Ponies Can Suffer From Four Types Of Equine Herpes Virus

March 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Horses can suffer from four types of Equine Herpes Virus, or EHV, and the one that you would want to handle the least, is the first type: EHV-1. Sadly, the most distortive of the strains is also the typically contracted. EHV-1, though originally a breathing illness alone, has a mutant strain that spreads its effects to become a neurological disease. Infected horses will be carriers of the virus their whole lives, effectively rendering them pointless for equestrian sport and too dangerous to expose to other animals.

When under stress a carrier would readily shred the virus, and most infected horses, though seemingly healthy, are occasionally shredding the pathogen thru breathing secretions. A steed can contract the illness from nose contact with an infected horse or thru sharing tools and aids like bits. Once infected, the blood vessels ferries the virus round the animals ‘ body. You may observe initial symptoms such as nasal discharge and mild, inconsistent fever that is tough to detect unless you check ever six hours. Veterinarians can check the discharge to see if it’s indeed EHV-1.

Six to twelve days after infection of the neurological strain, horses would start to show symptoms. The disease can progress in as little as 1 to 3 days with 102 degree F fevers and nasal discharge, loss of appetite, and depression as main signals. After 1st neurological symptoms start in a steed’s hindquarters, eventually the pony won’t be able to stand. If left that way, death comes in 24 hours.

The cause of the illness being a virus, there’s no known treatment for it. Vets may recommend immune modulator shots to boost the immune system of horses. If the EHV-1 respiration strain is afflicting them, they’d do well with just the shots. But there’s not much an equestrian can do except for relieve symptoms. There are vaccines that help minimize the dissemination of the virus and can even stop the breathing strain from infecting horses, but not the mutant neurological strain.

All steeds from those utilised for straightforward horse riding and those used for precise sport should go through a food vaccination scheme, and the equestrian responsible should also practice good herd management for multiple horses. Pregnant mares and newborns should be vaccinated regularly. Breeding horses are ideally immunized before their breeding season.

Barns should be kept clean and regular sanitation every 4 months is necessary. Barns that had once had an outbreak of EHV-1 should be sanitize each two months. This sanitation program helps forestall a handful of other equine sicknesses too. Quarantine any pony suspected of having EHV-1 for 21 days, and if you were on a show or competition and one of the horses aside from yours who joined is under suspicion of having EHV-1, take the lead to quarantine your horse for 21 days.

In the case of a flare-up, have all handlers and visitors wear leather boots and gloves—easily disinfected with bleach or chlorine. Other actions include adding a disinfectant tub in all entrances and exits of your barns. Sterilize everything: enclosures, tools, aids everything that horses use or stay in.

Horses are Heather Toms’ passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100’s of articles with other horse lovers… like all things about riding hats

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Valuable Tips To Choosing The Right Horse

March 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Each equestrian has their own image of the perfect pony “unfortunately it turns out that we simply can’t acquire that totally perfect reliable steed, without regard for how far and long we search. But weep not, there are some pointers that can help you get an almost perfect pony, a perfect equine partner for you as a unique equestrian.

You can take a very long time considering numerous horses for sale and attempting to gauge if that stud or mare can be the ideal partner for your years of equestrian horse riding and coaching to come. So as well as being capable of finding the best equine partner, these pointers can also save you a lot of time taking your pick of horses:

-Seek out dealers and sellers of repute. In all kinds of purchases, it is just the best practice to buy from reputable sellers. Ask your kin and your buddies, and of course your fellow equestrians, for suggestions. Your purchase will go better and smoother with a reliable and truthful seller.

-Be trained in your preference. Don’t select a horse not conformationally suitable for dressage if that’s the sport you intend to venture in. Naturally, for regular horse riding you may then have free choice of horse. But in all else, always be disciplined and stick to horses that you are certain can tackle your selected discipline well.

-As you are selecting an equine partner, choose a partner that will complement you and the numerous facets of you as an equestrian. For example, you’re just starting out in your equestrian career “a well-trained and experienced horse would work with your lack of expertise, and vice versa. This similarly applies to temperaments “if you’re a little bit of the timid rider, then a confident steed might be able to give you a better experience in horse riding and coaching.

