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CONTENTS August/September/October 2021

Departments 6 Editorial 17 Business profile — HEIRO

21 Product profile

— Adored Beast Apothecary

25 Product picks Photo courtesy of Kerry Brown / Bleecker Street & Topic Studios.

29 Rider fitness 36 From the NASC 40 Acupressure at-a-glance

41 What’s new and

hot this summer?

45 Classifieds 45 Marketplace

Features 22

H ow to prevent and heal

proud flesh

Most horses will get wounded at some point in their lives. When scrapes and cuts happen, follow these tips to prevent the development of proud flesh — and heal it quickly when it does occur.

D ream Horse

Take a look behind the scenes of the new hit film, Dream Horse — starring a whole herd of equine actors!

EATING WELL Top tips on feeding picky horses Does your horse often leave feed in his bucket? Do you struggle to keep him at a healthy weight? Here’s how to deal with your picky eater.

EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING Regaining confidence when working with horses

Have you lost your confidence when it comes to working with horses? These expert training tips will help you get it back!

C ancer prevention for

horses — can you keep this disease at bay?

A look at the most common types of cancer in horses and some steps you can take to naturally prevent this dreaded disease.

Columns

Equine Wellness

Ringbone: the road to lameness H EALTHY HOOVES

N EWSWORTHY Federal lawmakers reintroducing bill to ban horse slaughter

A better understanding of ringbone in horses will help you take effective steps toward prevention and recovery.

H UMAN-ANIMAL BOND

Benefits of connecting with horses during the pandemic

Connecting with our horses is always beneficial for our wellbeing. But amid a global pandemic it offers even more advantages.

EED TO KNOW N How to properly administer medication to your horse Most horse caretakers will have to administer medication to their horses at some point. When that time comes, keep these tips and considerations in mind!

The Save America’s Forgotten Equines (SAFE) Act would permanently ban horse slaughter in the U.S. and end the export of horses for slaughter abroad.

ODY, MIND, SPIRIT B Q&A: Caring for the emotional needs of a healing horse

This helpful Q&A is designed to help you look beyond the physical needs of your healing horse in order to cater to his emotional well-being.

Social Media Tips, contests and more! /EquineWellnessMagazine

N EED TO KNOW

Gut health for performance horses — what you need to know

Competition season is here which means increased gastric ulcer risk! Learn how you can support your horse’s gut naturally to improve performance, reduce stress, and promote longevity in the show ring.

IFESTYLE L Top tips for seniors working with horses

As any senior equestrian can attest, age doesn’t affect one’s love of horses! Follow these safety tips to keep yourself safe at the barn throughout your golden years.

10 42

T RAINING AND RECOVERY An expert guide to massaging your equine athlete Regardless of what discipline you practice with your horse, he can benefit from regular massage therapy. Here are a few things to know about this modality and how to apply it in the most effective way.

EWSWORTHY N Is obesity a risk factor for asthma in horses?

Researchers are investigating the link between obesity and asthma in horses in the hope that their findings will improve how the condition is diagnosed and treated.

News, events, and tips! @ EquineWellness Tips, horse photos, and more! EquineWellness

Equine Wellness

EATING WELL

TOP TIPS ON

FEEDING PICKY HORSES By Leah Wellard, PhD, BScH

Does your horse often leave feed in his bucket? Do you struggle to keep him at a healthy weight? Here’s how to deal with your picky eater.

Feeding a picky horse is akin to convincing a toddler to eat vegetables. It’s hard! Like all of us, horses choose their food based on visual cues, odor, taste, texture, availability, and variety. While sometimes it’s just a matter of finding out what flavors and textures your horse prefers, his pickiness may also be the result of medical issues or improper management practices.

RULE OUT HEALTH CONCERNS If your horse is turning his nose up at his feed, it may be an indication that something is wrong. There are several possible medical reasons why horses may not be eager to chow down. Be sure to ask your veterinarian about these potential health concerns first to ensure your horse is happy and healthy. Digestive disturbances Gastric ulcers are hugely prevalent in performance horses and leisure horses alike. Horses who are slow or picky eaters may be trying to tell you that their tummies hurt! Gastric ulcers are a painful condition that can impact the horse’s desire to eat and prevent him from maintaining a 8

Equine Wellness

healthy body condition. Hindgut ulcers are also something to consider as they can also suppress a horse’s appetite.

pickiness, you can start to investigate different management practices that may be impacting his appetite.

Dental troubles Horses have teeth that do not fall out and are continuously growing. While their teeth can be worn down by the grinding of feedstuffs like forage or grain, they can be worn down unevenly, develop sharp edges, get cavities, or have other dental issues that may make chewing less effective or even painful. Veterinarians recommend getting your horse’s teeth checked out every six months and floated at least once a year.

Stable stress Stress can significantly impact your horse’s appetite. If he’s low in the herd’s pecking order, he may be more worried about his food-aggressive companions than finishing his supper. Consider separating your horse from the herd so he feels safe and secure enough to finish his meal. Similarly, if your horse is anxious in a stall or has an aggressive neighbor, he will likely have difficulty focusing on eating. Ensure he has a friend nearby or move him to a quieter stall to make mealtimes more peaceful.

Prescription problems It is important to keep in mind that certain medications, like peroglide (Prascend), can cause a lack of appetite in horses. Consult with your veterinarian to make sure that your horse’s medication and dosage is suitable for him.

CHANGING MANAGEMENT PRACTICES TO HELP PICKY EATERS After ensuring that there are no medical reasons to explain your horse’s

Dehydration If your horse is not drinking enough it will impact how much food they will want to consume. Making sure your horse has 24/7, free-choice access to fresh, clean water is key to ensuring that he is well-hydrated. If horses only have access to rivers, lakes, or snow, they will not likely consume enough water to stay hydrated. In colder climates, heated water buckets are

necessary to ensure the water is an optimal drinking temperature as water thatʼs too cold will deter your horse from drinking.

