The WildHorse Blogsite

Stress in Horses

Tip! Self Discipline - Horses take a lot of time and work, so your child will have to be dedicated to learning how to ride and handle horses effectively. I have found that dedication is rarely something that children lacks when it comes to horses.

Just like us, our horses get stressed. Stress seems to be an inevitable part of modern life and we can even pass on such feelings and problems to our pets and animal companions. In the same way when our animals become stressed we know it and it affects our riding and enjoyment.

But how damaging really is tension and anxiety. How can we avoid it and why is it important for animals as well as people?

Stress is a natural response of the body to something that threatens it whether that threat is mental or a physical accident or a disease. When the body senses that something bad may happen to it, cells release chemicals that start to protect the body from what ‘might happen’. This threat to the body might be a sudden change in the weather, a new horse in the field that might cause a fight, some change to management regime or maybe the loss of a companion in the same field. Some of the chemicals that the body releases in such situations are natural steroids which calm damage in the body down whether that damage occurs in the mind or the muscles. Other chemicals start to prepare the body for taking evasive action i.e. running away quickly.

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So we can see that stress is actually a natural state of the body. If we or our horses did not get worried or stressed about things to some degree we would be much more likely to get into trouble in difficult or dangerous situations. The trouble comes however when stress continues for long periods of time without us being able to get away from what is causing it. Then the natural chemicals in the body that are supposed to protect the body actually start having negative effects. The body steroid hormones start weakening the immune system, body chemicals make us ‘revved up’ in order to escape the stress and cannot do so and by products of all this chemical activity called ‘free radicals’ start damaging the cells and make us grow older more quickly. It is a bit like ‘revving up’ an engine for a long period without going anywhere. Of course it is not good for the engine after a while. Recent studies show that short periods of stress are actually good for the body because the healing process of the body afterwards gives it a lift. If a person has no occasional challenge to make them think more acutely the brain degenerates and becomes less able to function well.

Tip! Learn Respect - Children will learn to respect their horses and themselves. Horses are large, dangerous creatures and they demand respect, yet in order to be handled safely they must also respect their handlers.

So what does all this mean for horses? It means that if your horse is locked up in a stable for prolonged periods and does not like this it can get stressed and this damages its health. It means that horses that loose their companions and are then left by themselves get ill eventually. It means that if a horse is constantly worried about a heavy competition schedule and non-stop traveling it is likely to get ill relatively easily.

How do we prevent the longer type of stress causing damage to our horses? The key is of course good management and an understanding of how a horses mind works. For many people this is not natural and it is worth reading up on how horses behave in the wild and in domestication and trying to fit in more with what a horse is happy with. For example most people are well aware that horses like to be fed at regular times during the day and get stressed out if regimes are upset. If a horse never knows when its feed is coming it is a constant state of anxiety.

Horses 101: The Complete Guide to Buying & Caring for Your Horse This ebook is full of vital information that every horseowner should have. It covers everything from buying a horse to feeding and more.

When a horse has been stressed for prolonged periods of time sometimes extra help is needed. Bad experiences can affect a horse strongly for the rest of his or her life - just like a person. In the same way a period of one month’s stress because of an inability to get on with another horse in the same field may take several weeks to get over after normality has returned and this is where herbs can fit in nicely.

Many herbs are great at tackling stress and help animals adapt to stressful situations. The most important of these are called ‘Adaptogens’ (help bodies adapt). Examples of such plants are Indian and chinese ginsengs, Astragalus and even tumeric. Other plants have strong antioxidant properties which help get rid of toxic free radicals which are releases at times of stress. Most people think of different types of food, vitamins and minerals as being the only sources of antioxidants but many herbs are specifically more powerful than anything else at providing this form of protection.

Tip! Learn Patience - Horses are like children themselves, and training a horse is much like teaching a child. When your child has become a confident and skilled rider, letting them help train a horse will be an excellent experience for them.

So when horses and people are stressed the strategic use of herbal mixes to reduce stress can make an enormous difference. Rather than reaching for the diazepam a quick drink of a suitable herbal drink can get you back on the right track in an hour or two when otherwise you might be uptight for days. In the same way for horses the careful use of a good herb blend can help your horse recover quickly from a difficult situation or cope with stress more easily until you are able to remove the underlying cause.

