This page
is devoted to the education of Horse People everywhere, in the hope that
one small thing learnt will improve the life of their horse.
If I
'get up your nose', ignore it. I say things with a 'glint in the eye'
and mean the best for you and your horses.
**
ALL PHOTOS ON THIS SITE ARE FREE TO USE.
Turn up the volume
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Sept 07
Ranked 4th in the World - Horse Training.
18th January, 2008
Horses never cease to amaze
me. I adjourned to the Round Pen to commence
teaching the young horse to 'leg yield'. Remember my
DVD, "Train the Leg Yield in 2 days" :) Well try 5
minutes!! Then 5 minutes walking around the Show
Jumping Arena, leg yielding to avoid Jumps, then leg
yielding at the trot on the good side, 5 minutes
walking on bad side then leg yielding with flexion
and off the inside leg at the trot. Then to teach
him what a Canter transition may be. Walk to canter
immediately, both ways, round through the
transitions, balanced, flexed, off the inside leg
and no incorrect leads. Total 20 minutes. Try
teaching that to a Human. I'm so glad the owner
videoed it so she can look back and remember just
how smart her Horse is :) It shouldn't be possible
but this horse made it. This is him 8 months ago.
Here is another video sent
to me by an American person and if you are a softy,
don't look at it.
Well Skipa and Shark, no
arguments this time I am sad to say. In this day and
age, blatant idiotism, Red Rag to a Bull, asking for
the Sport to get banned, cruelty to Animals and
should have been subject to charges by the Welfare
Authorities. Yes, I know, they were trying to remove
the Animal from the arena to protect the Bleeding
Hearts in the Crowd, well if they go to a Rodeo they
automatically qualify to be made to cope with the
reality of what should happen in a case like this.
The Horse should simply have been left standing by
the chutes, a shroud quickly brought out and shot
dead via the brain and then removed. The announcer
should have leveled with the Crowd as they are not
blind. What are these
Organizers thinking? Do they think they are fooling
the Crowd? Shark with the video camera? Once again,
bad Executive decisions, sickening acts of cruelty
and they sure as Hell don't qualify to be true
Cowboys who put he Horse first. Putting horses
first means going the 'hard yards' Hard Yards in
this case means killing the horse, let's call it
what it is. They were just covering their big fat
asses in a way that is a complete insult to the
intelligence of anyone watching. They proved
themselves heartless and stupid. Another nail in the
coffin of Rodeo :( They may as well go pay their
Membership to Shark as they are the greatest
supporters of the anti rodeo lobby. Incidentally,
this training horses to drag calves 20 metres
sideways to the Cowboy who is normally too bloody
fat these days to walk there, adds tremendously to
the cruelty. Another stupid Executive decision. If
any Ranch of people who rely upon the Industry for
the living ever reads this, which I doubt, kick out
who ever is running your Sport, become honest and
stop trying to pull the con. You ain't smart enough.
That is proven with every video taken. do the
right thing or you are doomed.!!!!
EFA (SA) is very pleased to advise PIRSA has
implemented changes to the Permit System to what has
been proposed and lobbied for by this office.
The changes will come into force on 1 February 2008
and include:
Moving from a permit system for events to an Event
Registration system (all gatherings of more than 10
horses from two or more properties) with
participants completing an Event Participant
Declaration;
Freeing up horse movements between the green zones
of New South Wales and Queensland into South
Australia (allowed under permit with a relaxation of
pre and post entry arrival requirements)
Organisers must register events with PIRSA and
people attending events must complete and hand in an
Event Participant Declaration (EPD) or a Horse
Health Statement (HHS) if travelling from
interstate, on arrival at the venue. Appropriate
biosecurity measures will still be required at all
events. Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Rob Rahaley said
that it was pleasing to be able to relax
requirements but warned that the equine influenza (EI)
fight was not over.
Rob Rahaley, at a debrief session held at Horse SA
on Tuesday, 15th February, stated "There is
increasing confidence that the disease will be
stamped out in the next few months, although there
will need to be a period of time without a new
infection before interstate authorities can claim to
have achieved eradication. The big risk now will be
people becoming complacent and we simply can’t
afford for that to happen at this stage when we’re
so close to becoming EI free.”
Specific details regarding the changes will be
listed on the PIRSA web site closer to 1 February
2008 at www.pir.sa.gov.au/horseflu
** Please remember to "refresh" your browser when
checking the PIRSA website
We look forward to recommencing scheduled activiites
but ask that people still maintain awareness of the
need for biosecurity and to be observant of their
horses to ensure an outbreak does not occur and
cause a resumption of permits and more severe
requirements.
-------------------------------------------
Blood poisoning and musculoskeletal problems are
the biggest killers of foals, a one-year snapshot of
foal mortality has revealed.
Researchers at the Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research
Center at the University of Kentucky explored the
causes of death of 259 foals among the 1294 foetal,
neonatal, and juvenile horse cases presented at the
Livestock Disease Diagnostic Center from September
2004 to August 2005.
Those cases included only those that resulted from a
live birth and where death occurred under 180 days.
Most of the deaths occurred by 30 days of age (174
of the 259 cases, or 67%), the researchers wrote in
Equine Disease Quarterly.
Of these 174 cases, the top five causes of death
included septicemia, or blood poisoning (44 foals,
or 25% of cases), musculoskeletal issues other than
rib fractures (29 foals, 17%), pneumonia (25 foals,
14%), gastrointestinal problems (19 foals, 11%), and
rib fractures (18 foals, 10%).
All deaths from rib fractures occurred in this age
bracket. (Rib fractures can result from multiple
factors, including dystocia and trauma.)
Among all foals up to 180 days of age, of the 259
cases, septicaemia was the predominant killer,
causing 21% of all deaths (54 of the 259 foals). Of
these, Escherichia coli (17 out of 54, or 31.5%) was
the primary single organism grown from cultures
obtained from septic animals. However, mixed
cultures (17 out of 54 animals, or 31.5%) were
equally significant.
Deaths from musculoskeletal problems accounted for
51 (20%) of the 259 cases, with 33 cases attributed
to fractures. Trauma, other than those resulting in
fractures, accounted for an additional nine cases of
mortality.
When gastrointestinal problems (42 cases, or 16%)
were identified as the cause of death, ulcers (9 out
of 42, or 21.5%) and colitis (8 out of 42, or 19%)
were the top two diagnoses.
Of the 15% of cases attributed to pneumonia (40 of
259), cultures failed to yield growth in 40% (16 of
40) of the cases. This could be attributed to
treatment with antibiotics or to a viral or fungal
etiology. Rhodococcus equi was cultured from 13 of
the 40 (33%) pneumonia cases.
Researchers Dr Tracy Sturgill and Dr Craig Carter
said while the majority of the musculoskeletal
causes cannot be prevented, improvements in
orthopedic therapy allow for better outcomes.
"Prevention may be the best option for reducing
deaths due to infectious etiologies, as foals are
uniquely susceptible to infectious diseases," they
wrote.
"Therefore, it becomes imperative that veterinarians
continue to educate horse owners and farm managers
about vaccination, hygiene, and early recognition of
clinical signs. More inclusive studies are currently
being investigated on foal mortality."
British jockey Eddie Ahern is copping a verbal
lashing - as well as a three-month ban - after
deliberately whipping a horse excessively to
incur a ban at a time that suited him.
Ahern
will not be able to ride until April 4 and there
are suggestions the case may be referred to
police for investigation.
The disciplinary panel of the British
Horseracing Authority found that Ahern had
brought racing into disrepute.
It found that he had deliberately breached
the rules surrounding the use of the whip to
trigger a suspension at a time which would allow
him to start the new season at the beginning of
March with a clear slate.
Welfare group Animal Aid called on the police
to prosecute Ahern over his conduct in the
December 12 race at Southwell. The group branded
his conduct as a particularly cold, self-serving
and calculated form of cruelty towards an
animal.
"Ahern whipped his horse, Marsam, with such
frequency and excessive force that weals
appeared on the thoroughbred's flesh.
"Such was the extent of the beating and the
unusual circumstances surrounding the offence
that the jockey was reported to the British
Horseracing Authority's Disciplinary Panel,
which found him guilty of bringing racing into
disrepute.
"Ahern was found to have deliberately whipped
his horse in order to provoke a three-month ban
starting in 2007 ... rather than take the risk
of offending again in 2008 and face a ban from
this year's big races.
"Essentially, he attempted to force the hand
of the BHA to issue a ban in 2007 for his
conduct towards Marsam so that he could start
the 2008 season with a clean slate.
Animal Aid said it hads written to
Nottinghamshire police chiefs to press for a
prosecution of Ahern under the Animal Welfare
Act. It argued Ahern had caused the horse to
suffer unnecessarily and alleged he had failed
in his duty of care to the animal.
"All the key evidence to proceed with a
prosecution has been assembled by the British
Horseracing Authority. This includes
photographs, video footage and veterinarians'
reports," the group said.
"Our action has already caused a major stir
within racing."
Ahern had accumulated 33 days of penalties
and the panel considered that Ahern had been
trying to get another whip ban to clear his
backlog with a suspension.
The disciplinary panel branded his actions "a
shameful exhibition".
The British Horseracing Authority was
reportedly contacting Nottinghamshire Police to
outline the action it had already taken against
the jockey other the whipping.
----------------------------
LETTERS OF THE DAY
Hey Machelle,
I am the mother of the 16 year old that has been
recently diagnosed with MS..Linda is her coach. Just
wanted to let you know that E's wonderful Welsh Cob
has sensed something is not right. The lovely mare
has become much softer and relaxed...it's amazing!
