winter is here

It’s that time of year again here in the Midwest and elsewhere… hard, frozen ground exascerbates the impact on the horse’s limbs, joints and hooves with every step. During bodywork sessions in the winter, I find a lot more soreness in the muscles supporting and balancing the front limbs, in particular. While we cannot change the fact that the ground is hard and frozen, we can support our horses in maintaining flexibility in their natural ‘shock absorbing’ mechanisms by releasing tension in front limbs and shoulders.

Here a few ‘no fail’ exercises you can do with your horse.

During the winter months, I often find the ascending pectorals—the muscles passing right under the horse’s girth line behind the elbow—especially reactive, compared to the warmer seasons. This particular area is also known as ‘the foot point’, since reactivity in the ascending pectorals often points to discomfort in the front limb or foot. These muscles—part of the horse’s intricate system of front limb and shoulder attachment to the body—are responsible for balancing the horse’s front limb and can get sore if the horse tries to avoid discomfort. As balancing across hard and frozen ground is a fact of life for horses here in the Midwest, I have come to accept this. However, there is something we can do to help our horses be more comfortable and to keep the horse’s shoulder appartus—it’s “shock absorber”, if you will—as functional as possible.

Here a few exercises that are easily done and can become part of your winter grooming routine:

The front leg drop (example: left front limb)

1. Place yourself in front of your horse, facing backward
2. Gently get a hold of your horse’s leg, right hand behind fetlock, left hand further up
3. Ask—don’t tell—your horse to bring his leg forward in a relaxed fashion
4. Imagine a plum line from you horse’s knee to the ground and aim to set the hoof there
5. Don’t pull, let the horse drop the leg and shoulder!
6. Once your horse has dropped his leg on that spot, encourage him to stay in this position a bit longer by gently stroking the leg.
   

   gently ask the horse to drop the leg

Do’s and don’ts:

• Again – dont’ pull!! If the horse pulls away, go with him, then gently ask again.
• Look for relaxation and release down, this is NOT a stretch.

What this does: The horse releases tension in the shoulder apparatus and thus gains improved “shock absorber” function. This is an easy exercise, once you get the feel for it. For those of you, who are interested in learning more about this particular exercise or other Masterson Method exercises, I recommend Jim Masterson’s book “Beyond Horse Massage” or his new DVD with the same title.

The hoof wiggle

1. Hold your horse’s hoof up as if you were to clean it.
2. Keep holding it, gently moving with the horse, if he resists, until your horse relaxes the hoof in your hand.
3. Then gently wiggle and rotate within the natural range of motion of fetlock and knee joints.
4. Do this for a minute or two—all the while in a relaxed state—then gently place the hoof on the ground.
   

   wiggle the knee and fetlock joint (shown: the knee wiggle)

What this does: Releases tension in functional elements of the front limb (muscles, tendons, ligaments) and thus eases strain on the structural elements (joints, bones).

Other pointers:

• Clean your horse’s hoof daily, especially if he is shot. Ice buildup can cause discomfort.
• For the shod horse, discuss ‘winter options’ with your farrier.
• When riding in snow, consider wrapping your horse’s legs to avoid irritation from harsh snow and having him wear boots instead of shoes in the winter (for example “Easy Boots”). Your farrier will be able to advise you on fit and model.

Enjoy your horse and enjoy your winter activities!

What are ‘Wind Puffs’ or ‘Wind Galls’ in horses?

Wind puffs is a common term do describe an unsightly swelling in the hind fetlock joints. The swelling is commonly a sign of fluid accumulation in the joint.

We need to differentiate between two types of wind puffs: A) Swelling that occurs as an accute response to stress, hard work or injury (when palpated, the swelling feels soft and ‘bounces back’ to the touch, there can be heat and the horse is clearly uncomfortable, expressed by gait abnormalities and/or sensitive when palpated) – or – B) Swelling that occurs as a result of old injury (stretched tissues, years of hard work, insufficient turn out) and feels just like the first type, but is cold to the touch and does not seem to present discomfort to the horse.

You will need your vet’s help to determine, whether your horse’s wind puffs are type A) or type B) (Note: these type names only serve to simplify this article, your vet will not know what “Stefanie’s type A) wind puff” is .

What causes wind puffs?

Regarding type A) described above (accute injury), please speak to your vet, especially if the swelling occurs suddenly and is accompanied by other symptoms like lameness. We will only talk about type B) here, which is usually caused by old injury to the fetlock joint or digital flexor tendon sheaths, years of  hard work and stress to this anatomical structure, for instance to work on hard surfaces (police horses, for example), often combined with a lack of turnout. In this case, the swelling will tend to become chronic even long after the original injury is healed.

What you can do to minimize unsightly wind puffs:

Even though it is assumed that there is no discomfort in “type B)”, you may feel the need to reduce the swelling and help your horse look as good as he feels.

Every Day: Simply allow your horse to get as much turnout as possible. Standing in a stall will exacerbate the problem. If this is not possible – for instance due to weather conditions such as Blizzard etc. – allow your horse to get sufficient daily exercise, preferably free lunging, in an indoor arena.

Before a show: Start to cold-hose the fetlocks a few days before the show and gently bandage the legs at night after applying an ointment containing Horse Chestnut Extract. (I like this product, but do not endorse it or guarantee it’s efficacy or suitability for your purpose http://www.smallflower.com/klinge/venostasin-creme-50g-cream-12798)

A note about chronic wind puffs: Some types of chronic wind puffs can harden and then again become the cause for certain problems. While this is rare, you will want to address this question with your vet, if you feel that your horse’s wind puffs have been hardening over time.

