HORSE MANAGEMENT NEWSLETTER AND MORE!!!
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Topics in this issue:
1) Feature: Grooming for balance and coordination
2) Rally and rating tips: Bandage bag
3) Questions and answers: halter sores, and piercings
4) Recommended books, videos, and CD-ROMs: Practical Guide to Lameness in
Horses by Ted S. Stashak & Cherry Hill
5) Fun and educational websites: Fundraising and Arabs
6) Featured rule: Polo wraps and bandages
7) Horsey Humor: Dressage Rider's Tack Room
8) Free item exchange: Horse available

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Feature: Grooming for balance and coordination
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by Stormy May

When I was young and just learning how to groom I noticed that I would
naturally want to hold the curry comb and brushes in my left hand (I'm left
handed of course). Since doing a thorough grooming requires lots of elbow
grease and is a great way to develop muscles, I figured that it would
behoove me to become more balanced in the way I approached grooming. I
decided that if I only had one brush or curry in my hand, I'd hold it in the
hand that was closer to the horse's head, i.e. my right hand when grooming
the horse's right side, and left hand for the left side. If I had two
grooming implements I'd hold the one I wanted to use first (for example the
curry) in the hand closer to the head, and the second one (for example the
dandy brush) in the hand closer to the tail, switching hands as I switched
sides. When using a body brush, I'd hold the body brush in the hand closer
to the head and in my other hand I'd hold a metal or plastic curry comb to
swipe the brush clean after every stroke on the horse.

This grooming method became a habit for me and I didn't think much about it
until I started teaching others how to groom. I noticed that as I insisted
that my students be able to groom with either hand, they developed not only
better muscle balance between their left and right sides, but also their
left and right side coordination improved. This translates to better
communication via the reins while riding!

The next step was to be able to switch the way I'd hold the manure fork
while cleaning corrals. Since I started later in life on that one it was a
lot more difficult to train my body, but I stuck with it and now have much
more equal muscle development in my shoulders which also translates to a
better balanced body while riding.

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Rally and rating tips: Bandage bag
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Here's a neat way to carry around all (or at least most) of your leg
wrapping material. The next time you buy a bed comforter or horse blanket
that comes in a big clear plastic bag that has handles and zips up you've
got your bandage tote. The plastic is heavy duty enough to last you several
years and because it's clear you can easily see right down to the bottom of
the bag.

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Questions and answers
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Hello... I have a question...we were on vacation for a week..on our return,
we learned it had rained for 7 days straight. The horses had rope halters
on...the man who was watching them didn't realize what was going on..we
think that after all the rain, the halters shrunk due to the moisture... any
special meds for good and quick relief for the horses ?

Thank you...from a concerned horse owner

Hi Concerned,

I hope your horses are starting to feel better with their halters off. I'm
not a vet so I can't legally prescribe anything, but usually for soreness
that would be caused by halters that were too tight a vet would recommend a
gram of bute AM and PM for the average sized horse (it could be more or less
depending on the horse's size) until the area is not sensitive to the touch.
Bute is very effective at helping with swelling and pain. If there are open
sores you could put on some topical ointment or sprays. If they are oozing
sores, usually you'll want something to dry them out. In that case I've had
good success with a purple spray called "Dr. Naylor's Blue Kote" or a yellow
spray called "Furazone". If there are just small sores, there are different
types of aloe creams that help soothe any irritations and promote hair
growth. A common one is "Aloe Heal" by Farnam or "Horseman's Dream
Veterinary Cream". In my opinion, horses shouldn't be wearing halters when
they are unattended but if it is necessary in your situation, please make
sure that the halters have leather breakaway capabilities (either entirely
leather, a leather crownpiece, or other leather element that would break
before the horse's neck does in case the horse gets his halter caught on
something.) Rope halters can be a great training tool, but for tying or
leaving on horses in a pasture or stall, please consider something wider
that can distribute pressure and break!

Get well soon,
Stormy

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Hello Stormy!
I have been debating about getting a lip piercing for the last year and have
been seriously considering it lately. I know that Pony Club has a rule about
facial piercings so I ran it by my DC and our HMO. I originally thought it
was a safety hazard in terms of getting ripped or pulled through. Because I
wanted to get a stud and not a ring, I thought I could put a band aid on it
to prevent that. However, my regional HMO informed me that the rule
indicates there shall be no obstruction to the airway. I am still a little
confused about the harm of the stud. Can you please clear this rule up for
me? And as of now, I will be holding off on the piercing until I am 100%
clear on the rule and how it will effect my participation in Pony Club.

Thanks so much! - an anonymous C2

Hi Anonymous,

Thanks for asking before piercing. One word: WAIT!

You will not be able to participate legally in any Pony Club activities with
any piercing that is in an airway. There are some good reasons that they
made this rule. For a lip stud it could interfere with CPR should it need
to be performed, and there's also a good chance that if you were to be
thrown or knocked by a horse, human or inanimate object in the mouth, the
stud would probably do some serious damage to your dental work. If you do
get the piercing, expect to wait to participate in Pony Club until it is
healed enough that you can remove it for Pony Club activities and then
replace it when you go home.

Stay hole,
Stormy

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Recommended books, videos, and CD-ROMs!
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Practical Guide to Lameness in Horses by Ted S. Stashak & Cherry Hill

This book is on the enrichment reading list for B and HA candidates.

