Preparation
for Competition
By
Cathy Hanson
Copyright©2014
Lesson
one
HEALTH
Six
Months Prior to the Show
Preparation
for competition begins long before the event.
In many cases
preparation begins before you purchase the horse. (Be sure to enroll in the course, Conformation
and Selection for Performance to understand how conformation affects
movement.) If you know the event in
which you wish to participate, then you’ll want to choose the horse with the
best conformational traits to perform that event. On the other hand, if you already have the
horse, choose an event your horse’s conformation will help him master
easily. (All horses can perform any
event at some level, but champions win at their event because they have superior
conformation, breeding and mental attitude.)
Form follows function,
so the first preparation for competition is choosing the horse to match the
event, or the event to match the horse.
Here are two American
Quarter Horses with very different conformations and therefore different
abilities. The spinning horse is shorter
and stronger in the loin with hindquarters well under him. The western riding horse is a taller,
narrower horse with a smoother, longer stride.
With the event and
horse selected, you can begin to concentrate on those things which affect the
horse’s performance and you can control--the horse’s health, weight, physical
and mental condition, and performance skills.
These things cannot be rapidly changed or improved upon one week or one
day before a performance. These are the
things you begin to improve upon and monitor at least six months prior to a
competition.
You will want to
accurately maintain a complete health record of your horse.
Begin your health
record by establishing “normal” vital signs, and observing your horse’s normal
way of moving.
The
normal temperature for the horse more than a year old is 99 to 101
degrees. (Foals and horse’s less than a
year old often have a normal temperature of 100 to 101.) If your horse’s normal temperature is 99 in
the morning, it may be slightly higher in the afternoon. Many horses will have a slightly elevated
temperature during the usually warmer afternoon hours.
To take the horse’s temperature, buy a
thermometer for horses from the local tack store. They are slightly larger than the normal
thermometers used for humans. Tie a
string thru the hole in the end with a clothespin attached to the end of the
string. Shake the mercury down,
lubricate the thermometer and insert if full length into the horse’s rectum.
Attach the clothespin to the horse’s tail. Wait for three minutes then remove
and read the temperature. Record your
horse’s normal temperature on his health chart.
Next, take your
horse’s respiration. The respiration is
the number of times he will inhale and exhale (counted as one) in one minute at
rest. The average for a horse at rest is
16. Remember this is average and you
want to know what is normal for your horse. So take his respiration for several days while
at rest to get an accurate respiration rate.
You must also know
your horse’s pulse. The pulse rate is
usually double the respiration rate, so if 16 is the respiration then 32 will
be the pulse. The pulse is the throb or
surge of blood being pushed through the artery as the heart pumps the blood
through the body.
One of the easiest locations to find
the pulse is along the inner side of the horse’s jaw. Use your fingers to find the artery, and then
gently press until you feel the pulse.
The back of the fetlock along the medial side is another spot to find
the pulse.
The health record
should reflect your horse’s vaccinations. The recommended vaccinations are: Tetanus Toxoid –-duration of protection at least one
year. Primary protection requires two
injections, 30 to 60 days apart. Booster given yearly.
Encephalomyelitis
(sleeping sickness)--duration of protection for season of infection. Primary protection requires two injections
about a month apart, usually given in spring prior to mosquito season.
If you will be
traveling to competitions in other states, you are required to have a current
negative Coggins test on every horse when crossing state lines. Many shows also require a current negative
Coggins before accepting entries.
De-worming schedules
will also need to be included on your horse’s health chart. I recommended you worm your horse every 6 to
8 weeks. The paste wormers are now so
effective it is no longer necessary to tube worm your horse, but it is a good
idea to rotate de-worming medications to ensure parasites have no chance to
build an immunity.
Notations about
unusual circumstances, such as reactions to vaccines, should be recorded so
pre-treatments can be arranged.
All lameness and
illness should be recorded with details. This is information any veterinarian
will want to have. If your horse is
under someone else’s care it will be helpful to them.
With accurate records,
any health pattern that develops will be easily detected.
Being aware of your
horse’s flexibility and willingness to perform also should be noted.
Horses get sore and
tight in their muscles just like people.
And as horses age and are campaigned, their joints can begin to
hurt. If a horse’s joints are sore, he
won’t be able to perform at peak levels.
