Horse Training You Can't Fool A Horse By Jeffrey Rolo In the dating world many men and women put their potential partners to a "dog test," whereby they introduce their date to their dog and see how the dog reacts to the stranger. If the dog reacts badly towards their date then a red flag is waved, whereas if the dog accepts the stranger instantly the opposite holds true. While many people look upon this test in a tongue- in-cheek manner, many dog owners actually do take it seriously. As they probably should! Many animals, including horses, possess an uncanny ability to detect emotion as well as the inner nature of an individual. Whereas you may be able to slap a forced smile on your face and hide powerful negative emotions such as stress or anger from fellow humans, you won't find it as easy to fool a horse! In fact I consider horses to be natural truth detectors due to their ability to read a person's emotional state as well as their sincerity when it comes to a love for equines. If one of my naturally friendly horses takes an instant dislike to someone out of the blue, 9 times out of 10 I'm going to re- spect my equine partner's instincts. Horses generally do not possess vendettas or have reason to target anyone for no real rea- son – they tend to call them as they see them. If a horse usually takes a liking to visitors but holds a sudden aversion to one in particular, clearly the horse sees or detects something that I may not have initially caught. When a horse enjoys your company, you'll know it. When a horse trusts you, you'll know it. And when a horse actually dis- likes you, he will make sure you know it. I often state that the world would be a much better place if people were as brutally honest as horses. But I digress… A proficient horseman at work should be cool, calm and collected, three essential qualities to maximize the productivity of a training session as well as create an all-around positive aura over human-horse interactions. Keep in mind that you are the horse's leader, and as such the horse will take his cues from you. If you are agitated the horse will recognize something is wrong and either feel you are angry with him or you are annoyed with something else he cannot detect but probably should be also be concerned about. The horse will not be able to focus on the lesson or your requests well at all, nor will he be able to draw strength from you when he becomes concerned about a foreign object or behavioral request. It is essential that you try not to visit or work with your horse when you are in a negative frame of mind since these undesir- able emotions will disturb your equine partner. Try to take a few minutes, or even hours if necessary, to collect your emo- tions and clear your mind of life's daily irritants. When we see a loved one is feeling down, it often puts a damper on our day too since negativity tends to breed negativity. The same will happen with your horse, so do not underestimate your horse's ability to detect your feelings. Horse Training Which Horse Trainer Should I Emulate? By Jeffrey Rolo Selecting the right horse trainer to emulate can be a daunting task for newcomers to the world of horse training. As with nearly any occupation or hobby, there are many authorities within the field willing to offer advice, some good, some not so good. Before spending an investment in time and money newcomers will often ask… which trainer should I follow? The an- swer may surprise you: No one and everyone. Let's look at this seemingly oxymoron a bit closer. You should not attempt to duplicate the style of any one particular horse trainer, yet you should try to study as many different horse trainers as possible during your horse career. I realize a far more convenient answer would be to point out one supreme trainer in the horse world and suggest focusing on him or her, but the fact of the matter such a magic bullet just doesn't exist for two reasons: 1.There are many talented horse trainers, each with their different styles and advice. Judging one as being better than all oth- ers is simply not possible or reasonable. 2.Whereas one trainer may practice a style that is perfect for me, you may find the style to be somewhat incompatible to you – or vice versa! An old adage states that "all roads lead to Rome" and a similar context can be applied towards horse training. Whereas there are false paths that will lead to an unproductive or miserable relationship with a horse, the fact of the matter is many paths lead to success. As long as the trainer believes in understanding a horse and his language rather than dominating a horse through violence or fear, chances are his path is one of those that will lead to success. Training is not an exact science or emulation – it's a natural flow that should bring out the highest level of comfort and confi- dence between you and your horse. Back about 50 years ago left-handed writing was deemed improper, so some schools would require left-handed students to write with their right hand, regardless of the fact that it's not a natural instinct or com- fort zone for left-handers. Could such students learn to go against their instincts? Absolutely. Left-handed people have al- ways been forced to live in a right-handed world. Was it an ideal scenario for them? No – it disregarded their inherent skills and instincts and forced them to adopt someone else's natural ways. You should look upon horse training in the same context. Although you can follow one trainer's style to the letter, you may later find that had you tweaked a few things here or there you would have been even more efficient or confident. A horse trainer should possess confidence in his own actions and ability before attempting to guide an untrained horse, for an integral part of the training process is lending that confidence to the horse to reassure the horse that the foreign stimuli and behaviors introduced to him are nothing to worry about. If