Richard's Insights

How horses can withstand cold

Fri, 13 Oct 2023 03:10:18 GMT

How do horses stand the cold and not need rugging?

Horses have the ability to withstand the cold far better than us. There are several things about their bodies that come together to provide the horse with the ability to live in cold climates. We clever humans, with our high-tech fabrics still haven’t created anything to match the cold-beating mechanisms of the Horse.

Here’s how they do it.

Evolution

Humans originated in central Africa, our energy-neutral (no extra energy expended to maintain body temperature) range is about 10 to 29 degrees Celsius. Horses, on the other hand, evolved further north in higher elevations where it is extremely cold. Their energy-neutral range is about -9 to 15 degrees. That’s why our horses delight in weather that seems freezing to us. Our bodies are designed to dissipate heat, but horses are fabricated to produce and maintain it.

Digestion

The horse’s enormous digestive tract generates a large amount of heat while processing fibre.

Body Design

The blocky body, like moose, elk and other cold-weather herbivores, retains heat really well. The limbs of the horse have less muscle than humans, therefore need less blood and consequently lose less heat. The thick, roundish muzzle has a rich blood supply to withstand the cold. The very long journey that air takes from the nostrils to the lungs warms the cold air on the way.

When they need to warm up

Of course horses aren’t completely cold resistant. Sometimes certain factors can rob them of body heat and they need to warm up. The obvious first solutions are turning rumps to the wind, getting closer to herd buddies, seeking shelter or moving more. If these behavioural responses fail, the body has some mechanisms to cope.

Shivering

This extremely fast tensing and relaxing of the heavy muscle groups quickly heats up the body. Horses are superb at shivering; it’s more comfortable for them to shiver than it is for humans.

Heat Exchange

In extreme cold, the blood takes a detour to deep under the skin, close to the arteries. Blood returning to the heart and lungs is warmed by the outgoing arteries preventing cold blood from penetrating the core.

Piloerection

Each hair follicle has a muscle attached to the base of it, which lifts the hairs up to create an insulating layer of air between the skin and hair. Rugs prevent this from happening by flattening the hair follicles and eventually the muscles atrophy.

Shutting off circulation to the extremities

Shunts open up in the feet so that blood flows from the smallest arteries directly into larger veins, called venules, without passing through the capillaries. After the feet have warmed sufficiently, the shunts close again to restore nutritive capillary flow. Shunts are also used in the tail and ears.

Metabolism

As cold continues to stress the body, the thermo-regulatory centres turn their attention to generating more internal heat, sending out messages to the adrenal glands to boost core metabolism.

Acclimatisation

The horse prepares for the cold long before winter, right after the longest day of the year. Receptors in the eyes (and other parts of the body) relay information to the brain. This triggers the release of hormones to prepare the coat for winter. During the autumn, ambient temperature determines how long and thick the horse's winter coat grows. If he is exposed only to warm air or is rugged or stabled, the winter coat will grow in only slightly heavier than the summer coat. On the other hand, if it’s exposed to extreme cold during this time, the coat will be correspondingly thick and long. Your horse's winter coat consists of different kinds of hairs that together create a loft within a layer of body-warmed air next to the skin. The downward tilt of the hairs deflects falling rain before they reach the skin and directs them to the hair tips, from which they fall to the ground. As the temperature drops, the horse's appetite and calorie intake increase boosting heat-generating digestion and metabolism. On the cellular level, heat-generating metabolism is also increased for the winter. As cold sets in for the long term, the hypothalamus signals the pituitary to release thyrotropin or thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). Reaching the thyroid gland in the neck, TSH triggers the release of thyroid hormones that slowly boost metabolism for the winter months. The impact of all these changes is a marvel of thermo-regulation. Efficiently generating more heat while increasing his layers of insulation, the acclimatized horse has greatly improved his ability to tolerate cold. It will take a really severe cold spell to force him to resort to fuel burning and other emergency warming responses like shivering.

Thrush in Hooves

Fri, 13 Oct 2023 02:58:29 GMT

Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention

Equine hoof thrush stinks and it’s a smell I have to deal with every day and I’d rather not!

There are claims that over 90% of domestic horses have an active infection in their feet. That may seem high but most horses I encounter have some form of thrush – some mild, some severe – and the daily smell on my hands and boots tends to agree with statistics.

