Tuned In Equine

29/12/2025

A little freestyle during the pole work today! It was fun to watch Buddy experience new things and be so willing for Esther!

26/12/2025

We must forever remain mindful that the horse has been selectively bred to be extraordinarily tolerant.

In many ways the horse is its own worst enemy in terms of welfare.

As a trainer also of Asian elephants, which as a species has not been selectively bred for any traits, I find the tolerance of horses quite spectacular.

In South and Southeast Asia, elephants are used to track down poachers, a task that has not yet been superseded.

However, I also noticed that elephants have a much ‘shorter fuse’ than horses and are intolerant of inescapable pain.

In such cases when elephants are subject to similar pain and stress as horses frequently endure, the consequences for the humans concerned are not uncommonly fatal.

We can’t ask horses how they feel but what we can do is recognise that there are some very important elements of a horse’s life that matter to the horse.

In a future world, it is extremely important for the sustainability of horse sports to think about the horse’s welfare and to move away from an anthropocentric view to a horse-centred view: welfare from the horse’s own perspective.

Andrew McLean

25/12/2025

Here is an example of the ELPO Distortion Grading Scale applied to frog distortions. The frog is a good window to how the overall health of the foot. Here is a good evaluation tool for determining the health of your horses frogs.

#0 – Optimal Frog
Wide, well-developed frog with healthy buttresses and good ground contact. Normal shock absorption capacity and stability.

#1 – Mild Distortion
Mostly functional frog with slight narrowing, or stretching. Mild dirt traps. Changes resolve with routine trimming and hygiene.

#2 – Moderate Distortion
Clear narrowing and loss of mass with deeper sulci and reduced ground contact. Frog and digital cushion function begin to decline; performance may be subtly affected.

#3 – Compromised Frog
Significant atrophy or chronic sulcus infection. Minimal ground contact, reduced caudal support, altered landing patterns, and increased stress to the caudal foot and DIP joint.

#4 – Severe Distortion
Severe contraction, recession, or even necrosis of the frog with poor caudal support. Lameness can be common and long-term pathology is could be likely. Corrective trimming, shoeing, and frog support are usually required.

#5 – End-Stage Pathology
Severely degraded or nonfunctional frog with digital cushion and deeper structure involvement. Horses are often lame; advanced therapeutic intervention may be needed.

24/12/2025

Dolly was taught everything through clicker training and/or liberty. She pulls a cart bitless. I am imagining she might pull a cart BRIDLELESS though… today we did ground driving from “neck driving lines”! It was the secondary aid to voice cues, since if I am in a cart, she won’t be able to respond to body language or hand signs.

24/12/2025

⭐️ Small Group Sunday! ⭐️ Dec 12/28 at The Ranch in Cave Creek. Start 11:30am.

POLE WORK! This session is available to all levels, all disciplines, just about everyone! First timers to experienced!

In-hand, on the lunge line, or under saddle. Great for:
- young horses, old horses
- trail horses, performance horses
- green horses, finished horses
- english or western
- building confidence & trust
- low intensity physical exercise, intense mental exercise
- rider skill and navigation

Find out how pole work can be integrated into your routine with your horse, specifically. If you’re already well versed in pole work, come play and let someone else set up and take down everything!

$75 per person. Max of 6 participants. Contact Katie at (602) 775-6846!

A few private sessions before or after may be available - contact Katie with questions.

20/12/2025

I so look forward to Shelby’s second book! Her first one is on my top 10 favorites!

It seems fitting that my new book is coming out in the Year of the Horse (2026). It’s been a labour of love and I can’t wait to share it. I think it’s fated that the publishing date falls within the Year of the Horse.

I recently got back one of the first endorsements from someone whom I deeply respect and I wanted to share it with you all.

“Secrets of the Horse is both a thoughtful critique of outdated dominance-based horsemanship and an honest account of personal growth. Shelby Dennis weaves her own experience and willingness to question long-held assumptions into a broader call for more ethical, compassionate training practices. By placing horse behavior in the context of natural instincts, emotional processing, and the nervous system, she encourages readers to move beyond control and toward true understanding. This perspective aligns closely with what modern science continues to reveal about how horses learn, regulate, and form relationships, and it marks an important step forward for anyone committed to welfare-centered horsemanship.”

— Dr. Stephen Peters, equine neuroscientist, author of Horse Brain Science, and coauthor of Evidence-Based Horsemanship

Thank you Dr. Peters for being willing to be one of the early readers for Secrets of the Horse and for giving such wonderful remarks.

Secrets of the Horse is available for pre-order now and is due for release on April 28, 2026x

Info on how to order ⬇️

17/12/2025

I even had to do this! During the summer, I drink 2 gallons a day without a thought. In winter? A struggle to drink 1/2 a gallon. I put electrolytes in my water throughout the day to keep me hydrated and going. Another tip: a water buffet is excellent enrichment for horses and gives them choices that might encourage them to drink more!

Did You Know?
• A growing body of research shows that inadequate hydration increases cortisol spikes in response to stress
• In cold weather, horses naturally drink less, even when water is readily available
• Horses drank 40% more water when it was offered at 66°F compared to 32–38°F
• 82% of daily water intake occurs within the first 3 hours after feeding
• This makes feed time the most critical window for providing fresh, warm water

Why This Matters

Reduced water intake quietly increases:
• physiological stress
• digestive strain
• risk of impactions
• muscle and fascial stiffness

Winter Hydration, Stress, and Electrolytes in Horses

Cold weather naturally reduces a horse’s thirst — but hydration is just as critical in winter as in summer. When water intake drops, stress hormones rise, digestion slows, and muscles and fascia lose elasticity.

Most winter dehydration happens quietly. If water is too cold or not refreshed at feeding time, horses simply don’t drink enough.