So, with the combination of our lovely horse, Linda
and alot of guts, our beautiful daughter will stay
strong and realize her dreams. I do hope you are ok
with your MS. We have a great Neurologist at FMC in
S.A. I don't know where you are from, but can highly
recommend him (Mark Slee). Keep riding and stay
well. Good Luck for the future.xx
Yes, very true and what
completely confirms that is that prior to the
diagnosis and when the young Lady would have some of
the Teenage moments, the horse would give her the
big warning. What fantastic Judges they are and they
are never wrong. "Listen to your Horses"
Annie.Hello there,
I was just wondering if you could enlighten me on
ulcers in horses. Wacky Mac has put on some weight
and is shiny and looking much better but I have
noticed he is far happier when he has big piles of
hay to nibble on( he stands the 5 meters away I ask
for when I feed him and does so without being asked)
( 1 weeks worth). When I hand feed he gets grumpy
and desperate. He runns for the food and bucks when
I hand feed 2 times a day. He gets 2 over the top
pressed down hard oaten per day. too much or too
little?. I noticed that there are some oats in the
hay. I just wondered if he is getting cranky when he
is empty cos of ulcers. How do you treat for ulcers
any way? He still has some grazing on the ground but
I think it would have no nutritional value at this
time of the year.
Basically, Hay is the
number one important feeder because the Horse needs
to pick and graze for long periods of time and Hay
removes sand etc from the Gut, however, Hay alone is
never enough imho and one should have a balanced
diet which ensures the Horse is getting all of the
required Vit/Min etc. There are plenty of facts on
the Net re feeding. I note that Ulcers are largely
kept at bay by feeding enough Hay. There are also
Products, both wormers and powders that you can
purchase to treat ulcers.
Hi John
Having a discussion about the steep decent scene in
the Man From Snowy River movie where Tom Burlinson
aka Jim Craig, rides the mountain pony down the
dangerous side of a mountain. It looks to me as if
the horse is actually only going down a slight hill
or even along the flat. His haunches aren't anywhere
near the ground as I would expect from a horse that
is propping down a steep hill.
Can you tell me what you think of the reality of
this scene please? By the way, I enjoyed the
beautiful scenery and the horses, but just wondered
about this scene.
Thanks.
Sherlene
It was a set up Sherlene :)
Looked great though, didn't it?
Hi John and Linda,
Hi John,
firstly, my horse who moves his nose from flexed
position when inside leg is forward on a circle, to
nose flexed off when outside leg is forward at the
trot is still doing this when only the inside
running rein is used. Everything else seems to be
going really well though. Any other suggestions are
welcome :) Maybe I should just stop lunging him once
a week so it doesn't bother me!!!!!
Secondly, he has developed what I believe to be a
sarcoid on the near-side, slightly underneath in the
girth region. It developed pretty quickly to about
3/4 the size of a small marble & has stayed a
constant size for a month or so now. It's quite hard
& is attached to the skin. I can feel around under
it. No sign of any others. Initially I thought it
was an insect bite as he does lump up to them. I'm
interested in finding out how sarcoids can
successfully be treated .... at home .... without
surgical removal. The girth doesn't seem to bother
it, but I'm a little paranoid about sarcoids (with
reason). I know most are benign & lots of horses get
them.
I had an OTTB about 10 years ago develop a series of
sarcoids of the lips/mouth. I did all the right
things ...... followed vets advice & had each one
removed. After about 6 months he was diagnosed with
a brain tumor & euthanaised. Very sad. The sarcoids
probably had no connection to the brain tumour, but
they do make me a little anxious.
It would be great to hear of any treatments.
Particularly any that work :)
Cheers,
Donna.
Sorry Donna, not my area of
excellence. Regardless of what it is, if the lump is
beneath the Girth at all, it has to be of
discomfort. The same as a stone in your shoe of a
grit in your eye. Common sense. If my horse had such
a thing, I would have it removed immediately. I
think a lot of those type of things maybe no
sarcoids but 'fatty tumor. The sarcoids that I have
seen generally are weeping and have some kind of
openness to them. I d have a treatment for those.
Flints Medicated Oil daily to the exactly and only
that area. I wouldn't necessarily think that the
removal of them on the other horse caused the brain
problem. The horse was probably susceptible anyway.
Thanks for a fantastic day today, as always I come
away with so much energy and confidence. Having the
pleasure of watching Linda ride her awesome mare was
so inspiring. The effect it had on both of us was
unbelievable! Teenage daughter was full of
admiration for her Hero, I just sat and listened as
we made our way home and she just was on such a
high. Had not even stopped the car and she was out
at a gallop, some twit (Me), had given big boy
Lucerne! Eyes bulging out of brain, it just has a
severe effect on his normally very good behavior,
within minutes she has slapped Equissage on him, but
he cant relax, I’m thinking we are in for a long
night of high jinx and drama. Well, was I wrong,
teenager was in no mood for messing around, not
cross just so confident and excited. He didn’t have
a chance, my teenager was so focused, what had
happened ? They did there best work, light, calm,
loads of impulsion no pulling, just rhythmic happy
work. Thankyou Linda a zillion times over, you are
such an awesome coach, rider and friend as my
husband said its just amazing how a mentor can
inspire us. The knowledge you and John have is
awesome, but you true gift is that you share it. Now
that is selfless.
From the Teenagers Mum and Dad.
xx
Hi John,
Thank you both for the latest brilliant DVD on
German scale. Its
beautifully presented and explained.
I have a new 7 yo WB who is superb to handle in
every way. She has
been stabled and trucked all her life (never in a
float) until she came to me last month.
I have taught her to load onto a straight load float
basically using the John Lyons method......"drive
foward cue" with whip on hip, cease when she moves
foward etc.
My float is big, bright and roomy with lots of
windows and basically new.
I was unable to get her to load with the divider in
the float. We
got stuck with 2 feet in for 1.5 hrs. Advance and
retreat etc.
Pawed the space for nearly all that time but still
couldn't budge.
pushed her as hard as I could to her without her
exploding. I
moved the divider over to the side and loaded her 2
mins later and in and out 50 times.
I put the divider back and she went in....just
...then rushed
back...did this twice. Then couldn't get past 2 feet
in again and
she started to worry too much. Went back to divider
over and no
probs......went to sleep in the float after that.
My question is....whats the chances of getting such
a horse into a float WITH the divider?
When I play the squeeze game between two stacks of
hay bales etc, I have to leave at least 2.5 metres
gap before she'll go thru
happily. She's obviously very claustrophobic.
Do you think I could talk her into it by heaps of
squeeze game challenges? or do some horses just have
to have the whole damn float?? I could go for a
slightly bigger float but Oh what a pain to change
it!!
Would love your input. Dont want to force her
through intimidation.
Kind regards, JEN
Well Jen, she has a mental
block about it, not uncommon. I once had a Racehorse
that had been to 5 different well known Trainers
including Lindsay Park. They couldn't get her in the
Barriers. I rode her around for a week with two 12
foot rails strapped to her sides. Bit dangerous but
she Raced successfully after that. She had to
believe. A lot of horses will not load because they
don't believe they can fit. Steep Ramps are one of
the causes of this as from where they stand, they
look right at the roof. I remember Clydsdale once.
No way could they get him into a Truck. I got the
Truck backed so the Ramp was on a mound and he
walked in like an old Cow. Optical illusion. Anyhow,
enough of the stories :) With your Parelli squeeze
game, (good idea) you no doubt can't stop her
running through. The Yo, yo game loses effectiveness
to stop the horse. That is why I would be Riding the
Horse through things like that, train it to open and
shut gates properly and such like. In reality of
course, you don't need the divider as they are only
there to give us Humans a 'warm inner glow' that we
can quickly lock them in. The good Parelli trained
horses will go in and stand there of course. :) The
horse may also have good reason not to like the
divider? Getting back to the ridden though, now we
get to the test of the mouth of the horse, don't we.
I can do it on any Breaker I get on as I have to
open a big heavy gate out of my round pen and it
swings back towards us so with one hand I have to
open and squeeze young horse through. They can't run
because the mouth is too powerful. So now we get to
the age old 'evasion' question. As the horse runs
through the last half of the hay bales perhaps, it
builds resistance, distrust and cancels out any
benefit of the exercise. Regards
Hi John
Saw this today on a For Sale horse site. Will make
some Cuddly Wuddley’s nod and smiling. Cheers Kim
horses :
healthy, well handled, wormed, had farrier and
tetanus shots.one brood mare$200 firm, and two
fillies $1200 for leopard filly and 2500 for reg
purebred arabian filly.
email for more info and photos
teenage daughters:
healthy, slim but not fit, both have hard mouths and
are lazy (crop or spurs may improve movement and
attitude ),lacking education in most areas
especially respect to owner. feral from lack of
work,one shod,the other is bare foot trimmed, up to
date with detist and worming, in need of a lot of
ground work to get them to a level of respect for
comp against outsiders.not great breeding lines,
better suited to pleasure lifestyle rather than
showing.
good comf, big arses and long feet due to lack of
work.Float really well, never founder,not good with
fences, tend to escape and wander but easily caught
with treats.both empty, thank god, not a blood line
one would encourage to breed with.
Best offers not only considered but accepted.
Hahahaha. Very good :) Love
it!
Hi,
I hope you may be able to offer me some advice - I
returned to riding 12mths ago after a 10 year break
- I have an alert/anxious 16yo TB gelding (Garth)
who favours his right leg and it is almost
impossible to get him to go on the left lead - his
previous owner has since told me that is was a bit
of a problem for her as well.
We have had limited success and when we think it is
cemented he surprises us again and even throws in a
pig root at times.
My instructor and I have tried - changing when
directed at the fence - tapping him with a dressage
whip left side rump - applying more pressure on the
outside rein - I have been told that I am using the
right aids - but when I feel stressed I do lean
forward a little.
We also had a massage therapist look at him and he
suggests that he had a soreness in his opposite hind
leg that could effect the transition.
I also got a new saddle pad just in case he was
uncomfortable.
