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All about horses in northern B.C. Issue # 9: December 27, 1999 Published each Monday by Kristi McCrindle, editor I've been playing with my colts on and off for the last few weeks, and I'm starting to rethink my position on riding two-year olds. Now, before you get upset and ready to type off a quick retort, please hear me out! There have been lots of studies on horses that show that stock breeds and Thoroughbreds mature earlier than the average horse. People watch for closure of the knees, size of the animal, density of leg bones, and that kind of thing. Quarter Horse breeders will argue that, of course, you can ride a two-year old - he's big enough! But what you have to consider is the amount of riding the two year old is receiving. If you expect a two-year old to hold up to a 4-hour trail ride his second time out, you may be asking too much. If you think a coming two-year old should be able to handle the stress of a 30-day training stint with a trainer, you may need to think again. Just because others do it doesn't mean it is right for your horse. Ask yourself what you want to with this horse in the years to come - do you just want him trained and sold to make some money, or are you trying to put out a good quality horse that will be safe, sane and sound for years to come? Like I said last week, sitting on a young colt is not harmful and can have its advantages in the long run. Pretty much anything you do with your young horses will be beneficial to them - they soak up learning at that age. As long as you are not over-stressing these babies (physically or mentally), they should make better riding horses when you start them later in the year, as they have some idea of what is expected of them without the strain of overwork. So, if someone were to ask me now what I think of riding two year olds, I will tell them I think it is okay - within reason. Each case is different, each horse is different. One of my coming two's is unlikely to be mentally ready until he's two and a half or three, even though he is a stock breed colt with good bone and lots of size. So the more I play with him now, like sit on him a minute when he's eating and that kind of thing, the more ready he will be for training when the time comes. This is also a horse I'm unlikely to push into a 30-day training program. Please email me with your opinions of starting young horses at kristi@hiway16.com, and till next week - happy horsing around! ~ 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. Merry Christmas and a Happy Year 2000 from the families of the staff and writers of www.hiway16.com to you and your family. Have a safe and relaxing holiday and join us in the next century!

Equipment column will resume next week. If you have tips or questions on equipment care, purchases, fit, or anything else to do with equestrian equipment, please mail them to kristi@hiway16.com 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 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. We update the Events Page every week - so be sure to check often	Past articles are all available in the Last week, I included a peppermint bran mash recipe, and thought I'd add a little about bran mashes this week. In mid-December, one of my colts appeared to be a bit constipated - he kept holding his tail up and off to one side, sometimes straining, and I couldn't tell if his bowels were working properly or not. After talking with Britt Mills, DVM, I gave him a bran mash with canola oil to take care of the problem. Instead of peppermint, I used just ingredients that were designed to get his innards working properly. I used about a third of an ice cream bucket of bran (this was split between two young horses), and about a quarter bucket of sweet feed. I started by mixing lots of warm water in with the bran, until it was getting soupy. Britt recommended using 2 cups of canola oil for a full grown horse, so I added 2 cups for the two colts. I added a couple of tablespoons of salt, mixed well, then stirred in the sweet feed. Both colts licked the trough clean and looked at me for more - and here I thought they might not eat it! When the temperatures drop, lots of horses decrease their water consumption. Adding a wet bran mash (or wet beet pulp mix for another idea) to their feeding ensures they are getting some water. Also, make sure they have free access to salt, which encourages drinking. It is important to realize that bran is high in phosphorus, which can create a mineral imbalance, so it is not advisable to feed bran regularly without first discussing it with your veterinarian. This is especially true with growing horses. 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 covered starting your young horse on a circle on the lead rope. We'll continue with that this week. The circle work we discussed last week can be very hard on a young horse's legs, so I like to keep sessions to a minimum time period. At a young age, sessions are better kept short and frequent for both physical and mental reasons! When circling your horse, work on stops with a verbal cue same as when on the lead, and use your body language to stop him - step in front of his motion (if he is going to the left, step out to your left). I usually lift my lead hand out in front of his motion (the direction he is going) as well, and if he doesn't stop, then I swing it back and bump the halter while repeating the verbal 'whoa'. To start your colt trotting, push your lead hand farther out front, and cluck, while swinging the loose end of the rope at his hips. You can step towards his hips as well, in effect invading his space and sending him forward. As soon as he speeds up into a trot, back off and tell him he is good - it may only be a couple of steps at first, but you can build on it. If your colt pulls on the lead rope, simply tug back hard enough to make him come in slightly, but not enough to stop him or pull him all the way towards you, then release it. Don't keep pulling against him, as all you teach him then is to lean on the rope. You want to make it uncomfortable for him to lean on the rope, so that he learns to avoid the mistake of pulling. Next week we'll try actually trotting in hand - and here I thought it would be done in one session! 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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