How Much Pressure?

Judy R wrote and asked a very good question: "When I am asking my horse to do something using pressure often she ignores me then until I guess the pressures builds and she blows up. An example if trying to teach her to side pass. I'll try to push her over with my leg as I have been taught using the ask, ask then demand with more pressure and tapping her with my leg and boot (I don't wear spurs). I do have to hold her to keep her from moving forward. With other things like trailer loading where sometimes I need to tap on her back legs with a lunge stick to get her to move forward she does fine without freaking out. I'm trying to figure it out but getting totally frustrated. Any insight?"

I know that frustration Judy. With your side pass example it's hard to answer that without watching you and your mare. I would go back to ground work and get your mare to move her front end and back end over independently of each other, and for her to do it well and when asked without a big deal, before you ask her to start side passing. It may also help to incorporate a reason for your side pass like moving to or away from a gate or fence.

When in the saddle, and asking for a side pass, make sure you don't keep your inside leg (leg that is in the direction of the movement) on her which would make her feel blocked in and want to move forward. It helps to tip and hold her head slightly outside as you use your outside leg to ask her to move over. You could also be leaning in one direction which normally makes the horse move in the opposite direction,.....even then there are some horses who may want to move to square up or move into the weight. The ground work first should help.  And make sure your timing is good, so when you get a try from her, you immediately release the pressure.

Your bigger question seems to be "how much pressure is too much"? I am not from the school of making your horse doing something, because forcing her to do something when is extremely anxious is counter productive.

 I think that any pressure that creates more anxiety in general and certainly more anxiety without any positive changes in your horse, are too much. You know your horses better than anyone, so I suggest being a good student to learn when that anxiety is too much which would make acceptance and learning difficult or impossible,....then back off before you get there.  Make sure you reward her slightest try, again with an immediate release of pressure and give her a pause, as pauses will help her relax and that’s a place where they learn. Then build on that. Hope to hear back from you on what you learn is working for you. Safe Journey. 

My Horse Daily - Good Source of Information

Unknown to me until now there is another good on-line source of horse information called My Horse Daily  From the website's "who are we page" it say's: The editors of the country’s greatest horse magazines (EQUUS, Horse & Rider, Spin to Win Rodeo, The Trail Rider, Practical Horseman, Dressage Today, American Cowboy and Horse Journal) now bring you MyHorseDaily, a new online community for horse lovers like you!

From training your young horse to caring for a senior horse in his golden years, MyHorseDaily editors bring you tips from top horse trainers, veterinary how-tos, horse care advice (and everything in between) to support you with your horse, whether you ride English or Western, for a living or just for fun.

My Horse Daily offers free downable guides such as the "How to Help Your Horse Survive Colic" pictured at top, and others such as "Learning About Laminitis", "Diagnosing and Treating Lameness", "Deworming Your Horse" and more. I liked their site, maybe you will.  Safe Journey. 

Heat Injuries: Don't Become a Heat Casualty

With a recent scare on dehydration and noticing that it is very common to people to ride miles in the summer heat with carrying water, I thought an article on Heat Injuries may be appropriate.  

Heat exhaustion is a heat-related illness that may occur after you've been exposed to high temperatures and/or direct Sun and become dehydrated. The dehydration and loss of electrolytes can bring on signs excessive thirst, weakness, dizziness, headache, and even loss of consciousness. The imbalance of lack of electrolytes may also include symptoms of muscle cramps, nausea and vomiting.

Detection of impending heat exhaustion can include lack of urinating for several hours, usually 4 or more hours and a dark colored urine when you do urinate. You may have profuse sweating and a rapid heartbeat. One way to check is after sitting down for several minutes when rapidly standing up you get dizzy and your heart rate goes up 10 or more beats per minute.

 People with Heat Exhaustion need to get out of the heat and/or Sun immediately and get some fluids into their system. Water and electrolytes drinks are best. Stay away from alcohol, soda pop and those drinks with a high sugar content. If you have extra water, sponging water on the dehydrated person can help cool them through evaporation.

 If you get heat exhaustion and don’t reverse it, through fluid intake, then you surely get Heat Stroke, which is a very serious heat injury and a medical emergency. Heat stroke can cause damage to the brain due to the high body core temperature and will usually affect older people faster.

Symptoms of Heat Stroke may include super elevated core body temperature (above 105 degrees Fahrenheit); fainting; severe headache; hot, dry reddish skin; muscle cramps and/or weakness; nausea and/or vomiting; confusion and disorientation; seizures and unconsciousness.

Treatment is essentially the same as for heat exhaustion, but people with heat stroke are medical emergencies. Get them out of the Sun and heat, apply fluids – internally to re-hydrate and externally to provide evaporative cooling. If you can get ice then the application of ice packs on the body where major blood vessels are close to the surface of the skin (arm pits, groin and neck) can help reduce core body temperature.

 If you become a heat casualty, and are fortunate enough to recover, you’ll be more susceptible to a subsequent heat injury.  

Prevention of heat injuries.

