Royal Easter Show Showjumping Cancelled

Hi there
Very sad news about Canberra Show horses being cancelled and this morning they cancelled the Royal Easter Show showjumping. Like me, you'll be disappointed and I just hope the remainder of the horses at Royal Easter will carry on. I get to give prizes there and I loved it this year seeing so many worthy winners. It will be a great shame if we can't all go.

What type of stall flooring is best for your horse? Dr. Joyce Harman outlines what works in this post courtesy of EquiSearch.com.http://tinyurl.com/2rqvda

Look, I rarely advertise very much but My Horse & Me, the very first horse riding video game to be officially licensed by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), will be available in stores for Wii, PC and Nintendo DS early in 2008!If you are interested, there's already a demo you can download here: http://tinyurl.com/3xbpeo

I'm quite sure that ALL our readers are generous souls but here's a timely reminder for all of us this Christmas...particularly in this difficult time.http://tinyurl.com/33nj2r

It's summer and of course we are all advised to slip, slop, slap but our horses can be prone to
sunburn as well. here's an article on causes http://tinyurl.com/2a9exa and prevention
http://tinyurl.com/2w97l6and finally, remedies http://tinyurl.com/39m2fq
All courtesy of Alphahorse.com.

Great gooming product bargains (at cost!!) and lots of other goodies at http://www.h-10.com.au/
Keep on shopping!!

H10 Blog - Santa Wants To Hear From You!!

Last year you might remember we gave you details of a 'Write toSanta' site. It was very popular and the feedback from kids and adults alike was really good. They all loved the 'Santa replies'!!The site will be up again this year to accept email letters from DEC 10th (not before though!) and it costs nothing! Every letter gets a reply from the great man himself. Here's the address: http://thereindeerbarn.com/ (there's no WWW inthe address.)

Christmas coming soon and most of us have been out of the saddle for a while and maybe we're a bit rusty? Try these Balimo exercises from a top sports physiologist. http://tinyurl.com/2tmqv7

Into Dressage? - here's view from a top competitor on the importance of Turnout for dressage horses http://tinyurl.com/2oafek

Your horse's homeopathic first aid kit. If you are a keen believer then this is just the thing for you. http://tinyurl.com/2ab2tv

Finally, if you haven't got your Horse Tips article from the H10 website then you should. Over 100 tips from an all Australian audience...no cost of course. Go to www.h-10.com.au/documents/horsehealthwellnesstips.pdf

Needless to say, our great AT COST sale continues - great Christmas gifts at http://www.h10.com.au/ Go on, have a look!

Equine Flu - Support Update

A very short message this week concerning the EI epidemic affecting us all.
In case you were wondering what's happening outside of the racing industry with the EI epidemic (and why not!), here's an important message of support. There is a body working for us and making some progress and I've attached a small text message with their initial committee report. Here's the web link to their initial meeting withthe Qld premier: http://www.qld.equestrian.org.au/?Page=15748

Next week we will have the full list of all the horse care tips we received from you during our last competition - complimentary of course!!!

AND, H10 will be having a sale...a BIG one. Don't neglect grooming your horse...take advantage of this one-off opportunity when we'll be selling for a limited time at COST!!
More details soon

Return From Broome!!

I took the other half up to Broome for a few days last week. Phew, it was hot but Cable Beach is a lovely spot . We hired a 50cc motorscooter to get around on...buzzy but fun! Must admit that I didn't see one horse there but did see a lot of camels!! Good old Qantas cancelled our flight back from Perth without telling us...panic ensued! Anyway we finally got some sense out of them and we were put up at the Sheraton at their expense for the night. Very nice too!