Stephen Ashdown MA, Msc BvetMed MRCVS, a veterinary herbalist and managing director of Global Herbs has conducted research these past 10 years into the use of herbs for horses.

A Quick Check for Your Horses Health

Tip! Teaches Sensitivity - Horses can be very sensitive creatures. They have keen senses, and can sense if someone is afraid, angry, happy, etc.

Do you check your horse’s general condition on a regular basis? Do you know what to look for to make sure your horses health is where it should be? This is something you should make a habit of doing on a daily basis. And once you know what you are doing it should not take you very long. This will prevent something minor turning into something major.

First, each day when you go out to visit your horse, whether at your home or if you board your horse at a farm, think about what your overall impression of her. Does she look well, does she have a healthy appearance? What are your first thoughts? Below are major areas to observe.

Mobility - Does your horse move with comfort, on or off the halter and lead. Is her coordination good, is she reluctant to move, stiff or seem to be in pain when she walks.

Posture - When you look at your horse at a stand still, is she standing squarely on all four legs or balancing on three legs with the fourth hind leg in an easy resting position? Alternating the resting hind leg is a sign of a sound horse; they should not always rest the same hind leg.

Expressiveness - A horse, like most animals, facial expressions show that they are not feeling normal, from a small ache to a large pain, there facial expressions will show you how they are feeling, sometimes they may even act out with anger if you accidentally touch the area that is hurting, the horse may try to lash out and bite or kick you. Keep an eye out for glassy stares or an anxious pre-occupied appearance.

Horses 101: The Complete Guide to Buying & Caring for Your Horse This ebook is full of vital information that every horseowner should have. It covers everything from buying a horse to feeding and more.

Reaction to Your Visit - As your horse gets to know you, she will definitely respond to your presence, either with a whinny or other time of reaction. Learn how your horse reacts, if she does not react to your presence when she normally reacts this is a big red flag that something may be going on and that she does not feel well.

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Hydration - If you are familiar with the skin pinch test, this will show you if you horse is hydrated. If you don’t know this procedure, just pinch a small amount of skin on the horses neck, it should return to its normal place, if the skin stays up the horse is dehydrating or already dehydrated. A very fit horses skin may be a bit thinner and take longer to return to its normal position, this does not mean they are dehydrated, so you may want to also perform the capillary refill test where you use your thumb to pressure blanch a spot on their gums just above the corner incisor, then remove your thumb quickly and count the seconds it takes for the color to return. The capillary refill time is a measure of blood pressure and volume.

You should also check and monitor your horse’s vital signs. This includes her pulse, respiratory rate, temperature and the capillary refill time. First, stand beside your horses rear end, on her left side if you are right handed and vice versa for left. Stand close to avoid getting kicked. Drape the arm closest to your horse over her rump and gently grasp her tail. Have a lubricated thermometer ready in your other hand. Lift her tail gently, if she clamps down, gently wiggle her tailbone to assist in relaxation. Gently insert the thermometer into her anus, taking care to hold the end of it gently with your thumb and index finger, keeping the thermometer in place for the recommended manufacturer’s time limit. Remove and read. It’s that simple, just be cautious the first few times you take her temperature.

Tip! If you choose to work with green horses (youngsters) you have to recognize that you are taking on the role of teacher/parent/
disciplinarian and in that role, anytime you lose your temper you cause more work for yourself down the road and you confuse the horse. It is specifically for this reason that I don’t recommend HOT clubbers purchase green stock.

Most importantly, if you are unsure or have any signs that something is not normal with your horse, check with your veterinarian or veterinary staff at your barn and have her checked out, a simple problem can be corrected quickly, but some things that are let go, may turn into a serious life threatening illness, so pay very close attention to your horse and her health.

Nanette Hughston is a freelance writer from the southern United States Region. She has a bachelor’s degree in finance. She rides dressage with Grand Prix Level Trainer, Tracy Masterson at Highlife Farms, Orlando, FL. For more information and articles please see her website at http://www.dressageamerica.com and to visit her training site, please visit http://www.highlifefarms.com for dressage and hunter/ jumper information. Permission for reprint is granted with full bio remaining intact.

