Total Equine Support

16/07/2022

If you're bathing/hosing down during the heatwave DON'T scrape the water off. It's much more effective at cooling without scraping

12/07/2022

Great post about the importance of considering what is happening at the front of our horses when they move👌🏻

03/06/2022

29/05/2022

23/05/2022

Brilliant diagram taken from saddlefit4life- please check them out!

This is something i see probably 1 in every 3 horses- Professionally fit or not! and no, I don't accept "if it's balanced it's fine to pass this rib" or any such statements. There may be an exceptionally specific case where this is OK, but it exactly that, exceptional of the rule.

That's because we have this rule for a reason- As you can see, the thoracic vertebrae where we sit is attached to each rib, which connects to the sternum, and is secure and strong. In the pelvis, the sacrum is too secure and strong. The lumbar region however, behind the saddle, is suspended like a bridge and already carries the weight of the organs. In adding further weight/pressure to this delicate bridge-like structure, you are pulling on the Lumbo-sacral attachment and increasing the risk of joint and soft tissue related injuries and ailments.

It is crucial that the edge of your panel sits on or before T18 (last thoracic vertebrae)as per the below diagram. Next time you tack up, have a little check...you'll be surprised.

21/05/2022

Great news for horses if this test proves to consistently deliver accurate results 👍🏻🐴

17/05/2022

Obesity in horses is a VERY hot topic at the moment. Great advice here and a useful image to show where to focus when scoring your horse/pony's body condition 🐴👀

🌟 Tuesday Topic - Weight monitoring🌟

With cases of equine bodyweight being once again at the forefront of conversation after last weeks events (and rightly so!), I feel it’s appropriate to discuss weight monitoring and how you can do it at home.

I have seen posts about different methods ie; weighbridge vs body condition scoring vs weigh tape and the most important take home message is that just do something REGULARLY!! Get to know what is normal for your horse so that you can identify changes quickly and act fast.

In an ideal world I saw to my clients to get an accurate weighbridge reading AND body condition score regularly. A weighbridge won’t give you an indication of body fat but it will give you accurate overall weight in which to base your feed regime on. Ie if you have a laminitic that needs urgent attention and you need to go to the absolute minimum of 1.5% of their body weight, then having an accurate weight reading can be the difference between them meeting their minimum forage requirement or not. It is also good for calculating energy requirements, dosages rates for worming/medicines etc.

Body condition scoring is a really useful way to monitor subtle changes over a period of time and gives an indication of fat coverage especially in key areas like the crest and behind the shoulders. Ideally this should be done every 2 weeks.

Weigh tapes although they can be wildly inaccurate, they can also be very accurate - it really depends on your horses individual body shape. What they are good for is again getting to know what is normal for your horse. If you dont have access to a weighbridge (and even if you do) weigh tape regularly and consistently (ie the same time of day ideally and in the same way) every few weeks so that you can identify changes.

Monitor Monitor Monitor!!!!🐴

13/05/2022

Really important read around feeding over summer and why you definitely should...regardless of the condition of your horse 🐴👍🏻

Friday focus

Typical U.K. grass, hay or haylage will not provide your horse with a balanced diet at any time of the year!

Now many horses are being turned out for longer or are out 24/7 and this is also a time when many are not fed any feeds. However, I would absolutely recommend that you at least feed a balancer or vitamin and mineral supplement with a carried of your choice, to ensure that your horse or pony is getting the nutrients they need as it is extremely unlikely that this will be provided in your horses pasture, hay or haylage!

This applies to ALL horses and ponies....even those that are overweight! Just because a horse or pony is overweight, it does not mean they do not need nutrients. “He’s / she’s fat, they don’t need any feed” is what I am frequently told! This is absolutely not the case at all, they still need vitamins and minerals just like any other horse or pony!

It is even more important if you are soaking hay and they have no access to grass; you can’t take everything out and put nothing back in! But even with access to grass and with good quality hay, vital nutrients will still be missing, so providing good quality vitamin and mineral supplementation will bridge that gap and ensure their body is still getting the nourishment needed for overall health and well-being.