I have a special for you this week - my good friend Roger Bourdon has just republished his fully revised ebook 'How To Stay Safe On Horseback'.
He normally sells this to his clients but has let me have it as a complimentary download for all of you. It's 41 pages of good common sense and is useful for both inexperienced and experienced riders and if you train or instruct then it's a must!
You'll find it on this link here on the H10 site 'What's New' pagehttp://www.h-10.com.au/shopcontent.asp?type=News
It's at the BOTTOM of the page - it's in Adobe .pdf format and if you have any difficulty with it just drop me an email.

H10 Newsletter - Equine Flu etc

Just back from a visit to the UK - daughter and new grand-daughter are doing fine but I couldn't live there any more. It's nice to visit but it isn't Australia.......and besides, it's far too crowded and cold!!

I returned to read the EI news one month on so to speak. I've signed and sent on all the petitions sent to me and thanks to all of you who sent them. Seems that the racing industry is getting all the care and attention from our State Government. Now isn't that a surprise?! The rest of us wait in the wings for support and it could be quite a wait! EI has certainly decimated the whole equine market. For instance I know of retailers whose turnover has been hit hard. I haven't sold a unit of grooming product in 5 weeks!

At least the inquiry has started and already seems to have some firm direction as to where the whole sorry mess started. I'll follow it with some interest.
Time to remove the gloom for a while though.....

The London police are now using horse whispering techniques to soothe their charges after a hard day on the 'mean streets'! A vet commented "We hear a lot about these alternative therapies and I am afraid one gets a bit sceptical." http://tinyurl.com/2yl8zf

Dental problems in horses are often blamed for poor performance, but a recent study in Canada has found that floating the teeth of dressage horses appeared to have no effect on how they performed. http://tinyurl.com/2cw3fy

Here's a link to a video clip showing the training of a 4 year old quarterhorse - it's amusing and fascinating too!! Well worth a look. http://tinyurl.com/ysj3qk

Even horses who receive the best of care may develop the occasional skin problem. There's just no avoiding the host of bacteria, fungi, viruses and insects that can lead to lumps and bumps. This chart, however, may help you spot some of the most common equine skin troubles. Courtsey of Equus magazine. http://tinyurl.com/2qfhdo

Phew, that'll do for now. I feel another episode of jet lag coming on!! We have a new complimantary gift for you shortly....more news soon.

Horse Flu....

Well, if you own a horse, or even part of one and you live in NSWor Queensland then it's been a pretty terrible week. My heart goes out to all the horse lovers who make a living or a wage from the racing and stud business because the immediate future looks a little bleak. Thank goodness the other states are clear and let's hope it remains like that!! Now of course there will be a hunt as to how it all happened...if we didn't have horse 'flu before then it must have been imported somehow I guess!?

One of our readers was caught up in it all and Julie sent this to us:
"Yes I have been caught up in the horse flu, my twin sister and I were on our way to Lochinvar and we received a call 10 mins awayfrom Lochinvar! Well we drove right into it and there was nothing we could do about it except leave our horses there and drive home, it was awful for us both! Our sensibility told us to think about the safety of our horses and not about ourselves even though we are missing them so much. My sister lives in Sydney and I live in Tamworth so its not 5 mins away to visit. The costs are mounting up but we know they are in the best of care so we are more fortunate than some other people stranded at showgrounds!Just wanted to share my story with you, hope you don't mind...."
Although a bad situation, Julie's was better than some we heard of.
To cheer us all up, we got lovely pic from Kaylene of her polo cross horses

Look, I'm a bit 'truncated this week because I'm off, courtesy of Korean Airways, to the UK to do a bit of business and share some ideas with my friends at H10 UK, and of course to see my daughter & grandchildren (and her husband of course!!). I'll be away for 3 weeks or so and the better half will miss me like mad!!!
Before I sign off, here's a great story from Jeremy Law, a horse lover in the US who runs a 'horse farm'. It will make you laugh but there's a good moral to the story too. Hope you enjoy it:
http://tinyurl.com/2sgjfu
We've got just 10 bottles of Elegance Blue shampoo left - at $8 a litre for something so good it's a steal - have a look:http://tinyurl.com/y4rtxj

Have a great weekend...and don't forget your Dad!!!

