Hoof Care I: Foot Conformation and Balance
Dr Tim Watson BVM&S, PhD, MRCVS of the Equine Veterinary Clinic, Turingingshaw Farm, Houtson, Renfrewshire
No one needs reminding of the old adage “no foot, no horse”. Foot and specifically hoof problems are a very common cause of lameness, particularly of the forelimbs, in all types of horses and can seriously affect the value and saleability of your horse. These problems can be divided into three categories, namely abnormalities of foot conformation and balance, infectious disease (white line disease and thrush), and poor horn quality. Abnormalities of conformation and foot balance are discussed in this article; how to recognise and deal with infectious disease and poor horn quality will be addressed in a subsequent issue.
Normal foot conformation and balance
The forefoot should be round in shape and wide at the heels, with a sole that is slightly concave from side to side and front to back, and a frog that is well developed with a good cleft. Ideally there should be no contact between the sole and the ground; the sole is not a weight-bearing structure. A line drawn through the centre of the frog should point to the toe and divide the foot into two equal halves.
When viewed from the side, the dorsal (front) hoof wall should be aligned with the pastern and make an angle of 50-60O with the ground. The angle of the heel should correspond to that of the toe. Viewed from the front, the angles that the lateral (outside) and medial (inside) wall make with the ground should be similar and the coronary band should run concentric with the ground.
Abnormal conformation of the fore feet can be associated with flat and, or, thin soles, contracted and, or, collapsed heels and problems with medial-lateral (side to side) and dorsal-palmar (front to back) foot imbalance.
Flat and thin soles
Flat soles lead to unrealistic bearing of weight and concussion of the internal structures of the foot, notably the pedal bone, and are a risk factor for the development of chronic foot pain and pedal osteitis. Horses with flat soles often have very wide or flared hooves, giving the impression that the structures of the foot have ‘sunk’ as structural support from the hoof walls has been lost. If this is the case, then efforts should be made by the farrier to reshape the foot, removing the flares and fitting a shoe with side clips to prevent further expansion, and to fit a silicon or leather pad under shoe to protect the sole from concussion.
Flat soles are often associated with a weak hoof structure, which may be genetic or nutritional in origin or result from unusually high moisture content in the hoof. For this reason, I would recommend a good quality hoof supplement providing the essential nutrients for horn growth, specifically biotin, methionine and zinc. I don’t usually recommend using a hoof-hardener in these cases since making the sole harder will reduce the ability of the sole to cushion the internal structure of the foot from concussive forces.
Thin soles should be managed similarly, using a good nutritional supplement to improve horn quality and growth, and protecting the soles by fitting pads as required. If the soles are simply thin but otherwise concave and non-weight bearing, then I do recommend a hoof hardener to increase the resilience of the sole and protect the foot from stones and uneven ground.
Contracted heels
Contraction or narrowing of the heels can be caused by reduced use of the foot, for instance when the limb is injured and non-weight bearing for a period of time, or a long-toe low-heel foot shape. One or both heels of a foot can be contracted; this can be assessed from the width of the heels at the buttress, which should be similar to that of the hoof approximately 1 inch back from the toe. When a limb is under-used for a period of time, there is a reduction in the blood flow to the foot, causing a drop in moisture content of the hoof capsule, and a lack of pressure from the weight of the horse during movement that would otherwise expand the heels. In horse with long toes, the hoof elongates from toe to heel and the heels generally move closer together.
Contracted heels should be dealt with by first identifying and treating any underlying lameness, such that there is a return to normal weight bearing and movement, and then using an appropriate ‘hoof sealer’ to help retain moisture and prevent drying while having your farrier shoe the horse to allow for expansion of the heels.
Dorsal-palmar foot imbalance and under-run heels
Dorsal-palmar foot balance refers to the angle that the dorsal wall of the hoof makes with the ground. If this angle is too low, an imaginary line drawn parallel to the hoof wall through the centre of the pastern will be broken backwards at a point near the coronary band. Collapsed or under-run heels are commonly found in horses with dorsal-palmar foot imbalance (so-called long-toe low-heel conformation) and are identified by viewing the foot from the side, whereby it is obvious that the heels are short as the coronary band sits close to the ground and the angle of the heels to the ground is more acute that the angle of the toe.
Dorsal-palmar foot imbalance with a broken back hoof-pastern axis and under-run heels results in increased load-bearing of the palmar (back) structures of the foot and can lead to corns and abscesses, as well as placing excess strain on the flexor tendons and ligaments and increasing the risk of the horse developing of navicular syndrome. It is thus very important that this conformation is corrected by appropriate trimming of the foot and support of its palmar structures.
The toe of the hoof wall should be trimmed as short as is practical, often ‘squaring’ the toes to move the break-over point further back. The heels should be taken down only enough to obtain a good load-bearing surface of healthy horn and then shod so that there is more rearward support for the heels. This inevitably means fitting a shoe that overhangs the back of the heels, making it liable to be lost if trodden on by a back foot – this can be prevented by fitting the largest possible over-reach boots to the from feet.
Support for the heels can be improved by using a bar shoe, which spreads the weight bearing across the back of the frog and so reducing compressive forces that would otherwise counteract heel growth. The palmar structures of the foot can also be protected by fitting shoes (or inserts) with a wedge, which effectively raise the heels and so reduce strain on the flexor tendons and associated ligaments. Growth of healthy heel horn can be helped by the feeding of good quality nutritional supplements, together with the application of hoof oils or sealers that help the horn retain moisture and hence structure.