Stay Hydrated – a person should be drinking about one ounce of water for every two pounds of body weight. That requirements may double with activity in the heat. If you add in the factor of being in the Sun, like for a long ride in the Summer, evaporation of fluids will increase your water needs. The average person who sleeps seven hours wakes up in a somewhat dehydrated state. If that person go out to feed horses, drinks some coffee,…then maybe has some breakfast before he saddles up and ride exacerbates that dehydrated status unless they drink plenty of water after waking. Drinking coffee (or soda or tea) which is a diuretic, increases the body's need for water. So ensure you are drinking water, and plenty of it.  

Protect exposed parts of your skin from the Sun. Skin that is exposed to the Sun require the body to take fluids, that are vital to blood volume and organ function, to send to the damaged skin. You’ll also lose body fluids faster from skin exposed to the Sun.  

Buddy system and mandatory drink rule. Riding with two or more people obviously makes sense, but the buddy system is about looking after someone. Checking to ensure they drink enough water. Be cognizant of signs of heat exhaustion in that person. The mandatory drink rule is where one person in a group keeps track of elapsed time and announces when it is time to drink. Military and law enforcement units use this concept.

SO drink plenty of water, protect exposed parts of the skin, and, watch for signs of an heat injury. If you don’t do it for yourself, then do it for your horse,...... cause if something happens to you, who is doing to take care of your horse?

Straight Alfalfa Diet Okay?

Daniel62 wrote about feeding horse, ”I saw your videos on feeding horses, and am still confused. Is it okay to feed only alfalfa to my horse? Will I need to use other supplements?”

Alfalfa is common and available, and most people in non-pasture situations feed it for the convenience. Some people who have their horses on pasture, which is usually grass or grass mixes providing 10 to 14% protein, will also supplement with alfalfa, usually around 18 to 22% protein, so the horses will get a higher concentration of protein and calcium in their daily diet. Most horses don't need such a high level of protein and can do well on a grass hay only diet. However, if you are working your horse quite a bit, then I think added protein to the diet would probably be a good idea.

There are many people feeding a straight alfalfa diet to their horses. I choose to feed a 50-50 mix of alfalfa and grass hay and sometimes that ratio goes to 60-40 alfalfa-grass hay. Some feed a combination of alfalfa and grass, like I do, to better balance the calcium-phosphorous ratio. My priority in feeding alfalfa-grass mix is to reduce the amount of protein the horse is getting and also what I think is, reducing associated gut problems. I think horses on a straight alfalfa diet are more prone to gut problems and colic. I don't think it's a greatly increased chance, but a increased chance nonetheless. Having said that I know many horses on a straight alfalfa diet that do okay, and rarely will you need to supplement with the exception of maybe a salt block.

I just think the more natural you keep your horses, the better they will do. I also feed a small amount of Patriot 14, a 14% pelleted feed from ADM, to my horses but in small amounts. I do this for two reasons,    1 – as a means to introduce supplements, and 2 – to keep them and their guts used to this pelleted feed so when I need to give them more of it, extended rides, packing trips or whatever, I can do so more safely.

I do use supplements. Currently I use hoof supplement on one horse, a joint supplement on another and a periodic Sand Clear supplement regimen on all my horses. Basically, I think the more natural you can keep your horse, the better off he is going to be. And I think that changes in their diet should be made gradually over time in order for the horse and his digestive system to get used to it. You should be monitoring your horse's body condition, performance and tolerance to the feeds and make adjustments slowly.  Good luck and safe journey.

  

The Brave Little Roper

In yesterday's El Paso Times newspaper there was an article titled: Ropin' Hope: Clint boy fights rare disease

The article describes Jackson Godwin, an 8 year old young man from Clint, Texas, as something of a magician with a rope -- riding his horse, all little boy, all little cowboy, roping anything that moves, roping the wind -- joyfully roping a big handful of life.

Now he is trying to rope the biggest challenge of his young life,....you see Jackson started having headaches, then came the terrible diagnosis of a brain tumor. After surgery in Fort Worth to remove the brain tumor, Jackson is now in Houston under going a special radiation treatment at M.D. Anderson Hospital.

But every chance he gets, he drops a line in the water -- trying to catch some fish. He loves to fish -- almost as much as he loves to ride and rope. "Jackson is doing real well," said his mother, Janelle Godwin. "He's undergoing proton radiation treatment. It's only been in use four years. It's primarily used on brain tumors."

Ultimately, Jackson was diagnosed with melanoma of the central nervous system -- something so rare that only four known cases exist in the world. Jackson is the only child with it. "He's an amazing little man. He can sure ride a horse. He's won three saddles and around 16 buckles for his roping. And he loves to fish".........."But probably what he is best at is riding and roping,....he can sure ride a horse, that's for sure. He went to Sweetwater,Texas, and won over more than a hundred other little boys.