H10 Sponsored Riders Success!!!

I don't like to boast....well actually I do..again!

Many congratulations to our two sponsored riders who did extremely well at the recent Royal Brisbane EKKA Show.
Jackie Long took out Supreme ASH and 1st led & ridden ANSA stallion with HezaStar. 'Time to Celebrate' took out Champion ANSA stallion and Colt Sheza Barbie ( owned by Jane Davies ) won Champion Buskskin. A good friend of ours, TJ Moore also won Champion Quarter Horse gelding.

Kim Durante continued her remarkable success run taking out Champion Queensland Hack again. That's 3 years in a row!! And, for good measure, she also collected Champion Galloway Show Hunter.All our sponsored riders prepare their horses with H10 grooming products, of course!!

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

New Horse training DVD/Book Package

Firstly - thanks to all of you who sent their best wishes...it's much appreciated and I'm now back on my bike again!! Doesn't compare with a horse of course but then my back gave up horses a while ago!!!!
Trolling around the net this week for interesting stuff has been frustrating!! Thank goodness for Equisearch!! Heard a lot on the ABC Country Hour yesterday about the changes in equine dentistry and the consequences of that to all horse owners. It's a concern since it looks as if horse dentistry is about to get a lot more expensive. I'll be looking into that and writing a separatepiece for you.

Follow these five simple rules to increase your horse's chance of living to a ripe old age. http://tinyurl.com/2rusp6

Weaning your horse is always a worrying period. Do you get it right? Here are some tips for a stress free time!! http://tinyurl.com/2moert

I may have mentioned Alphahorse before but it's a great free resource for all sorts of training tips: http://tinyurl.com/2yjmfr

My good friend Roger Bourdon has a newsletter that's always interesting - and aimed squarely at horse lovers. Go on, have a look: http://www.anyhorsebackriding.com/horsesource/070816.html

Finally, we are proud to announce that we have the Des Kirk DVD & Book Package now available!! The dvd shows Des teaching the gentle Kel Jeffrey horse training method and is backed up by his 64 page book fully illustrating and explaining all the techniques used in the dvd. The perfect handbook and a great package at a great price!! Have a look here: http://www.h-10.com.au/shopexd.asp?id=91

From The Heart...So To Speak!

It's been a copule of very interesting weeks for me but I won't bore you with the details....suffice to say that I've had multiple bits of metal called stents stuck into various heart blood vessels!! Still here, replumbed and ready to go!!! Have to say it gives you a new outlook on life though!!
Everything is looking to Spring at the moment with the birds going mad, the local magpies as pesky as they usually are this time of the year and of course, all our horses one year older then last month!!.

Here's a good article on the Health Problems of Young Horses in Training - worth a read as it may apply to your horses as much as to anyone else in the training game: http://tinyurl.com/yszrp3

Here's an article from the UK on Dawn Savage, a well known horse problem solver. The article wrongly quotes Monty Roberts as being the first 'horse whisperer' which is nonsense of course. http://tinyurl.com/2grxvq

Here in Aus, Kel Jeffrey predated Monty's techniques by years but didn't have quite the commercial success!! You can see a small clip of Kel's techniques here: http://tinyurl.com/2kjy6m

You might remember in an earlier letter I outlined an upcoming event, "Women Luv Horses", a three-day celebration of the special relationship between women and horses. Well, by all reports the event was a great success and you can read a great article on it here: http://tinyurl.com/38dzyr

The Right Start for a Young Horse? Doug Payne is making a name for himself as a great trainer for problem horses and at 25, he's got everything going for him. Here's a great piece on how he tackles a problem horse. http://tinyurl.com/25sg9a

John O'Leary has just updated his Horseproblems Australia web site. John's an Australian legend in the horse business and it's well worth taking a look:http://tinyurl.com/qdy2s

We've still PLENTY OF BOOKS AT 20% Discount on the H10 web site and a DVD SALE too. Have a look - http://www.h10.com.au/There's a new competition coming soon with the usual great monthly PRIZES......more soon.