Most of all: Don’t worry. If your vet says, there is nothing to worry about, you can be sure it’s more of a cosmetic problem.

[I do not currently have a good photograph of a horse with wind puffs. Please feel free to submit one to stef@reinholdshorsewellness.com , thank you.]

Stefanie and Paladin

We all know the saying “When the student is ready, the teacher shows up” (or something like that…). Since I am past the youthful state of ignorance where I saw life as a sheer endless road ahead and teachers wore 1960′s glasses, suspenders or pencil skirts, I came to the realization that teachers can show up at any time and in any given shape. If you’re lucky, you recognize them and actually learn something.

One of those teachers turned out to be my horse Paladin. I obtained Paladin, then Yankee, in February 2007 from a rescue organization specializing in off-the-track Standardbreds. Gorgeous, lanky, spirited and not really warm and fuzzy with people, Yankee had been through several adoptive homes and was now back in the program. Upon first meeting, he gave my brought-along apple a disgusted look (later I learned that carrots are more to his liking) and showed me his hiney, walking away from me with, what seemed, a clear attitude of disdain. “I’ll take him!” I exclaimed. Not really knowing why … – and that as one ‘ass’ recognizes another, I had spotted a fellow adrenalin addict and he was mine!

My horse Paladin, a typical "Wood Horse"

Fast forward through a journey of trial and error (What do you mean this horse doesn’t tie?), confusion and self-doubt (What the heck was I, as a rusty horse person, thinking to get this horse?) and ultimate reward after some hard earned successes (This horse is the best, we are attached at the hip!) and to a point in time, where I was stuck in a rut and didn’t know it.

[Side-note: Carrie Cameron, who travelled the country for a long time with Doris Halstead (mother of myofascial release for horses, in my view) and worked on horses with her, later co-authored a book with Doris (Release the Potential), when asked about the possible reasons for my history of recurring head-injury said something like: "The universe is going to knock you in the head until you get it!" "Get what?" "Whatever it is you are supposed to get."]

On November 4th, 2010 Yankee – in a clear act of defiance – let his adrenalin take over and – instead of simply making a defiant gesture – kicked me in the face and knocked me out while we were working in the round pen, doing things we had done hundreds of times before. So I thought, until I saw the video (yes, it was on video…).

What I saw was a woman on an adrenalin high, who had an impatient hissy-fit because her horse did not ‘perform’ the way he usually does or was expected to do. His wrong-doing: He went for a tasty nibble of gras. He answered me with the same energy and attitude I approached him with at that moment: Impatience and unproportionate assertiveness.

What can you learn from a kick in the face?

Lesson 1: Know the horse in front of you.
Horses aren’t pets. They are sensitive, powerful and very reactive creatures with memories like elephants. The difference in their personalities astounds me every day. I knew my horse well. He is – according to the very worthwhile Horse Harmony Temperament Test by Madalyn Ward, DVM – a “Wood Horse”: athletic, competitive and plenty of resistance and attitude. Or like one trainer put it, after having spent two afternoons with my horse: “This horse will ask you every time you show up: Who’s the boss today?”  So if I could rewrite this moment, I’d take a deep breath, take a step back and start over.
Lesson learned: Take a good look at your horse and consider his nature in everything you do with him. Always work ‘with the horse that shows up’, not the horse your horse was yesterday or last week. He may feel off, too, and may have his reasons.

Lesson 2: Consider the horse first.
This is a principle I have held dear, especially in my bodywork with horses. At that moment in time, however, I was overwhelmed with my own agenda, with someone else’s (perceived) expectations (the person with the video camera) and a ticking clock (THROW THAT AWAY, when with horses!!).
Lesson learned: Always, always put yourself in the horse’s shoes first. If your horse is ok, you will be ok.

Lesson 3: There is always tomorrow. (God willing)
OK, so there is the “Agenda”, which is always the human’s agenda, and then there is the “Horse”. Horses don’t have agendas. If you cannot let go of your agenda, go and play backgammon, don’t spend an afternoon with horses. Rather come back tomorrow with a clear mind, without a clock and without an agenda. You may be surprised what you will accomplish, effortlessly and in harmony.
Lesson learned: Whatever can be accomplished at any given day, needs to be accomplished within the parameters determined by the horse’s ability. If you can’t let go of expectations, come back another day. It’s safer.

Lesson 4: Change happens.
After this accident, which left me injured but feeling fortunate in view of what could have happened, I went through phases of sadness, fear, anger and despondence. What hurt me most was that my horse was more traumatized than I was by this incident. When all I was left with was a lingering feeling of shame, my horse still did not let me near him 2 months later. Came February, he would not let the vet near him for spring shots. I was convinced that I had to let him go. Only when I gave him and myself a chance to make a change (starting with myself), I could regain his trust and we are now – once again – “attached at the hip”.
Lesson learned: Look at yourself and at your horse and know that your and your horses “Best Self” is somewhere in there. Give yourself the chance to bring it out and start with YOU! Change happens!