-Consult with a knowledgeable equestrian. It’s usually a good idea to have someone skillful in everything concerning horses.

-Always ask questions. It would be good to have an inventory of questions and queries ready to ask about everything concerning the steeds you fancy: performance, health, personality, et al. If the owner can’t answer or offers a lofty reply that appears to hide a base truth, that’s a red flag and a factor against the acquisition.

-Ask if you can see the owner or a rider ride the stud or mare. You can better appraise precise performance and potential thru this.

-After watching the steed being ridden, you take the steed out yourself for a horse riding session. In fact ask if you can perform a handful of stuff you know that you will be doing continually with the steed of your fancy to determine if you can perform these with ease. Even and especially grooming and medical care stuff. It is like test driving an auto. Only this is more all-encompassing.

-Go for a vet check. A vet’s word about the health and temperament of your soon-to-be horse is decisive.

-Request a trial period. Nearly every product worth spending your time and money out there has a guarantee, and an investment like buying a horse should at least have some sport of testing period.

You can only go so far in pre-emptive checking and testing if you and a horse can hit it off great, but its best that you do what you can. After that, it’s all in building your relationship with your new equine partner.

Horses are Heather Toms passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers, like all things about riding hats

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Things You Should Not Over Look When Buying A Pony

March 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Purchasing an animal as a pet or for any reason involves money, legalities and health concerns. When purchasing a pony, these issues take on rather more weight, because good horses are expensive, involve more formalities and necessitate more care in watching out for a variety of mental and physical problems.

You should purchase a horse that is a match for your purpose, and if you’re riding a horse for the simple pleasure of riding, you can buy one that matches your level of expertise. Buying a high strung high performer may not be appropriate for you if you are an amateur rider or a rider who likes it sedate.

When you buy a horse, it’s a case of caveat emptor. In most markets, the onus of comprehensively checking out the horse’s health falls on the buyer; with certain exceptions, the seller is not obliged to make known facts associated with the general health of the animal.

Unless you have covered yourself with a water tight contract, the seller may or may not be meticulous about divulging important information about the pony. You check out the facts by asking the seller unmistakable to-the-point questions, and ensuring he gives you direct answers without any paradoxes. When asking your questions, keep your purpose for purchasing a pony in mind , and communicate it to the seller.

As the accountability for verifying all health facts about the pony is yours as the purchaser, you ought to be accompanied by 1 expert of undoubted caliber, even if you are one yourself. Get all the facts you can out of the buyer by asking leading questions, get the horse vetted and analyze its pedigree and competition records if available.

Even when you’re selling a pony, you have tons of things you have to take care of. It isn’t easy to sell a horse you’re sentimentally attached to, and you would naturally want to be sure your horse leaves for a caring new home. You need your horse assessed entirely and correctly to get the value he merits. Each bit of training your pony has had adds to his value. Obviously, before you put a horse on sale you would have taken the trouble of getting him to lose any unacceptable habits he has.

Buying or selling a horse is a game of patience. If you are selling, you have to publicize your intention such that you draw the maximum publicity. First impressions are lasting impressions, and your pony must be smartly turned out when he is being presented to a possible customer. You could consider engaging a tutor to train your pony for a bit before you sell him; this would add value to the sale.

Horses are Heather Toms passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers, like all things about horse blanket

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Communicating With Your Horses

March 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Yes, your pony most likely does not speak English. In all possibility, he does not talk any other human language, either. He can not speak the way that you and I speak, but that doesn’t mean he can’t communicate. Your pony is a constant source of non-verbal signals and body language that you would do very well to pick, translate and understand. Let’s start you off with some inputs in this article.

Moaning

A pony moans for the same reasons humans do. Quite often, the moan is an expression suggesting that the pony is experiencing discomfort. If you’re unsure of what caused a groan, you would be wise to have your veterinarian have a look.

