Year: 2020

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Riders: How to go bitless safely

Kieffer Kendra bitless bridle

Disclaimer: I’d like to caution this post by saying that not all horses can smoothly go bitless, just like not all horses do well with a bit. It can take time, patience, and work to get you and your horse comfortable together with new gear. For me, going bitless with my sensitive mare was the best decision I could have made. Only you and your trainer can judge whether you and your horse are ready for that journey and if it is right for you. 

Another thing to keep in mind: Any bitless option, in the wrong hands, can be just as harsh as any bit. Don’t think that by going bitless you are necessarily less harsh if you don’t take the time to learn how to use it properly. 

Advantages of going bitless

  • More relaxed forward horse 
  • Improved riding with your seat and aids instead of your hands 
  • Better communication with your horse 
  • Great alternative if a horse has any problems with the bit, either physical or psychological 

Disadvantages of going bitless

  • Going bitless can be just as expensive as trying to find the right bit for your horse
  • There are inherent dangers in going bitless too quickly or with the wrong foundations

The following steps may take you weeks, months, or years to go through to get your horse to go bitless safely. Take your time and make sure that your horse is calm and connected to you every step of the way. Do not skip a step! Get help if you need it!

This list below is inspired by Caroline Rider’s YouTube video and other sources cited at the end of this blog post. I really loved how Caroline Rider explained how to go bitless. The foundations she teaches and the relaxation required are exactly in line with my own training principles. However, I strongly recommend wearing a helmet at all times when riding a horse and keep in mind that there are other bitless options than then ones she mentioned.  

How to train your horse to go bitless

  1. Find the right bitless option to start and fit it properly. 
    1. Key things to keep in mind, side-pulls, hackamore, cross-under and bosals, all act differently and are fitted differently. Here is a link on how to fit each one. 
  2. Start in a confined area – Round pen or riding ring 
    • Groundwork
      1. Put on the bitless bridle or solution you’ve chosen without reins and let your horse walk off without you. Notice any signs of discomfort. This is your first queue to know if your horse is comfortable with the bitless solution you chose. 
      2. Add the reins and walk your horse around from the ground. 
      3. Show your horse what if feels like when the reins are used to go left and right. Make sure your horse yields to the pressure in a relaxed manner.  
      4. Show your horse what pulling up to a stop looks like using the reins. 
  3. Check your foundations 
    1. Mounting block – Your horse should be calm and responsive. You should be able to mount without having to hold back your horse or worry about it walking off without you. If your horse does this with a bit, you may want to start there and then work it again with your bitless option.  
    2. Contact – At a walk, work your horse within the appropriate contact for your bitless option. You may need a lot less contact than you are used to, so take your time. Make sure to maintain your horse’s attention while checking whether you can move forward and stop within a relaxed and calm frame.  
    3. Flexions 
      • Vertical – Put tension on the reins and release as soon as your horse relaxes calmly. 
      • Lateral – Work left and right carefully. Make sure to release as soon as your horse relaxes.  
    4. Back up – Much the same as the flexions. Ensure that your horse is again calm and relaxed. 
    5. Disengage the hind end – This is like disengaging your horse’s engine. It will keep you safe and ensure that you have brakes. Caroline Rider shows very well how to do this in her video. It’s important to drill this training aid into your horse and yourself so that if you ever have to stop quickly, you have that option.  
    6. Increase the pace very gradually. Only once you are both 100% comfortable with a gait should you progress to the next. 
  4. Enjoy a relaxing trail ride with your horse! Keep it short a few times without too much excitement.

Conclusion

In short, as much as I love bitless, it isn’t for everyone. Make sure to transition to bitless slowly and carefully to ensure your safety and your horse’s calm and relaxed connection to you. Most of all, enjoy it! 

Sources:  

Ready to go bitless?

Related Reading

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Myth: Horses are colour blind

As a horse lover fascinated by all the preconceptions and false information horse people pass on from one person to the next, I thought it would be fun to look into whether horses are colour blind or not. 

Are horses colour blind?

To answer the question, I sifted through these articles and studies and came out with a definitive conclusion.

Conclusion

Horses have dichromatic vision, two-colour vision. So they probably see the world similarly to people who suffer from red-green colour blindness. It means they see degrees of blue, yellow, and green, but likely do not see red very well. 

Image credit: Vision in horses: More than meets the eye by Neil Clarkson

Throughout the internet, horse owners have written anecdotes about how their horses react strongly to specific colours. It’s interesting to note that not one specific colour stands out, sometimes orange, yellow, or red. 

Does your horse react to a colour? Let me know in the comments!

