Kathryn C Thomas EDO•

09/01/2024

Wow!

The more we learn ... the less we know!

08/15/2024

I have seen the effects of this condition first hand!

We need to be aware of this.

It should become part of EVERY Pre purchase exam!

Sounding the Alarm.

Recently, I had a day at work where two clients, back to back, announced to me that their horse was just diagnosed with ECVM. ECVM is a genetic disorder of the lower neck bones (C6-C7) and the first thoracic (T1). Early indications point to an extremely large population of domestic horses, have this. It is a proven post-domestication event. Meaning, created by in-breeding. If early researchers are correct, we could be facing a reality that 40-60% of all domestic horses, are living with dysfunctional bodies that are difficult to diagnose.

Dysfunction in the lower neck causes severe pain; nerve, muscular and fascial, it causes major problems with movement. Inability to be trained without HUGE pressures "holding them together". Behavioural issues in some of these horses correlate to aggression, some to apathy and anxiety. It is a very serious diagnosis.

I just got off the back of chatting with Dr. Temple Grandin, one of the world top Animal Scientists. Her primary concern; poor breeding practices creating non-functional animals. That good handling doesn't matter, if the horses cannot be handled (Or trained) because their bodies are sore, or they are lethargic from being born into a broken body.

If Temple is concerned, I am terrified. The ramifications are huge.

We are facing a potential reality, where our horses are non-functional, and it will be hard to find functionally bred bodies. We are facing dysfunction in a region of their bodies notoriously difficult to scan, and even harder to diagnose even if the vets know what they are looking for.

Inattentional Blindness; a scientific phenomena where you will not find something that you're not looking for.

I am concerned that once we start looking for it, we are going to find it everywhere.

That we are going to see a slide backwards towards inhumane handling, training and treatment of animals as persons who are either unaware or uncaring of the animals protests, escalate to force compliance on animals who are trying to tell us that they WANT to, but they just cannot.

I am concerned that we may lose a generation of Horse Sense. As able bodied, resourced, passionate and kind hearted horse people step back from developing their higher equitation skills and instead become full time nurses to equine disease and dysfunction. And it is barely the fault of anyone we know. It is the result of a slow, multi-generational mistake, as we over select horses for size, early maturity and hyperextension, we also accidentally bred ticking time bombs. Horses who not only don't have collarbones like humans do, to stabilise their enormous torso's, but now don't even have properly formed spines these torso's hang from... and that we want to sit on.

The tsunami is here. Sounding the alarm.

I want to lead on this issue. Not by becoming an expert on the diagnosis of this issue. But an expert in long term management and support of owners who steward horses with chronic health issues for whom "correct" training... no longer applies.

Because with these horses, it rarely does. Do not decompensate these horses. Their compensations are holding them together. Our classical ancestors, had healthier horses to train... they could stick to firmer rules and stricter protocols. Not all of these rules apply now. We are going to need to be flexible, adaptable, smart. We need to outsmart the sh*tty genetics these horses were cursed with and find ways to help these animals not just survive, but thrive. While we also double advocacy work to spread awareness of genetic malformations and poor breeding practices, and start breeding these problems out.

A few of my podcasts guests who have been sounding the alarm for years;
Becks Nairn, Unbridled LLC with Kim Hallin, EQ Therapeutics, Plateau Equestrian / Caballo Holistico la Meseta just to name a few.

Recently my colleague Mills Consilient Horsemanship has been retroactively going through her past client horses, and announcing the physical diagnosis that informed their behavioural problems, one by one.

Actually, all my podcasts guests have been sounding the alarm for years.

The horses have been too!

It is time we listen and we start implementing real on-going support and leadership for the owners (stewards) of horses who through no fault of their own, are born to bodies that fail to thrive.

08/15/2024

If y'all see my mules painted with stripes ... Just mind ya business ... 🤣🤣🤣

08/13/2024

Best funny memes of The Day! 🐈‍⬛🥰🐾

08/13/2024

Now ... Here is the answer to a question often asked!

Thank you Dr Haussler and veterinary Compendium!

I edited the post... I had given credit to Ivana Ruddock-Lange for the article but I should have given her credit for the picture. Dr Kevin Haussler, DVM wrote the article.

𝐈𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐩 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝?

EDIT: Please see additional information from Dr. Haussler in the comment section, in answer to your questions.

Every now and then, a Member of this community will ask Dr. Haussler a question - we like to share his answers with all of you.

