WindWolf Farm

04/12/2024

After seeing multiple videos posted by various breeders bragging about their 2 ½ year olds/recently turned 3 year olds and sharing videos of them cantering around in the arena, I have decided to once again circulate the below article.

First of all, breeders *should* have the knowledge to understand a horse’s fragile and slow maturing musculoskeletal system. Breeders should not condone their own horses let along anyone’s horses being cantered around under saddle at an incredibly young age. Period. This sets a terrible example and is quite honestly animal abuse. Just because a horse does not object does not mean it is right. And quite frankly, most of the videos posted show animals that are already in pain or developing pain…

As breeders, we should strive to produce healthy and sound animals. We should promote horsemanship that produces long term soundness. No, starting a horse later does not guarantee soundness. But it certainly helps.

I am a firm believer in scientifically backed approaches to horsemanship. You can’t argue with science that has been proven time and time again. Let’s dispel some stupid rumors:

1. There is no such thing as a (skeletally) slow maturing horse or one that is fast maturing. No horse is skeletally mature before the age of 6. And that is on the low estimate for age.

2. Growth plates are not just in the knee. Every bone behind the skull has a growth plate. Not every single one needs to be converted to bone before starting. There is a schedule of when bone fuses…this is the information needed to know when to start a horse. Not their outward appearance. It is a known fact that during growth, proprioceptive awareness can regress, greatly increasing the risk of injury.

3. Starting a horse is not the same thing as riding a horse. Starting a horse does not mean cantering it 3-4 days a week in an arena.

4. Injecting a horse that is in pain does not mean you fixed a problem. You masked it.

5. You can build correct muscle and teach a horse how to move their body from the ground. This creates a solid foundation to work from once your horse is ready to actually be backed. Teach a horse to use its body correctly before backing and you’ll save yourself a lot of vet bills down the line.

Hocks are “late” for maturity. The growth plates on the tibial and fibular tarsals do not fuse until a horse is 3-3 ½. Ever wonder why so many horses seem to have hocks issues?? Horses need to learn to carry themselves and their own weight well before adding a rider.

The growth plates that are LAST to close are at the base of the neck. This area is where we ask a horse to raise the base of their neck and come round. If under too much stress, the growth plates can fracture or be permanently damaged.

There are DOZENS of activities you can do with a young horse to build healthy muscular development. None of them involve a saddle or your weight on their back. Teaching a horse to carry themselves correctly BEFORE adding a rider is essential and cannot be done in a week. A 2 ½ year old horse is a baby. Mentally and physically. We see far too many injured performance horses at VERY young ages - broken down and/or sour from work. It’s wrong. Period. They need slow and steady work and need time to recover from even the slightest of injuries.

PLEASE, if you are considering when you should start your horse and what that work load should look like, please read the below. There are some wonderful things you can do with your young developing horse. Please don’t rush a year out of greed.

http://www.equinestudies.org/ranger_2008/ranger_piece_2008_pdf1.pdf

04/05/2024

Why it is important to have a collar and tags on your dog?
So who ever finds them can return them.
Owners have been called.

03/27/2024

Started cleaning up the hill and fence line in the northwest corner. Needs new fence but there is a lot of trash and deadfall to contend with.
Saturday was 29°F with a stiff breeze. While it was suppose to get up to 43, it didn’t go past 36.
Sunday was a bit warmer at 34°F, but the wind shifted and it was a colder wind. So even though it topped out around 46, it didn’t feel more then 36!
Tuesday it was 52°F but we had 20 mph winds with stronger wind gusts.

The pups “helped,” sort of, but they all abandoned me on the weekend but Tuesday they were with me till the end.

Then when I went to feed in the evening…. I found I had more fence that needs to fixed and 3 posts that need replaced…

It never ends.

03/03/2024

I own livestock. If your dog is killing or damaging my livestock- it’s you I am coming after. Fence your dogs. Spay and Neuter your dogs. They won’t know what’s missing.

Dog owners are typically responsible for any harm to the livestock.

Farmers & livestock owners might be legally entitled to kill dogs that are attacking their animals, and dog owners can be responsible for the resulting damages.

12/06/2023

In keeping with busting the myths and clarifying the misconceptions of modern dressage, today I say that they do not know what they have. Before all of us were born, authentic dressage became obsolete because it was primarily used to train cavalry recruits. “Dressage” translated then roughly to "training" horses and soldiers for war. WW2 changed the nature of war from pre-industrial horse cavalry and infantry foot soldiers to mechanized troops. Ultimately, dressage was redefined as a civilian horseback ballet. Untethered from its roots, dressage became a shadow fantasy of its former practicality.

European dressage transformed horses and their riders into the ultimate battlefield weapon for both offensive and defensive missions in its time. The collage of images you see below are called haute ecole or high school “Airs above the ground”. These movements were battlefield techniques, not ballet. This history has been forgotten.

The pictured “Airs” were used to intimidate, injure or kill enemy soldiers on a battlefield. The Courbette at lower right, was an offensive technique designed to break formations of foot soldiers. From their rearing position, a line of horses would hop forward on hind legs, threatening foot soldiers with the horses' front feet striking down toward the heads of infantry. The foot soldiers broke and ran from such techniques when a line of cavalry horses in the Courbette approached.

The Capriole at lower left was used to defend an individual cavalry rider who became separated from his unit on the battlefield. Foot soldiers would swarm such isolated cavalry horses and attack them with bayonets, clubs and pikes. To counter such a swarm, a well trained cavalryman would use the Capriole. The rider would cause his horse to rise up and kick out front and hind, which literally kicked the heads off the shoulders of a swarming foot soldier. Cavalry horses would do repeated Caprioles, landing and turning a few degrees and executing another Capriole until these actions created a wide berth from which the horse and rider could escape.