Medial-lateral foot imbalance
Medial-lateral foot balance refers to the relationship between the inside and outside walls of the foot. In trimming a foot, the goal is to achieve a ground surface that is centred beneath the limb and so allowing the hoof to bear the weight of the limb evenly. When there is imbalance, the weight is not evenly distributed and this can lead to excessive concussion of one side of the foot and consequent lameness. Medial-lateral imbalance can be detected by examining the symmetry of the hoof walls when viewed from the front, the extent to which a line drawn through the frog bisects the sole of the foot into two equal sized and shaped halves, and whether the foot lands evenly on both inside and outside walls when the horse walks.
Of all the abnormalities in hoof conformation and structure, medial-lateral imbalance is perhaps the easiest to fix, requiring appropriate trimming of one side of the foot to achieve normal balance. This said, problems can be encountered when there is outward or inward deviation of the limb, such that the foot does not sit squarely at the end of the limb, or when there is a twist in the lower limb. Such cases may require building up of one side in addition to trimming of the other side of the foot.
End note
The correction of abnormalities of foot balance and conformation requires the expertise and skills of a farrier. The views presented in this article represent those of the author and the management of individual cases is best achieved by close collaboration of owner, vet and farrier and the application of appropriate investigative and diagnostic techniques to fully characterise the abnormalities requiring attention.
Friday, 7 May 2010
123. Genetics - Thoroughbreds
Today i had the vet come out to see Spice as two of her hooves on her left side are still warm to touch and i thought she might have some thrush in her frog so wanted to make sure that it was that and not another abscess brewing.
The good news is the vet checked her hoof over with hoof testers and came to the conclusion that it wasn't an abscess and that she just had a mild case of thrush (probably due to her flat soles).
She said that i might have to shoe Spice in view of the fact that she has flat soles which could simply be due to her genetic conformation and therefore never likely to change making her more susceptible to bruising and abscessing.
In view of this i have decided to ask the farrier to look at her hooves and give me his opinion aswell as also talking to my barefoot trimmer about the matter.
I think at the moment i just want Spice to be happy and sound again which she hasn't been since going barefoot.
Having given it 4 whole months, with 24/7 turnout, a good diet and regular trimming i would now have expected her to be sound on grass and 100% ride-able but she isn't and i can't ignore this fact.
The vet has recommended a two week course of danilon in the hope that the inflammation in her hooves will decrease and the on-off lameness issues will cease. So, we will see how she is doing in two weeks time.
If it IS her genetics then i can only say that i think there should be a law against those that breed horses who clearly have no idea what they are doing. Breeding what was once such an incredible asset to the horse out of its genetics and leaving it with a hoof so poorly formed to the point that it would not survive without metal shoes on is in my view Barbaric, grossly irresponsible and simply unforgiveable.
It's like forcing two humans with genetically poor/weaker teeth and then breeding them again and again and again until they get to the point where by the age of 13 they have to have all their teeth replaced with false teeth.
Do those who breed race horses have no care for horses hooves? and should those that are clearly unqualified be allowed to breed?
Today, i cried on my friends shoulders because i was so tired of thinking about Spices hooves...do i feel guilty putting her through this? Yes...of course but i know that i have done every single thing with her best interests at heart. I was prepared to give up my time, money and enjoyment for the sake of giving her a healthier set of hooves and this decision was based on anything but selfishness.
The good news is the vet checked her hoof over with hoof testers and came to the conclusion that it wasn't an abscess and that she just had a mild case of thrush (probably due to her flat soles).
She said that i might have to shoe Spice in view of the fact that she has flat soles which could simply be due to her genetic conformation and therefore never likely to change making her more susceptible to bruising and abscessing.
In view of this i have decided to ask the farrier to look at her hooves and give me his opinion aswell as also talking to my barefoot trimmer about the matter.
I think at the moment i just want Spice to be happy and sound again which she hasn't been since going barefoot.
Having given it 4 whole months, with 24/7 turnout, a good diet and regular trimming i would now have expected her to be sound on grass and 100% ride-able but she isn't and i can't ignore this fact.
The vet has recommended a two week course of danilon in the hope that the inflammation in her hooves will decrease and the on-off lameness issues will cease. So, we will see how she is doing in two weeks time.
If it IS her genetics then i can only say that i think there should be a law against those that breed horses who clearly have no idea what they are doing. Breeding what was once such an incredible asset to the horse out of its genetics and leaving it with a hoof so poorly formed to the point that it would not survive without metal shoes on is in my view Barbaric, grossly irresponsible and simply unforgiveable.
It's like forcing two humans with genetically poor/weaker teeth and then breeding them again and again and again until they get to the point where by the age of 13 they have to have all their teeth replaced with false teeth.
Do those who breed race horses have no care for horses hooves? and should those that are clearly unqualified be allowed to breed?
Today, i cried on my friends shoulders because i was so tired of thinking about Spices hooves...do i feel guilty putting her through this? Yes...of course but i know that i have done every single thing with her best interests at heart. I was prepared to give up my time, money and enjoyment for the sake of giving her a healthier set of hooves and this decision was based on anything but selfishness.
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
122. False Sole - nature really is amazing...
Recently due to Spice losing the back quarter of her hoof wall i have noticed that she has developed some rather thick sole. Having done some research on the internet i now know this is 'false sole' which she has created to give her the support she needs until her wall grows back...when it does, the sole should naturally shed itself so should be left alone to perform this process...In time, the hoof will naturally create it's own concavity...