Lesson 5: And last not least: Do-Be-Do-Be-Do!
At the time right before the accident, I had just come back from Germany, where we had taken photographs for Jim Masterson’s book “Beyond Horse Massage“, which I co-authored, was writing, working on horses, doing translations, setting up a web-store, etc. etc. etc., all feeding into my 16-hour/day adrenalin-driven lifestyle. As someone rightly put it: We are human be-ings, not human do-ings! Abandon that 20th century mode (we are in the 21st now…) of Do-Do-Do-Do-Do and let your motto be: Do-Be-Do-Be-Do!
Lesson learned: Take Five (or even ten!)!

My Paladin and I

And about my Paladin: I gave him a new name to better reflect his personality: Paladin. He is always ready for battle and quickly puts on his armor and pulls his sword. This is a horse you don’t battle with, but rather enthuse him for your ideas. But when the day is done and he got nothing but respect, fairness and clear messages, he’s the sweet sensitive guy, who is in a state of bliss when you brush him nicely.

Well, you may say: “Oh, I knew all that. Where has she been? Surely don’t need to get kicked to figure this out.” And I say: “Daahhlink, had you asked me on November 3, 2010, whether I knew all this, I would have said ‘sure I do!’. The point is to internalize and remember it when it counts…”.

It doesn’t always take a ‘kick’ to learn your lesson. With a little bit more openness and a humble, relaxed attitude, you can spot the lessons and the teachers without the big wake-up call. Hope you are getting a little something out of me sharing my experience.

Enjoy your horse!

Carrot Stretches make us happy!

While some owners or trainers are interested in learning the basic techniques of the Masterson Method™ after seeing real-time improvements in their horse’s range of motion during the bodywork, others would like to do something a little more ‘low tech’ to help their horse stay supple in between.

Active stretching with a bait – also called ‘Carrot Stretches’ – are a great way of enabling your horse to loosen up and gain or retain range of motions, even into old age!

Furthermore, it increases your popularity with your horse!

An Important Difference: Active vs. Passive Stretching with Horses

What are active stretches?

Active Stretches are exercises where the horse is encouraged – via bait, such as a carrot - to stretch as far as his abilities allow. He may increase the stretch or go beyond of what he thought he could do, but will never overstretch beyond the abilities of his soft tissue, such as muscles and ligaments. Therefore, active stretching – where the horse determines the amount of stretch – is a ‘no harm’, riskless and fun way to get your horse into that nimble state we so much desire.

What are passive stretches?

Passive Stretches are exercises where the horse’s handler determines the amount of stretch and the horse passively goes along. We have all seen publications where horses’ limbs are stretched out at a 90˚ angle to the front… The temptation to see our horse perform these types of exercises is great. We need to remember, however, that these passive  types of stretches can easily be overdone and cause damage to soft tissue such as muscle fibers or ligaments, if performed on cold muscles or on an overly compliant horse, who will not express his discomfort. These types of stretches are best performed persons who have received hands-on training and have obtained the necessary background knowledge (contraindications, anatomy, etc.) in order to do no harm.

How to Perform Basic Carrot Stretches

The principle is easy: You hold out the bait and the horse reaches for it. A carrot is the preferred bait, since it’s long and will save you a finger or two, if a misunderstanding arises regarding the exact measurement of the bait…  To be completely on the safe side, you may want to wear gloves and use a disposable cup cover to protect your hand, if needed. (You know, the type you get at the fast food place, simply stick carrot through straw hole…)

What is the purpose: The purpose of the bait stretches is to encourage your horse to move through his full range of motion in the direction that you are setting in the respective exercise. This means, that your horse experiences his full range of motion, how far he actually can move his neck around, for example, without exerting force or creating resistance, which is often the case when we use tack to encourage the horse to bend. Horses, just as humans, often never use their full range of motion for anything. Doing so re-educates the body and mind, lets muscles relax and releases long-standing tension. And, just as in humans (we are all made of the same stuff…), the more frequently you perform these stretches, the more nimble your horse will be.

Basic Carrot Stretch Exercises

1. To the shoulder/elbow

Benefits: Loosens up head/neck and neck/shoulder  junctions, increases flexibility in vertebrae of the neck by loosening up surrounding muscles

2. To the hip around you

To the hip around handler

Benefits: Loosens up neck/shoulder junction, increases flexibility in vertebrae of the neck by loosening up surrounding muscles, stretches the bracchiocephalicus muscle and thus aids in developing range of motion in the front limb, good stretch for rib cage and shoulder

3. To the girth line

To the girth line

Benefits: Opens/releases head neck junction, nice stretch for ligaments of the top line

4. To the front down

To the front down

Benefites: Stretches/releases tension in ligaments of the top line

5. To the outside of the front hoof

To the outside of the front hoof

Benefits: nice stretch for shoulder and neck

There are quite a few more you may incorporate into your daily routine.

When Should You Perform Carrot Stretches with Your Horse?

Personally, I like to perform carrot stretches as a routine right after grooming. I feel that this is an added ‘quality time’ that adds value to our rewarding and happy grooming routine. You can do these stretches on cold or warm muscles, no harm will be done, as the horse determines the amount of stretch.

Stall-bound horses in rehab can also benefit. Check with your vet to be sure your horse is ready for these types of exercises!

What if I don’t like to feed my horses ‘treats’?

It is understandable, that some of us may prefer not to feed our horse treats for training reasons. On the other hand, a ‘food reward’ has been proven to be a highly motivating factor in horse behavior. If you manage to set the rules straight (e. g. : You only get the carrot after the correct stretch, no treats outside of exercises!) your horse will be intelligent enough to understand it. Consistency is the key.

I’d be interested to hear about your experiences with carrot stretches. Please do drop me a line to stef@reinholdshorsewellness.com or comment below.

