Tabla de contenidos para February 2018 en Horse Illustrated

Horse Illustrated|February 2018

Talk to the Hoof

My longtime writers all know that my No. 1 banned line is “no hoof, no horse.” Not because I don’t believe it’s true. Quite the opposite! Been there, done that, have the vet bills to prove it. It’s just that there might be more original ways to express that particular truism. I’ve heard a few of them from my farrier. It’s all fun and games until you have the horse with the hoof problems. You know it’s bad when you text your farrier a photo and he says: A.) I’ve never seen anything like that before; B.) What did the vet say?; C.) Oh crap; D.) Nothing—he’s speechless. The correct answer is “all of the above.” Bonus points if your vet pulls out the camera when he gets there. The…

1 min.

Horse Illustrated|February 2018

Horses & Healing

When equestrians grow up and move on to adult life, they might find that it doesn’t necessarily include the horses they grew up loving. And that can be a harsh reality. For Barbara Jenkins, while she was moving to still work in the horse industry, she was leaving her horses behind in Arkansas. “For the first time in my life, I couldn’t just walk outside and pet a horse,” she recalls. “When I up and moved to Ohio as a 24-year-old after having access to horses basically my whole life, it was a shocker. My job was horses, my passion was horses, my interest was horses, my hobby was horses, and I had nothing.” The homesickness was hard to take, until she started to make connections that allowed her to…

6 min.

Horse Illustrated|February 2018

30 Acres & a Donkey

The woman was not someone I knew, but she sounded nice enough on the phone. “Hello, Dr. Diehl. I’m very worried about my donkey. I’ve had him for several years, and I’ve never seen him act like this.” “What seems to be the problem?” I asked. “Well, he’s sort of coughing. Maybe retching, I don’t know. Can donkeys throw up?” I explained that donkeys could not vomit, but wondered if he might be choking, a condition where feed gets stuck in the esophagus leaving the animal unable to swallow, producing a bilateral nasal discharge. There was a confused silence on the other end of the phone, and I tapped my fingers on the desk. The silence grew longer. “Or perhaps he’s refluxing.” I suggested into the silence. I explained the…

5 min.

Horse Illustrated|February 2018

Help for Hooves

HORSESHOER’S SECRET EXTRA STRENGTH Nutritional support for strong hooves and healthy tendons and ligaments. $32.95 for 30-day supply. www.farnam.com THRUSH BUSTER Bust thrush with just one application. $12.50. www.smartpak.com SMARTHOOF ULTRA For hooves in need of aggressive nutritional support. $34.95 for 28-day supply. www.smartpak.com HOOFLEX NATURAL Maintain the hoof’s natural moisture balance with tea tree oil, arnica, comfrey and avocado oil. $14.95. www.absorbine.com KERATEX HOOF HARDENER Strengthens weak, cracked hooves by improving the molecular structure of the hoof. $38.00. www.keratex.net EQUI-PAK Bonds directly to sole and frog; can be used with or without pad for comfort, protection and therapeutic support. $29.35. www.vettec.com HOOFLEX MAGIC CUSHION Soothes overworked hooves and calms inflammation and soreness throughout sole and frog. $49.95 for 4-pound tub. www.absorbine.com REITHOOF Advanced hoof support with biotin, methionine, lysine,…

1 min.

Horse Illustrated|February 2018

HANDS-ON ACTIVITY NO. 2

The foot on the left has poor dorsopalmar balance (DP), with much more mass ahead of the widest part of the foot (yellow dot) than behind it. The foot on the right has nearly perfect DP balance. To check out your horse’s feet for front-to-back balance, pick his foot up and find the widest point of the bottom of the foot, then draw a line across it with a marker. Next, measure from that line to the very back point of the heels that touch the ground and jot that measurement down. Lastly, measure from the line forward to the point of breakover (POB), which is the most forward point where the hoof would contact the ground if standing on a flat surface. If there is any bevel in the…

1 min.

Horse Illustrated|February 2018

THE HORSES OF CAVALIA

“We’re close to 170 or 160 right now,” says show creator Normand Latourelle, mentally adding the total number of stallions and geldings on tour with both Cavalia and Odysseo (there are no mares in either show). “Most of the horses retire now between 12 and 14 years old,” he notes. On average, the horses tour an average of six years or less. From its earliest years, Cavalia has operated a 72-acre farm in Quebec almost exclusively dedicated to the horses retiring from life in the spotlight. A new farm located in Kentucky was purchased in 2017 to allow retirees to enjoy milder winters and the world-famous bluegrass.…

1 min.