The days dwindle down as Jackson Godwin hopes to return to his life as cowboy and athlete and church worker and student. In the meantime, his wants and needs are simple enough. He wants three things. "I want to fish and fish and fish and fish. I want a border collie dog. And I want a new roping horse."  Chuckling, Jackson's Mom says, "He's fishing and we got the border collie taken care of Sunday. Now we just need the horse."

Everybody can help by going to the Ropin Hope Facebook page and the Follow Jackson's Bracelets Facebook page Add him as your friend and shoot him a message of encouragement and tell him his is in your prayers.

The Legend or Myth of Frank Hopkins

Marti asked "I don't know if you have seen the movie Hildago about the endurance racer in the old west. A couple of the ladies I ride with on weekends, one is a former  endurance rider, were telling me that it is all false. Do you have an opinion about Hidalgo?"

Hi Marti, the man in question was Frank T. Hopkins. I'll leave it to you to determine how much, if any, of the legend of Hopkins and his primary horse, Hildago is true. The movie was certainly made for entertainment not as a historical docu-drama.

It does not surprise me that endurance riders don't believe any of the Hopkins legend.  The Long Riders Guild which describe themselves an association of equestrian explorers, is a world wide organization and probably the most vocal group when it comes to calling Frank Hopkins a complete fraud. In fact, it looks to me they are vehemently anti-Hopkins. They have a tab on their website titled "The Hildago Hoax" with 30+ articles to convince readers why Hopkins was, in their words, a charlatan.

In a counter to Hopkins supporters, the Long Rider's Guild state that (most) of these authors did not do good enough research into Hopkins and his alleged endurance racing. Yet to be fair, most of the articles and links in the "Hildago Hoax" are written ny newspapers, educators and magazines from the non-horse world and it makes one think how much research they did.

One of the anti-Hopkins claims is that there are no photographs of Hopkins ever on horseback and no one exists to verify his claims. Yet on the Hopkins website, there are several!? This is the Frank T Hopkins website, sponsored by the Horse of the Americas registry and the Institute of Range and the American Mustang (IRAM), which are obviously Hopkins (and Hildago) believers and supporters.

On this website are some articles accredited to Hopkins, which support at the least the claims that he was very knowledgeable about horses, and particularly knowledgeable and supportive of the Mustang breed.

I remember when the movie came out and I mentioned I was taking my then 10 year old daughter to see it, a cowboy buddy of mine about had a fit telling me it was nonsense and I was wasting my time. I replied that "I did not have to believe in Santy Claus to put up a dang Christmas tree!"

Another one of the "false claims", in fact of the major claims by the anti-Hopkins crowd is concerning the long distance "Ocean of Fire" race in the Middle East. The majority of the movie "Hildago" was over this alleged race. There is a principal Arab Newspaper called "The Arab Times" which refuted these races. And why wouldn't they if Hopkins raced in one and won it?

In October 1993, I was in Taif, Saudi Arabia doing some work for the Crown Prince, HRH Abdullah bin Aziz al Saud, who is now the Saudi King. Taif is on the western escarpment at about 5,000 feet elevation, over looking Mecca and Medina on the coastal plains. I was invited to a Royal horse and camel race. We arrived just before the camel race and as the horse race had just started. One of the Saudi National Guard  Captains told me, words to the effect that the horse race was a "far race" and we "would not know the winner for several days".

So Marti, the bottom line in my book, is that there is as much credible evidence that Frank Hopkins was as least somewhat legit as there is that he was somewhat of a fraud.  Most of the writings surrounding Old West personalities,....gun fighters, lawmen, outlaws and soldiers,....took a lot of liberty in writing and publishing those stories.  You are going to have to make up your own mind on Frank Hopkins......if he was a liar or legend.  Regardless of either, his writings show that he knew horses.  Good luck and safe journey.

Horses Stopping to Eat

I received an e-mail from Lacy in California who wrote ”I have a rescue horse that I am hoping can be a dressage horse. I got him after he was rehabilitated. When I walk him he pulls away to eat things on the ground. I have to pull very hard to get him to stop. A couple other boarders tell me not to let him do that and to never let him eat when he is saddled or I am in the saddle. I guess because he’ll stop to eat when I am in the saddle. I don’t know how to stop him from doing this. Do you have any ideas?

Hey Lacy. This is actually another common trait for horses. We insist on keeping them in pens and feeding them a couple times a day when they are born with the instinct to eat (graze) most of the day. I always say “horses only think about one thing – food, but they think about it in two ways – where to get it and how not to become it.” So your horse is only doing what he is, by nature, is inclined to do and what you are letting him do.

To be very frank, when you are leading him and he stops to graze – this is your fault. As you know what his tendency is, you have to be ready for him to stop and try to graze. Don’t let him stop, keep him moving. When he pulls his head away or down to the ground, rather than you trying to pull on a 1,000+ lb animal, instead give him a couple of sharp, quick bumps on the halter lead. I would also use a verbal que as well. I use a verbal que to warn the horse he is doing something wrong.  It is the disrespect or the lack of your horse seeing you as the leader that you have to fix.  