you're uncomfortable with your requests, you can bet your horse will proba- bly pick up on your hesitation or awkwardness. Any master of any trade becomes a master only because they realize that life is a constant learning experience – one should never rest on their laurels or be complacent with what they currently know. The same should hold true for all of us who en- joy and work with horses. Each time you read about or witness techniques from various natural horsemen you will often pick up an intriguing idea or two to try out yourself. Experiment! See how they work for you. At the same time you should not attempt to clone any specific horse trainer no matter how skilled he or she may be. Use the knowledge you are gathering and combine it with your natural instincts and flow. Create your own overall technique that blends the best of all worlds and you will be well on your way to success. Horse Training Could Foal Imprinting Be Detrimental? By Jeffrey Rolo Few would disagree that foal imprinting can lay down an invaluable foundation of trust and respect between horse and own- er, but could it be possible that the imprinting process could actually serve as a detriment too? You might be surprised to hear the answer is yes. An old adage states a person can have too much of a good thing and although some of us might love to disagree with that statement there is an underlying truth that cannot be denied. Such is also the case with foal imprinting. When we imprint a foal we are in effect "rewriting" nature's design. Horses are prey animals that possess an inherent fear of potential threats to the herd (i.e., humans), and imprinting is an attempt change this natural instinct and make the horse view you (and humans as a whole) as part of its herd. Whereas the general concept is fine, you do not want to completely wipe out a horse's natural instincts since a horse devoid of them will be at a liability. A good comparison would be a lesson that many parents give to their children: do not trust strangers. In teaching this lesson the parent isn't trying to create a basket case that is afraid of all people, but the parent does make sure the child realizes that unfamiliar people can be potential threats. They try to place a natural apprehension in chil- dren, and it is this apprehension that could eventually protect a child from a future "predator." If a foal is stripped of all natural fears three difficulties are created: 1. The foal could naively embrace potential dangers rather than allow his flight instinct to protect him. 2. The foal can view you (and other humans) as an equal rather than a superior, thereby causing him to behave in a brassy manner towards you and potentially harming you. 3. The foal's fearlessness and overconfidence will make training much more difficult. The first difficulty was already touched upon with the child analogy, so let's take a closer look at the second difficulty now. You want your horse to possess a certain degree of fear of you (or respect, if fear is too harsh a term), because if he is com- pletely fearless he will view you as an equal and a playmate. It's natural to ask, "What's so bad about that? Don't we want our horse to be fully comfortable with us?" While it's true that such loyalty and devotion is heart warming, it's important to re- member that horses are big animals and whereas their horseplay with another colt causes no harm, it can hurt us! You do not want a colt nipping your arm, running into you, etc. because even as a youngster it can hurt, but as the horse gets older and develops more strength and weight it will become progressively more dangerous. Fear is also a necessary tool when you start training your horse because technically you are using your authority and "force" to convince your horse to submit and respect your wishes. If your horse possesses absolutely no fear or wariness of you or your potential power, when you attempt to longe him or make him move off in a round pen there's a good chance he will not. After all, you're just his little buddy who can't do any harm to him. Ultimately when you are imprinting your horse you are showing the horse that he need not fear you, but don't ever let him lose his fear of your potential authority or force. He should look upon you as a kind and caring leader that demands respect and can bring him back into line should he act up. And finally we come full circle to why foal imprinting could actually become detrimental. It is not a good idea to imprint in such a way that you strip away all fear from the newborn foal. You should maintain that fine balance by letting the foal know he need not fear you, but he must respect you. He should not fear you, but he should hold a healthy respect for your authori- ty. Or to summarize it quickly, don't ever make the mistake of becoming his playmate (which is all too easy during those first days where foals are cute and harmless). Let him know from his first contact with you that you are, and always will be, his leader. Horse Training Gaited Horses And The Perils Of Trotting By Jeffrey Rolo One of the most common questions posed by those unfamiliar with gaited horses is, "Can a gaited horse trot?" I have heard this question countless times by those who would visit my farm to view my Mountain Horses, but this was to be expected since 10-years ago Mountain Horses were pretty darn rare in the Northern New England region. Well the answer is yes! Gaited horses are perfectly capable of trotting; it's as natural to them as walking and cantering. Of course this excited those who inquired since it meant a Mountain Horse could conceivably walk, trot, show walk, gait and canter, making him quite versatile! Before they could become too giddy I countered with a question of my own: Why would you want to trot a gaited horse? Often the response would be the visitor wanted a horse that could qualify for local shows that disallowed special gaits while still