'False sole is live sole which is still being fed and develops because the foot needs this extra protection.
Often when we remove shoes, the heels, and wall are often not strong enough and break off, leaving a foot with very little height to protect the sole, therefore, the sole takes more pressure than it is designed to and compensates and creates false sole.
The false sole is there to compensate for a lack of other structure, the horse needs this extra protection, so to remove the sole which the horse has laid down to protect itself is a debatable procedure and as you have found out, the horse is sensitive!
The false sole will drop out when the foot doesn't require this extra protection, i.e. when the horse develops heels height, wall height and has a foot where each structure takes the correct amount of pressure. The concavity will come with time when the foot recovers and functions as it should.
The structures of the foot are designed to work in equilbre with each other, where one doesn't function as it should, another steps in..
Creation of false sole is basically the sole stepping in for a lacking of another structure, therefore, the foot should be assessed to identify the weak structure and the conditioning work can be structured to stimulate this structure.
Re infection in the sole.. that is also questionnable.. it is very very unlikely that infection will reach the dermal layer through false sole unless there is a puncture wound, and any bacteria will only be surface, and quite frankly.. by removing sole, you are exposing sensitive sole, which may not be fully keritanized, which is equally a lot closer to the dermal layer, therefore, common sense.. exposing the more permeable sole to infection!
I would ask nicely not for the sole to be carved.. and when the horse is sound, get stimulating the feet on all surfaces, maybe give a little arnica (?) as if the horse is sensitive he may have bruised himself.. and if you are worried about keeping the feet clean, something like cider vinegar works nicely.. or negerol from the vets/pharmacy..
Hope this helps, and don't worry the false sole will budge when the foot feels it doesn't need it anymore.'
tazilla
'False sole is live sole which is still being fed and develops because the foot needs this extra protection.
Often when we remove shoes, the heels, and wall are often not strong enough and break off, leaving a foot with very little height to protect the sole, therefore, the sole takes more pressure than it is designed to and compensates and creates false sole.
The false sole is there to compensate for a lack of other structure, the horse needs this extra protection, so to remove the sole which the horse has laid down to protect itself is a debatable procedure and as you have found out, the horse is sensitive!
The false sole will drop out when the foot doesn't require this extra protection, i.e. when the horse develops heels height, wall height and has a foot where each structure takes the correct amount of pressure. The concavity will come with time when the foot recovers and functions as it should.
The structures of the foot are designed to work in equilbre with each other, where one doesn't function as it should, another steps in..
Creation of false sole is basically the sole stepping in for a lacking of another structure, therefore, the foot should be assessed to identify the weak structure and the conditioning work can be structured to stimulate this structure.
Re infection in the sole.. that is also questionnable.. it is very very unlikely that infection will reach the dermal layer through false sole unless there is a puncture wound, and any bacteria will only be surface, and quite frankly.. by removing sole, you are exposing sensitive sole, which may not be fully keritanized, which is equally a lot closer to the dermal layer, therefore, common sense.. exposing the more permeable sole to infection!
I would ask nicely not for the sole to be carved.. and when the horse is sound, get stimulating the feet on all surfaces, maybe give a little arnica (?) as if the horse is sensitive he may have bruised himself.. and if you are worried about keeping the feet clean, something like cider vinegar works nicely.. or negerol from the vets/pharmacy..
Hope this helps, and don't worry the false sole will budge when the foot feels it doesn't need it anymore.'
tazilla
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
121. Lame to Sound...
Yey! Spice is no longer lame! It seems that the crack caused by her re-occurring abscess was definitely the cause of her lameness as now she is completely sound again and her hoof is looking so much better. I'm so happy, i can't wait to start doing stuff with her again - it's crazy how much i miss spending time with her.
I've also just spent £300's on some hoof boots which i am hoping will give me peace of mind when out hacking as there's no way i want to risk Spice getting another abscess - at least not until i am sure the soles of her hooves have really thickened up. So, fingers crossed the boots fit her as i've heard that getting the fit right is essential for success.
I purchased easyboot gloves by easy care from http://www.thesaddleryshop.co.uk who i found really helpful and professional.
Hopefully they will arrive Saturday and in the meantime i should be able to start lunging her and at least riding in the arena. :)
I also came across another style of hoof boots yesterday via my facebook group called 'pony sandals' which can be purchased from: www.journeyman-leather.co.uk http://www.journeyman-leather.co.uk/ponysandals.html They look interesting and comfortable but my only concern was how durable they would be as being made just out of leather i would expect them to wear down pretty quickly. I did however have the opportunity to speak to the lady behind the creation and she said they can last from 4 to 12 weeks depending on terrain and horse so i'd definetly be interested in trying them out. Although i might need to save the pennies...! If anyone thinks barefoot horses are cheaper to maintain...think again...because they're not! They require regular trims, special attention to diet and quite often some form of hoof protection whether it be hoof boots, vettec, or pony sandals...all of which costs money! But hopefully, it will all be worth it. :)
Sunday, 2 May 2010
120. Herd Dynamics: The Variables Of Fear by Marv Walker
'I am still working on this experiment, but it seems not easy. Does any one from this list have idea's about Pat Parelli's. His theory is based on positive and negative reinforcement. Thorndake one of leading theorist in psychology developed this theory So it is not something new.Experience and Genetics. As we all know, fear is a universal emotion that motivates animals to flee predators. Scientist discovered that both animals and people can develop permanent fear memories that can never be erased. A good example would be a horse bashing its head on a trailer the first time it was loaded. This may make him difficult to load for the rest of his life. the fear memory is recorded in the amygdala, a center in the lower brain. So you need to be very careful to prevent the information of fear memories, which can interfere with training. Has anyone had a horse who was difficult to trailer load and with the bonding technique it disappeared? And if i was going to do trailer loading what do you think I should manipulate in this experiment.