I haven't seen much, if any, of a horse with a rider, ever stop on his own accord and start feeding. I do see, all the time, riders who stop their horses, the horse drops his head to investigate if there is anything worth eating on the ground.

There are some people who think that horses under saddle, with you in it, should not graze at all – they consider this a bad habit. I think that if you control it, it can work for you and the horse. I routinely position my horse over clump of grass (however sparse it is here in West Texas), ensure he is standing quiet, then give him a head down cue so he knows it okay to graze. If I’m on the trail for many hours I think that a occasional source of food in their gut is probably a good thing.

There are also some horsemen who think that when you feed your horse, you should leave him alone. This is something I also think differently about. I routinely pick hooves, brush or just rub on my horses when they are feeding. Sometimes I ask them to back off their feed so I can put a fly mask on.  I think this is all good. I think it helps gentle them at a time when they feel safe and content.

Carrying Handguns on Horseback

Trailblazervi asked: "Would you please address the handgun which you have holstered. Would that be a good choice and can it be carried on the horse rather than on your person?"

I now carry or have carried several handguns when horseback. When I was an Army Range Rider I carried a Smith & Wesson Model 686 .357 Magnum revolver in a cross draw holster as well as when the Agency changed to one standard handgun I carried a Beretta Model 92 semi-automatic 9mm in a strong side holster. Both holsters were carried on 2 1/4 River Belt.

These days when I'm horseback I normally carry a Ruger Vaquero .45 Long Colt Single Action Revolver which is the handgun in the bottom of the picture at top. Going clockwise from the Ruger are the S&W Model 686 and a Beretta Single Action in .357 Magnum. The most common belt I use today is a canvas and leather cartridge belt and I wear it with the buckle in my back so the cartridge loops are in my front for easy access. I'll carry .45 Long Colt 250 grain lead cartridges, .45 LC snakeshot and usually 6 rounds or so for the rifle I am carrying. Some days I carry blank cartridges if I was planning on doing some gun training on my horse.

Cross draw holsters are seldom used today outside of competition where the ease to grip, draw and re-holster the gun are desired. Other than wearing a holster on your belt, another option is to wear a shoulder holster. There are several excellent makers out there, the two that come to mind are El Paso Saddlery and Classic Old West Styles, both based out of El Paso, Texas. The picture to the left is a shoulder rig from El Paso Saddlery called the Doc Holiday Rig.

Another option is a Pommel Bag. I have never used a Pommel Bag and probably never will as I carry a lariat and a canteen around over the horn of and hanging on the swell of my saddles. El Paso Saddlery not only makes a Pommel Bag with one or two holsters (see picture at right), but also makes saddle bag holsters, although these may be harder to access especially when riding at any speed. Pommel bags, or carrying holters around the swell of the saddle, were prevelent in the Civil War which was the first war that the U.S. was involved in that used large units of Cavalry. Pommel Bags allowed soldiers to carry several handguns, for close in fighting on horseback, because re-loading black powder revolvers took too much time. 

I have seen Craig Cameron carry a flap holster secured to his saddle on the right hand side where the cantle meets the skirt. These seems like a good rig. The flap holster protects much of the gun from dirt and debris. I am not sure how Craig Cameron secures the holster to the saddle, maybe with a saddle screw through where you would normally find one in that saddle position.





I prefer to carry a handgun on my body, but I'm sure either the Pommel Bag or Flap holster would be viable for you.  Most makers can provide a holster for any common handgun you have.  Good luck and let me know what you decide on. Safe Journey.

Fly Management: Spalding Fly Predators

Anonymous left a new comment on a previous post on answering questions on Fly Spray and Gun Training."The fly predators are not predators at all. They are little wasp that lay eggs in the fly larva and kill the larva before they hatch out. I started using them for the first time early this spring and get a new shipment every four weeks. So far we have not had much of a fly problem. I think I can notice an increase in flies toward the end of the four weeks and a decrease in flies about a week after we put the wasp out. I am considering moving the shipments up to every three weeks. Not too scientific, just reporting what I see."

 

Everyone I have talked to has had very good results using the Spalding Fly Predators. They come in a one time order or an automatically shipped order based on your interval for use and number of horses you have. I guess number of horses you have is an easier way to calculate the amount of Fly Predators as opposed to the amount of manure your horses produce.



Spalding produces a free Equine Fly Control Cuide on their website. The link to this free guide is here, Spalding Equine Fly Control Guide 2012.


While Spalding advertises that "Fly Predators have helped keep flies to a minimum without pesticides for hundreds of thousands of customers over the past 35 years. They're the smart way to avoid Fly Season. Simply sprinkle them near all manure areas every four weeks during spring and summer. It just takes a few minutes and you’ve done your fly control for the month." Spalding will also advise that a complete fly program includes conventional fly traps,...."No single trap will catch every kind of pest fly. Most horse owners will usually need three different traps; Odor and Sticky Traps for House Flies and Biting Stable Fly Traps (stinky, sticky and stable) and each type should be put in a different place."