Thrush is so common and yet seems to be accepted. Why is it an issue? It causes PAIN when it eats deep enough into the hoof. Once it becomes painful, horses will exhibit heel pain, tenderness and eventually lameness. Once it gets to this stage, it is much more difficult to clear. Prevention and maintenance are the key.

Does my horse have thrush?

Thrush is a very common anaerobic bacterium found in the soil and is everywhere horses are kept. It thrives in damp environments like stable floors, poorly kept outdoor yards, paddock shelters, gateways and resting areas. The land becomes saturated with high concentrations of urine and manure. Add in incorrect hoof form and high sugar feeds and you create the perfect environment in hooves for thrush to thrive.

How do you know it’s thrush?

Thrush does not always have a textbook presentation of black paste with a super bad smell. While this is an advanced form there are moderate forms that can cause poor hoof health and eventually affect the body due to pain posture and incorrect movement.

In early stages it begins with flaky sole with shiny black areas along the wall sole connection. Thrush can affect the frog in the collateral grooves and/or central sulcus, the bulbs, the white line and even the sole.

What do you see?

When cleaning and inspecting your horse’s feet, is the foot the picture of health with a clean distinction between parts: wide, thick, calloused uniform frogs that blend into wide, smooth heel bulbs – smooth, shiny soles – clear white line connections? Or maybe you see some warning signs of a foot susceptible to thrush: chalky, flakey sole – tattered, black frog – deep crevices that trap manure and bedding? There should be no flinching when you poke the hoof pick around the frog.

What do you feel?

Does the foot clean easily almost as if it’s self cleaning? Is the sole hard and shiny or chalky and sticky? Is there soft black material in deep cracks and grooves? When you press on the frog is it strong and super firm like a rubber mat or is it weak and soft?

What do you smell?

Healthy hooves don’t smell or perhaps smell like dirt. Does your hoof pick come away smelling foul? That’s bad thrush. Common, but NOT normal .

Factors to minimize thrush

There are factors predisposing your horse to thrush. A horse presenting thrush possibly has a compromised immune system. Elderly and ill horses will nearly always have thrush but the following are also factors:

Overgrown and possibly shod feet are more likely to develop thrush due to the hoof shape and less circulation. A good barefoot trim creates a more self cleaning foot and promotes blood flow and hoof function which helps eradicate thrush.
A high sugar or concentrate diet encourages the growth of thrush. Many horses are over-supplemented with processed feeds/grains and other ‘additives’. Feeding a simple diet of a multiple species low starch meadow hay improves health and strengthens the immune system. Mineral balance is important as well. You may need to supplement with a high amount of copper and zinc in the correct ratios.

Lack of movement.

Stabled horses or horses in small yards/paddocks are at a higher risk. Urine is very concentrated, the stable bedding or the yard dirt soaks up the caustic urine and of course then the horse stands on it. More movement (bigger living areas and herd mates to keep each other moving) with a correct barefoot trim ensures better circulation.

Environment

If you can create some areas where there is better drainage in paddocks i.e. installing crusher dust, road base, pea gravel or any rocks the hooves will self clean and dry out.

It’s not about how wet it is!

No matter how wet it is outside thrush will not thrive in a healthy functioning hoof in a horse with correct mineral balance and strong immune system. I see many horses living in extremely wet paddocks without thrush, including my own.

Cleaning

Picking out the hoof as often as possible will help a lot to prevent thrush. Heavy clay soils are the worst for staying in the hoof and creating a perfect environment for thrush to hide and flourish. Most people don’t pick out the hooves well. It actually takes a bit of effort! Pay close attention to the collateral grooves and get ALL the dirt out of them including under the flaps near the heels.

Treatment and Maintenance

To treat thrush, you can use a variety of treatments.
For prevention, I like a strong apple cider vinegar based product. This should be used daily at first and then every few days for maintenance. For kick starting treatment of severe cases products that are zinc based work quite well. There are many other products that also work. I have heard that different areas have different bacteria in the soil. You may need to consider trying a product and if there is no improvement with two weeks of diligent use, then you need to change to a different active ingredient.

The ultimate goal is to prevent thrush. With treatment and a change in management practices, hopefully I won’t have to come home stinking ever again!

