Innholdsfortegnelse for Summer 2025 i Equus

Protecting a horse’s respiratory health during transport can b e as easy as tying him with a longer lead rope. Trailer rides—especially long ones—can increase a horse’s susceptibility to illness, particularly pleuropneumonia (commonly called “shipping fever”). Previous studies have shown that this infection is associated with high levels of bacteria in the airways, and now r esearch from Japan links those high levels to tight restraint of a horse’s head during travel. For the study, six healthy Thoroughbreds were transported in a commercial six-horse tr ailer for 22 hours on two separate occasions, four weeks apart. On each trip, half the horses were tied with 20-inch ropes that prevented them from lowering their heads below the withers. The other half were tied with 37-inch ropes, which allowed those horses to…

Botulism is not contagious, but if one horse on a farm is diagnosed with the condition, you’ll want to take steps to protect the rest of the herd. “If you have a suspected case of botulism, check the other horses at least twice a day, especially if they have been eating the same feeds,” says Amy Johnson, DVM, DACVIM (LAIM & Neurology), of the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center. Even if other horses aren’t showing signs of botulism poisoning, you may still want to proceed as if they are. “In some outbreaks where all the horses have been eating the same feeds, veterinarians may take one of the treatment doses of antitoxin and split it among a few horses and treat them preventatively. They have eaten the same suspect…

Joyce Kramer developed the Equestrian Training Pyramid to reflect the areas where riders need supportive training. Each block is not an indication of a step to be mastered before advancing to the next step. Rather, it is a display of the interconnectivity of various aspects of the rider’s physical performance. Consider that a rider needs to constantly change which body parts are moving fluidly and which are stabilizing by holding still. You simply can’t know, establish, or feel the lack of movement (stability) in various body parts until you have experienced correct movement of those parts. The Equestrian Training Pyramid is used unmounted as well as mounted to help a rider fill in the gaps that are limiting elite performance.…

This can be done using a dressage test or obstacle course, as well as any jumping course. Step One: Center, ground and bring yourself to the present moment. Feel your pulse and listen to the sound of your breath. Step Two: Begin a walking meditation (in your ring, barnyard or hay field, for example) by allowing sounds, sights, smells, and emotions to enter your awareness, but then flow through you and away. Step Three: When your mind becomes active, simply allow those intruding thoughts to drift away. Step Four: Re-ground and recenter as needed.…

A concussion is generally defined as a mild traumatic brain injury caused by an impact that causes your head and brain to rock back and forth. This sudden movement can cause the brain to bounce around or even rotate within the skull, stretching and damaging the brain cells and creating chemical changes. This damage can make the brain more sensitive to increased stress or injury until it recovers, which generally takes time. Years ago, a head injury was classified as a concussion only if there was loss of consciousness. But in sports-related concussions, loss of consciousness only occurs 10 percent of the time. In most cases, concussions are not immediately lifethreatening, but it is important to understand the impact that any traumatic brain injury can have over time–especially if repeated.…

When a family faces a sudden loss, friends—and even friendly strangers—step up to help pick up the pieces. At the end of January 2025, Ximena Herriges-Dalsing received a call from Ashley Early. Early’s lifelong family friend had succumbed to cancer, and the family didn’t know what to do with the horses left behind. Being newer to horses herself, Early looked to the barn owner and operator where her niece takes lessons for insight. “I’ve never owned a horse, but I’ve always loved them,” Early shared. “My niece’s coach suggested Vindicate Horse Rescue & Training. They were amazing—I couldn’t have done this without them.” The eastern Washington winter didn’t make it easy to get the horses to their new temporary home at Northwest Trails in Deer Park. “We were in a…

