Avoiding Laminitis

Equus has produced a great 10 point guide to avoiding this horrendous hoof disease in horses. It's in the latest edition for April...
If feeding concentrates:
1). Match the horse's diet to his energy needs. Feed only as much high energy concentrate as required.
2). If extra energy is required or the horse is losing weight feed oats or a low-starch commercial mix fortified with a couple of cups of veggie oil.
3). If you correct his diet, do so gradually so as to reduce any chances of digestive distress.
4). Prevent bingeing by keeping feeds secure and out of the way. Horse proof feed bins are ideal.

Grazing:
5). Limits access to lush grass. Limit any grazing with newly turned-out horses to 15 minutes a day and gradually build up to the desired turn out over the next few weeks. If you have a laminitis susceptible horse or one that has already suffered, consider muzzling him if you turn him out on lush grass.
6). Offer quality grass hay that has been tested for starch & sugar. Avoid clover and alfalfa for susceptible horses.

Health Care:
7). Prevent systemic illness through regular worming, vaccinations and good general health maintenance.

Hooves:
8). Have hooves trimmed regularly.
9). If you have a lame horse then support his opposite good foot as well as his problem foot to reduce the chance of mechanical laminitis.
10). Avoid long gallops over very hard ground which can subject hooves to excessive and damaging concussion.
(courtesy of Equus April 2007)

Cat Catches Bus To Fish 'n Chip Shop

Yes I KNOW that this has got nothing to do with horses but.....
An English cat has spent the past three months jumping on a bus and riding it two stops down the road before leaping off near a fish and chip shop. The cat, which jumps on the no 331 service in Wolverhampton, has stunned bus drivers who have since nicknamed it Macavity after the secret cat in a T.S. Eliot poem.
Driver Bill Khunkhun, 49, said Macavity caught the bus three times a week and always got on and off at the same spot along the busy route.
....you see, I used to live in Wolverhampton and I used that bus route too. Can't say I remember the Fish 'n Chip shop though. As for the cat, I suspect HE might have a very valid reason for his actions?!

Sydney Royal Easter Show Successes

I don't like to boast....well actually I do!
Our two sponsored riders did extremely well at the Show.
Jackie Long took out Reserve Champion Saddlehorse Champion and best junior Australian Saddlehorse.

Kim Durante took out Australian National Champion and Reserve Champion Hack winning both the Mackay Memorial and Maclean Prizes.

All their horses of course were prepared with H10 grooming products.

It pays to back the best, and to use the best!!!

Royal Easter Horse Show

Just got back from the Sydney Royal Easter Show on Sunday. We'd spent 4 days down there supporting the ASH horse competitions and my grateful thanks go to Jackie Long and her great team for putting up with me! They treated me very well!
The show of course is huge and supposed to bring the country and the city together and I suppose in some ways it does....there's a definite city side and country side to the show though!! The main arena was packed for the motorbike morons, ladies shot from cannons, crazed Ute drivers and stunt men riding motorbikes inside what looked like a small round steel cage, (One fell off and carnage ensued. Not Nice!). When they'd all finished, the arena emptied to the country people watching the various horse competitions....see what I mean about city and country?

Whilst there I looked at other things too and I was amazed at the skill of the cutting horses and their riders...terrific control and 100% concentration from the horses! Kim Durante won Champion Hack at the show for at least the second year running....her horse looking great courtesy of H10 of course but Kim doing a wonderful job to win the Top Show Horse accolade.

I had the pleasure of presenting some awards to ASH competition winners and I have to say that the Show Stewards were superb in their hospitality and friendliness. They do a sometimes difficult job, admirably! Looking around that huge arena I thought how nervous I would have been competiting but I thought that most of the competitions I saw were professional and a credit to horsemanship.

AND, I didn't get to sample a Dagwood Dog, or even a plate of chips but I did buy the required showbags otherwise my welcome home wouldn't have been quite so enthusiastic! I'll have another newsletter at the end of this week with lots of links to interesting 'horsey' articles.

By the way, after some delay we've 3 copies of 'Chicken Soup For The Horse Lovers Soul' in stock. This terrific book is VERY difficult to get hold of in Australia and we're selling them at $25 - the shop price is $32.95 so there's a decent discount and they are brand new. Get one whilst you can, they make great presents! Go to www.h10.com.au. for the details and a description.

New Horse Blog - Horse IQ

Here's a new blog entitled Horse IQ. Different! They're offering a free Horse Health report too!!
Have a look....