What You Need to Know About Thrush

Attention horse owners:

• Does your horse's hooves have a foul odor? Im not talking about the usual odor, I mean a really bad odor.
• Is there dark discoloring on either side of the frog in the sulcus?
• Does the hoof sole flake off easily?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, your horse could have a bacterial infection known as thrush. If you do not check your horses hooves often, thrush can go unnoticed for a while. Thrush is not accompanied with lameness in the beginning stages, but if it goes untreated, lameness can develop. The bacteria grow best in moist, warm, unsanitary conditions with low oxygen.

Treatment of thrush includes:

• Picking out the feet 2x daily.
• Applying a commercial thrush treatment such as Kopertox, Thrush-XX, Thrush Off, or applying a home remedy such as a diluted bleach mixture or iodine. (Remember to pick hoof thoroughly before applying thrush treatment, and ask a vet before using home remedies to make sure it is safe for your horse)
• It is best to keep your horse in a dry, clean environment to allow for healing. Once a horse has had thrush, it is more susceptible to get it again.

Prevention is similar to treatment:

• Pick horses hooves daily.
• Keep horses environment as clean and dry as possible.
• If your horses are stalled, remember to clean out their stalls often.
• Remember, proper farrier care can prevent a wide variety of hoof problems.

Photos from:

www.ezpetsupply.com

www.equinehoofpro.com

A Proper Sale Ad

When it comes time to sell your horse, a proper and informative sale ad can increase your chances of a successful sale. Facebook livestock sale pages have skyrocketed in the last year or so, and while it can be a great way to get your horse out to many people easily, an insufficient ad will prolong the selling process.

A proper ad should contain the following:

A description of the horse.

Age of the horse.

Gender of horse.

Height.

Breed.

What the horse is best suited for.

A brief history of the horse.

Whether or not it is registered. (a link to allbreedpedigree.com would be great or picture of papers)

Training level of the horse: green broke, etc.

Suited for beginner, intermediate, or experienced rider. 

Any vices such as cribbing, or windsucking.

A phone number or email address.

Price. 

A conformation picture or many pictures.

A video of the horse's movement. 

A proper picture is very important. Often times inadequate pictures can deter a buyer. Here are some helpful hints to making a good picture:

1) When taking a conformation picture, take the picture with the horse square (legs straight and weight distributed proportionally on each leg) and you standing perpendicular to the horse's side. 

2) Three Quarter shots are most flattering to a horses's conformation and build. Standing slightly in front of the horse, face the horse's shoulder. Take a picture with all of the horse's body in the picture. You can do this also by standing behind the horse and taking the picture toward the hip. 

3) Make sure that there is not anything distracting in the back ground.

4)Please groom your horse.

5) There should not be any other horses in the picture.

6) Kids standing on the back of a horse to show how gentle it is does not sell a horse. 

7)Don't take a picture of your horse while he is grazing.

8) A screen shot is not an acceptable picture.

9)If the horse is wearing tack in the picture, make sure the tack is properly fitted.

10)The more educated you sound in your ad, the more likely you will deal with educated people, ensuring a good home for you horse.

11) Collages are not acceptable pictures.

12)Good spelling and grammer are a must! Get a dictionary! 

Sample ad:

Yella Money is a coming 9 year old, 16hh gelding. Trail horse extraordinaire but could do very well in the halter and Hunter Under Saddle ring.  He has been used in my lesson program and was ridden by a 9 year old girl in youth rodeos but doesn't like to go fast. Has been used to team pen but it is not his forte. Safe for a advanced beginner. He is great for a farrier. He has been ridden in Christmas parades and used for birthday parties. Only vice is that he is a dominant gelding but when pecking order is established he is quiet in the pasture. He loves to take care of kids. Very easy to handle and will load himself. http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/yella+money

$8500

Video upon request. Reach me at justanotherhorseblog@gmail.com

3/4 picture

Not the best conformation picture but would do

Fitting the Rope Halter

In recent years, rope halters have gained popularity as natural horsemanship has come to the forefront. A favorite with trainers such as Clint Anderson, Buck Brannaman, and Pat Parelli, the rope halter is a great training tool. Rope halters can have knots tied along the nose band for quicker response. A rope halter works off the pressure points of the horse's face and head, thus making it such a popular training tool.

Horses have pressure points on either side of the bridge of the nose as well very sensitive pressure point behind the ears. When pressure from the halter is placed on these sensitive areas, the horse moves away from the pressure creating the release.