Horse grunts that aren’t reflective of discomfort are voiced when the pony is straining over some obstacle, much as some tennis players grunt when they serve or hit a shot. These grunts are easily translated and are nothing to worry about.

Certain riders, especially those who bounce like bad checks when they’re riding, could cause horses to groan. You will assume that these are groans of exasperation. Sometimes horses grunt when they believe their work is finished for the day.

You need to become extremely alert when your horse moans; if there’s the smallest indication that he’s groaning because of physical discomfort you should call the vet straight away.

Sighing

Sometimes, horses sigh. They do so by breathing deeply and then letting out their breath slowly through their mouth or nose. Often, these sighs seem to signify ecstasy, if for example, they happen when the horse is being groomed or rubbed down. Sometimes horses sigh when they are given repetitious work; you might say these sights indicate irritation. You should look for something else to do if your pony sighs during a training session.

Snorting

When a horse sighs with a large amount of stress, with partly closed lips that vibrate when it expels breath, it is snorting. Snorting is much louder than sighing. Snorting usually is an indicator that the horse is worked up about something. Snorting is also infectious, as other horses nearby can take it up in a form of chorus. Infrequently, the excitement may build up, and the pony may get hard to manage, showing his excitement with a pride intact, a lifted tail, more and louder snorting and some prancing.

Sometimes horses snort when they get startled. In your rides, you may have occasion to notice that your pony snorts when he comes across something that looks like it might be a threat of some form.

Nickering

Typically, a horse nickers when he’s feeling cheerful, or he is anticipating something nice like an additional treat. Horses also nicker to show their affection, like mares do with their foals. Horses nicker as the times for their feeding get close; if they are feeling impatient for their feed, they make excited sounds that are high pitched.

Sometimes nonetheless , nickers can signal distress. Horses nicker softly when they’re nervous; nickering accompanied by pacing, eye rolling and ears moving back and forth signifies that the pony feels threatened. It is best to immediately attend to the situation and remove the threat.

Neighing

At varied times, neighing suggests that the horse is either concerned or assured. Horses neigh to communicate with one another while at pasture. Perturbed or high-pitched neighing together with sweating indicates stress over something. If the neighing has a sort of bugle effect, and the horse is exhibiting confident body language with ears pricked, it is in pleasant anticipation of something or someone.

Well, that just about should make it plain that horses do communicate. You can understand them only if you are alert and mindful of what each of their different methods of communication implies. You will develop an everlasting bond with your horse when you do finally understand everything he’s saying and respond in an appropriate way.

Horses are Heather Toms passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers, like all things about riding hats

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How To Feed A Thin Pony Through Winter Without Going Bankrupt

March 1, 2012 By 1 Comment

Come winter cut down on the pony riding and equestrian sports and focus on your horse’s feed—or how much she needs. Because when such seasons are near, you know your hard keepers are going to be harder to feed than they already are.

All horses are affected by a variety of emotional and physical factors—thin horses more so than others. Some of the more major contributing factors are teeth, calorie requirements parasites, and stress.

Recall if your pony has had a dental float during the course of her equestrian training during the last year. If not, then it is high time to go to the vet or equine dentist for a full check up and a float. Your horse’s teeth and whether or not they’re in good shape contributes considerably to how much good stuff she gets out of her feed.

And then there’s her basic calorie requirements. Dependent on the equestrian sport or activity you’re training her for, she’ll need basic calorie levels and you want to ensure she is getting it. Even basic horse riding has minimum calorie level. Of course, the horse’s condition in the difficult winter season also influences how many calories she needs—a horse who stays in a stall covered in a blanket all winter will need less quantities of calories in her diet than one living in a pasture or run. And colder weather conditions means more calories eaten up,

Run faecal analyses to check parasite levels. They obviously affect how much feed your horses can take in and really benefit from. Remember, some stomach bugs like tapeworms will not register on a fecal analysis, so take the initiative to consider upping the dose on particular dewormers that take care of these stomach bugs.

