HeartSong Haven

HeartSong Haven HeartSong Haven is a temporary Haven for equines before they move on to new homes.

HeartSong Haven came about after many years of rescuing a horse or two (or four) at a time and finding them homes or giving them to 4-Hers as projects. Having sold our farm for a smaller property, and being self-funded we only take in a couple at a time, and unfortunately, we have to limit it to those that have a future as a riding or driving companion. Being self funded frees us up to spend quality time with the horses rather than spending time trying to raise funds.

https://equusmagazine.com/horse-care/response-choke-53083?tum_source=EQUUSFB
11/23/2024

https://equusmagazine.com/horse-care/response-choke-53083?tum_source=EQUUSFB

When your horse develops an obstruction in his esophagus, doing the wrong thing can turn a relatively minor event into a potentially life-threatening problem. Choke can look alarming, especially if you’ve never seen it before. When a wad of poorly chewed feed or a big chunk of apple gets stuck in ...

07/21/2024
https://www.equiculture.net/homepage
12/19/2023

https://www.equiculture.net/homepage

Horse pasture/land management, horse care, welfare and care for the environment (the One Welfare concept). Alternative Equicentral grazing system.

12/16/2023

Any nasal drainage can be an important indicator of a horse's health and can even herald an emergency. Here are 6 scenarios and possible causes.

12/07/2023
Isabelle FarmerSeptember 26, 2019  · A thought-provoking read.By Jane SmileyMost horses pass from one human to another -...
09/30/2023

Isabelle Farmer
September 26, 2019 ·
A thought-provoking read.
By Jane Smiley
Most horses pass from one human to another - some horsemen and women are patient and forgiving, others are rigorous and demanding, others are cruel, others are ignorant.
Horses have to learn how to, at the minimum, walk, trot, canter, gallop, go on trails and maybe jump, to be treated by the vet, all with sense and good manners.
Talented Thoroughbreds must learn how to win races, and if they can't do that, they must learn how to negotiate courses and jump over strange obstacles without touching them, or do complicated dance
like movements or control cattle or accommodate severely handicapped children and adults in therapy work.
Many horses learn all of these things in the course of a single lifetime. Besides this, they learn to understand and fit into the successive social systems of other horses they meet along the way.
A horse's life is rather like twenty years in foster care, or in and out of prison, while at the same time changing schools over and over and discovering that not only do the other students already have their own social groups, but that what you learned at the old school hasn't much application at the new one.
We do not require as much of any other species, including humans.
That horses frequently excel, that they exceed the expectations of their owners and trainers in such circumstances, is as much a testament to their intelligence and adaptability as to their relationship skills or their natural generosity or their inborn nature. That they sometimes manifest the same symptoms as abandoned orphans - distress, strange behaviors, anger, fear - is less surprising than that they usually don't.
No one expects a child, or even a dog to develop its intellectual capacities living in a box 23 hours a day and then doing controlled exercises the remaining one.
Mammal minds develop through social interaction and stimulation.
A horse that seems "stupid", "slow", "stubborn", etc. might just have not gotten the chance to learn!
Take care of your horses and treasure them.

06/14/2023

https://barehoofcare.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/navicular_facts.pdf

04/14/2023

And please please please please don't pat me especially not hard! Want to reward your horse? Try a soft stroke on the neck. NO SLAPPING

From "The Balanced Horse"
Its simple.
Shut off the noise.
The barn radio, the cell phone, the barn chatter.
Animals live in silence unless stressed.
They thrive in silence.
They can hear each others thoughts.
Dr.Temple Grandin proved this point.
Horses and people are no different.
Have you noticed everywhere you go noisey people break your focus. Its like their demanding attention, like a drowning swimmer.
Hear me See me, HEAR ME, feel my fear and stress.
It must be contagious.
Somehow it follows us to the barn.
Have you noticed the impact noise has on horses.
The louder we get the more stressed they are.
Then there is the guy who nods smiles and hardly speaks. Notice how he can work with any horse. When he is done, it no big deal.
He just nods and smiles and goes on.
Now some people are horse whispers.
They talk a good game.
The secret to sucess isn't shared.
Its the guy or gal that smiles and nods, that hear the horse, feel the fear and smooth it out.
They know the secret of how to listen to the silent voice of the horse.
Shhhhh!
That's the connection!
Remember: Silent and Listen use the same letters!
(When someone is constantly talking to a horse - I often think I hear the horses saying
“Please BE QUIET!!!”) BN