Trailering Your Horses Safely!

Tip! Learn Respect - Children will learn to respect their horses and themselves. Horses are large, dangerous creatures and they demand respect, yet in order to be handled safely they must also respect their handlers.

There’s a horse show across the state in a few weeks, and you’re planning on being there with your horses. However, it’s been awhile since you last pulled a horse trailer, and you’re a little concerned about your trailering skills. After all, you want to arrive at your destination safely, with the horses as calm and relaxed as possible.

Guiding a loaded horse trailer down a country road or highway requires practical experience and know-how. There’s very little room for error. What do you do to ensure a safe, uneventful journey?

How to Ensure Safe Trailering

If you’re out of practice, or if you’ve never towed a trailer before, obtaining adequate personal experience prior to the actual event is of the utmost importance. Just as if you were learning to drive for the first time, you should begin by practicing basic driving skills before getting out in traffic with the trailer.

The more experienced you become, the more prepared you will be for anything that may potentially happen. With more confidence and a higher level of awareness and preparedness, you should be better able to handle any unexpected situation that comes along.

Horses 101: The Complete Guide to Buying & Caring for Your Horse This ebook is full of vital information that every horseowner should have. It covers everything from buying a horse to feeding and more.

Find a level field or a parking lot in which to practice. Mark your course with several highway cones, then, set out to work on the following driving skills:

Turning with your trailer.

Backing your trailer.

Tip! Learn Patience - Horses are like children themselves, and training a horse is much like teaching a child. When your child has become a confident and skilled rider, letting them help train a horse will be an excellent experience for them.

Parking your trailer on a grade.

Stopping the trailer rig suddenly.

Ready for the Highway

After you’ve practiced all the basic driving skills while pulling your horse trailer and you feel confident in your ability to handle the rig safely, you’re ready to test your skills out on the road.

Try towing your trailer for short distances, at first. Make sure that you feel comfortable with turning corners in traffic, with backing your trailer, with parking on a grade, and with being able to stop your trailer quickly (should the need arise). Once you are confident in your towing abilities, you’re ready to travel any distance with your horses.

Just remember to always be alert when out on the roads. Drive defensively and be prepared for any possible situation.

Neva Scheve is the author of The Complete Guide to Buying, Maintaining, and Servicing a Horse Trailer. She and her husband Tom are the owners of EquiSpirit Horse Trailers. Built and designed for your horse’s safety.

If Wishes Were Horses Then Beggars Would Ride!

Horses 101: The Complete Guide to Buying & Caring for Your Horse This ebook is full of vital information that every horseowner should have. It covers everything from buying a horse to feeding and more.

And if Bull frogs had wings they wouldn’t bump their little rear-end when they landed. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that rushing all over the place you are being your most productive self. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that when you take time out for thought you are wasting your time. All play and no work makes Jack a poor boy, but, quality time in thought can turn your wishes into diamonds.

Tip! There are a lot of similarities between training young horses and young children; the fundamental difference is about 1200 pounds. As anyone who has raised young children can attest, a 30 pound child can drive an adult out of their minds on a bad day and factor in the additional size of a young horse and you will have a sense of the challenges that can arise when working young, green-broke stock.

As Plain As Black And White!

It has been said; if you invest one percent of your time in study, thinking and planning, you will make an amazing difference in the speed with which you reach your goals.

Everyday has 1440 minutes in it. Invest one percent of that time everyday in study, thinking and planning and you will be amazed at what those fourteen minutes can do for you.

Developing this daily habit will bring you ideas and solutions not just when you are in your study time, but, almost anywhere. You could be walking down the street, or giving a speech. You could be singing in the shower or cleaning a dirty diaper. Yuk.

Now, pay attention: “Goals”, are not wishes. Wings don’t belong on Bull frogs and beggars can’t be choosers. And, you are not going to achieve your goals by wishes, or begging, or, lying around and licking your wounds. Goals are accomplished by taking the bull by the horn and wrestling that rascal to the ground.

Easy As ABC!

How do you do that? There are three things you need to do. (1), you need to write the goal down. (2), Aim your sights high. And, (3), Create a deadline.

