Preparation for Competition

 

Lesson Two

 

Four Months Prior to Event       

 

Proper hoof preparation and care are a constant concern as you cannot correct hoof deviations quickly, so you must strive to have the horse’s feet in balance at all times.

Changing a horse’s foot balance or making dramatic shoeing changes can create problems and slow down training time.

          Having a good understanding of the horse’s hoof is your first step to assuring you’ll be ready for any competitive event.

The exterior parts of the hoof include the wall, the sole, the bars, the heel and the frog.  The normal, healthy foot is strong, smooth and well balanced.  (Be sure to take the course on Shoeing as it described how to determine and establish hoof balance.)  Front feet are larger, rounder and stronger than hind feet since they carry more of the horse’s total weight, while the shape of the hind feet best suits the function of driving the horse forward.

     Any ridges, rings, cracks or uneven hoof shape should be considered unhealthy and abnormal.  Such deviations may be the result of the material the horse’s feet are most constantly in contact with—shavings, dry, hard ground, or wet, muddy ground.  The surface the horse stands on most can easily create a dry, hard, or moist, soft hoof wall.  Illness or injuries to hoof may also cause ridges or rings.

     The wall has the greatest ground contact and absorbs most of the concussion forces.  The wall continually grows down from the coronary band.  The healthy hoof grows one and a quarter to three eights of an inch per month.

     Inside the healthy and properly shaped hoof, the major bones and ligaments are adjusted and balanced in such a way as to assure there are no unequal stresses.

     The proper angulation should be what is natural for your horse.  The proper angle is found by keeping the hoof wall from cornet band to toe parallel with the pastern and the shoulder at the crest of the withers.

     An easy, close check on the properly–balanced hoof can be made by dropping a line down the center of the cannon bone.  The line should touch the back of the heel at the ground surface if the hoof is to best support the horse.

     If you suspect interior misalignment due to improper balance of your horse’s feet, radiographs may give you some answers.  The x-rays will show if the bones are correctly aligned for the foot your horse was meant to have.  This is the key – the foot your horse was meant to have.  Trying to make your horse’s foot larger, taller, or longer is wrong!  Perhaps your horse was born with a crooked leg or pigeon toed.  Trying to straighten his leg or straighten the toes will only lead to disaster.

     The time to shoe your horse is when the work is becoming stressful to the feet.  You may start to see some chipping in the hoof wall.  If your young horse needs help in the impulsion department, hind shoes will help.  You may find your young horse does fine and doesn’t need shoes at home.  When a young horse gets their first pair of shoes, they will frequently step on them and pull them off.  Patience; the horse needs time to get used to the shoes.

When planning the horse’s show schedule, give the horse plenty of time for that first pair of new shoes.  You will want to put shoes on when you start traveling to shows.  The ground is always different everywhere, changing from rocky to sandy to hard to deep and sometimes wet.

Your horse should be shod about every four weeks.  The reason is simple--the horse’s foot should remain as close to same as possible at all times.  The bones, ligaments, tendons, and muscles are affected by the motion of the horse.  When the feet become too long or are not properly balanced, the muscles, tendons and ligaments will be used differently to compensate for the difference in the hoof shape and size.  When the foot is then shortened, the muscles, tendons and ligaments must again make adjustments.  The idea is to provide the horse with the same foot all the time, therefore making his performance and soundness consistent.  Consider wearing a well fitting shoe and going for a mile jog.  Now put on a pair of swim fins and go for that same mile jog.  You will feel it in your muscles for sure.

     As the horse’s owner or trainer it is your responsibility to make sure the horse is shod properly.  Be consistent in the shoeing schedule.  Every four weeks is a good place to start, then depending on the horse more frequent or less frequent shoeing may be required.  Examine the horse immediately after having been shod to make sure his feet lands squarely (flat) on the ground.  This will tell you that his feet are level.  Landing on the side of the hoot and rolling the foot flat is extremely damaging to the horse’s ligaments and tendons.

The proper size and placement of the shoe will allow the shoe to be wider than hoof wall at the quarters and extend beyond the hoof wall at the heel.  The horse’s hoof will expand as he takes each step.  Having a shoe too small or a shoe which fits too tightly will not allow for natural hoof expansion, eventually resulting in contracted heels and possible internal damage.

The sole of the foot should be cleaned, but not pared.  The frog should be carefully maintained so it does not grow so deep there is no room for compression, but it should contact the ground.  The frog is both a mechanism to grip the ground and to slow down the rate of descent of the hoof’s internal bones.

The angle of the horse’s foot should be the same as the angle of his pastern and shoulder.  Keep the toes short so breakover is facilitated and no unnecessary stress is applied to the tendons of the legs.

Because we invade the hoof wall with nails and keep our show horses in unnatural conditions, such as 12x12 stalls with shavings, it is in the horse’s best interest to do all you can to maintain hoof health.  If your horse has brittle and dry feet, treating them with a hoof conditioner will be helpful.  Feeding a supplement such as biotin can help promote hoof growth and a healthier hoof. 

     Pay close attention to your horse’s feet.  Remember the saying “no foot, no horse.” 

 

GROOMING

 

          Grooming is of paramount importance when preparing to show.  A well turned out horse shows the judge you are serious and have pride in how your horse is presented.

The health of the horse plays a major role in creating a shiny coat, well-defined muscle and a happy horse personality.  We start the grooming process months in advance of the event, by being sure our horse is healthy in every sense.  A bath and some brushing will make a dirty horse look better, but a healthy horse with a bath and a brush will look great.