01/06/2023

THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON

In my opinion the most important skill we can teach a horse is to lead brilliantly. Partly this is because most of us spend more time leading our horses than any other single task. But even more importantly leading is one of the earliest training tasks that sets up our relationship with our horse. The focus and connection that leading brilliantly creates is the foundation of everything else to come and it begins at halter breaking.

No other skill we want to teach a horse supersedes the importance of leading brilliantly. The quality of that focus and connection relates strongly to how a horse loads onto a trailer, stands to be mounted, picks up its feet, pushiness at feed time, separation from the herd, shying, lunging etc. The list goes on and on. In fact, I can’t think of a single thing that is a struggle for a horse that can’t be traced back to some degree to how well it leads - from catching to canter pirouette.

Notice that I use the term “leads brilliantly”. Most people believe their horse leads well or really well. Which is why most people don’t work a lot to improve their horse’s leading skills. They get by. However, I can honestly say that in all my years and all the horses I have handled, I have only met a handful of horses (maybe less than a handful) that were brilliant to lead. I am certain many of you believe your horses lead great, but I am equally certain that so few actually do. I know this because it is what I have experienced over several decades as a trainer and clinician.

For most of us, how well our horse leads is measured by how well it does what we ask it to do on the ground. But ask yourself:

1. Does your horse wait for the pull of the lead rope before moving or does it go with you?

2. Can you direct (NOT DRIVE) a specific foot to move forward, backward, left or right purely by the feel of the rope?

3. Does your horse lead just as well on a length of 3 metres of lead rope as it does on 0.5m of lead rope?

4. Can you direct (NOT DRIVE) your horse to go somewhere just as well as to go somewhere with you?

If you can direct your horse to follow a feel to do those things (and other movements you might ask), it’s a good start. But it’s not enough.

For me, leading brilliantly entails how quiet but active is the conversation between my horse and myself. When I ask my horse a question is it a one or two-sided conversation? Is every question I ask my horse with my body and the lead rope interrupting something else the horse is pondering. Yes, I want my horse to go with my feel and yield to my idea of what we are going to do. But I want it to come from my horse believing that it is a good idea and has a good outcome and not because refusal or resistance is a bad idea and has negative consequences.

In other words, if I ask my horse to back a couple of steps I want it to think “that works for me”.

Here are a few aspects that I look for when considering the quality at which a horse leads.

does leading involve driving or directing the horse’s thoughts
when I direct a horse’s thought, how closely does its feet follow the thought
how well does the horse follow the feel and energy
when I interrupt a horse’s idea with something it does not anticipate or expect, how much trouble does it create in the horse
does the horse respond to a cue or follow a feel
does the horse ask me a question when it is unsure or does it react to a pattern

The quality of leading is a sliding scale that progresses over time. The quality needed to help a horse lead out of the paddock and through a gate is lower than the quality needed to load into a trailer and different again from the quality needed to teach piaffe in hand. By my standard, my own horses lead brilliantly, but they don’t lead perfectly. No horse leads perfectly, nevertheless perfection is something I am always striving to achieve.

Lastly, I want to make the point that a horse leading without equipment to connect them to the handler (in other words, at liberty), is not the measure of a horse that is leading brilliantly. Many horses can follow and be directed at liberty and still feel trapped and troubled.

Have a great year ahead everyone 🤗

Photo: Three mates going somewhere together. L>R Six, me, and Riley. Riley passed away a few months ago and we all miss him everyday.

