by Douglas Spatz, President, EyeOn Equine Care

I had a discussion the other evening with a family member about the pros and cons of icing and was told it’s used to treat horse’s legs and is recommended by so many professionals. My response was “Ice does not reduce swelling; the lymphatic system does.” Actually, ice has been shown to reverse lymphatic drainage, causing backflow of fluid into the injured area and worsening edema . What is needed is anything that promotes circulation and movement of fluids that will help the lymphatic system do its job.

Icing damaged tissue does sometimes give temporary pain relief. However, it also delays healing, causes additional damage, increases swelling, and, perhaps most importantly, shuts off the nerve signals that alert you to which movements are harmful to your recovery process. Since “good movement” is an essential part of the healing process (and bad movement is harmful), you need (and want!) the feedback more than you need (want) a short-term distraction that ultimately makes your problem worse, not better.

Read more: Is Icing Still a Valid Treatment for Injuries?

by Bonnie Marlewski-Probert

There are two mantras I lived by when training horses fulltime:

“Never pick a fight unless you know you can win the battle and P.S. if you get into a physical fight with a horse, you will never win that battle.

Training horses is a thinking man’s sport. You don’t have to be the smartest guy in the world but you must always be smarter than the horse you are working with.” Bonnie Marlewski-Probert.

The four key elements that every successful trainer must have are:

1. Time. Anytime you attempt to train your horse without allowing plenty of time, the temptation to rush is sure to sabotage your progress and cost you more time in the long run,

2. Always have a Plan A and a Plan B. The trick to training horses successfully is to think through what you want to accomplish and get a plan A and a Plan B in your head as to how you are going to achieve that goal, just in case Plan A fails.

3. Patience. Rome wasn’t built in a day and I know of no horse or husband that was trained in a day! Sometimes, the greatest successes come inch by inch, day-by-day. Remember that as you train various elements of a new skill, those same elements will come into play in many more advanced moves so, by taking your time and focusing on teaching the elements of a larger maneuver, you are actually shortening the learning curve for more advanced moves that you will be training down the road. This is what I call “elemental training.” Teaching the elements and then putting them all together to create the new skill.

Read more: Must-Have Secret Training Tools

by Heather Wallace

Equestrian and Otherwise -This was easy for me to write but extremely difficult to share. My daughter insisted it would help others and was determined that I share her story. After all, she's that the kind of person. Cameron is special, as all children are in their own way. She is sassy, confident, and intelligent.

She also has cerebral palsy.

We don’t know when she had the stroke, or “brain bleed” as she calls it, but she was diagnosed at 18 months old. She met every developmental milestone and can do anything. The only difference is she has to work harder than others.

For those who are unfamiliar with cerebral palsy, here is an definition from the Cerebral Palsy Alliance:

“Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term that refers to a group of disorders affecting a person’s ability to move. It is due to damage to the developing brain either during pregnancy or shortly after birth.

Cerebral palsy affects people in different ways and can affect body movement, muscle control, muscle coordination, muscle tone, reflex, posture and balance. Although cerebral palsy is a permanent life-long condition, some of these signs of cerebral palsy can improve or worsen over time.”

There are many pediatric stroke survivors in the world, although it is rarely discussed. Cameron has never known a different life. While she may get frustrated at times, especially as she gets older, she is a fighter. Good luck to the person who tries to tell her what to do.

Read more: My Daughter is My Hero

by Anne Gage

Handing your horse's feet regularly is necessary for his health and wellbeing. But did you know that how well your horse behaves about having his feet handled is also a sign of how much he trusts you?

It takes a huge amount of trust for your horse to be relaxed while having a foot held. As a flight animal your horse's natural instinct is to resist having his feet restricted in any way.

If your horse won't let you handle his feet or behaves badly when you try, it is not only frustrating it can also be dangerous.

