My service is designed to help both horse and rider gain understanding and knowledge using Positive
(3)
Love this
Sometimes our horses' behaviour can seem frustrating. However, if we can practise gratitude it certainly helps change our perspectives. Practise gratitude today with your equines, and I would love to know what you find to be grateful about
I recently saw a video posted by For Farriers By Farriers with a really cool story attached. I'm not sure how true it is, but I'll paraphrase it here.
Pablo Picasso was having a drink at a cafe one day when a woman recognized him. She approached him and asked if he was really the famous artist Picasso; when he nodded that yes, he was, she handed him a pencil and napkin and insisted he do a quick sketch for her.
After a few minutes of drawing, he handed the napkin back to her, asking for a large sum of money for the sketch. The woman was shocked, and asked him how he could charge so much for something that took him 5 minutes.
Picasso replied, "My dear, you're wrong. It took me 40 years to be able to do this in 5 minutes. If it was simply a matter of a pencil, a napkin, and 5 minutes, you would have done the sketch yourself."
With recent talks of hoofcare pricing, I think the conversation needs to shift away from simply a matter of time, tools, and materials. We need to consider the years of work, perspective, and experience it takes to get to that point. Often, 10% of what you pay is for what is removed from the hoof, and the other 90% of what you pay is for the experience and knowledge of recognizing what to leave where, and why.
Nice explanation! Good exercise to practice as long as your toes are forward facing
The Seat Explained
The seat has two meanings.
One is the specific area of contact that extends from the lumbar
back down to the knee, in other words, whatever moves from the lumbar area down to the
knee is the rider's seat.
But in a broader sense, the rider's seat is everything because its influence is entire, from the top of the head, which should be the highest point, of course, to the bottom of his heel.
The seat should be a cohesive unit that comes to the horse as a communication medium and as a transformation medium, one that is communicating cohesively and as a unit rather than in bits and pieces. I would like to say that even when a teacher gives specific directions to the rider to do something with his arms and with his legs, those directions
influence the rest of the rider. Because the rider is one person, he must communicate as one unit, one seat.
Riders should have balanced, deep, adhesive seats that allow them to make independent aids. Riders who remain adhesive to the saddle and their horses do so because they
understood and they learned that when the horse impacts on the ground the two points of
absorption are in the lumbar back and ankle. Riders who stiffen the ankle paralyse the toe
outward or downward, or push themselves away from the saddle to some degree. Riders
who cannot absorb the horse's movement in the lumbar back will, of course, pop loose of
the saddle and part from it.
Correct riding is done with the abdominal muscles, not with the back.
The rider's lumbar back should always remain relaxed. It should act as a hinge that allows
the pelvic structure to float forward with the horse's motion. The lumbar back allows the rider to remain isometrically toned - not tense -- in his torso while letting the buttocks and thighs remain adhesive to the saddle. The buttocks, the pelvic structure, should not slide on the surface of the saddle. Nor should the buttocks wipe or buff the saddle but rather "stick to it to allow the pelvic structure to surf the “wave" produced by the motion of the horse's back.
In contrast to the loose and supple use of the lumbar back, the torso above it should be
turned into one isometrically toned "cabinet." The rider's “cabinet" is a complex isometric unit.
For its formation, the rider should circle with the points of his shoulder back and down until
both shoulder blades are flat in the trapezius muscle of the back. This action will stabilise the posture of the torso. It will allow the front of the rider to lift the rib cage high, out of the abdominal cavity. It will broaden the chest, straighten the shoulders, stretch the front of the rider, and give him the feeling that the lowest ribs have been lifted, and the waist is more slender.
The rider's upper arms should then hang from his shoulders perpendicular to the
ground. This, importantly, stabilises the arms, hence the hands of the rider because in this
position the upper arms and elbows hang weightlessly. The earth's centre of gravity places
them. The direction of the upper arms and elbows will point to the rider's seat bones, and past them, to the ground. The stability provided by this upper-arm position is at the heart of riding - from the seat to the bridle, rather than wrongly, riding with the hands. For the vertical position of the upper arms is, indeed, responsible for the transferring of the seat's effects to the bridle.
