Equine Nutrition Australasia (ENA)

12/12/2024

The Super Grain, Rice and one of it’s by-products Rice Bran is regarded by horse nutritionists as a Super Health Food for Horses.We have here in Malaysia an ample supply of this raw material which when processed is safer and more digestible than feeding traditional grains.
In Kedah, known as the Malaysian Rice Bowl, the Equine Nutrition Australasia (ENA) manufacturing plant utilizes Rice Bran from up to 8 nearby mills.
What is Rice Bran ?
Rice Bran is a rich source of Energy, Essential Fatty Acids, several important B-group vitamins, sterols and anti-oxidants.
It is the outer brown layer of the rice kernel and is a by-product of rice milling. On average 450kg of rice milled will produce around 25kg of Rice Bran.
It is important to understand that the Stabilization of the Fats to prevent the Rice Bran from going rancid through processing technology (steam extrusion) is essential – The digestibility is enhanced; the nutritional values of the cooked product are retained; the shelf life is extended.
ENA have created a range of horse feeds here in Malaysia for all horses and stables all over the world.
Exclusively distributed worldwide by Mitavite Asia.

11/12/2024

LaBarre Training Center Thanks

11/12/2024

Paulick Report Thanks

Because cribbing is likely a means of stress reduction, continual engagement in the behavior literally changes a horse's brain chemistry.

Read more: https://bit.ly/3VyBHMm

11/12/2024

Horse & Rider Magazine Thanks

If your horse is on stall rest for an injury, and you're beginning a lengthy rehab process - 𝘄𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗽𝘀.

Following a long layoff, it’s crucial that you bring your horse back to work slowly. After not exercising for an extended period of time, your horse will be out of shape. 𝐓𝐨 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐫𝐞-𝐢𝐧𝐣𝐮𝐫𝐲, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞'𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲.

Want to read more on this subject? Check out this article -->

https://horseandrider.com/how-to/injury-rehab-54014/

11/12/2024

TheHorse.com Thanks

Here are some do's and don'ts for promoting nonworking horses' optimal health (and preventing potential problems) with nutrition.

11/12/2024

Equus Magazine Thanks

11/12/2024

Tamarack Hill Farm Thank You
Denny Emerson
Many Thanks

Experience isn’t something that someone gets by putting it off until later. We get it today. Then tomorrow. Then the day after that, and on down the weeks and months and years.

It is a strong tell, an accurate indication of whether someone means business, to watch what happens today. As in this day

There are a couple of definitions of the word “practice,” The one that most think about is the repeated doing of something in order to make that something more natural. The other has to do with the extent to which one lives that practice, as in the practice of medicine, the practice of law.

If someone is living the second definition of practice, that person is likely practicing the first definition today and most days, which means that pretty much every day, today included, is an experience gaining day.

This might sound convoluted, but is it really?
In riding, you gotta look between those ears------

11/12/2024

Avon Ridge Equine Veterinary Services Thanks - Important information.

11/12/2024

Equine,PhD
Thanks for sharing

How do hay nets on round bales impact the axial skeleton of the horse?

You all asked, and we delivered with more research! And I promise it has been worth the wait!

Last week, the second portion of our study evaluating hay nets was accepted into the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, and this time we teamed up with an equine chiropractor (thanks Dr. Taylor Rieck) to evaluate changes in the axial skeleton!

Introduction: Many horse owners use hay nets. As our last study demonstrated, they have many benefits including a reduction in hay waste and management of bodyweight and body condition scores. Additionally, we were able to explore the impacts on dental health and did not have any concerns regarding soft tissue damage, tooth wear, or dental abnormalities. But that has led us to our next question, can the act of eating hay from a hay net result in changes to the axial skeleton of the horse, specifically relating to the vertebral column?