Enjoy your horse!

Stefanie Reinhold

www.reinholdshorsewellness.com

Gigantic straw bales - wouldn't this be fund to climb?

On day one of our photo shoot, with enthusiastic photographer Marcus Brauer in tow, I could not wait to get my hands on a pitch fork and turn a straw bedded stall into a comfy and cozy horse den. I admit, I find this fun.

In America, we mostly use shavings. To me, cleaning a stall with shavings is no fun at all. (I heard the same about straw bedded stalls from Americans…). But apart from personal preferences, what are the real advantages and disadvantages? I did a little soul searching and research, put my sentimental preferences aside, and came up with this brief comparison:

STRAW BEDDING

A comfortable straw bedding

What is straw bedding? Straw is a byproduct of the production of rye, wheat, oats or barley. The dried stems are bundled together just like hay. Oat straw is most absorbent, rye straw is the least desirable, since it may contain elements that when ingested can cause choking. (!)

Advantages

Straw is usually readily available, natural, compostable and dust-free. When proper techniques are applied – one usually distinguishes between a ‘mattress technique’ and ‘frequent change technique’ – it is a clean and comfortable, dust-free environment for the horse. It provides soft bedding that is easy on the horse’s anatomy as it stands and rests or lies down. Horses also like to nibble on the clean roughage. If done properly and maintained well, straw bedding provides horses with a physically and mentally comfortable environment. Horses can shuffle it around and create uneven surfaces, which provide mental stimulation and comfort. It is not treated with chemicals, does not give off odors and is easily composted.

What to look out for

Straw bedding is more labor intensive than some other types of bedding. It does not absorb urine as well as some other types and therefore requires a stall floor that is ideally of cobble or cement with a run-off.  The so called mattress technique, where a thick layer is build up over time and cleaned out entirely periodically, requires knowledge and skill, otherwise it starts smelling unpleasantly. If you choose to clean out daily, you need to remove all urine soaked straw and droppings, cover the ground with the remaining straw and put fresh straw on top, every day. Once you get the hang of it, it’s quite easy, but still takes some effort.

If improperly dried straw can – just like hay – be a host for mold. When purchasing straw, look out for high quality and clean bales. Break bales open to check for mold.

WOOD SHAVINGS

Horse stall bedded with wood shavings

What are wood shavings? Wood shavings are byproducts of wood manufacturing of any kind. They usually consist of several types of wood. We must distinguish between wood shavings from a bedding manufacturer and shavings you can purchase from a mill. We also must distinguish between the coarser wood shavings and the fine saw dust. (See below)

Advantages

Stall bedding with wood shavings is usually less labor intensive than straw. Due to its better absorption qualities, you can simply clean out the wet spots and droppings and sprinkle in new shavings. No special skill or technique required and due to lesser consumption volume, the cost of shavings is usually the same as straw, even though the cost per bale may be more. Shavings don’t require large storage spaces for the same reason. It’s usually relatively dust and mold free, if kept properly and dry. If a sufficiently thick layer is used, the horse will be able to shuffle wood shavings around and create comfortable spaces for himself.

What to look out for

You should purchase wood shavings from a special manufacturer of horse bedding. Wood shavings from a mill can contain harmful woods (black walnut, for example), mold, bacteria and micro-organisms from dead wood that are harmful to horses. In other words: buying from a mill is cheap, but you don’t know what you get! A stall bedded with wood shavings needs to be kept impeccably clean. Unlike with straw, where urine is not completely absorbed and travels to the bottom, wood shavings will soak up the urine and provide a wet and uncomfortable environment for the horse, if not cleaned at least once a day. Wood shavings, contrary to straw, do not provide a source of roughage for your horse.

OTHER TYPES OF STALL BEDDING

There are numerous types of stall bedding around, anything from paper shreds to wood pellets and saw dust. I do not want to get into the comparison between all of these types of bedding, since I don’t have sufficient experience in their use. However, a word of caution about SAW DUST: Saw dust has become a popular bedding due to it’s ease of use, cost effectiveness and absorption qualities. However, due to it’s physical make-up it provides a number of potential health risk and low physical and mental comfort for the horse. Horses like to shuffle their bedding. Saw dust is then floating in the air and the horses breathes the saw dust. Add to that harmful chemicals or undesirable types of wood and you are pre-programming your horse for respiratory and other health problems.

CONCLUSION

Whatever type of bedding your yourself prefer for practical or economical reasons, consider your horse first! Try to see the issue from the horse’s point of view, not from your own. Health, mental and physical comfort of the horse are more important than a clean coat or blanket. No matter what your choice of bedding, pay attention to quality. The hidden dangers in low quality bedding are not worth the savings.

Happy mucking and enjoy your horse!

Visual symmetry check on a senior draft horse

In horses, however, many of us don’t give symmetry a lot of thought. Yes, we know we should ‘straighten the crooked horse’ and that our horse has one ‘good side’ and a ‘bad side’, but are we really paying enough attention to the implications of asymmetry in horses in our everyday activities? Let’s take a closer look.