Just to ease your minds, balancers will not make your horse or pony fat; they are designed to provide nutrients, not calories! If you feel happier feeding a vitamin and mineral supplement with a negligible calorie content, then then that’s fine too, they do need one or the other and whichever one you choose must be fed at the manufacturers recommended rate to provide the vits and mins your horse or pony needs!

Feed balancers are designed to be fed in small amounts and will ensure that horses and ponies are getting their vits and mins. Even if your horse needs to lose weight, they still need to be fed in the correct amount to be effective; typically 100g per 100kgs of bodyweight. Feed balancers will not contribute to your horse or pony gaining weight. Those marketed as ‘conditioning’ are misleading as balancers are not fed at high enough rates to be conditioning; they are there to provide a balance of nutrients to support your horses needs, not to supply calories!

Vitamin and mineral supplements are fed in much smaller amounts such as 50g per day, but check the manufacturers feeding rate to ensure you are feeding the correct amount for your equines bodyweight. The main difference between a supplement and balancer is usually the protein levels; balancers are generally better to supply good quality protein. The other main difference is palatability! A lot of equines find balancers more palatable, so a vitamin & mineral powder may not be a good choice for a fussy horse or pony, unless you are feeding the right base carrier to make it palatable.

Balancers or vitamin and mineral supplements usually provide different levels of support depending on individual needs. For example, performance balancers should provide the nutrients needed for harder working horses. Lite balancers should support a diet where forage and / or grass are restricted by providing higher levels of nutrients typically missing or reduced in such diets; the balancer itself will not be sufficient to cause weight loss, the diet as a whole needs to be right. Similarly, stud balancers and senior balancers are there to support the needs of breeding stock, growing youngsters and senior horses.

Marketing and advertising are often cleverly used to make us think that we ‘need’ something and that a particular product will make a difference to our horse or ponies weights. It is the diet around the balancer that will make a difference to your horse or ponies weight; particularly forage and grass as this is what they eat the most of.

03/05/2022

A popular bit in the horse world but we need to educate people further on why it shouldn't be 🐴

24/04/2022

🪱🪱🪱

🪱🪱🪱🪱🪱

With Spring turnout beginning, many owners have been requesting de-worming drugs for use prior to turnout. However in most circumstances routine deworming of all horses prior to turnout is unnecessary, and could actually contribute to wormer resistance.

It is particularly important to avoid using dewormers containing Moxidectin (Equest/Pramox) at times of year when not necessary, to preserve its efficacy against encysted redworm, now that resistance to Fenbendazole is so widespread.

The best approach is to perform worm egg counts on droppings to determine which horses are contributing heavily to pasture contamination - remember 80% of the worm eggs on pasture come from 20% of the herd!

When a horse with a high faecal worm egg count is treated with a dewormer, any worms resistant to the drug will survive to produce eggs and continue the infection cycle. Blanket deworming before turning out onto clean, rested pasture is to be especially avoided for this reason.

By avoiding treatment of healthy horses with zero or low egg counts, you ensure that susceptible worms help dilute this population of resistant ones. There are no new worming drugs for horses on the market, so to ensure that the drugs we have remain effective for as long as possible, we must use them responsibly.

Where a yard does not have a worm control program in place it can be difficult to know what to do for the best, but we are always happy to help advise and put together a bespoke program if requested.

If you have questions about worming and which product to use when, please do get in touch with us at the surgery on 01282868748. Or why not come along to our Healthy Horse Pub Club wormer meeting on 6th June at 7pm at the Crooked Billet in Worsthorne https://fb.me/e/4taJJ1MCE

23/04/2022

A popular misconception about bit acceptance

21/04/2022

This 👇👌

Why do we feel the need to rush our young horses into work?

'Backing Your Young Horses'
Written by Vikki Fowler BVetMed BAEDT MRCVS

"There is much info around which leads the reader to think horses age more quickly when they are young and slower as they get older. There is no evidence to support this. Why would the horse be the only animal in the world that ages in a non-linear manner? It doesn’t make sense and is used as an excuse for impatient owners to justify working their immature horses.

