Horse blankets

Does a horse need a horse blanket in winter? There is more than one correct answer to this question, depending on several factors: the age and condition of horse, the climate, and use of the horse, to name a few.

Horses in the wild as well as many domestic horses live all their lives happily without horse blankets, even in climates where temperatures drop below freezing. Generally, horse grow a longer thicker coat in winter than in summer. This is often enough to keep them warm, as long as they are well fed, so that they will have sufficient body fat to insulate themselves, and have some kind of windbreak or shelter to get out of icy rain and snow, and away from cold drafts and winds. These horses probably do not need horse blankets.

Horse blankets are good for horses that have been clipped for winter riding or showing purposes, and for fragile horses that need extra protection. This might mean very old horses that have trouble maintaining enough weight to insulate themselves, or for very young horses.

Horse blankets have been known to retard winter hair growth. This might be desirable for horses that are ridden heavily in winter time. A long heavy coat takes much longer to dry if a horse is sweaty and hot than does a short coat. The horse with a long winter coat might catch a chill after a hard workout in winter if its coat doesn't dry soon enough.

If you decide to blanket your horse, be sure that the horse blanket fits properly, as you would not like the horse to get tangled in the horse blanket. Also, be sure that the horse blanket is not left on the horse if it gets wet. A soaked horse blanket is uncomfortable and unhealthy, just as your coat would be if it got soaked.

To make the right decision about whether or not to use a horse blanket for your horse in winter time, consult your veterinarian and professional horse people in your area. Take note of how they care for their own horses in winter. Ask them whether and what kind of horse blankets they use.

4H Horse Camp 08

Here are some pictures from horse camp. It was a fun weekend, with about 50 kids, and 5 or 6 trainers, as well as other horse experts--horseshoers, feed specialists, horse massage people, etc. It was an action packed weekend, lessons going all the time. Luckily, no one got hurt this year. One or two horses had minor injuries from acting up in their stalls, but other than that, they all behaved. Perhaps it was because the weather was in the '90s with high humidity. The felt too lethargic to play tricks.

Horse Injuries and Illnesses part 1

Horse Injuries and Illnesses:

Rule Number One

Never risk your own life or safety to save a horse. A horse that is injured or seriously ill can be disoriented or panic stricken and can unexpectedly or accidentally lash out at its owner. All horses, including well trained, normally gentle horse can be out of control when in severe pain. Horses are beautiful and noble animals, but any good trainer will tell you not to endanger yourself for a horse, even a valuable one. Horses can be replaced. Your life and health cannot.

Serious Emergencies

Horses are generally healthy durable animals that recover quickly from wounds and illnesses either naturally, or with appropriate treatment. When something bad happens, sometimes it is hard to judge whether immediate attention from a veterinarian is needed, or whether the complaint is minor.

Several points to remember before calling the vet:

Always keep the phone number of your veterinarian close at hand. When possible, have a back-up vet’s number in case yours is out of town. When you call the vet, identify yourself clearly and state the problem simply. If you reach an answering machine, state whether you think the problem is life-threatening or not.

About wounds-- most veterinarians prefer that you do not apply dressings, powders or topicals until you have checked with them. However, it is usually all right to hose off the wound with cold water. You may need to do this if the wound is covered with dirt or blood. You may also need to do this to see how deep the wound is, or how rapidly it bleeds.

With regards to illnesses or injuries, most veterinarians prefer that you do not feed or give the horse medicines orally or by injections before contacting them. The vet may need to tranquilize your horse to suture a wound, and may prefer that the horse not eat or drink for that reason.

Emergencies requiring immediate veterinary attention

The following are serious emergencies that you should definitely call your vet RIGHT AWAY about:

1. If the horse is bleeding profusely from a wound: This means if blood is gushing from the wound. (While you, or someone calls the vet, have someone apply pressure with a cloth firmly against the wound and if possible, try to stop the bleeding. Be careful! The horse might be frightened, or in pain. Get help!!). When you get the bleeding to stop, you might rinse the wound with cold water, and apply ice packs till the vet arrives, unless otherwise instructed. The wound might need stitches. Probably, the vet will ask you if your horse has had a tetanus booster recently, and may want to apply antiseptics or antibiotics.

2. Colic—this is an intestinal disorder, a cramping or kinking of the intestine. It can be very serious, or fatal if uncorrected. Sometimes it is hard to recognize colic in a horse. If you notice your horse acting differently than usual, pay attention. If you notice that your horse is lying down, (and doesn’t usually do this) but the other horses are all standing, be suspicious. If your horse repeatedly gets up, and then lies down and starts to roll, be more suspicious. If your horse keeps nipping or kicking at his stomach with his hind leg, and swatting his tail repeatedly, keep your eye on him. Colic is caused by many things, and some horses are more prone to this disorder than others. A change in diet, or weather, too much feed, or too much cold water or feed after a hard work out can trigger colic. Cribbing or bad hay or musty feed might cause colic. Call the vet if you suspect colic. The vet will ask you about the horse’s behavior and droppings, how long you have noticed the problem and so forth. Try to be observant.

