Blog Moving!

Hi Everyone!  Just wanted to let you know, I've purchased a domain and launched a new web-hosted blog that allows me more options:  http://www.thenaturallyhealthyhorse.com.  The new blog will be very much like this one, only with more detailed posts (with more pictures).  I will likely be transferring many of the posts from The Handy Horse Owner and expanding them on the new blog.  I will still focus on natural horse health--with an emphasis on acupressure, natural trimming, and nutrition.  Hope you'll check out th e new blog and follow The Naturally Healthy Horse!

Casie

The Sole: A Guide for Natural Trimming

As Pete Ramey, the natural trimming guru, says, "the sole of the foot is the most abused and misunderstood part of the domestic horse (with the possible exception of its digestive system)."  I have come to see the truth in this. 

I watched many a farrier pare out the soles of my horses' feet over the years and thought nothing of it-- paring the sole is common practice in order to prepare the hoof for the shoe.  In all actuality, the paring of the sole is one of the many common practices used by traditional farriers that keep the horse in need of the shoe.  Cutting into live sole makes the horse sore and increases the risk for solar abcesses.

Natural trimming uses the sole as a central guideline for trimming the hoof.  Many barefoot experts agree that he sole should share in weightbearing along with the hoof wall.  In fact, the only way a horse's sole can toughen and become callused is for it to be allowed to share in the horse's weightbearing.  This is done by keeping the walls trimmed just barely above the sole. And by leaving the live sole alone, you can allow it to build up and thicken--this, too, is critical for barefoot success.

Of course, when the shoes are first pulled, it can be difficult to determine just what is live and what is dead sole.  By using a hoof pick or hoof knive, you can usually scrape away the dead sole fairly easily (unless the hoof is extremely dry).  I've found that dead sole tends to build up in the seats of corn (the little 'v' on each side of the back of the hoof).  It usually looks white and crumbly when it's coming out. If the bars are extremely overgrown, they can fold over and cover up the sole, too.  When this happens, the folded-over bars need to go.   If you're ever in doubt, just leave things alone though.  Better to do too little than too much.  

If the walls and the heels are kept in check, the sole will share in the horses's weightbearing and will eventually toughen and move upward.  Of course diet, exercis,e and environment play a critical role in creating a callused sole as well.  If the horse's diet is out of whack and he only stands on soft, green grass all day, the sole will never toughen.  A balanced diet, movement, and access to varied terrain (pea gravel is great for this) are all necessary for a tough hoof.

For anyone interested in learning more about the sole or natural trimming in general, I recommend you start at Pete Ramey's website.  This article is specifically about the sole.

Ta-ta!

Hoof Boots

If you're making the transition from shoes to barefoot with your horses, hoof boots are a must--that is if you plan on riding your horse during the transition!  Why is this?  Well, there are several reasons. 

Genetically, our domestic horses' hooves aren't any different from those of wild horses, but the environment and housing conditions we've created for our horses usually aren't ideal for supporting a tough and thick-soled hoof.  Not that it can't be done--it will just take some ingenuity.  In the mean time, you'll need some form of protection for those hooves, and this is where hoof boots come into play.

I was already familiar with hoof boots when I began the transition to barefoot with my horses a few years ago.  My mother always kept a hoof boot with her on endurance rides in case she lost a shoe.  It was a pretty simple boot that was meant for short-time use.  Well, boots have changed a lot in recent years, and there are quite a few options out there now.  I would venture to say they make a boot for every horse and just about every need now. 

I'm embarassed to admit, when I ordered my first boot, I only ordered one, thinking they came as a pair.  That one boot cost about $80, and I even complained to the customer service lady that I thought that was too expensive.  She said, "Well, compare that to the cost of shoes, which you have to replace every 6 weeks."  Touché!  If fitted correctly, boots can last for years. 

I now own five pairs of boots--enough to fit all my horses.  I have one old mare I always use them with if I'm not riding in the arena.  She had been in shoes for nearly twenty years until she came to my place last year.  She does great with her Easy boot Epics though. 

If you're looking into boots for your horse, I suggest checking out the EasyCare page.  They have a wide variety of boots, plus helpful information for sizing.  Once you figure out which boot you want, you can price shop on E-bay or another site.  I found a Boot Swap page where you can buy and sell used boots as well.

Of course, the goal with going barefoot is to eventually get to just that--barefoot.  With the correct trim, a healthy diet, and regular exercise, your horse should get there.  In the meantime, or with horses that have foundered, use the boots.  They've made all the difference for my horses.

Ta-ta!

What's in Your Hay?

Whether you feed prairie, bermuda, alfalfa, or any other type of hay, it's hard to know what's really in your forage.  The only sure-fire way to know is to have it analyzed.  Having your hay (or pasture) analyzed may not be for the everyday horse person, but for those who truly want to know how their horse's dietary needs are being met, it's the way to go.  The National Research Council (NRC) has established the horse's nutrient requirements, and these will serve as guidelines in balancing your horse's diet.  Several years ago, I took Dr. Eleanor Kellon's NRC Plus course as part of my equine acupressure education, and I learned how to balance my horses' diets by using a hay/ pasture analysis.  I have to say, it was a very eye-opening experience.

I'm no math whiz, but I'm proud to say that I now balance my five horses' diets at least twice a year so I can supplement whichever nutrients are lacking in their forage.  Since we cut our own hay here on our property, my hay analysis results are fairly consistent each time--our hay pastures are lacking in magnesium, copper, and zinc mainly.  My goal now is to add those minerals to the soil to get a more mineral-sufficient horse hay. 

So how does one get started with a hay analysis?  The first thing you need to do is borrow (from your county extension office) or buy a hay corer in order to obtain a sample.  Many local universities can analyze your hay for you, but I get a pretty thorough analysis from Equi-Analytical.  It's not all that expensive, either.  I ship off the sample (pasture is a little more complicated to sample and ship than hay) and usually receive the analysis the next week.

