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All about horses in northern B.C. Issue # 99: October 30, 2001 Published each Tuesday by Kristi McCrindle, editor, from Grassy Plains, BC Last week I talked about goals and expectations and I'd like to take things a bit further this week. How do you set goals? A goal is simply a conscious decision to pursue something we have often wanted, considered, or dreamed of. If you want to look at your goals with your horse, sit down with pen and paper and start writing! Write down anything you have wanted to do with this horse, or with any horse. Be as open and honest as you can - if you want to compete at the Olympics, write it down. If you want to go for a trail ride on your young horse without being bucked off, note that as well. Smaller goals are generally easily achieved once you have become aware that there is a goal. You can focus on the idea, and do what is needed to accomplish it. Large goals may seem unattainable, but they can be broken down into many smaller steps. On your piece of paper, under your larger and more intimidating goals, note down some of the steps along the way - the smaller goals that will help you build towards your larger one. For instance, you may want to show your current horse to Basic 4 dressage. In order to achieve that, you need to get him going under saddle, and further steps may be to work with a coach to achieve the movements required for a Basic 4 test. Some goals may not be reachable at all, due to lack of funds, physical limitations, etc - you must be prepared to accept those and set new goals which you can achieve. Those goals less practical can remain as dreams, and you can always work towards them, but keep smaller goals as your focus so that you can and will succeed. A fellow I met who teaches sports psychology at lectures and seminars once dreamt of going to the Olympics. He was a runner and always hoped to get there one day. Well, he has been to many Olympic and other international competitions since his running days, but as a coach instead of as a competitor. In some way, he still realized his dream, but he had to take a slightly different approach. photo courtesy Chris Hassell I have spoken before about being progress oriented, and on Raime, I was always able to see progress. Now on Bobby and Tori, the progress is not as visible, and so it is becoming more important for me to set long term goals to strive for, and short term goals to work on. Over the winter is an excellent time to reevaluate your goals, or to examine them if you have never figured them out before. Take the time to know where you are going with your current horse, or with future horses - from competitive dreams to training achievements to strictly enjoying your horse at leisure, all goals large and small have a place in your life. Keep in mind also that many of your horse goals may be overshadowed by the rest of your life. Your goal to spend time with your children may take precedence over your horse. You may prefer to work on building your house than riding. You may choose visiting with friends over taking time with your horse. All of these decisions are valid choices, and you just need to be aware that sometimes your horse goals are lower on the chain of life than some of your others. When the horse goals become all encompassing, that's when they will rise above the other plans in your life. Till next week, happy goal setting! It's kind of like New Year's Resolutions, but early! ~ Kristi :) email to editor: kristi@hiway16.com Photo Show for horse photos Horse articles (word search: horse) Check our Horse Trailer Sharing Page or... add your listing if you wish to share your horse trailer ride Join us for a discussion about everything to do with horses on Horse Talk ` Your opportunity to meet horse enthusiasts across northern B.C.

