Stable News: It is the time of year again when the weather starts to change, and warm days drift into chilly nights. As the evening temps start to dip below freezing, we need to use extra vigilance when grazing our “easy keepers” on pasture. With the cold temperatures the sugars in our grasses can skyrocket overnight and can reach their highest point in the early morning when the frost is still present on the grass. During these times it is best to wait until the frost has melted and the day time temperatures have risen before turning any of your insulin-resistant type horses out on pasture. Also, keep any eye open for early signs of laminitis such as a strong (bounding) digital pulse, heat in the hooves, constant shifting of weight, unwillingness to move, and sudden lameness.
Training Tip of the Week: Sometimes fellow equines make the best training tool with fearful horses. We often use a steady friend to accompany an inexperienced horse on the trail, or even pony an un-started horse before introducing a rider. What we often do not share is how important turnout buddies are to horses that are sometimes lacking confidence. Our most recent example of this is with our minis Robin and Farley. They both experienced severe fear of humans and although we were working hard to gain their trust, progress was extremely slow. Several months into their training we decided to split them up and put Farley with our lifetime residents, JJ and Mikey. Robin then joined our other lifetime residents, Jack and Crofter. What we witnessed, especially in Robin was an almost instant increase in confidence and willingness to trust. Our solid equine citizens set an example of trusting behavior that Robin and Farley started to mimic immediately, proving that we should never underestimate the importance of good friends, even for horses.
Rescue Horse Spotlight: We are so excited to introduce the newest member of our training program…Bear! This adorable 5 year old Spanish mustang gelding is with us for training from the MSSPA.
