Horses

Sunday, 22 February 2015

Three Exercises to Master the Halt

These exercises will help you achieve a square halt in your next dressage test.

By Jec Aristotle Ballou | January 2014

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Although it’s sometimes sought like the holy grail by dressage riders, a square halt is not to be valued as an end in itself, but for what it tells you about your horse’s development. Think of it as a measurement of progress. In fact, how a horse stands, either under saddle or in-hand, can tell you a lot. Obtaining consistent square halts is one of the best ways to tell if your training is heading in the right direction.

If a horse is engaged and balanced before being asked to stop, he will inevitably halt square; his legs will be equally balanced underneath him. More frequently, though, halts are anything but square. It’s common to see riders wiggling around in the saddle trying to "square up” their horse after he has stopped in a sprawled out position.
Instead, focus on the quality of work that precedes the halt. Through the practice of setting your horse up to execute balanced stops, you’ll improve the halt and, more importantly, his overall body mechanics. This will better his entire way of moving and performing.
Challenges you might face at the halt include:

The horse braces his neck and ignores your request.
The horse hollows his topline and loses his balance.
The horse becomes crooked or swings his body around.

The following three exercises will help alleviate any or all of these challenges. They work by getting your horse to better use his body so that when you then ask him to halt, he won’t compromise his balance in the ways listed above.

WHY THE HALT? From a physiological perspective, a square halt is beneficial to the horse. The most mechanically sound and balanced posture for a mounted horse, whether moving or stopped, is to draw his hind legs under his body rather than allow them to trail out behind him. From this supported posture of engaging the hind legs, a horse is able to lift the base of his neck, easing the load on his front legs and shoulders. The horse’s hind joints—hip, stifle and hock—are able to flex and carry weight to absorb motion when aligned beneath his pelvis, which reduces the concussive force that would otherwise travel up his back. Furthermore, any potential strain on his numerous sacral ligaments from poor posture (pelvis tilted behind him rather than underneath) is eliminated.
Get in the habit of observing your horse at rest. At the tie post, when you mount him, or out in the paddock, how does he stand? Are his hind legs pushed out behind or drawn underneath him? If he’s not square, does he often leave the same hind leg trailing behind his body? As your horse develops in his training and physical conditioning, he will begin standing square on his own, even during times of rest.

Adjust Stride in Each Gait
Frequent adjustment of stride length within the trot, for example, keeps the hind legs active. This prevents them from trailing behind the body. Also, the practice of reducing your horse’s stride length and tempo helps keep him responsive and light on your aids, and eliminates any habit he may have of bracing his neck or pulling on the reins when asked for a downward transition. After riding lots of transitions within the various gaits, it will be much easier to get a prompt and square halt transition.

Establish a steady working trot, tracking right.
As you ride around the track, ask your horse to slow down for four strides each time you pass A, E, C and B.
After each clear downshift in tempo, resume working trot.
Once these transitions are happening smoothly, ask for four strides of a faster, bigger trot at each of those letters.
Ride a few laps around the arena this way. Then, return to riding transitions to a slower and shorter trot at the letters.
Catch your horse by surprise and ride a gentle, smooth downward transition to the halt. Be sure to transition first to the slower trot like you were doing previously. When you feel him respond, complete the halt transition. Your horse should be soft, balanced and engaged.

Ground Pole Square
One common cause of an unsquare halt is a horse careening through your aids when you ask him to stop—swinging his butt sideways, being late to stop, and falling sideways off his line of travel. A good way to get control over his feet is by using a ground pole square. This will help your horse organize his body by giving him a visual boundary. Halting inside the box with a pole behind his hind legs can also cure the bad habit of taking a step back after stopping. Repeatedly halting inside the space of the ground pole square allows your horse to practice clean halts without swinging sideways or stepping backward.

Set up a square on the ground using four 8-foot poles.
Develop a working trot and ride in a straight line toward the box.
Ten meters from the box, transition down to a walk.
Enter the box in a marching walk.
Begin asking for the halt as soon as your horse’s front feet cross the first pole.
Once his back legs have stepped into the box, you should be stopped.
Stand quietly inside the box for several seconds with your horse remaining on the bit and attentive.
Once this pattern is going smoothly, shorten the distance you walk into the box until you are trotting directly into it and halting.