Here are three common management situations that can set the stage for botulism poisoning, with tips on how to address them: ■ Improperly processed or preserved feed or forage. “Horses most commonly get botulism when they ingest the toxin in feed, usually forage,” says Amy Johnson, DVM, DACVIM (LAIM & Neurology), of the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center. A particular risk is posed by large bales of hay that were either harvested when too moist or stored improperly. If the inner parts of the bale spoil, this creates ideal conditions for botulism. Though less commonly fed to horses, silage or haylage can also pose a botulism risk if they are improperly processed or stored. ■ Hay or feed consumed from the ground. Botulism poisoning has also been reported in…

Life typically fluctuates from feeling harmonious and grand to being overwhelmed by stress or struggle. Milder emotions tend to be replaced by others with greater potency. It’s a bit of a roller coaster ride! When we don’t let go of our stress, it settles in the body. It is reflected in our breathing, our posture, our movements, our health and well-being, and our decision-making. It is in the energy we present to our horses. When we are stressed, our muscles put a chokehold on our bones. Typical places to store stress include the jaw, shoulders, neck, hips, belly and back. When we hold tension in a body part, our postural shape changes, and it often raises our center of gravity. Breathing then becomes shallow and orients toward the chest. Digestion…

You need a super quiet, tolerant horse, a bareback pad and an experienced helper to hold your horse (remain halted for this exercise). Step One: While steadying yourself with your hands, swing one leg forward over the horse’s neck (you will be sitting sideways), then swing the other leg over your horse’s hindquarters until you are facing your horse’s tail. Step Two: Bend forward from your hips and “melt” into your horse’s back line. Step Three: Remain quiet so you can feel your heartbeat and hear and feel your horse’s breathing. Notice any rhythmic or synchronized movements as you become one with your horse. If this version of the exercise is too much for your horse, you can get a similar effect while standing on the ground. Simply place your…

In foals, the primary botulism risk comes not from ingesting Clostridium botulinum toxin but the spores themselves. “It is suspected that the production of toxin occurs by way of germinating spores within the gastrointestinal tract following ingestion of spores when foals are nursing or nosing around on the ground,” says Sarah F. Colmer, VMD, DACVIM (LAIM), of the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center. The result is the toxico-infectious form of botulism, often called “shaker foal syndrome” because the predominant clinical signs include muscle trembling and weakness. “Foals often nibble on everything and may pick up spores from the soil, which can colonize in the intestines,” explains Amy Johnson, DVM, DACVIM (LAIM & Neurology), of the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center. “When they start colonizing and growing, the bacteria…

Joyce Kramer earned a BS in Animal Science from Cornell and a master’s degree in Agricultural Education from the University of New Hampshire. She has completed extensive coursework in Education and Special Education at the University of Vermont. Her educational background has informed her professional career teaching horseback riding, which now spans over 50 years and includes the direction of numerous learn-to-ride programs and summer camps throughout the Northeast. Kramer has also been a personal trainer certified through the American Council on Exercise for over a decade. She continues to passionately study the fields of movement, posture, biomechanics, somatics and mind-body techniques to further inform her innovative Stable Core Training program. Kramer regularly teaches her approach to students, including Grand Prix dressage riders and top-level eventers, in regions near her…

Step One: Exhale slowly through a real or imagined thin straw, making a small circular opening with your lips. Step Two: Next, inhale through your nose slowly and deeply. Pause at the top of the inhale, then repeat step one. Step Three: As you breathe in, visualize bright light and positive energy entering your lungs and traveling throughout your body. As you exhale, imagine your unwanted emotions and stress-provokers exiting. Step Four: To enhance oxygen intake, do this exercise with your hands…

It shouldn't be much of a surprise that, as a beauty professional, I’m also an avid horse groomer. I remember that when I first got my beloved horse Milly, someone told me the novelty of grooming would wear off. Well, it hasn’t. For me, grooming is one of the things I love most about having horses. It’s a relaxing activity we can do together, and a lovely way to build that bond of trust. I truly believe in the language of touch. We communicate so much of who we are, to them, through grooming. What’s more, the physical activity involved with grooming keeps us fit. Of course, grooming has many benefits for horses as well. Here are just a few: • Brushing stimulates blood flow for better skin and coat health. •…