preserving the smooth gait for all their pleasure riding… the best of both worlds! While that is a legitimate reason, it also demands a careful and skilled rider because an inexperienced rider can ride the gait right out of a gaited horse! Perhaps that isn't technically true since Mountain Horse gaits are naturally inherent at birth and thus the horse doesn't "lose" it, but for all practical purposes once you allow a Mountain Horse to trot too much under saddle he will likely elect not to gait anymore while under saddle. The reason for this is a trot is simply a lot less work! My advice is to buy a gaited horse if you want to gait and buy a standard horse if you wish to trot, because whereas trots are perfectly natural and will not harm your horse, gaits and trots don't mix well when under saddle. Let me share an example to illustrate this. An individual was selling a Mountain Horse in a nearby state, but he wasn't having much luck because the horse wouldn't gait. Knowing that I bred Mountain horses he contacted me and asked me to look at his horse and consider a purchase. When I visited the gelding it was clear the horse didn't have any defects, hoof or health issues that could create a gaiting problem – he was a perfectly sound and beautiful young chocolate gelding. I ended up purchasing the horse for a very good price based on his non-performance. It took a couple months of consistent training to break the gelding from his trotting habit. Beneath that jostling trot was actu- ally a gait as smooth as silk, but it was a pain in the neck to force him to gait consistently! It's much easier to train a horse correctly from the start than re-train bad habits out of a horse. In the end he became a consistent gaiter and found a great home, but had the gelding not been purchased by someone familiar with gaited horses he may never have gaited under saddle again! So what was the problem? The horse was ridden exclusively by the seller's girlfriend prior to the sale and she had no experience whatsoever with gaited horses. Walk, trot and canter was all she knew, so instead of engaging the horse's gait she would accidentally suppress it and/ or allow the horse to elect to trot instead. Of course the frustration factor continued to grow; as the gelding became more comfortable with trotting and calling the shots, the rider was left even more powerless in her attempts to make him gait. The first mistake was allowing the horse to trot under saddle. The second was allowing the behavior to become ingrained rather than study what she was doing wrong and learn how to work with her gaited horse. Gaited horses are wonderful horses for beginners and professionals alike, but if you're new to gaited horses you would do well to purchase an extremely well trained horse whose gait is already firmly ingrained. In addition make sure you study your breed's gait as well as any special riding rules and/or tips required for engaging the gait. Do not let your horse get away with trotting – it's better to stop and seek out the assistance of an expert than to try and handle it on your own because the longer it takes you to remedy the behavior, the harder it will be to break the horse of the habit. For those who want their horse to trot for those exceptional circumstances such as local multi-breed shows that disallow gait- ing horses, it's a good practice to gait at least 75% of the time during your training sessions. Never allow your gaited horse to become too comfortable with trotting under saddle, and understand that you're playing with fire each time you trot under sad- dle, so it's recommended only for the experienced rider. Trotting cannot cause discomfort or harm to your gaited horse, but it sure can cause you dismay when you find that the rough trot you tried so hard to escape by purchasing your gaited horse has now returned to haunt you. Horse Training Round Pen: The Great Equalizer By Jeffrey Rolo Although many horsemen and trainers extol the virtues of the round pen, many horse owners still overlook just how powerful such a pen can be in developing or maintaining a relationship with a horse. This is a shame because it is truly what I call the Great Equalizer in a horse-human relationship. Perhaps that bears some clarification… I've found many horse owners to be concerned about their physical strength as opposed to that of their horse. They fear they simply cannot firmly establish themselves as the alpha, or leader, of the relationship because the horse is so much stronger. Thus when their horse displays poor ground manners or commits an inappropriate action they are more prone to ignore it and hope it doesn't develop into worse behaviors. After all, what choice do they have? The horse is just too strong. The reality is that, except for the youngest of foals, a horse will always possess more raw strength than a human. Any at- tempts to overpower a horse with sheer strength are doomed to fail. Techniques such as raising your voice towards or slap- ping a misbehaving horse do not rely on strength – they are psychological. The horse does not want the conflict to escalate as it is uncertain exactly what your capabilities are, therefore it submits. Of course there are exceptions, and truth be told such techniques are best used on already-trained horses or in situations where you cannot properly establish your authority due to lack of time or proper surroundings. The best way to instill respect and discipline into a naughty horse is by incorporating the Great Equalizer: the round pen. Whereas many people view a round pen as a means for exercise (and it is true that it's a great exercise tool), the true power behind the round pen is its ability to establish dominance in a completely non-forceful method. In the round pen, physical strength means very little. It is a quick and easy (as opposed to other methods) technique to make your alpha status known. Allow me to share an example that will