  

More Beginning Neck Reining

I received a couple of questions on training your horse to neck rein recently. Themizuwolf asked "Does it matter how old your horse is? Mine is 19. Can I still teach him to neck rein or do you only have a window of time when they're young? Thank you." And Jerri, via e-mail, asked "I was watching a clinic two weeks ago and the trainer kept saying something to the effect - do not let you left hand cross over to the right side of the mane or neck, and viceversa. I really did not understand what this was about. Can you explain this rule?"

First of all I think a 19 year horse still can learn to do many things if made clear to him what you are asking. Some older horses have had several owners and are now a compendium of mixed signals and bad habits. Lesson horses are great examples. Having many riders of all levels, usualy beginners, pulling on them and kicking on them can make them somewhat dead sided and hard mouthed, but I still think you can overcome this.

If direct reining is a pull - pulling the horses head to the direction you want to go, then using a neck rein is a push. I really don't like using the terms "pull or push", but I'll use them to explain neck reining. To get a horse to neck rein is simply a process of the horse associating feeling the rein on his neck as pressure and he moves in the opposite direction.

Predominant in past years, people used reins made from horse mane or tail hair which are prickly and this provides a better feel on the neck, but make no mistake, the horse can feel smooth reins as well. I start the process of neck reining by laying the neck rein on the neck (this is the push) just before I tip his head in the opposite direction with a direct rein (this is the pull).

What the clinic trainer was talking about saying not to let your hand cross the neckline, is because it can put the rider out of position or balance, and, can cause that rein to become tight giving the horse a mixed signal. Hopefully, my demonstration of this in the video is understandable.

When I ride, I am not too concerned about using a neck rein and my hand crossing over the neck line since I try to ride on very loose rein. This to me is functional neck reining.

Fly Spray and Gun Training Questions

LadyM wrote: "I do not want to use a chemical fly spray on my horse. Do you know of a natural type of horse spray that is effective?"

I have tried two natural fly sprays as I have an older horse who breaks out in black bumps when I use a Permethrin based fly spray on him. The natural products I have tried are Vinegar and Water and the other was a commercial product called Marigold Spray (made from Marigold flowers I assume). Neither were as effective as I would have liked. The Marigold Spray was probably more effective and you did not have to put up with that vinegar smell. Marigolds are the type of flower you are supposed to plant around your plants as a barrier for rabbits, however the rabbits out here in West Texas don't care if it's Marigold flowers or toxic waste,...it won't keep them from eating about anything they want.

An additional product which I have used, on that older horse who will not tolerate permethrins, is called M-T-G. This stands for Mane-Tail-Groom which is a sulfur based liquid intended for things like fungus control to fly bites. It actually works pretty well as a fly repellant. Although you have to put up with the smell. I wrote an article about using MTG earlier. You can find it here. I think an overall fly control strategy must also consider good manure management, use of fly traps and possibly fly predators. Previous article on natural fly sprays.


Josh wrote: "First of all thanks for a great site! I'm gun training my horse right now and he is doing really good. I noticed you started with a larger caliber than I'm using. Am I messing up by starting with the 22 round? Day one he continues eating when I fire within a few feet. I plan to work him up to my 1894 30-30 for white tail."

Josh, thanks for writing and your comments. I started with a larger caliber, .45 Long Colt, because blanks for that caliber are available. This negates the need to be concerned with where a projectile is landing. I think you can use live rounds in practically any caliber as long as you are safe with the impact zone of the projectile. When I was a Conservation Law Enforcement Officer, I fired live .357 magnum rounds, while on horseback, into a cardboard target in front of a mesquite berm with a safe area in back of that.

There is a danger called "sympathetic response". This is where one hand involuntarily closes or tightens on something, such as a gun grip and trigger, when the other hand (the off hand) also closes or tightens on something like the reins. I would think that if you can rope,…meaning throw a loop with one hand and control the rope coil and reins with the other hand, then you probably can be safe enough to shoot multiple shots off horseback.

Just remember the universal gun safety rules,.....1 – Guns are always loaded until you physically determine they are not, 2 – Finger stays off the trigger until you are sure of your target and intend to shoot, 3 – Do not point a gun at anything you are not willing to destroy, 4 – Be sure of your target and anything that may be close to your gun to target line – this includes what may be in back of your target. I am sure you are aware that the noise generated by a center fire rifle caliber, like a .30-30, is going to be substantially louder and cause more concern to your horse. Good luck and safe journey Josh.

For The Love Of A Horse - Horse Rescue

I have never heard of this organization, For The Love Of A Horse (FTLOAH), until a recent newspaper article caught my eye. This organization is based in Roswell, Georgia and is a registered non-profit 501(c)(3), tax-exempt organization of volunteers dedicated to the resuce and rehabilitation of horses specifically having critcial care needs who would otherwise be euthanized.

As if caring for abused, neglected and sick horses is not enough, this organization has a "horses healing humans" outreach program visting the elderly and children.  We all know that the outside of a horse is good for the inside of a person, and FTLOAH is putting it into practice. 