Follow these tips if you are nervous about handling your horse's feet or if your horse has any of these or similar behaviours:

• refuses to lift his foot
• slams his foot down as soon as you pick it up
• leans his weight on you when you pick up his foot
• rears, strikes or kicks when you try to pick up a foot or touch his leg

Read more: Horse Training: 7 Essential Steps for Safely Handling Your Horse's Feet

by Katja Bredlau-Morich

Kinesiology taping was developed by the Japanese chiropractor Dr. Kenzo Kase for use on the human body to support his chiropractic treatments. The exact date of development varies, somewhere between 1969, 1973, and 1979 depending on different sources. It obviously took some time from Kase’s first conception—through the prototype to the final production—which is probably why there are various dates of development. But it was certainly developed sometime in the mid-1970s. It was at the end of the 1980s that Japanese and Chinese athletes were first seen wearing these colorful tapes at athletic competition. During the 2008 Olympic Games, the use of kinesiology tape grew and athletes from other nations used it as well. Four years later, at the 2012 London Olympic Games, kinesiology taping was almost a common standard for athletes.

Read more: Kinesiology Taping for Horses—It’s a Thing!

by Jeff Cota

Proposed changes to the American Veterinary Medical Association’s (AVMA) Model Veterinary Practice Act would have wide-ranging ramifications for the farrier industry.

The most significant of the proposed revisions call for the elimination of the farrier exemption from the Model Veterinary Practice Act (MVPA). The proposed elimination of the exemption can be found in Section 6 – Exemptions, subsection 8, Page 17.

This section exempts farriers from Section 2 – Definitions, subsection 15 of the MVPA, which defines “Practice of veterinary medicine,” in part, as:

“1. To diagnose, prognose, treat, correct, change, alleviate, or prevent animal disease, illness, pain, deformity, defect, injury, or other physical, dental, or mental conditions by any method or mode; including the:

1. performance of any medical or surgical procedure, or
2. prescription, dispensing, administration, or application of any drug, medicine, biologic, apparatus, anesthetic, or other therapeutic or diagnostic substance, or
3. use of any complementary, alternative, and integrative therapies, or …
5. determination of the health, fitness, or soundness of an animal, or
6. rendering of advice or recommendation by any means including telephonic and other electronic communications with regard to any of the above.”

Read more: AVMA Proposes Elimination Of Farrier Exemption From Veterinary Practice Act

by Jonathan Field

Jonathan Field is known through the world for his liberty training and horsemanship skills. The subject of a documentary called “In Harmony with Horses” on Red Bull TV, his thoughtful approach helps people connect with and train horses of all breeds and disciplines.

Whether we want to play with a horse at liberty or develop a great riding horse, teaching him to be super confident and friendly with all kinds of objects, actions, and activities helps the relationship develop trust. A tame and trusting horse is one that has an open mind for you to teach. By nature, horses are skeptical. Knowing this, take time getting yours used to many different objects to build trust. Each object I train with has different texture, noise, and size. This builds confidence in my horse—he learns that there’s no need to worry about scary things when I’m there.

There are several keys to helping your horse be confident:

1. Let him move his feet. If he feels trapped when tied or confined, he may instinctively fight for freedom. Make sure while he moves it’s not moving his feet over you, though. Remember personal space! Even when he’s scared, that is still not up for a vote.

2. Don’t walk straight up to your horse. It’s predatory. Instead, approach him, then retreat, and repeat, getting incrementally closer each time.

Read more: The Keys to Building Confidence in Your Horse from a Master Liberty Trainer

Today’s Shagya, also called a Shagya-Arabian because of the heavy influence of Arabians on the breed, is a rare, but versatile sport horse equally at home at dressage, eventing, show jumping, hunting, endurance riding, harness, or pleasure riding.

The breed was started in 1789 when the Hungarian military set out to develop a new breed of horse that combined the very best of Bedouin Arabians: elegance, endurance, hardiness, athleticism, temperament, and devotion to their rider, but with larger size, jumping ability, and riding ease to master the rigors and versatility of a cavalry horse. The intent of the program was to develop a superior cavalry horse that was equally at home under saddle and in harness and that could be used to improve other breeds as well.

The breeding program started at the Imperial Stud at Babolna, Hungary. Desertbred Arabian stallions of the correct size and type were bred to carefully selected native southeastern European mares which in turn were largely descended from Arabian stock. Careful records were kept from the very outset, not just of the pedigree and size and performance of the individual horses, but of the breeding quality and performance of their offspring.

Read more: What is a Shagya-Arabian?