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Review: HandsOn Grooming Gloves

HandsOn Grooming Gloves

As an owner of two horses living with the Canadian springtime mud, I’ve been looking for a solution to get the mud out of my horses’ coats without my hand cramping around a curry comb or exhausting my arm with a shedding blade.

Around the barn, I’d seen my barn friends use these gloves, but never got around to using them until now. Boy, do I wish I had bought them sooner!

Both horses gave my gloved hand a good sniff before letting me touch them with it. That’s okay. I rather give them the time to process. I tried them on my gelding first, as he typically loves to be groomed and he is a bid shredder too! He hadn’t been brushed in a while and was full of dried mud and unshed hair. I went to town with the HandsOn gloves and I was surprised how easy it was to get the grime out of his coat and how much he loved it. Using two hands, instead of one, made a huge difference! It took me less time than usual to get him clean and I was less tired by the end of it. I also used them on his legs and face unlike the traditional curry comb. The gloves stayed firmly in place and were comfortable to use. I also loved that removing the hair from the gloves was easy and didn’t require picking out hairs from a brush or comb.

My mare, who doesn’t like to be groomed, loved my scratching her pole with the gloves and enjoyed the shoulder and chest massage. She was happier with the gloves than the curry comb or the massage curry comb that I have for her. She had less fur to shed and was less dirty, but the gloves did their magic on her as well.

When I was done, I gently hand-washed the gloves and hung to dry. You don’t have to clean them every time. I did to see how easily they could be cleaned.

Once it warms up a bit, I look forward to using them to give my two horses a good bath. I’ll make sure to take a video of that.

In the meantime, here is the promotional video from HandsOn.

https://youtu.be/AXnDRH7o2DQ

To conclude, I recommend the HandsOn grooming gloves to level up your horse grooming routine or even to use on your other pets. Just make sure to buy different gloves for each pet for hygiene reasons!

Ready to buy? Click Shop below to order yours!

Grooming Gloves

Grooming Gloves

$35.99
Shop now
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A day in the life of…

a hobby farm owner, mother, freelancer and online tack shop owner during COVID-19

6:00 AM My 4-year-old son sneaks into the room and enthusiastically tackles and hugs his dad. I get punched in the face in the process. We go downstairs to let hubby sleep and hope that my son doesn’t wake up his sister on the way down. Throw a bowl of cereal together for him and start the coffee.

6:27 AM Clean up the mess of cereal just as my 2-year-old daughter wakes up. Rush upstairs to get her before she wakes up my hubby.

6:55 AM Both kids are fed and sitting down in front of Frozen 2. Finally take the first sip of my coffee and glance outside. The three horses in my paddock are giving me the eye. Ugh.

7:30 AM Hubby wakes up and comes downstairs and I dash outside to feed the horses. Get nickered at and told to move it.

7:40 AM Take another sip of coffee. It’s cold. Ew. Reheat/add more hot coffee and get to work in my office upstairs.

9:23 AM There’s noise outside my office window. The geldings playing with the water trough. Because it’s empty. Guess it’s time for a break. Go outside, run the hose to fill it and turn on the water. Set a timer and go back inside to work.

9:55 AM Take a sip of coffee. Cold. Eww. Wait. Didn’t I set a timer? Nope. It was never saved. Outside the boys are playing with the hose. The trough is empty. There’s water everywhere. Correction: There’s mud everywhere. Run outside to scold the boys and babysit the hose while it fills the water trough. The boys are still playing tag with each other. They clearly have too much energy because they haven’t been ridden due to self-isolation. My calm, peaceful mare watches the boys with disinterest.

11:05 AM Walk back inside the house, again. More coffee. My hubby tells me my desk phone has been ringing. That means a missed call from a customer. Shoot. Run upstairs and listen to the message. Nope. Not a customer. A scammer trying to sell me COVID-19 tests for the whole family. Right.

12:15 PM Feed kids, hubby and myself.

12:35 PM Kids go down for a nap. Hubby heads out to work and feeds horses on his way out.

1:00 PM Nap for me too. Sigh.

1:14 PM My son is making airplane noises in his room. Sigh. Stomp out of my warm bed and sternly whisper at him to sleep already. Crawl back into bed.

1:30 PM Toss and turn in bed. My brain is jumping from work, to strategies about my tack shop and lack of sales, to the horses who need to be trimmed this week, to my son’s upcoming birthday.

2:27 PM A door opens. My son stomps downstairs. Naptime is over. Shuffle out of bed and head downstairs to join him. He grumps at me. I make coffee.

2:45 PM My daughter wakes up happy and smiling. My son grumps at her.