Refusing to bend, not
giving to the bit, tail switching, grinding teeth, and lack of impulsion are
all signs of an uncomfortable body.
Horse massage is
becoming a popular treatment. (Equine Sports
Massage is an elective course offered by www.horsecoursesonline.com). Releasing tight muscles, relieving knots, and
stretching can be very helpful.
Chiropractic care can
be helpful as well. If the horse’s spine
is not aligned many movements during the horse’s performance can be altered.
When having your horse
evaluated, a chart should be provided stating your horse’s problem areas. Horses will usually come up with the same
area of soreness, so the therapist can suggest exercises which can be performed
by the owner to keep the horse feeling great all the time.
Taking care of your
horse’s teeth is an important part of your health care program. The horse’s teeth, without care, will develop
problems, which will affect the horse’s performance and overall health.
When a mature horse
has all of his teeth he could have 44, while a mature mare could have 40 teeth.
The horse’s upper jaw is wider than the lower jaw. When the horse chews, he grinds his food in a
circular motion. A horse’s teeth erupt
through out his life. Because of the
continuous eruption and the teeth not meeting evenly due to the structure of the
jaw, the edges of the teeth are not worn down.
Every horse eventually develops rough sharp edges on the outside of the
teeth of the upper jaw and on the inside of the teeth of the lower jaw. These rough edges can cut the gums, cheeks
and tongue. If not cared for, the cuts
become ulcers and/or abscesses. A sore
mouth not affects the horse’s ability to chew and get proper nutrition from his
food, a sore mouth is certain to create problems in the training department as
well.
Your horse will give you signs his teeth
may need attention by not finishing his hay, spitting out hay, soaking his food
in his water, shaking his head and being reluctant to accept the bit.
Signs of discomfort to
look for while riding are: head tossing, mouth gaping, grinding of teeth, or
lack of cooperation in bending and turning.
Such problems can result in neck and back problems due to the horse’s
resistance and tightness of muscles in the poll, jaw and neck.
The
remedy for all of these rough and sharp edges is a little dentistry work. An equine dentist or a veterinarian will use
a tool called a float to smooth the horse’s teeth. The float is a rasp or file type tool with a
handle. The equine dentist files the
rough edges of the teeth until they are smooth.
With modern technology some veterinarians are using power tools. Be sure to keep a close eye on the work being
done as sometimes power tools can file away too much of the horse’s tooth,
therefore causing a different set of problems.
Floating a horse’s
teeth is a procedure that occurs approximately every six months for horse’s
five years of age and younger. The young
horse has softer teeth, causing them to wear down faster. Older horses can go
every eight months to 1 year before needing a float.
The
first time a horse has his teeth checked for sharp edges he will generally be one
and half years to two years old.
When purchasing a new
horse, have his teeth checked immediately.
You equine dentist or
veterinarian will check all two to four year old horses for “caps.” A cap is a baby tooth which hasn’t yet been
fully shed, and remains atop the adult tooth which has not yet fully
erupted. Caps can cause discomfort when
chewing. Again, if your horse has a
sore mouth, training issues are bound to develop.
Wolf teeth show up any
where from one to three years of age.
Wolf teeth are small teeth on the upper jaw directly in front of the
molars. A veterinarian should remove
these teeth. Because of their location
in the mouth, a bit can easily be pulled against them, causing discomfort and
training problems.
Habits can develop very easily since
training is a repetitious process.
Making sure your horse
develops good and correct habits saves time and allows the horse to progress
faster in his education. Developing bad
habits caused by a sore mouth due to poor teeth care is costly and time
consuming. The horse’s overall health
and care is essential to being competitive and getting to the winner’s circle
in a timely fashion.
Feeding your horse
according to weight desired and energy needed to perform well is a process watched
and adjusted according to the weather, past performances, weight gain or loss,
hair coat etc. If your horse looks poor, such as having a dull hair coat or is
thin even after regular de-worming, a blood analysis may give you some answers. Your veterinarian can run a blood panel, and
let you know any areas of deficiency.
Nutritional supplements may help remedy the problem. Read the contents of the supplements you
choose. Have facts and understand the
reason for your choices. An
advertisement or the fact your friends feed it to their horses are not a good
enough reasons to choose a supplement.