better illustrate why a round pen will serve you better than strength. I once owned a willful young colt raised by a first-time mother, so unfortunately the mare wasn't all that familiar with the need to discipline her colt. In fact although the colt was really quite a nice horse, he was unruly and tended to do whatever he wanted from day one. An experienced mare would not have permitted such antics, and had she "laid down the law" better from the first day the colt would likely have been a little less rambunctious. Soon it came time to provide halter and lead training to this young upstart, and true to his form he made sure the task was trying. Although more than willing to walk with you, he felt there was little need to do so in an orderly fashion. If he "accidentally" bumped into you, or strayed so far from your side that you had to cling to the lead line with an iron grip, so be it. Snapping or jerking the lead line didn't impress him much. Even worse, as a colt develops into a mature stallion they often can become very "nippy." This one was no different at first. Just as he did with his mother, he would sneak tiny bites and nips when you weren't watching, and although there wasn't mean intent behind them let's face it – they hurt! Anytime a horse strikes at you (and a nip should be considered a strike) it's important that you retaliate with conviction so they think twice about doing so again. But when I would give this colt a fairly light slap he would almost smirk to himself and try to nip me again! Was he being mean-spirited? No! This colt grew up with no significant discipline from his mother and no fear of humans – we imprinted him from birth and thus he trusted us. Since he did not fear me, he thought I was en- gaging in some horseplay as any other colt would do. A slap, as harsh as it sounds to us, is not always about force. It generally does not cause a horse much pain, but rather it is intended as a shock technique for a horse that already recognizes you as an alpha. Since this colt saw me as a playmate and equal, he possessed no fear of my slaps – my choice was to either escalate the physical force (which is generally not my first choice) or establish my dominance in a gentle way via the round pen. Once I established that slaps or verbal growls would not have any effect on this colt, anytime he would nip at me or try my patience with his rebellious ways we would march straight to the round pen or enclosed paddock. While this colt found the notion amusing for the first five minutes or so, eventually the round pen will drain the "oats" from nearly any horse and he was no different. With consistent round pen work, this colt soon learned that I wasn't a simple playmate – I was his leader. Although we could still enjoy each other's company, it had to be on terms that were agreeable to the both of us (no more black and blues!). Due to consistent round pen work, the leading, nipping and general disrespect issues became a thing of the past. I hope my example of this young colt showed the folly of depending upon physical force to achieve your goals – "outgunning" a horse is not easy, practical or desirable. Never accept poor behavior and do not feel your authority is mea- sured solely by your raw strength; both are mistakes that are all too commonly committed by horse owners. Instead consider the use of a round pen (or in a pinch you can use a longe line) and find out how easy training and discipline can be when us- ing the Great Equalizer. Horse Training With Understanding Comes Success By Jeffrey Rolo One of the reasons I strongly encourage horse owners to train their own horses rather than ship them away to a professional trainer is familiarity. Quite simply, an unfamiliar party will not understand your horse nearly as well as you, and this under- standing of a horse is the backbone of any successful training plan. This is not to suggest that all horse trainers are clueless individuals that bumble along hoping to do something right, because most professional trainers will take the time to understand a horse before ever thinking about saddling him and training him to ride. But all too often an impatient or inexperienced "trainer" will misread a horse's problem or intention and react incor- rectly due to his lack of understanding. Too many of these incidents can prolong the training process (thereby costing you money) and potentially mentally scar your horse for life. Far too many head-shy horses can be attributed to inexperienced or abusive past trainers and/or owners who lacked an under- standing of the horse they were working with. Once a horse has developed this mistrust or fear of people it can take a good while to reassure the horse that another cuff is not waiting around the corner. And who can blame the horse? If every past exposure with a dog resulted in the dog biting you, chances are you would be very wary, if not outright panicked, by future exposures to canines. To correct an improper action it is first important to understand the motivation that lies behind it. For example, let's say that you are training a young filly to walk alongside you to your left. Suddenly without permission the filly slams against your side, but being that she's still young it doesn't do much more than get your attention. What would you do? 1.Ignore the behavior – no harm was done after all. 2. Jab your elbow into the filly's shoulder and growl at her to remind her to respect your space. 