From the Amazon.com website: This is an updated, practical version of Dr.
Stashak's top selling book Adams' Lameness in Horses, 4th edition. The
material is heavily illustrated and provides a hands-on guide to common
clinical problems. The authors present important guidelines for decision
making and preventive measures. This is a hands-on, authoritative resource
that clearly differentiates between important and non-important clinical
situations.

A reviewer from the Amazon.com website writes:

I use this book all the time, not only through my university course work,
but also now that I am teaching Equine classes. It covers bits of everything
and has great diagrams and pictures. I would definitely recommend this book
to anyone who wants to know more about horse lameness.

Another reviewer writes:

From this book, readers can learn the details of skeletal and muscular
equine anatomy through written description and excellent illustrations. Any
imaginable lameness or unsoundness is covered here, with details of causes,
symptoms, treatments and prognosis. The book also includes photos and x-rays
to complete the picture.

The one downfall of this book is that it is rather technical. It is not
written in layman's terms nor does it waste page space with extraneous
words. As a reference to horse owners and riders this book is invaluable,
but it does require a certain amount of familiarity with anatomy terminology
in order for the user to reap the full benefits. However, for anyone who
owns or cares for horses, The Practical Guide to Lameness is a necessity.

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Fun and educational websites
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http://www.FundRaisingServices.com/

The name says it all. The services aren't necessarily horse related but
there are some very cute horsey items you can use for fundraising.

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www.awhitehorse.com

A very informative site about Arabs and fundraising


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Featured rule: Polo wraps and bandages
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2002 Horse Management Handbook page 35 section 23D:

Polo wraps are not allowed in cross country or in wet conditions. Any
bandage used at a competition must be checked by a Horse Management Judge to
determine if it is properly applied. (Refer to USPC Bandaging book.) HMJs
inspecting bandages do not assume any responsibility for damage done or
injuries caused to the mount by said bandages or their application. Horse
Management Judges shall not assume said responsibility by applying bandages
themselves on behalf of any competitor. Polo bandages or boots are required
in Polocrosse.

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Horsey humor: A Dressage Rider's Tack Room
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You Know You Have A Dressage Rider's Tack Room when...

1. You own dozens of snaffle bits and they're all exactly alike.
2. You have so many snaffle bridles that students look disgusted when you
say, "Go get the snaffle bridle."
3. You own every style of bootjack but still need help getting your boots
off.
4. You own every size, shape, and color spurs come in.
5. You own the gallon size container of horse treats.
6. Your last jumping saddle is getting dusty.
7. You own lots of dressage and lunging whips.
8. You let everyone borrow anything except your favorite dressage saddle.
9. You own every size, shape, and color dressage saddle pads come in.
10. Your favorite girth is the one from the saddleseat catalog.
11. You own every style of gel pad available.
12. Your favorite gloves are falling apart but you can't bear the thought of
throwing them out.
13. You found a mouse nest at the bottom of the pile of unrolled polo wraps.
14. Your favorite trophy is the plaster cast of your seat from the custom
saddle maker.
15. You favorite blue ribbon is from that show that no longer exists.

Contributed by Beth Collier
http://www.equerry.com/html/fun/eq_humor.htm

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Free item exchange
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**FREE**FREE**FREE**

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

My son is graduating from university in Large Animal Sciences. His horse
needs a new home because he is leaving for graduate studies in Washington
State. Sci-Fi is 15.2H, about 19 years old, always sound, loves to jump, is
on the hot side. He was showing first level dressage and schooling some
second level movements. He was used for the B in jumping. He has been out
of work for 3 months and needs some conditioning. He is chestnut with a
stripe, a lovely horse. He is a Trakener-Thoroughbred cross. His sire was
Abdullah, the famous show jumper. He clips, ties, lunges, and trailers with
excellent ground manners. He is good for the farrier. He requires shoes.
He is forward. To the right home, I would donate him. He is a terrific,
much loved horse, but he needs a new rider to adore him.

See photos on the Horse Management Newsletter website by going to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HorseManagementNewsletter/photos and then
clicking on the "Sci-Fi" album. Or try this link:

http://ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/HorseManagementNewsletter/photos/browse/f86
6

Please contact Linda Williams in Southern California at:
rlwillia@... .

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Submit your free horse-related items or services here. If you or your club
has items they are willing to pass along to a new family, this is a great
place to list them. Listings can come from any part of the country, or even
overseas!

Free items may include but are not limited to:

riding clothes
rally equipment
horse-related games and toys
tack and training equipment
blankets, wraps, halters
books or magazines
horse-related artwork
and of course...horses and ponies!

The recipient may be expected to handle any shipping costs.

Please provide a phone and/or email contact with each listing. Items will
be listed in the next HM Newsletter and will not be renewed unless an
additional email is sent asking for the listing to be continued.

So...clean out your tackroom and make room for more stuff!

To submit your items, simply reply to this email or write to:
stormy@... .

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Call for submissions
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Help make this newsletter the best it can be. Do you have any issues you'd
like to see addressed here? How about ideas for recommended products, books,
or videos? Want to submit your own article, or a question for the questions
and answers section? Send them to: stormy@... and I'll keep a log
of topics and articles for upcoming issues.