Rope halters are often double stranded and made of a stiff but soft rope. The stiffness allows for the halter to hold shape but are soft enough not to cause damage to the face. The better quality rope, the better the halter. Rope halters can come with or without knots that lay on either side of the nose. Rope halters with knots are primarily seen on horses in training and caution should be taken with these halters as they can do serious damage to the nerves if mishandled. 

Rope halters are great for training a horse to flex and lighten in the face. Often a young horse's first ride is in a rope halter before they are introduced to a bosal or a snaffle as the pressure from the halter is something that already familiar to a young horse.

Most people do not know how to properly fit a rope halter or tie one, thus they shy away from using them. A rope halter should be fitted to the horse's head just as you would fit a nylon or leather halter. 

I think pink looks amazing on Belle!

Tying the rope halter:

Once you slip the nose band on the nose and flip the long piece that goes across the poll to the left side you are are ready to tie. 

The Eyelet should be on the left side of the horse's face and the loops in which the lead rope attaches should be under the jaw. 

The eyelet 

Once the halter is positioned for tying, take the long piece and thread through the eyelet as shown:

Placing the poll strap through the eyelet

Once you put the poll strap through the eyelet, pull the strap to desired tightness. This should pull up the halter and the halter should fit the horse snug but still loose enough for the horse to open its mouth. Now loop the poll strap behind itself as shown:

Poll strap placed behind itself

Once you have done this, thread the poll strap through the loop you have just created.

Placing the poll strap through the loop

Pull the strap to tighten the knot. Congratulations! You have tied a rope halter!

A correctly tied rope halter

Often time it is beneficial to place the poll strap behind the throatlatch of the halter to keep the excess from swinging about and potentially slapping your horse in the face. 

Excess placed behind throatlatch. (I did not edit this photo to show you how bright this halter is!)

Rope halters should fit a horse just as a nylon or leather halter should. The nose band should not be drooping and hanging on the nostrils, it should lay midway up the face the cheek strap below the start of the cheek. The throatlatch should fit behind the jowls. The poll strap should be directly behind the ears. A loose halter will be easier for the horse to hurt himself or get loose. Always check to make sure your halter is properly tied and fitted before used to tie a horse to something like a hitching post. 

Caution:
Rope halters should never under any circumstances be left on a horse in turnout. This halter is designed to not give or break, thus your horse will be injured if he gets the halter caught in something. 

Do not tie a horse with a rope halter unless the horse has been properly trained to tie an give to pressure. These halters are made specifically not to break or give. The more a horse pulls on the halter the more pressure on the poll and the tighter the knot gets. Do not tie a horse without supervision or use to break a horse to tie using this halter without guidance from a trusted trainer.

Proper Bit Fit: Snaffle/Hack Combo

Today will be discussing the snaffle/hackamore combo bit.  This bit is a favorite with riders that do speed events such as barrel racing, pole bending, or cowboy mounted shooting. This bit provides rate and lift for the horse as well as a little more stop. We have to remember any bit can be harsh in  the hands that it is in, but this bit should be used by an experienced rider that has quiet hands.

Combo bit front view

Combo bit side view

The bit that I am using for an example is a bit that features a twisted wire sweet iron snaffle with a gag action as well as a rope nose. The blue is vet wrap that has been wrapped around the nose band to provide protection to the nose of the horse. This bit is good for a horse that has a tendency to drop their shoulders and/or  does not possess a lot of natural rate. The snaffle and gag action is the first to engage, allowing the horse to think about slowing down before the hack engages pressure on the nose. The chain chin strap thus engages putting pressure on the bars of the mouth from the snaffle and the action of the hack that is common in most mechanical hackamores. It may be helpful before you introduce this bit to your horse is to introduce your horse to the action of a gag bit and then to the action of a regular mechanical hackamore such as the "Little S" hack so that the horse is not frightened by this bit.

To properly fit a bridle with this bit it is common to use a smaller headstall than one that you would use with a snaffle or curb or at least a very good adjustable headstall. Remember the first part of fitting this bridle is that the cheek piece should fit against the cheek of the horse with two fingers width between. 

Proper width between the cheek and cheek piece-Two fingers width.

Bit properly fitted to the horse. 

When the bridle is fitted correctly, the bit should sit in the horse's mouth like a regular snaffle should. Most of the attention should be placed on the hack component of the bridle because this is where most of the stopping power is contained. 

The hackamore component of this bridle has the power to break or seriously damage the soft cartilage and nerves of the nose. So proper placement is a must. When fitting the rope nose, first you need to find where the cartilage of the nose ends and the bone begins. To find this, use your thumb and forefinger to feel down the bridge of the nose. At the end of the bone, you will feel it narrow as you get farther down towards the nostrils. Find where the bone starts to narrow and place your fingers there.