Fruitpicking and things.....!

Doing my best to finish this before I get hauled into the kitchen! The better half has raided the citrus trees and so it's juice, marmalade, chutney and jam time. Guess who gets roped in for the peeling etc!!
Horse-enthusiasts may be excited to learn that Atari have secured an exclusive worldwide license from the International Equestrian Federation and are now working on a game entitled My Horse and Me, a horseback riding and equestrian lifestyle video game or PC, Wii and Nintendo DS.http://tinyurl.com/2scxxs

Whilst we're on the subject of games, why not try Howrse, the most complete and powerful horses and ponies breeding game! Create your horses, breed them and make them the best! Take responsibilities and manage an equestrian center! By the way, best of all it costs nothing and is great fun!http://www.howrse.com/

There are some good horse mags out there that provide great info...better still when it costs nothing! here's one for you:http://www.equestrianmag.com/

and, while we're on the subject, the new issue of Australia's HorsePower mag is now available. here's a preview for you...and no, I don't get rewarded for the plug!!!http://www.horsepower.net.au/winter07.html

In time for the Spring and Summer we know is coming soon (I wish!!). When you're really serious about keeping flies OFF of your horse, fly sheets can protect him with new types of fabric and innovations that improve fit to help sheets stay put. A sheet may not safeguard every square inch of your horse--though some come close--but it can banish insects from large tracts of skin, enabling you to use fly repellent more selectively on what remains exposed. This courtesy of Equus Magazine:http://tinyurl.com/ysezqf

Now here's a statistic for you....A recent American Horse Council study finds that the horse show industry has a $28.8 billion effect on the U.S. Gross Domestic Product. Given that the USA has a population of 300 million and we have 21 million then in Australia we should be adding roughly $2 billion US or 2.35 billion Aus. That's a lot on money! It's a fascinating article too....http://tinyurl.com/282ydc

We've had great interest in the new 'Des Kirk teaches the Kel Jeffrey Horse training method' dvd. If you've ever 'started' a horse or are interested in it then you should have a look at this gentle horse starting method...all Australian of course!!! There's a clip for you to look at too (but not the same quality as the dvd of course!). http://tinyurl.com/38999a
Have a great weekend and enjoy the warmer weather. Next month it's the Royal Brisbane Show or EKKA! A great show for horses so if you can get there, then get there!!

Cold Horses & Warm Remedies

Can't believe the cold snap we're having. She who must be obeyed (the wife) has made me buy a new electric blanket with 2 controls since she likes the bed warmer on her side than I do!! I think the weather has made me forgetful too because the tame vet phoned me (on his brand new 3G mobile, paid for by the practice of course) from his holiday in sunny Cairns to remind me to do the competition results. Forgotten,what me?!
Have to say that we could do with some more monthly entries guys.....please!! The prizes are well worth it!!! Anyway, Nerida won this month with a very topical winter tip and, since I'm a fan of garlic (hadn't you noticed!!) I think it was a cracker and even the tame vet agreed, not that he could spend more then 2 minutes helping me judge this month....'too expensive on this phone' he whined. Yeh, right!

Here's Nerida's tip:
A few years ago my horse had a cold virus from travelling interstate. I called the vet in and for 2 weeks he was given antibiotics and the penicillin. Neither cleared it up and he was miserable....just like a human!! I went to see the natropath and she made up a mixture that she would give to humans. She made up a large bottle and said I should administer 10ml mixed with hot water, lemon juice, spoon of honey and lots of real garlic. The mixture stank a bit when added to food but he was hungry so ate it up. The virus cleared after 2 days and the vet was amazed at the results. If you can put up with the smell of the horse sweating garlic out then I suggest it to anyone. After that I have kept up garlic coming into winter. This beats the amount of mucus and also the thought of giving injections. Nerida gets a GREAT prize!!