Sitting on a horse before maturity has many dangers. It is risking kissing spine, especially if the horse is not conditioned slowly. Sending a horse away as a three year old to go from unbacked to ridden daily in 6-8 weeks is a recipe for disaster. Riding in circles on three year olds damages the hocks. Jumping four year olds is asking for stifle injuries. Pounding the roads pulling traps with two year olds damages every joint in their legs. Any joints asked to take excess pressure before maturity increases the risk of irreparable damage. Maybe a young horse puts down more long bone in response to trauma, to work, but just because a child heals quicker than an adult it's no excuse to cause such damage. An adult is still fully capable of adapting to the work load, just slower, without the collateral damage to the rest of the body.

For every horse that is backed at three and lives a long working life until they are thirty, as a Vet I can show you thousands, tens of thousands that are euthanised before they hit their teens because their bodies are broken. The exception is not the rule.

Fact: A horse ages roughly three times faster than a human, so a 90 year old human is a 30 year old horse. Both very old, usually arthritic, don’t have many of their original teeth left, and very likely retired and enjoying the finer things in life.

A 25 year old horse is a 75 year old human. Some are still happily working but some prefer retirement and an easier life. Often depending on just how hard a life they’ve lived.

A 20 year old horse is a 60 year old human. At that point where the body doesn’t work like it use to but the brain is all there and wants to be active.

A 13 year old horse is a 39 year old human. Middle aged, prime of their life where their knowledge and physical ability are about equal.

So let’s get down to the babies and work our way back up:

A 1-1.5 year old horse is getting their first adult tooth, this happens at 6 years old in a human child.

A 3 year old horse is a 9 year old child.
A child.
Not ready for work by a long stretch. We have moved past sending children down the mines.

A 4 year old horse is a 12 year old child. Often will do odd jobs for pocket money, maybe a paper round, mowing lawns etc. Basically a 4 year old horse can start a bit of light work experience to learn the ropes.

A 5 year old horse is a 15 year old teenager. Think they know it all, cocky, and ready to up their work and responsibilities. Still quite weak and not fully developed so shouldn’t be at their physical limit but can start building strength.

A 5.5 year old horse has just cut their final adult tooth, this happens at 17 years of age in a human.

A 6 year old horse is an 18 year old human. An adult.
Ready to work

An 8 year old horse has achieved full fusion of their final growth plates. This happens at 24 years of age in a human. This is the age it is safe to push a horse for their optimal performance.

Pushing your youngster too hard too young will result in the failure of many body parts. Joints, spine, tendons, ligaments as well as their brains. Waiting another year or two at the beginning could give your horse an extra 10 years of useful working life.
Be patient with your pride and joy!

15/04/2022

Puts it all into perspective really 😮

A horse’s hock joint is the equivalent of a human ankle. Imagine walking around on your pointed toes…

14/04/2022

Great advice, so many riders add boots to 'finish' their look but don't realise the potential danger

Boots and bandages - are we harming our horses as we try to protect them?

Bandaging and booting our horses is becoming more and more popular, especially with the popularity of matchy matchy sets. But are we doing more harm than good? Most people will have come across the articles in magazines and comments from vets saying they are, and yet still they become more and more popular. Why is that? Why do riders still cover their horses in thick fleece bandages or fluffy boots despite the dangers? Tradition I suppose. Wanting to fit in. Or just habit, some will feel like they haven’t finished tacking up if they haven’t put the boots on.

I know this isn’t about dentistry (for which I apologise) but I am a vet first and foremost, and as a dressage rider I am asked why I don’t use bandages all the time. I’ve written about this several times now and no one pays attention, so rather than stating facts and quoting research, I’d like to take you through my journey of discovery, please bear with me. Facts and papers are at the end.

