Preparation for Competition

Lesson one

HEALTH CARE

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. Potomac Horse Fever –-primary protection requires two vaccinations about a month apart. The booster shot should be given annually, or immediately if an epidemic is reported in the area you live or will be traveling. Influenza –-primary protection requires two vaccinations about a month a part. The horse should receive boosters four times a year if subject to heavy exposure, such as showing. Rhinopneumonitis --primary protection requires two vaccinations about a month apart. Booster should be given four times a year in areas of heavy exposure. Strangles --primary protection requires two vaccinations about a month apart. Booster given annually or immediately if epidemic is reported. West Nile --primary protection requires two vaccinations about two weeks apart. The booster is to be given two times a year. When showing horses, it is so important to have your horse up to date on their vaccinations. With so much exposure to other horses and different areas, you will want your horse protected.

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 perform fecal egg counts in the spring and fall. The over use of de-worming medications when they are not needed is aiding in the development of resistant parasites. Be sure to rotate de-worming medications which also helps to prevent parasites from building immunity.

Fecal egg counts do not detect tapeworms or bots. I de-worm twice a year to control bots and tapeworms. Consult your veterinarian for the best schedule for your region.

Make notations about unusual circumstances, such as reactions to vaccines, 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 Massage is an online 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 7 a.m., as our horses tend to eat it slowly. We feed enough grass hay so the horse has grass in front of him all day; that keeps him grazing all day. I choose Bermuda grass because it has less protein then alfalfa and does not create as much energy. This works well for our show schedule, as our horses are required to be relaxed and moving slowly when performing. (We specialize in trail and western riding horses.)

Add supplements to the feed program if you are sure they are needed. If you add a supplement, add one at a time. Give yourself a chance to see results. Observation and evaluation are paramount. When you are satisfied there have been positive or negative results, add, delete, or increase and decrease as necessary.

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.

Provide 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--6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Here’s a fun link that shows the amount of daylight in a specific location: http://astro.unl.edu/classaction/animations/coordsmotion/daylighthoursexplorer.html Depending on your latitude, lights will need to be started as the days become shorter. I live in southern California, and on the longest day of the year (June 21^st) we only receive 14 hours of daylight, while those in northern Canada will receive 16 hours or more. I run lights year around on timers that can be adjusted to ensure 16 hours of continuous light. Please make sure the horses have access to eight hours of darkness so they can sleep; don’t have lights on all night.

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.

Click here to take Quiz 1

Assignments:

1. Provide your horse’s health chart.  The chart should show his average resting heart rate, respiration rate and temperature, along with all the other items reviewed in the course.

2. What are you feeding your horse? List all feed, the amount and why it was chosen.

3. What is your horse’s work schedule for one week?

Please email to cathy@horsecoursesonline.com Be sure to include your full name and email address on all documents.