Materials and Methods: Because I want this post to be able to stand alone (and some of you may have forgotten what we did since the last research post), I will start from the beginning and I apologize for repeating myself. Thirteen mature geldings were used in this study and assigned to treatments based on weight. The study began in September 2021 and all horses received dental work and were assigned to their treatments, seven started on the no hay net control (CON) and six started on the hay net (NET) treatment and all were fed grass round bales. In September 2022, horses received dental work again and switched treatments in the cross-over design. Throughout the study, these horses lived in identical neighboring pens with shelter, ad libitum water, and free choice grass round bales with the only difference being NET horses had their round bale hay placed in hay nets with 1.75”/4.45 cm openings (graciously provided by Hay Chix) while CON horses did not.

During this study, from May through August of both years, changes in the axial skeleton were evaluated. This time frame was chosen as horses were not being worked in undergraduate courses. In May, when the semester ended, an equine chiropractor adjusted all horses to get them to a baseline. Horses were then evaluated for range of motion and pain-pressure thresholds at 4-, 8-, and 12-weeks post-chiropractic adjustment. Cervical range of motion was evaluated using neck stretches for lateral movement as well as chin-to-chest, chin-to-knees, and chin-to-fetlocks. Pain pressure threshold was evaluated at different points on the body using a pressure algometer which documented the amount of pressure applied until the horse moved away to avoid the pressure. Additionally, another chiropractic adjustment took place at 12-weeks and subluxations (misalignment of bones) were documented and rated on a 0 to 3 scale to indicate none, minor, moderate, or severe subluxations. These scores were combined for each location or vertebral region (cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral).

Results: There was an average 8% increase in cervical subluxations observed in NET horses (P0.05) and sacral vertebrae were not analyzed as no subluxations were found.

Another finding was that average cervical range of motion was 5 degrees greater in NET horses compared to CON horses for chin-to-chest and chin-to-fetlock measurements (P≤0.05). No differences were observed in pain-pressure thresholds when comparing treatments (P>0.05).

While not the initial objective of the study, we also saw decreased range of motion and pain-pressure thresholds over time regardless of treatment, which suggests the benefits of chiropractic - but I will save this topic for another post when I can dive into into it deeper!

Discussion: Our main findings were a slight increase in subluxations in the neck for NET horses alongside an increase in cervical range of motion. While these findings initially appear to contradict each other, previous research in humans has found that activities which stimulate voluntary neck movements utilizing a wide range of motion and postures can recruit and strengthen cervical muscles. As a result, prehending hay from a hay net may have simulated exercises to strengthen the neck in these horses, however, these movements may have simultaneously resulted in an increase in cervical subluxations.

Conclusions: This study has demonstrated that hay nets do have the ability to influence the axial skeleton of the horse with minor changes. However, the researchers believe that the proven benefits of hay nets, including reduced hay waste, prolonged feeding time, and weight management, outweigh any minor changes in the axial skeleton observed in this study. Additionally, results from this study suggest regular chiropractic work can be beneficial for horses regardless of hay net use!

What Next? While this study gathered some very useful information to create a foundation of knowledge, I would love to investigate hanging net height and hole size to determine how these factors may influence the axial skeleton and time to consumption for horses in the future!

Funding: This study was funded by the University of Wisconsin - River Falls and HayChix.

I hope you find these results as fascinating as we did! There is always so much to learn!

Cheers!
Dr. DeBoer

11/12/2024

Good Horsemanship Thanks
Ross Jacobs
Many Thanks

HOW DID YOU DO THAT?

At a recent clinic in Perth, Western Australia, I worked with a student’s horse to demonstrate a principle in answer to a question. All went according to plan. But then somebody in the crowd asked, “What did you do? I saw what the horse did, but I didn’t see what you did to get him to do that.”

I was a little surprised. I thought what I did was obvious, and the horse thought it was super obvious, so I did it again. Nope. Nobody detected what I had done. The only ones who saw what I did were me and the horse.

Many years ago I was in Arizona hanging out with my friend, Harry Whitney. I remember how impressed I was that Harry could get any horse to walk relaxed but with a tremendous forward. There was no rushing or anxiety. The horses would walk comfortably forward as if they had a need to go somewhere. I watched carefully every horse rode over many weeks. I couldn’t figure out what he was doing to get such a brilliant walk from every horse.