(Supplements, their choice and use, is
addressed in the Nutrition for Performance Horses course.)
When developing a feeding program I start with the basics.
Good quality hay
(forage) is the foundation of any feeding program.
I like to feed Bermuda
grass in the morning at
We feed alfalfa at
I feed one half to one
pound of a mixed grain called Four-way. The grains aid the horse’s digestive
system and it provides a carrier for corn oil, (a quarter of a cup) which is my
choice for a coat supplement. It also makes it easy if the horse needs
medication. Even with medications added, the horses are expecting their daily
grain and eat it with gusto.
It is important to
feed at the same time each day. Horses
are creatures of habit; they love a schedule.
Keeping them on a schedule for feeding helps prevent grumpy horses. When feeding is not made exactly on time for
some reason, some horses will fret enough to make themselves
sick.
As mentioned earlier,
we don’t feed supplements just to feed them.
There must be a reason. Most
supplements are probably not needed by your horse. Feeding your horse a small
of scoop of “super shiny coat stuff” will not take the place of regular
de-worming, good condition and lots of elbow grease in the grooming
department. If your horse has good
weight, a healthy hair coat and is willing in his performance, a high quality hay, a small amount of grain and some corn
oil is probably all you need.
Throw in a salt block
or free choice salt and plenty of clean fresh water and you are good to
go!
Horses need to have their feed adjusted
somewhat depending on how heavy their show schedule is or the time of
year. For example, if you live in a cold
climate they will need more fiber. If the show season is heavy, an adjustment
will be made if your horse starts to drop weight.
Your horse’s energy level is very important
to being competitive. For some events your horse will need to go the distance,
be able to work for a long period of time, but in a relaxed manner. He may have to work very quickly and have
bursts of energy. He may have to work a short period of time, yet be quiet and
slow. Your feeding program needs to take
all of these considerations into account. Remember that each horse will be
different. You may have two horses that perform the same event, but need two
different feeding programs.
A little secret not having to do with feed
or health care, but which can help provide a short hair coat is keeping your
horse under lights.
Lights are a way to trick Mother Nature
and your horse into keeping a short hair coat.
Horses shed or grow a coat by the length of the day. The more hours of light each day, the shorter
the coat. The shorter the number of
daylight hours, the longer the coat grows.
If the horse is kept under lights, he doesn’t know the days are growing
shorter with the approach of winter.
Keeping your horse under lights for the same amount of time each day
tricks Mother Nature.
It is important to use
the correct amount of light and type of light.
Fluorescent lights will not work because the scheme of color is from the
blue family. Incandescent light must be used as its light is from the yellow
family. Most floodlights are
incandescent.
Keep two lights in your horse’s stall
of 250 watts each. You should be able to
read a magazine article in the stall.
The lights should be on for 16 hours a day--
It is important that the horse stays
under lights while away at shows, because if his days change and become shorter
he will grow a winter coat even if it is in the middle of summer.
It isn’t nice to trick Mother Nature, so
a blanket for you horse is necessary when it gets cold. Keeping the horse’s body temperature the same
is helpful, so the blanket helps a bit in maintaining a short coat.
Sweating under a
blanket is not healthy or kind. Don’t
allow it to happen to your horses.
Fooling Mother Nature will come back to
haunt you on occasion. Sometimes the horse’s shedding and growing system gets
so confused it can take several seasons to get back on track once you remove the
lights.
Body shaving your horse is an option, but
generally the hair grows back thicker and heavier and it will be hard to break
the cycle of shaving. The shaved horse
never has the natural shine to his coat and can look raggedy as the hair is
growing back.
If you wish to try to maintain a short
hair coat year round, lights are the best option.
The horse’s health is important to your
entire program.
If your horse is not
healthy he won’t be able to handle the training schedule. And if he does not have the look of health he
will not be successful in the show pen.
It takes a long time for a consistent healthy
schedule to manifest itself in winning show results.
It’s important to begin
your preparation for competition at least six months prior to going to a
show.
Assignments:
1.Provide your horse’s health chart.
2. Provide a feed chart. List all feed and why it was chosen.
3. Provide a work schedule for one week.
Please email to cathyhansonqh@gmail.com