Asymmetry as a CAUSE for performance issues in horses: As the horse is a quadruped, we need to look at asymmetry in consideration of the nature of the biomechanics of a quadruped.  Generally speaking, this means that any irregularity I find, I will want to connect with anything I find in the diagonal. Example: A horse has difficulty picking up the right lead. Due to the fact that the vet issues a clean bill of health, I suspect the horse has a biomechanical issue, an asymmetry or muscular tension that prevent him from using himself efficiently. During the course of several bodywork sessions (Masterson Method™), I discover that my horse’s spine seems permanently bent slightly more to the left. The right shoulder is bigger and the right hind is restricted. Through bodywork and proper gymnasticizing, the horse soon gains muscular comfort and starts picking up the right lead without further ado. However, since I became aware of my horse’s limitations, I now know what type of maintenance he needs in order to stay sound and performing at his best. This is a typical case for asymmetry as the CAUSE for performance issues. These types of issues are often addressed as training problems, causing the horse suffering and grief and the owner and trainer a never ending source of frustration.

Asymmetries as secondary issues, caused by other physical irregularities: This is a very familiar topic for many folks who have an anatomical asymmetry, which then leads to other issues. Example (human): A person with one shorter leg (physical irregularity), who  is unaware that one leg is shorter, may try to alleviate a crooked, painful back (asymmetry as secondary issue) for years, until the underlying issue – a slightly shorter leg – is discovered and treated. The same thing applies to horses: Horses can display asymmetries that are noticeable to the beholder that are not the root cause of their performance issues, but rather a symptom for another underlying problem.

Bodywork can often provide clues regarding a horse's asymmetry

This is where the example of the “Mini-Shank” comes in! No, I don’t eat Minis, any horse meat at all, actually, and not much meat in general, but I had so much fun handling this Minis leg, that I could not simply call it a ‘leg’, it became a ‘shank’.

The Mystery of the “Mini-Shank”

A few months ago I was up in Rosholt, working on horses at St. Francis Horse Rescue and Retirement home. Mary Hetzel, Director and full-time ‘Mom’ to over 30 horses, introduced me to Rosie, a 12-year old Mini mare, who was in foal with her 10^th foal and had recently been rescued out of a less than ideal situation. The mare showed an irregular gate and hopped a bit when speeding up, which had led the vet to suspect a locking stifle, at first glance. Rosie’s hip on the left was severely dropped (asymmetry) and her spine looked torqued. Her left gluteals were rock-hard and smaller than the right (asymmetry) and she looked quite ‘crooked’ in the hind end.

I embarked on my first Masterson Method™ bodywork session with a Mini ever and soon came to the conclusion (during the exercise ‘pelvic drop to the front’) that her left hind leg must be shorter than her right hind leg (underlying cause for the symptom of asymmetry). Mary soon after measured the legs hip to toe and found the left hind to be an entire inch shorter than the right! For a mini with leg length of under 30” that’s quite a bit!

You can see a short video of this exploration here: WATCH VIDEO “DISCOVERING ASYMMETRY IN A MINI HORSE”

What’s my point?

Asymmetry, whether as a cause for secondary issues or as a symptom of other underlying problems, must be assessed on an individual horse by horse (or mini…) basis. EVERY human and EVERY horse is slightly asymmetrical. Exploring and knowing your horse’s body like ‘the back of your hand’ will help you help him along, whatever his situation, physical make-up or training level.

Just like you know which is your weaker or stronger eye, bigger or smaller foot or longer or shorter leg, you should know your horse’s asymmetries. It will help you do the right thing for your horse and help you help him stay well.

One way to get in tune with your horse’s body and help him feel and perform his best, is to practice Integrated Equine Performance Bodywork™ (Masterson Method™), which is also a great ‘fact finding’ tool when it comes to your horse’s anatomical asymmetry. For a class schedule and more information (also about hosting a weekend seminar) please visit Jim Masterson’s website.

Be well and enjoy your horse!

Stefanie Reinhold

www.reinholdshorsewellness.com



Or is there?

good results with elbow grease

My Yankermeister enjoying his grooming

Let’s just rethink and take a brief trip through time. When I got started in horses in the 1970′s and groomed 5-10 horses every day plus show grooming on weekends, there were two elements that determined how shiny and well groomed your horse would look: your determination and elbow grease and a good quality brush. The End. (Not) Admittedly, there is also a certain level of technique and skill that – while easily learned – is key to getting it right.

How to groom your horse to shine – chemical free – in 4 easy steps:

Grooming a horse includes more than just the coat, but for the purpose of this article, we’ll leave out the topics of hoof care, ear cleaning, nostrils etc. and just focus on the coat. When I talk about shine, please keep in mind that shine very much depends on the color of the individual horse. A dark bay or black horse can look real glossy, a white or grey horse will shine in a more subtle kind of way. Shine is the hair’s ability to reflect light. This can become very obvious when the horse moves and is harder to show on a static image.  So, let’s get started:

Step 1 – Currying

A word of caution: Throw out your plastic or metal curry combs and replace with a good quality rubber massage curry and a cheaper regular rubber curry. Plastic curry combs can create micro abrasions on the hair, strip the hair of it’s natural oil coating (loosing that shine right there!), create micro scratches on your horse’s skin which leave him prone to skin infections and damage hair follicles. So, out with that cheap plastic curry at once! Metal curries are unsuitable to rub a horse’s sensitive skin and hair for the same reason. There is never a good reason to use either one of these monstrosities of grooming tools.

A massage curry increases the blood circulation of the skin, helps relax the tiny erector muscles that are connected to each hair follicle (aha! relaxes muscle = flat hair = shine…) and brings dirt and debris up from the skin in a gentle way.

relaxing the hair erector muscles enables hair to lay flat, meaning a shiny coat

You can be sure not to do any damage, even when used around bony landmarks like points of hip or hocks.