	Past articles are all available in the
Emergency! Part 2		Buying a Horse Trailer, Ventilation
There are many ways to be prepared for an emergency. As I mentioned last week, many of these points will also carry over to humans and other animals, but we are specifically dealing with horses in the columns to come. Put an emergency plan in place. Cover as many problems as you can think of - transportation, communication, euthanization, and anything else you can think of. Draw on your experience as a horse owner, and from those emergencies that friends have gone through. First and foremost, have a support system at the ready. Have phone numbers handy, not only of your veterinarian, but also of those people who you can call at 3 am and who will come and help. Pick honest, strong, helpful friends (not doomsayers or panicky people) who will do what it takes to help you with your situation. Try to call on people that are close by, but also check with friends that are a bit farther out to see if you can count on them in time of need. Go to as many equine emergency training sessions as you can! We are very fortunate up here in the Bulkley Valley and Lakes District area that Dr. Britt Mills has put on several lecture series over the years that deal with many aspects of horse care including emergencies. Vets or horse care professionals in other areas may be willing to do the same for your local club - just ask! Take human first aid courses every two years. While not all the situations are the same (ever tried to hold C-spine on a horse? ha!), the confidence gained using your first aid skills during the course will carry over to an equine emergency as well. Invest in some good veterinarian manuals - ask your vet to recommend a good one, or check the shelves of your friends and get their ideas. The Western Horseman book How To Be Your Own Veterinarian (sometimes), by Ruth B. James, DVM, is an excellent resource for horse owners. Easy to read and well illustrated, this book served us well via email when several people quoted it when we needed help. One reader explained the book by saying it was really good on the basics, and though didn't have as much on more modern ailments and lamenesses, she still turns to it first when a problem arises with her horses. I will be adding this book to my library, rest assured! Read the horse care sections of your monthly magazine subscriptions. You never know when something will present itself that you just read about a few weeks before and therefore know how to deal with it. Work with friends when they have a serious injury on a horse, be it a wire cut, a strained tendon, a colic, etc. The knowledge you gain from helping an experienced horseperson will add to your repertoire. Over the next few weeks, we'll help you get set up at home for an emergency to happen. Hopefully it never does, but better to be prepared!	Northern B.C. Horse is brought to you courtesy of our advertisers including: Burns Lake Building Supplies Griffin Enterprises Hoskins Ford Northern Horse Supply Ridennoure Paint Horses The Tack Store Thanks to our advertisers for making this all possible... ...for information about advertising, email jim@hiway16.com Western, English, Penning or Trail riding, all equine sports have a voice on Northern B.C. Horse If you are new to Northern B.C. Horse, check out all the previous issues on the Archive page. Kristi is building a great knowledge base about horses, with the emphasis on our area of the world.	Many people overlook the importance of ventilation in conjunction with their horse trailer. Especially in a colder climate (like we deal with up north), we tend to worry about keeping our horses warm enough in the trailer, scurrying around and closing every window, making sure the blankets are snug, and so on. What we forget is that a horse's most comfortable temperature range is from around +5 C to -5C - much cooler than our optimum temperature! While wind can go right through their hair coat and make them cold, most trailers don't allow much wind to travel through (the exceptions being open sided stock trailers and open air stock racks or trailers). Horses have relatively sensitive respiratory systems, and because they are a performance animal, compromising the respiratory system can have serious repercussions (heaves, broken wind, pneumonia, etc). Therefore, ventilation is crucial - especially in a fully enclosed trailer. Older straight haul trailers came equipped with a variety of ventilation options. Most have small vents near the front of the trailer, little vents which you can twist until they are open, allowing fresh air in to your horse. These vents are small enough, and usually put just slightly to the side of the trailer, rather than directly on the front, so it is unlikely for a foreign object to fly through them and injure your horse. There are often small roof vents as well, designed to let air in while moving, while keeping rain out. Side windows are found on most straight haul trailers as well. Some just have an open space, others have plastic sliders installed. Both can help increase air circulation. Another option on some trailers is the top of the rear doors. Some trailers have 1/2 or 3/4 doors with nothing at the top, and others have removable top doors. We usually hauled with our top doors off unless it was very wet out (then the spray from the tires came back inside the trailer, thoroughly soaking the horses before arriving at our destination!). Angle haul trailers are mostly equipped with drop down windows, also called drop down feed doors. You may have seen these at shows, the trailer parked with the horses sticking their heads out and looking around. The big warning here is to not allow your horse to stick his head out while moving the trailer - serious injury can result (both through being hit by flying debris and insects and also by collision with another vehicle). Many now come equipped with a two-way door system, the solid outer door which can be secured in the dropped position during travelling, and a grill to keep the horse's head inside while still allowing him the fresh air. When you trailer your horse, open as many things as you can. If it is cold out, it is far better for the horse's lungs to wear a warm blanket and have all the fresh air he needs. And if it is warm out, remember that he will be too hot inside the trailer, even an open-air trailer, as soon as you stop for more than a few moments, so even a light sheet may not be advisable if it is warm outside. After all, the more comfortable our horse is during transportation, the better he will be at the destination! Next week, more on buying a horse trailer.
	If you have tips or questions you'd like to share with other local equestrians, please mail them to kristi@hiway16.com

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