Western Cloverleaf
If your horse initially stops square but then fidgets around and gets antsy or impatient, you can use the following exercise that many cowboys use to create balanced, quiet stops. It asks your horse to work very hard for a short burst and then offers him the chance to rest quietly in the halt. If he opts to fidget around instead of rest quietly, immediately hustle him back out on the pattern. Keep doing this until you are able to finish the pattern, drop the reins, and not feel him move a muscle under you.
Sometimes this exercise requires patience and multiple repetitions, but it nearly always works. It is far more effective than trying to discipline a horse for dancing around or giving stronger and stronger halt aids, which are increasingly futile. It uses the horse’s forward energy to your advantage. He soon learns that it is a lot less work to stand still, and the halt becomes enjoyable rather than a bore.

Starting from a standstill, take off in a brisk trot or canter around the first "leaf” of a four-leaf clover pattern. (In a 20-meter wide dressage arena, each leaf will be about 10 meters in diameter.)
Keep hustling around all four leaves.
Park your horse in the center where you started, drop the reins, and sit quietly.
As soon as he moves a foot or fidgets, shorten your reins and immediately take off for another trip around the cloverleaf pattern.
Repeat step No. 3.

By practicing these exercises, you will avoid being one of those riders seen leaning off the side of her horse at the halt while trying to look under his belly to see if his feet are square. You can rest assured that he will be square because you have conditioned his body for it. Remember, as long as your halts are square, your training is moving in the right direction.
JEC ARISTOTLE BALLOU is the author of 101 Dressage Exercises for Horse & Rider.

Harmony Between Species

Horses and seemingly unlikely companions often form strong social bonds.