Currying Action

How it’s done: Start behind the poll and curry your horse in a circular motion from head over chest, shoulder, back, belly, hind end to hocks. Don’t work the curry from knee or hock down. We’ll get to that later. Do this on both sides of the horse. Your goal: Massage the skin and bring up all the dirt and move it to the surface.

Step 2 – Flicking:

Flicking is a sort of sweeping hand motion in short strokes to further bring up more dust, debris and dander from the horse’s skin up to the surface of the coat. It also serves to distribute the oils on the skin over the hair (shine alert!). In order to perform this flicking action properly, you need a proper flicking brush. This is a medium stiff brush made of NATURAL materials that does not bind the oils to the brush, but rather distributes them evenly. A synthetic brush will bind the oils to the brush, which then in turn bind dirt to the brush which you then reapply to your horse. (Defeating the purpose of grooming.) Synthetic brushes should be called ‘Anti Shine Brushes’ for this reason. Cheap plant based brushes will not flick properly. After some time of using them you will find the bristles bent to one side, making it impossible to perform the flicking action.

How it’s done: Start behind the poll and brush the horse’s coat in the direction of it’s growth in a flicking motion in short strokes. This is a movement that resembles the type of sweeping you’d do with a corn broom. Remember, you are trying to bring up dirt and debris and distribute oils. See how the bristles of the brush in the picture flick elastically? That’s what you are looking for. Brush the whole horse this way on both sides. If desired, follow up with a second brushing with longer strokes, but still flicking. Your goal: bring up more dust, debris and dander from the horse’s skin up to the surface of the coat and distribute the oils on the skin over the hair coat.

Important: This is where your regular rubber curry comes in! After every two or three strokes clean the flicking brush on the rubber curry. Every couple of times knock your rubber curry against the wall or ground and see the dirt fall out! You will not want this dirt to remain in your brush, otherwise you’ll just reapply it to your horse. When finished flicking, thoroughly sweep the brush against the rubber curry several times to clean the brush before putting it away. Make this a habit and you will keep your brush nice and your horse happy!

Step 3 – Brushing:

After you thoroughly curried and ‘flicked’, you are now ready to brush off the dirt and debris you lifted to the surface with a good softer brush. A real horse brush is a natural bristle brush with a high bristle density. These brushes are usually made of horse hair. Cheap horse hair brushes are not only much too soft, too loose and not durable enough. Horse hair used to be a precious raw material and I think it should stay that way and not be treated as a ‘throw away’ material.  Cheap brushes that need to be replaced often, also contribute to a ‘throw away’ attitude towards the animals that provide this precious material: horses. When I buy a horse hair brush I am aware that it comes from a horse and I want it to last for a very long time, not wanting to fuel a demand for horse hair.

How it’s done: Move in the same direction as with the flicking brush, always with the direction of growth. Here you don’t need to flick, but work in even, long strokes to remove all surfaced dirt from the coat. Clean the brush against the rubber curry every couple of strokes! This is very important, you don’t want to reapply the dirt to a different area of your horse’s body. Give the horse a second brushing with this brush, if needed.

Brushing the dirt out

Step 4 – Bring on the Shine (and not the Magic…)

By now you should have a reasonably clean and good looking horse with some shine to it. You will now want to take it up a notch. My favorite tool to remove fine dust particles and smooth the hair is a soft, large goat hair brush, followed by a cloth diaper or a lambskin mitten such as the ones used for washing cars.

How it’s done: Again, work in the direction of hair growth. Your goal is to move all fine dust off the surface of the horse’s coat and smoothen the hair flat. Brush the entire horse, several times if needed, with the goat hair brush. Then follow up by wiping with a good amount of pressure in the direction of hair growth, either with a cloth diaper or a lambskin mitten.

Last Step: Stand Back and Enjoy!

Shiny and ready to go!

A note regarding face and legs: I use all steps on the face, except currying.  I don’t know one horse that would mind being brushed in the face with a medium stiff brush, if you do it carefully, especially around eyes and muzzle and move with the direction of hair growth. On the legs, I don’t use a curry, but rather a stiff leg brush (NOT a synthetic material, which can be harsh and scratchy!).

brushing the leg with a leg brush

About shampooing and applying chemicals:

Your horse has a natural skin protectant, natural oils that keep his skin soft and moisturized, protected from micro organisms and the hair shiny. Don’t remove these oils by shampooing your horse just to reapply them artificially with moisturizers and shine sprays. Less is more. Nature provided all your horse needs. If you need your horse to shine and look his best for a show, for instance, make it a habit to groom him regularly and you will find it easy to create that extra shine before the show. Only shampoo mane and tail and hose off the horse’s body with clear water, if needed.

About grooming tools:

After reading this article, you may suspect that I had suffered a fair amount of frustration with the grooming tools available in most tack stores. In my search for better brushes, I came across Borstiq(tm) brushes, which are made by a small company in Sweden. In short: I requested samples, tested for almost a year and now offer these brushes for sale on my website. When comparing prices online you will notice that my prices are lower than the prices these brushes retail for in Europe. I’d simply like to make these brushes available to US horse lovers and hope you’ll love them as much as I do. Learn more about Borstiq(tm) brushes here and email me with any questions.

Enjoy your horse and happy grooming!