Extract from Dressage Principles Illuminated by Charles de Knuffy p.140
Image:
To understand how to use your lower back to develop an adhesive seat, sit at the edge of a chair, and place
your feet on the floor in line with, and under your hips.
Thrust your pelvis forward so that you lift the back legs of
the chair off the ground. Then rock the chair forward and
backward to various different tilting angles and at different
rhythms without dropping the chair's back legs to the floor.
As you ride the walk, trot, and canter, this action simulates
the movement of an adhesive seat by emulating the pelvic
activity necessary to follow the horse's movement.
Credit Xenophon Equus Centre
Big day today. #
Good stuff to know
All about how to keep horses in a responsible, sustainable, and ethical way. Learn about how good management of THE ENVIRONMENT and horse welfare can go hand in hand.
Hmm
If a horse responds when a handler says, “Ginger, come here,” is it because Ginger has associated the word with a treat, or is it because she thinks, “I am Ginger”?
Good thing to have a print out of… put it in barn, house and trailer!
What should you do (or not do) if your horse shows signs of colic? And how do you prevent colic in the first place? Find out from our veterinary experts.
Horses are highly susceptible to botulism, which causes neurologic disease and death. Download this free fact sheet to learn more!
Neutral hips! Yes!!!
Thighs & Toes
The easiest way to determine whether you're in a saddle that is appropriate for your build is whether you're able to achieve shoulder-hip-heel alignment.
There are a few other things to look out for that aren't as well known, and those are the toes and thighs.
The twist of the saddle connects to the upper inner thighs of the rider, and a wide twist (not waist, which is the seaming) will cause the tops of the thighs to bulge slightly when viewed from the side. Another issue is with the toes being turned outwards. Having the pelvis in a neutral position and the leg hanging down in alignment will not cause the toes to point outwards, but will remain in alignment with the angle of the thigh and knee.
If you have a mirror in your arena, or have someone who can take a quick photo of you from the side while mounted, take a look at your position and see if you can spot any problems that could negatively affect your riding.
Knowing how to properly use, fit and maintaining any equipment is crucial for proper communication. Learn about what your equipment can and cannot do for your horse, learn how to use it correctly.
Just because something seems easier to use or is popular at the moment, doesn’t mean it’s going to work for your horse and you.
Getting the Californio fit...
a lesson in perseverance.
Wow! I am so glad this rider new to the traditional hackamore documented every stage of shaping.
What we can learn from this?
Don't give up!
This is where a hackamore starts to become a 'signal device,' and not just a bitless device.
With this close of fit, it's easy to imagine how the horse could feel every subtle signal through the rein, especially since the lower branches are shaped open enough to allow the heel knot to swing freely.
Because the hackamore isn't loose and bouncing around on the face, creating white noise the horse tunes out, because there is a true 'neutral,' the horse begins to notice when the hackamore DOES move, and they begin to work off that signal before any pressure is applied...
Suddenly, we have a communication system that has nothing to do with pulling or bumping. It's all lift and swing and release, all on a draped rein.
The hackamore wasn't designed with swing mechanics for the increased leverage and pain compliance, but for the signal.
The hackamore wasn't designed thicker and of a firmer mass so it can intimidate the horse, but so it can be shaped and cradle the face so we don't experience slip and friction and the resulting rubbing, which can happen with a thinner or looser piece of equipment.
The key is over-shaping, as well as backing it up the face at an angle so the backside of the nosepiece is also touching the face, not just the underside.
Keep in mind ‘fitted’ does not mean a tight fit. A horse can still yawn and eat in it, and you can still slip fingers underneath, especially with a high-quality bosal that has some flex.
I shared what finally worked to get the proper fit in the comments.
If you’re interested in this type of thing, you can check out my group,
https://www.facebook.com/groups/344408193063883/
Please note that all behaviour needs to be taken in the context/ environment in which the horse finds themselves when you see these behaviours. Note that our behaviour is also part of our horse’s environment. All behaviour needs to be considered in context ie. what happened prior, during and after and what is the horse's history, etc.