By Brenda Forsythe Sappington, M.S., Ph.D. | March 31, 2001

When I started graduate school several years ago, I visited many boarding stables looking for just the right place for my horses. As I approached yet another farm, I had to step hard on the brake and do a double-take. Over a ridge in the pasture alongside the road came a most unlikely threesome—a horse and a dog were galloping in tandem toward my truck, with a Holstein calf leading the way! When I asked the stable owners about it later, they told me the calf and the horse were inseparable, that in fact the calf seemed to think he was a horse and behaved just like one! He had evidently been reared around both horses and dogs and had been adopted by the gregarious horse.
You may have seen this sort of bond between species with your own horse and dog. I've seen it with my mare, Duchess. One dreary afternoon last winter I drove out to the barn hoping to squeeze a short ride into my hectic schedule. I briskly tacked her up and led her into the indoor arena. Realizing I'd forgotten my helmet, I left Duchess at the mounting block while I ran back to the barn to grab it. When I returned, I saw that a very friendly barn kitten had climbed the mounting block steps to make acquaintance with my mare. Duchess had lowered her head to cat level and was curiously investigating her new friend while the kitten did the same. Awareness of my approach brought an early end to the budding relationship as Duchess turned her attention toward me and the kitten hastily scurried away. I wondered what had motivated the kitten to brazenly approach such a large creature, and why my mare had handled the encounter with an unknown animal with such gentleness.
The unique qualities of individuals such as my mare Duchess and the variability within a species such as the horse make behavior a science where absolute answers are hard to come by. Behaviorists, therefore, must make generalizations based on the behavioral tendencies of samplings of horses representing the population at large.
Most behavioral scientists agree that the reason such amicable alliances form between horses and other animals is due in large part to the horse's unique social nature. According to Stephen Budiansky, author of The Nature of Horses, horses show a strong fundamental instinct to form long-lasting attachments to specific individuals. This basic instinct toward bonding is the glue that holds harems, the fundamental social structure of the horse, together. But so general is this drive to bond that it appears within horse society in many contexts that have nothing to do with mating. Horses removed from a herd will also readily form attachments to human owners or even a barn cat.
That is if the cat will have them. In general, cats are considered nonsocial because they do not live in groups as adults if they are living on natural prey. When placed together in a home or farm, cats will form dominance hierarchies, but marked aggression may persist in this essentially solitary species. A cat will generally do its utmost to define a territory of its own and to be self-reliant.
Dogs, on the other hand, are more like horses in that they are members of a species that forms "packs" with social bonds. What makes them different from horses is the reason for the social order—they form packs to better bring down prey, living as a group to hunt more successfully. Hence, for dogs membership in a pack is very desirable, but not a necessity for survival.
In contrast to these companion-animal species, horses, as prey animals, must rely upon each other for survival. As a result of this mutual dependence, the bond between horses is very strong. You've probably noticed this when trying to take your horse out for a ride without his equine buddies. Cows and goats, which are also prey herd animals, may share just as strong an attachment to their equine companions as the horse will.
So where does the horse rank in comparison to other companion animals in terms of intelligence? As I discussed in a previous column, intelligence is difficult to define in animals because we do not share a language with them. On the other hand, learning ability can be measured by trying to quantify the time it takes the horse to learn tasks or solve problems. So it makes a little more sense to try to compare the learning abilities of different species rather than their innate intelligence.
R.K. Thomas published a study review conducted on vertebrate "intelligence," which suggested that horses score very well in comparison to other species on learning tests. Using discrimination learning, in which animals must select a specific item to earn something rewarding, Thomas reported that horses achieve high scores in comparison to other species, including many mammals.
While horses can certainly hold their own against other species in terms of learning ability, the type of learning that horses excel at is not the same as that of dogs or cats by nature. Remember, what matters for horses is to learn to survive as a flight animal — being able to recognize other herd members and to discriminate them from potential enemies; to sense danger and to react appropriately. Dogs and cats, however, must be tactical thinkers — they must select prey and devise a strategy to overpower or head off the prey. While each of the companion species is "smart," natural selection has designed them to think and behave very differently. Horses will naturally be more reactive, dogs and cats more cunning.
So, while many different types of animals have the potential to become your companions, you're likely to find their species-specific behavior very different. A relationship with a cat, dog or horse will have its own unique qualities, depending on the individual animal and the nature of the species. In general, the cat will be the most aloof of the three main companion species, the dog the most like our own predatory and social species. Of the three, the social horse is the most unlike us.
By bridging the gap between ourselves and an animal that often falls victim to species such as ours, we gain something of value for our own humanity. Perhaps this is the true appeal of building a relationship with a horse.
Liked this article? Here are others you'll enjoy:
Dogs and Horses
The Benefits of Barn Cats

Andalusian and Lusitano Horses of Spain and Portugal

http://www.horsechannel.com/horse-exclusives/2007_04-exclusives/photo-slideshow/slideshow-page007.aspx

The Farrier's Role in Horse Hoof Care

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Farriers perform duties such as trimming horse’s feet and often applying shoes for protection.

Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt

International Hoof Care Month is celebrated throughout the month of February. During this time, it is important to recognize the significant contributions farriers make to the equine community.
“Farriers perform duties such as trimming horse’s feet and often applying shoes for protection,” said Jason Wilson-Maki, farrier for the Texas A&M Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, in College Station. “How complex the shoe(s) will need to be depend on the horse’s individual needs, what activities he undertakes, and what may be needed to address any hoof issues.”
Due to the fact that no minimum education is required to become a farrier, a large diversity exists within the farrier community in regards to skill sets and knowledge. However, organizations such as The American Farriers Association offer a series of voluntary examinations by which individuals can earn credentials.
“Within the United States, there is no minimum education or skill set requirement to trim or shoe horses’ feet; any person at any point may technically do farrier work,” said Wilson-Maki. “With that being said, many horseshoeing schools, both public and private, exist and attempt to impart to their students a good basic skill set.”
Though they differ in job titles, both the veterinarian and the farrier have important roles in the long and short term care of the horse’s foot.
“A farrier works on the hoof capsule and corrects distortions that are evident by observation,” said Wilson-Maki. “However, a farrier cannot diagnose nor treat lameness, and are not required within the United States to have any formal education.”
In contrast, veterinarians have different tools, such as regional anesthesia, radiographs, ultrasound, and MRIs to diagnose lameness, as well as a specified education and specific practice laws under which they work.
“(Veterinarians) may also treat the diagnosed lameness by means of medical treatment,” said Wilson-Maki. "Often, shoeing and trimming protocols are an integral portion of the overall approach."
As far as farrier service pricing goes, it varies greatly within the region and county.
“What would be considered usury in rural Texas may well below average in (places like) New Jersey,” said Wilson-Maki. “An owner could ask about the pricing ahead of time and get a feel for what is normal within a given region.”
Additionally, each horse and owner will have different needs from and expectations of, respectively, a farrier.
“A salient point that must be highlighted is that the owner must be able to communicate clearly and well with the farrier,” said Wilson-Maki. “An owner should seek out a farrier that can meet the needs of their animal and with whom they can communicate.”
Whether your horse is a champion barrel racer or a leisure-riding companion, farriers are vital to your horse’s health and well being, and finding one that meets their specific needs takes clear communication between horse owner and farrier.

About the Author

Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences

Saturday, 21 February 2015

Consequences of Stall Confinement

The team observed that the horses showed significantly more positive social contact when they could make physical contact with their neighbors, including touching with ears pointed forward and social grooming.

Photo: Thinkstock

As social relationships between horses become a greater equine welfare focus, scientists are seeking ways to allow social interactions for animals housed in traditionally isolating box stall settings. But don't tear your barn and stalls down just yet: French researchers recently tested another solution—windows between stalls—with positive results.
“Horses stabled with a large open window between two stalls showed more positive social behavior and less aggression and boredom than when they were separated by full walls,” said Claire Neveux, MSc, researcher and equine behavior consultant at Ethonova, based in Monteille. Neveux presented her research at the 2014 French Equine Research Day held March 18 in Paris.
In her study Neveux and her fellow researchers observed 12 riding horses in their home stable for 10 days. For the two days prior to the study period, horses were allowed to see each other through a barred window installed in their normal 9 foot-by-9 foot box stalls. (There was only one window for every two stalls.) Additionally, each stall had a half-door that opened to a common area where they could see other horses, but not touch them.
For the first five days of the study, the researchers closed the barred windows to create a solid wall, as the horses had been stalled previously, but the horses could still look into the common area via their open half-doors. In the second half of the experiment the researchers opened the windows between the stalls and removed the bars, allowing the horses access to their neighbors. In each study phase researchers noted 180 behaviors per 24-hour period per horse.
The team observed that the horses showed significantly more positive social contact with the inter-stall windows open, including touching with ears pointed forward and social grooming. The animals showed less aggressive behavior (such as kicking the door, laying their ears back, and biting threats) when the windows were open than when they were closed, Neveux said. Additionally, when the windows were open the horses spent less time standing idle with their heads hanging out the half-door to the common area, indicating possibly less boredom or depression, she said.
The researchers reported that they observed no equine injuries during the study period.
“The results of this study have not only shown that it’s possible to allow horses to have social interactions even when housed in box stalls, but that this also leads to changes in the horses’ activity during the day—changes which seem rather positive because they’re associated with the presence of an equine companion,” Neveux said.

About the Author

Christa Lesté-Lasserre, MA

Christa Lesté-Lasserre is a freelance writer based in France. A native of Dallas, Texas, Lesté-Lasserre grew up riding Quarter Horses, Appaloosas, and Shetland Ponies. She holds a master’s degree in English, specializing in creative writing, from the University of Mississippi in Oxford and earned a bachelor's in journalism and creative writing with a minor in sciences from Baylor University in Waco, Texas. She currently keeps her two Trakehners at home near Paris. Follow Lesté-Lasserre on Twitter @christalestelas.