Hoof Abscesses

Thu, 12 Oct 2023 04:17:38 GMT

Diagnosis, Cause and Treatment

The horse in this photograph was suddenly non weight bearing on his off hind and I suspected an abscess. He is very lame, unable to bear weight, only the toe is touching the ground.

Unlike skin and other soft tissues, the hoof wall cannot expand to accommodate a buildup of fluid beneath the surface. So the accumulation of fluid causes pain. It also causes an area of separation between the sole or hoof wall and the pedal bone.

The increased pressure of pus collecting within the hoof capsule causes significant pain. The pus will take the path of least resistance to relieve the pressure and if left untreated, will usually work its way up the hoof wall, breaking out at the coronary band or the bulbs of the heel.

Diagnosis

An abscess close to bursting will present as quite sudden, severe lameness. The horse will barely be able to put any weight on the affected hoof. If you haven’t seen this before, it’s common to panic and think the horse has a broken leg! There may be some swelling and heat in the lower leg with the bigger abscesses. There is usually a warm area somewhere on the hoof. My advice is always to call the vet if you are really worried but once you’ve seen a few abscesses people will often treat it as one for a few days to a week and "see what happens". Some smaller infections inside the hoof can cause low grade lameness for many weeks without developing further. Any lameness that’s been going on for a couple of weeks or more should be investigated by a veterinarian.

Cause

Most commonly, an abscess is caused by bacteria entering the hoof via cracks, defects and holes in the white line (lamina layer) of the hoof.

They can also be caused by something sharp penetrating the sole and also by bruising. Often, if bruising is the cause, the tissue in the area dies off because of lack of blood flow and pressure. Once blood flow is restored, the dead tissue is carried by pus via the weakest exit point to the outside.

Abscessing can occur anywhere in the hoof. In my experience, they are most often seen as starting in a bar crack and exiting out the heel bulb.

Treatment

Occasionally I will find an abscess very close to the solar (ground) surface which can easily be helped along by opening it with my knife and relieving the pressure. Then we need to keep it draining for a few days, also keeping it clean and dry and treated with an antiseptic.

Usually however, there is nothing obvious from the outside. There is often a warm spot somewhere on the hoof. At this point I will use a poultice. I use a ready made poultice.They are dipped in water and then wrapped around the whole hoof making sure to include the heels and coronary band. The poultice encourages the abscess to exit the path of least resistance by softening the easiest areas usually the heel bulbs or coronary band. The poultice is then wrapped in cohesive bandage with a bit of duct tape around the toe area for durability.

After Bursting

You will know when the abscess has burst and the pressure relieved because the horse will be immediately less lame. There will be an area where there is a smelly discharge. At the heel bulbs this sometimes looks like a weepy graze. On the coronary band it looks like a horizontal split at the hairline. In the sole it will be a circular area and bloody. There is no mistaking that abscess smell! Usually the horse will be fully sound within a few days.

While waiting for an abscess to burst we follow these steps as well. We do not give "bute" for pain relief, we do not lock him up with food and water at his feet. We do leave him out with his companions as normal. The anti-inflammatory bute will slightly shrink the abscess and reduce the pressure in there. That doesn’t remove the infection but only serves to delay the rupturing of it. We want that pressure to build up to maximum so that it has nowhere to go but out. Movement also helps to burst the abscess. Standing around not using the limb will also delay the bursting.

When to call the Veterinarian

If you are concerned about your horses’ health please do not hesitate to call your Veterinarian.If the lameness hasn’t resolved in a week or two please refer to your Veterinarian. Anything more sinister will need to be ruled out (for example pedal bone infections). In my experience, abscesses can take anywhere from 24 hours to 3 months to burst but most will within a week.

Prevention

The main aim of abscess prevention is to prevent inflammation and separation of the lamina, therefore maintaining a tight white line connection which will keep the bugs out in the first place.A healthy, functional hoof will rarely abscess. The following measures will all help achieve that goal.

Feed a diet low in starch (sugars)
Feed a suitable mineral supplement
Frequent correct trimming
Thrust prevention
Plenty of movement

These are big topics in themselves, but I am happy to discuss these with you personally until I write the respective articles!

Disclaimer

This article is based on my own training and experiences as a Natural Hoof Care Practitioner. Please follow my advice at your own risk! Always refer to a Veterinarian or do your own research if you have any doubts.

Treeless Saddles - Why and How?

