Evaluating your Current Feeding Program.

Before you can design an effective feeding program, you have to analyze your current feeding schedule and your horses dietary needs.

I have an aged (21 year old) gelding in light work.  He is 16hh and a Thoroughbred cross.  He is the poster-child for "hard-keeper" and eats an enormous amount of daily food.  For example, currently he is on 10 pounds of grass hay, 3 pounds of hay pellets and a pound of bran at breakfast and 10 pounds of grass hay, 3 pounds of beet pulp (soaked in 2 liters of water), a pound of Senior feed, and a pound of C.O.B - plus Millennium Gold, Selenium (our hay is deficient), Vitamin E, Cosequin, and hoof supplements with free-choice mineral block and plenty of fresh water.   All this, and he is still too thin!

Clearly, while he isn't being starved, his dietary needs are not being met. Out of concern for his lack of condition, we had his teeth floated.  The vet said they were a little rough but nothing that should have prevented him from adequately masticating his hay.  This is borne out by the fact that he EATS his hay, and by the fact that as he has aged we have been having his teeth checked at his twice-annual vet checkups.  Nevertheless, we floated them and hoped it would help him put some weight on.

It has been more than a month, and he is still happily chomping away at his food, and not gaining an ounce. 

Looking at his exercise, we can see that he isn't overworked, being lightly ridden four times a week.  Less and he gets a little stall-crazy- more and we worry that we would cause injury or more weight loss.  We can't ramp up his exercise routing, and really start training until we get the calories under control.  Ideally, he would be putting on weight and we would feel the need to exercise it off.  He has some mild arthritis in his rear pasterns, so frequent exercise is good for him, keeps him limber and loosens him up.  Currently his mild exercise is walk-trot some canter work for up to half an hour four times per week.  He gets twenty minutes of warm up and twenty minutes of cool down, and tops half an hour of actual work.  So we'll say he's getting four hours per week of mild work.

The hay situation isn't great, he is allergic to timothy and the grass hay is filling but not that nutritious. 

Proposed adjustments:

6 pounds grass hay am/pm
3 pounds hay pellets am/pm
3 pounds beet pulp am/pm
1 pound bran am/pm
supplements

After a month, we'll see how this adjustment has affected his weight.

Evaluating the Condition of Your Horse

The basic tool for evaluating the condition of your horse is the Henneke Body Condition Score which allows you to evaluate your horse using six areas and assign a numerical rating for overall condition.  The overall rating should fall between 4 and 7 but we should all be aiming for a 5. 

The beauty of this system may be that your horse is thin over his withers, or fat over his tail, but the overall score falls neatly within the acceptable range.  This keeps a single element which may be affected by conformation flaws (such as a mutton-withered horse) from throwing off the evaluation of the entire animal.

Of course there are different levels of fitness as well, and my advice in this series of blogs is going to be geared toward the non-competitive rider just trying to keep the horse in reasonable shape and conditioned for 1/2 hours workouts two or three times per week.

To start we have to determine the condition of our horse as of TODAY.  Mine is thin - again - and I scored him at about a 4.  He is a 21-year-old TB cross and tends to shed weight at any opportunity.

The need to fatten him up is complicated by his feed allergies, he can't have timothy hay, which is the most common hay around here.  I had his teeth floated and he still isn't putting weight on so it's time to rejigger the exercise-feed combination.

Post your horses age, breeding, condition score and workload and we'll work on getting feed and exercise programs for all of us!

Fireworks Safety and your horse.

We board out, and twice a year (thank you, New Year's and Independence Day) we have issues with fireworks and injury.  This past New Years celebration saw my horse with a damaged hock that rapidly got infected, we really thought he could be at the end due to his age.  Fortunately, twice daily antibiotics and some really good wound care cleared it up, but not without some ugly scarring.

How can you protect your horse from yahoos with fireworks?  My new rule is to close him into his inspected and well-bedded stall overnight.  Usually he has free access from inside to outside whenever he likes but that injury January 1 really scared us!

Some friends who board at a different barn patrol their property line to discourage fireworks, with the police on speed-dial since setting them off is illegal here.

I recommend a well-inspected enclosure, plenty of hay, and full water buckets.  If your horse is spooky you may want to put cotton wool in the ears to block sound.  I don't know about Ace, I think woozy horses can be more of a problem that clear-headed ones! 

Get there early and check carefully for new wounds before you turnout, also check turn outs for firework debris!

Happy Fourth!

Pony Club!

I encourage everyone to get involved in a service organization.  Pony Club, 4-H, Horsemasters, all these are examples of horse-related clubs designed to improve horsemanship and horse management skills.

