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All about horses in northern B.C. Issue # 7: December 13, 1999 Published each Monday by Kristi McCrindle, editor So, is everyone enjoying this relatively mild winter so far? Still riding? Why not? The weather has been nice enough for most of us to hop on and go for a spin, even if it's not serious training. Like on Saturday, for example, I took Raime over to the indoor to ride - we were supposed to be schooling, but he was so high I ended up chasing him around the arena for a while, letting him work off some steam. By the time he was done, he was too pooped to do much serious schooling, so instead of saddling up for a session, I just hopped on him bareback. Well, did we have fun - there was a few small crossrails set up in the arena and we just had to pop over those a few times. He's a really cute jumper, in fact, I think I might take some jumping lessons. We did some extended trot (and let's see how high you can bounce!) and then after he caught his breath again we worked on his spins... if any of you have ever ridden a reining horse spin and thought it was pretty neat, well, you gotta try it bareback! Anyway, my point is, just because you can't get out every day, you can still spend time with your horse, be it on the trails, in the arena, or even just in his pen or field. They do enjoy taking time off serious training, but also enjoy the occasional outing for fun - and with weather like we've been having, why not? Till next week - happy riding! ~ Kristi :) email to editor: kristi@hiway16.com Join us for a discussion about everything to do with horses on Horse Talk Your opportunity to meet horse enthusiasts across northern B.C.

Last week I briefly mentioned an alternative method of making a breakaway halter. Most horsemen know that leaving a halter on a horse in a field is not a good idea - the halter can get caught on a branch, a post, or worse yet a hoof - in fact, I read one case where the halter hung up on the antlers of the family's pet deer! But every once in a while, even conscientious horse owners may find themselves in a position where they feel the need to leave the halter on the horse outweighs the risks. One such case would be a very hard-to-catch horse. Some owners will attach a short piece of rope to this horse's halter, giving them something to grab onto when they try to catch it. A new horse may undergo this treatment too, especially if the horse was quite wild when the new owner brought it home. I recently left the halter on my gelding to keep his slightly-too-big hood from shifting around on his head - much as I hated to do it, it was that or risk having his hood turned around over his eyes so he couldn't see. What I did to lessen the risk of the halter getting caught on something was to create a breakaway. I took a simple twist tie, like the kind you close a plastic garbage bag and put it through the usual hole I used on the halter. I formed a loop that stuck out from the halter, and tied the ends of the twist tie around the halter strap. The metal post from the halter buckle then went through the twist tie - the nylon strap actually doesn't pass through the buckle this way. If the horse gets the halter hung up on something, a simple pull will undo the twist tie. I know this works because one day the horses were playing over the fence and the gelding in the other field did rip my horse's halter off. So, the secret is to use a very colourful halter that you can find in any weather! Also, I would not recommend using a halter in a treed pasture. One last tip for any situation where you may need to get your horse out of his halter in a hurry is to leave the end of the strap loose, not putting it through the second half of the buckle. I usually leave my halters 'unlocked' when I trailer, just in case I need to get a horse undone in a hurry. In fact, a quick release knot can tighten up to the point where undoing it is nearly impossible and a halter can be undone much quicker. Next week? Caring for your nylon and leather halters and bridles.- please email me this week at kristi@hiway16.com with your comments or questions. Northern B.C. Horse is brought to you courtesy of our advertisers including: The Tack Store Ridennoure Paint Horses Burns Lake Building Supplies Hoskins Ford Uniglobe Travel North Thanks to our advertisers for making this all possible... ...for information about advertising, email jim@hiway16.com	Past articles are all available in the Last week I mentioned schedules for deworming and vaccinating your horse. Although most people wait until the start of spring for their annual vaccinations, pregnant mares do need extra shots through the winter, and deworming is just as important during the winter months as it is in the summer. If you have a pregnant mare, you will likely already have talked with your vet about rhinopneumonitis shots. This rhino shot, often sold under the name Pneumabort-K, is used to prevent a form of rhinopneumonitis which can cause abortion in pregnant mares. Rhino is a respiratory disease, like a flu, that can be passed from horse to horse by contact with the nasal discharge (airborne from coughing, or liquid discharge rubbed on fences, buckets, etc). Pregnant mares need frequent boosters for this, and are given them routinely at 5, 7 and 9 months of pregnancy. Usually in the 10th month, around 4 weeks before the due date, they are given the remainder of their annual vaccines (next week's issue). Deworming, on the other hand, is for all horses during the winter months. After the first 'killing frost', most vets recommend using an ivermectin product such as Eqvalan, which kills bot eggs and larvae as well as a host of other internal parasites. During the winter months, you can continue with ivermectin, or rotate with one of the other families of dewormers. It is always wise to consult your vet for the most up to date information on what is available. Next week, we'll continue talking about the deworming and vaccination schedules. If you have tips or questions you'd like to share with other local equestrians, please mail them to kristi@hiway16.com	Last week, we went over the turn on the forehand. This week, we'll move the front end instead. A turn on the haunches is a turn in which the hind feet should stay relatively stationary and the front feet turn a circle around them. Starting the turn on the haunches on the ground will come in handy for showmanship, basic horse handling (safety), and of course, teaching the turn on the haunches from the saddle (which will lead to the spin on a reining horse). Credit goes to Chris Hassell for teaching me this one - since working with her a few summers ago, this is a maneuvre I teach all of my young horses before I ever get on them. Start with your horse's leadrope in your right hand, as you would for any normal movement. Turn and face your horse's head and step towards him. Take a whip or stick and gently tap (tap, not hit - this is a cue, not punishment) the forearm of the horse. Using your voice (cluck), tap of the whip, and body motion (stepping into his space at his head), encourage him to move away from you. At first he may back up - try to check the rearward motion by pushing gently forward and away from you on the leadrope. As soon as he steps away from you, praise him by stopping your cues, step back out of his space, and pat him. A good rub on the neck serves well as physical praise. Ask him again to move away from you in the same direction. Repeat it a few more times before switching directions. Once a horse has the idea of any new movement, you can change the direction more often, but when he is first learning, try to keep from confusing him. After a couple of lessons, when he is understanding that moving away from you is the correct response, you can get pickier by only rewarding him when he crosses over in front - this means the front foot nearest you will cross in front of the other front foot. If he crosses behind, you may be still allowing too much rearward motion. 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.

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