On his favoured leg he moves into transition
beautifully - but when I pull him up on the wrong
lead he gets a bit stressed.
I always praise and pat when he finally achieves the
right lead and then I try to repeat at least once
afterwards.
I am hoping to attend a few unofficial dressage days
this year and if I can't achieve this I may need to
look at selling him - but after putting in a solid
12 months I really would prefer to solve the problem
- he is a bit of a pain but I have grown very fond
of him.
After that Bridget, I would
consider his age, his obvious problems, confirm them
with the Vet and perhaps let him have pleasure home
rather than Dressage. Sorry.
Thank you a lot for your help…I’m sorry to stuff you
around a bit J I will get myself a float and float
him myself to discover his/float issues. I read you
site and am always looking for new information J I
recommend all my friends to look it up on your site
if they’re having issues. Attached is my favorite
photo of me on my horse Ozzie (2006)…try not to pick
on my riding too much J I’m still learning J
Andrea
My pleasure Andrea.
Hi there
I was just wondering what you think of horse warts.
I have a Qh mare, I got her when she was 4 yrs she
is rising 9yrs now and she has had warts the whole
time I have had her they are on all different parts
of her body from the chest to the saddle area, legs,
cheeks, ears (but never the nose or the eyes) they
are not big and they don't bother her, is there a
reason for this, I have heard that they suffer some
sort of deficiency. Any advice would be great.
Emma
I just get a knife and scrape
them off at skin level (not cut), just rip them off
between the knife and the thumb. That sets off the
Body to repairing the area. The Skin Specialist uses
dry ice on me. I get them on my hands. Probably off
the Horses hahahaha. They go when attacked and
upset. On young horses, they just go naturally but
as always, consult your Vet :)
Hi John,
Hope you're going well. Not sure whether you
remember myself and my boy, he was a big blue roan I
brought to you a couple of years ago with bucking
issues on the ground? You diagnosed girthiness, and
he's just about over any issues he had with that!
Just a question for you. I recently had my youngster
broken in. I bred him, and he has been a paddock
mate for my big boy since he was 6 months old. I
have never had an issue taking him out of the
paddock, excpet for mild separation anxiety (on both
parts). Anyway, brought him back from the breakers,
and took him into the arena for first ride home. The
big boy was grazing contendly as I brought him into
the arena. As soon as I hopped on the breaker's
back, the big boy became quite agitated, leaving his
grazing at the canter, trotting the fenceline and
screaming out.
It hasn't got much better since. Whenever I take the
youngster out, either in the arena or for a walk
down the road, the big boy carries on. He's better
now when we're in the arena, but as soon as we go
for a trail ride, he screams out (and it's an angry
scream!). Luckily the breaker just ignores it.
The other day it got worse. I have been taking the
breaker out of the paddock, the big boy realises
what's going on and gallops up to the gate as I'm
leaving the paddock. The other morning, he actually
charged at us as we were walking in the paddock, and
bit the breaker on the neck. They both got free, and
I watched him literally keep the breaker away from
me, as a horse works a cow. The breaker just wanted
to get back to me, and the big boy was having none
it. I finally picked up a big stick and scared him
away, and the breaker came to me quietly. Since
then, I have taken a whip into the paddock when I
want to catch the breaker, but he's been better
since that day.
He's a lovely horse to handle 99% of the time, and
when I catch him after I've ridden the breaker, he
comes along quietly and we have a good ride. I'm not
sure whether he's wanting the breaker to stay with
him, or whether he's irritated that he's not getting
the attention??
Any thoughts you could give me would be appreciated!
He is simply Jealous, the big
sook :) We say that often here. Mrs. HP Stallion
pulled that one recently as he hadn't been ridden
for a few days and knew it. He would kick mid air
and bite the shed, glaring at Mrs. HP. :) They know
and you should be highly complimented, on two
counts. The Breaker sounds like a ripper and he too
kinda likes you. You must have something Girl :) You
should be proud. In the end, the older horse just
has to get over it so ignore him. Regards
17th January, 2008
D Day for the lovely young
Horse who was the subject of the feeding Pod Cast.
Remember, the one that I was such a brute too :) His
Mum had a Ball on him today, in the Traffic and she
hadn't ridden for yonks. The Grin says it all.
Excuse the mark on this photo.
I may have a problem with the lens. "Love is"
I
can now rename him. I had tagged him "Naughty Boy"
but now I guess he is "lovely Boy" :) Andalusian by
the way. Rider isn't bad either :)
Had two Mares come to
Donner Duccio. The last two as he has been sold to
OS, thanks to the lovely young Son in the Horse
Deals Video. The European canter did it. One less
thing for me to worry about so I can finish building
this dam property so I can have a rest :)
Had the Pump do a bearing
yesterday, just what you want when you have no mains
and 30 horses wanting a drink :( One month out of
warranty. Is that 'Murpheys Law?"
I would like to get my
hands on that little mongrel who invited the 500
friends to his Mum and Dad's House. I'd skin him I
reckon!!!!
Thank goodness for the new
$200 million Internet Pipe being laid between here
and Guam. Will break the duopoly between Singtel and
Telstra. Cheaper and faster Broadband. Yay
I was glad to hear that one
of the young horses that I had started had responded
well to his hobble training etc. He spent a day
hooked to an Apricot Tree by his rug front strap and
he lay like a Baby when they had to lift him out of
a ditch where he had gone exploring but couldn't get
out, using a Backhoe. :) Prior to that he had spent
a night between a fence and the electric outrigger
where he had landed after failing to jump the fence
properly. Standing to attention with very little
room for error lol.
Sad to hear that a lovely
old Trotter Boy died the other day of Brown Snake
bite. I used to give him the odd handful of food
when I was visiting one of my young ones. Hope Mr.
snake doesn't get ours.
Rode the District on one of
the young horses that I am working on today and it
was liking walking on egg shells. Adrenalin pumping
the whole time and the shy within himself, you know
the one, where they shy on the spot but don't jump?
He had been spoilt rotten and brought up like a
Child and no doubt that has something to do with it.
Lovely horse though and he will be ok.
I was told that one of our
best Dressage Riders here got dropped and had
concussion. It can happen to all of us. The chance
is always there.
EDITORIAL OF THE DAY
how can I stop my boy head
shaking? He only started it a few weeks ago when on
a new sand arena but does it all the time now even
when not on sand but the second his foot touches
sand, he snorts and shakes his head! Is it just a
bad habit now or is there a problem? Can you also
assess my Lesson for me? Looking forward
to your reply. Lenore.
I don't know where you are
from or who the Coach is but this is the type of
Coaching that I have been complaining about on this
site for years now. This is the Classic example of
'entertaining a Rider' and trying to give the Rider
a 'warm inner glow' by telling them they are doing
well when they are clearly not. I hasten to add that
this is not a reflection on the Rider here, it is a
reflection on the Coach. In actual fact, the Horse
could have been going around in surprisingly good
form in no time because the horse actually has a
very good mouth and was in fact offering to go 'into
a frame' let's call it, something the Coach was
trying to achieve but wasn't letting you in on the
secret. They were Coaching to themselves, inside
their head. The facts are, that from a Dressage
perspective, nothing was going well and never will
with Coaching like that. There are Coaches running
around the Horse Industry like this everywhere and
how in God's Earth they get away with it baffles us.
I have had my wife look at this video and she is
shaking her head in disbelief. The Coach spent the
time entertaining you and massaging your ego,
probably to get you to come again and spend more
money. You were not taught a thing, no attempt to
teach you was made, just a running commentary about
things that were not relevant to Dressage Training
or Riding whatsoever. The Coach says, "It is not
'round' quite yet but it is fairly straight so she
is pretty happy with that" The facts are that the
horse is not straight at all, it is not flexed, it
is not supple, it is not off the inside leg and it
can never be 'round' unless 'straight' We are
talking here about a circle. 'Straightness' means
that the horse has it's two hind hooves falling in
line with the prints of the two front hooves, which
normally means the horse is bent on the circle,
around the inside leg of the Rider. Clearly that is
not even possible with this horse. As for the
'wiggles', yes, Coaches who haven't got enough to
say all play those games. We have one here who does
the 'spirals'. Teaches horses and Riders nothing. A
total waste of time and Oxygen. I presume you paid good
money and I presume you were there to seriously
learn. Get another Coach!. So to the snorting. The
Coach could well be a very good Coach, I don't know
who it is but on this day, they were going through
the motions and weren't on top of their game or end
of a long hard day, I don't know, but you deserved
you money back. You had a paid Traffic Director.
The horse is either
reacting to the dust or communicating to you that it
remembers last time on the arena where you were
asked to take up contact for contacts sake where no
sophistication resulted in the horse actually doing
what it was offering, to go into a frame and to get
some justice in the ride, ie. a soft contact and
relief for going there. But that is never going to
happen unless a Coach actually teaches you and tells
you what the Hell is in their mind and how to
achieve it./ Are you a mind reader????? I must say
though that at least the Coach is pleasant and
encouraging, not a Squawking Hitler like many are
either. That is good but you do have to be taught.
Then the Coach says this, " Did you feel that?" or
words to that effect. FEEL BLOODY WHAT????????? You
should have asked and you must in the future. You
are paying the money. Good Coaches love questions.
You know why? Because they actually have the answers
:) Read the top of
my page before you get upset. Regards. I wish the
best for you.
-----------------------------------
So, the Horse Industry has
always had suspect Coaches. Both accredited and
unaccredited. They have always silently damaged the
Industry and spread confusion whilst wasting the
lives of their Pupils. I have met hundreds of them,
even bright Stars who never knew that they didn't
know. What is it then that the Horse Industry Bosses
allow such things to go on? No wonder we don't have
a prayer against Europe. They are actually organized
over there. It couldn't happen.
