Tabla de contenidos para October 2019 en Horse Illustrated

At the age of 2, I stood on the top of a hill at my grandmother’s company picnic. From my vantage point, I could see pony rides being given down at the bottom. I looked for my parents and then I made my escape. I ran as fast as my little legs could carry me. I ran down that hill toward those ponies, screaming the whole time, “Need to ride the pony!” And ride the pony I did. From that moment on, I was hooked. I began lessons at the age of 7, and here I am 25 years later, the proud owner of four beautiful horses and just as in love with the equine species as I was at the age of 2. CHALLENGES I’ve also always been plus-sized.…

Preventing injuries and managing chronic conditions are top priorities when making care descisions for your equine partner. You may have considered adding therapeutic products to your management strategy after talking to your vet and shopping around. Here are some therapies that are easy to incorporate into your horse’s daily routine. HORSEWARE IRELAND RAMBO IONIC COLLECTION Tourmaline powder-infused fabric converts air molecules to negative ions, which are said to encourage increased circulation and oxygen delivery to cells and tissue. Rambo Ionic cotton sheet, $235. www.horseware.com ICE HORSE SUSPENSORY WRAPS Patented Cold Capsule inserts provide over two hours of therapeutic-level cooling. Wraps are designed to offer consistent cold and even compression for better healing. $149.95 (pair). www.icehorse.net BENEFAB REJUVENATE SMARTSCRIM Dual therapy using medical-grade magnets and fabric infused with far-infrared emitting minerals…

As you gaze out at your horse’s field, it’s evident that winter is coming. The once-green color of lush grass is fading to varying shades of autumn brown. You may be thinking that the pasture is now OK for your horses to graze on full time—even those individuals that tend toward obesity. But you would be wrong. With declining quality of pasture grass in autumn months, the grasses increase in their fructan (sugar) content, creating a risk of laminitis, a foot condition also referred to as founder. Let’s look at some of the reasons for this and what you can do to protect your horse. WHAT IS FRUCTAN? Plants, and in particular cool-season grasses, store their energy from photosynthesis in the form of starch and sugars, such as fructan. These…

As your beloved partner ages, his nutrition needs change as tooth growth slows or stops. Eating slower, quidding, weight or muscle loss, and even choke may be caused by dental issues or discomfort. If your horse starts showing signs of dental problems, consult your veterinarian and consider making adjustments to your feeding program. ■ BUILT-IN FORAGE: Horses need at least 1.5 to 2 percent of their body weight in forage (hay or pasture) daily to maintain proper gut health. As horses age and lose the ability to effectively chew and salivate, eating and digesting long-stemmed forage becomes more difficult. Complete feeds are formulated with high-quality fiber, and they are designed to supply all or part of the daily forage a horse needs in an easy-to-chew and digest pellet. Alternatively, you…

RESOURCES FOR OTTBS The ASPCA Rescuing Racers Initiative has granted over $2.25 million to support former racehorses over the last 10 years. As part of the program, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) recently granted more than $250,000 to 12 equine rescue groups to assist their efforts to rehabilitate and retrain retired racehorses. “While their racing careers may have ended, these retirees still have much to offer, and we are proud to support these innovative groups as they effectively, humanely and efficiently rehabilitate and rehome retired racers,” says Emily Weiss, Ph.D., vice president of equine welfare for the ASPCA. The selected recipients for 2019 include a wide range of equine rescues, each being awarded a grant ranging from $10,000 to $50,000 to support their work.…

Partnership with your horse, fun with friends, the opportunity to showcase your skills: The International Liberty Horse Association (ILHA), a new organization dedicated to liberty training, now offers opportunities to liberty fans worldwide. From Roman riding bareback to jumping without tack, liberty training brings horse and trainer together with a special connection, whether individually or with other horses, ridden or on the ground. CREATING A SHOWCASE Formed by trainers Dan and Elizabeth James with the mission of celebrating liberty horses and their people, ILHA offers an organized venue to promote liberty training through recognized shows with tiered levels, competition rules, and an emphasis on safety coupled with creative expression. “The idea behind the association was threefold: both Dan James and Dan Steers [of Double Dan Horsemanship] do liberty clinics, and…