Now we'll discuss some of the finer points of fear.
In my experience, fear is not a constant. Depending on a number of situations fear can either be absent or it can be debilitating. I'm not sure how scientists *know* that fear memories are stored in the amygdala, but I certainly do not take issue with their belief that fear *memories* can't be erased because I'm not that all-seeing. But if they say they the *actual* fears cannot be removed I have to take issue with that.
I have long ago lost count of the number of fears that have been removed in minutes in the horses we work with. I'm also not able to total the times I did some mighty rough things to horses before my much more enlightened times. To my knowledge, as far as I could tell as one who is far more observant than the average person thanks mainly to my tracking experiences, not one of them held it against me.
I have had horses bash their heads and more while loading. I have had them flip upside down in the trailer and never had them hesitate to go back in afterwards. You name the fear, and the reaction to it and chances are I have had it happen. I cannot recall one of those horses being adversely affected by it for any great length of time. By the same token, I have had horses that have performed an action flawlessly for years suddenly become afraid of it.
Fear can be caused by a change in the situation, pain, a part missing from a sequence, a part added to a sequence, too many people around, not enough people around and what have you.
Fear can pop up at any moment. The horse looks to the herd leader for justification of the fear and the reaction to it. If the herd leader is acknowledging the fear THAT acknowledgement gives it credibility. If a horse feels fear and there is no leader to acknowledge it one way or another, it must deal with that fear on its own. In that case, instinct says it's better to be safe than sorry and fleeing is the only logical option.
I have had horses who were abnormally nervous (fearful) but the cause of that nervousness could not really be pin pointed. Some horses are just born more nervous than others. Before my concepts became instinctive to me, I did the best I could with that nervousness and over time, it became manageable. But it still made for some interesting moments - some of which were nearly fatal for me.
Just this afternoon while waiting in the vet's office I was reading an old National Geographic dating back to the beginning of El Nino. One of the photographs was this large herd of wild elephants at a dry water hole patiently standing around two guys with shovels waiting for them to dig to the water. Granted, we're talking about horses and not elephants but they were obviously not afraid of the humans. Since elephants have extensive experience with poachers they have fear of humans, but in this case, that fear was obviously gone.
We have a 24 year old Morgan Park Saddle/Harness Show Broodmare here that we have had practically all of her life. Most of the time we owned her she was at the trainers in New York and he was totally paying all her bills and making sure he did us every favor he could to keep her there. She was what is called a "ribbons horse". He took her to every show he went to even if he wasn't planning on showing her. If his paid training horses weren't doing real well, he'd tack her up and enter her in a class. If he was still on her at the end of the class, he would place very high, if he didn't win the class. The ribbons, rosettes and platters would go on his stall drapes - hey, ribbons are ribbons when you're a trainer at a show.
When we stopped showing the Morgans and pensioned them off to live out their lives in the manner they had earned, she came back home at 17. The trainer warned us to not ANYONE ride the horse. When the trainer's brother handed me her leadline as she got off the trailer he said, "I rode that horse, once." My partner and her husband were against me riding her. They said respectively, "It is like riding a motorcycle with no brakes," and "It was a religious experience, I said, 'I have made a grave tactical error, get me off and I will never ask for anything again.'"
She was dangerous to be around and lead. You had to be on your toes at all times. She was incredibly spooky and extremely nervous. If she was spooked, she'd head in the direction she was facing regardless of who or what was there. If she got loose in the barn and started up the aisle there was no blocking the aisle you WOULD be run over.
After a couple years of her around here I got real tired of her antics and took her to the round pen just to put some better leading manners on her. This was also the day that years of study SLAMMED into place. I had just finished Monty Roberts book and as I read the snippets of horse stuff buried in the pages of his paternal angst, I thought to myself, "Herd dynamics - little too mysterious and smoke screeny, but it's herd dynamics none the less." In the entire book I only found two short forgotten phrases of value to me - the justifying ear and the processing mouth - that I'd also heard discussed while sitting at the feet of Linda Tellington-Jones years before. Someone else had noticed what I had noticed many times before and when I realized that and remembered Linda's words, I instantly ****KNEW**** that I could repeat the successes that earned me an area reputation for "getting inside the horse's head" with ANY horse in mere minutes. The focusing on these two phrases and the recalling their appearances in my concepts made everything fall into place.
I had been using herd dynamics for years before that and they had always produced the same results they produce now - it just took me longer to accept them. I'd just keep working the horse until it was SCREAMING at me, "YOU MORON!!! WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO TO TELL YOU I'VE GOT THE PROGRAM????" At that point I'd always tell the horse, "Glad to see you finally came along." It wasn't the horse that was taking so long, it was me. I needed evidence of success that was so strong only a moron would overlook it. And that day, I realized, one was, me.
I took Dee to the round pen to test my conclusions. With no physical connection at all, in less than five minutes I had a totally different horse. NO SPOOKINESS. NO NERVOUSNESS. Just quiet, attentive, patient, respectful, compliant standing beside me.