In the top is collection of the haute ecole "Airs Above the Ground", each pictured movement is of a weaponized horse. The movement's names are French because the French Cavalry, such as Napoleon's Imperial Guard, were the best trained in these battlefield movements.

I wonder how many modern dressage riders know this historical basis for their discipline and its most revered “artful” movements. I sincerely doubt that many have an inkling that the Haute Ecole movements were lethal battle techniques. A lack of historical understanding has allowed modern riders in many disciplines to adopt fantasy ideas of horsemanship that are based on nothing more than human imaginings.

12/05/2023

12/02/2023

Donkeys are not horses, and they do not have the water shedding hair function that horses do.

Remember, they are adapted to desert life.

Because of this, they need a shelter, etc to stay dry, or they run a very high risk of developing pneumonia.

Trees and shrubs are really not an adequate shelter for these creatures like they might be for horses.

You need to know, a donkey is a very stoic creature. Often you won't see them shivering, even though they are down right miserable.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/phys.org/news/2017-11-donkeys-winter-horses.amp

https://forum.chronofhorse.com/t/new-vet-study-donkeys-need-more-protection-from-winter-than-horses/439901

07/21/2023

Indiana Lead Free Information on testing and exposure Learn More Health First Indiana Ensuring that every Hoosier has access to core public health services Learn More To***co Quitline Free quit services made easy Learn More < > Resources for Clinicians Learn More Indiana Black and Minority Health Fa...

06/14/2023

Fantastic Job!

06/08/2023

Eggs and Meat - follow the link
Because FB is a ….😂

Rabbit Meat and All Things Fowl Free Range Eggs Humanely raised and butchered rabbit, chicken and duck (frozen) Bring your own carton, or buy ours for $1 per carton Chicken - Eggs - $3/doz Meat -...

06/07/2023

I got my Mark Jump Photography photos today! I 😍🥰 love this one!!

05/25/2023

Beautiful evening to mow the field. It’s only my 2nd time this year 😂 This is the back hill field that the 2 old gentlemen stay in along with the 3 ponies, the 2 goats and the new boarder.

05/06/2023

Had a great time during the Spring 2023 National Drive at the Hoosier Horse Park! Met up with old friends and made new ones! Looking forward to the Fall!

04/08/2023

DID YOU KNOW...?
Your saddle size is measured by the length of your thigh, not on what size you wear or what weight you are.

Saddle fit is important for riders too: if you aren't balanced in the saddle the equine athlete cannot perform to their potential because your seat simply is not as effective.

04/04/2023

How your horse--and you--need to look at a jump.

03/30/2023

Rugging & Temp: The ambient temperature range in which a healthy unclipped adult horse can easily maintain their body temp is between 5 & 25 degrees C, which is a lot wider than humans!

03/29/2023

03/28/2023

The Old, Lame or Blind horse you “Love” but can’t keep anymore deserves better:

We see the posts all of the time:

“Can’t keep, but find good home for my blind horse"

“Can’t ride anymore, want to find a good home for my navicular horse”

“Broodmare her whole life, not broke, 28, good home only, can’t care for now”

The headlines vary, as do the reasons, but the story is really the same. You are not able to keep your horse that isn’t especially rehomeable, anymore. The horse has a condition which makes him disadvantaged, usually effects his quality of life and makes his placement into a long term safe place essentially impossible.

Sometimes owners die, sometimes owners lose their jobs, become very ill or simply just get tired of dealing with the upkeep of this “special needs” horse. This doesn’t mean the sound older horse, the horse with a minor issue or the like. I am speaking of horses that have special medical needs, special diets and are generally unrideable.

There are exceptions to everything in the world, but what I know after years in equine rescue is that disadvantaged horses have no consistent chance at safe, long term placement.

Occasionally, you may luck into something. That is a rare exception. I know that sanctuaries are bursting at the seams. I know that rescues should focus on horses that have a viable chance at adoption (else they become defunct).

There are no free retirement pastures and hands waiting to spoil your horse.

Please be aware that anyone jumping at the chance to bring in a blind, lame or retired horse will rarely have the finances or knowledge to care for the horse. Sometimes they mean well, sometimes not. Makes no difference.

Almost all of these horses who are disadvantaged, when given away or placed for a small fee, end up going into homes that neglect them or cause them to meet an unkind death through slaughter or starvation.

If you have a horse who is disadvantaged through lameness, chronic illness, advanced age and/or blindness, you should not pass him off to someone else down the road.

He is YOUR responsibility.

He should never have to face hunger, fear or abuse because you couldn’t make the responsible choice. He has served you. Do not look the other way and shirk what you signed up for when you became a horse owner.

So when you cannot care for your special needs horse, do not place him on Facebook for free or cheap, simply make the call to your vet, spoil him, give him love and let him cross the rainbow bridge never knowing a bad day, never knowing hunger or a brutal end slaughtered. Let him peacefully pass and know you did the right thing by him.

If you are sure there is a chance of placement, then ask for:

1. Vet reference with name and number, verify it.
2. Farrier reference with name and number (verify with a call)
3. Photos of their fence, current horses and facility
4. Deliver him yourself and check the facility to be sure quality of care is high.

You will learn when you ask for these things, months will pass and no one will be interested, but at least then you will know we’ve given you the cold, hard facts of responsible equine placement and ownership.

If you, as the owner who was served by your equine companion, will not offer a retirement home, how could you expect someone else to do it, either?

Don't put on rose colored glasses and convince yourself the next home will do all the things you cannot or will not do.

03/24/2023

1.35” of rain since yesterday and a lot more on the way. I am breaking out the water wings and the canoe just to feed.

On a positive note, my ducks are loving it!

03/08/2023

Beautiful sunrise those morning