Fri, 15 Sep 2023 03:02:26 GMT

Why saddles with trees can be a fitting nightmare

The article below was written by Jenny many years ago. These days we commonly use Freeform Treeless Saddles for starting and training horses. And yes, Richard has hunted in a treeless Ghost Saddle!

Many riders have had problems with saddle fit at one time or another. It is a common topic on among horse owners, you can see it daily on the various horse forums, and it is not unusual for some people to spend huge amounts of money on one saddle after another that just do not work for their horses even though they may have been professionally fitted to the horse. Even a made-to-measure saddle can fail to fit!

How can this happen ? The main reason is that a traditional treed saddle is fitted to a static (not moving) horse. This is highly deceptive and does not allow for a moving back and shoulders.

Also, horses change shape a lot during their lifetime with growth, weight and muscling altering from week to week in some cases. These changes mean that the fitted treed saddle would need to be adjusted whenever a body fluctuation takes place.

So, how, and why does the tree cause problems for the horse ?

The tree points extend down either side of the pommel arch. It is made of steel and the points are shaped like butter knives. It is obvious that they can cause pressure, digging into the muscles. Long term damage can extend to nerve damage and muscle atrophy, specifically the trapezius muscle. As the horse turns and bends, the tree points dig in and this is a problem with any horse, even narrow ones.

As the horse moves, the shoulder blade (scapula) moves backwards and forwards. When it is furthest back, the top of the scapula pushes against the tree point. This will actually push the tree across the back at an angle.

There is a myriad of ways that the tree can cause pain and damage to the horse during motion. The most common saddle fit problems that can be solved by treeless saddles are – bridging; squashed shoulders from tight gullet; loin damage from too long panels; pressure points to top of scapula; wither damage from no wither clearance; pressure from saddles that roll on flat backed horses; and more!

Pain in the horse is shown in various ways. Some horses are stoic and things must get really bad before they will show their discomfort. Some horses are good communicators and will let you know straight away. Unfortunately, their way of communicating to us is often thought to be “naughtiness.” They are then forced to accept the discomfort by training. Usually, the more advanced trained horses will not show their discomfort until it become extreme because they dare not.

Any undesirable behaviours might be a sign of pain – check it out before you accuse the horse of being naughty.

But weren’t trees invented for a good reason?

Most people would guess that trees in saddles are there to protect the horses back and distribute the rider’s weight evenly.

The actual reason is to help keep the riders on the horse during combat. Stirrups were first made in around 300 AD to better keep the riders on the horses. By 600 AD the saddles were made large enough to carry a massive knight in amour and all his weapons. The tree was necessary to hold the stirrups securely and stop the saddle from slipping under the weight of the soldier. The next step was the stuffing which protected the horse from the tree.

The weight distribution aspect is a trick – it is impossible if you put an unyielding, stiff object between two mobile creatures.

How can a treeless saddle work for horse and rider?

Treeless saddles are constructed of several layers of leather, foam, synthetic fur, and other shock absorbing materials. The saddle molds softly around the horses’ body and follows every move, without restriction. The horse’s stride lengthens and the movement of the shoulders and back is free and more powerful as the horse moves forward with more relaxation and ease.

The rider sits nicely ‘on’ and not above the horse, gaining a very close contact and intimate connection with the animal. Balance, harmony and improved comfort for horse and rider, are the most obvious advantages for the rider.

The soft structure and flexibility of our saddles enables the horse to move without losing its natural grace, allowing full ‘range of movement’ while carrying the rider. The horses back can arch and thus enhances vertical and lateral movement of the thoracic vertebral column. The rider is placed right behind the wither therefore avoiding pressure on the loins while allowing full range of movement of the shoulder blades. This way the riders’ weight is carried without causing pain, discomfort, and damage to the horse's body.

The horse should ideally not have any weight bearing beyond T14 but definitely no saddle should load the horses loin area behind the last rib (T 18) The area on the horse's back equipped to carry us the most comfortably is between the 9th and 14th thoracic vertebrae, this area is in fact a lot smaller than most of us think. This is particularly true if you own a horse that is short in the back. The further we move away from the horse's centre of gravity the more likely it is that soundness problems will occur.

Treeless saddles wraps the rider’s weight around the horse’s centre of gravity. If you look at your buttocks and upper thighs and compare the size of that area with the panels of a treed saddle you might find that the treeless rider actually distributes their weight over a larger area than the rider in a conventional saddle.