One of the rescue stories is a miniature paint pony named Bishop where the previous owners, trying to cut costs, tied Bishop to a tree while they gelded him without anesthesia. Bishop ripped away from the tree in pain severing his ear and part of his lip in the process. If I found found someone doing that, I think I would whip them raw with my lariat then drag them a few miles through cactus,.....people who mistreat animals are a disgrace to the human race.

Anyway, for anyone looking for charitable cause, FTLOAH accepts donations,...in fact needs donations,..in order to help these horses. Donations link is accessible through their website, http://www.fortheloveofahorse.org/and you also "like" them on Facebook.

Mustang & Burro Update, June 2012

The American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign (AWHPC) is a coalition of more than 50 horse advocacy, public interest, and conservation organizations dedicated to preserving the American wild horse in viable, free-roaming herds for generations to come. While Functional Horsemanship does not necessarily support all of AWHPC views, I would like to see a safe and humane program in rounding up and culling the herds. Some of what AWHPC writes is derogatory to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). While I have ridden and gathered cows on Federal grazing allotments with BLM cowboys, who are good hands and who I respect, I understand that the larger Federal Government doesn't do a lot of things well. Sometimes, what they don't do well is is the management of Wild Horse and Burro herds.

Arizona Burro Roundup Begins The BLM’s Cibola-Trigo burro roundup in southwestern Arizona began at 7:30 a.m. on June 6,2012. On the first day, the BLM captured 62 burros in 4 helicopter runs. Included were a number of foals. On day 2, the BLM captured 12 additional burros before calling the roundup in the late morning. The capture operation aims to remove 350 wild burros living in this remote region of the southern Sonora desert. Although BLM claims that burros are overgrazing, burro experts have stated that these animals regulate their population numbers in accordance with water availability. One wild burro population studied in the Mojave Desert showed a 7 percent reproduction rate — a far cry from the 15-25 percent rate of increase claimed by the BLM.
 


BLM Refuses Expert Offer for Humane Alternative to Dangerous Helicopter Roundup In Jackson Mountains, Nevada

Reno, NV – (June 8, 2012) — Despite the offer of experts to assist the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to provide a humane alternative, and under the guise of an “emergency,” the agency announced today that it will launch a helicopter roundup tomorrow in the Jackson Mountains Herd Management Area (HMA) in northwestern Nevada. The action violates the agency’s own policy prohibiting the helicopter stampede of wild horses during peak foaling season (March 1 – June 30) and fails to meet the agency’s own criteria for an “emergency” situation. This morning, the American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign (AWHPC) joined by The Cloud Foundation, sent an urgent letter to the BLM informing the agency of the immediate availability of an expert in bait/water trapping who works with the U.S. Forest Service who can assess the Jackson Mountains situation and begin bait/water trapping in the area.  

June is the height of foaling season, and the BLM’s decision means that BLM - contracted helicopters will be stampeding tiny foals, heavily pregnant mares and other horses who may already be compromised from lack of adequate water and forage with helicopters for untold miles over rugged terrain in high summer desert temperatures.

The BLM plans to use helicopters to roundup 630 horses from an estimated population of 930 horses (including 738 adults and 96 foals who were counted in April 2012) in the Jackson Mountains area. The capture operation will encompass over 775,000 acres – of which 286,000 acres are within the Jackson Mountains HMA.  


Pryor wild horse roundup could start this month Federal officials plan to thin by more than a third a wild horse herd that roams the mountain range along the Montana-Wyoming border. A planned roundup of dozens of wild mustangs from the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range along the Montana-Wyoming border could begin later this month. Federal officials with the Bureau of Land Management say the roundup is needed to reduce the size of the famous herd. They say the effort could begin no sooner than June 20. The roundup would reduce the 170-horse herd to 120 or fewer animals. Officials say that would keep the animals from overgrazing their 38,000-acre range — the nation’s first wild horse preserve. A petition from horse advocates seeking to half the roundup is currently under consideration. Two similar petitions have been denied.

Protecting and Treating Hooves

How many times have some of us used a combination of gauze pads or cloth soaked in Epson salts, duct tape and a few cuss words thrown in to treat some sort of hoof ailment like a puncture?  Hoof Wraps makes a multi-use, multi-purpose bandage constructed from 2200 denier ballistic nylon and is flat and small enough to fit into your saddle bags so you can carry this on trail rides for the times you lose a shoe, get a bad stone bruise or a hoof puncture. I have been carrying the Hoof Wraps Equine Bandage in my saddle bags for years now. Even used it once on someone else's horse, but was glad to have the Hoof Bandage and EVA foam pad on hand to cushion the hoof that lost the shoe during our ride out of the rock mountainous area.