If your horse is snoozing under a tree and yawns, most likely the horse is not experiencing fear. (Although they could be experiencing discomfort or pain.)
If you've just done or are doing some groundwork, round pen work, ridden work, gone for a hack, or dentistry, bodywork, worming or vaccinations, you may well see these signs and more. The more of these behaviours you see, the more likely that you are seeing a response to fear, pain, discomfort or stress.
Change our behaviour, the environment, lower our expectations and review our training plans to avoid seeing this behaviours in a training or handling context.
Also consider that if fear as been ruled out, that these behaviours may be caused by the horse's internal environment, ie. always rule out pain as a cause for certain behaviours.
Photo credit: Pet Professional Guild Australia
Illustrations: Alize V. Muckensturm of Fairhorsemanship
What prevention steps can I take for my horse's rear leg swelling after exercise?
Study: Worry wrinkles, known to show pain in horses, are also present during stressful events.
Horses have a good sense of smell. Drs. Jenny Biehunko and Camie Heleski talk about how scents and pheromones might help calm horses, especially during travel.
The right type of trailer can provide shock absorption on roadways to provide a smoother and more comfortable ride.
A link between equine personality and cognition style could impact how we train and manage individual horses.
While each horse is different, here are some common behavioral signs that can help you tell if if your horse is happy, sick, or painful, as well as keep you safe.
*FEAR CONDITIONING (and why light pressure cues and auditory commands trained through pressure- release aren't positvie at all)*
"Fear conditioning is the learning that a neutral stimulus predicts the appearance of an aversive event. The combination of a neutral (conditioned) stimulus and an aversive (unconditioned) stimulus renders the formerly neutral stimulus a frightful quality, so that even when it appears by itself, without the aversive stimulus, it will elicit a fearful conditioned response (Maren, 2001). Fear conditioning can be rapidly formed in humans and animals, even following a single conditioning trial, and is usually maintained for long periods (Maren, 2001). " - ✍️https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/fear-conditioning
Not many humans know that when they train their horses with the application of pressure- release they are actively fear conditioning their horses. Fear conditioning is a form of classical conditioning which occurs often without our awareness - when once neutral stimulus becomes a predictor of aversives .
Fear conditioning has been researched well within psychology and neuroscience and there are many examples - such as "little Albert" - a baby who was conditioned to fear a white rat - the rat hasn't done anything to little Albert but his appearance was paired with the very loud bang. It was the bang that little Albert was truly scared of but because the white rat always appeared during the bang little Albert became fear conditioned to the sight of rats to such an extent that he would be very distressed and cry even when the rat was visible but the bang didn't follow.
To understand how it works let's look at an example: James is preparing his new horse Star for a "liberty" show - he trains him everyday in a school or a roundpen with the use of the whips and pressure from the ropes. James wants his horse to come to him when called - he uses a rope pressure to create a forward movement but whistles just before applying the pressure. James whistles ,then applies the pressure on the rope and releases the pressure as soon as the horse takes a step forward. James repeates this exercise until he thinks his horse will respond just to a whistle. James takes the rope off , whistles and Star comes forward to him. The horse has been successfully fear conditioned meaning that he's learned that if he responds to the whistling cue the aversive in form of the annoying or painful pressure from pulling on the rope will not come. This is an avoidance behaviour. The whistle becomes a conditioned stimuli that predicts appearance of aversive being applied unless a horse responds in particular way. The whistle itself produces FEAR emotional system being activated.
Another example - James is teaching a horse to lay down . He uses ropes and a whip to force the horse to lay down - he first taps horse's leg with the whip and then uses the rope to bring his horse down. The method is so effective that James only needs to use the ropes once - the next time James taps his horse on the leg the horse goes straight to laying down . The horse has been fear conditioned and the tap on the leg is a signal that by laying down the horse can avoid the pain from the forceful ropes. The horse's FEAR emotional system is activated upon the tapping cue.
Knowing how behaviour and classical/operant conditioning works can equip you in observational skills that you have never had before. It will also allow you to make more educated decisions on ways of training and interacting with animals.