3:00 PM Snack time and then outside. Coffee in a travel mug. The kids are happy to see the horses, yet stay far away. They are very big for little ones. Play outside and clean out the flower beds.

5:00 PM Feed the horses and head inside with the kidlings. Take a sip of coffee. Cold. Give up on it.

7:05 PM Survived making dinner and feeding the little terrors. Bath, book, bed. Then wine time.

8:05 PM Plop down on the couch, too exhausted to get wine. Pass the time on my phone for an hour. Nearly unhook my jaw with a yawn.

9:12 PM Crawl into bed and settle for the night. Toss and turn. Worry about all those who are sick, those who will get sick, my nurse/pharmacist/doctor friends and their families, worrying about our financial future, my husband who has to go into the office, my kids who don’t understand it all, my horses who aren’t being exercised as usual. Roll over. Worry about the toll this virus will take on all of us. Shift legs. Worry about the muddy paddock.

10:00 PM Get a glass of water. Crawl back into bed. Try a meditation app on my phone but it bugs 8 minutes in. Sleep finally claims me.

10:25 PM Hubby wakes me up as he comes in from feeding the horses. Rollback to sleep.

11:16 PM Hubby wakes me up as he crawls into bed.

2:37 AM My daughter wakes me up for water.

5:05 AM My son wakes me up because he wants his blankets put on him.

6:02 AM Get punched in the face.

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Quarantine: How to get your horse fix

Stuck at home and looking for your horse fix? This list has something for everyone, even though it isn’t quite the same as the real thing. Stay home, stay safe and healthy.

Watch a horse movie

  1. War Horse
  2. Seabiscuit
  3. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron – This was one of my favourite movies when I was a child. I would listen to the soundtrack all the time!
  4. Secretariat
  5. Hidalgo – A real tear-jerker!

Read a horse book

  1. Horses in translation by Sharon Wilsle – I’m currently reading this book. I love how the author explains things and the different queues.
  2. JOEY: HOW A BLIND RESCUE HORSE HELPED OTHERS LEARN TO SEE by Jennifer Bleakley
  3. 101 GROUND TRAINING EXERCISES FOR EVERY HORSE & HANDLER by Cherry Hill
  4. THE HORSE ENCYCLOPEDIA by Elwyn Hartley Edwards

Follow these equestrians on YouTube

  1. Harmony Horsemanship
  2. ZL Equestrian
  3. This Esme 

Or read these horse blogs

I hope this list helps you get your horse fix while staying at home. If you are looking for something to do, here’s a list of things to get you and your horse ready for summer that you can mostly do from home: Ultimate Equestrian Spring Cleaning List.

I’d love to hear from you! Join me on Facebook and let me know how you are doing.

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Ultimate Equestrian Spring Cleaning List

If you are in self-isolation or spending less time at the barn because of COVID-19, this list should help keep your mind off of it and get you and your horse ready for spring.

Tack

  1. Clean and condition tack thoroughly.
  2. Inspect for cracks and stretching and have any damage repaired. Replace tack as needed.
  3. Check your saddle’s fit or plan to have a saddle fitter come out when possible. 

Grooming kit

  1. Disinfect your brushes, especially your hoof pick, and brush box.
  2. Go through your horse products and throw out the very old/expired ones. 

Blankets

  1. Fix and wash your horse’s winter blankets.
  2. Pull out your rain sheets and inspect them for tears. Waterproof as needed.

Clothing

  1. Go through your riding clothes to see if they still fit or need to be replaced. 
  2. Clean your winter boots and prep them to put them away. Take your summer boots out and inspect them. 
  3. Check your helmet’s expiry or manufacture date. They should be replaced every 5 years or after a fall.

I hope this helps during this trying time. Let me know how far you get down the list.

If you are missing the barn conversation, feel free to join the conversation on Facebook.

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Equine Nutrition: Biotin

This is the third instalment of my series on Equine Nutrition. If you’ve missed the previous posts, here they are Vitamin E and Selenium.

As equestrians, we all want the best for our horses and part of that is understanding nutrition. As a horse and barn owner, I’ve always had an interest in digging deeper into recommendations from equine experts.

I examined these three articles to write this abridged article on biotin for horses. When you have a moment, I recommend you read through them, especially the one from Kentucky Equine Research (KER). 

