Happy Hearts Horsemanship

12/28/2024

This may be an unpopular opinion but I don’t agree that letting a horse buck around with the saddle on teaches them how to buck. I do however believe that whatever you repeat you strengthen so when you allow your horse to buck around you with or without the saddle on you’re only strengthening their muscles to buck stronger and harder.

I also believe there is a better way to introduce a horse to a saddle that almost eliminates their need to buck in the first place. If you take the time to show them how it feels first and how to use their body in a way that better prepares them for carrying the weight of a saddle and rider in the first place usually they don’t have a need to buck at all. Sometimes there might still be a little silly business but I definitely don’t want it repeating for too long. But I also don’t believe Walk Trot Lope should be a part of a first ride either 🤷🏼‍♀️

I think we should normalize this kind of thinking instead 🤔

12/28/2024

It’s blanket season again and the big question, to blanket or not to blanket, remains…

I’m all for blanketing but there are a few factors to take into consideration.

1) Temperature- is the external temperature below 50 degrees? Often times 50 degrees or higher your horse shouldn’t need a blanket. But what happens when it’s that temperature and your horse doesn’t have 24/7 access to shelter? This is when I would recommend a no fill waterproof rain-sheet.

2)A horses natural winter coat- On cold days you will notice your horses coat appears fluffy. That’s because all the hairs are sticking straight up and providing a protective layer of warmth and insulation for their bodies. When we put a blanket on, their hair is no longer able to fluff up providing them with this extra protection of warmth.

3)Blanket Fill- Now what happens when we put a no fill rain sheet on a horse with temps below 50 degrees? The sheet flattens their hair to their body no longer providing that extra layer of insulation. You now risk your horse getting cold. What happens when we put a medium weight or heavier on a horse when temps are 50 degrees or higher? Now you risk overheating your horse, causing them to sweat which can trap moisture under the blanket making them cold at times when the temps go back down. In the PNW, often times if your horse has 24/7 access to shelter, a blanket isn’t necessary unless the temps are 20 or below (or pouring down buckets and your horse chooses to stand in it 🤦‍♀️) but nice to help keep them clean. Just make sure you’re using the proper fill appropriate for the current temperatures outside and be ready to make changes frequently with how much our climate fluctuates during the winter months.

4) Laundering and re-waterproofing- Now that we understand a little more about when to blanket and what fillers to use, it’s important to also keep up on washing and re-waterproofing as they can get dirt and bacteria built up and the waterproofing will eventually wear off. This puts your horse at risk of soaking through the blanket and you never want to trap moisture under the blanket as this puts them at risk of being cold as well.

Happy Blanketing everyone!

12/28/2024

It’s that time of the again and a perfect time to repost this one!

Another layer to the “blanket or not-to-blanket” debate. This is an excellent explanation regarding weight management in metabolic horses from Affluent Malnutrition

“Please don't over rug this winter ......

Thirty years ago most ponies were roughed off, turned out at grass to grow a coat and come in ‘ribby’ in the spring before putting the weight back on in a natural yo-yo dieting fashion.

To achieve this, the endocrine system will relay a whole series of messages about

food consumption and storage,

energy transmission,

suppression or increase of appetite,

depression of energy expenditure,

coat growth,

hair thickness and time to shed the excess hair.

Part of this system is circadian in nature (around a 24hour period) and relies largely upon light, but part of the system relies on seasonal temperatures and nutrient availability.

The problem with modern horses/ponies affected by metabolic syndrome is that the nutrients they receive are in excess of the nutrients they require and this is compounded by the fact that horses are no longer expected to,

travel long distances in search of food,

cope with extreme or variable temperatures,

grow thick winter coats and shed them at least 4 times throughout the four seasons of the year.

Winter coat growth, hair loss and shedding use a metabolic energy (AKT) pathway which involves both insulin and glucose, this entails the lowering of circulating levels of plasma insulin and use of an excess store of energy. Over rugging horses and native ponies or long periods in the stables during the winter/autumn/early summer months will deprive them of the ability to use up this excess glucose and fat storage.

The increased problem of a horse with equine metabolic syndrome is that the fat deposits of adipose tissue contain an independent endocrine signaling system with at least 4 hormones governing weight loss, energy output and weight control.

Most importantly; homeostasis of weight maintenance and appetite is governed by a balanced set of signals given out both by the adipose tissue and the gastrointestinal tract. In obese horses with large adipose deposits particularly in the neck shoulders and tail area there will be an increased volume of adipose hormones released which easily out balance the hormones released from the gut, compromising the vital homeostasis of appetite and weight control, further weight gain is the result.

As well as hormones of weight control and appetite, adipose tissue also releases a whole series of inflammatory chemicals which cause a pro inflammatory state, disrupt the normal circulation of the foot and together with circulating insulin play a major part in the onset of many disease states including laminitis.

Therefore the most important goal is to control adipose tissue gain. Reducing the cresty necks and fat pads will limit the abnormal and high volumes of signaling hormones that disrupt appetite, influence weight gain, disrupt circulation and gastrointestinal function, raise circulating insulin levels and that eventually result in an episode of laminitis.

There are understandably many problems for owners in the UK wanting to leave their horses out for the winter especially those living in very wet areas or on livery yards that do not want to ruin their limited grazing, this can be challenging and below are a few practical points to manage the diet and weigh gain of your horse not only through the winter but throughout the whole year.