I thought to myself, "I can ride this horse." I went and got my saddle and put it on her just like I'd been doing it all her life and she never moved or showed the least bit of concern. I had the saddle on her and I got on her. Not the first problem, not one bit of concern. She was as quiet and obedient as one could possibly ask.
She is my all time trail horse. She is an absolute delight to ride. I have fallen asleep on her and woke up miles down the trail. She is no trouble to handle or be around. Now when she "spooks" she spreads her feet out for balance in case we have to leave and she asks, "What are we going to do about that?" I tell her we're going to ignore it and she goes right on by. Before, she would have just took off.
The things she feared that made her dangerous she no longer fears. And if she has any memory of her past fears, I simply cannot tell it by her actions.
The other day we had a person ask for a demonstration. Most horse trainers don't have much time for their own horses and we have a 20 year old TB brood mare that's been here for about a year. Extremely nervous and fearful, spooky, low horse on the pecking order. Half hour, different horse - stunned observer. Yesterday she was booking up the aisle heading out of the barn. I signaled her to stop and she did. She stood there patiently and compliantly until I released her. Different horse.
Rather than trying to find a number of horses with a common fear to test the theory, it may be easier to take horses with ANY fear reaction. Identify and assess the fear. Then put the horse through the herd dynamic we call the Bonder. Then reassess the fear at the successful conclusion of the bonder.
I do not pre-screen horses for my clinics. I will take on ALL problems as long as participant safety is not compromised. If fear is a problem it can be overcome with the use of herd dynamics faster than any other method I have seen or tried.
Horse after horse after horse after horse. I have seen that bonder dramatically change horses. I have had horses with pretty much every problem you can think of come to my clinics. If it is not a physically rooted problem, if it is a fear or respect issue the bonder flat makes a difference.
Is it infallible? No. Of course not. We're dealing with horses and humans here. And the connection must be a two way street. There is a constant stream of communication going back and forth - the horse tells you how it feels, you tell it how to deal with those feelings. You must exhibit leadership qualities. You must display leadership actions.
"Most of our horse's fears are still in our heads." Marv Walker
Now we'll discuss some of the finer points of fear.
In my experience, fear is not a constant. Depending on a number of situations fear can either be absent or it can be debilitating. I'm not sure how scientists *know* that fear memories are stored in the amygdala, but I certainly do not take issue with their belief that fear *memories* can't be erased because I'm not that all-seeing. But if they say they the *actual* fears cannot be removed I have to take issue with that.
I have long ago lost count of the number of fears that have been removed in minutes in the horses we work with. I'm also not able to total the times I did some mighty rough things to horses before my much more enlightened times. To my knowledge, as far as I could tell as one who is far more observant than the average person thanks mainly to my tracking experiences, not one of them held it against me.
I have had horses bash their heads and more while loading. I have had them flip upside down in the trailer and never had them hesitate to go back in afterwards. You name the fear, and the reaction to it and chances are I have had it happen. I cannot recall one of those horses being adversely affected by it for any great length of time. By the same token, I have had horses that have performed an action flawlessly for years suddenly become afraid of it.
Fear can be caused by a change in the situation, pain, a part missing from a sequence, a part added to a sequence, too many people around, not enough people around and what have you.
Fear can pop up at any moment. The horse looks to the herd leader for justification of the fear and the reaction to it. If the herd leader is acknowledging the fear THAT acknowledgement gives it credibility. If a horse feels fear and there is no leader to acknowledge it one way or another, it must deal with that fear on its own. In that case, instinct says it's better to be safe than sorry and fleeing is the only logical option.
I have had horses who were abnormally nervous (fearful) but the cause of that nervousness could not really be pin pointed. Some horses are just born more nervous than others. Before my concepts became instinctive to me, I did the best I could with that nervousness and over time, it became manageable. But it still made for some interesting moments - some of which were nearly fatal for me.
Just this afternoon while waiting in the vet's office I was reading an old National Geographic dating back to the beginning of El Nino. One of the photographs was this large herd of wild elephants at a dry water hole patiently standing around two guys with shovels waiting for them to dig to the water. Granted, we're talking about horses and not elephants but they were obviously not afraid of the humans. Since elephants have extensive experience with poachers they have fear of humans, but in this case, that fear was obviously gone.
We have a 24 year old Morgan Park Saddle/Harness Show Broodmare here that we have had practically all of her life. Most of the time we owned her she was at the trainers in New York and he was totally paying all her bills and making sure he did us every favor he could to keep her there. She was what is called a "ribbons horse". He took her to every show he went to even if he wasn't planning on showing her. If his paid training horses weren't doing real well, he'd tack her up and enter her in a class. If he was still on her at the end of the class, he would place very high, if he didn't win the class. The ribbons, rosettes and platters would go on his stall drapes - hey, ribbons are ribbons when you're a trainer at a show.
When we stopped showing the Morgans and pensioned them off to live out their lives in the manner they had earned, she came back home at 17. The trainer warned us to not ANYONE ride the horse. When the trainer's brother handed me her leadline as she got off the trailer he said, "I rode that horse, once." My partner and her husband were against me riding her. They said respectively, "It is like riding a motorcycle with no brakes," and "It was a religious experience, I said, 'I have made a grave tactical error, get me off and I will never ask for anything again.'"
She was dangerous to be around and lead. You had to be on your toes at all times. She was incredibly spooky and extremely nervous. If she was spooked, she'd head in the direction she was facing regardless of who or what was there. If she got loose in the barn and started up the aisle there was no blocking the aisle you WOULD be run over.