For the early days of training an off-track Thoroughbred (OTTB) under saddle, choose mild days with little to no wind, when the arena or paddock is quietest and without external distractions. And, if your schedule allows, work your horse around same time each day with the same feed, turnout, and grooming schedule as you’ve already established. Always reserve plenty of time to groom your horse and tack up as it can be a relaxing preparation for ridden work. Before mounting, longe your horse for at least 5 to 10 minutes to “get any bucks out” and loosen up his muscles and joints. For your first several rides, it is beneficial to include a couple of minutes in side reins, which will help the horse focus on working in a correct…

When she woke up one morning in 2015, Marianne Barry had no idea that she would have to say goodbye to her best friend. But after finding her horse in the throes of a severe colic episode, that’s exactly what she did. Barry and her 25-year-old Saddlebred gelding, Shanghi, had been together for six years when she had to relocate him to a new boarding barn. At the time of the move, the horse’s health was already compromised by several conditions, and Barry believes that the stress of the move (combined with the horse’s existing health challenges) was responsible for the colic episode. By the time the veterinarian arrived to examine him, Shanghi’s condition was irreparably compromised, and Barry had little choice but to instruct the veterinarian to euthanize him.…

Baseball and apple pie have a reputation for being quintessential all-American icons. But there’s another, lesser-known symbol of Americana: the American Cream Draft Horse. The only draft horse breed developed in the United States, the American Cream Draft is a much younger breed than its European draft horse cousins. While the Clydesdale, Percheron, Belgian and other European draft breeds were established several centuries ago, the American Cream Draft got its start in the early 1900s. It all began when a stock dealer named Harry Lakin bought a small draft mare at a farm sale in Iowa in 1911. The mare, who came to be known as Old Granny, was a rich cream color with a white mane and tail, pink skin and amber eyes. No one knows Old Granny’s exact…

The oldest horse I’d ever worked on was 34, so when Robyn announced that her donkey was 47, I was amazed and a little doubtful. But she was certain of her dates, and after looking at fuzzy and ancient little Roger for the first time, I agreed that he was really, really old. He did have teeth, although they were extremely worn down. After studying his incisors—yellowed lumps of polished enamel with no recognizable features—I gave up trying to age him. His ears drooped at disreputable angles, and his eyes were almost completely hidden by a shock of fuzz. The crest of Roger’s neck hung perilously to one side, and he tended to blunder into objects, as his eyesight was very poor. Roger had no problem snapping up treats, and…

You or someone you know has probably had a horse come up lame for a reason that’s not immediately obvious. He doesn’t have an obvious wound or a swelling that you can see from across the barn aisle, yet is limping nonetheless. It’s perplexing. Horses are a significant investment of time, money and emotion. You’d really like to know what’s wrong. However, you most likely also have a few questions rolling around in your mind: ■ Assuming that you don’t want to provide a blank check, what should you do? ■ Even if you do write a blank check, how likely is it that you will come up with an answer? ■ Even if you do come up with an answer, will the answer make any difference in your treatment?…

Being herbivores, horses rely on eating large amounts of fibrous vegetation throughout the day to keep their digestive systems healthy and their body weight on target. The mechanical means by which your horse tears and grinds hay, grass, and any grain that you give him heavily dictates how much he can consume and how well it is digested. It’s no small wonder that when a senior horse’s teeth start to show their age, so does the rest of the horse. The following is a look at equine dentition in more detail and how to keep senior horses’ teeth as healthy as we can. PHYSIOLOGY Horses and most other grazing species have what are called “hypsodont” teeth. This means the teeth have a large crown (the part above the gum line)…

As I looked out over a golden valley at sunset, filled with over 100 wild horses peacefully grazing together, I wondered if this might be what heaven itself will look like. This wasn’t heaven, but it was close. I was standing in the Onaqui Mountain Herd Management Area 90 minutes southwest of Salt Lake City near Dugway, Utah. This herd management area (HMA) covers over 200,000 acres and is currently home to around 450 wild horses. The Onaqui Mountain Herd has been roaming this land since the late 1800s and is a favorite destination for photographers and horse lovers wanting to witness the beauty and excitement of wild horses. Because water sources in the area are limited, smaller bands of horses come together to form several large herds with over…