Here are a few links from Equus this month - I'm sure you'll find them interesting:
Here are the vital statistics on the must-have vitamins that fuel a variety of your horse's body functions. Useful for the cold! http://tinyurl.com/2bwlam

What was thought to be a calm and peaceful day turned into a chaotic scene as a agistment owner welcomes his picky new boarders and their high-maintenance horses. Had to put this one in because I've always treated my horses as working animals...not pampered pets. Agree or disagree, you'll find this amusing!!!http://tinyurl.com/yoay3j

Evaluate and place these 3- and 4-year-old Quarter Horse geldings in your order of preference. Then see how your choices compare to the expert judges opinions.http://tinyurl.com/273jj8

The 'Des Kirk Shows Kel Jeffrey's Training Method' is now available. A great dvd showing this, probably the gentlest horse training you'll see!! It's at http://www.h10.com.au/ Just go to the dvd page - you'll see dvd's on the nav bar on the left.

ALSO...we've got a new dvd on Gymkhanas and all you need to know about them. This is a USA dvd but very comprehensive and suitable for riders, experienced or not AND clubs wanting to set up mounted games. The out-takes are good too and postage is included in the price!!! http://tinyurl.com/2csdv4
Keep warm won't you!

Newsletter and A Brand New DVD

Well - it's throwing it down here today and is likely to for the rest of the week. Wish I had a pipeline to west of the Great Divide and we could export the stuff!! It's so cold that we've had a veritable cross section of Australian native birds all sitting under the roof of our deck keeping dry. Can you believe there's not a fight, squabble or complaint from any of them!! Even the lorikeets are quiet!!

Map My Ride - is a new service that enables you to map your favourite rides - and it can be used for us horse riders too!! Imagine strapping the GPS to the saddle and hitting the 'random' button!! You could go anywhere on any ride you'd plugged in to the machine!!!
http://tinyurl.com/278gh8

Horse Sitter Checklist
If you plan to leave your horse in the hands of a sitter, you'll need to equip him or her to handle any situation that might come up, so you can enjoy your trip worry-free. Use this countdown checklist from Equisearch to make sure you remember every detail.
http://tinyurl.com/334qk2

NEWS...we have a new dvd on gymkhana riding available soon with hints on how to ride the games, follow the rules etc, etc.
At Last - we have the Des Kirk horse training dvd available. You can read the details and view a clip of the dvd here: http://tinyurl.com/2hqbs6
We think it's a great programme and shows Des, one of Australia's best horse trainers, at work with a trainee and an unbroken horse. His blend of expertise and knowledge is second to non and his use of the gentle Kel Jeffrey method is superb. The programme is at a price that won't break the bank either!!
http://tinyurl.com/278gh8

We Sponsor Ivery Park - and we're proud of it!!

Jackie Long of Ivery PArk stud is one of the leading ASH breeders and competitors in Australia. We support them and their horses - they always look splendid because they're groomed with H10 products!! Here's a picture of their two beautiful stallions and if you need to call on their services then you have all the details!!!

Jesse Beery Horse Training Video

We got a new package recently that tunrs Screen presentations into videos so we thought we'd tell you about Jesse Beery - the famous US horse trainer.
We made this video...have a look and if you've any comments we'd be glad to hear them!!

H10 Horselovers Blog - Weird Week Articles!!

Hi there,
What a weird week - we were just on the edge of the east coast weather system and so got rain but no real storms. Now it's threatening all over again this week. Keep the fingers crossed!!Our thanks to Equus for some of these articles.