"The funicular portion of the nuchal ligament passes over the C2 spinous process and is normally anchored by loose connective tissue to the bone below. As the horse’s head flexes and extends, that portion of the ligament must lengthen and shorten. It will normally stay in place along the midline (no “flipping” back and forth), also because there is a slight concavity on the top of the C2 spinous process.

However, with repetitive use, that soft tissue connection can break down. With atlantooccipital flexion, the nuchal ligament is stretched. With added lateral bending, that portion of the ligament is less anchored down and can displace off the spinous process and “pop” to one side or the other.

As with any displaced ligament or tendon, less tension and increased stabilization is required to help keep the structure in place. Otherwise, it displaces more often, and due to repeated local trauma, a bursa forms and fills with fluid, resulting in bursitis."

Image credit: Ivana Ruddock-Lange | Equine Anatomy in Layers

07/16/2024

I wish I had written this! I have to explained to MANY times!
If you are buying or selling ... be PRO active, not REactive.

"New Home Syndrome"🤓

I am coining this term to bring recognition, respect, and understanding to what happens to horses when they move homes. This situation involves removing them from an environment and set of routines they have become familiar with, and placing them somewhere completely different with new people and different ways of doing things.

Why call it a syndrome?

Well, really it is! A syndrome is a term used to describe a set of symptoms that consistently occur together and can be tied to certain factors such as infections, genetic predispositions, conditions, or environmental influences. It is also used when the exact cause of the symptoms is not fully understood or when it is not connected with a well-defined disease. In this case, "New Home Syndrome" is connected to a horse being placed in a new home where its entire world changes, leading to psychological and physiological impacts. While it might be transient, the ramifications can be significant for both the horse and anyone handling or riding it.

Let me explain...

Think about how good it feels to get home after a busy day. How comfortable your favourite clothes are, how well you sleep in your own bed compared to a strange bed, and how you can really relax at home. This is because home is safe and familiar. At home, the part of you that keeps an eye out for potential danger turns down to a low setting. It does this because home is your safe place (and if it is not, this blog will also explain why a lack of a safe place is detrimental).

Therefore, the first symptom of horses experiencing "New Home Syndrome" is being unsettled, prone to anxiety, or difficult behaviour. If you have owned them before you moved them, you struggle to recognise your horse, feeling as if your horse has been replaced by a frustrating version. If the horse is new to you, you might wonder if you were conned, if the horse was drugged when you rode it, or if you were lied to about the horse's true nature.

A horse with "New Home Syndrome" will be a stressed version of itself, on high alert, with a drastically reduced ability to cope. Horses don't handle change like humans do. If you appreciate the comfort of your own home and how you can relax there, you should be able to understand what the horse is experiencing.

Respecting that horses interpret and process their environments differently from us helps in understanding why your horse is being frustrating and recognising that there is a good chance you were not lied to or that the horse was not drugged.

Horses have survived through evolution by being highly aware of their environments. Change is a significant challenge for them because they notice the slightest differences, not just visually but also through sound, smell, feel, and other senses. Humans generalise and categorise, making it easy for us to navigate familiar environments like shopping centres. Horses do not generalise in the same way; everything new is different to them, and they need proof of safety before they can habituate and feel secure. When their entire world changes, it is deeply stressful.

They struggle to sleep until they feel safe, leading to sleep deprivation and increased difficulty.

But there is more...

Not only do you find comfort in your home environment and your nervous system downregulates, but you also find comfort in routines. Routines are habits, and habits are easy. When a routine changes or something has to be navigated differently, things get difficult. For example, my local supermarket is undergoing renovations. After four years of shopping there, it is extremely frustrating to have to work out where everything is now. Every day it gets moved due to the store being refitted section by section. This annoyance is shared by other shoppers and even the staff.

So, consider the horse. Not only are they confronted with the challenge of figuring out whether they are safe in all aspects of their new home while being sleep deprived, but every single routine and encounter is different. Then, their owner or new owner starts getting critical and concerned because the horse suddenly seems untrained or difficult. The horse they thought they owned or bought is not meeting their expectations, leading to conflict, resistance, explosiveness, hypersensitivity, and frustration.

The horse acts as if it knows little because it is stressed and because the routines and habits it has learned have disappeared. If you are a new human for the horse, you feel, move, and communicate differently from what it is used to. The way you hold the reins, your body movements in the saddle, the position of your leg – every single routine of communication between horse and person is now different. I explain to people that when you get a new horse, you have to imprint yourself and your way of communicating onto the horse. You have to introduce yourself and take the time to spell out your cues so that they get to know you.