12/06/2022

"I can't"

I just need you to do 1 more good circle.
"It hurts me to do, I can't."
I just need you to try a little harder.
"I would like to, but I can't"
One more time, stop ignoring the leg.
"I'm not trying to, but I just can't bend in that direction"
Keep your head down, stop being silly!
"Lowering it hurts, I can't hold it"

How many times has our horse told us that they CAN'T do something, but it has fallen on deaf ears or been misconstrued as "I won't"? How many times do you think they've tried to tell us, as gently as possible, again and again while being constantly ignored? Imagine how often they must've tried before they felt the need to scream it as loudly as possible? That "dangerous behavior" is a desperate attempt to get you to listen because they literally CAN'T do what you're asking of them, not without pain. We as a CEE or CSE don't profess to be equine behaviorists, but we do understand pain and how it is often communicated. Oftentimes it isn't the pinning of ears or swishing of tail, but much more subtle. The tail held to one side, moving out of the elbows instead of the shoulders, dropping the back, being a bit heavy on the forehand, mouth open during riding but not pulling or chomping, uneven or increased respiratory rate and much more.

Tripping can be attributed to a saddle that pinches the thoracic trapezius.
Irregular breathing or urinating during/immediately after riding can be from a saddle pressing into the Bladder Meridian.
Refusal to bend, counter cantering, tail to one side, swapping leads or feeling like they stepped in a hole behind could be from a saddle twisting and the panel connecting with the spine.
Girthiness can be attributed to having the wrong length of girth where the buckles sit against the pectoral or latissimus edge. It could also be from uneven pressure caused by some shaped girths, or a girth that is too bulky.

11/17/2022

Espophageal obstruction, or “choke,” is a common equine emergency but can look alarming, especially if you've never seen it before. Unlike in human medicine, where choking refers to a tracheal (or windpipe) obstruction, choke in horses refers to an obstruction of the esophagus, the muscular tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach.

Most commonly, choking occurs when horses eat concentrated feed too quickly without chewing it appropriately, which results in a firm bolus lodged in the animal's esophagus. However, esophageal obstruction can also occur with hay or straw, hard treats, carrots, or nonfood objects. Poor dentition, which leads to inadequate chewing, is also a frequent cause of choke.

While common, chokes can have serious consequences so be sure to call your veterinarian as soon as you notice signs of choke. A bad choke is fairly obvious to both veterinarians and horse owners, but a mild choke could be confused with an upper respiratory tract infection or colic.

Read more about this condition on our website at https://aaep.org/horsehealth/understanding-choke-horses

08/08/2022

It’s all in your head… or your horse’s head!
Fitting a Bridle Properly - Part 1

I’m going to take a slight detour and diverge from discussing saddle fit to discussing bridle fit. Even though you may know that of course, your bridle has to fit your horse properly, you may be surprised to hear of the impact a poorly fitting bridle may have on your horse. Bridle fit can be considered just as important as saddle fit to maintain your horse’s comfort and optimum performance.

No other part of the anatomy has as many sensitive areas as the head. Recent design changes in bridles to become more ‘anatomically friendly’ are crucial in ensuring your horse is comfortable with his headgear. There are many nerves in the horse’s head. Some of them originate in exactly those areas where the noseband or flash lies.

If a bridle is too tight, all sorts of behavioural issues can arise, including tossing the head, lack of chewing, and lack of engagement with an unwillingness to move. These reactions warrant a closer look to what’s under the skin of the horse’s head. The gross anatomy of the head is easily recognizable in a horse – there is only a thin layer of skin covering the skull, while veins and muscles are only minimally visible. What you don’t see are the multitudes of nerves, and the delicate connective tissue at the various junctions of bone – all of which make the head extremely sensitive to pressure and pain.
This connective tissue between the 29 individual bones of the skull, plus a jaw which allows a side-to-side movement of the teeth during mastication, are responsible for movement of the head.