Opening Windows for Equine Social Interaction

Photo: Thinkstock

About the Author

Christa Lesté-Lasserre, MA

Give Your Horse a Breath of Fresh Air This Winter

House your horse outside as often as possible, even during the winter, to help keep him in optimum respiratory health.

Photo: iStock

Take a look around your barn, what do you see? Horses in their half-mucked stalls with straw or shavings and a wheelbarrow and pitchfork right outside; the tractor running at the barn door; hay bales piled outside stalls and at the end of the shedrow; a fan on the floor; piles of blankets, coolers, slinkies, bandages, and wraps; dusty shelves covered with medications and first aid supplies; a tack room “graveyard” of retired equipment; sunbeams struggling to shine through dirt-covered windows with dust motes dancing in the light.
“Barns are inherently difficult to keep clean, but dusty barns can wreak havoc on some horse’s respiratory health,” said Melissa Millerick-May, MSc, PhD, assistant professor of medicine in Michigan State University's Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, in East Lansing. "This can result in airway inflammation in both young and older horses and exacerbate symptoms in horses previously diagnosed with heaves (or recurrent airway obstruction, RAO)."
Millerick-May’s research found that air particles measuring ≤10 microns in diameter—which is smaller than the human eye can detect—can reach horses’ lower airways and cause problems, including inflammation and mucus accumulation. Those small particles tend to travel with larger particles, which are inhaled and irritate the upper airways. This means that if we can see dust motes in the barn, we need to consider the small particles moving with them as a potential hazard for airway health in our horses and ourselves.
“There are several easily implemented management strategies designed to reduce dust and other respiratory irritants to help minimize inflammation in your horses’ airways, which are known to negatively affect performance," Millerick-May said. "These practices should be established even if your horse hasn’t developed overt signs of respiratory disease, as in most cases of IAD (inflammatory airway disease). These horses may be characterized as not meeting performance expectations, resistant (to work), not able to maintain a level of ‘effort’ that shouldn’t be a problem given their training schedule, etc.”
Millerick-May also noted that such small particles can also affect human airway health: "By implementing low-dust control methods, we’re likely to improve our own health as well."
Consider these tips to help protect your horse's breathing zone (the 2-foot sphere around the horse’s nose from where he draws his breath) and most effectively achieve optimal respiratory health:

House your horse outside as often as possible, even during the winter. Barns are a Mecca of motes, mites, and molds. Many horses can be maintained on pasture almost year-round. But avoid simply throwing a round bale in the paddock. Horses often lunge their noses into the bale for prolonged periods of time inhaling particles, which negate the benefits of living on pasture. If you need to supplement with round bales, store them elsewhere and place measured amounts of hay in the pastures to be fully consumed daily.
Consider soaking or steaming hay to minimize inhalation of dust and mold; feed hay off the floor to promote mucus drainage from the airways; or use hay alternatives such as haylage, complete pelleted feeds, or alfalfa cubes. If you must use a haynet, use a slow feeder to prevent the horse from burying his nose in the hay, also making it more difficult to grab hay within the net and shake it.
When mucking, sweeping, or cleaning, always turn horses out first and leave them out for a while, as it takes several hours for the dust to settle. You might consider applying an agent designed to reduce ammonia levels, and don’t leave vehicles/tractors running near horses.
Reduce clutter in the barn, and do not store hay or bedding materials near horses. If your horse must be stabled, be sure to use good-quality bedding, regardless of whether you choose shavings, straw, or another option.
Leave doors and windows open to promote air circulation. If planning barn updates/renovations, consider ventilation and adding soffit or ridge vents.

“If you see dust, you can be confident that there are particles capable of reaching the lower airways, putting the horse at risk for the development of respiratory issues," Millerick-May concluded. "Every change an owner adopts will ultimately benefit the horses’ respiratory tract. These changes need not be difficult to implement or expensive in order to make a big difference.”

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Sunday, 22 February 2015

Three Exercises to Master the Halt

These exercises will help you achieve a square halt in your next dressage test.

Harmony Between Species

Horses and seemingly unlikely companions often form strong social bonds.

About the Author

Saturday, 21 February 2015

About the Author

About the Author