injectable formulation of flunixin can be administered by mouth at the same dose as IV use. Oral administration (either injectable solution or paste) takes about 20-30 min to reach full effect compared to 5-10 min with an IV injection. Oral administration does not take significantly longer than IM injection to reach peak absorption and is much safer for the horse.
Lastly always call your veterinarian if you suspect your horse appears off in any way before administering any medication.

04/07/2022

Possibly the worlds most expensive barn cat bed!!!

03/17/2022

03/14/2022

👏💕

The 76-year-old won equestrian team jumping silver at the 1976 Montreal Olympics in Montreal and bronze at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles.

03/11/2022

Two of the world’s top showjumping stallions, Cornet Obolensky and Comme Il Faut, have safely crossed the Ukrainian border at Korczowa-Krakowiec into Poland, according to reports.

The pair had been standing at Zhashkov Stud Farm in Zhashkov, Ukraine, about 140km away from the war-torn capital Kyiv...

Read more: http://www.equestrianlife.com.au/articles/Top-showjumping-stallions-flee-Ukraine

03/04/2022

High Pointe Stables is sad to announce that we will be saying a fond farewell to our live in barn worker Ariel Brown, she and her family are moving into their very own hobby farm! Good luck to Ariel and Ryan we will miss you 🥰

This now opens up an opportunity to find a new FT barn worker, live in preferred. Mon -Fri with occasional weekend work, experience with horses and barn work essential, references required.
If you are interested please contact me by email for full job description and details at [email protected]