-------------------------------
Swiss Dressage Team Out of Olympics
Switzerland's dressage team will not take part at
the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The move follows the withdrawal of the team's top
rider, Silvia Ikle, who doesn't want to expose her
horse to travel-related stress and the humid
conditions in Hong Kong during the summer.
Ikle's decision not to participate has consequences
for the entire national dressage team, the Swiss
equestrian federation said Tuesday in a statement.
Switzerland said it had only qualified for the event
due to the performance of Ikle and her horse,
Salieri. The dressage selection committee of the
federation has therefore decided not to send any
individuals or teams to take part in the dressage
competition in Hong Kong, the statement said.
Hong Kong, which has a well-established racing
circuit, was picked to host the equestrian events at
the games due to concern over an outbreak of equine
diseases and substandard quarantine procedures in
mainland China.
Three dressage riders pull out of Olympics
January 11, 2008
Equestrian event organisers have been fast to defend
the conditions expected at this year's Olympic
games, to be held in Hong Kong in August, after the
pullout of three high profile riders and the entire
Swiss dressage team from the competition.
Hong Kong is the venue of the Beijing Olympics horse
events, because of the disease risk and quarantine
issues in mainland China.
World number four ranked rider Silvia Ikle was the
first defection, citing heat and travel stress as
too risky for her to take Salieri to the games. This
is despite a test event held in 2007 in Hong Kong
which met with approval from European, American, and
Australian riders.
After Ikle's withdrawal the Swiss equestrian
federation decided not to send any dressage
competitors to the games. The team had only
qualified on the performance of Ilke and Salieri.
The Swiss team would be replaced by another.
Two top Canadian medal hopes have also pulled out.
Cindy Ishoy and Ashley Nicoll-Holzer, who were
bronze team medalists in Seoul in 1988, are citing
the pre-games competition requirements and the hot
conditions in Hong Kong.
Organisers in Hong Kong have spent millions on horse
facilities for the event. A test event last August
met with widespread approval from national
federations and competitors.
The FEI's foremost veterinary specialists travelled
to Hong Kong to monitor the conditions and conducted
a study on the effect the conditions may have on top
competition horses. Dressage and showjumping would
take place at night.
Average high temperatures in August are expected to
be about 31 degrees. But organisers say the weather
there is not unique, and would be similar to past
Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, and Athens.
Christopher Riggs, the Hong Kong Jockey Club's head
of veterinary services, said that horses should
accliatise in about 10 days, "... and this is what
we saw happen in Atlanta and Athens," he said.
----------------------------------------------
Horse Rescue Group Accused of Animal Cruelty
Operators Say Horses Were Already Sick
FAIRPLAY, Colo. -- When Carol Martin started the
Flying Ah Horse Rescue Ranch five years ago, she
wanted to rescue horses.
But now, she is accused of abusing the very animals
she and her husband, Keith Synnestvedt, set out to
save.
"I never thought it would spin this far out of
control," said Martin, after she watched the Park
County Sheriff’s Office drive away with her horses.
"I thought we could handle it. I really did."
After the Park County Sheriff’s Office launched an
investigation into the rescue, they took action.
"The horses were very thin, some were not in good
condition, so we started investigating animal
cruelty because of neglect and mistreatment," said
Matthew Sexton, an animal control officer with the
Park County Sheriff’s Office.
On Dec. 22, 2007, he said officers were
investigating several reports an animal had died and
they discovered four dead or dying horses on the
property.
He said that preliminary necropsies indicated all
four starved to death.
At the time, Martin surrendered 12 horses.
On Jan. 9, 2008, the officers returned to seize 10
more horses, two of which were living inside the
Martin house.
A 4-month-old foal and a 1-year-old filling were
being kept in a stall in the living room to keep
them warm, according to Martin.
Officers said the foal’s ear had been ripped off by
the family’s rottweiler.
The officers used the Henneke body condition scoring
system, which is based on visual appraisal and
palpable fat cover on six major points of the horse.
On a scale of 1-9, with 5 being a healthy horse,
officers said the foal and filly both scored 1.5,
which is noted as "extremely thin."
They said all the horses confiscated then scored a
3.5 or less.
On Jan. 15, officers came to the ranch to confiscate
the remaining horses and take them all to a horse
rescue operation in Pueblo.
Carol Martin said they take in sick and unwanted
horses, and the horses that died were either elderly
or had medical problems.
She said the rescue did end up with too many horses
this year.
Last year, she said, they were able to adopt 50, but
this year, only three.
This was the rescue’s first winter in Park County,
and Martin said, with no shelter built, yet, heavy
snow and harsh winds took their toll on the already
sick animals.
She said a supplier three miles away donated hay for
the horses.
"We would never do anything to intentionally hurt
these animals. I took two of them into my home to
keep them warm," she said. "These horses always had
adequate food in front of them. I think we may have
had a parasite problem get out of control, but we
were working to correct that also."
But since the horses were seized, she is not sure if
the rescue will ever reopen, but she says she will
always be involved with rescues in some capacity.
"This happens too often. Too many rescues get in too
deep and can’t handle it, and we need to find a way
to keep it from happening again,"she said.
-----------------------
LETTERS OF THE DAY
Hi there,
Strange, the archive was simply not there before,
I'm very computer literate and run websites of my
own. It appeared about 11am this morning now and has
a '1' ta.
yes I have a proper rope halter and the exact
leadrope shown when you say "You have to then to
train yourself to be down the rope away from the
head of the horse when you do lead (go learn some
NH) "
how could I be a disciple of yours and hang off the
head of a horse? no I wasn't trained the PC or
british way! lol!! there's such a loop it's loopy
down to my knees and back up, he can bite a fly off
his rump when we lead and no 'snap' from the rope
cause it's that long. As i said, yes I know nh, so
does the horse, hence him yeiding and NHing like a
pro at all other times which makes this intermittent
rearing so more frustrating!
but he's a perfect angel to ride and thats what
really matters I guess, maybe leading in circles
just isn't a good idea for such an intelligent
horse. Took him for a ride this morning with all the
18 wheeler trucks going by, didn't bat an eyelid so
at least he keeps me safe when it counts. Thaks for
your help john :)
Yes, well he is being
naughty then and you should teach him that standing
up on the hinds is not a comfortable place to be as
it exposes your rear end to Helicopter Spinning
Leather flapper on end of lead rope that
accidentally made contact with his rump several
times in a split second :)
Hi John
Was reading your editorial on putting the horse
through the frightening objects. It is interesting
to see how different people handle it. I saw one the
other day where it was basically circle, circle,
circle and then trick the horse and go through the
gate when he wasn't expecting it. Was a bit funny. I
have always done it the way you do - face up to the
problem and stay there till they go forward (as in
your podcast going into the forest). I think that is
a much better way of training and have seen the
result in my horse now he is coming back into work
post EI. We have had a fair bit of rain, which means
puddles. Horse has had "issues" with puddles / small
creeks and has always been prone to cat leaping over
them. These days, he will lower his head, have a
quick sniff and we are through with no problems at
all. Occasionally the quick sniff is actually to
steal a mouthfull of grass - cheeky boy he is!! I
think we may even be up to going through them at
speed (ie trot LOL) soon.
There is no reason why that
system wouldn't work and could be very well for the
Amatuer who has a lot of time on their hands and can
work along slowly. However, I haven't got time. That
instance I was talking about was 5 rides ago on a
Breaker and today he had to be ready for his Owner
(married with Kids) to ride him around the District
with me. So I want excellence and the 100% result,
not the cop-operative result. Not only that but that
system would not suit this horse. He was one Hell of
a 'Poof' Walking on eggshells the whole ride, scared
of every mortal thing and trying to escape from
them. I had to custom make the horse for the
purposes of the Owner. She has no-one to ride with
when the horse goes home so I have to make horse
grow up, over and above normal, FAST!!!!! There can
be no iff and butts. No second chances. My name is
Riding on it and her ASS is as well. Therefore, my
system works better and more effective, giving the
result that counts and lasts. So, out we go this
morning and we meet a 2 metre wide wooden planked
footbridge over a River. I have to lead of course as
I am escorting the owner and looking after her life.
I am on the Breaker. He takes one look, puts his
head down to the ground and walks slowly across the
Bridge. That is what you inherit from systems that
count.
Had a bit of an incident with him doing a spin, run
and then buck the other morning. My fault as I was
working on long reins and relaxation work and didn't
catch him or stop the buck. Gee I was mad at hitting
the ground. I think he may be getting too much food
as I have just increased it (last week) to account
for the additional "work" he is doing. Have revised
that and put him back on what he was on! Hopefully
that will make a positive change. I had ridden him
out the day before the stack (we can do that now!!)
and gee was he silly! I had to resort to a bit of
dressage riding at times as he was just finding so
many stupid things to be frightened of (eg grass
clippings from the slasher - even though we ride
over those on a daily basis). So I am thinking it is
an excess energy problem, as he is never that bad
normally. He definitely was frightened as I could
feel his heart pounding in my legs.
The speed of rein handling
is one of my greatest saviors K. This morning again,
I was riding a different horse and he did exactly
what your horse did and had a female been on him, it
would have been bye, bye. Little hard in the mouth
shall we say. I caught him with speed of rein
handling, which only comes with lots of practice and
being conscience of it like a Golf Swing, practice,
practice, and it becomes second nature. I can now do
it with me eyes closed. Therefore, that is exactly
one of the relaxing sides to a Pro Rider as it gives
a horse confidence.
That does bring me to my question (nothing like a
bit of background information!!). Part of the
problem is no doubt rider experience and feel - I'm
not too shabby but am not an expert either, so
things do take a bit longer. Horse has been
tantruming, badly (just in the last 3 days). When he
tantrums (usually because I will not allow him to
look at things) he will put his head vertically
which, as you can appreciate, isn't pleasant and
doesn't give you much control. I generally flex to
the inside and leg yield to where I want to go. If
head goes vertical, presently, I am taking his head
to my foot, as I am rather over it. I only release
when he softens. Otherwise, I just increase rein
pressure until he works where he is supposed to and
then soften. On the day of the stack, he was very
bad and full of it. I rode until he behaved (not
ideal given the EI, but I thought it necessary
considering how he was behaving). That took a while.