Here's a great little article on preparing for the Show....anyshow! http://tinyurl.com/23wjh9

Trail riding is an important recreation...it's also a great holiday activity AND provides an income to many. Here are a few timely tips for creating a trail riding survival kit. http://tinyurl.com/35wdgd

Thrush, a fungal disease, can be a real problem in your horse's feet...and elsewhere too. Here are some good vet tips for you.http://tinyurl.com/3a3nvc We'd also suggest that if your horse gets thrush (frogs, mud fever,rain scald) you might try H10 ointment or H10 spray if a larger area is involved. http://tinyurl.com/2gb8zr

Some of you might have Arab horses so here's a short guide from a keen Arabian owner 'blogger' on how to clip Arab feet for the show circuit.http://tinyurl.com/yoawa5

Mounted police DO have different training techniques for their horses. You might not be able to get along to this demo but you can read a little more about their methods here:http://tinyurl.com/36usjs

As a SPECIAL offer this week, we have reduced the series of John Pinnell horse training dvds to half price! Yes, that's 50% off AND with free shipping. Here's the link for youhttp://tinyurl.com/lr43x and remember, you don't have to give us your credit card details on line - just fill in the online order form and we'll contact you if you'd prefer. By the way, we still have 50% off Elegance Blue shampoo but the stocks are going fast. Get your hands on a great bargain!

Heza Star - Ivery Park Stud Champion ASH

Here's a great picture of Heza Star - one of Jackie Long's Champion stallions from Ivery Park Stud. Heza Star took out the High Point Horse of the Show sponsored by RM Williams and Denis Jackson Saddler award at the recent ASH Nationals.

This beautiful animal is of course groomed with H10 grooming products and I have to admit that they make a superb horse like this, look even better....don't you agree!!!

H10 Blog Post for June 4th 2007

There's no doubt that winter's arrived in a rush and we've even had a touch of frost here on the coast. At least I won't have to mow the lawns for a while!!

Here's a story about Scrooge the police horse who retires after 16 years as a police mount. Hope he'll get a generous state pension because he'll have earned it! http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/news/2007/05/091.shtml

A French study over the last four years has identified nine simple tests on young horses to assess their temperament in later life.Could be useful?! Have a look: http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/news/2007/01/021.shtml

If you fancy horse training with Capt. Mark Phillips, ex husband of HRH Princess Anne and now Chef D'Equipe for the US 3 day event team then here's your chance. Price is a bit steep though. Even so, you get a private dinner with him complete with bagpiper (that's a matter of taste I suppose). I met HRH Anne once at Badminton (a big 3 day event in the UK). We bumped into each other in a saddlery tent and I have to say in the flesh she was quite something....then the 'minders' stepped in so I didn't have a chance to get her phone number! Pity. http://tinyurl.com/yv4lds
Should a horseowner be concerned when her gelding mounts her mare? Read for yourself: http://tinyurl.com/32uzfu

H10 Horselovers Newsletter Blog

So it's winter - nearly and it's 22C here today on the Mid North Coast!! Last night we had a power cut right in the middle of the evening. Must admit, candles have their very own romance...for about twenty minutes!! Dry as a bone here again but at least our farmers out west have something to smile about...long may that continue! Very 'eclectic' or mixed bag of goodies for you this week. By the way, we've had very few entries to our monthly competition. Don't you want to win a great prize??? Go to http://www.h10.com.au/ and fill in the competition page!
For those of you who always wanted to be cowgirls, here's a nice site to view: http://www.cowgirls.com/
I read a great article on teaching your horse to do simple tricks and it could be great fun for you AND your horse: http://www.equestrianmag.com/news/trick-horse-training-dvd-fletcher-4-07.html
Did you know that horses can recognise and behave in differential ways to males and females. Fascinating! http://www.janesanders.com/gendersmart/2007/05/horse-human-connection-gender.html
Now I didn't realise that the horse racing industry in the UK needs one but they've appointed the first chaplain to the industry. read about that here: http://www.vindy.com/content/local_regional/324971419281883.php
Finally, did you know that your horse can be a great weathergauge?? Read this revelation here: http://equisearch.com/humor/weathergauge_020707

If any of you have an interest in the history of Australian horse trainers, we have a great 20 minute DVD, very reasonably priced, bythe late, great Kel Jeffrey, one of Australia's greatest horse trainers. This dvd shows Kel's method as demonstrated by the man himself and is a great introduction into this gentle horse training method. There's a clip on the H10 web site for you to view too sogo to http://www.h10.com.au/ and go to the dvd page and have a look!