Finding where the bone begins in the nose. 

Once you find where the bone begins, the rope nose should lay at least two fingers width above where you have marked with your fingers. 

Two fingers width between the end of the bone of the nose to the rope nose. 

Often horses with smaller muzzles, it is difficult to keep the hack in the proper position. It can be useful to tie a piece of leather from the rope nose to the headstall between the ears.

The chin strap should also be properly fitted to ensure that the bit functions as intended. As with all chin straps, two fingers should be easily inserted between the chin and in this case, the chain.

Two Fingers width between the chin and chain.

This can be a great bit for both training and competition in the right hands. I caution that this bit is a severe bit and should only be used on horses that are aged and finished. This bit can be great to use in training to make the horse a little more sensitive and reactive to aids and then compete in a regular gag or mechanical hack.  In competition, this bit helps the rider use minimal force to cue the horse which is great for the quick speed needed for speed events.

The snaffle/hack combo bit properly fitted. 

Proper Bit Fit: Snaffle Bits

One major component of communicating with your horse on a ride is the bridle. The bridle includes the headstall, bit, chin strap, and reins. In order for the bridle to be a complete and effective unit of communication, it is important to ensure that the bridle properly fitted to the horse.

Snaffles are direct pressure bits. When the pressure from the reins reaches the bit, the horse can feel the pressure on the bars of the mouth of that side. Not only this, but it is reinforced by pressure to the opposite side of the mouth. Snaffles are often the first bit that a horse comes into contact with. It is a great training tool as it provides the amount of pressure that the rider puts on the reins. The pressure is quickly alleviated when the rider releases the pressure. This is why it is such a great training tool.

Proper fit of bridles and bits are important for a successful and safe ride. Often times I see people riding with their horse's bridle too loose making the bit hang low in the horse's mouth. This does not allow the bit to properly function in the horse's mouth reducing your ability to effectively communicate with the horse through the bit. Another problem is when the bridle is too tight causing the bit to be hiked up too high in the horse's mouth causing it to hit the horse's molars. This also does not allow the bit to function correctly and causing pain to the horse when the bit makes contact with their teeth.

The first bit we will discuss is the snaffle. The most common snaffle bits in western riding are the O-ring and D-ring. Most popular in English riding are the Eggbutt and D-Ring. The "rings" just refer to the shape of the part of the bit that attaches to the bridle. The mouth pieces all have the similar mouth piece.

O-Ring Snaffle 

         (Please ignore the dirtiness of the bit, just finished riding when I took this picture.)



Often when people are bridling their horses, they think that the proper bit fit is when there are wrinkles in the corners of the horse's mouth. This is not entirely true. The bridle is most effective when you can fit two fingers between the cheek piece and the cheek.

Demonstration of Two Fingers fitting between the cheek and the cheek piece. 

If you have space wider than your two fingers between the cheek piece and the horse's cheek, this allows the bit to hang too low in the horses mouth. When the bit is too low in the horse's mouth, it takes longer for the transfer of pressure from the reins to the bit when cueing for a turn or stop. Not only do you run the risk of the bridle to be more easily pulled off, but quicker response time can mean the difference getting to that cow at a sorting or slowing that horse after a killer plastic bag floats across the trail. (Although, when I start a horse in the snaffle, I allow them to wear the bridle a little looser to teach them to hold the bit in their mouth themselves. When I ride, I want the bridle to fit perfectly.)

Too much space between the cheek piece and cheek.

Here, the horse is having to hold the bit in his mouth because his bit is too loose. 

When the bridle is too tight in the horses mouth, the pressure on the corners of the mouth is never alleviated. This can cause the horse to start ignoring the pressure in the corners of the mouth, and needing to apply more pressure to cue the horse.

Bridle too tight causing excessive wrinkles and displeasure in the mouth. When pressure is applied, this could cause
the bit to hit the molars causing pain. 

When the bridle is properly fitted to the horse's head with the appropriate two finger's width, the bit with lay in the horse's mouth on the bars where the bit is supposed to be. Here the bit is most effective.

Two fingers width between the cheek and cheek piece.

Proper bit fit. Just enough wrinkle but not causing displeasure in the mouth. 

A proper fitting bridle makes for a happy rider and a happy horse.

My lovely model for the evening, Yella. 

Next time: Proper Bit Fit: The Snaffle/Hack Combo bit