There are numerous nerves originating at the base of the skull, spreading upwards over the skull – and often present exactly where the various pieces of the bridle would lie. Too much pressure caused by the bridle can also cause referred pain elsewhere; muscles can cramp up and engagement will disappear. Fascia (connective tissue) runs through the entire body. A poorly fitting bridle can even cause problems all the way down to the hocks – impacting the flexibility and range of motion. Although there are unfortunately only a few studies documented concerning how a poorly fitting bridle impacts a horse, there is anecdotal evidence of this, and horses do move better in a bridle that fits. The most severe problems arise in the neck/base of the skull if the bridle fits badly (where the headpiece lies), but a noseband or flash that is buckled too tightly will also cause problems here.

The Neck

Sensitive bursa are found between the nuchal ligament and the first two cervical vertebrae. Bursa are little sacs filled with fluid with the job of preventing the ligament from rubbing on the vertebrae and getting damaged. They cannot withstand a lot of pressure, and will react to a poorly fitting or too-tightly-buckled bridle by increasing fluid production and swelling. They become obviously swollen – for dressage horses this is seen mainly at the atlas (first) vertebra, and in jumping horses mainly at the 2nd cervical vertebra.

These affected bursa are not only visually obvious, but may cause the horse to ignore the aids, toss its heads, or refuse to go on the bit. When it really hurts, the horse may ‘invert’ its neck in an attempt to escape the pain. The muscles of the topline may begin to atrophy, and the horse develops a ‘ewe’ neck. Even well-intentioned padding of the headpiece may actually be counter-productive – instead of helping, padding can even increase the pressure and cause skin folds – which may lead to further concentrated pressure points. (again – it’s trial and error on your own horse to see the reaction to more padding). There is no universal formula for all horses as to ‘how much is too much’ when it comes to the ability to withstand pressure at the headpiece. A sensible rider will listen to her horse and see what works for her (while recognizing that these issues may not necessarily be actually due to a poorly fitting bridle, but could also arise from dentition problems or even simple rider error!)

The bridle should be fitted to allow a hand to slip under easily at the headpiece. There should be two fingers room between the cavesson/noseband and the nose. Bridles should be considered as a DIY craft project – with potentially differently sized noseband, headpiece, and cheekpieces to accommodate the individual horse.

A noseband that is too tight can also impact the horse’s neck and the ability to engage. For full comfort and relaxed movement, a horse’s bridle should still allow the horse to chew freely. Chewing movement means the jaw needs to be able to move side to side freely. If the horse tries to chew with a bridle that is too tight, the resistance will cause cramping of the jaw muscles and pressure in the neck – and this muscle ‘bracing’ will impact the horse’s entire musculature and ability to engage. Some horses are in such pain around their heads that riders may have misdiagnosed them as being ‘head shy’. This can be avoided by properly fitting bridles.

If there is too much pressure at the base of the skull from the headpiece, irritation results. Experiments have shown that during a canter while on the bit, the pressure is doubled here. Since the nerve here is also connected to the skin at the ears, the horse will show reluctance to have his ears touched when there is too much pressure from the bridle. This nerve also connects to the tongue musculature, possibly leading to further problems in the forelegs, since the muscles here are also connected to many of those muscles responsible for movement in the forelegs. (I know this sounds totally weird, but it is anatomically true).

Scientists have determined that there needs to be at least ½” room between the incisors where the bit is laid (so that a carrot could fit), to allow the horse to comfortably chew while bridled. There are two acupuncture points located in the headpiece area, which influence neck flexibility, back movement, and collection ability of the horse. If the flash or noseband is buckled too tightly, not only are these acupuncture points inhibited, but also the meridians which are located on either side of the head (the intestinal meridians). This further influences the flexibility of the haunches as well as proper breathing.

The Zygomatic Arch

A noseband which is too tight not only puts extra pressure on the neck at the headpiece; it presses directly on a nerve and also influences an acupuncture point. This nerve comes directly out at the zygomatic arch which is right under the noseband.