What about protecting the spine of the horse?

The seat bones of the rider are naturally positioned to the left and right of the horse’s spinous processes and not on top. Additionally, the cushioned saddle sitting area plus the therapeutic saddle pad and the panels of the saddles protect both horse and rider from pressure spots. Treeless saddles have been used by endurance riders for close to 20 years in Europe and the US. You can trust that it is in fact a myth that we need lots of clearance over the horse’s spine, as long as there is no direct pressure on the dorsal processes no harm is done. Thermal imaging and high-tech pressure tests of our saddle brands have shown that there is no pressure directly on the spine provided they are used as recommended. The Barefoot saddles also give excellent wither clearance and they have a smart in-built panel system to generate spinal clearance, they are therefore also recommended for high withered horses in combination with a special saddle pad. Some horses are very sensitive and / or have missing topline, and there are a number of options available to pad under the saddle to suit.

What does it feel like to ride treeless?

That depends on the brand but some of the softer saddles it is similar to bareback riding, only more comfortable and safer in that the rider is supported by the front and rear raised parts of the saddle and fenders or stirrup leathers are usually attached, but they are removable.

Other treeless saddles feel more like a normal saddle to the rider but it provides a better contact and all the other benefits of a treeless saddle. Some saddles have a twist more similar to a conventional English saddle and therefore the adjustment for the rider is minimal. In these saddles you will not sit as wide which makes it also suitable for riders with impaired hip joints.

Provided you have a well-fitting set up, treeless riding is the most comfortable way to be on a horse, comfier than riding bareback and once you have ridden in one for a while you will be surprised how uncomfortable, hard, and rigid your former favourite traditional saddle now feels. You will be amazed at how you feel that you are sitting “on” your horse and can feel every movement of the back and really be part of your horse.

Are there any restrictions to the using these saddles?

A treeless saddle should only be used with a special additional pressure-absorbing underlay at all times. This underlay needs to have top quality shock absorption, a contoured shape allowing for the horses wither, it needs to create a channel over the spine and it must be made from a breathing skin friendly material. The harder you work your horse the better the padding needs to be.

Some brands have weight restrictions so be aware of this and be honest about your weight!

Some brands of saddles have restrictions on how high you can jump in them, most are fine up to 1 metre so if you wish to jump higher, enquire about the jumping restrictions.

Some saddles do not have a narrow twist therefore you are sitting as wide as your horse really is. Rule of thumb is, if you are comfortable on your horse riding bareback you will be comfortable in the saddle.

Beginner riders would be well advised to take riding lessons with a good instructor; it is simply fairer on the horse and a lot safer for the rider. Dressage is the foundation to any style of riding, so it is the best place to start. Beware of instructors who will ask you to nag your horse rather than to help you to improve your balance, aids, and timing re-release of pressure. Generally, we find the best instructors have a back ground in classical dressage or centred riding techniques. The treeless saddles can be a wonderful training aid in learning a very good seat and to teach you sensitivity to your horse’s movement. You will have a definite advantage in these saddles due to the close contact and you will therefore learn faster than in a treed saddle. You are not held in a position but will learn to carry your own bodyweight in a balanced way which your present and future horses will appreciate.

It is recommended using a well-fitting breastplate with all saddles they should be especially for hill work. A breastplate will stop your saddle slipping sideways or back in hilly terrain and works like a safety belt in case you are riding with a loose girth. Terrible accidents with all sorts of saddles could have been prevented if only the rider had remembered to put that breastplate on. To ride endurance without breastplate means asking for trouble and there are discussions going on to make the use of them compulsory.

Endurance riders and others that spend long hours in the saddle will have special requirements – talk to the supplier to make sure your needs are met.

Not all “Treeless” Saddles are the same!

A treeless saddle, when set up incorrectly, when it is badly designed or lacking the right type of underlay can create numerous problems for your horse’s back. Not all treeless saddles are created equal and the right underlay is extremely important.

Treeless saddles are gaining appreciation by riders and their horses worldwide and are now found in international competitions of most equestrian disciplines. Treeless saddles were officially approved for EA competitions in Australia in February 2006. Treeless saddles are taking Europe, the US and Australia by storm because of the great design, versatility, and the affordable price.

Shoes for Laminitis - Yes or No?