At the end I got a comment from his fan club (lovely
lady who walks past daily and thinks he is
beautiful) that he was working wonderfully. Nice to
hear and he was at that stage, so even though it did
take a while, I got to the desired end result.
How should you deal with the vertical head? With
vertical head comes choppy bullshit pony dancing
(horse is 15.3 hh so pony strides are just not on!)
We will be doing a lesson very soon as I am likely
to lose my temper and that is counter productive to
training.
Up until now he has been working fantastically.
After EI, he had lost top line, particularly along
his back. A couple of weeks in work and he is
looking much rounder across the back, so to me that
indicates he is working properly most of the time.
So I am hoping it is merely an excess energy issue
and he should be back to good soon.
Anyway, that got away from me a bit!!
K
Write that in a separate
letter K. I don't understand what vertical is?????
Hi John
I have ready your article on risk management and the
law. I am currently selling my horse and I have a
young girl that’s interested. Her and her parents
are very keen to have him taken off the property to
their local pony club to see how goes in a lesson
with her instructor. I’m not crazy on doing this,
but from a buyers point of view I do understand.
Firstly, however, I have offered for her to bring
her instructor and have a few lessons at his home
and then deciding how they feel before we go down
that road. My questions to you is: if he does end up
leaving the property at their request, can I make up
my own agreement? I am in the middle of doing one
now and it is pretty full on – but at the end of the
day, I am protecting myself and any injuries or even
death to my horse.
I look forward to your advice.
Miss Linden
Yes of course you can. You
are the owner. You can dictate what you like. Even
that they get a cover note on the horse for
liability for accidents whilst out when the Kid
falls off, horse bolts around park, running over
little old lady wheeling a Pram, killing them both.
You are jointly sued and end in the Supreme Court.
Get the picture? Dangerous times Miss Linden. Do get
them to sign an agreement though. Regards
Hi Mr HP,
What a sad article on your website today regarding
the mistreated horses in England. The older I am
getting, the more I am horrified at the way people
treat their animals....don't they have hearts??? I
just don't understand...
I visited the Redwings Horse Sanctuary many years
ago in England and it was a wonderful sight to see
so many horses that had been saved, in wonderful
condition and happy with their friends in lovely,
big green paddocks. I will always remember one boy
there, he was a big police horse who had been caught
up in the IRA bombings in London and had been very
badly burnt.
It is awful there are so many people out there who
just don't care, but thankfully, there are even more
people who do...
Regards
Louise
You know what drives me
nuts Louise. It is the people who think they care
but don't know how to care :( Not their fault. Once
again, the system allows blind Freddie to buy a
Horse with no knowledge and a big bag of carrots. No
back up, no exams, no license. The system fails the
horses Louise. Thanks for the Story. Regards
Hi again,
I do have a camera but I don’t own a float…I was
using different floats and both different designs. I
will have to track down one friend and the other
float is on the property. I am actually not going to
be using those floats again. So I suppose I need to
get my own float and then investigate his behavior
again on long trip to see how he reacts in the
float. Is there anything that I can do to stabilize
the float to stop the swinging??? Is it recommended
to use anti-sway bars??
Thankyou…again J I do love ur site and use it like a
bible sometimes. The float I do get will be
refurbished like u have done
Andrea
You hadn't mentioned that
one Andrea!!!!! You just answered your own questions
if they were swinging. By the way, anyone who puts a
horse in a Float that is
swinging................well, you know what I am
thinking. I am sure you were talking hypothetically
:)
Hi Mr O'Leary
Some people are rotten and totally unethical.
I would like to do my bit to "have-a-go" at some
people who have been totally unethical by spreading
their name to someone with as much of a public
following as you have.
The story is that some unscrupulous Ranch sold a
very defective horse to some unsuspecting buyers for
$20,000 with a major physical and genetic defect
which they did not disclose. Blog is here
http://www.gunsandwhiteroses.blogspot.com
If my link does not come through then Google: Horse
Guns & White Roses
Now I admit the buyers in this scenario were
trusting and should have done some more homework -
but then they admit that too.
Even if they were less cautious than they should
have been it does not in any way let off the
horrible ethics of the people who sold this horse.
That horse had excellent papers, for the sport it
was purchased for - reining - it really is by
internationally famous stallion by a well performed
money winning mare. They wanted big $ for it and
were "false and misleading" in claiming it was a
"prospect" for ANYTHING.
The stud that bred that horse - and then sold it -
should have its reputation ruined since they will do
nothing to fix the problem
(By the way, the deafness often goes with that
colour mutation the stallion has and it is called
"Splashed White" by some; buyers knew that.)
Thanks for the wonderful website and all your help
and information
Regards
Emma Jefferson
Thanks Emma. Does people
good to read about things like that.
Hi,
I hope you may be able to offer me some advice - I
returned to riding 12mths ago after a 10 year break
- I have an alert/anxious 16yo TB gelding (Garth)
who favours his right leg and it is almost
impossible to get him to go on the left lead - his
previous owner has since told me that is was a bit
of a problem for her as well.
We have had limited success and when we think it is
cemented he surprises us again and even throws in a
pig root at times.
My instructor and I have tried - changing when
directed at the fence - tapping him with a dressage
whip left side rump - applying more pressure on the
outside rein - I have been told that I am using the
right aids - but when I feel stressed I do lean
forward a little.
We also had a massage therapist look at him and he
suggests that he had a soreness in his opposite hind
leg that could effect the transition.
I also got a new saddle pad just in case he was
uncomfortable.
On his favoured leg he moves into transition
beautifully - but when I pull him up on the wrong
lead he gets a bit stressed.
I always praise and pat when he finally achieves the
right lead and then I try to repeat at least once
afterwards.
I am hoping to attend a few unofficial dressage days
this year and if I can't achieve this I may need to
look at selling him - but after putting in a solid
12 months I really would prefer to solve the problem
- he is a bit of a pain but I have grown very fond
of him.
Any help would be appreciated.
Bridget Gavin
Emerald Qld
hello i am looking for John O'Leary i have been told
he can help me with a problem i am having with my
horse, His name is Jerry he is a QH gelding and wont
let me touch his back feet i bought him about two
weeks ago. he does things like push all his weight
down stands on one leg so i cant lift the other even
gives a leave me alone little buck sometimes its
nothing major he has never hurt me but still a
problem, he also leans on me to stop me from doin it
to . its a problem because i am worried about what
is goin to happen when i need to get his feet done
his front ones have been shod and look good but his
back ones need some tlc you can tell they havnt been
looked after, i wrote an email to someone who
recomended you to help me fix this problem. if i
have contacted the right person can you please
contact me back
Thanks
Chantel
Hello John!
Boy do I need your help here in the states. Michigan
in the USA to be
exact.
I bought an off the track pure Polish Arabian 2
years ago and we still
have issues. I personally think I am the problem in
his training
because, of not knowing how to train. I have only
owned very well trained horses in the past. But I
have done extensive research and am willing to start
over.
Let me explain: First of all let me say I LOVE my
horse and will keep him forever. Your video of "Leg
On" looks like my horse. I brought him home 2 years
ago and talked to an Arabian trainer and they said
to get rid of the snaffle that he was used to racing
in (a simple D) and put him in something he doesn't
know. So I put him in a very mild Myler comfort
snaffle, western with 5 inch shanks. He does quite
well in it.
Tucks his head in nicely, (until he has an episode,
I call em') (blows out of the box) and neck reins
farely well.
Here is the problem: I want to reschool and put him
back in a snaffle
and he is back to crazy! Like the leg on video. Head
high and dancing
around, looking for the bit, etc. Almost like a
flash back from racing.
I need to fill in the blanks in his training. He
will drop his head but, he will not hold it very
long in a snaffle. In the pic he is doing quite
well, but it doesn't show any blowouts.
What do you recommend for a snaffle bit for arabians.
Everyone here says they hate a regular snaffle
because of their low palate. Should I go for a
french link snaffle or make him obey in a regular
snaffle.
And I geuss another important question is: How do I
get him used to trail riding? We ride everywhere and
he is still very spooky. What makes them calm one
minute and off and running sideways the next?
What am I doing wrong???
sent a few pics of this Wonderful, Loving guy. He
has a heart of pure gold. Very gentle.
thankyou so much for listening,
Tami
He sure looks like it Tami.
Wow, that Snow :) A far cry from where we are. I
haven't heard of Racing Arabs, we don't have that
here, everything else though, mice, tadpoles, you
name it :)....but Racing ruins horses there is no
doubt. Just read this Site for a while and see the
wall to wall drama people have with X Race Horses.
It doesn't matter what Breed of course because when
you get Kids racing in Novelty Event Games and Pony
Club, they can also go off their nuts and do
regularly. I start a lot of Arab Horses and they are
the sweetest of things. I could start them with a
blind fold on, so you have inherited the problems of
the past. I would suggest you think outside the
square. Forget the paralysis of the analysis of Bits
and re-start him with a Hackamore on. Arabs are
light and sensitive horses and the combination of
the brain blown with the Racing and the Bits may not
be helping, especially when you are a little limited
yourself. Take if all away and allow yourself to
make a few mistakes without causing too much of a
problem or reaction to an already charged up horse.
I mean the traditional Bosal and horse hair reins.
