Horses in the Modern World

Right now, my mind is full of ideas of what to write in blog posts, mainly to do with my modern horse art and how art helps to define a persons personality within their interior (more than what a sofa can do).. but more on that when I'm feeling more inspired to write on the subject.. Its also being explored on writing a book around my art work. But, for now..

Whoop Whoop

I finally feel I am getting somewhere (but I am not counting my eggs just yet)..

I am in horse training mode! For those of you who read my 3 part series on the night (mare) horse I have had for 10 years, you will be whooping whooping with me (if you haven't read the series, click here for part one then feel free to navigate to the other parts, and of course, have a look at my modern equine art (wink wink).

As the weather changes and grass structures change, I felt it was time to make a change to her supplement intake. I'm not going to refer to the supplements I am using as I am not here to promote any one particular product but, the website Calm Healthy Horses was where my enlightenment started as I ticked off most of the symptoms of the 'grass affected horse'. It taught me many things about the cell structures balance and the importance of this to have a healthy mentally balanced horse.

A Bit About the Science..

By no means an expert but, just like us, nutritional imbalance can have an impact on our health so...

The cell needs to have the right levels of potassium, calcium, magnesium and sodium for the horses nervous system to function correctly, and ultimately have a safe calm happy healthy horse. This is really really hard when grass structures change as often as they do here in the UK due to the erratic weather we have!

Its Not Just Spring

I read an article from a scientist the other day about 'spring' grass. I offered my experience with Nancy and that in fact it wasn't just due to spring grass at all.. but spring symptoms can happen at any time of the year. But he poo pooed what I had to say, which is a real shame as if more people were aware of what I have been through, and the causes, then many more people and their horses would not be suffering, and it might just help the 'difficult' ones from being passed from pillar to post only to end up on the scrap heap.

The Transition

As the warmer weather, lighter nights and earlier light mornings are upon us, so is chuck em out at night. They get a little bit longer turn out, and it helps to reduce their sugar filled sweet juicy grass gorging. But even with this routine Nancy balloons and turns into a couch potato, because its impossible with human routines to restrict her fat grass intake completely. So, its imperative I work her.. and

working a flighty spooky horse is just no fun, and quite frankly counter productive. She isn't learning because she is on high alert, and she isn't using her body correctly so actually doing more harm than good!

So, I Experimented with Levels

My first instinct was to UP the supplement containing the magnesium. Magnesium is a calmer, right?

WRONG! Too much mag can have exactly the same effect as too little. Spooooky horse! AARRGGHH! Rethink.. having chatted to my trainer, who's horse has started to head shake again, I upped her calcium and reduced her mag supplement, and fingers crossed, for the last few days I have had a calm healthy horse :).

Of course, because she turned into the dragon horse, I wasn't able to work her.. so all the work that went into balancing her and making her stronger and fitter, went down the pan (story of our life :D). I am now picking it all up and again, but this time she is a little bit fatter than what she what she was over winter :/... so a little bit harder, but, onwards and upwards as the saying goes, and here is to a bright summer of the poos (her stable name hee hee), getting fit, strong and energetic! We even had a little pop over a jump today, which she thoroughly enjoyed and in fact volunteered the act!

Our horses are not equipped to live in the Modern World we have created for them, so its up to us to make it comfortable for them by looking at 'non traditional' practices.