Learning about fear conditioning has been a big eye opener for me. It changed my whole perception on something that I was once so inspired by - the horses that appear in "liberty" shows. Now I know how it's done I am no more amused or inspired. I see conditioned horses , with fear, that preform like puppets with their strings being pulled just so they can avoid and escape aversives.
Download part 2 of The Horse‘s Equine Practitioner Product Guide for information on equipment, supplies, and product specials for veterinarians.
I thought this was everyday!!!
Yes.
Rewarding from the saddle???
Delivering reinforcement from the saddle may not be as simple as getting the food reward into the horse's mouth!
We asked professional body worker, Alice Long from 4 White Socks Integrated Equine Bodywork & Aromatherapy for her input on feeding positions under saddle to understand how we can keep our horses healthy and sound during ridden training sessions. Alice is an experienced and well respected Masterson Method Certified Practicioner, Coach, and Mentor.
In the top two pictures, the horse is being fed down low and forward, at the point of the shoulder. In the bottom pictures, the horse is reaching around further back and up high, being fed with his nose above the withers.
We asked Alice which position is better for the horse and if it was important to feed on both sides equally. Her response is enlightening.
"Repetitive rewarding on one side of the horse, as well as rewarding the horse up high can can lead to muscle weakness, severe pain, joint dysfunction and potential behaviour problems.
This way of rewarding has an endless chain reaction in the muscles of the horse: head, back and hind end. Your horse’s body works as one unit and strives for balance. If just one muscle group becomes tight or restricted, you will see this chain reaction effect on the rest of the muscle groups. For instance, if you have some tightness in the gluteals/hamstrings (hind end) you more than likely will find that the horse is bracing in the poll (head) to keep balance. The poll then becomes tight and all of this can negatively affect the neck, back and hind end.
Constantly rewarding from one side, will cause more asymmetry, as the horse continuously uses the same group of muscles on one side more than the other, as well as, building the muscles incorrectly.
This position has the horse’s head high and bending at the poll and neck causes the horse to invert or “hollow” the back. The weight of the rider (no matter how little or much) compounds the negative effects of the inversion. The ligaments, tendons and muscles of the back that allow the horse freedom of movement, can become sore and tight, which can then lead to restriction of the muscles with repetitive movement in this way. Rotating and inverting the spine can cause damage to the spine making your horse very uncomfortable. A restricted back is like a giant roadblock preventing freedom of movement from nose to tail and a very unhappy horse."
The horse in the photos is 17 hands. The rider, 5'5. It is possible for riders to feed in this position in most cases! If there is a physical restriction that prohibits the rider from feeding down by the point of the horse's shoulder, we recommend tossing food rewards into a pan on the ground in your riding area. This delivery of reinforcement is not dissimilar from the way marine mammals are reinforced. In marine animal training, the trainer is typically outside the pool, they cue a behavior, the animal leaves the trainer to perform the behavior, and upon hearing the bridge signal, they return to the trainer for reinforcement. A horse can be trained similarly to return to a feed pan on the ground to receive their reinforcement.
Always keep your horse's physical well being a priority and ensure that your feeding position is sustainable to keep your horse feeling his best!
Great info
What is the longest a horse can safely go without food?
More and more I see horses and ponies stood for long periods of time with no hay or haylage. Usually under the guise of a “weight control diet”. So how long can a horse be without food before damage is done? And what damage is done?
For those with a short attention span, I’ll give you the answer to begin with - 4 hours, maximum.
Why?
Horses are grazers. They are designed to eat constantly. They have no way of storing their acids and digestive enzymes, they’ve never needed to. They have no gall bladder to store bile and their stomachs release acid constantly, whether or not there is food in the stomach and intestines.
A horses stomach only holds approximately 8-15 litres. Depending on the substance eaten, it takes on average 4-6 hours for the stomach to completely empty. After this, the acids and enzymes start to digest the inside of the horses stomach and then the intestines. This causes both gastric and intestinal ulceration. It has been estimated that 25-50% of foals and 60-90% of adult horses suffer from ulceration. But I won’t go into detail about this, there is a lot of information around about ulcers.