“Harry, what the hell are you doing with your seat to get a walk from a horse? I don’t see you doing anything,” I said.

“I don’t know. I just ask for some life,” was the answer.

At the time, his answer frustrated me because I would ask for some life in my horse but never got the change in the walk that Harry could get. And then I figured it out.

Most people teach a horse to do something. There are billions of words written instructing people how to teach a horse to do something. There are millions of hours of videos on the internet explaining how to teach a horse to do something. Almost every blue ribbon, gold medal, and monetary reward is granted to people who can get their horse to do something better than the other competitors who have taught their horse to do something.

What confused the people in Perth about what I did in the demonstration and what confused me about the quality of walk Harry could get out of a horse, is that in neither case was the focus on teaching a horse to do something.

In both cases, Harry and I were focused on getting the horses to think something.

A horse is always trying to do what it is thinking. So when a horse thinks to do something you want, it looks like you did nothing. There is no more important principle in good horsemanship.

When your object is to drive a horse into doing something, there will always be a barrier to how good it could be. This is because it’s not the horse’s idea. While a horse is thinking about doing one thing and you drive it to do something else there can be no harmony and no partnership. There will always be some degree of resistance - even if barely detectable to anybody watching.

In contrast, when what you are thinking and the horse is thinking are the same jobs it can be beautiful. Directing a horse’s thoughts wins over driving their feet every time.

The reason Harry can entice horses to walk like he does is because he can direct their thought forward as if there was the best hay waiting for them just ahead. The reason people were unable to see me direct the horse at the clinic was that the horse and I were in a highly focused conversation where there was an exchange of ideas. In both cases, getting the movement we wanted was the result of directing the horse’s thoughts first.

I know many of you will feel frustrated because this post does not tell you HOW to first direct a horse’s mind before driving their feet. I won’t explain the process because I believe that would be irresponsible. It’s not something you can learn from reading about it or watching videos. If these ideas are important to you, find the best hands-on help you can and have lessons or attend clinics with like-minded professionals.

Photo: Directing a horse to think forward.

11/12/2024

Project Hope Horse Welfare Victoria Thanks

ABRS+ Webinar Series - Applying the 5 Domains Model of Horse Welfare - Lisa Ashton

11/12/2024

The Paulick Report
Thanks

Other researchers have shown that riding lesson horses have poorer welfare compared to pleasure horses, when comparing incidences of abnormal behaviors , physical injuries, health issues, aggression towards humans, and “depressed-like” postures.

Read more: https://bit.ly/3OMO0AN

11/12/2024

Thanks to Lee McLean and Keystone Equine

Here’s the thing. We can be so overcome with ‘destination addiction’—focused on our goals and where we long to go—that we lose sight of where we are now and how best we might think about embarking upon the journey.

‘There’ is a long way away. ‘Here’, on the other hand, is where we are right now.

I’m going to state the obvious—except, seemingly, when we ride horses—and tell you that the ‘here’ is what matters, first and foremost. This is something with which we goal-driven humans tend to struggle. We make plans. We want to evolve. We want to know more than the first chapter, so we skip ahead to the juicy bits.

All amenable and trustworthy horses will know five things, whether they are led in-hand, ridden, or driven. Just five things, for each and every horse, pony or mule.

They will go forward when asked. They will guide easily by turning left. Ditto to the right. They will know how to stop and stand. They will also back up.

Sounds pretty simple, right? You’d be surprised. As a long-time teacher, my first lesson with most any student involves a few pylons (aka orange traffic cones) and some very clear directions. Most people will laugh a bit, nervously, wondering if they are paying their hard-earned money to learn basic steering from a crackpot. They had plans and instead, they are being asked to negotiate a boring handling course, often from a walk.