Ask the vet if you should walk the horse around while waiting for him to arrive. Sometimes this helps.

If your horse has chronic colic, try to find out why. Your vet may prescribe or recommend a product to help in the future. But remember, prevention is the best remedy.

(To be continued.)

Horse Emergencies

Several points to remember before calling the vet:

Always keep the phone number of your veterinarian close at hand, and when possible, have a back-up vet’s number in case yours is out of town. When you do call the vet, remember to identify yourself clearly and to state the problem simply. If you reach an answering machine, state whether you think the problem is life threatening or not.

With regards to wounds, most veterinarians prefer that you do not apply dressings, powders or topicals until you have checked with them. However, it is usually all right to hose off the wound with cold water. You may need to do this if the wound is covered with dirt or blood. If blood is gushing out rapidly and copiously, you may need to apply pressure or icepacks. If you can't reach the vet, call a knowledgeable horse trainer, breeder, shoer--someone who knows how to deal with livestock emergencies. Try to get help fast.

With regards to illnesses or injuries, most veterinarians prefer that you do not feed or give the horse medicines orally or by injections before contacting them.

Finally, be careful. An injured horse may be frightened and in pain. He may lash out or react violently, or even fall on you. Try to help him if you can, but keep yourself safe. There's no point in both of you being injured.

My rule of thumb about calling the vet: better safe than sorry.

choosing the right horse for you

This pony is 25 years old, but a good child's pony. He is very wise and patient and has trained many young riders. He tends to eat too much. A lot of ponies are like that. When you are starting out with horses, you should try to get one that is quiet and well trained, and a good size for you--not too big or too small. An older horse is generally preferable, though not always. It depends on how well the horse has been trained, and also on its particular temperament. Get an experienced horse person to help you find a good horse. Don't reject a horse because it is old.

How to clean leather saddles, tack, bridles

Needed:
Saddle Soap (Your favorite brand), I use Fiebing's Saddle Soap and Mink Oil
Pure Neatsfoot Oil (not Neatsfoot compound)
Soft rags and sponges
Clean old towels
Pliers
Hole Punch
Steel wool or Brillo pads, plastic abrasive pot sponge
Silver Polish
Soft shoe brush, soft toothbrushes

For best results, clean your tack in a place where it is at least 60 degrees, preferably warmer. The pores in the leather will be more receptive to the oil and soap.

1. Take apart the bridle or saddle you want to clean. Remove stirrups, and stirrup leathers for English saddles as well as girths and girth straps. You may not want to take stirrup fenders from the western saddles, as these can be difficult to put back on. You may need to use the pliers to gently pull open buckles that are stuck. (Hint: Only work on one piece of equipment at a time. It can be frustrating to try to reassemble a big pile of bridles or saddles.)

2. Put a generous amount of saddle soap on a sponge or rag—I prefer a rag about the size of a small face cloth. If your soap is a hard glycerine type bar, you may need to soak it for a while in warm water. I prefer to use Fiebing's Saddle Soap paste or Fiebing's Mink Oil paste, in the can, as it is moist and scoops out easily. It comes in yellow, white and black, but most feed stores only sell the yellow, which works fine on everything. They also sell a liquid and a bar form of the glycerine soap, and liquid Mink Oil. I find the paste easier to use. The paste and the liquid soap are good because they require little or no water for use. Water is not good for leather, as it can make it swell, dry out and leave water stains. Rub the leather parts of the equipment vigorously with the soapy cloth. The goal is to get the soap into the pores of the leather and to clean out accumulated scum. You may need to use a plastic abrasive sponge to scrape off accumulated horse sweat scum from leather parts that have lain against the horse's skin. The saddle soap can also be used to clean off metal parts and bits. (Hint: I do not recommend putting paste on suede saddles, saddle seats, or knee rolls on English saddles.)

3. After rubbing well with soap, wipe off excess with clean, dry towel. I use a toothbrush or toothpick on areas with tooled leather, to rub in, or pry out soap stuck in the tooling.