Rewind 12 years and I was in my final year at vet school. Prior to and during vet school I had a horse and we did dressage. I had planned to ODE but this horse pulled every tendon and ligament known to vet kind. He spent more time out of work than in. Each time I would up my game with the latest boots/bandages on the market. From fluffy boots to wraps to sports fetlock boots, fleece bandages to gamgee and cotton to the half fleece/half elastic bandages. I learnt new techniques for better support, figure of 8 bandaging to cradle the fetlock etc etc. I’d been there and done it. My collection was extensive.

Right at the end of vet school I had my rotations. I chose Equine lameness as one of my options. During in this I very vividly remember a wet lab with Dr Renate Weller where she had a skinned horses leg (showing all of the tendons and ligaments) in a machine that mimicked the pressures a horse applies to their limbs. She took us through walk, trot, canter and gallop, loading this leg so we could see the inside workings of the horses leg without the skin. It was fascinating I can tell you, and I very clearly remember thinking about my horse and wondering how on earth we are suppose to support this limb when it undergoes these incredible forces! Half a ton of animal pushing down a tiny spindle of a leg held by tendons barely thicker than my thumb. Craziness!

Fast forward just a few short months and I was a fully qualified vet in the big wide world. I attended my first BEVA Congress and during the break I wandered around the stalls looking at the latest inventions and technologies companies bring to these gatherings. Here I came across a company with the Equestride Boot which caught my eye. Now if you haven’t seen this boot, it’s wonderful and I’ve since used it a few times in rehabbing very severe tendon and ligament injuries with great success. The boot is a carbon fibre boot that stops the fetlock dropping, which stops the tendons and ligaments being fully loaded while they heal. This boot is super strong. You couldn’t ride a horse in it as it is limiting the range of motion so much, but they can move about easily enough at the lower settings to rehab etc. The guy on the stand (I’m afraid I can’t remember his name) showed me their research and in the straight talking Irish way explained the stupidity of expecting a thin piece of material to support a horse. And of course it can’t! Literally no bandage or boot (short of this very expensive carbon fibre rehab boot) is capable of reducing the amount the fetlock drops. Thinking back to Dr Weller’s demonstration, I could very clearly see how ridiculous I had been to ever believe a scrap of material could do anything to reduce or support that pressure.

But the boots/bandages don’t actually cause any harm do they? Surely it’s ok to use them on the off chance they might help and if we look good in the meantime, great! Well, not long after this, research started appearing that got me very worried about my bandage collection. Heat. Anyone that uses bandages and boots will not be surprised to see sweat marks under their bandages/boots after they’ve been removed. They trap a lot of heat. The horses body and legs generate a lot of heat when working. The tendons/ligaments in the leg, along with an increased blood flow generate ALOT of heat. Fleece bandages/boots in particular, hold this heat in the horses leg. Very few boots and virtually no bandages (especially if you use a pad under) allow the legs to breath adequately. This heat is easily enough to kill tendon/ligament cells. Each tendon/ligament is made of thousands and thousands of cells all lined up end on end and side by side in long thin spindles. They stretch and return to their original shape and size like an elastic band, absorbing and redistributing the pressures applied from further up the leg and from the ground impact below. All of these cells must work together as one to do this effectively.

Just a little side step here to explain how tendons/ligaments heal. A tendon/ligament cell can not be replaced like for like. They always heal with scar tissue. This is why reinjury is so much more likely if a tendon/ligament is blown. The fibrous scar tissue doesn’t stretch, it isn’t capable of stretching or absorbing the impact of a horses movement. It will always be a weak spot. In a full blown sprain/strain the whole (or most) of the tendon has been damaged. But this heat injury might just kill a few cells at a time. Those few cells are replaced by fibrous scar tissue, then next time a few more etc etc. Like a rubber band degrading over time the tendon/ligament loses its elasticity and eventually goes snap. Then you’ve fully blown a tendon/ligament. The injury didn’t start to happen at that moment, but that was the final straw. The damage adds up over time, each time thermal necrosis (vet word for cell death) occurs.