This lesson concentrates on how to properly groom your already healthy horse to achieve the winning look.  (A healthy horses results from proper nutrition and proper health and disease management—both courses you will study as part of the Professional Designation program)

Rub, rub, rub and lots of elbow grease help to create a shiny coat because the stimulation brings out the oils in the skin and applies it to the horse’s hair.

          When beginning your grooming session, begin with a rubber curry brush.  Use the curry in a circular motion.  This will separate the hairs and bring dirt and dandruff to the surface.  The curry is used on the muscle and fatty areas of the horse, briskly and with pressure.  The curry must be used more gently on the face, legs and flank areas as the skin is so thin and the areas more sensitive to pressure.  The curry is also a good way to massage tired aching muscles after a hard workout.

          Next a medium or dandy brush will be used to remove the dirt brought to the surface from the curry.  The brush is used in short sweeping motions and then a longer sweep to brush the dirt off.  Use this brush all over, but be careful in the thin- skinned areas such as the flanks and face.  When brushing with the medium brush, be sure to check the areas where tack may rub or joints are flexed to eliminate any dirt, which could cause chaffing.  A stiff brush can be used on mud or especially dirty areas or even the hoof wall.

The curry brush should have loosened any mud, but sometimes a stiff brush is also needed.  Horses will often object to this brush if it is used too briskly in a sensitive place.

Next, a soft brush will be needed to go over the entire horse, eliminating dust and spreading the oils through the hair. Use a clean towel to rub, rub, rub and create that beautiful shine.  The towel can be used to wipe the nostrils and clean the horse’s ears as well.  Horses usually like this phase of grooming.

     For the feet, clean thoroughly with a hoof pick and check the shoes at this time for correct fit, loose nails, etc.

Clean the outside of the hoof with the stiff brush to remove mud and dirt.  Apply a hoof dressing to help prevent drying and cracking.  The hoof dressing keeps moisture in the horse’s hoof.  A chipped hoof not only looks ugly, but foreshadows the losing of a shoe, or should be a warning sign of an unhealthy or too long a hoof.

For the mane and tail, use a tail brush (similar to a dog brush).  Don’t use a comb, as this will break the tail hairs.  For the tail start at the bottom of the tail, and use short strokes to work out the tangles.  If the horse has a delicate tail, apply a “detangler” solution to protect against breaking the tail hairs.  Keeping the tail clean and conditioned is good for the tail and helps to prevent the tail hairs from breaking off.

Many horse owners like to keep their horse’s tail in a tail bag.  A tail bag keeps the tail clean and protects the hairs from breaking, promoting a long and thick tail.  When fitting a tail bag it is very important to tie or attach the bag below the tailbone.  A tail bag tied to the tailbone will cut off the blood supply causing the tissue to die and the fleshy part of the tail will fall off.

     To complete the grooming session, treat any sores or scraps with a cream to promote healing.  The hock will sometimes develop sores from the horse lying down and scraping the hock as he attempts to get up.

     Some horses develop keratosis on the front of the cannon bone of the hind legs.  This is a build up of dirt and sweat.  It can be difficult to get rid of and cannot be taken care of in one attempt.  Shaving the legs close is a good start and then using an anti bacteria shampoo will be helpful.  Windex sprayed to the area has proved to be effective as well.

     Keep the horse’s chestnuts and ergots short and close to their body.  A good time to peel away chestnuts or ergots is after a bath when the horny growths are wet and soft.  Applying some Vaseline will also soften them and make them easier to peel off.  Don’t try to cut them; you can get too close and cause bleeding.

     Flies can be very irritating to a horse and can cause skin irritations as well.  These skin sores do not look pretty and some horses get them all over their body.  If your barn does not have a fly spray system, consider a flysheet.  Some horses suffer from fly’s biting their legs. Fly leg wraps are very useful and are cost efficient compared to applying fly spray continually.

     After a training session, if your horse is sweaty, a clear water bath is needed to rinse away the sweat and dirt.  It is important to rid the hair of salty sweat and dirt, as it will make your grooming more effective and cut down on skin irritations.   Using shampoo often will strip the hair of the oils and dry the horse’s hair coat.  Save the shampoo to be used closer to showing, or limit its use to once every few weeks.

     Scrubbing the legs with a betadine solution or scrub can be done fairly often and will help with keratosis. 

     When it is time to give a shampoo bath, shampoo the horse and rinse thoroughly.  Leaving shampoo in the hair coat can be irritating to the skin and leave the hair looking unclean.  Conditioner is only needed on the tail.  It is helpful in combing out and prevents tail hairs from breaking off.

      Spray-on coat conditioners are fun, but not really needed.  They often contain silicone which when applied will make the hair very slippery.  So if you do choose to use them, apply everywhere except over the saddle and girth area. 

     The key to a well-groomed horse begins on the inside.  Good feed, de-worming, good physical condition and then lots of elbow grease.

          Basic contents of a well-stocked grooming box:  rubber curry, course or stiff “Dandy” brush, soft finishing brush (horsehair works great), hoof pick, stiff brush for cleaning hooves, scissors, mane and tail brush, hoof dressing (if needed), shampoo, conditioner, Vaseline, fly spray and clean towels.

Click here to take Quiz 2

 

Assignment:

 

1. Send a list, along with pictures or a video of your grooming supplies.      

 

2. Please send a video of you grooming your horse.  Just go through the steps on one side.  There is no need to include bathing.  Be sure horse is restrained in a safe manner, and you are wearing proper clothing for working with a horse.

 

Please send to: cathy@horsecoursesonline.com  Be sure your full name and email address is on all documents.  You can load the videos to YouTube and send me the link.