Cold Weather Hydration Basics

Horses that drink less water are more prone to:
• dehydration
• dry manure and impaction colic
• poor digestion
• muscle stiffness and slower warm-ups

Practical tip:
Refill buckets with fresh, warm water at feeding time, when horses are most likely to drink.

Even small daily water deficits add up over time, increasing colic risk and physical stress.

Salt and Electrolytes Still Matter in Winter

Electrolytes aren’t just a summer concern. Cold weather creates its own hydration challenges.

Salt keeps horses drinking.
Cold temperatures blunt thirst, and many horses drink only 50–80% of their normal intake in winter. Salt stimulates thirst and supports circulation and digestion.

Salt helps the body retain water.
Salt doesn’t just increase drinking — it helps the body hold onto and properly distribute water. Without enough salt, water passes through too quickly and tissues remain dehydrated.

Why this matters:
Water alone doesn’t equal hydration. Salt allows water to actually hydrate tissues.

Winter Dehydration Is Often Missed

Cold-weather dehydration contributes to:
• impaction colic
• reduced performance
• muscle tightness
• poor circulation

Horses also lose electrolytes through urine, manure, normal metabolism, and moisture lost from the respiratory tract — even without visible sweat.

A horse can be dehydrated without ever looking sweaty.

Cold Stress Increases Daily Needs

To stay warm, horses burn more calories and rely on sodium and chloride for normal muscle and nerve function. Adequate hydration supports muscle firing, coordination, circulation, and heat production.

Blankets can further hide sweat and salt loss, allowing dehydration to build unnoticed.

What to Feed in Winter

Plain salt (daily):
Most horses need 1–2 tablespoons (15–30 g) of plain salt year-round. Salt blocks and licks are rarely sufficient.

Electrolytes:
Consider adding when the horse is in work, water intake drops, manure becomes drier, weather is cold and dry, or the horse sweats under blankets.
Choose salt-based, not sugar-based products.

In Essence
• Salt keeps horses drinking and helps retain water
• Electrolytes keep muscles and nerves functioning
• Hydration keeps the gut moving and tissues healthy

Winter hydration isn’t optional — it’s foundational to health, movement, and performance.

Learn more about it here -
https://koperequine.com/?s=Salt

17/12/2025

“If your horse trips over poles, he’s showing you the real problem.”

Poles never lie.
They expose things we often miss when we focus only on fences.

That’s why I say this so often in lessons:
“If he’s not listening or not balanced, he’ll trip over the poles. It tells you exactly what’s missing.”

When a horse knocks poles again and again, it’s almost never clumsiness.
And it’s very rarely about bravery.

Most of the time, it comes down to one of three things:

– the horse isn’t focused
– the horse isn’t straight
– the horse isn’t using his body correctly

Poles slow everything down just enough to make the truth obvious.
They show you when the rhythm isn’t consistent.
They reveal when the horse is drifting or falling in.
They highlight when the balance is too much on the forehand.

That’s why polework is so valuable — not as an exercise in itself, but as a diagnostic tool.

Instead of riding past the mistakes, use the poles to ask better questions:
Can the horse stay straight?
Can he keep the same rhythm?
Can he lift his body and organise his feet?

When those answers improve over poles, the improvement shows up everywhere else —
in the canter, in the transitions, and over fences.

Poles don’t create problems.
They simply show you what needs attention.

Fix that, and the jumping becomes dramatically easier.

Join my next pole clinic: https://danbizzarromethod.com/coaching/clinics

15/12/2025

Not all equine assisted services are ethical for the horse and looking at their welfare just as much as the people. It’s quite the balance to harmonize both!

📒 NEW STUDY Interesting findings for Equine Assisted Services. How 'forced touch' impacts welfare.

Worth a read for anyone running an EAS programme or managing therapy horses.

A new paper just published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science (Sarrafchi et al.) has highlighted some important findings regarding how horses experience touch interactions with therapy clients.

The researchers compared stress levels in horses during interactions where they were either tethered (forced) or loose in a round pen (free choice).

The results were quite telling. When horses were tied up and unable to move away, they displayed significantly more stress behaviours—specifically restlessness, tail swishing, and oral behaviours like licking or yawning.

Perhaps the most striking statistic was when the horses were loose and given the choice, they chose to stay out of the human’s reach for 51% of the session.

It’s a good reminder that just because a horse is tolerating an interaction, it doesn't mean they are enjoying it.

So, how can we apply this in practice to reduce stress?

🐎 CREATE SPACE FOR CHOICE
Where safety allows (e.g., in a round pen or secure paddock), try moving unmounted work off the lead rope. Allowing the horse to step away—even just a few paces—gives them a sense of control that seems to lower stress.

🐎 WATCH THE TAIL/ MOUTH
The study highlighted tail swishing and oral behaviours as key stress indicators during grooming/touch. If you see these, the horse is likely finding the interaction intrusive. It might be time to take a break or change the activity.

🐎 THE 'CONSENT TEST'
Before a client strokes or grooms, encourage them to offer a hand first. If the horse turns away or ignores it, treat that as a "no" for now. ✨ The study also noted that horses were generally more tolerant of touch on the hindquarters than the neck/shoulder area, which is worth keeping in mind.

🐎 REFRAME 'DISENGAGEMENT' FOR CLIENTS
It can be disappointing for a client if a horse walks away. However, we can frame this as a positive learning moment about autonomy and boundaries, rather than a rejection.

It’s not always practical to have horses loose for every session, but building in more moments of 'agency' seems to be key for their long-term welfare.

Has anyone else been experimenting with off-lead interactions recently? Would be interested to hear how it’s working for you.

Link to the study in the comments 👇