3.Take a moment to detect the reason why the filly brushed against you. If you selected the first option, you chose wrong. Although your heart is in the right place in your willingness to "write off" a seemingly harmless action, eventually if you ignore these things they can compound to worse problems. Your filly won't al- ways be so small and light! If you selected the second option you might have reacted correctly if the filly was gently asked to respect your space previ- ously and elected to ignore the request out of defiance. In such a scenario you would need to reinforce your authority lest she view herself as being the alpha leader amongst you. But what if the filly stepped against you because the wind was carrying along a plastic bag that startled her? In such a case if you discipline your horse you do her a huge disservice because she's not trying to be defiant or challenge your authority – she's scared and she wanted your reassurance! If you start cuffing your filly for violating your personal space she will be like a deer caught in a car's headlights; the bag to her left and the handler to her right are scaring her and she'll either bolt or be- come paralyzed. Had you understood the root of her concern you could have forgiven the invasion of your space and instead showed your filly the plastic bag was nothing to be concerned about. Such reassurances would have put her mind at ease, allow her to re- gain focus on the task at hand and hopefully become desensitized towards future encounters with plastic bags. A trainer that believed in the "one size fits all" philosophy would probably have chosen option two in the above scenario since at face value that would be the correct reaction, but without understanding the horse or the motivation behind her action his "correction" would have further compounded the problem. It is essential a handler take the time to understand a horse's behavior before attempting to correct it since one size most definitely does not fit all. And who would better understand your horse than you? In addition the training process does not have to be the stressful battle of wills that most of us initially believe it to be. Taken slowly, both the horse and the owner can actually look forward to advancing along the lesson plan. As the owner and horse work together, each will develop an even better understanding of the other's mannerisms, personality and expectations… and with understanding comes success. Health & Care Foal Scours: A Natural Rite Of Passage By Jeffrey Rolo Foal scours (a specific type of diarrhea) has long been wrapped within a shroud of mystery, a shroud that even modern sci- ence hasn't yet been able to fully pierce. The messy ordeal can also be quite intimidating to first-time foal owners since at that young age diarrhea can seriously dehydrate the foal in a very short time. Luckily, foal scours is perfectly natural and a process all foals will experience in varying degrees. What causes scours? Foal scours almost always coincides with the dam's first heat, most often referred to as her foal heat. The dam's foal heat and the subsequent foal's scours usually take place seven to 10 days after the foal's birth. Since the foal's scours would match the timing of the dam's first heat it was long believed that the cause was due to hormonal changes within the mare that was passed on to the foal through the milk. Scientific studies have disproved this as the root cause… almost. Foals that are orphaned or fed a milk-supplement rather than a dam's milk have been shown to also go through the scours period, so clearly hormonal changes passed on through a mother's milk is not the true cause. Yet even though a dam's hormonal changes has been shown not to be the actual cause for foal scours, when a foal is receiving his feed from his dam his scours almost always coincides with the dam's heat – so the jury is still out on exactly why this coincidence so consistently exists. The University of Florida performed some studies on foal scours that suggests it is actually caused by changes within the foal's digestive system as it prepares to accept solid food. During the initial "gear-up" period too much fluids and enzymes are released for the large intestines to absorb, resulting in a light case of diarrhea. Should I worry? No, foal scours is a perfectly normal process for all young foals. Due to the vulnerability of foals you should closely monitor the foal's progress, because whereas scours rarely does any harm you do want to make sure the foal doesn't develop a particu- larly bad case, nor do you want to confuse the natural scours with a genuine case of diarrhea caused by a virus or pathogen (disease-causing bacteria). A foal can become dehydrated very quickly, and unless the problem is addressed immediately the foal could conceivably die. A foal in the midst of scours should not show any signs of fever, discomfort, depression or lack of appetite because scours is not an actual illness like other causes of diarrhea. The foal should be bright and chipper throughout the day, playing and prancing about just as he/she always has. In addition the foal should also continue feeding several times per hour, so monitor the dam's udder and ensure it's not overly full or dripping milk. If it is, the foal may not be feeding enough. What can I do? There really isn't anything you can do to prevent foal scours since it is a natural rite of passage for horses, but there are some steps you can take to ensure everything flows smoothly (okay, given the subject matter perhaps that wasn't the best choice of words!). As mentioned above, monitoring the foal's progress is a must! The moment you suspect the foal is showing signs of illness or isn't drinking enough milk put a call through to your veterinarian. It's better to be safe than sorry. Some horse owners will give their foals yogurt (to introduce healthy bacteria to the stomach) or Kaopectate and/or Pepto- Bismol (to alleviate the diarrhea), but I don't find either to be necessary unless the scours is particularly strong. Foals will usually eat some of the dam's manure to coat his stomach with healthy bacteria. Grimace-inducing for us, perhaps, but an ef- fective and natural action for foals. The diarrhea caused by foal scours can irritate the horse's skin, so unless you take precautions expect a bare patch on your foal's rump once the scours has taken its course. Of course the hair