Just like humans, stress can actually shred a pony. And again, just like humans, horses can get stressed through diverse means. The mere physical stress through an injury, a complicated coaching procedure, or the harsh cold that winters can bring can be cruel. And then there’s emotional stress from incompatibility—the horses character being non-compatible with their environment or her equestrian sport, or being low in the hierarchy inside her herd.

Now if your mare checks out on all the factors mentioned above and you suspect it’s something else, then it may all come down to the particular feed. During the time you have been riding or training her you may have noticed that she’s either low or high in energy.

For thin horses with low energy levels, increasing the calorie count in her feed during cold seasons would help her add weight. Prefer energy giving corn and barley over oats, and use pelleted senior feed. Increase her feed’s grain content by a pound for each 100 pounds of body weight, be more generous if required. Also, if your mare can’t digest well, consider giving her whole food supplements loaded in acidophilus, bifidus, and enzymes that fortify stomach health and the good bacteria that flourish there.

If your thin horse has high energy levels on the other hand, then she is just losing weight through her activities and continuous horsing around—even through just her nerves. So your goal for her during tough cold seasons is to keep her relaxed and calm. Feeds should be rich in alfalfa and grass hay. Increase her calorie count and mix in probiotics into her feed which would help her stay calm. Omega sun enzyme is seen to definitely impact horse brainwaves and nerve systems.

Horses are Heather Toms’ passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100’s of articles with other horse lovers… like all things about riding hats

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Your Pony Reads You Like A Book

March 1, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Is that horse bodywork convention coming up the month after next tempting you? Or maybe you are thinking of attending a tack fitting clinic? Or perhaps you are thinking of an animal communication workshop?

Well, you are on the right track. And here is the rider: beware!

Accept it or not, your horse knows when you have picked up some new thing that may better the standard of your horse’s life. Your pony is aware of exactly what it is that you have recently learned. Earlier, your pony could have been awfully tolerant of that ill-fitting saddle you kept torturing him with, but now, after the tack fitting clinic, he’s going to try to throw you off if you keep persisting with that saddle.

Your swaybacked mare, who used to trot up to you when you entered her pasture, will now kick up her heels and take off the other way, that is, if you’re not planning on doing bodywork right then.

And what price your show pony who dislikes his job but still excels at it? He is aware you attended an animal communication workshop and he’s aware you are paying little attention to his need for a change of career. He’s now waiting to teach you a lesson at the next horse show.

Is This All A Kind of Joke?

It is not, trust me. It is deplorable that so many horse owners have had to learn the hard way that their horses are telepathic. Your horse just knows what you know. As long as you were ignorant, he was willing to endure you, but the instant you learned something new that would improve his life, he is on to you, and he expects you to utilize your new information to his benefit. And that’s starting right now, without any further loss of time!

Be warned: just finding out about new aspects of helpful stuff like better horse health care, better pony feed and better horse management marks you out! Once you’ve traveled down that road, there is no coming back; it is a one-way street. Your horse will make damn sure of it! I have come across repeated examples of people that convey something to their animals and then failing to essentially do what they announced they would. They are facing the consequences: it could be the dog relieving himself on your carpet and telling you where you get off, or it could be your horse bucking you into orbit. If you neglect your animals, they are not going to excuse you.

I have had repeated occasion to have my lacks set straight by my horses. I recollect Marka, my first big-time jumper pony, used to be very easy-going and absolutely safe to ride when I first got him. We were ideal partners, winning all kinds of shows and championships around. I was sure Marka and I had the perfect chemistry. Actually , Marka was a cribber, and that often played havoc with his teeth, spine, and performance. I thought cribbing was bad, and tried everything I could to bring an end point to his cribbing. Nothing I attempted worked. That horse continued to crib, but he never had any bitterness that I kept trying to get him to stop.

Then I had a brainwave. I tried to reach out to him, to actually speak to him. I asked him just what could actually be done to stop him from cribbing. His answer was right on the spot: “Do I ask you to give up eating?” Reading closely, he was telling me that cribbing was as much part of him as his eyes, his ears and his legs.