So if using boots/bandages can not offer any sort of support, and using them generates heat that slowly damages the tendons/ligaments until they give way. Why use them? Protection. This is the only reason to use boots. To stop the horse brushing, injuring themselves catching a pole or over cross country. But for goodness sake make sure your boots are breathable! If the horse is sweaty under the boot but not above or below, the boot is not breathable enough. And don’t use fleece bandages just because you like the colour. These fleece bandages are the worst at holding heat in the leg, way above the threshold for thermal necrosis to the cells of the tendons and ligaments. If your horse doesn’t need protection, don’t use boots. I haven’t for the last 12 years and *touch wood* I haven’t had a single tendon/ligament injury in any of my horses. I will never go back to boots or especially bandages now. I don’t use them for schooling, lunging, jumping, travelling, turnout, stable, in fact I don’t use them at all. Ever. But I don’t hunt or XC.

I hope you have found my story useful and can make informed decisions on boots and bandaging going forward.

For more information on the Equestride boot and their research into support offered by boots and bandages, visit http://www.equestride.com/ and https://www.equinetendon.com/services/equestride/

The horses leg under the compression machine at the Irish Equine rehabilitation and fitness centre https://fb.watch/cmVMt6-iOJ/ (I highly recommend you watch this incredible video. It clearly shows the amount of force the leg goes through and demonstrates the real purpose of boots)

Other relevant papers-
https://equimanagement.com/.amp/articles/horse-skin-temperature-under-boots-after-exercise
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/8f15/0ea480edca142260d01f419f80d2e7e7fb29.pdf
http://www.asbweb.org/conferences/1990s/1998/59/index.html

Edit 1 - I am getting asked about stable wraps very frequently. This post is about riding, the tendons and blood flow create heat which is trapped by bandages/boots during exercise. This doesn’t occur in the stable stood still. If the horse has a strain/sprain resulting in inflammation, then there is an increase in blood flow and there is heat being created. In this situation you should not be bandaging. But if it’s cold and an old horse needs stable wraps to keep the joints warm and improve sluggish blood flow (filled legs) you can use the heat trapping to your advantage. But you need to be careful in summer.

Edit 2 - the other thing I’m being asked about is compression. Compression DOES NOT control inflammation. The inflammation still occurs, but the swelling can not escape the bandages and the increase in internal pressure reduces blood flow, causing ischemic damage. Like laminitis within the hoof. The hoof capsule prevents swelling so the inflammation expands inwards and cuts off the blood supply. This is why laminitis is so painful and difficult to treat. Compression is only useful in the case of leaky vessels, for example reduced blood pressure, reduced movement so the blood isn’t being pumped backup the legs, or osmotic imbalances eg low protein with diarrhoea. In these situations, compression of the legs can encourage blood to return to the vessels and continue circulating.

03/04/2022

Something I've tried to explain to people a lot!

Not a joke...

Have you ever wondered why you can have a 15 acre field and part of it is chewed down to nubs and the other part has grass a hand high, But your horse is constantly grazing in the chewed down part?

Grass 6 inches and taller has less sugars than grass under 6 inches.

For every inch drop below 6 inches, the fructan (sugar) content rises.

Grass under 6 inches is stressed like it's a Monday morning with a project deadline. It uses sugar to repair itself.

Stop mowing your fields short.

Stop grazing your chubbys on chewed down grass. (this is why grazing muzzles are so touted...they keep the horse from being able to get much short grass)

(We aren't saying let your fields be 3 feet tall, by the way. The optimal thing to do is keep them 6-8 inches tall and graze them in small areas there)

07/03/2022

Lloyd Morgan’s canon:– Morgan, 1903Dominance hierarchies, alpha positions or leadership in social groups...

05/03/2022

23/02/2022

Really interesting post about artificial surfaces we ride on

23/02/2022

This!

I was always told when I was young to stretch the legs but, through my training, know that it isn't necessary and could actually cause more harm than good.

❓❓🧐🧐Should we stretch our horses legs out after tightening the girth?? 🧐🧐❓❓

I was always taught to do this from the young age of seven when I first started riding.