ASH Nationals

Spent the last few days at the ASH Nationals in Camden about 60klms south of Sydney. Had a wonderful time with some great people andsome of the nicest natured horses I've ever been around...same for the people too! The event was huge and shows how the ASH fraternity is growing...they even have a branch in the US now!! We were very happy to sponsor some of the events and the overall level of competition was very high. We'll be back!!
This week we've gone for some good, useful articles for you. Here's a guide and a downloadable file on preventing laminitis :http://tinyurl.com/2mzzlb
I'm not a 3 day event fan but there are some lovely all action event pictures here: http://tinyurl.com/2zhegp
It's tough when your horse passes on...grief can be devastating if you don't know how to handle it. Here are some resources:http://tinyurl.com/2m9eol
Finally, here's a story about what happens when your horse gets back problems: http://tinyurl.com/346rb9
All our articles this week are courtesy of Equisearch..thanks to them!
Nearly forgot - We have 4 copies of 'Chicken Soup For The HorseLovers Soul' available. Just arrived at http://www.h10.com.au/

Latest Horse News From H10

Visited Northern NSW for a spell over the weekend. Lovely country and the Borders National Park was spectacular. Picked up a tick too which didn't show it's fangs until yesterday and wife (ex nurse) had great delight on extricating it (painfully). Yuk!

Lots of good articles for you to look at this week and here's one about horses getting fat...and the problems associated with that. It's hard enough for us to try and keep slim so here's another dose!!

Showmanship isn't necessarilly the art of the Show Horse but the art of making your horse look it's absolute best to anyone around...including any judges. Here's a great article that explains and 'shows'

Selecting the best fitting bit for your horse should be something we really care about...after all, how would you feel wearing a steel denture like Jaws in the James Bond films?! Here's a good article from a Western expert that tells all:

Now, here's a question. Do you know the age of the oldest horse in the world? Click on this link and be surprised. I certainly was and I even told the tame vet about it. He doesn't believe it of course!

It was the great Kentucky Derby at the weekend I believe, one of America's biggest races. here's the story of how some enterprising horse lovers trained their one-eyed colt to run in the great race!!

I had to put this in...the do's and don'ts of grooming a horse. We all have our own styles so have a look and see what you might learn.

Finally, we have another 5 copies of 'Chicken Soup For The Horse Lovers Soul' now in stock. Our book wholesaler took pity and sent us their entire stock!!! They say it'll be months before more arrive so if you'd like one, perhaps as a belated Mothers Day present, then jump to and click on the books category in the left margin. http://www.h10.com.au

I'll be at the ASH Nationals next week where we are sponsoring some events. Sounds like it will be a great show so if you're there come and say hello. I will probably be the guy in the battered blue Akubra and the H10 shirt!!

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....

My Pride & Joy

Well, not mine exactly! I talk often with Des Miller of HRCAV in Vic and she's just sent me pics of her beautiful horse.

"Here are some pics of JAYAY LET’S PARTY (Pru) – your ‘share horse’. She is 3yrs and 4 months, and is 70% TB, 20% WB amd 10% Arab – a true performance type. These pics were taken at the WB Gala. She unfortunately was the only one in her class (Filly 3yrs), but got great feedback from the German Judge. He said she was very beautiful, had a great head and neck set, a good strong topline, very good body for her age and a very good walk.
She won the BEST PRESENTED HORSE trophy, and I must say I am thrilled – considering there were over 60 horses. Makes all the hard work and scrubbing worthwhile. Maybe it was the H-10 Shampoo I washed her with!"