will grow back, but if you wish to try and prevent its loss in the first place (and any potential skin irritation) then make sure you wash the rump gently a few times each day. After the wash, pat the area down with a soft towel so it's fairly dry and then apply either mineral oil or a petroleum-jelly product such as Vaseline to the rump and rear legs. This will help prevent the diarrhea from contacting the actual skin and sticking to the hair, making irritation far less likely and clean up much easier. Just make sure you are careful not to allow your foal to develop sunburn on his rear due to the petroleum enhancing the sun's natural rays. Foal scours is a messy little ordeal, but luckily it should pass in a short period of time, generally 4-6 days. Health & Care Don't Stress Over A Hoof Abscess By Jeffrey Rolo A hoof abscess can be one of the scariest things a horse owner may witness. One day the owner walks into the stable to visit his beloved horse and behold… the horse appears lame, refusing to place any weight on a specific leg. The owner tries to walk him a bit and meets with minimal or zero success; often the horse responds as if you asked him to walk on a broken leg! If this ever happens to you the first thing to remember is don't panic. Chances are your horse's leg is fine and the problem exists within his hoof… a problem that is painful as heck for the horse, but almost always clears itself out without health risks or long-term damage. Let's first take a look at what an abscess is. An abscess can occur when the hoof develops an infection due to: The sole being pierced by a sharp object such as a nail. The hoof wall cracks (generally due to improper trimming or hoof neglect), thereby allowing a piece of gravel to enter and become ingrained within the sensitive tissue above the sole (the laminae). Damage is done to the corium due to factors such as decreased blood circulation from shoes, poor horse shoeing and/or trim- ming, etc. Such damage has often existed internally for a while and only starts being released when a horse is allowed bare- foot and thereby sees increased circulation. Other less common factors can cause a hoof abscess, and sometimes due to the location of the abscess the cause or point of origin won't even be able to be detected. When your horse develops an abscess what happens is purulent fluid (pus) collects as the body fights off the source of the infection. Since the hoof cannot expand to accommodate the increasing collection of pus, the increased pressure within the hoof causes a great degree of pain – so who can blame your horse for not wanting to walk on such a foot? The pus will attempt to escape via the easiest path within the hoof, which most often is the coronary band. If a hoof wall is weakened or contains a crack it's possible for the abscess to develop there instead. Once the abscess drains the pus from the horse's hoof, the infection generally ends and your horse becomes just fine. While an abscess can heal on its own, I do not recommend allowing it to do so as an abscess can be incredibly painful for your horse and without human intervention the healing process will take significantly longer. Once you have determined your horse likely has a hoof abscess place a call to an expert (a veterinarian or blacksmith – just make sure they are familiar with how to handle abscesses). In most cases the expert will test the hoof to detect the point of origin, then cut a small hole to allow the fluid to drain quicker. Sometimes if the infection cannot be isolated, or is caught too deeply in the hoof, the expert will not cut the hoof since cutting away too much can do far more harm than good. Luckily most abscesses can successfully be expedited. After your hired expert has diagnosed the problem and provided whatever remedy he could, you will need to keep the sensi- tive hoof as clean and protected as possible. It's recommended you soak the hoof (many use water with a touch of apple cider vinegar) and clean the infected area thoroughly before covering the small drill hole with cotton or bandages. You want to en- sure dirt and manure cannot find their way into the hole and sensitive tissues. If a drain hole was unable to be added then chances are the abscess will need to escape via the coronary band. This will be a slower and more painful process for the horse, but unfortunately there's no way around it. A poultice created from linseed mash has been said to soften the hoof/band as well as increase blood circulation, so if your horse's abscess must heal on its own give this poultice a try. It may help speed up the process and alleviate some of the pain. (A linseed poultice is created by boiling linseeds into a mash, which is then spread across the abscessed hoof and wrapped.) Remember to soak the hoof with the water and cider vinegar solution once daily until the abscess appears to have drained completely. Since exercise increases blood circulation, taking your horse for a walk daily can also speed up the draining pro- cess… not that your horse will be thrilled with the prospect at first! If your horse is generally shod and then is allowed to go barefoot he will have an increased chance of developing an abscess since the hoof has likely been weakened depending on how long the horse has been shoed. In addition shod horses are more likely to develop an abscess due to the nail holes, etc. As a side note, I rarely shod my horses since I believe natural hooves are far healthier in the long run. Not once has any of my horses become afflicted with an abscess. If your horse develops multiple abscesses you may want to reevaluate whether shoes are best for your horse or whether your farrier is skilled enough to keep your horse's hooves healthy. An improperly trimmed hoof can cause significant damage beyond "simple" abscesses. While an abscess can be painful for a horse (and thus painful for us as we empathize with him), as long as you act promptly