Go buy a book called "The Hackamore Reinsman" by Ed
Connell. That is the Book that I read and studied
for years, many years ago and that Book actually
transformed my hands from ordinary to silk these
days and as you now, 'IT IS ALL IN THE HANDS" A good
Rider can ride almost anything but an Excellent
Rider can ride anything and improve it. IT IS IN THE
HANDS!!!. Go right back to basics and study, study,
study. Take your time, In a small yard, teach you
and the horse. It may change your life :) Kind
Regards
Dear John and Linda
Hey you! Can you keep this a secret? Yesterday I was
diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, It's a little bit
sad but a huge relief as I have had 'problems' for
years with my health and felt like a hypochondriac .
Now everything makes sense, the puzzles pieces fit
and you can see the full picture.
I want to ask you a very strange personal question.
Do you think horses know when you are sick. I ask
this as it is a joke here at home with all our
spoilt animals that they all constantly sniff my
head! Red didn't start until a few weeks into owning
him, but Bazel does it ALLOT, he just stands there
while I am patting him and puts his nose onto my
head and really draws a breath and does this over
and over. Dawson the dog does it too. The kids say
they are in love with me and love my shampoo. They
don't do it to anybody else. I have always wondered
if they did it due to my migraines I get, but now I
wonder if they 'smelt' the M.S. My horse goals will
have to be altered at times due to my eyes and
weakness but I will live to annoy you LOL
My sister had breast cancer last year and before
they found out, her dog constantly sniffed her chest
and neck to the point of annoying her for months. A
few weeks into chemo he completely stopped.
catchy you soon
cheers
machelle
Goodness, Gracious Chelle.
How terrible. That disease is becoming a little bit
too prevalent I reckon. There is a 16 year old Lass
here that has just been diagnosed with it as well.
It makes me wonder about the foods and additives :(
Anyhow, ever the optimist, you can bet that pretty
soon there will be a major break through with that
as they get quickly better with gene manipulation
and I bet there will be a cure. I saw them turning
on a fat gene on Rats recently and then turning it
off and making them thin. You'll be right and
remember, the Power of the mind is everything. Now,
the Horses would know, "don't you worry about that"
:) Jo. xxx
Hi John,
Have a curly one for you but you may have come
across something like this before.
A friends horse has been staked through the chest so
deep that you disappear up to your elbow in it.
That is a problem in itself but, the bigger
immediate problem is that the horse is filling up
with air under the skin.
The horse can't drain this air and it looks like the
Michelin man.
Have you had any experience with this?
The owners are a little worried to say the least and
have ordered one of those lycra body rugs for the
horse to keep pressure on the skin, I fear it simply
won't have enough though.
Would you think that perhaps a series of stretchy
pressure bandages (That's a lot of bandages I know!)
around the torso, base of neck and top of legs may
help stop the air migrating further back and
continuing to get worse ( as it unfortunately
already has gone all the way to the rump.) Or
perhaps putting some drains (shunts) in to help the
air escape, or both. The biggest fear is infection,
so any suggestions will be welcome.
Lara
Hell Lara. That is an unusual one alright and I have
not seen it. I have seen plenty of these however and
this is what I do quick smart. You would need to
consult your Vets of course but if that started with
my horse, I would have holes in it that fast it
wouldn't be funny. I would put tubes in it and
stitch them in place if I had to. That wound should
have "Flints Medicated Oil. The absolute best cure
ever invented for such major wounds. Regards
15th January, 2008
EDITORIAL OF THE DAY
The EFA Code of Ethics
There is the 'EFA Code of
Ethics' that covers Professionals who are accredited
within the umbrella of the Organization and it is
written with very sincere and honorable aims indeed.
The problem is that it does not work because it is
not Policed well enough. It probably is where the
use of whips or Drugs where positive drug tests are
found but there is a hidden problem, one that the
EFA probably doesn't know about but it is their job
to know and to protect the interests of the Horse
Industry.
At the present time in
Australia, there are EFA NCAS Coaches and other high
flying Ambassadors of the Sport, all the way up to
the National Squads, who are serial crooked Horse
Dealers, ripping off unsuspecting young people who
are often the next bright Stars of the Industry.
They work on the basis that the victims will not
complain because the Victims and their Parents know that if
they do cause a ruckus, the young Rider's career
will probably be hit for six. I call that
intimidation and is no better than that carried out
by the Outlaw Motor Bike Gangs and the Mafia. So how
can this be? How can it be allowed and why is
nothing ever done about it?
Meanwhile, I see the broken
dreams, the broken bank accounts and the broken
horses, all of which affects you and I because every
bright young Star that is jettisoned from the Horse
Industry affects my Bank Account, my Insurance
Policy, the Saddler, the Farrier and the Candle
Stick Maker. Take the eye of the top high flyers, the Squads for
a moment and look at what is happening at the bottom
of your Industry for a change. Remember, the bottom
will be the top one day.
---------------------------------------
Jockey injured in track
fall
A 25-year-old jockey has been flown to hospital with
a suspected broken back, after he fell from his
horse on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula this
morning.
It is believed the man was training the horse at the
Balnarring racetrack.
Flight paramedic Shaun Whitmore says the jockey was
taken to the Alfred Hospital with head and leg
injuries. He said the jockey landed on his head.
"He cracked his helmet and sustained possibly a
spinal fracture and did a fracture dislocation of
his ankle as well," he said.
----------------------------------
Brighter dawn greets 111 horses rescued from
horror farm
January 10, 2008
A brighter dawn has greeted the 111 horses rescued
by welfare agencies from a horror farm in
Buckinghamshire, England.
The scale of the alleged mistreatment of the horses
at the property has been branded as unprecedented by
the British Horse Society.
Staff of the British RSPCA visited the property on
Friday to find 32 horses dead on the property. Over
the weekend 14 horses were removed and in the
following days a massive recovery operation was
launched involving police and other horse welfare
groups to carry off the remainder of the animals.
Three horses were euthanized at the property to end
their suffering.
The RSPCA says a total of 111 horses, ponies and
donkeys have now been moved to safety from the farm,
which is near Amersham. They are now in the care of
the RSPCA, Redwings Horse Sanctuary and the
International League for the Protection of Horses.
Blue Cross also assisted in the rescue efforts, and
it is understood other horse welfare groups have
taken animals.
RSPCA Superintendent Tim Wass said: "It has been a
massive operation to remove and arrange for the
ongoing care of such a large number of animals, many
of whom were in desperate need of veterinary
treatment.
"Our officers, along with those from supporting
welfare charities, have been working tirelessly to
secure their welfare in what have been appalling
circumstances."
The incident may be subject to possible prosecution
following a full investigation and no further
details can be released at this time, he said.
Redwings Sanctuary said it had been inundated with
messages of support, with 250 internet donations
coming in overnight, Many had offered practical
support, such as equipment or covers.
"We are experienced in sending veterinary and
horse-handling staff, and vehicles, to operations
involving rescues but this has been the largest, and
saddest, that we have witnessed," a spokesman said.
"Yesterday was understandably difficult for all our
staff."
Redwings provided 30 staff and eight horseboxes,
carrying the horses initially to a safe "holding"
location. Later that day, 30 of the horses, ponies
and donkeys were taken into Redwings' care as they
were assessed as needing veterinary care on arrival.
"Having a horse hospital and a team of veterinary
staff, this we can provide."
"We cannot say at this point if some [more] of the
equines at the holding centre will come to us, but
it is possible. The equines had a comfortable
journey in the safe and experienced hands of our
welfare staff.
"Our amazing head vet, Nic de Brauwere who was on
scene all day yesterday and oversaw operations with
senior staff from other organisations, travelled
back last night with his charges and is today
starting treatment."
"Redwings Horse Sanctuary has travelled to rescues
on many occasions and provided a home from and/or
transportation from the place of rescue, but rarely
sees cruelty so far advanced that equines are
seemingly forgotten and literally left to die.
"All organisations involved in this rescue were
deeply concerned about the welfare of the remaining
and surviving horses, ponies and donkeys.
"The people that work for Redwings are, like many of
the public, animal lovers as well, and yesterday was
a traumatic and difficult day for everyone but today
is a new start for many of these equines and as
always our priority is their care and recovery.
"Thank you to everyone who has offered their support
and also donations; our work is only possible thanks
to the goodwill of the public and we are proud to
have shown everyone yesterday what we can do when
the need arises."
The International League for the Protection of
Horses said it had also been overwhelmed by the
public response to the case.
"We have received countless calls and emails from
people offering their support in housing some of the
horses removed from this appalling situation and we
are extremely grateful for all these offers.
"The horses have been split between a number of
welfare agencies, including the ILPH, so the
immediate housing problems have been dealt with.
"However, large cases like this do put a strain on
our yards as they are dealing with an increased
number of horses, many of whom need intense and
specialist care.
"We currently have horses and ponies ready to be
rehomed through our loan scheme, and finding homes
for these animals will help us deal with these
recent admissions."
The British Horse Society - Britain's largest horse
charity, with a membership of more than 106,000 -
voiced its support for the work of the horse rescue
charities
Welfare Senior Executive Lee Hackett said: "The
horse welfare community is deeply shocked by the
extent of what has happened in Buckinghamshire.
"We wholeheartedly condemn any mistreatment of
horses and ponies. Mistreatment on this scale is
unprecedented in Britain - the true horror of the
situation is only now becoming clear.
"The collaboration between welfare charities to
rescue these horses has been fantastic. Clearly
there needs to be a full inquiry into the
circumstances behind this case. We must use these
terrible events to make sure this kind of carnage
never happens again."
The British Horse Society condemns all mistreatment
or neglect of horses and works tirelessly through a
network of welfare officers to respond to reports of
welfare concerns and provide education to
horse-owners and the general public.
Inquiries into the treatment of the horses are
continuing. A man believed to be at the centre of
the investigation has been arrested for assault and
criminal damage and is due to appear in court on
Monday.