Biotin Basics published by Kentucky Equine Research

Biotin: Does it work? By Stacey Oke, DMV, MSc

Should You Feed a Biotin Supplement? By Dr. Nerida Richards

Key notes on biotin in equines

  • Biotin, associated with vitamin B, is a nutrient that is only ingestible.
  • It is generally recognized as a great hoof supplement, especially in conjunction with copper and zinc.
  • To improve hoof health, add between 15 mg to 25 mg of biotin per day is needed.
  • Biotin can only improve new growth, not previous growth so you’ll see results in 8 to 15 months.
  • Biotin supplements have a shelf life of only 6 months and are expensive—buy only as much as you can use.
  • There have been no dangers found in overfeeding biotin.

What to do to improve hoof quality

  1. Reduce sugars—Look at your horse’s nutrition as a whole and reduce sugars.
  2. Evaluate current biotin and zinc levels—Look at your hay analysis and grain content.
  3. Add biotin (in combination with zinc and copper as needed)—Up to 25 mg.
  4. Review after at least 8 months—Check the hoof growth after 8 months for improvements but remember it can take up to 15 months. If no improvement, check with your vet. There are likely underlying factors that are inhibiting biotin absorption.

In closing, adding biotin to your horse’s diet can be beneficial for your horse’s hooves; however, evaluating your horse’s nutrition also needs to be done to ensure proper overall nutrition.

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Equine Nutrition: Selenium

This is the second post in my nutrition series. If you missed the first one on vitamin E, here it is.

As equestrians, we want the best for our horses and part of that is understanding nutrition. As a horse and barn owner, I’ve always had an interest in digging deeper into recommendations from equine experts.

This week, I read through these two articles and summarized their notes and recommendations below for you:

Keynotes on Selenium in Equines

  • Selenium, an essential nutrient that horses get from grazing, is an antioxidant. It is also used in Thyroid function, muscle function, and immune system. It can also help prevent certain forms of cancer.
  • The soil in North America is poor in selenium, so pastures are equally poor.
  • Horses who work hard, such as endurance mounts, may require additional selenium.
  • Selenium and vitamin E go hand-in-hand: deficiencies in Vitamin E or Selenium can be compensated for if the other is plentiful.
  • Supplemented selenium has a good absorption rate compared to others.
  • A total of 3 mg of selenium daily is enough for most horses
  • Selenium deficiency can be hard to identify if the horse receives enough vitamin E, early signs include work intolerance, poor hair coat, and early onset of problems related to ageing.

What to do

Evaluate current feed—Look at the selenium content in your hay and other feeds and grains, if they are at 3 mg, awesome!

If Selenium deficiency is suspected—contact your veterinarian to have a blood test done. With advice from your veterinarian, add a selenium supplement to your horse’s diet. Careful—Work with your veterinarian to calculate how much selenium is currently in the horse’s diet, forage and grains), then supplement. Too much selenium and selenium toxicity can happen fast and be deadly.

Conclusion

Selenium is an essential nutrient for horses in North America, so it should be supplemented and in cases of deficiency, consult your veterinarian.

Hungry for more? Here is the next post in the series Equine nutrition: Biotin.

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Equine Nutrition: Vitamin E

As equestrians, we all want the best for our equine partners and part of that is the nutrition equation. As a horse and barn owner, I’ve always wanted to dig deeper into the nutritional recommendations from industry experts. 

I dug into three articles written by experts and pulled out their key points and takeaways: The first article “When Do Horses Need Vitamin E?” by Clair Thunes, PhD, the second by one of my favourite sources KER “Understanding Vitamin E in Equine Diets,” and the third article titled “Why your horse needs vitamin E” by renowned rancher Heather Smith Thomas. 

I strongly encourage you to read these articles when you have time as they are dense in information and great resources. The quick and short version is below. 

Key Notes on Vitamin E in equines 

  • Vitamin E, a fat-soluble vitamin, functions as an antioxidant and helps maintain muscles, nerves, and immune cells. 
  • Horses can’t produce Vitamin E, so they typically get it through grazing.  
  • Experts recommend about 500 IU daily as a maintenance level for a 1,100-pound horse in light work. 
  • Signs of Vitamin E deficiency include “muscle soreness and stiffness and slower-than-expected recovery” (TheHorse.com). 
Photo by Free Nature Stock from Pexels

Key takeaways 

  • Supplement based on diet – Horses on an exclusive hay diet require additional Vitamin E 
  • Supplement based on conditions – Aging or underweight horses as well as horses with health conditions require additional Vitamin E. 
  • Keep an eye out for signs – When in doubt, a blood test can determine if there is a deficiency. 

To conclude, Vitamin E is an essential nutrient that may need to be supplemented based on your horse’s diet, age, underlying conditions, and work.  

Hungry for more? Here is the second post of the series: Equine Nutrition: Selenium.