It’s another equestrian tradition that has stayed with us all…but is it in the best interest of our horses?? 🧐🧐

Typically we do this to ensure there is no trapped skin beneath the girth that could pinch or cause sores.

This is definitely a valid reason of course but does it actually achieve anything that our horses can’t do for themselves?

For example…⬇️⬇️

✅ The horse will naturally stretch out any loose skin during the swing phase of their stride with or without our interference.

✅ Some girth manufacturers actively advise against this tradition as by pulling the leg forward you can draw more skin than necessary towards the sensitive area behind the elbow causing chafing/sores.

✅ Providing your horse is relaxed and square when saddling (which they should be to ensure the saddle is placed correctly) and you have the correct shaped girth for your horses conformation, there should be minimal excess skin sitting underneath the panel.

✅ A lot of the time we can be too vigorous when stretching our horses. We stretch too long, too high and/or for too long a duration.

✅ Stretching cold muscles can do more harm than good.
Most of us ride after our horses have been stood in a stable for some time or stood to be groomed on a concrete floor for half an hour or more.
This leads to cold and inflexible muscles susceptible to over-stretching and tearing.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

This is a topic that even body-workers, saddle fitters and trainers can’t agree on and so I would love your thoughts below!!

⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

*images sourced from an exhaustive google search*

17/02/2022

Fascinating read and so appropriate with laminitis so prevalent in domestic equines

What is better, frog support padding or heart bar shoes?
Can we get the same results from both?

Often I hear farriers say they don't need to use padding they just use a heart bar instead. Yesterday one asked me if this was a correct statement.

The answer is likely no, studies have emerged showing that bar shoes actually increase peak load on the heels over and above frog support padding and therefore are contraindicated for the treatment of low heels.

If you look at the hoofs design, it has an open back of a lower elastic modulus that facilitates increased flexibility. Closing it up reduces this ability, less movement means less shock dispersion means increased peak load.

Read full article at this link...

https://www.theequinedocumentalist.com/post/frog-pressure-is-the-heart-bar-obsolete

14/02/2022

💫 Part Two: The Bridle, Fit and Areas of Pressure (a very condensed version…but you may still need a glass of wine!) 💫

The equines head is beautiful in all its complexity. Awash with a multitude of acupressure points, different tissues, connections and pathways, the anatomy and structure make it vulnerable to dysfunction, asymmetry…and areas of pressure.

💫 Equine heads and expressions are as individual as yours and mine! 💫

Size and shape of ears; space and shape between and behind the ears; breadth and height of forehead; shape and size of nostrils; size, width, shape of muzzle/mouth and from muzzle to the corner of the mouth; length of face and size of jaw; shape, length and breadth of nose; size, shape and position of the eyes. There are so many variations and the more we look, the more we learn.

Considering the conformation of your horses’ head is absolutely crucial for a perfectly fitted bridle. Even the best intended comfort bridle won’t be comfortable if fitted incorrectly. Don’t be afraid to mix and match pieces to make your own bespoke bridle.

💫 Did you know?

- Pressure varies according to the position of the head and the point of stride; landing from a jump or the faster the pace, the higher the pressure e.g., pressure from the headpiece at the base of the skull doubles during canter

- There are six individual muscles, all with their own role, that make up the poll. An extremely delicate area, easily injured and prone to tightness and one-sidedness; horses suffer from headaches just as we humans do!

- Sensitive bursa - fluid filled sacs - are found between the nuchal ligament and the first two cervical vertebrae and they prevent the ligament from rubbing on the vertebrae and getting damaged. Due to their sensitivity, they cannot withstand a lot of pressure and therefore, a tightly fitted headpiece will cause the bursa to swell due to fluid increase.

- A tight flash can cause nerve pain / damage to nasal cartilage and reduce airflow. As horses are obligate nasal breathers, imagine the distress of having your ability to breathe lessened.

- Nasal cartilage damage can occur from a tight noseband and/or from a poorly positioned one e.g., drop noseband or noseband that is pulled down by a flash.

