Horses and Fear

It’s common to come across people with varying levels of fear regarding their horses. That fear can range from mild to severe and can affect training and competition. In some cases it prevents people from doing the one thing that they love most: ride. It may surprise you to know that I am not a risk taker or an adrenaline junkie. The only place where I have ever wanted to take risks is on the back of a horse. My parents have often expressed how surprised they are that I train and compete in cow horse competition because it goes against my nature. The fence work in competition is very fast and the turns are quick. I have had a couple of wrecks when horses have lost their footing and sustained many injuries during my career as a trainer, but have been fortunate to have never been critically injured. However, I know about fear.

I have experienced it up close and personal. About 6 years ago at a futurity, I watched a competitor I knew get killed during fence work. The memory is still vivid: the horse tangling feet with the cow and stalling mid-roll, feet in the air, its saddle in the middle of the rider’s back. I have not been able to erase that image from memory. For many years, there wasn’t a time I turned the corner to take a cow down the fence that it didn’t flash through my mind. It was a long road to getting over that fear. In the same year, another prominent cow horse trainer lost her life as she was slammed into a wall by a horse. It was a tough year for our industry. Most people’s fears are simpler than those extreme, specific examples, but it still boils down to fear of injury. The reality is that horseback riding is considered an extreme sport because horses are large and powerful. All horses are athletes by nature, and they are driven by flight or fight responses. Fear is nature’s way of protecting us from danger. It serves a very important purpose and shouldn’t be ignored. However, horses feed off of fear and when the rider/handler is fearful it makes things worse. 

The fear I often hear described stems from a lack of understanding and a fear of loss of control. These same people are all too often matched with a horse that is way out of their ability level. They also lack tools to approach problems logically and safely. They understand that trust is important, but they don’t know what that means, or how to find that bond with a horse. One of the things that helped me begin to overcome fear was to learn to trust my training and my horse. I realized I could feel confident in my ability to control or react to most situations. Fear of the unknown is something that can be remedied with time and experience. A tougher fear to overcome is that which comes after an accident. Even the most experienced horseperson can struggle to come back after a wreck as they discover they now lack confidence in a place where they once felt at home. 

In my line of work, I expect a certain amount of being beat up. I have been kicked, dragged, bucked off, fallen on, rolled over, bitten, and had a pitchfork kicked into my face. I have many portions of my body where there is literally no feeling. When I encounter a familiar situation where something negative happened, alarm bells go off in my head. Percentage-wise, for the number of rides I have put on horses over the years, I have been very fortunate. I believe that a lot of that is because I am a risk minimizer by nature and learned from each experience. “Alarm bells” are there to keep us safe; our education is there to tell us what to do to prevent or deter a situation. Some of you might be thinking of a terrifying memory or specific fear—realized or not—while reading this. It is foolish to think that you will never get a bruise from your horse, but I promise that if you truly can’t live without horses in your life there is a way to deal with fear.

Training Thru Trust: Starting the Performance Horse with Kade Mills

There is no arguing that a horse’s introduction to training, his start, is crucial. This is the time of year that 2- year-olds across the nation are beginning their journey to become show horses. I have strong beliefs about initial training and was thrilled to meet a guy who not only does a fantastic job of colt starting, but also clearly articulates that to an audience. I asked Kade Mills to talk to us about his program and approach to starting colts and this is what he had to say.

I think that having a solid philosophy is key to starting colts. A performance horse is no different than any other horse in the beginning. Any horse that is started properly will thrive based on his individual talents and abilities once he is put to a given
discipline. Many people believe every horse is different, others say a horse is a horse. I find most horses will fall in to two general categories, timid and dominant. Understanding and recognizing the difference will help the conversations between horse and rider go smoother. My philosophy, or direction, will remain the same, but my approach to things will change depending on which category a horse falls into. The timid horse will always be the easiest to read. They instantly show respect for personal space. A timid horse will not fight for title in the natural pecking order with the herd or with people. A dominant horse will want to challenge personal space by trying to move the person. He will seem pushy and will seek higher position in the pecking order. Regardless of the type of horse, my goal is always to create the same balanced horse in the end. To accomplish this, the two things the relationship must be built on are trust and respect. With the timid horse I will spend a lot of time building trust, and the respect comes rather naturally. Dominant horses will build trust fast and then I can begin working on respect. A timid horse will take a lot of time in the beginning, but will make up time when I have his trust. A dominant horse will catch on quick and then use his dominance to be resistant.