Despite this, I did not give in on trying to get him to give up cribbing. It became plain straightaway that he was no longer indulgent. He started showing me his butt whenever I went to catch him, and continually damaged some part of his stall or some object there. His strongest sign of bitterness, though, was his new-found refusal to jump at the shows. He resisted all the attempts of my trainer and I to make him perform correctly. He refused to do so even on courses he used to have a liking for.

We went back for another session with the animal communicator. Marka was extremely unequivocal: “You want me to perform at the shows, let me crib.” Well, that was it “he had issued his ultimatum in a way that was unmistakable. We made a decision to let him crib without any more complaint, and was that a good thing. He started performing well again and more crucial, he started loving it again.

Marka is no longer with me. He now belongs to my previous coach. I’m told Marka has his own cribbing tree and he even has his very own gang of cribbing pals. It is rather a lovable gang of equine cribbers! They take turns cribbing. Marka sets the ball moving, then turns to one of his pals and announces, “You’re on dude, go ahead!” when the buddy is done with his cribbing, they both turn to a 3rd friend and let him know to get on with it. When every horse has had his turn, it’s back to Marka again. He is on one. Gigantic cribbing binge these days. He’s normally used to take novice kids and grown-ups through three foot courses. He has absolutely no problems with the world so long as it doesn’t interfere with his cribbing. His teeth may suck but it is worthwhile for him!

My experience with almost all of my horses “particularly my mustangs “has been pretty much the same. So long as you are an ignoramus, they’re reasonable and forgiving. As soon as you lose the bliss of ignorance, they stop forgetting and forgiving. They have memories that may challenge those of elephants. But they’re loyal to you if you’re understanding with them. Once you give them what they desire, they try to give you what you want: better rides, better performances.

I have tried to pass on an amicable caution thru this article to all pony lovers. Learn all the subtleties of correct pony medicare. Learn also to come to a compromise with your horse: they like a scratch-my-back-and-I’ll-scratch yours arrangement. Don’t pay the penalty for being inflexible.

Horses are Heather Toms passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers, like all things about cheap horse rugs

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How To De-Worm Train Your Horses

February 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Deworming your horses can be tougher than training for Olympic equestrian events—but that’s only if you didn’t train your horses for the process. You can try and re-train them to accept the entire tribulation, but on the other hand it is usually better to start at the beginning. Anyhow, whether you’re just introducing the deworming practice or you’re attempting to get your mare to love it even just a touch more than before, there’s a straightforward coaching scheme you can employ.

If you’ve been training your mare for equestrian sport or merely good old horse riding, then this may be simple. Even if you have just started your partnership with your equine partner, if you believe you’re ready to introduce the deworming routine, then the steps of this should be 2nd nature. T

The steps are similar to those you would when you want to get your mare used to you touching her sensitive parts for cleaning or whatever. First, teach your horse to place her head in the right position thru pressure cues. Working in an enclosure with the bridle secured, manoeuvre your horse’s head to the correct elevation and make her move her head in front of you by applying gentle but firm force on the other side of her head where you would like her head to go. This process is tedious—she would probably resist at times , and put her head back where she wants it. Let her do so , but always reward her correct responses and release the pressure cue as quickly as she does it. Then, just patiently put her head back in place thru the pressure cue and release so she eventually understands you really desire her head where you’re leading it. Practice this on either side of her head and let her rest between tries.

Done successfully, this would teach your pony to lower her head when you place downward pressure between her ears and move her face towards you when you apply pressure on the side of her head turned way from you. Now you can introduce the dewormer syringe.

Just like when coaching your pony to let you touch and thus check and clean her mouth and teeth, patiently introduce the syringe. You can start rubbing it on her face where she permits then move on to her mouth and then on the side of her lips where it will be placed. Don’t forget to have patience and be rewarding of positive responses. If she’s already used to you putting your hand into her mouth, place it in the right spot (between the molars and incisors, the opening with no teeth) and try and stick your hand into her mouth careful not to get bitten—or being pulled in by her tongue and then bitten. When she tries to push your hand out using her tongue, take it and gradually set it on the side. After she’s used to the motions, introduce the empty syringe until she is ok with it.