So is that it? Are ulcers the only concern?
No, having an empty stomach is a stress situation for a horse. The longer they are starved, the more they release stress hormones, cortisol predominantly. Cortisol blocks insulin and causes a constantly high blood glucose level. This stimulates the body to release even more insulin, and in turn this causes fat tissue to be deposited and leptin resistance. Over time this causes insulin resistance (Equine Metabolic Syndrome). All of these mechanisms are well known risk factors for laminitis and are caused by short term starvation (starting roughly 3-4 hours after the stomach empties). Starving a laminitic is literally the worst thing you can do. Over longer periods, this also starts to affect muscle and can cause weakness, and a lack of stamina so performance horses also need a constant supply of hay/haylage to function optimally.
Let’s not forget horses are living, breathing and feeling animals. We talk about this stress reaction like it’s just internal but the horse is well aware of this stress. Door kicking, box walking, barging and many other stable vices and poor behaviour can be explained by a very stressed horse due to food deprivation (we all have that Hangry friend to explain this reaction). Next time you shout or hit a horse that dives for their net, remember their body is genuinely telling them they are going to starve to death. They know no different.
But surely they spend the night asleep so they wouldn’t eat anyway?
Not true. Horses only need 20mins REM sleep every 24 hours (jealous? I am!). They may spend a further hour or so dozing but up to 22-23 hours a day are spent eating. So if you leave your horse a net at 5pm and it’s gone by 8pm, then by 12am their stomach is empty. By 4am they are entering starvation mode. By their next feed at 8am, they are extremely stressed, physically and mentally.
Now I know the cob owners are reading this mortified. I can almost hear you shouting at your screen “if I feed my horse ad lib hay he won’t fit out the stable door in a week!!”
I will say that a horse with a constant supply of hay/haylage will eat far less then the same horse that is intermittently starved. They don’t eat in a frenzy, reducing the chance of colic from both ulcers and over eating. Cobs included.
However I’m not suggesting you sit your cob in front of a bale of haylage and say have at it! There is a difference between ad lib and a constant supply. There is much we can do to reduce calorie intake and control weight whilst feeding a constant supply.
The easiest is small holes nets. There are many. Trickle nets, greedy feeders, nibbleze, trawler nets etc. My personal favourite is the Shires Soft Mesh 1”. They don’t cost the Earth, they are easy to fill and they don’t have knots so are much gentler to the teeth. Now often I suggest these types of nets to owners and the owner tells me “Oh no, *** won’t eat out of those” 🙄 this is nonsense. If he was left it, he would. Remember, you can give a normal net and one of these for them to nibble at after. Better than leaving them with nothing at all.
A few other tricks, hang the net from the ceiling/rafters, it’s harder to eat out of a net that swings. Soak the hay, a minimum of 4 hours to be effective. Mix with straw but be sure to introduce the straw slowly and make sure it’s top quality and a palatable type eg Barley or Oat, otherwise they won’t eat it.
Don’t forget exercise. The best way to get weight off a horse is exercise. Enough exercise and they can eat what they want!
And lay off the bucket feed and treats! Horses on a diet require a vit/min supplement in the form of a balancer but that’s it. The odd slice of carrot or swede won’t do any harm but no licks, treats, treacle, molasses, cereal based rubbish. Even if it says low sugar or the marvellously misleading “No added sugar”! Your horse would rather have a constant supply of hay, I promise.
Written by Vikki Fowler BVetMed BAEDT MRCVS
A few edits for the critics-
Firstly, feeding a constant supply does not mean ad lib feeding. It means use some ingenuity and spread the recommended amount of daily forage so the horse is never stood with out food for more than 4 hours. I am not promoting obesity, quite the opposite, feeding like this reduces obesity and IR. This can be done whilst feeding your horse twice a day as most horse owners do. Just think outside the box for your own situation.
Secondly I am in the UK and this post is UK specific, use some common sense when reading. Yes in warmer climates, soaking hay for 4 hours is dangerous and studies show 1 hour is plenty in hot weather but in the UK’s arctic climate, a minimum of 4 hours is required. Equally the UK feed exclusively grass hay. I can not comment on other types.