I am a former Pony Clubber and am happy to support local Pony Clubs and Horsemasters groups.  We don't have a local 4-H but I would support that too if it were around. 

Giving youngsters the opportunities to grow as horse lovers is priceless.  Get out there and be involved!

Summer Schooling Shows

I encourage everyone to get out to the local schooling shows.  These shows are low-stress, and usually low-cost, ways to practice grooming, showmanship, sportsmanship; and they are a great way to meet like-minded enthusiasts.

Before you go spending hundreds on classes at your recognized shows, practice showing at the schooling shows.  This is how you will learn that your horse doesn't like braids, and will rub them out at every opportunity!  Much better to buy the Sleazy neck wrap BEFORE you shell out for the professional braid job.

Also, this is how you will discover that your docile little Dobbin turns into Diablo the Horse in the show-ring. I have seen quiet schoolmasters turn into fire-breathing dragons in the show ring.  The horse who NEVER refuses will suddenly turn into the Artful Dodger...and so on...

Making these discoveries at $5-$10 per class is much better than making them at $50 plus association memberships and fees.  Figure out your horses show issues cheaply, and then work on them BEFORE you visit the big name recognized shows.

Your horse, your blood pressure, and your pocketbook will all benefit.

Trail Ride = Fun Times

It's always fun to get out of the arena and onto the trail.  Especially with an old campaigner like my gelding.  He never twitches an ear, dogs, kids, bikes, whatever, he just struts along. 

Just enough fizz to keep you interested, but never dangerous.  I love my trail buddy.  

Sorry for the long gap - it was a crazy winter!

We struggled with injury, weather, and barn drama this winter!

Not only did I not lose the weight I wanted, my horse lost over 100 pounds because he didn't like the new barn.  I had to stop riding (obviously, since he was dropping weight) and I had to deal with barn drama!

I am glad all that is behind us now.  We love our new barn and he has put back on all the weight he lost.

Onward!

Work - Horse Balance...an impossible dream?

It's fall.  Crisp, cool, and starting to get frost in the mornings.  My weekly trail ride with other "riders of a certain age", which for us means any one who isn't a teenager, has been going on without me for two weeks.

My job has been particularly demanding lately, and I am very cranky about it. Also, I don't like to be cold, and so that doesn't help.  I am trying to figure out how I am going to balance the barn and my job and my children, it seems impossible.  

I joined Livestrong for their calorie-counting application.

Maybe this will help me keep tabs on my eating.  Trying to drop 70 pounds by June, 2011.  That works out to about 40 weeks from  now.  So, an average of 2 pounds per week (1.75, but I rounded!).

It will be FANTASTIC if I can actually accomplish this.  I will be much closer to my goal of competitive horsemanship if I am fit enough to actually ride with a competent seat and quiet hands.

Woo hoo!

What to do..

My daughter is going to use the winter to prep for the first dressage show of the summer by practicing a dressage test.  This has a two-fold benefit, first she will be practicing dressage - which is always a good thing.  Second, she will be able to use this as her long-term project for school. 

I also want to practice dressage, and get my seat somewhat improved by next summer.  So we are working out a share schedule, but of course we will have to be coordinated in the training and such for the horses benefit.

I am itching to start RIGHT NOW, because I am such a patient soul, but for this to work for the school project I have to let her design the conditioning and training program.  Sigh.

Most of the time I am ok with us all sharing the horse, but now, I want my own!  Wish I could afford a second one.

Rain, Rain, GO AWAY! This is ridiculous...

My poor horse is going to grow gills!  Thirty-one consecutive rainy days, and it is POURING right now.  No horse works well when it has rain in it's face.  Not to mention my leather getting soaked. 

I am considering a synthetic saddle and bridle at this point.  

Fantastic Hay! Heading back for more...

Even though it's a killer trip, we are heading back for more hay this weekend.  This is fantastic:  green, dry, fresh, with that sweet smell and no dust.  My horse is LOVING it.  We mixed it with his old hay, and he picked out all the new stuff to eat first.  Why eat last year's hay when you can have nice fresh hay?

I am cramming hay all over town it feels like.  Weather this summer has been wet, and the local hay has been cow quality rather than horse quality. The few bales I bought before this hay run had a damp feel to them, one of the people who feeds for us called, worried that it was damp from storage.  That is NOT a good feeling.  Hay should be clean and dry, and I worried about fermentation with the soft, damp feel to the other hay.

It's funny how careful we are with hay, I know I am much more conservative with horse feed than I am my own feed.  I am perfectly willing to cut mold off hard cheese and then eat the rest of the brick, but even a sniff of moldy smell and the whole bale is out of the barn.

It's worth it though.