------------------------------------
LETTERS OF THE DAY
If anyone would like to do me a favour (kill
Telstra hahahaha) and make money, can you contact
Sally for me? She is a horsey Gal (OTTB Lover :) We
are initial skeptics of everything but were amazed
how quickly we were able to get a residual income
where we wouldn't have to do anything more if we
didn't want to. This works. Even during Christmas
which was bad timing for us.
John O'leary has asked me to touch base with you as
he thought you may be interesting in looking a
fantastic business opportunity. I am currently
leading the expansion of this company in Australia
with some other key business people, we should talk
on the phone to see if this is a viable option for
us all.
John and Linda have been very success in a short
period of time, which is why they have allowed me to
place this on their Site..
One question I must ask....Does every one you know
use the phone? Silly question I know ....but
....Image that every time 1000's people used the
phone you got paid.
----- is a $800Million company that is endorsed by
Donald Trump, that has out grown Microsoft in it
first 15 years of operation, currently in 19
countries. We compete head to head with Telstra and
Optus, the telecommunication industry s a $40
Billion industry in Australia alone. All we are
doing is redirecting a small percentage into our own
pockets....yes it is legal!!....and a safer bet than
the sure thing at the track!
You can have a look at the website below....you will
need broad band to view or please give me a call and
I will explain further.
Have a great weekend
Sally
--
What if ?....you knew you could create a large
residual income off an
EVERY DAY necessity, like the telephone...
Would you be INTERESTED?
To see how visit........
www.familychoices.acnrep.com
Hi John,
thanks so much for your reply, Yes I wish more than
you can imagine that I could get rid of the mare,
but she's not mine.
I read the article on separation anxiety, but it
can't all be blamed on that in his case because I
used to keep him on a huge acerage with no other
horses (not good i know) and he would still do the
same thing - get to a certain point around the
property and then refusing to turn a corner or
continue and would rear, but only 3 inches off the
ground, now it's 5 feet off the ground. from my
March 2006 letter to you "I cannot even lead him
safely – he bites and veers and is prone to rearing
when I ask him to trot (in hand) or go in a
different direction" but, always quiet as a lamb
before, after and at all other times. That stopped
without me really doing anything at all.
Then nothing for maybe 6 months, then once when I
took too long to jump on him bareback he reared to
let me know he's peeved, then never again till a
year later, when the chiro told me to walk him on
the side of a hill for 45mins a day, the first 15
mins he'd be fine then he'd get fed up and do small
rears and get all hyper. then not for another 8
months, till this recent spate. It's obviously his
'thing' to do when he's frustrated.
I never cared that much before cause they were small
and I could usually see why he was frustrated, but
he's lived in his current paddock for a year, so
that means he's done this circuit of the paddock
with me over 365 times, and now he's acting all
fussy about changing directions and being away from
the mare? I think he's got a big attitude really!
I'll try what you suggested, any chance of reposting
it or sending to to me cause the archives page still
has no links only a 2008 in blue that isn't a link.
Any other ideas in light of the above would be
great, ta :)
There is an archive page
there. Click on the number one in the Box. I haven't
the time to go through it. Clearly he lacks respect
for you and you need to let him know that such is
not acceptable. There are many things you could do
but picking one that you can handle is the key from
where I sit :) I hope you have the horse in a rope
halter and with one of these.
You have to then to train yourself to be down the
rope away from the head of the horse when you do
lead (go learn some NH) and then, when he goes up,
chase his ass end with the end of the rope spinning
like a prop and trying to cut his tail off. End of
problem. Now have a read of this so you can take
heart :)
Hey John,
A few months ago I emailed you about a problem I was
having with my horse Freckles. He had no respect and
was rearing at me while I was on the ground, he was
pushy and had no respect. He was rotten at feed
times and you said I was lucky not to be in a
wheelchair or worse.
Since I read that, you really kicked my butt into
action. I sought some help from a lovely lady called
Nicky. She gave me all the information I needed,
then I put it into action. I also sought some help
from a good friend of mine who helped me with his
rearing and bad ground manners.
A few months later, I am very happy to say he is an
angel on the ground, he does not bite, he does not
rear. We have done quite a bit since I have become
his boss. He goes into his 'box', he comes into my
space when invited. I've been having so much fun
with him, and he really is Mr. Personality. He comes
a-knocking at the door, and I am sure if he was
allowed, he would be right inside with us. He is
such a gentle horse,and is just so cheeky and
curious. I guess that he is your typical appaloosa!
I have attached a few photos of him if you want to
take a look.
Thanks for all your help,
Ashleigh
Now have a quick look at this Ashleigh.
BLUE FLY VIELS
Hey, Kelly again. Well your married :( haha.
Ive been reading more today, since only finding out
about you yesterday.
Enquiring about the blue fly veils.
Is it only that colour?
i can see that they're naturally born with no covers
on them etc, so why the need.
A person i know leaves his mare covered all day from
her ears to her eyes,nose neck and body, because he
reckons the flys leave lumps on her body-its quite
cruel looking, and i can see why she's quite grumpy
most of the time.
But what's the solution for flies? If theyre causing
bumps etc too, as he says..
From pain in the bum.
Horses hate them because
they cannot see through them properly and they give
a false perspective. They prefer Black and ark
Green. By the way, leaving them on over night is
unfair also and could be dangerous for the horse if
something frightened it or a storm blew up. There
was one on this place last night like that. Put a
blue fly veil over your head during daylite and see
how you like it!!!! Regards
Hello,
My name is Anita and I live in New Jersey,
USA.
My daughter had come across your website, as we
rescue all kinds of animals and are animal loving
people. Well, we love horses as well,.. And all to
often have been witness to the many misunderstood
horses and other animals. We see the abuse and
neglect they suffer at the hands of their owners.
I will be the first to tell you that I am not very
HORSE savvy. I am originally a NYC city-slicker as
you may refer, and the horses we recently rescued,
and have here at our home, are a 26 year old Arab
Mare, named Ebbie and 2 Nurse Mare Foals (NMF)
colts, one named Blaze the other Pacer,.. Yeah
original I know,.. (hee hee- They all came with
their names). Anyway,.. Boy did I get a quick lesson
on the care of horses etc.
My vets say I am doing well with them, but I would
like to know more and learn all I can about their
behaviors and how to correct them and gain their
love and respect.
The (2) NMF colts came to me, kindof unexpectedly
and were only about 10 weeks old,..
That didn't scare me as I have cared for many many
animals of all species etc,..
Well,.. Now they are healthy and about 9 months
old,.. And I have been seeing their testosterone
kicking in,.. (hee hee hee),.. They are scheduled to
be gelded in the spring. However I watched your
video clip on Feeding Problems and in that short
clip, learned the mistakes I was making as they try
and push their way on me when they want their food.
I have corrected them,.. But now I know not to allow
them near the gate and to be invited to eat,...
Before finding your wonderful site,.. I did use the
same such theory of getting their respect first but
I am a bit more of a softy as I feel I am not as
savvy as I should be with a horse,..
I have no problems with wild animals, domestic,
exotics etc, but I am not real familiar with farm
animals and equines.
I have done a lot of research but I wanted to write
and let you know that you have helped me out a great
deal by watching you with the horses on the clips
you have,..
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge of
these wonderful and sometimes misunderstood
animals,..
Is there a CD collection or something you might have
that is like a library of sorts so that I can
refer?? If so please let me know and what the costs
would be with shipping and all,.. You are wonderful
with the horses that I have seen on your clips and
just wanted to say THANK YOU for helping us,.. Help
them..
Respectfully,
Anita - NJ
Thanks Anita. Glad to be of
some assistance. Keep up the good work and read this
page when you have time for a few tips. Regards
Hi John
As you know I am riding these two 3 year olds, the
black mare (stock horse pony cross) I have ridden
the longest and obviously she looks the best,
forward and up and balanced now after a couple of
weeks work. The other one warmblood arab cross (I
know she looks like she’s boring into my hands at
that photo and obviously it is taken at a moment
where I have got too much weight in my inside rein
and not upright, but generally she’s very soft and
does not bore into my hands at all) have only had a
few rides. She was like a giraffe when she came from
the breaker, a cutting trainer (don’t know what that
is?) and I must say, not forward at all, very wobbly
and from time to time she feels like she’s going
down on her heels – especially when I want her to
canter, she tries cantering, goes down and then
stops because it is obviously uncomfortable for her.
I decided to have a good look at what she was doing
in the round yard and chased her around. She did it
once in trot and a couple of times in canter. I then
put running reins on her (first time) and worked her
in trot and canter and she got better within 5
minutes and more balanced as she was cantering
around. I also took her out afterwards walking her
up and down hills as I thought it could be a patella
problem, but no problem at all doing that. And
looking at her in the yard it looks more like she’s
just going down on her ‘heels’, could it be because
she’s so long in the part on her leg just above the
hoofs (sorry don’t know the word in English)? Any
suggestions? Or do I just keep working her to get
her up and forward like the other one?
The Dane
First of all, we don't know
what you are on about with the 'dropping'. You sure
it isn't just girthiness? However, Mrs. HP just had
a look and said you need to get them both 'over the
back' more and they both need riding longer and
lower for a while until you get the looseness in the
back and then 'swing' You need to drop the neck of
them, down from the whither. Build them up now and
the rest will come quicker later.3 months. until you
get total 'swing' but don't allow them to lean into
your contact. At this stage, I change from the FM
Bit to a loose ring snaffle of some description too
as the FM tends to be a little thicker and with more
of a nut cracker action. Regards
Thanks for posting my letter, it’s nice to know I
did retain some knowledge from my time a uni LOL.