Wed, 13 Sep 2023 02:26:05 GMT

Shoes for Laminitis - Yes or No?

“There was instant relief after the shoes were applied” “the shoes have made her so much more comfortable” “he’s not in pain anymore with the heart-bar shoes on”

These and other similar statements are often heard from horse owners, farriers and Veterinarians alike after shoeing a horse with laminitis. It may be standard shoes or a special “therapeutic” shoe.

It can be difficult to dispute such clear clinical evidence because the horse will seem to walk off pain free after shoeing but it’s not the relief you think it is! As you will read below, it’s only masking the pain and possibly causing more damage.

This is a dangerous situation because they could then move more and faster than the recovering tissue can handle. The apparent benefit of being pain free in the short term will be compensated for by a prolongation of the problem in the long term. In our trimming practice, we see and hear of many horses whose condition deteriorated over several months in shoes (especially the therapeutic kind) and everyone is scratching their heads not understanding how that could have happened. We have also met several horses with laminitis who just lay down and gave up once shoes were nailed on and the shoes had to be urgently removed.

One real case study was Joseph, who was already shod but started to get footsore and was diagnosed with laminitis in November (late spring). Joseph’s owner was advised to keep working him to reduce his weight and vaguely to “cut down” his feed. Joseph was also prescribed phenylbutazone (Bute) daily. So the diligent owner kept riding him until 3 months later he got worse and she organised more radiographs. The deterioration inside the hoof capsule over the 3 months was very significant. The pedal bone rotation had gone from zero to 15 degrees! The farrier came along and recommended heart bar shoes to “support the bone from rotating further”. Luckily for Joseph, his owner called us. We removed the shoes and the CAUSE of the laminitis, which was his diet, supplied boots and pads, stopped the use of BUTE, implemented hand walking and now 3 months from our first appointment he is moving soundly barefoot and ready to get back to riding.

There have been many others, including some who sadly didn’t make it because wedged shoes were applied which resulted in pedal bone penetration of sole and subsequent infections.

On the other hand, we have rehabilitated many cases without shoes and often if it’s one of our existing clients, it’s all over and done with by the next trim.

So WHY do shoes cause more harm, specifically to hooves affected with laminitis?

What are the disadvantages of shoes which make us so strongly discourage their use?

Causes a reduction in the effect of healthy hoof mechanism – this means it limits the supply and transfer of blood in the hoof or in other words less circulation having a numbing affect (therefore shows less pain)

Frequent trims to facilitate re alignment are impossible with a shoe

Causes increase of vibrations affecting the whole leg.

Decreases natural shock absorption

Lengthens break-over of stride, causing strain

Affects the growth of the healthy tissue as new connection grows in

Changes to sole sensitivity are harder to notice with a shoe on (because it’s lifted off the ground), therefore progress or deterioration can’t be monitored easily.
Frogs will atrophy due to reduced pressure which can then become painful and cause toe first landing on a compromised toe area
The sole will become soft and weak due to lack of stimulation
Shoes prescribed with wedges aim to raise the heels to relieve tension on the deep digital flexor tendon, but doing so, will increase the pressure on the tip of the pedal bone and the lamellar connection at the front of the hoof – causing more pain and disruption to the new attachment of lamella. The pulling of the tendon is not the whole reason for pedal bone rotation, it’s equally the bond of the lamina to bone and extensor tendon.
Fungal and bacterial infections enter through nail holes
Nailing to a separated wall causes it to become weaker
Restricts the transport of nutrients and removal of toxins. Infections can result.

The 5 Freedoms of Animal Welfare

Sat, 13 Jun 2020 06:38:30 GMT

How Train Teach Trim Operates within the Welfare Guidelines

Are you aware of the Five Freedoms in the Animal Welfare Act? This Blog explains how we interpret these and put them into practice in our daily dealings with our own and clients’ horses. They are:

Freedom from hunger and thirst: by providing enough fresh water and the right type and amount of food to keep them fit.
Freedom from discomfort: by making sure that animals have the right type of environment, including shelter and somewhere comfortable to rest.
Freedom from pain, injury and disease: by preventing them from getting ill or injured and by making sure animals are diagnosed and treated rapidly if they do. Animals should have access to veterinary care when needed.
Freedom from fear and distress: by making sure their conditions and treatment avoid mental suffering.
Freedom to behave normally: by making sure animals have enough space, proper facilities and the company of other animals of their own kind.