After a couple years of her around here I got real tired of her antics and took her to the round pen just to put some better leading manners on her. This was also the day that years of study SLAMMED into place. I had just finished Monty Roberts book and as I read the snippets of horse stuff buried in the pages of his paternal angst, I thought to myself, "Herd dynamics - little too mysterious and smoke screeny, but it's herd dynamics none the less." In the entire book I only found two short forgotten phrases of value to me - the justifying ear and the processing mouth - that I'd also heard discussed while sitting at the feet of Linda Tellington-Jones years before. Someone else had noticed what I had noticed many times before and when I realized that and remembered Linda's words, I instantly ****KNEW**** that I could repeat the successes that earned me an area reputation for "getting inside the horse's head" with ANY horse in mere minutes. The focusing on these two phrases and the recalling their appearances in my concepts made everything fall into place.
I had been using herd dynamics for years before that and they had always produced the same results they produce now - it just took me longer to accept them. I'd just keep working the horse until it was SCREAMING at me, "YOU MORON!!! WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO TO TELL YOU I'VE GOT THE PROGRAM????" At that point I'd always tell the horse, "Glad to see you finally came along." It wasn't the horse that was taking so long, it was me. I needed evidence of success that was so strong only a moron would overlook it. And that day, I realized, one was, me.
I took Dee to the round pen to test my conclusions. With no physical connection at all, in less than five minutes I had a totally different horse. NO SPOOKINESS. NO NERVOUSNESS. Just quiet, attentive, patient, respectful, compliant standing beside me.
I thought to myself, "I can ride this horse." I went and got my saddle and put it on her just like I'd been doing it all her life and she never moved or showed the least bit of concern. I had the saddle on her and I got on her. Not the first problem, not one bit of concern. She was as quiet and obedient as one could possibly ask.
She is my all time trail horse. She is an absolute delight to ride. I have fallen asleep on her and woke up miles down the trail. She is no trouble to handle or be around. Now when she "spooks" she spreads her feet out for balance in case we have to leave and she asks, "What are we going to do about that?" I tell her we're going to ignore it and she goes right on by. Before, she would have just took off.
The things she feared that made her dangerous she no longer fears. And if she has any memory of her past fears, I simply cannot tell it by her actions.
The other day we had a person ask for a demonstration. Most horse trainers don't have much time for their own horses and we have a 20 year old TB brood mare that's been here for about a year. Extremely nervous and fearful, spooky, low horse on the pecking order. Half hour, different horse - stunned observer. Yesterday she was booking up the aisle heading out of the barn. I signaled her to stop and she did. She stood there patiently and compliantly until I released her. Different horse.
Rather than trying to find a number of horses with a common fear to test the theory, it may be easier to take horses with ANY fear reaction. Identify and assess the fear. Then put the horse through the herd dynamic we call the Bonder. Then reassess the fear at the successful conclusion of the bonder.
I do not pre-screen horses for my clinics. I will take on ALL problems as long as participant safety is not compromised. If fear is a problem it can be overcome with the use of herd dynamics faster than any other method I have seen or tried.
Horse after horse after horse after horse. I have seen that bonder dramatically change horses. I have had horses with pretty much every problem you can think of come to my clinics. If it is not a physically rooted problem, if it is a fear or respect issue the bonder flat makes a difference.
Is it infallible? No. Of course not. We're dealing with horses and humans here. And the connection must be a two way street. There is a constant stream of communication going back and forth - the horse tells you how it feels, you tell it how to deal with those feelings. You must exhibit leadership qualities. You must display leadership actions.
"Most of our horse's fears are still in our heads." Marv Walker
Saturday, 1 May 2010
119. Calming Herbs
Calming herbs work by restoring balance to the nervous system, and although very effective in helping horses to maintain their composure and level-headedness, they will not dull the senses or interfere with your horse’s healthy reflexes. In fact, by helping horses to gain control of negative and overly emotional responses, the herbs help them to focus their attention on the job at hand and make use of themselves more proficiently.
Before continuing any further with this article, I cannot emphasize strongly enough that calming herbs are in NO WAY a substitute for correct diet and proper training. It’s only common sense that if you feed your stabled horse a bucket full of high energy meal everyday and only hack out lightly a few times a week, you’ll find your horse “bouncing off the walls”! And equally, if you are abusive and inconsistent in your training methods, you can only blame yourself for turning your poor horse into a nervous, jittering and unpredictable wreck! In essence, calming aids do not replace good horsemanship. If you are having a behavioral problem with your horse for which you cannot find the solution, it may be wise to seek advice from someone in your area who has had years of experience working with many different horses, and who consistently produces horses that are sound of mind and have enthusiasm for their work.
Nervous behaviour is caused by stress, and very often a more natural lifestyle can make all the difference to your horse’s behaviour under saddle. Many horses will do much better emotionally and physiologically if they can live outside 24/7 with herd companionship (with free access to shelter) and with constant access to hay or grazing, supplemented where necessary with a low energy meal and herbs for general health maintenance.
However, having said this, calming herbs can be a wonderful aid in many cases, such as for a horse that has been rescued from an abusive owner, or nervous association created by memory of a past accident, or perhaps even an upset on the physiological level such as chemical stress all of which can play havoc with a horse’s nervous reactions and general outlook on life. Hormonal imbalance too can have a direct influence on temperament and behaviour, and a course of calming herbs in combination with Chaste Tree berries (which have a hormonal normalizing effect), can permanently alter entrenched aggressive behaviour for the better.