Horse Illustrated|February 2018

Harnessing the Power of TRADITION

THE AMES PERCHERONS PHOTOGRAPHED BY SHELLEY PAULSON The sound of thundering hooves and jingling harnesses is the first hint that something special is about to come into view. When it does, your eyes take in the grandeur of six dapple-gray Percherons pulling a bright red wagon, a symbol of the rich history of Ames Percherons. Raising Percheron horses has been an Ames family tradition since the turn of the 20th century. For four generations, the Ames family has taken great pride in breeding and showing these gentle giants all across the United States and Canada. Dick Ames began showing the horses in the early 1990s, and in addition to competing, the hitch acts as goodwill ambassadors for his company, Ames Construction. The Ames Percheron Farm is located in Jordan, Minn.,…

2 min.

Horse Illustrated|February 2018

February Notebook

It’s EXPO Season Equine expos across the country give us something to look forward to during these icy midwinter days. Most offer clinics and demos to inspire your horsemanship goals, and there will be plenty of shopping to facilitate that necessary retail therapy. Here are some of the expos coming up soon: Feb. 23-25 | Southern Equine Expo | Murfreesboro, Tenn. www.southernequineexpo.com Feb. 23-25 | EquiFest of Kansas | Topeka, Kan. equifestofks.com March 1-4 | Pennsylvania Horse World Expo | Harrisburg, Penn. www.horseworldexpo.com March 2-4 | Illinois Horse Fair | Springfield, Ill. www.illinoishorsefair.com March 2-4 | Washington State Horse Expo | Ridgefield, Wash. www.wastatehorseexpo.com March 9-11 | Western States Horse Expo | Pomona, Calif. horseexpoevents.com March 9-11 | Rocky Mountain Horse Expo | Denver, Colo. www.coloradohorsecouncil.com EQUESTRIAN AID FOUNDATION Working…

1 min.

Horse Illustrated|February 2018

Cheating on My Horse

Riding through a lush meadow in Virginia’s glorious Shenandoah Valley, butterflies swarm. Orange monarchs and black-tipped blues flicker and flutter and sweep around the stalks of powdery goldenrod that stand as tall as the eyelashes on my horse. I’m riding a 16.2 Percheron-cross named Corey, but he’s not mine. He belongs to my friend Staci. My horse, Taff, is 70 miles away at the farm where he boards on the other side of the Potomac River in suburban Maryland. With Staci on her horse Titan (her other, even larger Percheron-cross hunt horse), we ride through an endless field littered with an outcropping of ancient rocks. In the hollow below, cows stand in the shade, happily knee-deep in a mud puddle. More butterflies rest on soft white beds of Queen Anne’s…

4 min.

Horse Illustrated|February 2018

At a Standstill

When an emergency is happening, it’s too late to train your horse to cooperate with the veterinarian. It’s frustrating for everyone involved when your horse nervously pulls away, dodges his head or steps away when the veterinarian is attempting to help. Your worry increases as your horse’s misbehavior escalates. Your veterinarian has a job to do and must find a way to place a stitch, clean a deep cut, or check out an injured eye. If your horse won’t cooperate, the vet will have to pause and administer a sedative. If your horse is emotional and riled up when the veterinarian is present, he may not react well to sedatives. He may also develop a fear of the veterinarian or a fear of being touched where his injury is. And…

7 min.

Horse Illustrated|February 2018

Angles, Balance and Symmetry

The equine hoof is a complex marvel of natural engineering, built to withstand tremendous forces and able to adapt to an astonishing range of environmental conditions. It may look like a hard, fixed structure, but in truth, it is surprisingly elastic, changing daily—for better or for worse—in response to a continual flux of external and internal factors. We, as horse owners, have the ability to control most of those factors, but few of us have had the opportunity to acquire a deep understanding of the hoof. There is no perfect model for how every hoof should be. The more you deal with the equine foot, the more you come to realize that what may be true most of the time is almost never true all of the time. Perhaps it…

9 min.

Horse Illustrated|February 2018

Horse Adoption Myths

Hilary LoBue is still amazed when she talks about Napoleon, the 9-year-old gray Andalusian-cross pony she adopted from the Bluebonnet Equine Humane Society in College Station, Texas, four years ago. “Who knew I would end up with Leon, a little gray sport horse jumper?” she asks. “But we’re having a wonderful time.” It’s so wonderful, in fact, that LoBue adopted two other horses from Bluebonnet. “There is Rustler, a 15-year-old Paint, and Shamrock Luck, both adopted in 2017,” she says. “Rustler is now a barrel racer, and Shamrock is in training. I would recommend adoption to anyone looking for a horse.” By the Numbers Though there are no official figures, most horse advocates estimate that there are more than 10,000 horses currently available for adoption in the U.S. “There are…

6 min.