Therefore, when you move a horse to a new home or get a new horse, your horse will go through a phase called "New Home Syndrome," and it will be significant for them. Appreciating this helps them get through it because they are incredible and can succeed. The more you understand and help the horse learn it is safe in its new environment and navigate the new routines and habits you introduce, the faster "New Home Syndrome" will pass.
"New Home Syndrome" will be prevalent in a horse’s life until they have learned to trust the safety of the environment (and all that entails) and the humans they meet and interact with. With strategic and understanding approaches, this may take weeks, and their nervous systems will start downgrading their high alert status. However, for some horses, it can take a couple of years to fully feel at ease in their new home.

So, next time you move your horse or acquire a new horse and it starts behaving erratically or being difficult, it is not being "stupid", you might not have been lied to or the horse "drugged" - your horse is just experiencing an episode of understandable "New Home Syndrome." And you can help this.❤

I would be grateful if you could please share, this reality for horses needs to be better appreciated ❤
‼️When I say SHARE that does not mean plagiarise my work…it is seriously not cool to copy and paste these words and make out you have written it yourself‼️

07/03/2024

Utilizing new learning! .. It never stops ... off on another new adventure!

07/03/2024

Working on a friend's horse!
Young horse but old soul!

07/02/2024

This is Miss Ella Fae getting her osteopathic session!

07/01/2024

Fascial trains ... are fascinating!

04/21/2024

Great information!

This course is based on the first Equitopia virtual conference, where over two days, six experts looked at asymmetry as it applies to riders and horses, both statically and in the pursuit of ridden work. Each presenter added their unique insight to the topic based on their qualifications, expertise....

03/07/2024

SAND!!
All this green grass is popping up and these critters are pulling it up by the roots and are FULL OF SAND / DIRT !
IF YOU'RE NOT ON A SAND CLEARING PROTOCOL RIGHT NOW I SUGGEST YOU GET ON ONE.

01/19/2024

Loving it here!

Got to listen to trainer Lee Smith today!

01/17/2024

The Art of the Cowgirl started Yesterday. I will be attending and giving a presentation again this year! Let me know if you are here!

01/17/2024

Three days of winter ... is ENOUGH. Bugs ought be dead if they are going to die!
Thank you Lord for a 'seasonal change' and that you are faithful and will change it back ... 🥰

01/01/2024

Happy New Year!!

12/25/2023

Wishing you a day of memories ... old and new!

12/25/2023

Taking a minute with my Lord to wish Him happy birthday before making breakfast for the masses!

12/07/2023

Amazing!

10/26/2023

Says they found them!

Help find his parents?

Hello everyone! Michelle here, I need to see if y'all can get me in touch with this young fella's parents. I just want to let them know Michael Magill Photography is being featured in Rodeo News and this image may be used in the article... just thought his folks would want to know in case they'd like to grab a copy of the magazine!

EDIT: we have found his folks! Thanks for your help everyone!

10/25/2023

10/22/2023

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10/17/2023

This is Chris Irwin I have been telling many of you about!

10/14/2023

08/23/2023

This heat!

I don't claim to be an expert on how to help horses in this heat but I have some ideas!
Wet your horses grain. You might even wet their hay not to so much that it molds! They're all getting sand in their guts so at chia seeds to their feed. The Equa Pride really seems to be well accepted too. I'm using the tubs as well as adding the crumbles to their feed. You can also add a couple tablespoons of table salt to their feed.

Horses will tend to become anhydrotic in this heat so proactive is much better than reactive. Add a dark beer to their feed. Reduce the amount of sugars. So you might consider Alfalfa instead of Highly fertilized Coastal.

A couple of bags of ice in the water trough of a morning or of an evening will help the water cool down and be more attractive. Shade cloth over the water trough helps a lot too. A late afternoon or early evening cold hosing helps with the recovery as well! But if you're like me it's just cool hosing because even the water coming out is almost bath warm!

Pastures for everyone and their pets!

08/23/2023

If I wasn't obligated I would go to this!

"Understanding Elevation of the Back" Don't miss this clinic!!!

Kelly Jefferson, MMCP and Lorre Mueller, EDO will be doing this presentation at Graymar Farm Sat, Sept. 9, 2023 from 9am-12pm.

06/22/2023

This is good info

04/24/2023

Better Barrel Races we are coming for you!!! Come try out the sozo machine for free! Financing options available. Come see us to win some cool stuff from our booth!