Different horses have different temperaments, but most have certain preferences when it comes to taste. While there are dewormers that have flavours and using them is a smart idea, when training your horse to accept the method first, leave the dewormers out of the picture. Use the syringe to administer measures of her favourite syrup or baby food. Repeat this till she’s keen for the process. When she is administer the dewormer without hesitation. Then go with her favorite syrup again and return her to the process if the dewormer made her regress. You can let up on administering “fake” dewormers when there’re no detectable adverse reactions to the particular dewormer anymore. If you do this the proper way, you will not only have taught your horse to place her head where wanted to administer the dose, but you have also rid her of the averseness to the dewormer.

Horses are Heather Toms’ passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100’s of articles with other horse lovers… like all things about stable rugs

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Teaching Your Horse To Cross Obstacles

February 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Coaching your pony to cross over hurdles is best done in a managed environment with the least number of possible distractions. Horses are smart animals they can learn pretty quickly. Therein also lies a specific downside that may make coaching them more than challenging: smart animals have attitudes.

Horses would not be well placed to perform complicated and graceful Olympic equestrian manoeuvres if they were not smart. But ask anyone who’s trained a pony for dressage and did so successfully and they’d tell you one of the first hurdles they were forced to overcome was either subdue the proud animal’s attitude or meet it halfway, the latter more desirable than the former.

Your horse wants to get left alone while doing what’s required of her, although you unfortunately can’t just let her do that, unless you have already established thru a cue exactly what it is that you need her to do and how. You can teach her to place her feet where you need them, either whilst from the saddle or from the ground, but whatever cue you want her to be acquainted with, just do not forget to release her from it quickly after she responds in the correct way.

With no regard for the obstacle, you have to be decisive on precisely where you want her to cross. Being more exact helps to make it easier for her to grasp. The key thinking to remember is to always keep her eyes on that focus spot. Try applying your “go forward” cue and release her from it as fast as she responds.

If you’re focusing on the “go forward” cue, you will need to negate all other motions she tries while keeping both her eyes on the same spot as before. Move her back to the left if she moves to the right and vice versa. She’ll will keep moving her head away from the point of focus—just keep turning it back to the spot where you need her to cross. When you happen to spot her pawing or lowering her head, she’s pondering going forward, so apply your cue and reward her responsiveness if she does go forward.

When she reaches the obstacle, allow her curiosity to be satisfied by inspecting it. If the obstacle is water, just let her paw it; if it’s step ups, let her go a foot at a time; for crossovers, let her get a feel for it. The first “step” is always the most important, and if she successfully clears the obstacle then start over from the other side. Repeat till she crosses without delay to the opposite side and back. It’s advisable to work using an obstacle your pony would think she couldn’t cross in an area adequately large to make allowance for safe manoeuvring.

Horses are Heather Toms’ passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100’s of articles with other horse lovers… like all things about stable rugs

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Basic Pony Feeding Rules

February 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment

There is simply so very much more to training and raising horses than nice horse riding sessions and coaching for sport or shows. One important aspect of horse care away from the action and the glory but makes a contribution to it at once is horse feeding. Some basic guidelines to recollect that ought to be adhered to:

Check the weight of your horses. Feeding them properly comprises knowing how much your horses weigh. This should not be complicated: just use a horse weight tape to determine their heart girth.

Calculate the pounds of hay needed for your horses to remain healthy. A well-balanced equine diet is an essentially low grain % combined with high bulk %. It’s crucial to avoid feeding your horses grain too much. In general, the best feed diet is one and a half pounds of hay for every 100 pounds of horse weight.

Figure out the pounds of grain required too. Naturally, there are horses that don’t require any grain in their diets. In general, only horses doing regular heavy work or sport, young and growing horses, and lactating broodmares need the grain content. Ask your vet about how much grain is required for your steeds—remember though that particular grain have specific weight.

Don’t overfeed. A loving equestrian might easily become confused about how much her steeds are chewing, so aside from being a loving equestrian, be a responsible one too. And take care to lock away feeds—horses that make their way to the grain stash will eat up until they get colic or founder.