The weather is extremely wet, not good riding, but
the pastures are all green and abundant, and the
horses love it I think my fella has put on about two
dress sizes and he looks awesome, I will have to
send you some photos of the greenery and the fat
pony (not wanting to rub in the fact that we have
green grass and you don’t). We had the eye of
Cyclone Helen go over our place on the morning of
the 5/1/08, which was interesting apparently we had
about 150km winds, but I slept through it so
couldn’t tell you for sure J, had no power all day
on the 5th and no phones until lunchtime of the 5th
and the lovely Telstra next g didn’t work until
Sunday the 6th. No bad damage, quite a few trees
down, but all in all we survived with flying colours
and the horses weren’t too fazed by it either.
Cheers
Yes, thanks Nicole. That
was a good answer regarding horses eating their own
manure. Boredom, stress, lack of minerals but with
foals, they need to for gut reasons. Hope you don't
get washed away. If only it reached the Murray River
Dear John, I am so proud to be emailing you
tonight, - a friend has asked me to help her in the
selection of a new (and first) horse – sadly, I
think you would not be surprised at what we have
seen – the 8/9 months pregnant mare who the seller
got given 8/9 months ago and didn’t realise until we
pointed out the blinking obvious that the horse was
in fact in foal!!... the RSPCA Standie case – poor
bloke ... the cracks from the toe to the coronet
case ... the list goes on – but today we looked at a
lovely horse the lady was selling because her
daughter was quite competitive but the horse would
never do well in his dressage tests because of this
bad habit of throwing his head up in the transition
– and despite a year’s worth of coaching, still had
trouble going around correctly , getting tense in
the canter, – well, I’m sure you won’t be surprised
to know that he was so obviously unsound – only
obvious to me because of all of your hard work at
educating the public – I saw it straight away, and I
have passed on your website address to the lovely
family in the hope the he may get some relief – the
lady probably thought I was full of you know what –
after all, she couldn’t see anything wrong – and the
coach certainly hadn’t picked anything up – well, a
big thanks to you from me and that horse who I hope
we have helped – and from my friend who didn’t buy
an unsound horse...
Keep it up guys, its all worth it.
Kindest regards,
Nat
Well done Nat. It sure is
an eye opener going around to buy horses, isn't it.
I once took a Federal Court Judge with me on a day
of horse buying and he has never forgotten some of
the things we saw and heard. He was mind boggled and
as the day went on and on, the fabric of the Horse
Industry unfolded with the hilarious, the sad, the
idiots, the cons, and the liars. I bet your friend
is happy. Regards
Hi John
Well it hasn't been that long since I have annoyed
you, but I once again I need your help.
We have finally got the rain in Queensland, in the
last two months, that we desperately needed, even
major flooding through the Jimboomba and Beaudesert
area's, just down the road from us.
The problem I have now is a huge infestation of
bitting midges which are creating havoc with both my
horses.
We are on very sandy loam soil and they have
obviously laid their eggs in the nice, now damp
soil, which have now hatched.
You cannot walk into any of the paddocks without
being carried away by midges and they have attacked
the horses leaving huge welts on them the size of
frozen peas.
I am worried about them scratching themselves to the
stage where this could also develop into Qld itch.
I have read previously your remedy for flies of
kerosene and water but I couldn't find the mixture
quantities. Should I try using this ?
Do you have any suggestions to help to get rid of
them? I have sourced out the web but there are no
effective remedies for getting rid of them or
protecting the horses.
We are lucky, we can cover up and use repellents to
stop them doing to much damage to us,but It is
driving the horses nuts.
Any advice would be welcome.
Thanks John
Greg & Chris
Munruben
I answered you via email
but said my 'Pineapple Headed' friends would have
better advice. Let's see :)
Hi
John,
I
have a 6 year old 16.1hh Gisborne Bred mare (stationbred
– strong quite stocky type). She is generally
very calm in every way but I’ve been having some
significant problems floating her. Until
yesterday I had floated her 3 times. The first
time her paddock mate (who is fine to load) got
on first, then my mare got on about the 2nd
time so no problem. On the way home however
every time I’d go towards the ramp she’d rear
and leap to the side. She seemed quite bothered
by a pig in the next paddock so after several
attempts the float was moved as far away from
the pig as possible and after trying many times
by chance she reared and landed with her front
hooves squarely on the ramp and up she went.
I
do not own a float so its hard for me to keep
practicing with her. I am 7 months pregnant also
so my safety is my priority. My mare is not
scared of the float, if she gets on she stands
fine, she does not sweat, there are no signs of
fear at all. She is a very brave girl. I now
knew I had a floating problem.
I
went to take her to a stud in December last
year. We had 3 people trying to load her, she
would rear and leap to the side. Somebody would
stand at the side with a whip but she would
still do it. On this occasion she started to
tire of being a pain after maybe 45mins. She
started to concentrate on the float a bit more
and we were able to move her legs forward one by
one. Far from ideal as this could be potentially
very dangerous but it worked. She got on after
about an hour to join her friend.
I
went to bring her home yesterday from the stud
(she is now pregnant) and the kind people at the
stud put the float against a fence and the 2 of
them worked together to load her. She was doing
huge rears towards the fence but managed to land
safely on the ground each time. The whip behind
her did little to coax her in. In the end a rope
was looped around her bum and the pressure and
reward method used. She was on in about 15mins.
She was completely calm standing on the float
and not sweating at all. We were just talking
about when the float would be retuned etc when
suddenly from within the float my mare (who was
alone) started bucking continually. She was
going so nuts bits of plywood were being torn
from the side of the float. We were shouting at
her and she got a smack on the bum with the whip
but she kept bucking. We decided to move the
float forward and she stopped and decided to
just drive her home (about 20mins away) or else
she may never get on another float again – she
would have won. She wasn’t a problem for the
rest journey and we got her off safe. She had
several scratches to her hind legs but nothing
serious, she was very luckyI am very fond on
this mare and keen to work through this problem,
preferably with a professional as I feel this
problem is too serious for me to deal with
alone. Please could you help me with some advice
on what I should do and whether I should wait to
sort this problem out soon or in a year or so
once she has had her foal?
Thanks kindly,
Laura NZ
She
is telling me at least Laura, that she has put
it over people many times before and that this
is a practiced art. Yes she may well have
reasons from the past to have become resistant
but he little rear and turn is a well rehearsed
ploy. The bucking in the float is a worry but
likely to be a tantrum in this case. Go read
this:
LOADING AND FLOATING OF THE HORSE
You
shouldn't be trying now, just sort the horse out
before you next have to travel and in the
meantime, go find an accredited NH Coach and
have lessons using that horse. During the
lessons the horse will be prepared for the job
of loading 'Parelli style' and you will have the
skills to do it because the horse will now them
as well. That will give you and your horse a
better all round grounding and go on to assist
you in many other ways throughout your career.
Go read this:
THE 7 GAMES OF NATURAL HORSEMANSHIP.
Little Devil :)
hello
my name is chantel
i have written to you b4 and i have found your
advice very helpful
i have just bought this QH he is gorgeous a
little bossy but i think he is testing me to see
how much he can get away with, the one thing i
am having problems with is his back feet he
hates them being picked up. what he will do is
forse all his weight down on the one leg i am
trying to pick up sometimes he makes it
impossible because he will lift his other foot
so i cannot. sometimes he goves a little buck
nothing serious just a leave me alone sort of
thing and he leans on me to while i am trying to
do it. im not sure what to do about this
behaviour do you have any advice or tricks i can
use to stop this from happening or maybe i need
to take him to a breaker to get it sorted do you
know of any good ones in ADELAIDE? his back feet
are not shoes but the do need a trim and not
sure how a farrier will go doin it
please if you have any advice let me know
thanx
Chantel
I
know a second rate one Chantel but he could
probable do the job for you. This is a job for a
Professional, not you. Email
horseproblems@horseproblems.com.au and speak
to John O'Leary :) He is in Adelaide. Regards
Hi Mr
and Mrs HP!
What a suprise to see my letter on the
internet!! Happy new year, by the way! I have a
couple of questions regarding my miniature pony
(or horse.. I'm not quite sure). I have attached
a photo of her and I. She has unfortunately
foundered numerous times starting from mid
winter 2007 until a few weeks ago. I have
resorted to keeping her in a dirt yard and
feeding her about two biscuits of lucerine/grass
hay per day. I have kept her in the yards for
about three weeks now. I will be putting a round
bale of hay in there with her now that she's
getting better. Should I be feeding her any more
or less than that? She seems to founder within
about a few hours if she goes into the paddock
with the other horses (very green at the moment
and organic too). I'm worried that she is
getting quite lonely without the horses directly
near her. Should I be putting a horse in with
her? Or would a sheep keep her company just as
well? Dad says that when we wean the lambs I can
put a lamb in with her. Thanks alot,
Penny
Roflao. Now that is cute
and I do mean the horse Folks :) You definitely
need her locked up Penny, you MUST NOT put a
round bale in there, she doesn't need another
horse either as that will muck up your 'pig pen'
rules and she will cheat and a sheep is fine.
You have to be cruel to be kind with these. Have
you done for sand? She would have plenty Penny.
Oh and don't feed lucerne. Just Meadow Hay, a
mineral lick and a hand full of pellets as a
treat for good carting :) Regards
14th January, 2008
Day Off and went to lunch
with my lovely wife :) She rode one of her horses at
4.30pm because I was a naughty Boy last night and
accidentally hard fed her as I forgot Mrs. HP was
riding late. We couldn't risk Colic of course.
GOSSIP OF THE DAY
There is a Horse in the
District that is coughing badly and has been for a
while. The owner is treating the horse for sand. Get
the Vet you iroit before you lose another one.
There is a 3 year old horse
in the District that was lunged for an hour with a
saddle on tonight. That maketh me sad but it is also
non of my business. Sorry.
It is alleged that one of
our good Riders lost two Stallions in quick
succession and if true, our sympathies to Horses and
owner.
I
can now rename him. I had tagged him "Naughty Boy"
but now I guess he is "lovely Boy" :) Andalusian by
the way. Rider isn't bad either :)