Before balancing diets, I get a fairly accurate estimate of each horse's weight.  Then, using my analysis, I determine each horse's digestible energy (DE) needs and the amount of hay needed to meet those needs.  From there, I figure out how much protein and mineral content is in each horse's ration to see where deficiencies appear. 

As I said earlier, I've had to supplement magnesium, zinc, and copper on a regular basis.  I've also had to occasionally supplement phosphorous.  Last year, with the drought conditions, I had to supplement protein as well.  That may be the case again this year.  You might be wondering where you can buy individual minerals like these--I order mine online from Horsetech, but there are several companies that sell them, and some are even available (like magnesium-oxide) at feed mills. 

If you're inexperienced in balancing, I don't recommend you attempt to balance your horse's diet by yourself. You should instead, seek out an equine nutritionist to do this using your hay analysis.  If you really have the interest of learning to do this yourself though, take Dr. Kellon's NRC Plus course--it's online.  I have to warn you, though, you'll never look at your horse's feeding program the same!

Ta-ta!

Hoof Moisture Content

If you're like me, you've probably always wondered if those hoof oils and moisturizers are really doing anything for your horse's hooves.  I once used Rainmaker religiously with the belief that it might help eliminate cracks and seal moisture into the hoof.

Well, as it turns out, using those topical hoof agents might be totally unnecessary (and a waste of money!)  A few weeks ago, I came across an interesting study about environmental effects on hoof wall hydration.  I wrote about it in a recent article for The Horse.  The study was performed using wild horse hooves (from culling operations) from three different environments in New Zealand and Australia.  No matter where the hooves came from-- dry, semi-arid, or a wet environment-- the hoof wall moisture content measured about the same averaging 29.5%.  This led the researchers to conclude that environment plays little to no role in hoof wall moisture content. 

In the same study, the researchers also measured the moisture content of a dry hoof vs. a hoof soaked in water for two hours (using domestic horses this time).  Again, the moisture content was the same for both the dry and soaked hooves.  They did, however, find that the sole increased in moisture content as a result of soaking.  This isn't necessarily a good thing though, since it might make the sole more prone to bruising or damage.  

The lead researcher mentioned to me that the moisture content of the hoof seems to be controlled by  internal circulation.  That makes sense.  Horses evolved in arid environments, so why would they have hooves that need constant moisturizing?  If wet environments or soaking don't add more moisture to the hoof, then hoof oils probably don't do much either (except make them look pretty for a short time!)   

As for those pesky cracks, as I've learned more about natural hoof care and equine nutrition, I've realized that most of those are caused by overgrown hooves or deficient nutrition instead of 'dryness'.  You can put Rainmaker or a similar product on all day long, and the cracks won't go away.  If you focus on proper hoof care and nutrition for your horse though, you should see a difference.  

Ta-ta!

Hay Alternatives for Horses

Hay and pasture provide horses with the fiber that is essential for their well-being, but what to do when pastures dry up and hay is scarce?  The alternatives may be more expensive, but they can help your horse get through periods when hay cannot be found.  The key is to not be fooled into thinking you can replace forage with concentrates--the effects could be detrimental to your horse, upsetting the digestive system and increasing chances for colic.  A horse needs to eat roughly one pound of roughage for every 100 pounds of body weight, and even most complete feeds can't offer this when fed in directed amounts.

When hay is scarce, you may want to increase your concentrates some, but finding an alternative fiber source is important.  Here are some options:

• Alfalfa cubes (best to feed soaked to reduce chances of choke)
• beet pulp
• high quality haylage or silage
• Soy or cottonseed hulls
• Ontario Dehydrated Timothy Cubes
• Chopped hays

It's best not to substitute these 'hay replacers' for a horse's full ration of hay, but use them instead to help stretch your limited hay supply.  If no hay can be found whatsoever, they are definitely better than just feeding concentrates though.  

Ta-ta!

Oral Glucosamine and Chondroitin for Horses

Over the years, I, like many horse owners, have spent a small fortune in oral supplements for my horses.  Of course, I assumed they were doing some good, but that little voice in the back of my mind would often pipe up, "Are these things really working?"  Well, there's no way to really tell, is there?

Well, the good news is, studies are showing that neutraceutical agents, such as glucosamine and chondroitin DO have an effect, especially on horses with mild osteoarthritis.  Glad to know not all of my money went down the drain (or into the manure)!

I recently wrote an article published by The Horse about the effects of glucosamine and chondroitin on equine OA.  According to the scientific study I wrote about, urinary GAG's (glycosaminoglycans) are a reliable indicator of cartilage turnover rates.  When horses were fed glucosamine and/or chondroitin sulphate, urinary GAG's increased, indicating that cartilage was most likely trying to repair itself.  GAG output remained high even after a 30-day  supplementation ended--this seems to show that the supplements had an ongoing effect in the horse. 

According to well-known equine nutrition expert, Dr. Eleanor Kellon, the amount of glucosamine and chondroitin you give your horse is important.    Her recommendation for a 1000 lb horse is 7.5-10 grams of glucosamine and 5000-6000 mg of chondroitin a day.  Of course, this amount will need to be adjusted for a smaller or larger horse.  She also recommends givng the two nutraceuticals, together.  Fortunately, many joint supplements contain both.

Dr. Kellon says, "I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that oral joint supplements work."  She's participated in or led several studies to help prove that as well.   Between Dr. Kellon's work and other studies I've read, I'm convinced.  Before you go to get joint injections for your horse, you may want to try glucosamine and chondroitin.  It just may make a difference and save you money in the long run.  

Ta-ta!