Tip of the Month
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There comes a time when we need to separate ourselves from the heard. Even though humans are not heard animals, at times they seem to follow along as if they were. It seems to be much easier to just take what we have been told as truth, and not bother to do our own research, when most of our research could only be common sense. As good horse people, we must truly know what is good for our horses to keep them healthy and happy. Remember, a healthy horse is a happy horse, and a happy horse is easy to train. Let's take a few of these myths and see if we can straighten them out. One of my least favorite is, "When I go to tighten the cinch on my horse, he holds his breath." So then the cure for this would be to knee the horse in the stomach to let the air out. Nothing could be further from the truth. A horse can not consciencely hold his breath. Try to help a horse hold his breath, and see how that goes. The truth is... after the very first time a horse experiences the cinch, he gets ready for it the next time by tightening his muscles. This causes the muscles to enlarge and of course makes the horse bigger around. All you have to do is, after you have lightly tightened the cinch the first time, walk the horse a little bit, and he will relax these muscles. Tighten the cinch again, and the problem is solved. How about this? "Never give a hot horse water." Now, I do not want to give you medical advice, but it is my honest belief, that if you don't give your horse water, you have really opened up a large can of worms. Of all the things that you might think is caused by leting a hot horse have water, none are as severe as a dehydrated horse. "Walk that colicing horse until he has a bowl movement, I don't care if it takes all night." Not according to my vet, and not according to the research I have done. Colic is a very traumatic experience for a horse. It is also the #1 killer of horses. It will take all of his energy reserve to recover from this. Walking the horse depletes this much needed reserve, and can leave the horse without enough energy to recuperate. You might think because you have walked a horse in this situation, and he has survived, that this is the answer. Fact of the matter is, he would have recovered faster had you not walked him. Once again, I am not a veterinarian, and I am not giving you any medical advise. Do some research of your own and find out the real answers for yourself. After all, that's what this tip is all about. Be Good to Your Horse Dennis | |||
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