After last week’s editorial, someone asked me how it was I knew that Tori’s hocks needed attention, so I thought I’d explain myself a little better this week.

As I mentioned before, Tori has been cranky under saddle for quite some time. Generally speaking, when a horse shows an unwilling attitude, it is usually caused by pain. Many times this is very hard to diagnose - the discomfort may be so minimal that you never find the cause and it is easy to assume the horse just has a bad attitude. Poor saddle fit, a bridle that pinches, a back that needs adjustment, a cinch that rubs, a sore leg, the list of seemingly minor things that can cause pain or at least discomfort is long - and often the horse gets blamed for being sour without the rider ever taking the time to discover what made the horse sour in the first place.

I’ve been fortunate to work with some very knowledgeable horse people and also some very intuitive ones, including Chris Hassell (a CEF Level Two Western Coach and trainer), Dawn Park (Certified Equine Therapist) and Elly Foote (CEF Level One English and Western Coach and trainer). Each of them have helped me develop my skills at noticing small things that were key to recognizing something else. I’ll detail here some of the history that led me to believe that it was Tori’s hocks that were bothering her - although piece by piece they seemed small, but over time the evidence became strong enough for me to take Tori to the vet.

Tori’s crankiness didn’t seem to have any real specifics, although I noticed that she seemed much worse to ride shortly before her heat cycle, and better to ride during it. I first started by asking questions about hormonal problems on a few of the mailing lists. Responses varied - check her back, check her hocks, check her ovaries for tumours or cysts, and so on. The most common subject of the replies was hocks - as I was dealing with other reiners I knew this likely had some basis for truth.
The reason that reiners (and also cutters and reined cow horse riders) look first at hocks in many situations is because of the heavy use our horses get in their lives. Sliding stops, spins, even riding in a collected frame all take their toll on an often under-rated part of the horse’s main drive.

Photo credit: Chris Hassell

Take into consideration that most horses have less than perfect conformation, and that the hock is made up of seven bones and four main joints, there is lots that can go wrong in there!

With Tori, besides the crankiness, I also noted small things, like that she was sometimes short strided behind, and her lope was worse to the right. Even counter canter to the right (on the left lead) seemed to be harder for her to do. Spinning was also worse to the right. While I realize that horses (like people) have good and bad sides, it seemed more than coincidence that it was the same direction as the lope (both spinning and loping require the horse to use the inside hind leg more than the outside leg).

These days Tori’s croup is tender to the curry; where she used to lean into the brush she now flinches away from it. When Chris checked for signs of hock soreness through Tori’s hind end, there was a definite reaction. Elly and I flexed Tori’s hocks, although our findings were inconclusive they also seemed to point at the possibility of hock trouble. I have been lucky enough to have very knowledgeable friends help me make a pre-diagnosis in order that I was able to go to the veterinarian with a clear target in mind, however, you may find yourself in a similar situation and just take your horse to the vet for answers. This is a little more costly but necessary if you don’t have the help!

So those are the reasons I had Tori’s hocks checked. Any time an animal is in pain they may produce behavioural problems rather than obvious physical symptoms. The best way to manage your horse is to pay close attention to his or her attitude during work and play, and to have perceptive friends check your horse if you suspect something amiss.

The next column will be July 16 as both Jim and I will both be away from our computers on July 9. So until July 16, happy riding - I know I am enjoying my mare much more already and hope to get a lot of time in the saddle this summer!!
~ Kristi :)

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There are many, many uses for the silver coloured adhesive strip known as duct tape. Named for the ducts which it was originally intended for, duct tape has become a multipurpose fix-it for a variety of things. We decided to look around the barn for various ways we can use duct tape. I bet after this column, you’ll make sure a roll is handy in your truck, your grooming kit, or your first aid kit!

Also known at most auto race tracks as 90-mile an hour tape, duct tape can be used for horse health reasons:
- duct tape a bandage to keep it on when a wound is on a foot area - be cautious not to wrap the duct tape too tightly around the coronet band as it can cause damage.
- duct tape magnets on a horse needing magnet therapy. Lay long pieces of tape across the edges of the magnet and stick them to the horse.