Hoof Wraps now makes a gel pad infused with Jojoba and Tea Tree oils, so this pad can be used with a Hoof Bandage to treat many hoof ailments. These natural oils has been used for centuries for fighting bacteria. Makes good sense to me. I have used mixes of Tea Tree Oil and Mineral oil to coat hoofs and provide some much needed moisture to soles and frog since the arid desert dries up hooves, and when they are dry they chip more easily. Go here to see Hoof Wraps products. It's worth a look just to see the great pictures they have on their pages.

Best Kind of Cinch?

Aaron wrote to ask about cinches. “My saddle tends to twist quite a bit on my paint gelding even when I tighten down so much that I think I may be hurting him. Do you have an opinion on the rubber cinches that are supposed to keep the saddle from tourquing to the side?”

Aaron, since you are writing you are obvious aware of the dangers of a loose saddle rolling onn the horse. Saw that on a high dollar horse and higher dollar saddle and it wasn't good for either. Sometimes a horse will hold air in his lungs or otherwise tense up a little as you saddle him up and once he relaxes the saddle will be a little loose. I always warm my horses up, usually in the round pen, then I’ll check the cinch and it always tends to need a little tightening. If this is not the case for your saddle rolling problem, then maybe it’s a saddle fit problem,.....too much (too thick) of a saddle blanket,.....bars of your saddle too narrow for your horse, or if you have a mutton withered horse, then maybe too wide of bars can all contribute to this.

As far as Neoprene cinches go, I don’t like them. However, alot of professionals I respect use them. I don’t use a Neoprene saddle pad either. I’m worried that the horse’s back or belly can’t breathe as well as other material. And as traditional as I’d like to be, I don’t use Mohair or cotton cinches either. I use a sheepskin lined cinch. I think it is more comfortable to the horse.

However, I would think that a Neoprene cinch would hold the saddle in place better than a traditional cincha or the sheepskin lined ones. I would also look into your saddle fit. See if they are any gall marks on the horse’s back such as spots where the hair is turning white as the saddle rotates and rubs. You can put white marks on a horse’s back even on one ride with an ill fitting saddle or even a saddle pad that has been caked with sweat and now has a sand paper type area that can run the horse raw. Good luck and safe journey.

Tracking: Rain Affecting Sign

Juwar1974 has made a comment on sign cutting and tracking horses.wmv: "I have a question. How does a heavy rain affect the tracks in the dirt? Does it wipe it out or flatten it. Would it be more difficult? Could you answer this for me, I'd really appreciate it."

Juwar, the worst that a real heavy rain can do is to wash away any sign as well as present obstacles for the tracker that could range from a nuisance to the dangerous such as bad footing for a horse or flash floods in an arroyo.

From the time the tracks are made, from the pressure and release of that pressure on the ground, until the rain washes away all evidence, various sign may be visible such as pooled water in a print depression.

If you are tracking a man and you have some definite direction he is going, leap frogging ahead to an open area such as a field or road may allow you to see him crossing or signs to indicate he crossed. I would also look for and at shoulder or roads or slopes of arroyos or gullies where the disturbance of the wet ground made by the man crossing is very likely to be evident.

           Sometimes a light rain can enhance your ability to determine how fresh the sign is. You will be able to tell if the pocked mark patterns in a print depression are pre-rain or post-rain and this will give you a timeline. Sometimes in a tracking class I will use a water hose or a spray bottle of water to demonstrate what rain can do to a print or disturbed ground.

Comment on Loose Horse Manure

Bill M. left a new comment on a previous article about Common Horse Problems – Loose Manure: ”I have a 30 year old quarter horse who has the patience of a saint for this. His manure is sometimes loose because of his age and digestive tract. I first learned years ago that the condition of the poop was the condition of the horse. He also likes his butt to be washed and baby oil on it after washing. Probiotics does help and it seems he will get it till trails end.”

Hey Bill, I also have an older former roping horse (Roy) with a loose manure problem. He’s coming 28 this year. I think his problem is a combination of both ingesting sand (hey, I live in the desert), and his reduced or compromised immune system. I give him a bran mash once a week and once a month I put him on Sand Clear for a week. After this his manure becomes more solid, so ingesting sand has to be some of his problem, even though from time to time I place some of his manure balls into a glass jar and fill with water to see how much sand I can separate from the manure.

Roy does well. He is rideable and has a lot of energy. He is the horse I posted a recent video on tying the Mecate reins into a lead rope. I too, have to clean his butt a couple times a week and spray mineral oil. He’ll get this care until the end of his natural life.  And he's worth it as he's a damn good horse.  As my wife says, "Put a child on his back and Roy thinks he's transporting fine china."

I have used probiotics quite bit before, I think I used Pro-Bios last, but currently am not on a regular routine with them. Thanks for the reminder on them. I would be interested to know what brand or type you use. Thanks for the comment. Safe journey.
  

Cathy wrote with me with the following questions: ”My Palomino gelding Jimbo just graduated from the snaffle to a correction bit. His head (or it could be his neck) seems to be stiffer. Should I expect him to perform immediately like he did in the snaffle or is there usually some type of delay in a horse getting use to the new bit.”

