Things to do with your horse when its too cold... or you don't have a lot of time!

Things to do with your horse when its too cold... or you don't have a lot of time!


The winter can be tough to spend time playing with or riding your horse, especially if you don’t have access to an indoor or good footing.  But don’t fret, there are loads of things you can to with your horse!  These activities will help to develop your relationship as well as improve your horse’s mental, emotional and physical wellness.

Here is a list of a few things I like to do with my horses when its cold or I’m short on time…

Just be with them. Put your hands on them and breathe.  Let your breathing and hearts get in sync.  Talk quietly with your horse.  Tell them your secrets…

Do stretches.  Lifting the front leg with a little stretch forward is great for their shoulders. Tickling the belly with your finger tips is great for getting them to lift their top line.  A hind leg, cross in front hold is great for the hind end and balance (there’s a great video of this in Guide 9 of the Hearts Of Horses group).

Ask for yields.  Using the lightest of touches, or maybe even just a thought.  Ask your horse to move their hindquarters or crossover their front feet moving away from you.  Have them back up or move sideways away from you.  A challenge…ask them to move sideways toward you!

Pick up their feet and check them.  Do a quick clean out and inspect each foot to make sure all is well.  A quick spray with Thieves Cleaner goes a long way for keeping the frogs healthy too!

Assess their energy centers to see if all are open and flowing.  Not sure how to do this? Watch this video and learn to use a pendulum.

Use energy healing techniques from Healing Touch for Animals to clear away congested energy and blockages from their system.  To me this is the most overlooked part of our care for our animals.  If you'd like to learn more about energy and vibration tools read my recent blog here.

Use light therapy (red, green and blue).  Apply the light to wellness points on your horse for a preventive approach to their care.  Use the light on the carotid for 10 minutes to cleanse their blood!

Apply essential oils. Do a RainDrop Kit session to promote relaxation, cleansing and immune system stimulation.  Spend a month applying the Feelings Kit daily and you’ll be amazed at how much more harmonious you and your horse will be together!  It will bring your partnership to a whole new level!

If some of these things are new to you, or you’ve never heard of them but are interested in learning more, I encourage you to check out the Guide section at the top of the page in our community, The Hearts of Horses, Empowering Through Holistic Care.

Stay warm and enjoy your time with your horses,

Marta

Goin' Bare...It's Easier Than You Think For Your Horse To Go Barefoot!

Goin' Bare...It's Easier Than You Think For Your Horse To Go Barefoot!
Goin’ Bare…It’s Easier Than You Think For Your Horse To Go Barefoot!
 
There are, however, some key lifestyle factors that are critical to include in your horse’s life in order for the transition to be successful!  First, the hooves need proper nutrients to grow in healthy, strong and well-connected, there needs to be stimulation through movement over varied terrain, you’ll need a regular trimming schedule either by a professional or by learning to trim your own horses and lastly, there will be a transition period where the hooves will need protection with padded boots.

Let’s look at nutrition first.  It’s a great place to start to grow healthy hooves.  One of the most detrimental ingredients that ruins more feet… is sugar!  There are hidden sugars in so much of what is given to our horses.  Everything from grain to supplements to treats.  It is in virtually every item that goes into your horses mouth, including grass and hay!  Understanding and controlling the sugar in your horses diet is going to be a major step in going barefoot with your horses.  One of the easiest ways to do this is put your horse on an anti-inflammatory diet.  This means you primarily feed grass hay and provide minerals needed that are not accounted for in the hay.  If other feeds are needed look at whole foods like flax, chia or hemp seeds that add beneficial Omega-3’s.  The important thing is to avoid processed grains and ingredients like corn, soy and molasses.  There is also a supplement that I started giving mine for joint health yet realized how great it was for creating healthy, strong feet! It contains the building blocks for good skin, hair and hoof growth.  You can read about it here.  And if you'd like more information on the basic nutrition for your horse's needs, check out the guide I made up here.

Next you’ll want to make sure you’re encouraging your horses to move in their home environment.  The hoof is a blood pumping mechanism who’s purpose is to expand and contract to pump blood back through the rest of the body.  The simple act of spreading hay into multiple piles in their environment will encourage them to move and eat.  Putting up a series of hay bag stations around their space will offer the same benefit as well.  By incorporating this simple feature you will be encouraging the growth of healthier, stronger hooves as well as supporting a healthy digestive system!  Include, in some high travel areas, abrasive terrain to help stimulate and condition the foot to grow a more dense sole and create go-anywhere hooves!

Maintaining a regular trimming cycle for your horse’s rate of growth is crucial to going barefoot.  The cycle can vary depending upon your horse’s nutrition and even the amount of wear their hooves get.  In some environments horses can self- maintain their hooves!  For many though setting up a 4-6 week schedule to maintain a healthy foot is a good guideline.  Finding a good barefoot trimmer is helpful or if you are so inclined, you can learn to do the trimming for yourself.  With the help of your trimmer checking in on you, it is possible for you to learn to use a rasp and knife to maintain your horse’s hoof walls and bars.  Of course there is some learning that needs to happen first and practice with guidance.   Taking an active role with your trimmer right now can set you on that path.  Asking questions, paying attention at your trimming sessions and in general being curious about your horse’s feet.  If trimming your own horses is something you’d like to pursue, I have a go at your own pace course along with a FB support group for any help you might need.   Get the course here.

Lastly, your horse will most likely need some sort of padded hoof boot protection for a period of time.  This time will vary for each horse.  The factors I talked about above and how well you have incorporated them into your horse’s lifestyle will have a great impact on this.  Having been an Easy Care dealer when I had my practice, I am partial to them.  However, the important thing here is finding a boot that fits and will stay on well while your horse is out with his herd.  Boots need to be taken off daily to give the foot time to “breathe” and to check for rub spots or any other possible discomfort.  Utilizing boots to protect your horses hoof and reduce any potential pain in this process will significantly impact their transition time.

Are you interested in learning more about transitioning your horse out of shoes, nutrition, booting or living a healthy, holistic lifestyle? Maybe you'd like to check out a free workshop on hooves?  Its all in here... The Hearts Of Horses; Empowering Through Holistic Care

 
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