then chances are the healing process can be expedited and resolved relatively quickly. Health & Care Picking Up A Horse's Hoof By Jeffrey Rolo The idea of picking up a horse's hooves can intimidate some owners since a well-placed horse kick would really hurt! Such caution is good, but in reality if you pick up a horse's hoof properly you provide him with no leverage or ability to kick you. This is a situation where a person's worst fears can cause him to imagine an incident that is highly unlikely to occur with careful handling. Here's how to safely pick up a horse's hoof: Starting with the front hoof, approach your horse diagonally from his front so that he clearly knows you are there – you don't want to surprise him. Place yourself even with his shoulder and make sure to face his rear; you will both be facing opposite directions during the hoof picking process. Making sure that your feet aren't too close to the horse's hoof, start running the hand parallel to him down his shoulder and along the length of his leg, finally stopping just above his ankle. Gently grasp the ankle portion and click (or otherwise verbally cue him) to ask him to raise his leg. If he's well trained, that small cue will be more than enough and he'll do just what you requested. You're now free to begin picking his hoof. If your horse is being a bit stubborn or hasn't learned how to pick up his legs yet try leaning into his shoulder as you run your hand down the back of his cannon bone. You can also gently squeeze/pinch the tendons to further cue him to what you would like. As you perform these physical cues make sure you provide a verbal one also (I make a clicking sound) so the horse later associates your sound with the requested response. Increase the weight you push against his shoulder until he finally lifts his leg as requested. When picking a horse's hoof you want to remove all debris from the hoof clefts as well as the rim and frog. Be careful around the frog because it can sometimes be a bit sensitive, particularly if the horse has thrush. Once you have finished cleaning the front hoof carefully guide it back to the floor; you don't want to allow the horse to slam it, potentially hitting your foot in the process. Praise your horse and pat him on the front shoulder a bit so he understands that you are pleased with his cooperation, then run your hand along his back to his rear leg. Place yourself in the same position as you did with his front leg and do the process over again. There is a slight difference between lifting a rear foot and front foot, even though your basic positioning and actions are nearly identical. When you lift your horse's rear foot he will probably give a little jerk that you might misinterpret as a kick. This is a common reflex reaction among horses and nothing for you to worry about. Secondly, when you raise your horse's rear leg you'll want to step into him a bit so that your hip is underneath his leg. Rest his leg on your thigh, grab his hoof and gently flex it upwards. By doing this you lend him some support and more importantly the position of his leg and his flexed hoof will prevent him from being able to kick you. Clean the hoof, lower it cautiously as you did the first and praise him. Congratulations – you're halfway done! The opposite side will be done exactly the same way, but try to return to his front and start the opposite side rather than move around his rear. It's bad practice to approach or circle all but the most trusted horses via the rear in such close quarters since a horse would be within range to strike. When lifting any hoof try to make sure your horse is properly squared (balanced evenly on all four legs) so that when you lift one hoof he can easily balance on his remaining three. At no time should the horse actually lean his weight on you! Even when you rest his rear leg on your thigh you're not allowing him to use you as a crutch. Once you have picked your horse's hooves a few times it will probably become very simple and take less than 5 minutes to clear all hooves. Most trained horses will raise their hoof for you the moment they feel your leg run down their leg. It is a very good idea to control your horse's head while you are picking his hooves. This can be done by attaching his halter to crossties or asking a partner hold your horse's head. By controlling his head you ensure your horse can't move away from you while you're trying to pick his hooves, or worse… turn around and take a bite at your rear! Health & Care Bone Remodeling And Bucked Shins By Jeffrey Rolo Bone remodeling is one of those technical subjects that most horse owners don't bother learning about… it just sounds so scientific and dry! Although understandable, I suggest you gain a basic knowledge of remodeling since it can help minimize your horse's chances of being afflicted with smaller problems like bucked shins or far more serious problems like permanent lameness. Before diving right into the topic of bone remodeling let's take a peek at a related topic – the body's ability to adapt to physical pressure and stress. When we participate in an exercise program to improve our health and physique, in reality what we are doing is purposely stressing our bodies in a controlled manner. Aerobic exercises steadily increase our lung capacity and the body's ability to utilize oxygen, while body building tears our muscle fibers so that they may grow back bigger and stronger. Exercise is very healthy for humans and animals alike since the controlled stresses force our bodies to become stronger and more efficient. The problem arises when we overexert ourselves by applying more stress than our body currently has the capacity to handle or adapt to. Too much stress can lead to sprains, torn ligaments/tendons and bone microfractures, which leads us to the main point of this article: bone remodeling. It may surprise many people that our bones adjust to added stresses and loads