Thirdly, yes every horse/pony and situation is different, but this is a law of nature and all horses have this anatomy and metabolism. How you achieve this constant supply is individual, the need for it is not.
Fourthly, the use of hay nets in the UK is very very high. I’d estimate 95% of horses I see are fed this way and very very few have incisor wear or neck/back issues as a result. Yes, feeding from the ground is ideal, but a constant supply, I feel trumps this. Again with ingenuity both can be safely achieved.
Finally, straw can be fed to horses safely, introduced very slowly, with fresh water always available, plus a palatable and digestible type of straw which will depend on your area. Again many horses in the UK are bedded on straw and most of them eat it. This is not a new concept to us.
Final finally 🤦♀️ and I feel I must add this due to the sheer number of people contacting me to ask, feed your horses during transport!!! I am astonished this is not normal in other countries! Again in the UK, we give our horses hay nets to transport. We don’t go 10 mins up the road without a haynet and a spare in case they finish! Considering we are a tiny island and we rarely transport even 4 hours, we never transport without hay available. I have never seen an episode of choke due to travelling with hay available. If you are concerned, use a slow feeder net so they can’t take too much in at once.
If you get to the end of this post and your first thought is “I can’t do this with my horse/pony, they’d be morbidly obese”, you haven’t read the advice in this post thoroughly.
I’m sure all three at once would make it “Stay home sick” Monday😉
Proceed at your own risk.
Yesterday was Guinea Pig Appreciation Day. I forgot. But what is Time, but an illusory construct invoked by irksome smug people who didn't forget Guinea Pig Appreciation Day?
**Why People Don't Recognize Soundness**
Instead of asking why so many people don't recognize subtle lameness, it is a better question to ask is why they don't recognize soundness!!
Some interesting points to ponder and questions to ask:
Where do most people learn to ride?
Are most riding school ponies and horses sound?
If you don't get to learn or ever ride a sound horse, do gait abnormalities appear and feel normal?
What about the behaviors of horses and ponies in riding schools?
Do most people get taught to "kick them" as a response to resistance?
How culturally ingrained is the inability or unwillingness to see horses experiencing pain and discomfort?
The statistics are SHOCKING - Dr. Sue Dyson's ongoing studies in the field, when applying the Ridden Horse Ethogram from her research, indicate that the vast majority of riders, both amateur and professional, are extremely unobservant when it comes to recognizing when their horses are in pain or discomfort.
Her course should be MANDATORY for anyone riding, training, judging or working with horses in any way!!
If WE are going to CHOOSE to bring horse's into our plans for personal achievement, we surely have a DUTY to know how to keep them pain free when being ridden!!
**EDUCATION - TRAIN YOUR EYE - BEHAVIOR MEANS SOMETHING - LEARN HOW HORSES WORK BOTH PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY - IT ALL MATTERS - SADDLE - FEET - NUTRITION - ENVIRONMENT - RIDER POSTURE - NO COMPARTMENTALIZATION - NEVER STOP LEARNING - NEVER STOP LISTENING
This is our mission at Equitopia and we invite you to join our membership program and connect with like minded, compassionate, dedicated horse owners and professionals. Only $4.95/month or $49.50/year (for now) - www.equitopiacenter.com/membership
If you do nothing else - take a look at Dr. Sue Dyson's course - we are happy to offer group or professional discounts if it helps get this information out to the world in a bigger way. Email us at [email protected]
https://www.equitopiacenter.com/shop/how-to-recognize-the-24-behaviors-indicating-pain-in-the-ridden-horse-dr-sue-dyson/
Yes!
Today is National I Love Horses Day. Embrace the neighsayers.
Treats with a Laminitis horse???
YES it is possible! And completely “do”able.
https://clickertraining.ca/clicker-training-your-laminitis-horse/?fbclid=IwAR3q6yQHjmjSuPs5ha6E6VADgsldgoNyOc9p5dkS89LqclZfIDbfUDPcAnA
When your horse get the diagnoses 'laminitis', do you need to give up on clicker training? No. Here's what you can do.
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