Stefanie Reinhold

Outdoor Arena in Willich

My excitement grew when I found out I was welcome to attend a training session of the ‘Landesreiterstaffel’ on Tuesday 3/9. The troop is renting space in a wonderful old equestrian property about a ½ hour drive from Düsseldorf. Two police Sergeants in charge were helpful to show me around and answer all questions I could think of. It soon became clear that this troop faces extreme challenges and horse and rider fitness are of special importance.

A mounted police officer modeling protective gear

Mounted police in Germany face different challenges in comparison to the US officers (at least in Madison) on horse back. In Germany, the average mounted police officer carries a short rubber stick as a weapon. Guns are not always carried and the laws governing the use of such guns are much different from US laws. Crowd control takes on a different dimension where hooliganism and riots are an expected part of large soccer games and political protests. Civilians often come into close contact with horses and riders and riders must therefore wear respective protective gear. Protesters are savvy and come prepared to face the Mounted Police by throwing beach balls at horses or rolling barrels towards horses and riders. On duty, for example when large crowds of disgruntled fans of a losing soccer team must be controlled, burning garbage cans or gasoline fires must be expected.

German mounted police formation training

“Our police horses go through fire and paper walls,” Sergeant Gräfen explained, “we train them to tackle these obstacles by finding one horse that will do it, the others then follow quite easily.” Desensitizing is mostly done while mounted. Of course this is a matter of trust between rider and horse, a basic principle of the classic German cavalry guidelines, which form the basis of today’s FN-guidelines.

He shows materials used to construct obstacles, such as wooden frames with holes for tar torches and wall paper with brick design. A metal barrel filled with rocks, which is rolled towards the horses, is also part of the training equipment. Obstacles courses change during the weekly training sessions, which always incorporate a substantial warm up phase.

The training of horses and riders adheres to the classical German training scale as far as gymnasticizing and obedience is concerned. The riders also have seat lessons on the lunge, when needed and several officers are trained riding instructors. Riding theory and horse anatomy are routinely taught in the bright and friendly training room.

Officers learn riding theory and horse anatomy in the training room

 All officers are required to pass the ‘Reiterabzeichen’ (rider’s test required for participation in shows) in bronze. All horses and riders are at least trained to level 2 in dressage and jumping.

The times of Klaus Balkenhol, where police officers were competing in shows in uniform however, are over, according to Gräfen. “We just don’t have the time any more. There is too much work to do,” he says.

The big ‘Karneval’-Parades in Cologne and Düsseldorf are just behind them. This week, they are making plans for a large soccer game in Cologne, where riders and horses are hauled to protect feuding mobs of fans from each other and the general population from both and then off to the annual Kurdish protest event in Düsseldorf the next day, where 40,000 protesters are expected to flood the streets of a city with 500,000 inhabitants.

Not all jobs are so clear cut. When guarding the controversial rail transports of nuclear waste (so called ‘Castor Transporte’), the officers and horses are often on their feet and in the saddle 12-14 hours per day, facing the delicate task of having to remove protesters that are blocking the rails, expressing their concern about the safety of these transports. Gräfen admits: „After these type of deployments, the horses are exhausted and need a few days off in the pasture.“ When asked “How do you keep your horses from developing back and other soundness issues under these extreme conditions?”, Sargeant Gräfen explains readily with one word: “Gymnasticizing. Nothing works without proper daily exercise, especially suppling and relaxing exercises. The horse needs to work through the back and be supple in the poll.”

Equipment is a factor as well. The horses are ridden in Stübben “Country” saddles and Equitex pads. Here and there, the traditional ‘Woilach’, a folded military saddle blanket, is still used. One is moving away from the double bridle now and mostly rides in a snaffle bit.

Is the horse very tall or the rider short? (Answer: the horse is very tall!)

The psychological effect and resulting effectiveness of mounted police is also an important aspect. “When working neighborhoods and parks, the presence of horses alone can make all the difference. People are more likely to approach an officer on a horse than an officer on foot or in a car,” says Gräfen.

Many things sound familiar to me. In Madison, we don’t have protests with 40,000 participants and football fans do not routinely set garbage cans on fire and try to pull officers off the horse, but we, too, know the value of the mounted police officer in troubled neighborhoods, on less trodden paths in public parks or along the train tracks. Crime prevention, accessibility/friendliness factor and crowd control are the three biggest strengths of mounted units.

Surely we can learn a lot from each other and I hope we’ll keep in touch. A couple of our famous Madison Mounted baseball caps are already on their way to Germany…

The facility in Willich

And – this is my hope – maybe soccer will grow in popularity in the US, after all? Goooaaal!!!

By the way: There was sooo much more I learned about their training, but it’s just too much to squeeze into this article. Drop me a line, if you are interested or have your own mounted police training experience to share.

Be well!

German mounted police officer in full training gear in the tack room

Horse's crest indented by ill fitting winter blanket

A first sign that something is not quite right, is usually a slight indentation right in front of the withers, often coupled with hairloss, coldness to touch (lack of circulation) and possibly stiffness and soreness in the horse. It’s hard to put two and two together. We blanket our horse to keep him warm and protected from the elements and often don’t think that such a relatively light piece of equipment such as a blanket can do damage to our horse.

But indeed, most blankets – even though available in many different sizes – are still not customized enough to fit every horse. The blanket pulls down on the front edge and causes the so called ‘blanket-dip’.