No horse should need to remain on calming herbs indefinitely – they should not be needed for more than 3 consecutive months. This should be more than long enough to establish a good working relationship between horse and rider/handler, and rebalance the horse’s nervous system. The only exception to this principle is some racehorses. Some Thoroughbreds will take it all in their stride, and may actually enjoy the ultra competitiveness of their lifestyle, but for others the regular gallops, races, high energy diet and general hustle and bustle of a busy racing yard is just too much of a constant nervous stimuli, which reinforces high-strung behaviour. These horses can end up fretting weight off, jumping around and getting themselves into a lather, and wearing themselves
out before the race has even begun. Look at the “Vervain” section below to see how this herb can help this type of horse.
The most commonly used calming herbs for horses are Chamomile, Vervain, Valerian, Passiflora and Hops:
1) Chamomile – for horses that process their nerves through their gut – they are prone to diarrhoea when anxious or excited e.g. when going to a show. Another strong characteristic of a “Chamomile” type horse is to become very timid when going into new areas, becoming very “sticky” against the leg and uncertain of themselves, hanging back and preferring to follow a leader. They also easily become anxious and uncertain when learning something new. In other words, they operate very well and consistently until taken out of their “comfort zone”. They usually do well with a brave and consistent rider who can help give the horse the courage it lacks. Once they have formed a good relationship with their rider they cope much better and are more willing to try new things.
2) Vervain – the typical “Thoroughbred” type who prefers jogging rather than walking, tossing the head, sweating up, spooking at the slightest rustle in the grass and are constantly “on their nerves”. They are most likely to spook at the same object every time you pass it on a hack, no matter how many times they’ve already seen it. A “Vervain” type horse is said to process its nerves through the skin, and often have a twitchy and ticklish skin that is also sensitive to insect bites or other allergens. They respond well to creative and varied exercises in their schooling, which helps to keep their mind sufficiently busy that they forget about fretting! Trying to drill an exercise into a Vervain horse by, repeating it over and over again, will normally backfire. A Vervain type horse thrives with a calm and creative rider who won’t get annoyed with all the constant fussing.
3) Valerian – this type of horse processes its nerves through the muscles. A Valerian horse can look like he’s trotting around quite calmly, but the rider can feel the horse’s muscles bunching up underneath the saddle and the teeth grinding the bit. When the Valerian horse’s nerves finally get the better of him, he will most likely explode into a freestyle rodeo act, and once this has happened, it’s very difficult to get the horse to settle down again - he will most likely want to carry on bucking all the way home or for the rest of the schooling session. A chronically affected Valerian type horse will tend to have very compacted, dry stools as a result of tension in the muscles of the stomach wall, so Valerian also suits them particularly well as it is also a laxative. Valerian type horses need a competent rider with nerves of steel! If you can get a “Valerian” type horse through it’s difficult phase and forge a good partnership, you’ll most likely end up with an amazing horse with awesome athletic capability!
4) Hops - these horses process their nerves through their head. Their minds are constantly busy and they are easily distracted. With their scattered minds it’s difficult to teach them anything, and they don’t easily retain what they have learnt. Think of Hops as Ritalin for horses!
5) Passionflower – there isn’t a particular “Passiflora” type, but this herb helps to break negative ingrained behaviour and works synergistically with the other calming herbs.
You most likely will have noticed characteristics of your own horse in more than one of the above profiles, and that is absolutely normal, as many horses will show up as a combination of two or three of these main types. It’s fairly rare for a horse to fall solely into one category, although most horses will have a stronger tendency towards one or two of these types than any of the others.
6) Don’t forget the rider- the rider’s nerves will obviously have a direct affect on the horse, so if you are prone to “show jitters” you can help keep your own nerves under control with a few drops of Rescue Remedy on your tongue and a couple of drops of Lavendar oil applied to your pulse points!
Before continuing any further with this article, I cannot emphasize strongly enough that calming herbs are in NO WAY a substitute for correct diet and proper training. It’s only common sense that if you feed your stabled horse a bucket full of high energy meal everyday and only hack out lightly a few times a week, you’ll find your horse “bouncing off the walls”! And equally, if you are abusive and inconsistent in your training methods, you can only blame yourself for turning your poor horse into a nervous, jittering and unpredictable wreck! In essence, calming aids do not replace good horsemanship. If you are having a behavioral problem with your horse for which you cannot find the solution, it may be wise to seek advice from someone in your area who has had years of experience working with many different horses, and who consistently produces horses that are sound of mind and have enthusiasm for their work.
Nervous behaviour is caused by stress, and very often a more natural lifestyle can make all the difference to your horse’s behaviour under saddle. Many horses will do much better emotionally and physiologically if they can live outside 24/7 with herd companionship (with free access to shelter) and with constant access to hay or grazing, supplemented where necessary with a low energy meal and herbs for general health maintenance.
However, having said this, calming herbs can be a wonderful aid in many cases, such as for a horse that has been rescued from an abusive owner, or nervous association created by memory of a past accident, or perhaps even an upset on the physiological level such as chemical stress all of which can play havoc with a horse’s nervous reactions and general outlook on life. Hormonal imbalance too can have a direct influence on temperament and behaviour, and a course of calming herbs in combination with Chaste Tree berries (which have a hormonal normalizing effect), can permanently alter entrenched aggressive behaviour for the better.