Of course, if this is too basic, we don't stop there. Guiding and stopping well from the trot and canter up the difficulty, considerably.

“This is it?” you can almost hear them think. But I am watching. This lesson, that was supposed to be about improving canter departures, or some sort of lateral work and collection, often shows basic holes in how a horse guides with the rider’s thoughts, legs and hands. It often shows that the left and right skills are not at the same level and consistency. It often shows that the horse does not, in fact, understand the basic cues that are consistently given to tell him how and when to stop and stand.

Too many horses have no idea what is involved in backing up calmly, whether from the saddle or on the ground. And so, we quietly and resolutely begin to teach them.

When we’re reading our books and watching our videos, critiquing our heroes and dreaming of our own days in the sun, let’s not forget. It all begins with the same five things, done calmly, lovingly, with clear guidance, over and over, again.

We are not drilling mindlessly, for this is how the horse begins to understand these same five things’ importance in his life. We can begin to build on everything else that comes later. He starts to feel pride, rather than confusion. We both begin to enjoy this simple game, a shared language with openly exchanged ideas and expectations.

Very soon, if we approach this foundation with love and encouragement, the horse begins to know these things for sure. We will always go back to them, periodically, to make sure that we haven’t forgotten our basic building blocks in the excitement of doing all the other stuff. You know, the climbing of mountains, the learning more, winning prizes, and all the shareable moments on Instagram.

Going forward. Guiding left and right. Stopping and standing. Knowing how to back up. Yes. This.

11/12/2024

The Paulick Report Thanks

“By exploring probiotics as a preventative and treatment solution, we aim to shift away from traditional antibiotic treatments and offer horse owners and veterinarians a sustainable approach to protect foals and promote long-term health.”

Read more: https://bit.ly/3ZL4oIj

11/12/2024

Pony Club Australia Thanks

𝗪𝗘𝗟𝗙𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗗𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗗𝗔𝗬 | 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀: 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀

Effective communication and a strong bond between humans and horses depend on accurately interpreting a horse’s emotional state and body language. Misinterpreting these signals not only disrupts trust but can also lead to accidents and injuries. A recent study sheds light on the challenges we face in reading and understanding equine emotions, even for those with substantial experience with horses.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝘆

The research, titled 'The Human Ability to Interpret Affective States in Horses’ Body Language: The Role of Emotion Recognition Ability and Previous Experience with Horses' by Moritz Nicolai Braun et al., 2024, explored the human ability to interpret horses’ affective states—essentially, their emotions—as expressed through body language. Researchers conducted an online survey featuring 32 photographs of horses displaying various emotional states. Participants were asked to identify the emotions conveyed. Alongside this task, participants completed a test called "Reading the Mind in the Eyes" to measure their general emotion recognition ability. They also provided demographic information, including age, gender, and their level of experience with horses.

𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀

▪️ Experience Matters: Individuals with prior experience working with or being around horses performed significantly better at identifying the animals’ affective states compared to those without such experience.

▪️ Emotion Recognition Ability: Participants with a higher general ability to recognise emotions—measured by the "Reading the Mind in the Eyes" test—also showed better performance in interpreting horses’ body language.

▪️ Independent Effects: While both horse experience and emotion recognition ability improved participants' performance, these factors operated independently of one another. There was no significant interaction between the two.

▪️ Room for Improvement: Despite these advantages, even horse-experienced participants correctly identified only about 50% of the emotional states depicted in the photographs. This striking finding highlights that understanding horse body language remains a difficult task, even for those who are well-versed in working with horses.

These findings provide valuable insights into the complexities of human-horse communication and emphasise the need for further research in this area to improve mutual understanding and safety in human-horse interactions.

11/12/2024

TheHorse.com Thanks

A ration balancer might offer the best balance of nutrients and protein for your horse during stall rest.

11/12/2024

Equus Magazine Thanks

When your horse has to work to breathe, call the veterinarian—then take steps to make him more comfortable. Here's what to do. >>>https://bit.ly/EQHeavesFlareUp