You can make your horse’s living quarters safer with duct tape:
- duct tape the edges of your buckets or feed measurement containers to prevent cracking. You can make a yogurt container last a loooong time that way!
- duct tape any sharp edges that can’t be removed from your horse’s living quarters to prevent him finding them with his face or other sensitive areas
- use duct tape to label feed buckets - this way you can set out the grain for someone else to feed as they will always know which bucket belongs to which horse
- use duct tape to seal the edges of the metal handles on your hanging feed buckets to prevent your horse from catching his tail in them (and ripping out big chunks of tail!)

Lose a shoe? Break a rein? Got duct tape? No trouble!
- duct tape a hoof after losing a shoe to protect it until the farrier arrives (again, be sure not to duct tape the coronet band). The duct tape will wear through so riding on the horse is not a good idea, but this quick fix can save a brittle hoof wall until the horseshoer can replace the shoe. You could also do this to prevent a loose shoe from falling off.
- prevent snow balls from forming in your horse’s feet by duct taping the soles (prevent mud from getting into the hoof the same way). Again, the tape wears through fairly quickly, but it can help for a while.
- use duct tape to fix a bridle or rein until you can get it repaired properly (safety first - get it fixed ASAP!)
- duct tape a torn blanket or sheet - this won’t last long but may keep it together while you find someone to do blanket repairs

There are other uses too!
- clearly label your bins and totes, to easily identify what is stored in it (grain, mineral, first aid kit, boots and wraps, grooming equipment, etc)
- use duct tape to remove hair from your clothing at shedding time (works okay on saddle pads too, after using the shedder blade on them to remove most of the hair)
- use duct tape as backing on a competitor’s number if you want to reuse it (strengthens it to prevent pins tearing holes through the edges)

There are probably other uses for duct tape as well around the barn, if you can think of others, please share them with us by emailing me at kristi@hiway16.com

The Prince George Reining Horse Association hosted the 9th Annual Ride N Slide on June 28-30. This show was three busy days, starting at 6 pm on Friday night and finishing on Sunday evening.

The classes were all well attended, from the Ranch Reining (a trot pattern) right on up to the $1900 added NRHA Open class. Riders came from all over BC (including all the way from the lower mainland) and there were also quite a few entrants from Alberta this year as well. As the show committee put it “If you build it, they will come” and they were right - the fantastic footing had everybody talking about it! The reiners from Alberta may have been pleasantly surprised by the ground, but we bet they will be back again next year!

For those of you who don’t understand the reiners’ fascination with ground, you have to look a little further into what we do. One of the cow horse originated maneuvres that reiners perform is the sliding stop. In order to perform these stops well, the footing must be properly prepared. The base must be solid and firmly packed, with no rough spots, holes, or hills. The top dressing sand must be dry and light. To achieve this, the moisture of the arena must be carefully monitored.

The show committee started drying the Agriplex’s indoor arena base nearly three weeks prior to the event, by limiting the watering (most indoor arenas are well watered during the summer months for dust control) and harrowing frequently. Repeated harrowing breaks up the wet chunks of sand and allows it to dry that much quicker, while also exposing the base to more air (allowing it to dry out as well). It was a lot of work but well worth it to watch some of the 20 to 30 foot slides on Sunday!!

The “big class”, the $1900 Added NRHA Open class was won by J.P. Forget of Olds, Alberta, aboard the buckskin stallion Smart And Lucky Lena (owned by Tom Sword in Quesnel). After the dust settled, Prince George’s own Pam Morrison came in second - it was tough competition but Pam rode hard!

Two high points were awarded to Smithers resident Jess Onstein on Ta TC Castana for both Youth and Appaloosa high scores. Randy Ophus of Vanderhoof won the High Point award aboard the beautiful buckskin tobiano stallion Mr Leo Express.

The most fun was had by the spectators during the three freestyle events. Just as there were patterns for all levels of riders and horses, there were freestyle classes for each level as well. Freestyle reining is where the rider sets their own pattern to music - and they can dress up with a costume and props as well. The competitors all did a great job done, and we saw some very creative costumes and routines!

There was also a raffle and a silent auction which both saw quite a bit of action. Both are good fundraisers for the show. All in all it was a fantastic event and I hope the show committee gives themselves a very well deserved pat on the back! I’ll try to have some of the results in the July 16 issue.

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

Do you have a horse or equipment to sell? Want to buy a horse or equipment? Check the Free Classified Ads.