4. Pour a generous amount of Fiebings Neatsfoot Oil, or spread Mink Oil on a cloth and vigorously rub the oil into the leather. Pay particular attention to dried out areas, or stress areas—bends where the cinch strap folds over the metal rigging D ring, or cheek pieces or leather reins fold over the bit rings. I usually put extra neatsfoot or mink oil on these places, or anywhere that I note friction or wear of the leather. Be sure to oil the underside leather parts of the saddle and bridle as well—especially the places where the leather may lie against the sweaty body of the horse. Continue to rub in oil to any place that feels dry, hard or brittle. Leather should be supple and waterproof. The only place where I use oil sparingly is the saddle seat. I use a little, rubbed well in, and then dry the seat thoroughly. Many people do not oil the saddle seat or anywhere that your pants or riding chaps come in contact with the saddle, as oil residue will stain your riding apparel. The US Pony Club manual recommends painting the oil with a paintbrush only the underside of the saddle, not the top, and then rubbing it in, and wiping off excess. (Hint: replace any worn or cracked leather, especially leather that holds the cinch to the saddle, reins, and stirrup leathers. The most important parts of your equipment are those that hold the saddle and bridle to the horse. Imagine how you’d feel if they gave way while you were galloping down the trail, in order to decide whether you ought to replace them.) Note also that the US Pony Club manual recommends oiling the saddle before using the saddle soap. Their reasoning is that you should first condition your saddle with oil, and then use the soap to seal the oil into the pores, and to clean off excess saddle oil so that you won't get your riding pants or western chaps dirty. Plus, the the saddle shines up nicely after soaping. The oil may give the saddle a dull finish.

5. After oiling the leather, I usually let it sit overnight before wiping off excess oil. This gives the oil a chance to penetrate the leather. Then using a dry clean rag, rub and buff off excess oil. Re-oil any places you missed. The goal is to waterproof your leather and make it flexible, but not greasy. At the end of the oiling process, I use a white terry cloth towel to thoroughly wipe down and burnish the saddle. If there is a lot of excess oil on the towel, I continue to burnish. A good horsehair shoebrush helps to shine up leather equipment too. (Hint: I do not use Neatsfoot Compound, even though it is cheaper, because I have heard that the compound rots the stitching in the leather.)

6. For bits, stirrup irons and other metal parts, you may need to wash them in a basin of soapy water, then rinse and dry thoroughly. You may need to use the steel wool or Brillo pad to scrape off rust or accumulated dirt. For badly rusted items, you might try a rust removing preparation, following directions on the can. Do not let the rust remover touch any leather items. You may have to replace items that are hopelessly rusty. Be absolutely sure that you have rinsed and dried bits thoroughly after cleaning. You do not want to make your horse sick! (Hint: Some people put their stainless steel bits and stirrups in the dishwasher, probably not with their dirty dishes. )

7. Polish silver with silver polish as you would any jewelry item, but take care not to let the silver polish soak into the leather , as it may discolor your saddle or bridle. I use the silver polish sparingly, and rub or brush the silver with a soft rag or soft toothbrush. Some people recommend moistened baking soda, or toothpaste to clean silver.

8. After tack is clean and oiled, reassemble the item before starting on another piece. You may need to use leather punch for repairs. (Hint: Put it back together correctly, stirrups adjusted for your feet, cinch and bridle correctly fitted to your horse. It’s a time consuming nuisance to reassemble tack when you are trying to saddle up.)

9. Hang tack carefully on racks. Do not leave it lying around to be destroyed. (Hint: I hang my neatsfoot oil rags on my headstall pegs and drape the bridles over these.)

Final hint: If you have a badly mildewed item, you might consider using Murphy’s Oil Soap. I once restored an old English saddle that came from the floor of an old barn. The saddle was absolutely green and gray with mold, not to mention the smell. I used almost 16 oz. of Murphy’s (undiluted), but the saddle came clean and supple like new. No one could believe it was the same saddle.

Here's two helpful tips that came in from Jennifer Curry:

1. Since the oil soaks ion you really need to clean the saddle prior to oiling. Sometimes I soap again afterwards and buff.

2. If the bits are rusty enough to require steel wool they definitely need to be examined for smoothness.
I like Murphy's too.

learning to back up

To teach a horse to back up, don't just start hauling on the bit. If you do, the horse will naturally fight back, probably toss its head, or brace its forelegs and resist. It's better to keep your hands low, reins in each hand, and using a snaffle bit, gently play with the reins--squeezing and releasing-- till you get the horse to drop her head. When she does this, reward her by releasing pressure. Squeeze with your legs and quietly say back. It may take some time, but be patient, don't get frustrated, and above all, don't be rough--you'll get nowhere. The horse in the picture is backing, but she should drop her head more. Her nose should be pointed at the ground. The reins should not be taut. And, the rider is sitting on her butt, too far back in the saddle. It's sloppy.