Writing the goal down gives it purpose and clarity. You got to know what you’re going after or else how will you know if you ever get it? Writing the goal down also will make an impression on your memory. As an idea comes to our minds, that we have an interest in, we tend to analyze the thought with our “thinker cap”, and determine if we can achieve it.

Tip! Learn to be Open Minded - Every horse is different and will have to be handled differently. A good horseman never stops learning, even experts and trainers will admit that they learn something new everyday from their horses.

If the idea has merit, we continue to analyze till we either find ourselves blowing and going like a locomotive, or fizzling out like a wet fuse. You will always find yourself pursuing energetically, something that has made an indelible impression on your mind.

Just Between You And Me And The Fence Post!

If it hasn’t made that kind of impression, then you will not find the kind of fire in your desire that you need to go for broke. Your goals will still be like that stupid bull frog that wishes he had wings. Now, obviously, going broke is not what you want to happen. But, the attitude is what is important.

Aim your sights high. It takes no more effort to aim high and accept prosperity, abundance, peace, health, life; than it does to settle for misery and poverty and small potatoes. Now, no one has ever achieved one hundred percent of all their goals. But, why settle for a pig in a poke.

Tip! If you choose to work with green horses (youngsters) you have to recognize that you are taking on the role of teacher/parent/disciplinarian and in that role, anytime you lose your temper you cause more work for yourself down the road and you confuse the horse. It is specifically for this reason that I don’t recommend HOT clubbers purchase green stock.

The problem comes where we aim so low that we accomplish that goal with relative ease, and then, when the goal is accomplished, we realize all we got was this great looking slick bull frog, but the sucker’s got no wings.

Now, at that moment, we’re not thinking, now wait a minute! This sucker doesn’t fly because I set my sights so low, that I became over confident, and reeled that bad boy in like a pro. Our great accomplishment just doesn’t seem to satisfy and something seems lacking.

You’re Not Just Whistling Dixie!

It is a lot better to shoot for the stars and miss them half way, than to shoot for the ceiling and miss it half way. There seems to be a direct relationship between how easy we can accomplish our goals, and the mental power propelling the motivation.

If you’re not expending considerable energy to reach the stars, then it ain’t the stars you’re reaching for. You might as well be reaching for a clouded crystal ball, and reciting, twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are.

The stars don’t give themselves easy to anyone. When you set your sights for the stars, you will subconsciously increase the amount of effort that you apply. You have too. The higher the goal, the more your reason will tell you to be objective and honest with yourself. It will become mandatory that you expend enough effort to move your mountain.

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So, you will set a series of steps that have to be reached in order to go to the next level or higher position. Goals are never reached, no matter how high or low, in one step. And, each level that we find ourselves having reached, we gain a little more confidence and head for the next level.

Get A Move On!

Ask yourself this question. Where will you be and what will you be doing ten years from now if you keep doing what you are doing right now? This is the importance of setting a deadline for the goal. When you write your goal, you will specify the time limit for achieving it. This gives finality to it.

Keep this in mind. Always be aggressive in asking life for more than what you really want. Ask for more than what you think you’re worth. Why should I do that? Because, people have a tendency to meet the demands and expectations that are placed upon them within their time constraints.

Waiting With Baited Breath!

After you rise to the occasion and present the prize to yourself, then the next time you set out to accomplish a goal, you will be mentally prepared to grab the whole enchilada, take a licking and keep on ticking.

It will be very beneficial if you outline the goal from beginning to end. Just don’t try to answer every question at the very beginning. This is sometimes not possible. We don’t always know all the answers when first starting out. This is why fear sometimes will hold us back. But, fear is never a friend to your goals. And, besides, the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t.

Herein Lays Your Door Of Opportunity!

This is so important for you to take action on the goal and start moving towards it one step at a time. And, keep moving and keep moving. It won’t move closer to you unless you’re moving closer to it. And, if you let the pony die, the ride is over.

Richard Vegas ©

About The Author

Richard Vegas is a popular recording artist and internet marketing professional. He invites you to subscribe to his FREE weekly ezine “Wing-Tips” Teaching The Success System That Never Fails, at: http://www.1-work-at-home-based-business-opportunities.com. You may also hear some of Richard’s free music at: http://www.richardvegas.com.

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