Try not to rug too early, allow your horse to grow a good winter coat and be ‘roughed off’ or ‘let down’ for at least 8 weeks through the autumn/winter, this is vital for his metabolism, getting cold and wet causes the release of energy from fat stores. For some horses being turned out until Christmas is sufficient to use up the fat stored as adipose tissue, this avoids the worse months of January and February which can be even more cold and wet.”

12/23/2024

12/22/2024

Yes!

12/21/2024

I’m super excited to get a chance to chat with Jec again! Whose coming with me?!

Your Source for Equine Fitness Plans Explore Semi- and Fully-Customizable Fitness Plans for Your Equine Partner Explore Jec’s Services Find the Right Fitness Plan for Your Equine Partner Online CoursesI focus on what works and I can’t wait to share that with your horse AND you. My online courses...

12/20/2024

Merry Christmas from my herd to yours! Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season with friends, family and your fluffy companions! ❤️🎅🎄

12/20/2024

Part 3! ❤️

12/19/2024

👏

Workout Wednesday: As we all get busy for the holidays, this is a Public Service Reminder for your horse's sake. DO NOT show up at the barn in a hurry, decide he needs a frenzied 15-minutes of being chased/longed/round-penned and then put away. This is actually LESS productive than just letting him be. Instead, take him for a brisk walk for those 15 minutes, wander around some obstacles, walk over ground poles. But do NOT send him careening around at speed without a proper warm-up. Why? Until the joint fluids are warmed and lubricating the joints, all the concussive forces end up in the cartilage which does not repair itself well. Further, joint proprioceptors are de-activated, gymnastic muscles stiffen, and postural muscles remain grossly under-utilized. This sets the horse's nervous system up to be in a cranky state, flooded with stress hormones. Okay, rant over.

12/19/2024

Part 2 ❤️

12/18/2024

I remember when Amy told me I could start taking the contact back again. It was a funny moment. I was like oh wait, I can do that now 😅.

It’s so true though, it’s much harder to undo bad habits, especially the ones created out of instinct to stay alive. I spent the beginning decade of my riding career mostly self taught and during that time I learned alot of bad habits that stemmed from just trying to get by without dying.

Finding a good teacher and mentor to help you along your journey is imperative, not matter how much you think you know.

I recommend everything that Amy Skinner Horsemanship has to offer.

12/18/2024

Brent is a true master and has created a great system to work with untouched horses and donkeys. Introducing them to their first haltering, touches, leading and loading in a way that doesn’t create brace or fear. No pulling, chasing or rough handling. Just patience and smoothness creating a good experience for each one that passes through setting them up for a lifetime of success in our human world. These horses leave with better leading and loading skills then most adult horses I know. It is on my bucket list to attend one of his young horse handling clinics in Texas. 🤞🏻2026

12/17/2024

Tell me you love the mat without telling me you love the mat ❤️

12/15/2024

We have rare openings for boarding! Contact Pat to inquire directly ❤️

12/13/2024

I’m so excited to be a part of the Best Horse Practices Summit! Katrin is a beautiful rider and I can’t wait to see what she has to offer at the next Summit. Santa Fe, NM here I come! ❤️

Katrin Silva Dressage offers Classical and Western Dressage training, lessons, and clinics in Santa Fe, New Mexico or wherever you are in the world.

12/13/2024

I love his playfulness 🐉

12/11/2024

To “Catch” a horse.

I grew up with horses. One of those horses was a red headed, bald faced, blue eyed mare. Born in our yard when I was 6 years old. She was a spitfire from the start but that’s a story for another day.

Crystal taught me a lot of lessons but a big one was how NOT to approach and halter a horse.

She would see me coming from a mile away. I could have sworn she thought, hahaha time for our favorite game of run away from the little girl with the halter. I would come up and hide the halter behind my back and sneak over to her to try to catch her before she would realize my plan. She always knew my plans….

Then it would turn into a game of chase. I would be red in the face and super frustrated by the time she would finally give in and let me halter her. My mom would tell me that I needed to go spend time with her more then just for riding. So I would work with her, haltering and grooming her and then letting her go without asking much for a couple of weeks. She would get a little better but it was always this little game she liked to play with me. So I thought.

Now when a horse plays this game with me, I ask myself why? It’s not really a game of keep away. It’s a form of communication and feedback that I need to bring awareness to. Crystal most definitely had an ill fitting saddle that I didn’t pay any attention to because I didn’t know any better at the time. I’m sure that was one of many reasons she saw me coming with the halter and played her game of keep away.

This is Ms B greeting for todays session after our first trail ride out in weeks we had yesterday. ❤️

There’s a lot that goes into how I approach a horse for haltering and then how I place the halter on their head that I think also plays a huge roll, but when a horse walks away from me when I approach to halter, I need to slow down and reevaluate some things not just with them but with myself.

Are they feeling okay physically, mentally, emotionally? Does their saddle and tack fit well? Are they tense and distracted while working with them? Is my approach smooth, engaged and connected or am I distracted and fumbling on the halter and lead rope? Did I ask things in our last ride that were hard and/or caused them discomfort or confusion? Can I be softer and explain things to them clearer?

How horses respond to the sight of us coming with the halter and lead rope tells us a lot about how things are going. Are you listening 👂?