To gain trust and respect I use very clear cues. All horse training is based on cues that originate from a pressure and release system. A horse that truly understands pressure is very easy to teach. I want them to understand to move or give to it and not react to it. The pressure can come from a rein or a leg, and with timed release we show them a pattern we can follow for the rest of their life. However, it is important to remember that it is not only building cues. The manner in which cues are delivered is what solidifies the relationship of trust and respect. My horse’s reactions will reflect my delivery of pressure. If I am fast and abrupt, my horse will be fast and abrupt; if I am dull with steady pressure, my horse will be the same. I strive for a happy medium in my delivery and focus more on the building of pressure and the timing of release. I build my pressure on a scale of 1–10, 1 being the lightest pressure possible and 10 being strongest. I teach my horses I will always begin at a 1 and build until I get the desired response and then release. This is an easy way to motivate a horse to stay soft. If my pressure starts to climb to the top, I build my pressure slower the closer I get to 10. This allows me to stay mentally connected while adding pressure, and helps ensure I don’t miss the timing with my release. If the horse can respond to light pressure and we give them that chance he will start to become willing and develop “try.” Through this foundation, I have created a horse that is trainable. Now I can begin to train him. NWHS

Kade Mills has worked as a professional horse trainer since he started homeschool at age 15 to work with his father, well-known horsemanship clinician, Doug Mills. Kade made his mark in Trainer’s Challenges. Winner of both  Mane Event  Trainer’s Challenges in the past year, he credits his success to the “Training Thru Trust” program that his family practices. It’s a very easy program to teach and implement, and remains a crowd pleaser because of its black and white results.

IF HORSES WERE MEN

The last two months articles I have written for the NWHS have been on fear, both the origins and how to manage it. Today as I was riding, it just hit me that if I replaced the word “horse” with the word “men” or “women” it would read just as true. The fear of getting back in the saddle after divorce or heartbreak can be just as paralyzing. The red flags you once missed, start popping up everywhere. You feel panic over old wounds, and as you get older, it gets harder to fool yourself into just trying to ride it out. I talk a lot about fear as an alarm system, and that it can be healthy to protect you. I say that trust is something that is gained, built and earned, and is important in a relationship with your horse to avoid frightening situations.

The phrase that struck me the hardest in my upcoming article was “Of the (fearful) people I talked to, nearly all had a horse that was not suited for them.” and “People have many specifications or limitations when they are horse shopping. Even worse, they often have none. “I fell in love with him” or “the price was right” is not justification for an equine purchase.” (**Chortle**)

How was it that I was so clear all along on what built a good horse/human partnership, but only recently was able to apply it? Life is sure a lesson. So when you read the March and April issues of the NW Horse Source, give it a second read and insert men/women in place of horse. It is like the magic of a reversible jacket, it becomes a whole new article :)

Feeding the Performance Horse

Five Keys for Ultimate Wellness


Hard working performance horses have high demands on their body. One of the building blocks of the complete horse is their feeding program. There is no one better to talk about equine nutrition than my friend Gina Fresquez, Equine Nutrition Specialist. I trust her with the management of my feeding program and asked what the five most important things are when assessing a feeding program. Forage First. Hay, hay pellets, pasture or beet pulp are all considered forage and are absolutely required for normal and healthy gut function. As for quantity, your horse needs to consume about 1% to 2% of its body weight in forage per day, therefore making up the majority of your horse’s diet. For example, a 1,200 lb. horse needs to consume 12 to 24 lbs. of total forage per day, in addition to any other feeds or supplements. If your horse is overweight, feed towards the 1%; if he is underweight more towards the 2%. Any more than that will cause gut fill and that dreaded hay belly. Keep in mind that forage quality is critical. Choose forage that is green, smells fresh, has a high leaf to stem ratio and is free from mold, dust and debris. Beware that in most cases you “get what you pay for.” If you skimp on forage quality, it will have less nutrition per pound and you’ll need to feed more hay, grain and supplements to maintain your horse compared to feeding higher quality forage.

Evaluate your horse’s condition. The simple way to do this is to get familiar with the Body Condition Scoring System, an objective way to evaluate a horse’s level of condition, or amount of stored fat on the body. The scale runs from 1 (emaciated) to 9 (extremely obese). If you can see the horse’s ribs they are a score of 4 or less. If you cannot see ribs than the horse is scored 5 or higher. Ideally, a good fit equine athlete should be between a 5 and 6. For more detailed information on how to body condition score your horse visit www.horse.purinamills.com/products/ BodyConditionsScoringChart.

Follow feeding directions. It is extremely important for a horse to receive the correct amount of nutrition provided to perform at its best. Many horse owners forget to read the back of the bag or bucket to know exactly how much their horse should be consuming. Feeding directions are there for a reason, to provide your horse with exact nutrients needed for its weight and activity level required by the National Research Council. Of course it’s not an exact science as all horses are individuals, therefore altering a feed recommendation by a pound or two may not be a problem. However, if you find yourself feeding your horse a quantity that is way off from the directions it is probably not the correct feed for your horse. Find another feed that can meet the nutrient requirements at the appropriate level for your horse.

