A Locked Gate – This Way Gentlemen
As fox hunting season is start and polo season is wrapping up, this old print seemed appropriate to post.
The Truth about Bran
The Truth About Bran Dr. Jessica Dunbar, Littleton Large Animal Clinic, as previously featured in the Arapahoe Hunt Hunting Horn Some horse owners commonly use bran mashes (wheat bran) as a supplement feed for their horses. Bran is known for its high fiber content, but most of it is indigestible plant fiber including cell-wall lignan, cellulose and hemicellulose.[1] Used indiscriminately, wheat bran may cause mineral imbalances contributing to orthopedic problems, as well as digestive upset. Horses require more calcium in their diet than phosphorous. Bran provides approximately ten times the amount of phosphorus over calcium. [2][3] If used regulars, the excessive phosphorus will cause the body to take calcium from the bones, weakening the bone structure. This may lead to Nutritional Secondary Hyperparathyroidism or “Big Head Disease”.[4][5] Bran Ingested at less than 10% of the diet is safe.3 Some horse owners believe a bran mash can have a laxative effect or offers a way to rehydrate your horse after a trailer ride or long workout. In truth, bran fed infrequently represents a sudden change in the diet for gut microbes and may lead to mild gastrointestinal upset resulting and watery manure (diarrhea).1 Bran may be a way to encourage finicky eaters to eat and horses certainly enjoy the occasional mash, but simply be aware of the side effects of what bran fed at more than 10% of the diet. Smaller individual pre-packaged bran mashes are available so that owners need not buy bran in bulk.4 A healthy alternative to a wheat bran mash is Equine Senior. Warm water can be added to “senior” feed pellets to make a mash. [1] Kreitler, Bonnie. Rich, Ginger. Feeding Bran. www.animalnetwork.com. 2006. [2] Ralston, Sarah L. Nutrition of Horses
Bits-The Snaffle, the Pelham, and the Gag
I just read an article entitled "It's All About the Bit That Works Best For You." I couldn't disagree more, it's all about the bit that works best for your horse. Like all things American, we have gone crazy for the latest gadget when it comes to bits. Wilson Dennehy and Marvin Beeman only used two bits, a snaffle or a pelham, for show jumping, hunting and polo. Why? Because "I never found a horse that wouldn't go well in one or the other," they both independently said to me. As for the Snaffle, there are a few kinds worth mentioning. First, the Eggbutt Snaffle: The Eggbutt is a very common multi-discipline style of cheek piece for snaffle bits. The eggbutt snaffle minimizes two problems that can arise with its cousin, the loose ring snaffle, whose rings can pinch the edges of the horse's mouth, and which doesn't provide much lateral stabilization. By flaring out the ends of the mouthpiece and joining the rings with flush swivel joints above and below where the lips contact the edge of the bit, the eggbutt can be a more comfortable alternative for many horses. The edges of the mouthpiece are less likely to pinch the horse's lips, and because the cheek is fixed in relation to the mouthpiece, the bit offers moderate lateral control. When the bit is pulled laterally through the mouth, there is some resistance on the opposite side, which can help encourage the horse to turn with less danger of pulling the bit through the mouth than exists with a loose ring snaffle, though more than with a dee-ring or full cheek snaffle.By having rings fixed to the mouthpiece, the eggbutt does give up some
How to Blanket Your Horse for Winter or Rain
Blanket Size Examples Snickers 13.2 hands = 63" blanket Debon 15.3h = 74" blanket Dash, Rosa 76 Yukon 78 Reilly/River 16.3h = 82" blanket Blanketing 101 - Adapted to Colorado's Requirements, Mostly Taken From a Dover's Newsletter Here, in Colorado are the answers to these most commonly asked questions to help you make your horse comfortable this season. For blanket repairs and cleaning, we think that Kerry Martin, KLM Blanket Cleaning and Repair is the best that we have ever found and reasonably priced at (720) 341-4955. 1. Why so many blanket weights? Horse clothing manufacturers offer a range of weights in their blanket collections to allow the perfect choice for every horse based on its personal needs and its environmental conditions. The weight of a blanket refers to grams of poly fill between the inner and outer layers. The fill insulates a horse from the cold by trapping its body heat; the higher the number of grams of fill, the warmer and heavier the blanket will be. Lightweight turnout blankets from some manufacturers have 100 grams of fill in the center. Other manufacturers refer to their turnout sheets as lightweights, so be sure to take note of fill when shopping for a light blanket. Mid-weight or medium weight turnouts have 180 to 200 grams of fill. Heavyweight turnouts typically have 300 to 440 grams of fill. For Colorado, we recommend that you get a turnout sheet and a heavy weight waterproof turnout blanket. You can double layer them when it is really cold. If you don't have a groom that lives on site, the Horseware® HorsePal Monitor and App, exclusively FREE with a Rambo blanket purchase, can help you understand and predict your horse’s blanketing needs
Whitening Spray for Grey or Paint Horses
For keeping grey or paint ponies white, some swear by Orvus + blueing + oxyclean in water; rinse; ketchup soak; rinse; leave in conditioner. We like to use 1/3 wintergreen alcohol to 2/3 water in a spray bottle, with a few drops of cowboy magic shampoo into the bottle, is equally as good as any of the green spot removers. It's inexpensive, easy and very effective!