The noseband of some types of bridles mirrors the exit point of the branches of two nerves (“Nervus trigeminus” and “Nervus facialis”) at the “foramen infraorbitale” which can be felt at the top of the upper jaw bone. The bridle needs to be correctly fitted and buckled in order not to rub against these bone projections. Although pressure on bone won’t necessarily cause any damage to the bone itself, it will cause pain. So-called pressure necrosis will develop which can cause hair loss or the formation of white hairs – similar to when saddle pressure points cause issues.

The Lower Jaw

Many of the nerve insertion points are easily seen on the horse’s naked skull. One of the key ones can be seen exiting at the lower jaw at the “Foramen mentale”. It is close to the end of the horse’s mouth and extra care must be taken when the chain is attached so that it is not too tight.

Ear Salivary Gland

Pressure here will cause the horse to salivate, which leads to the chewing motion. If the bridle is too tight here and the horse feels resistance to being able to chew, enhanced saliva production will cause the horse stress and muscle tightening. The saliva will not be swallowed; it will simply drip out of the horse’s mouth. The hyoid lies beneath this gland, which is connected to a nerve in the ear. Too much pressure can furthermore impact the ability of the horse to maintain proper balance. There are more acupuncture points at the base of the ears where the browband sits. This acupuncture point ensures that both the jaw as well as the S-I joint remain mobile, and has an influence on the meridians responsible for the bladder, gall bladder, and small intestine – all of which further influence the movement of both the fore-and hindlegs.

In a study done at the University of Sydney the impact of too tightly buckled nosebands on chewing, eye temperature, and heartbeat rate was examined on 12 horses using a Swedish double bridle. With a too tightly buckled noseband, stress indicators were indicated by increased heartbeat and higher eye temperatures.

Stay tuned for Part 2.

04/29/2022

As the weather warms up, ticks are becoming more active — which clearly means more chances for your horses (or yourself and your family pets) to encounter this parasite. Despite their diminutive size and appearance, ticks are highly equipped to carry and transmit many serious diseases including Equine Piroplasmosis, Lyme Disease, Equine Granulocytic Anaplasmosis (Ehrlichiosis) and Tick Paralysis, so tick control remains an important management practice for horse owners.

Because ticks infected with serious diseases do not usually transmit those pathogens immediately and often must feed for a period of time before disease transmission, removing them from your horse as soon as possible is important. Check your horses for ticks thoroughly after a ride, and at least daily if they’re out on pasture in order to prevent disease transmission.
From a pasture management perspective, you can decrease the number of ticks your horse may pick up by removing brush and mowing tall grass where ticks like to live, and discouraging wildlife such as deer that tend to reintroduce ticks to grazing areas.

For more information, read the AAEP’s External Parasite and Vector Control Guidelines at https://aaep.org/horsehealth/tick-control-horses. Additional facts about Lyme disease in horses is available on the
 Equine Disease Communication Center's website athttps://www.equinediseasecc.org/Content/ContentDocs/DiseaseFactsheet_Lyme%20Disease%20Cobranded_final%207-1-2020.pdf

And as always, if you have questions on tick control or the diseases they can transmit to your horses, talk to your local horse doctor!

04/21/2022

Address

633 Wolf Hole Road
Halifax, PA
17032

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 8pm
Tuesday 8am - 8pm
Wednesday 8am - 8pm
Thursday 8am - 8pm
Friday 8am - 8pm
Saturday 8am - 8pm

Telephone

+17173621073

Website

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HeartSong Haven

HeartSong Haven came about after many years of rescuing a horse or two (or four) at a time and finding them homes or giving them to 4-Hers as projects. Having sold our farm for a smaller property, and being self-funded we only take in a couple at a time, and unfortunately, we have to limit it to those that have a future as a riding or driving companion. Being self funded frees us up to spend quality time with the horses rather than spending time trying to raise funds.