Photo credit: Chris Hassell

Her eyes had sunken more than ever, and her face looked old and unhappy and unhealthy.

We made the decision to let Shasta end her days now, in the splendour of the fall (and it was a beautiful day last week), rather than in an undignified manner some time later when she started really failing.

It’s been really hard on Linda, not being here to say her goodbyes. I haven’t been in that situation yet, although I can imagine how she must feel. I know she feels that she has let Shasta down, but in reality, by doing the very thing that makes her feel so awful, she has done the right thing. This way she can remember her mare the way she was.

St Ola, affectionately known as Shasta, 1979 to 2002. Crossed over the Rainbow Bridge to meet Robin and Shelby and many of her other friends. Fare well, grand mare.

Till next week,
~ Kristi :)

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I’ll start off this week reminding you of the three rules of horse training from John Lyons:
1. You must not get hurt.
2. The horse must not get hurt.
3. The horse must be quieter at the end of the lesson than at the beginning.

Keeping number 3 in mind, if your unhandled horse can’t take any more than just seeing you leaning over the fence and talking to her, then that’s where you have to start! I brought a yearling colt home from a sale who was so afraid that when I threw the flakes of hay over the fence he would run away! Every day he watched the older gelding in the field stand right there and begin eating immediately. Eventually, the colt decided that if he wanted his fair share of grub, he had to stay there even when the hay was coming in his direction!

So do as much stuff near that pen as your time schedule allows. If that little filly is afraid of you throwing the hay in, feed her 6 times a day - one little flake at a time - instead of two big feedings. Lean over the fence and talk to her. Stand near the hay pile when you feed her - but don’t be upset if she is too afraid to come near you at first. This is where being very patient comes in!!

Keep in mind that you are setting the foundation for this horse’s life with people. If you yell or lose your temper or move fast, chances are that horse will remain fearful around humans for many years to come. If you never give her a reason to be more afraid than she already is, she’ll learn much more quickly that humans are okay to be around.

Try entering the pen if the filly will allow it - by allow it, I mean without running wildly looking under and over the fence for any escape. Just stand there! Don’t make any effort to touch the foal, or to follow her, or to control her movement. The lesson you need to work on first is to have her accepting you in her space.

If you find this to be a tough lesson for her, you need to spend even more hours on it! Take a book with you, and a small stool or upturned bucket. Read out loud to her - doesn’t matter what the words are as long as she is getting accustomed to hearing your voice and having your presence nearby. If it is cold out, bundle up well with your ski pants or insulated coveralls, mitts and a scarf, so you are able to just sit still and not interfere with her routine.

Continued next week....

If you have comments or suggestions along the way, please share with me at kristi@hiway16.com

If you have a palomino, build on the contrast between the gold body and the white mane and tail. Use human shampoo made to enhance silver hair, or try Quic Silver Shampoo for horses. These products should make the tail seem to shine even whiter! Don’t use the same product on the body as you use on the mane and tail.

Use products to bathe your horse that work for you instead of against you - avoid sticky products that increase build up on the hair shafts. Some of the suggestions I’ve seen are to use conditioning shampoos made for people on your horse’s body, and to use hot oil treatments if the hair coat gets too dry. You can condition the tail with a product like Downy Liquid Fabric Softener to keep the tail soft (drench, let tail sit for several minute, then rinse well).

Another way to enhance the colour difference is to make sure your markings are clearly defined. Use your clippers to shave the hair on any white legs or white face markings. Some people use cornstarch at shows to whiten those markings even further - and they contrast even more with the golden body that way.

Limit your light coloured horse’s exposure to the sun! While sheets and hoods may help, your best bet is to have your horse locked up during the day and turned out at night. This will also help if you have a problem in your area with bugs. In light of the recent West Nile Virus spread by mosquitoes, keeping your horse in except for in full dark might not be such a bad idea!

If you do turn your horse out during the day, use a coat rinse with sunscreen, and apply a flyspray with sunscreen daily. You can also try using a fly sheet advertised as a sunscreen.

Now, if your horse has a full winter coat and you know he won’t shed out early enough for the spring shows, you still have a couple of options. The first of course I already mentioned - using lights to stimulate his system into thinking summer is already here.

You can also consider body clipping your horse - well in advance of the first spring show next year. It is hard work and time consuming, but may be worth trying at least once. Your horse will still be shedding the short clipped hairs but at least he won’t look like a woolly mammoth in front of the judge!

Now, this is simply hearsay, but I had palomino breeders and exhibitors in the southeastern states telling me they swear by I think it was the 5 day dose of Panacur (apparently they sell it like this, a Power Pack or something it is marketed as). They tell me the hair coat just starts coming out fast after that. Another person swore by deworming with ivermectin in the spring to shed them out right away, but it has never worked for me (I regularly deworm with ivermectin and have never noticed early shedding).

There doesn’t seem to be any way to darken your horse’s light colour, but you can preserve and enhance what he has. And the results are well worth the effort when people oooh and ahhhh over your golden horse with the oh-so-white mane and tail!

If you are interested, there are several mailing lists that might help you find more info.

LINK

LINK

Most people on the lists are very friendly and knowledgeable.

Northern BC Horse is sponsored by local businesses who support equine sports in our area including:

• Baerental Ranch
• Burns Lake Building Supplies
• Griffin Crick Ranch
• Hoskins Ford
• Northern Horse Supply
• Ridennoure Paint Horses
• The Tack Store

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