just as our other bodily systems, albeit at a slower pace. Over time as bone is subjected to increased loads it will develop additional strength and mass to help the body handle the higher demands as well as protect the bone itself against potential fractures and microfractures. As a side note, bone remodeling is actually a regular occurrence as old bone is stripped away and replaced by new bone – exercise just prompts increased remodeling in areas that see the most stress, such as the knees and metacarpal (cannon) bones. Clearly bone remodeling provides a benefit to a growing horse as it better prepares them for the rigors of competition and/or extended riding. The more stressful the action, the more bone remodeling that will take place. Just remember that like humans, horses can suffer from overexertion and suffer bone fractures, torn tendons and other maladies as a result. This segues perfectly into our next topic: bucked shins. Bucked shins are a result of accelerated bone remodeling along the cannon bone that is prompted by vigorous exercise and demands. The new bone that grows is far more prone towards developing microfractures when subjected to heavy stresses. A microfracture is not the same as a full-fledged bone fracture – human athletes can develop them also when they push themselves too hard. They do make movement very painful, if not outright impossible, until the microfractures heal, though. Inflammation and heat along the shins may indicate your horse is suffering from microfractures or ligament/tendon damage. So far not one of my young horses has ever suffered from bucked shins when being introduced to saddle work, whereas in the Thoroughbred racing industry bucked shins is commonplace among young horses. The difference is racehorses are often started under saddle as early as 18 months of age, far before their bodies have matured to the point where they should be exposed to competition-level stress loads. Whereas controlled exercises and bone remodeling can aid a young horse's health and development, overstressing them can create unnecessary pain and injuries. I do not want to give the impression that bucked shins is a problem unique to younger horses, for it can happen to any horse that is subjected to too much work before the horse's body has had time to strengthen and adapt. It is just far easier to overstress a young and developing horse than it is to overstress a fully mature and developed horse. Overall I don't recommend serious saddle work before the age of three (on average since all horses can vary), but if you take it slow and avoid overstressing a younger horse you can safely introduce them to the saddle earlier. Health & Care The Rotten Truth Behind Rain Rot By Jeffrey Rolo Caused by the Dermatophilus congolensis bacterium, equine rain rot is one of the more common skin infections that can afflict horses and is actually unique in a couple ways: 1. The fungal infection does not progress further than the skin or cause abscesses like other infections (such as strangles). 2. The cure actually hurts more than the infection! Rain rot (also called rain scald) is an anaerobic infection that requires the absence of oxygen to live and spread. When a horse catches rain rot he will develop a series of crusty scabs and/or matted/raised tufts of hair that, when pulled off, will most often exhibit pink skin laced with some pus. Rain rot is contagious, generally transmitted by shared horse tack (such as blankets), mutual rubbing posts such as a fence, etc. Although contagious, there are some factors that place the odds against rain rot: 1. The Dermatophilus congolensis bacterium cannot survive when exposed to air, so the horse's coat needs to remain wet for a long period of time. This usually happens when moisture is captured under a thick coat of winter hair. 2. There must be a way for the bacteria to get under the horse's skin, such as an abrasion or a bug bite. If the bacteria cannot reach the epidermis your horse is safe. Given the way this infection works, the most obvious form of prevention is keeping your horse dry during periods of intense rainfall. Climates that are dry such as Arizona don't see much occurrences of rain rot, while very humid areas like Florida will be a far easier breeding ground for these bacteria. In addition groom your horse often, particularly during the early spring months. Not only will removing the winter coat make your partner more elegant, it will make it far more difficult for rain rot to take root. What should you do if your horse does develop an unsightly case of rain rot? First, don't let it stress you out – studies have indicated a horse feels no pain, itching or discomfort from the infection itself. It is also superficial and relatively harmless. Ugly, yes – but harmless. That being said, rain rot should be addressed as soon as possible to prevent the appearance of secondary bacterial infections that also enjoy the presence of moisture. Treatment consists of bathing your horse and lathering him in antimicrobal shampoo. As you do this try to pick off the scabs, but beware – this can cause discomfort and pain to the horse (remember when I said the cure hurts more than the infection?), so take it slow. The task might seem distasteful, but it's necessary because otherwise the infection can continue to thrive underneath the scabs. By removing the scabs you are exposing the skin to air (and by default oxygen), which will cause the infection to dry up and heal. The baths should take place for approximately seven days. Also important is to make sure the horse remains in a dry and ventilated area during the treatment. Adequate protection against bug bites should also be provided. Finally, there are other bacterial infections, skin allergies and parasites that can create symptoms that appear similar to horse rain rot, so if you're uncertain of your horse's affliction you should get assistance from your veterinarian.