No horse should need to remain on calming herbs indefinitely – they should not be needed for more than 3 consecutive months. This should be more than long enough to establish a good working relationship between horse and rider/handler, and rebalance the horse’s nervous system. The only exception to this principle is some racehorses. Some Thoroughbreds will take it all in their stride, and may actually enjoy the ultra competitiveness of their lifestyle, but for others the regular gallops, races, high energy diet and general hustle and bustle of a busy racing yard is just too much of a constant nervous stimuli, which reinforces high-strung behaviour. These horses can end up fretting weight off, jumping around and getting themselves into a lather, and wearing themselves
out before the race has even begun. Look at the “Vervain” section below to see how this herb can help this type of horse.
The most commonly used calming herbs for horses are Chamomile, Vervain, Valerian, Passiflora and Hops:
1) Chamomile – for horses that process their nerves through their gut – they are prone to diarrhoea when anxious or excited e.g. when going to a show. Another strong characteristic of a “Chamomile” type horse is to become very timid when going into new areas, becoming very “sticky” against the leg and uncertain of themselves, hanging back and preferring to follow a leader. They also easily become anxious and uncertain when learning something new. In other words, they operate very well and consistently until taken out of their “comfort zone”. They usually do well with a brave and consistent rider who can help give the horse the courage it lacks. Once they have formed a good relationship with their rider they cope much better and are more willing to try new things.
2) Vervain – the typical “Thoroughbred” type who prefers jogging rather than walking, tossing the head, sweating up, spooking at the slightest rustle in the grass and are constantly “on their nerves”. They are most likely to spook at the same object every time you pass it on a hack, no matter how many times they’ve already seen it. A “Vervain” type horse is said to process its nerves through the skin, and often have a twitchy and ticklish skin that is also sensitive to insect bites or other allergens. They respond well to creative and varied exercises in their schooling, which helps to keep their mind sufficiently busy that they forget about fretting! Trying to drill an exercise into a Vervain horse by, repeating it over and over again, will normally backfire. A Vervain type horse thrives with a calm and creative rider who won’t get annoyed with all the constant fussing.
3) Valerian – this type of horse processes its nerves through the muscles. A Valerian horse can look like he’s trotting around quite calmly, but the rider can feel the horse’s muscles bunching up underneath the saddle and the teeth grinding the bit. When the Valerian horse’s nerves finally get the better of him, he will most likely explode into a freestyle rodeo act, and once this has happened, it’s very difficult to get the horse to settle down again - he will most likely want to carry on bucking all the way home or for the rest of the schooling session. A chronically affected Valerian type horse will tend to have very compacted, dry stools as a result of tension in the muscles of the stomach wall, so Valerian also suits them particularly well as it is also a laxative. Valerian type horses need a competent rider with nerves of steel! If you can get a “Valerian” type horse through it’s difficult phase and forge a good partnership, you’ll most likely end up with an amazing horse with awesome athletic capability!
4) Hops - these horses process their nerves through their head. Their minds are constantly busy and they are easily distracted. With their scattered minds it’s difficult to teach them anything, and they don’t easily retain what they have learnt. Think of Hops as Ritalin for horses!
5) Passionflower – there isn’t a particular “Passiflora” type, but this herb helps to break negative ingrained behaviour and works synergistically with the other calming herbs.
You most likely will have noticed characteristics of your own horse in more than one of the above profiles, and that is absolutely normal, as many horses will show up as a combination of two or three of these main types. It’s fairly rare for a horse to fall solely into one category, although most horses will have a stronger tendency towards one or two of these types than any of the others.
6) Don’t forget the rider- the rider’s nerves will obviously have a direct affect on the horse, so if you are prone to “show jitters” you can help keep your own nerves under control with a few drops of Rescue Remedy on your tongue and a couple of drops of Lavendar oil applied to your pulse points!
118. Barefoot Trimming
Today Spices crack (which was only just dangling on yesterday) finally came off just in time for the trimmer to give it a trim so i am pleased to say they are looking a lot prettier. :) Now that the crack has grown out i expect and hope that Spice's lameness on that hoof will subside as otherwise it would indicate that there is another problem besides the crack which was causing her to be lame. :( However, having lost half of her heel and a chunk of her wall it is hardly surprising that she is tender on it. I would hope that by the end of the month she would be sound again (providing the hairline crack above, where the second abscess burst) does not turn into anything larger. Fingers crossed it doesn't!
I will be so glad when i can finally ride Spice out again. From my experience so far I would strongly suggest to anyone considering going barefoot to wait at least 3 months before riding out on roads and to only do this when they are sure the sole has grown thick enough to provide sufficient protection against punctures. I can't help but think that if it weren't for riding out barefoot so soon after Spice had her shoes removed none of the above would have happened. If i could go back in time i'd definitely have used hoof boots but...you live and you learn.
I found a brilliant website the other day which sells lots of natural based products specifically for barefoot hooves... http://www.barefootbasics.co.uk/products.htm
I will be so glad when i can finally ride Spice out again. From my experience so far I would strongly suggest to anyone considering going barefoot to wait at least 3 months before riding out on roads and to only do this when they are sure the sole has grown thick enough to provide sufficient protection against punctures. I can't help but think that if it weren't for riding out barefoot so soon after Spice had her shoes removed none of the above would have happened. If i could go back in time i'd definitely have used hoof boots but...you live and you learn.
I found a brilliant website the other day which sells lots of natural based products specifically for barefoot hooves... http://www.barefootbasics.co.uk/products.htm
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