Choosing a Trainer

This is difficult for me.  I haven't ridden with a trainer in a dozen years.  I know my seat is gone, and with the extra weight my leg is useless after 15 minutes.  I have to relearn everything, because hacking around all sloppy for the last decade has given me a chair seat, round shoulders, and flapping hands.  Sigh.

So I am cruising around barns, checking out my options.  They are limited by my embarrassment at my poor riding skills and my lack of funds.  Unfortunately, by the time I pay for the horse, feed, shoes, my kids' lessons, and vet care - I am pretty tapped out for horse stuff.  Who am I kidding? I am tapped out in general!

Somehow, I have to find $45-55 per week extra for me to take a lesson, too.  I am looking for ideas on how to generate this cash outside my normal operations, so I don't feel guilty that I am shortchanging the family budget any more than the horse already does.

Probably, I will need to make $100 extra per week, because I am sure that I will discover a need for new boots, breeches, and other assorted paraphernalia as I go along.  :)

On Juggling Parenting, Work and Play

I keep wanting to put the comma in before the and.  I wanted On Juggling Parenting, Work, and Play.  It feels right, and I checked Grammar Girl, and she doesn't think it's WRONG...so why does Microsoft? 

I am trying to figure out a schedule.  I work 40+ hours per week at a "professional" type job.  I have three children, and a horse.  I am trying to figure out how to balance all this so that the house gets and then stays clean, the kids all get what they need, support wise, for homework, and I can ride.

So far, my best solution is to add 7 hours to the standard day.  I need them for sleep.  I bagged the housework, a clean house is vastly overrated anyway, and I still can't get it all together.  This is ridiculous.

Clearly this must be possible, I know other parents work full-time and still have time to be in training.  

Busy Day with Hay

We drove 6 hours one way to pickup hay for my horse's delicate tummy.  Rain has made the local hay situation untenable, with barely one cutting come in.  Because my horse cannot have timothy hay, my choices were extremely limited and very expensive.

I opted to travel an extensive distance to get hay I knew would work with his digestive system and wouldn't break my personal bank account.  He is expensive enough without shelling out twice as much for hay!

I needed good hay to keep him fit for my nefarious plans.  I hope he is looking forward to lessons as much as I am!

Getting Started

Today I bought a pair of breeches!  They are navy blue, and size embarrassing.  But I needed a pair, because jeans wrinkle at the knees, and now that I am older it hurts!

I also started a low-carb diet today.  The worst is giving up soda.  I am addicted!  I love Coke.  I keep telling myself it's part of the new me, and that my weight will drop faster without the empty calories.

I also bought 101 Arena Exercises by Cherry Hill and dragged out my old Pony Club handbook as well as my Centered Riding, by Sally Swift.  I figure if I keep horsemanship at the front of my brain, the low-carb diet will feel like less of a sacrifice.  My daughter is a Pony Clubber (Junior D high-point score at Quiz this year, not to brag or anything :)

I have decided that if I meet my weight goal, I am going to get a horse for myself.  I have until May 1, 2011 to hit my goal weight, and then I get to horse shop.  I know just what I want, I hope I can find something reasonably close when I start looking around.  Knowing me, I will wind up with another rescue, because those poor sweet faces really get to me when they are miserable.

That brings up a favorite blog.  If you don't already read it Fugly Horse of the Day (FHOTD) is at www.fuglyblog.com and she is great!  Don't go if you object to rudeness or profanity, but I tell you her assessment is usually spot on.  So MANY people who shouldn't be around horses decide to make MORE horses, only they are making bad ones.  Read it if you are interested in rescue or conformation, but seriously, at your own risk for offense because some of that stuff is pretty harsh and she pulls zero punches when she is angry about something.

I can be pretty outspoken myself, so I am not offended by her blog.  Fair warning, I will probably be pretty opinionated here too!

Tomorrow I will dip my toe into training techniques for the older rider. 

Getting Back in the Saddle

It's been a while since I have been on a horse.  Several years, really, unless you count wandering around an arena a couple of times, which I don't.

I made a pact with myself.  This year, I will lose weight, get fit, and climb on the horse I bought two years ago for myself that my kids have been enjoying.

This is the year I re-learn everything I have forgotten.  How to post, how to sit the canter, quiet hands.  This is the year I finally, FINALLY, re-use the atrophied riding muscles.

I started this blog to keep myself on track, and to hopefully find some friends going through the same process.

Join me in my journey back to competitive horsemanship!  My goal is to compete in a local schooling show next summer and not embarrass myself.  To get there, I promised I would lose 80 pounds, re-learn to ride, and find a trainer to keep me going. 

Let's see if I can manage all that.