- The TMJ (temporomandibular joint) is anatomically the closest joint in the body to the brain and brain stem and is related to some components of the ear, as with humans, and has its own peripheral vascular supply. Think balance. Pressure and/or restriction may compromise balance and the mobility of the jaw.

- If the massester muscle (the large lower jaw muscle) is braced from tension e.g., because of sharp upper molars, this affects not only the function of the bit but impedes the action of the muscles directly behind the jaw to the mastoid process of the skull.

- Each ear has 15 individual muscles connecting the base of the ear to strategic points around the head.

- Acupressure points on the head influence specific areas / organs e.g., acupressure point at the corner of the ear base influences the small intestine; the point at the Caninus muscle (facial muscle of the mouth) influences the large intestine meridian.

- Salivation? We want ‘lipstick’ not excessive drool. Excessive drool means that the saliva cannot be swallowed e.g., can be due to type of bitting. Stress to saliva glands can create bleeding and contusions such as in the practice of Rolkur or L.D.R (low down round)

The Cavesson noseband, browband and throatlash serve no purpose; they are for aesthetic reasons only.

💫 The Fit:

The Headpiece:

Think what is right for YOUR horse: width, length, shape. Hard-unforgiving leather and too much padding adds pressure not relief. You should be able to slide a hand easily under the headpiece at the poll. If there is too much pressure at the base of the skull from the headpiece, irritation and tension results.

The Throatlash:

You should be able to put four fingers sideways under the throatlash. It doesn’t prevent the bridle from coming off, if it was tight enough to do this it would impair the horses breathing and swallowing!

The Cavesson Noseband:

There should be two fingers’ room between the Cavesson and it should be fitted approximately two fingers width below the cheekbones and not interfere with the bit. If the Cavesson is too high under cheekbones it will cause a great deal of discomfort. A tight noseband influences the ability to chew, swallow and due to its attachment over the head, can act as a fixed unit thereby putting additional pressure on the poll. Rolled or thin nosebands add further localised pressure. Think what is right for YOUR horse: width, shape, size, position.

The Browband:

Should sit flat and comfortable across the front just below the ears, not pulling the headpiece into the ears or sagging with a gap in the front. Do not make the mistake of thinking that the browband is too tight when it may be that the headpiece is too wide where it sits behind the ears. More often than not it is the headpiece that causes irritation rather than the browband being too tight. Think what is right for YOUR horse: width, shape, length and position.

There are two types of Grackle nosebands:

- The standard figure 8 which consists of the head strap and two separate straps which go around the nose. These fit below the cheekbones and under the chin but are not recommended as the top strap tends to sit too close under the cheekbones and the two continuous straps can be over tightened.

- The Mexican / High Grackle however give it some articulation allowing the horse some movement of the jaw and tongue. It should be fitted very carefully with the rings (preferably padded) on top of the cheekbones NEVER underneath them. The cheek buckles must not be too high and the jaw and chin straps should be fitted so that the buckles and straps do not interfere with the bit or the mouth.

Buckles, metal and hard-edged fittings/leather and too much padding will all add pressure.

💫 Does your horse do any of the following?

- Continually open and close the mouth
- Rub the face either during or after a ride
- Continually chew and fiddle with the bit either tacking up and/or during work
- Object to contact
- Riding behind the vertical or with nose in the air
- Hollow
- Tossing the head
….the list goes on!

Your horse is speaking to you.

Don’t silence your pony/horse by applying more tack, harsher bits, clamping the jaw shut and/or tying the head down, as by doing so you are masking a problem that will only manifest and show up as a far greater problem later down the road. Address the root cause. It may be musculoskeletal, tack - as simple as adjusting the noseband a few cms or changing the position of the cheek pieces - environment, training and/or you the rider.

💫 Force and Obstruction break the perfect biomechanics of the body 💫

Relaxation. Balance. Rhythm.

Optimise the freedom of movement 😊

Next: Part Three - the mouth, bits and what to look for, expression and the importance of chewing and saliva