Number 1 Freedom of the Animal Welfare Act is “Freedom from Hunger and Thirst : by providing enough fresh water and the right type and amount of food to keep them fit”. Now this can sound very straightforward but it’s easy to get it wrong and is a massive topic. Here at TTT :

· We ensure that horses in our care have 24/7 low ESC+starch grass hay, plus grazing. If they are losing weight we might add in some higher calorie hay such as lucerne or a cereal hay.

· The most important part is that it’s 24/7 low starch, high fibre “trickle feeding” as suits horses digestive systems.

· We have in our training contract that if owners wish their horse to have a bucket feed, that they must supply that as an extra, and we are happy to give them whatever is instructed.

· We will contact the owner and suggest a more energy dense bucket feed if the horse is losing weight on hay/grass.

· Our own horses have a small feed of rinsed and soaked beet pulp, lucerne chaff, salt, a custom mineral mix and some have other supplements as needed for joint and gut health.

· Our horses, if in work, will have soaked, cracked lupins added and we give whole oats after hard work.

· Of course, we always have fresh water available.

· We have heard recently of a trainer using feed/water restriction as a training tool – that is cruel and unnecessary and would never, ever happen here.

Number 2 Freedom of the Animal Welfare Act is “Freedom from Discomfort by making sure that animals have the right type of environment, including shelter and somewhere comfortable to rest.”

This one is fairly simple- here at TTT:

· Horses are paddocked with a suitable companion, not yarded or stabled, with room to browse and move around. There’s soft sand to sleep on, trees for shelter and a lovely outlook.

Number 3 Freedom of the Animal Welfare Act is “Freedom from pain, injury and disease: by preventing them from getting ill or injured and by making sure animals are diagnosed and treated rapidly if they do. Animals should have access to veterinary care when needed.”

This one is not as straightforward as it seems and is closely linked to Number 1 and 4. Here at TTT:

· Equipment is tailored for the comfort of each horse, not for the trainers’ comfort, to eliminate pain from ill-fitting equipment.

· We never hit or beat a horse with anything.

· We never tie up their legs or similar acts which cause pain and injury.

· We don’t work horses to exhaustion or expect paces that they are not physically ready for.

· The environment is free from hazards and as safe as we can make it to minimise risk of injuries.

· We ask owners to have their horses in good condition upon arrival, with their teeth and worming recently attended to and with full disclosure of previous injuries, illness and disease.

· We only provide companions which are suitable for settling new horses, not those which will harass or are aggressive.

· We feed as per Freedom Number 1 to keep the horses healthy

· Owners are notified immediately of any health concerns and our contract states that we will call a Veterinarian anyway if we deem it necessary but we can’t reach the owner first.

Number 4 Freedom of the Animal Welfare Act is “Freedom from fear and distress: by making sure their conditions and treatment avoid mental suffering”.

This one is also complicated and very much open to interpretation. Here at TTT:

· Our training method keeps the horses stress levels under their fear threshold. The physical signs of stress have been identified and well documented by the equestrian science community and because of our extensive experience we are able to immediately identify the symptoms of stress. Anything that escalates stress and adrenaline is counter-productive to good learning.

· We don’t implement some common and popular training methods that can cause fear and distress. For example, excessive use of the round pen; excessive circling/lunging; use of restraints e.g. hobbles, side reins and the like; excessive use of lateral movements, etc.

· We aim for calm at all times and achieve this by breaking down training outcomes into individual elements, then establishing one outcome at a time until it is thoroughly understood. Richard’s Passive Focus Exercise is one way to attain calm.

· We do not progress to faster gaits until we have established good responses to our aids in the slower paces and until the horse has developed good strength and balance. This ensures smooth transitions, communication and minimum stress at all paces.

Some points are copied from Freedom Number 3 as they overlap, i.e. physical and mental suffering can be caused by the same thing -

· Equipment is tailored for the comfort of each horse, not for the trainers’ comfort, to eliminate pain (and distress) from ill-fitting equipment.

· We never hit or beat a horse with anything (causes pain and distress)

· We never tie up their legs or similar acts which cause pain and injury (and distress)

· We don’t work horses to exhaustion or expect paces that they are not physically ready for.

· We only provide companions which are suitable for settling new horses, not those which will harass or are aggressive.