Don’t underfeed too. Obviously, this extreme is to be avoided too. Thin, feeble horses might not be getting enough nourishment. You could be either underfeeding her hay or grain, or underfeeding her nutrition.

Supplement. Always supplement any kind of diet and feeding regime with whole food supplements and necessary nutrients. You can opt to administer a home made recipe through a syringe, or just mix it into suitable amounts of feed. But the nutrient elements you supplement will rely upon the hay you’re feeding, as different forms of hay provide different amounts and kinds of nutrient elements, so it could be best to get the advice of your vet.

Ensure the presence of a fresh water source. Horses and humans have many things in common particularly when it comes to the physical structure of their bodies. And as people need lots of fresh, clean water, so do horses. There are numerous diseases that can result from not getting enough water, for example colic, loss of appetite, and more. For an equestrian living in regions where the climate always freezes water supplies, this job can be more daunting, and so is manifold more important.

These basic rules can be further expanded and extended, but it’s sufficient to not lose touch with their elementals. As an equestrian, your duties not only end with making a steed a safe mount for horse riding or teaching her maneuvers for sport and shows—you also must take care feeding her.

Horses are Heather Toms’ passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100’s of articles with other horse lovers… like all things about cheap horse rugs

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How To Train Horses To Receive A Needle

February 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Horses, much like humans, are justifiably averse to getting any type of shot of any sort of drug or vitamin or whatever. Even those bred right from a domesticated environment will still react using an animal’s natural flight or fight reaction. Leave pony riding and equestrian training for a moment; and work on coaching your trusty steed to learn how to put up with injections.

Your mare may never like being pricked by that needle every time she needs a shot, but she’ll better handle it if you make the time to train her for it. Like in equestrian training and practicing difficult dressage routines, patience and praise will do wonders.

This coaching is a combination of pretending the motions of giving the shot, applying your usual pony praise after every improvement (even if the horse didn’t do anything but refrained from regressing). What you do is approach your mare much in the same way you would if you were giving her a shot. Remember to employ a snaffle bridle on her if a halter affords little control. Hold up a dummy syringe too—play the effect to the maximum for best results. Then you move to the spot where the shot goes, and pat the spot forcefully 2 times. Stop before she reacts (some react adversely even to motions suggesting that a shot is immanent), praise her, and walk a couple of steps away cueing for her to follow. Repeat the role play till you’re sure she is used to it on each side. After the pats comes the pinching. There might already be a negative reaction to just the action of pinching, so attempt to pinch really lightly at first and progress to firmer pinches at the horse’s pace. Try to break down the steps to the smallest parts feasible to stay safe—some equine patients would kick and buck at the ‘pats ‘ stage.

With the pinches, do the same thing. Pinch for a while, release, praise, and stroll off cueing her to follow. Pinch a bit longer, let go before she reacts, praise, walk away , have her follow. Pinch longer still, let go, praise, walk off have her follow. Sort of like teaching a dressage routine isn’t it? The same steps apply to the subsequent and most imperative part… the prick.

Simulating the prick is the final stage next to administering the shot. Try a toothpick or anything that will adequately prick the horse’s skin like a needle without piercing it. Naturally you’d first prick very lightly, then lightly, then strongly, then work on keeping the pricking sensation on her skin for longer, but never longer than a shot takes. Between pricks do not forget to praise, walk off and have her follow. Also, remember to do both sides of your mare. Regress to a comfortable stage if the horse reacts negatively before you could stop. Start over from that comfortable earier point.

You mimicked the motions of giving a shot so she would become used to them, did the do-this-and-praise routine so she’d become used to all of the step-by-step motions, and walked away each time to distract her from reacting further. By following these steps you can save both you and your pony from the hassles related to injections… aside from giving the shot itself. In fact , these steps apply to most routines in equestrian coaching and pony riding.

Horses are Heather Toms’ passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100’s of articles with other horse lovers… like all things about horse rugs.

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