Herbs for
HOOF
HEALTH TARGET TRAINING for hoof handling RIDER
nutrition ON THE RUN Traction Control in BAREFOOT
horses
VOLUME 11 ISSUE 5
DISPLAY UNTIL NOVEMBER 2016
Muscle
maintenance
FOR HORSES IS HE
sleep deprived? PLAN N YOUR OUR EQUESTRIAN EQUESTRIAN
Vacation!
theLAST CHANCE CORRAL Providing nurse mare foals with a soft place to land
$5.95 USA/Canada
October/November 2016
EquineWellnessMagazine.com Equine Wellness
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26 FEATURES 10 TRACTION CONTROL AND THE EQUINE HOOF
Contrary to popular belief, the welltrimmed barefoot horse can have outstanding traction for all disciplines and levels of riding.
14 RIDER NUTRITION ON THE RUN
We’re notorious for often obsessing over our horses’ diets, but neglecting our own. As part of the equation for a successful athletic team, your health is just as critical as your horse’s. Here’s how to get better at eating well, even when on the go!
18 HERBS FOR HOOF
HEALTH
A new take on managing and maintaining hoof quality in health and disease.
22 SLEEP DEPRIVATION AND NARCOLEPSY IN HORSES
Is your horse sleep deprived, or narcoleptic? Here’s what to watch for, and how to make sure he gets proper sleep.
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Equine Wellness
26 MUSCLE MAINTENANCE AND THE PERFORMANCE HORSE
42 NAVIGATING EQUINE HEALTH INDUSTRY REGULATIONS
Horses performing specific movements or tasks require maintenance to keep them happy and healthy in their work. Here are some discipline-specific “problem areas” to be aware of.
Equine health professional laws and regulations vary widely depending on where you live, and that makes it difficult to determine who can practice which therapies. Here are some general guidelines and tips to help you select the best professionals to work on your horse.
30 THE LAST CHANCE CORRAL Nurse mare foals are not always given much of a fighting chance at a good life. Victoria Goss of the Last Chance Corral is working to change the future for these little lives.
34 PLANNING YOUR
EQUESTRIAN VACATION
A riding vacation doesn’t have to be a far-off dream – get started on planning your trip with these tips from the pros!
38 TARGET TRAINING FOR HOOF HANDLING If your horse needs help with hoof handling manners, clicker training can create positive associations and responses in a safe and calm manner.
46 COEXISTING WITH
CRITTERS ON YOUR FARM
Whether you see them or not, your farm is home to many creatures besides you and your horses. Let’s take a look at how you can encourage beneficial animals, and discourage pests in a humane manner.
nts 18 COLUMNS 8 Neighborhood news 45 Business profile: Making Waves
DEPARTMENTS 6 Editorial 25 Product picks 41 Heads up
49 Green acres
50 Equine Wellness resource guide
52 Holistic veterinary Q&A
57 Book review
54 To the rescue
58 Marketplace
56 Acupressure at a glance
60 Events
57 Minute horsemanship
61 Classifieds
62 Herb blurb
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TRACTION CONTROL and the
equine hoof
10
Equine Wellness
Contrary to popular belief, the well-trimmed barefoot horse can have outstanding traction for all disciplines and levels of riding. By Sherri Pennanen Have you been told your horse needs shoes to jump or hunt because he needs better traction? Don’t believe everything you hear. It is very possible to follow your equestrian dreams with a barefoot horse. Let’s explore traction control – barefoot style!
THE HEALTHY HOOF We need to start from the basic premise that a healthy hoof which is working as it was intended will, in fact, have far better traction than a shod or studded hoof. For centuries, horses have traversed mountains, rocks, water, mud, snow, ice and hard ground without any difficulty – and without any interference from us. So how can we continue this natural tradition and take advantage of the traction the barefoot horse can offer? The first step is to have the hoof take on its most natural form by applying a balanced barefoot trim. We need to “help our horses along” by performing this routinely because they generally do not travel the distances or access the varied terrains that horses in the wild enjoy. Similarly, when we let our horses live a natural life, we can improve their overall health and well-being as well as their hoof form. In other words, horses are made to be outside, to graze and move around freely. Putting a horse in a stall will not do anything to further his hoof’s natural form or his overall well-being. Similarly, restricting his hoof with shoes may contribute to traction problems rather than solve them.
NATURAL HOOF STRUCTURE Much of what affords a barefoot horse his excellent traction centers around creating a concave sole and supporting structures. If we were to look at a hoof that was “naturally worn”, we would see the walls of the heels and the bars of the hoof being elevated above the concave sole, though not to the same Continued on page 12. Equine Wellness
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