Number 5 Freedom of the Animal Welfare Act is “Freedom to behave normally: by making sure animals have enough space, proper facilities and the company of other animals of their own kind.”

This one overlaps and encompasses the first 4 Freedoms. So, as a summary, here at TTT:

· Horses have 24/7 spacious paddock living with grazing or ad-lib mixed species grass hay

· They have carefully matched companions

· They have trees and valleys for shelter

· They are very closely observed throughout the day (and we can hear them at night)

· We are extremely experienced and notice the tiniest issues before they escalate

· We are educated in nutrition, hoof care, conformation and riding disciplines

· Emotional, mental and physical health of the horses is our number 1 priority

Richard van Dijk & Jenny Austin

SOMETIMES HOOF TRIMMING HAS TO WAIT

richard@trainteachtrim.com.au (Richard van Dijk) — Wed, 17 Aug 2016 21:05:32 GMT

Get the job done despite the dangers and bad habits, or make life easier for everyone in the long term?

Recently, a horse arrived here for starting to saddle. She arrived with long feet in need of a trim. I was itching to get them done but it wasn’t that simple!

One of the first issues I found when I began to handle her was problems with leg handling. When trying to lift up a front foot, she would be inclined to paw the air and just touching or brushing a hind leg was a cue for her to walk away. She had obviously had her feet trimmed many times before she came to me but I was easily able to guess how she had been handled for previous hoof trims. I asked the owner “did the previous hoof care professional use force rather than training to get the job done? Force such as keeping the leg held up with brute strength and encouraging her to hop away, then moving with the horse until it was up against the rail or building?” The client said “Yes! That’s exactly what happened!

The previous hoof care professional had kind of got the job done but the owner was unable to pick up the feet for cleaning, etc. because the horse either planted it’s feet or just moved away. This kind of forced trimming, among other kinds such as tying the legs up, helps the hoof care professional get the job done at the time but it doesn’t teach the horse to stand still and hold the leg up for anyone else who may not be as strong. It also does not teach the horse to balance and lift its own leg for you. The horse is inclined to still lean on people and give a lot of resistance to lifting. Who wants to work against the horse like that? Certainly not me!

We want to teach the horse to work with us, making life easier for us and less stressful for the horse. As a hoof care professional, I can do also do a much better trimming job when the horse is standing still and balanced rather than when I’m fighting it. Fighting horses damages my body and many hoof care professionals have to prematurely retire due to bad backs/knees/hips/shoulders from fighting horses who won’t cooperate.

I believe the key is in the training but this means a bit of patience. The trimming can wait!

There are other benefits to owners of being able to handle the horses’ legs and pick up their feet easily and safely. For example, if you are riding down the road and the hoof picks up a stone, the horse needs to be able to stand still and lift its leg to get the stone out easily.

With this particular young horse, I knew I needed to train her to cooperate with me before I even attempted to trim her feet and put myself at risk.

I was able to train her without tying her legs up with hobbles or any other such restraining devices. I feel that these methods also just teach a horse to stand on three legs and not keep still and lift a leg in a balanced way on command. It’s also not convenient for us to use straps whenever we want to achieve stillness.

How I started was to simply reinforcing standing - just standing still while I groomed her. I brushed down her legs and if she moved I would reach up to the lead rope and put her back in the original place also using a verbal command “stand”.

I did this on a daily basis until the horse felt relaxed and calm and allowed me to brush her legs without moving. Soon she let me brush her legs without moving away and it was only after this was achieved that I attempted to lift the legs. I also do the legs in the same order every day because horses are creatures of habit and routine which makes them feel confident and relaxed.

Once I got to the leg lifting stage, I engaged an assistant to help balance the horse and lighten weight on the leg I wanted to lift making it clearer and easier for her to understand what I required. I would lift for just a moment and then put it down gently. Always during these sessions, I kept to the same order and routine.

I would then do ground work with the horse (more about this in later blogs) and groom her at the finish, again picking up her feet.

Now, I can ask her to stand and lift her legs wherever I am, always making sure that first she is balanced in such a way that lifting the correct leg is easy for her, rather than me doing the work of lifting it. Once the horse was able to do this, she was ready to trim and I could do a better job too.

Persistence and routine is the key to this leg training. This filly has now gone home with lovely feet and her owner is able to handle them easily.