Overeating The horse’s stomach can only hold two gallons of feed at a time. If you’re feeding high rates of grain, he may just be full! Consider switching to a ration balancer or vitamin and mineral supplement to ensure his nutritional needs are being met. Splitting meals up into multiple smaller meals may also be beneficial — you should never feed more than 2kg of grain in one meal. Horses can eat up to 3.2% of their bodyweight in forage (on a dry matter basis), while ponies can eat up to 4.9%. Depending on your horse and the quality of his hay or pasture, he may be getting full on forage. Not all horses and ponies can maintain a healthy body weight on free-choice forage, so if you suspect your horse is overeating hay or pasture, and he’s gaining weight, aim to feed only 1.5% to 2% of his bodyweight in forage.

Feed timing Exercise, but not intense exercise, can stimulate hunger. Timing feedings

after exercise can be a helpful way to increase your horse’s appetite.

Bucket placement Placing your horse’s feed bucket in an area where he stands often (i.e. the front of the stall) will help him focus on eating. Feeding your horse in a bucket at ground level may also entice him to eat.

Transition new feed slowly If you have recently introduced a new feed or supplement and it’s causing your horse to turn his nose up, introduce it more slowly into his diet. Horses have an incredibly strong sense of smell and taste which can make them hesitant to try new things. Adding feed or supplements a bit at a time (and tucked under a high-value reward) can encourage them to broaden their palate. If you notice your horse isn’t finishing his meals, the first step is to consult your veterinarian. After ruling out health concerns, there are a number of management and feeding alterations you can try to improve your horse’s appetite. Bon appetit!

Flavor and texture modifications to help picky eaters Change the texture with water Adding water to wet feed or powdery supplements may encourage your horse to eat. If you’re already soaking the feed, consider adding no water, or less water as some horses do not like the texture of soaked feed. It is all about adjusting to individual preference!

Add something sweet For horses who do not have metabolic concerns, adding a small amount of molasses, apple sauce or juice to their meals may make them more enticing.

Flavoring A handful of studies have looked at flavor preferences in horses. Two studies found that both fenugreek and banana flavoring significantly reduced consumption time compared to unflavoured feed. Another study found that horses preferred anise flavors to apple and peppermint. However, flavor preference can be highly individualistic, so different flavors may entice your horse more.

Leah Wellard is an equine nutritionist for Mad Barn, North America’s best source of performance horse supplements and nutrition. She has worked with hundreds of horse owners across North America to improve their horse’s diets and optimize their nutrition. Leah holds her Master’s degree in animal nutrition from the University of Guelph where she researched various topics on equine nutrition and physiology. As a lifelong rider, Leah spends her spare time riding her horse, Maya, and competing in the jumper ring in Ontario. Equine Wellness

BODY, MIND, SPIRIT

Q& A By Stephanie Sawtelle

CARING

l a n o i t o em needs HEALING HORSE FOR THE

OF A

This useful Q&A is designed to help you look beyond the physical needs of your healing horse in order to cater to his emotional well-being.

At some point in their lives, most horses find themselves recovering from injuries, disease, or one of many acute or chronic conditions that can affect their physical well-being. In addition to proper first aid, veterinary care, medicines, supplements, and management of the physical aspects of healing, it’s also important to consider horse's emotional needs during these times of stress. Often, it’s necessary to alter or modify a horse’s normal routine of feeding, turn out, and exercise to accommodate physical healing, and these modifications can cause stress and have a negative effect on emotional well-being. 18

Equine Wellness

So, how to we minimize this stress? How do we balance a horse’s physical needs with his emotional needs while healing? This Q&A-style discussion will help sift through some of the nuances of this sometimes tricky process, and offer some helpful tips and considerations to pull from should you find yourself in the position of caring for a healing horse.

Q A

My horse was prescribed stall rest by my vet. What can I do to provide proper stimuli during this time? This is a common occurrence, and there are several simple

things to consider that will account for your horse’s needs and ward off boredom and stress as much as possible. First, make sure your horse has access to appropriate forage at all times. An empty digestive system can cause physical problems that can lead to emotional stress and unwanted behaviors. Consider mixing a few types of hay for variety (after checking with your vet for any restrictions or recommendations), and feeding from different nets, feeders, hay pillows, or other feeding systems that encourage a bit of maneuvering, moving from place to place, or problem solving to access

forage. This can also be done with complete/senior feeds if your horse is not allowed hay, or also a small number of treats to encourage seeking and exploration. Second, having companions is important in minimizing emotional stress. Arrange for your horse to at least be able to see and hear other horses at all times. This may look like keeping a friend or friends in nearby stalls or turn out areas. Even better is allowing your horse opportunities to physically touch a trusted herd mate. This may look like a shared fence line (if he is allowed a small paddock or pen outside), adjoining stalls with a low partition or bars rather than a solid, high divider, or making time for stall front visits from a quiet horse friend who is on lead.

Do your best to account for the “three Fs” of equine wellness:

FREEDOM

(safe and appropriate movement),

FRIENDS

(familiar and trusted companions), and

FORAGE

(steady availability without having to compete).

Third, once forage and friendship needs are accounted for, consider the addition of frequent visits from trusted and calm human companions that include hanging out, grooming, or even a bit of simple clicker or trick training that is safe given the small space and any physical restrictions as recommended by the vet. If you have a particularly curious and busy horse, you may want to rotate through safe toys or other novel items for your horse to investigate. Research enrichment ideas for horses that safely fit your horse’s circumstances. Equine Wellness