Horse Illustrated|February 2018

The Akhal-Teke

The pride of Turkmenistan, a country in central Asia once at the crossroads of civilization, the Akhal-Teke has a profound history. The breed descends from the Bactrian horses of Central Asia, described by Greek historian Herodotus as graceful with long, thin and flexible necks; large eyes; cleanly shaped heads; and thin, strong legs. Experts in ancient history believe Cyrus the Great married the daughter of the king of the Medes to gain access to these horses, which he used in his conquests of Asia and beyond. Alexander the Great married the daughter of a Bactrian king, and in turn came to own these steeds—including the famous Bucephalas. His armies went on to subjugate lands from Greece to India on the backs of the Bactrian horse. And in 103 B.C., the…

3 min.

Horse Illustrated|February 2018

Scottsdale

Imagine a place where the stark beauty of the desert provides a backdrop for the most stunning Arabian horses in the world. You don’t have to fly to the Middle East to see it, though. A trip to Scottsdale, Ariz., will do the trick. The Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show is the largest Arabian show in the world. Held every year in the quintessentially western town of Scottsdale, just east of Phoenix, the show features thousands of Arabians being shown in everything from halter to native costume and driving. Known as the Super Bowl of the Arabian World, horses and handlers travel from around the country to participate in the 10-day competition, which is held every February. The WestWorld events venue hosts the show, and sits on 386 acres of pristine…

3 min.

Horse Illustrated|February 2018

Embracing Retirement

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the role I play in my horse’s life. I’ve been his only rider for more than a decade and his sole caretaker since I switched to self-care board seven years ago. He’s 29 now, and removed from any of my personal equestrian goals. That means I can devote every minute I spend with him to making sure his later years are truly golden. Recently, after an evening hack around the farm, I declared my intention to ride Snoopy lightly but frequently through the winter. A bit of exercise would do both of us good this time of year. He felt energetic on that ride. I felt good about my intentions. The following day, a co-boarder called me to say that Snoopy was showing…

3 min.

Horse Illustrated|February 2018

Controlled Wandering

Set your horse up for a successful workout at the beginning of a ride by activating his deep postural muscles, the small tissues with a rich supply of nerves that store what we call “muscle memory.” These structures stabilize his spine, joints and body alignment, allowing his legs to move him freely forward. Much like with humans, the core muscles are not automatically triggered just by moving around. They need to be specifically recruited by targeted exercises. A progressive warm-up period that asks the horse to organize his body without tension or speed does a remarkable job and will allow you to establish and reinforce positive patterns that soon become habits during each session. Try It! I call this exercise “controlled wandering” because you ride it just like it sounds:…

2 min.

Horse Illustrated|February 2018

HANDS-ON ACTIVITY NO. 1

To get a correct read on your horse’s hoof-pastern axis, make sure he’s standing on firm, level ground and standing square, which means all four feet are placed so that the cannon bones are perpendicular to the ground and the feet are weighted evenly. This allows you to see the true relation of the pastern angle to the hoof. If the horse is not standing square, his joints flex to some degree, giving you an inaccurate reading of the hoof-pastern axis. Once your horse is standing square (it may be helpful to have someone helping to keep him that way), move to the side, crouch down at a low angle, and take a look at how the front of the hoof wall lines up with the middle of the pastern.…

1 min.

Horse Illustrated|February 2018

Cavalia at 15

I’ll always remember the sight of Normand Latourelle on a tractor moving mounds of sand against the stable tent during a huge storm when Cavalia was at the beach in Santa Monica. The groundbreaking equestrian spectacle was still in its infancy at that point, little more than a year old. Yet, since the company raised its first Big Top in Quebec, the extraordinary determination of a non-horseman and creative genius has brought more than seven million people the unforgettable experience of horses through two touring productions. The company’s namesake and original production, Cavalia, has traveled around the world and is now in China. Latourelle’s second and even bolder spectacle, Odysseo, began touring North America in 2011 and is reportedly the largest touring production on the planet. “My dream is that…

8 min.

Horse Illustrated|February 2018

INSIDE ODYSSEO

A total of 110 semi-trucks are required to transport Odysseo, the world’s largest touring production. A specially designed white big top was created in Europe, and allows the weight of the structure to be shifted from masts to three arches above the tent. Above the stage hangs an imposing technical grid capable of supporting 80 tons of equipment, including a full-sized merry-go-round! On stage, a lake emerges during the breathtaking finale of Odysseo, made possible by an underground drain system that releases 40,000 gallons of recycled water on stage. This logistical masterpiece is reconstructed at each tour stop. Odysseo features 70 horses representing 12 different breeds: Appaloosa, Arabian, Canadian Horse, warmblood, Lusitano, Paint Horse, Percheron/Hanoverian-cross, Quarter Horse, Selle Français, Thoroughbred, Andalusian (P.R.E.) and Warlander. Fifty artists—riders, acrobats, aerialists, dancers, and…

2 min.