Protein IS important. Don’t be scared of protein in your horse’s diet. Protein makes up many important things in your horse’s body like muscle, hair coat, hooves, skin, enzymes, hormones, antibodies, etc., all needed to promote good health and performance. The key is quality over quantity. The quality of a protein is determined by its amino acid profile rather than its crude protein content (or %). The horse needs 20 amino acids in the diet and the most limiting is lysine. The signs of protein deficiency in a horse will be poor hoof, skin or hair quality, anemia, difficulty building muscle, protruding hips and a weak or thin topline. In some cases you may have a horse with a healthy body condition score but still shows signs of lacking quality protein in the diet. In this case a good ration balancer may be beneficial.

When in doubt, consult an expert. There is so much information on horse nutrition and feed that it can get complicated and overwhelming. If you find yourself confused or have a difficult case get help. Consult your veterinarian, an equine nutritionist, or even specifically the feed or supplement company you use to get clear information on how you should be feeding your performance horse to ensure the best results. NWHS

Gina Fresquez received both her B.S. degree in Equine Business and her Master’s degree in Equine Nutrition from the University of Arizona. In 2004, she was an intern at the Purina Animal Nutrition Equine Research Facility in Missouri, and began working as an Equine Nutrition Specialist in January 2006. Gina works closely with horse
operations testing hay, balancing feed rations, going over nutrition management programs and helping owners with feed-related challenges. Gina has been riding horses since childhood and competed in English, western, endurance, dressage and reining. She loves all breeds and disciplines. Gina can be contacted at 206-743-6453 or at gmfresquez@landolakes.com

All About Boots

How to Boot Up Your Horse for Safety and Support

In very physical equine sports, like performance horse competition, leg protection is important. Injury to a horse’s legs can be career ending. There are a lot of types and brands of leg protection and sometimes it is hard to decide what is best for your horse. I asked Brett Mills, of RES Boots, to help outline the types of boots and their uses so you can make an informed decision.

Bell Boots:
These protect the horse’s hoof and heel bulb from overreaching and coronet band from being injured when turning. There are many types from pull on rubber boots, to quick wrap and no-turn boots. I personally use them every time I go down the fence, and with horses that are learning to turn around.

Splint Boots:
These protect the horse’s cannon bone from side impact and brushing of the legs. The advantage to this style of boot is that they have excellent impact protection and are light weight and easy to use. The disadvantage is that they don’t offer any suspensory support. This is my boot of choice for everyday use. I am more concerned about impact damage than I am about suspensory support. I also like the way these fit with a bell boot.

Sport Boots, Tendon Boot, Suspensory Boots:
This style of boot is fitted around the cannon bone with an additional support strap that wraps under the fetlock joint. They provide some suspensory support and more comprehensive fetlock protection than splint boots. They do not offer as much side impact protection, they hold in more heat on the leg and are harder to use. They can be hard to use with bell boots and rub on the horse’s pastern. There are some versions of a bell boot/ suspensory boot that are called a combination boot that avoid this problem.

Polo Wraps:
The key to using polo wraps is wrapping them properly. They can be used on either the front or hind legs. They offer good protection and support, are inexpensive and easy to wash. They are very hard to use and somewhat time consuming, and it is important to note that if you are using them for competition that you tape the top of them so that there is no risk of them coming lose during the run.

Skid Boots , Hind Boots:
These protect the fetlock from burning when the horse is stopping. There are two styles. A traditional leather or neoprene skid boot has straps that go above and below the fetlock and only protects from burning. Hind boots typically have a protective cup for the fetlock as well as a more full coverage protection from side impact for the cannon bone. For reining I usually use a leather skid boot, while for cowhorse, I like the added impact protection of a hind boot. Ballistic nylon is the preferred material for the outer shell of bell boots over a neoprene inside. Another material used in making boots is Kevlar and PVC Material or rubber. Polo wraps are made from a cotton and polar fleece blend, while splint boots use ballistic nylon or UNLB. Sport boots commonly are made of UNLB over neoprene and RES Boots use blended wetsuit material to keep the boot soft.

Knowing how to properly use and adjust your leg protection is extremely important, regardless of the type used. You can sometimes do more damage to tendons by improper wrapping or tightening. It is also important to keep them clean and dry. If your horse is working hard and sweating a lot, you should be sure to take off the boots when you are done working and air out and cool down their legs. If I am just going out to lope a horse, I don’t use any boots, but if I am going to be getting physical on a horse, I always use full boots. Your horse’s performance is affected when they are hurt in a maneuver. The quickest way to get a horse to quit stopping hard is to really burn his fetlocks. There is no reason to take the risk of hurting a good horse when it is preventable. NWHS

Brett Mills is the owner of RES Boots based out of Redmond, OR. A common problem with all brands and boots is Velcro failure. RES boots has addressed this problem by designing and patenting a boot with replaceable Velcro. To learn more visit www.resboot.com.