I am not going to have much of an answer for you Cathy, but my question would be – if your horse did well in a snaffle why would you want to go to a different bit? To me there is no mandatory path of bit progression where your horse must transition to a correction bit, then possibly into something else. And I have to ask   “what are you trying to correct?”

I am assuming that the correction bit you are trying is a shanked bit with a broken mouthpiece. The mouthpiece probably has a rounded or square port. You are probably using a curb chain on this bit as opposed to the probable curb strap you used on your snaffle. The correction bit, with its sharp corner of the ported mouthpiece, the shanks and the curb chain all will allow much greater leverage than a snaffle bit. Meaning the force (and pain) on the horse’s mouth, given the same amount of pull on the reins by the rider, is much greater. Add in the shanks (being pulled rearwards) tightening up the curb chain under the jaw could all combine to give you a different horse than the one you rode in a snaffle.

I don’t know what you mean by your horse having a stiff neck or head, with the correction bit. He may be bracing against the bit, or maybe his head coming up trying to find a relief from the pressure in his mouth or under his jaw. If your reason for going to a correction bit is to be able to ride one handed with more control better, you may want to try a less severe bit such as a solid bit with a low to medium port, sometimes called a grazing bit.

How you handle the reins, your quickness and force has a lot to do with the horse’s reaction. My wife thinks that before a person rides a horse with a bit in their mouth, they need to carry one in theirs for awhile. Sorry for not being much help. I’m probably the wrong person to ask about the correction bit. I’m pretty happy with a snaffle bit and a hackamore and don’t think I’ll be using anything more severe than that. Good luck and safe journey.

Horse's Foul Breath

Jessie asked about a foul smell from her horses mouth. She said she feeds alfalfa and sometimes treats and doesn't know what makes her horse smell like that. I cannot ever remember smelling anything foul in a horses mouth. If I did I would be concerned about an soft tissue infection, maybe a cracked tooth. In any event I would not delay in having a Vet look at your horse. Jessie, when is the last time you had a Vet look at your horse's teeth and/or had your horse's teeth floated? I would suggest that routine dental exams are a good idea. Every horse is different so with a dental exam and floating a Vet can not only correct the horse's teeth but give you an idea of a particular horse's potential teeth problems and suggest timelines for periodic exams. I have one horse, an older horse, who needs to have an exam and corrective floating about every 6-8 months. My other horses usually get an exam and floating about every 12-14 months. I have written about the importance of dental exams and floating but since this is a periodic necessity, it doesn't hurt to write about it again. I recently had my Vet, Amy Starr DVM of Paws and Hooves Mobile Vet Clinic, come out to do dental exams and powerfloats on nine horses, as well as draws for annual Coggins tests and giving Spring vaccinations. The horses are mildly sedated, and using a special harness to keep the mouth open, the Vet can quickly reduce the points and waves in the horse's back molars using a power drill with a special rotary bit. You can see from the video below that it is not that invasive to the horse. The Vet Technician is holding the horse's head to keep it from rotating and from the horse from pulling back off the stand. The "smoke" you see coming from the horse's mouth is actually dust from the teeth as they are smoothed out. One of my favorite smells is a horse's breath when he is eating hay. To keep it that way and keep the horses healthy routine dental exams are necessary. Good luck Jessie and safe journey.

Tying a Mecate Into a Lead

After posting an article and video on the rigging a Mecate (or McCarthy) to a slobber straps and a bit, I neglected to show a method for tying the lead end of the Mecate to the portion you are using for a one piece rein so that you can lead the horse without pulling on the bit or otherwise causing the bit to bang around their mouth. I received several e-mails asking for me to show how to do this. I’ve been guilty of leading horses by reins,......far more than I would be willing to admit even when faced with threat of torture such as eating Aunt Edna’s tuna casserole.....and we all know the chance, we take when leading a horse by reins connected to a bit, of causing that bit to bang around the horse’s mouth. I think a person can lead by reins connected to the bit and be safe about it, but there are times, especially on a young horse, where you may want to be safer. A more dangerous thing would be to tie the horse to a rail using the reins. Seen that a few more times than necessary as well. There are several ways to take the lead end of the Mecate and tie it to the one piece rein section so you can lead a horse without pressure on the bit. What I do is to double the reins around the neck then tie my lead end of the Mecate around this doubled one piece rein with an half hitch. This secures the lead end of Mecate to the reins so that I can now lead the horse by the tie in under the neck and not from the reins. You could use other knots such as a clove hitch, in fact I usually use a clove hitch, but from my experience a half hitch works well and is easier to tie for most people. I think my best advice, if you are riding in a Mecate now, is to practice a few variations and see what works best for you. The idea to for the lead tied into the reins is to put pressure on the horse’s poll but not to slip over the horse’s head. And to answer the question on what length of Mecate I use, it's a nineteen foot section of rope from end to end. A twenty-two foot length is pretty standard, but the shorter Mecate is easier for me to handle and gives me enough excess for a good length of lead line when I dismount. Hopefully the video below shows what I am describing. Safe Journey.