BUZZ OFF!
5
NATURAL
FLY CONTROL TIPS
Demystifying LEAD CHANGES
MUSIC your horse will love THE
VACCINATION DEBATE HOMEOPATHY OR ALLOPATHY?
CHIROPRACTIC for mares and foals
Building a
GREEN BARN DISPLAY UNTIL MAY 25, 2015 VOLUME 10 ISSUE 2
$5.95 USA/Canada
April/May 2015
gentle GIANTS
SAVING BIG HORSES WITH EVEN BIGGER HEARTS
Equine Wellness
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23
Conte 32
FEATURES 10 BUZZ OFF!
Does your farm have a fly problem? Here are five natural fly control tips that actually work.
14 NATURAL DEWORMING Controlling parasites with magnetism and the moon – it’s not lunacy!
16 MELODIES
FOR YOUR HORSE
Learn how music can benefit his well-being.
23 GET GROWING!
Planting a medicinal herb garden for your horse.
32 SAVING THE
GENTLE GIANTS
Big horses have even bigger hearts. And so does the team at Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue.
38 BUILDING
A GREEN BARN
Design techniques for eco-friendly equine facilities.
45 CHIROPRACTIC CARE FOR MARES AND FOALS
Did you know that the best time to do chiropractic on a foal is at least nine months before conception?
28 DEMYSTIFYING LEAD CHANGES
Are you and your horse getting stuck? These tips will get you back on track and set you up for successful flying changes.
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52 THE VACCINATION DEBATE Homeopathy or allopathy? – Can homeopathic nosodes provide an alternative to traditional vaccines for some horses?
56 BETWEEN
FARRIER VISITS
Maintaining your horse’s hooves between trims doesn’t have to be tricky! Here are a few tips.
nts 48 38 COLUMNS
DEPARTMENTS 6 Editorial
8 Neighborhood news
22 Green acres
31 Product picks
36 It’s elemental!
42 Equine Wellness resource guide
37 Business profile:
44 Heads up
SOURCE, Inc.
55 Book review
48 Homeopathic column
55 Social media corner
50 To the rescue
59 Events
62 Herb blurb
60 Marketplace 61 Classifieds
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gentle Big horses have even bigger hearts. And so does the team at Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue.
At an impressive 18.3 hands, Idan is currently the largest horse residing at the rescue. Despite his health issues, he has a zest for life and a charming personality, according to Gentle Giants founder, Christine Hajek.
By Kelly Howling
Lucas is currently available for adoption as a companion horse. He is an eight-year-old 3/4 Clydesdale and 1/4 Thoroughbred gelding. 32
Equine Wellness
Photos courtesy of Christine Hickey
SAVING THE GIANTS
T
hough she grew up on a small Warmblood breeding farm, Christine Hajek was totally unaware of the horse slaughter industry. That blissful naivety came to an end one August night at an auction house in Maryland.
“On impulse, I purchased an older Belgian gelding for my boyfriend, now husband,” recalls Christine. “When I went to the stall to collect my new friend, I found the seller quietly crying. I asked the young man what his horse’s name was, and told him I was sorry he had to sell him. He replied that the horse was named Elijah, and that he didn’t mind having to sell him since he had purchased the gelding with the intent of resale. He was sad because Elijah had been sold to the ‘meat man’, because he was a good horse and didn’t deserve that. I quickly informed the young man that I had purchased Elijah, and asked him to explain what he meant by ‘meat man’. I got a quick lesson on the slaughter industry, and suddenly the fate of all the old broodmares who could no longer get pregnant, and all the lesson ponies who eventually went lame, came rushing at me.” Elijah ended up being an angel of a horse, never taking a bad step or throwing a rider. Inspired, Christine made it her mission to seek out all the Elijahs of the world, and find homes for them. The result was Gentle Giants Draft Horse Rescue, based in Mount Airy, Maryland and established as a nonprofit in 2005 (GentleGiantsDraftHorseRescue.com). Elijah himself lived at the rescue until he passed away at the age of 26.
How you can help Gentle Giant’s goal for 2015 is to renovate their main barn, which is in desperate need of repair. They accept financial donations on their website (you can make a one-time or monthly donation, or sponsor a horse in need), and are always in need of the following items:
• Five-gallon f lat-backed buckets • Oversized or draft-sized halters • Eight-foot lead ropes • Saddles in usable condition • 78” to 90” waterproof turnout sheets and blankets
Continued on page 34.
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