Short Legs, Big Fun article Covertside Magazine Summer 2015
Click this link for the full story: Short Legs Big Fun - Paradise Valley Beagles, Covertside Summer 2015
How to Shoe Your Horse Properly for Winter Conditions
This is a useful article this time of year, which interviews Marvin Beeman, DVM, MFH, on shoeing your horse for winter conditions, such as for foxhunting. It has instructions for your farrier, on both welded borium studs and borium tipped nails. Borium and borium nails are available from Oleo Acres: http://www.oleoacresfarriersupply.com/prod/nails.html We have had good luck with Duratrack Borium Nails, Mustad borium, or Capewell Borium head nails, but when it really snows in December-March (and more importantly when it melts but the North-facing slopes are slick), you'll be wishing you had the welded borium studs and not just the nails. "Borium" when people speak of "borium shoes" is tungsten carbide shaped into a soft steel rod. The rod is 1/8" to 1/4" thick. To apply borium to a shoe, you need a set of acetylene welding torches, welding glasses, welding gloves, a safe work area, and the skill and training to weld. To apply borium, your farrier will first shape the shoes to fit the hooves, just as you would for summer shoeing. Before you nail the shoes on, add the borium as follows: Stack the shoes on top of each other, which helps avoid wasting heat. As you add borium to the top shoe, the next shoe down heats up, as well. Work on one spot at a time. Add a spot of borium to each heel and two spots at the toe, just ahead of the first nail hole. Get the spot up to welding heat and heat the borium rod at the same time. When the steel begins to puddle, pull the welding tip away, adding borium as you go back and forth with the welding tip and the borium. For a little traction,
Looking to Get Your Kids Involved in Foxhunting?
Two new publications for juniors are now available from the Master's of Foxhounds of America! My First Foxhunt Coloring Book is a fun, illustrated coloring book for kids to learn about foxhunting. Visit the MFHA website or Facebook page each month for a "page-a-month" free download. The Kids' Guide to Foxhunting is a lighthearted introduction to what kids need to know to get involved and stars our favorite model. Order your copy today Click here for a free preview: MFHA Kids Book 10-17
favorite foxhunting tips and tricks
Tips on tying a stock tie or four-fold tie, notes on clipping horses, and how to care for your quality leather tack--- Here are three of our favorite tips and tricks for tying a stock tie or four-fold tie, notes on clipping horses, and how to care for your quality leather tack. How to Tie a Hunting Stock Notes on Clipping Horses by Dr. Beeman 2013 Notes on Clipping Horses from AH and Pony Club in Color The Care of Quality Leather Tack https://www.proequinegrooms.com/tips/clipping-your-horse/troubleshooting-horse-clipper-problems-and-how-fix-them/
For our older horse our vet recommends the use of both Adequan and Legend
Determining the appropriate medication to treat your horse's joint problems is a crucial part of treatment. Adequan and Legend are two drugs which are commonly used this link explains how they differ in a fabulous article by Craig Roberts, DVM, an equine veterinarian. Adequan works on the cartilage and Legend works on the ligaments. So for our older horses, Littleton Equine Medical Center recommends the use of both Adequan and Legend. We also give it to one polo pony who was born with some leg deformities with the legs not straightening due to tight ligaments that had surgery to correct. As for the Adequan, he gets 5cc's IM, in the muscle of his neck, one time every 4 days for 7 doses. After the last dose, repeat again three months later. As for Legend, you give that once a month, around the same time each month. It is 4cc's IV, in the neck. Consult your veterinarian, but we have found this regime works very well for our horse. They are happy to be back to work with Opening Day just behind us, which was a grand day behind a fast pack. Our farrier likes http://www.jefferspet.com/products/formula-707-joint-essentials as a less expensive option, but we feel the injectables are better absorbed. https://horsesidevetguide.com/drv/Observation/1253/lame-or-sore-after-farrier-visit/