What this means to the horse’s anatomy:

The blanket edge presses on the fatty tissue of the crest and the underlying nuchal ligament. The nuchal ligament starts at the poll and attaches at the withers, making it an elementary component of equine biomechanics. This ligament – together with the supraspinous ligament – serves as the ‘string’ in the ‘suspension bridge’ of the horse’s back.

nuchal ligament, image borrowed from http://www.scienceofmotion.com/documents/home.html

Dr. Gerd Heuschmann: “When the horse stretches his neck forward, the nuchal ligament is put in traction, pulling on the
withers’ spinous processes, causing them to rise. This effect extends all along the horse’s back – the traction is transmitted to the tendon-like supraspinous ligament, which, as a direct continuation of the nuchal ligament, connects all of the back’s
spinous processes.” And: “..it’s mainly the nuchal ligament that helps the horse lift his back by stretching it forward.”

Impeding or even damaging this important ligament can lead to anything from minor discomfort and restriction to major loss of soundness, requiring lengthy rehabilitation. Stiffness, choppy strides, disjointed movement can be first pointers that something is causing damage or restriction to this ligament.

If you are blanketing your horse, investigate carefully whether the blanket is restricting the nuchal ligament. If you find a dip, coldness to touch or loss of hair, you will want to make changes. Having a knowledgeable tailor make custom changes to your blanket or buying a blanket that has a different design, such as the “Rambo Wug” or “Rhino Wug” by Horseware Ireland may be a good idea, if your horse cannot go without blanket.

When looking at the horse, it’s good to develop that type of curiosity as well. Understanding how the horse works can help enable us to better understand what the horse needs, in order to do the job we ask him to do or – and this is a whole topic on its own – how we unintentionally prevent him from doing what we are asking our horse to do.

It’s always fascinating to me – in life in general – who is behind it all, who pulls the strings? One of those little ‘string pullers’ the equine (and human) anatomy cannot do without, is the psoas muscle or rather muscles. Before we get into where it is and how we can help it do its job well, let’s see what the psoas muscle does:

Have you ever asked your horse to

• Step under
• Round the back
• Lower the pelvis
• Brace the spine
• Develop impulsion

If you answer ‘yes’ to any of the above, you have had a direct request line to the psoas muscles. They pull the strings in all of the above. However, the tricky part is, you cannot see or feel them on the horse. There is no way to palpate them to see whether they are tense or hardened or reactive. Therefore, massaging  them for example, is not an option.

Dr. Joyce Harmann: “The psoas muscle flexes the hip joint; you cannot reach this muscle to treat it or massage it, because it is too deep within the body. “ (From Good Horse Keeping article)

Where exactly are these elusive psoas muscles located?

As Dr. Harmann describes “The psoas muscles [pronounced so-as] connects to the front of the femur and travels across the hip to the bottom of the ribs as far as the 14th thoracic vertebrae underneath the center of the rider’s seat.”

The psoas muscles are deep inside the horse's anatomy.

What happens when these muscles are rigid, permanently contracted, restricted?

• Horse has difficulty stepping under and rounding the back
• Horse develops rigidity in the back
• Horse loses impulsion
• Horse is unable or reluctant to lift hind leg for cleaning or for farrier
• Horse develops back pain
  “The psoas muscle in the hind end is a particularly important muscle in dealing with back pain.  A downward pull on this muscle … creates pain in the back directly under the rearmost area of the saddle.” (Dr. Joyce Harmann)

So we see from this very small glimpse at the complicated world of the equine psoas muscles, that they are incredibly important to the functionality of the horse’s anatomy and his ability to perform the tasks we ask of him.

What can we do to keep this muscle supple?

The first and foremost  aspect surely must be proper gymnastistizing. If this element is neglected, all other efforts will be rewarded by only temporary results. There are good books, DVDs and instruction available around the topic of gymnasticizing, from the classic “Gymnasium of the Horse” to books and videos by Klaus Ferndinand Hempfling, Mark Russell and others. I don’t want to present any gymnasticizing techniques in this article, but encourage you to explore the topic further.

The second aspect is eliminating everything that can impede the free range of motion of the horse, such as improperly fitting tack (especially ill fitting saddles), improper angles of limbs resulting from improper angles in the coffin bone due to inappropriate hoof trimming (see this article) and the influence of unbalanced riding.

Proper trimming and hoof care is also important, since a faulty angle can put a strain on the psoas muscles.

What to do, if the psoas muscles are restricted?

As Dr. Harmann explained above, massage is not an option, since one cannot reach these muscles deep inside the horse’s body. The only way to release tension there, is to have the horse actively release it. Jim Masterson, equine massage therapist for the US equestrian team (endurance),  has developed a bodywork technique that engages the horse’s help and cooperation in releasing tension in deeper junctions of the horse’s anatomy, such as the psoas muscles. This method of bodywork is called the Masterson Method™ (Integrated Equine Performance Bodywork™). Here, the practitioner or horse owner learns to engage the horse in a series of exercises, that release tensions deep inside the horse’s body.

Every time I teach a Masterson Method™ student how to release tension in the hind end, I see my son’s face when he used to figure out how things work. It’s one thing to read a book about it, it’s another to actually take the alarm clock apart! Feeling tension dissolve under your hands is an incredibly rewarding experience.

The equine body is a complicated machine, but the principals under which it operates and functions can be easily learned and so can techniques to restore suppleness and performance to horses that suffer from muscular restrictions.

The first step is curiosity to learn what it’s all about. I hope I could get you a little curious…

To learn more about Masterson Method™ or Hands-On Horse Mechanics™ seminars go here.