Our comment? Lovely horse and great grooming work made better with H10 grooming products!

Spoken Intro To The H10 Blog!!!

Yes...magic isn't it?!!
Apart from clicking on the right hand side to get our intro, you can also click here

Heard the One ABout The Old Woman Who Swallowed A Fly.....?

Well, here's the real thing. Not only did she swallow a fly, she went on to swallow a horse taking a diversion on the way to swallow a goat as well!!....not in the lyrics of the song but perhaps she was attracted in some way!

To quote the obvious from the article:
Critics stated that this litany of neglect was a damning indictment of Lewisham’s Social Services Department. ‘At each stage, Mrs Teasdale should have been given appropriate mental and medical attention, instead she was just left to continue swallowing these animals under the tragic misapprehension that each would somehow catch the last one – when it is clear that her plan was seriously flawed on several fronts. Who knows how many other old ladies there are swallowing large domesticated animals?’

Read the whole text here

A Slant On Horse Training.....

Here's a slant on horsetraining that you'll find interesting reading. You know, I wish there was more Australian material I could refer to but there ain't!!!
Anyway, I know people who will agree or disagree with this article and also with my comments. Personally I agree that training 'out' the bad habits that have been trained 'into' a horse is very difficult. Again, I liken it to humans (although a horse is generally intellectually a non-starter here) in that you have to have a realisation that something is wrong before you can get it fixed. There are some horses that come to that realisation quickly and are easy to fix. In my experience that's a real minority and so the process can be long, frustrating and may involve some pretty hard lessons. It's strange but we often use the phrase 'no pain, no gain' don't we when we set oursleves some physical goals and yet apply that phrase to a horse and you'll get the 'cruelty' accusation thrown at you!!! Perhaps it's all to do with voluntary and involuntary....but if a horse doesn't 'want' to be retrained then what do you do?

Enough banter from me, here's the article

Diarrrhoea - A Messy Business

My good friend Roger Bourdon has just published a short article on this 'moving' subject. Joking apart, just like humans, when you get this condition then something is wrong but happily it's usually self limiting....if it's chronic then there's a cause that should be found before any further damage is done. The article doesn't profess to be wide ranging...just interesting. Click here to read it.

US Overun With Horses No-One Wants

It's a very sad state of affairs and a dilemma all in one.
Kentucky, the horse capital of the world, famous for its sleek thoroughbreds, is being overrun with thousands of horses no one wants - some of them perfectly healthy, but many of them starving, broken-down nags. Other parts of the country are overwhelmed, too.

The reason: growing opposition in the U.S. to the slaughter of horses for human consumption overseas. Public backlash - and state bans or the threat of them - have led to the closure of several slaughterhouses that used to take in horses no longer suitable for racing or work. Auction houses are glutted with horses, and many rescue organizations have run out of room.

Unfortunately, it seems that as you try to solve one problem, you inadvertently create another....because the costs of looking after horses won't go down, neither will vet bills and so horses are being neglected and in some instances, left to die.

It's a sad story but worth reading

How To Stop A Horse Bucking

John Pinnell' DVD 'Problem Horses' covers just about every vice a horse will throw at you .....and how to fix them! Like us humans, bad behavior in a horse is usually inherited or taught. It's rarely in-bred.

In this series of 3 excerpts from the dvd, John shows us a few of his own well proven methods to stop this dangerous vice. The videos clips are posted on the H10 UTube site and the link to them is here

If you want to read more details of the John Pinnell dvd sets on horse training then they are here

Horse Massage - Much Kneaded?!

Sorry about the title!!

"Just like human athletes, we expect performance from our equine athletes. But just like people, massage is not just limited to athletes. It can be for show horses, race horses or just for your friends on the farm" so says Tami Bronstein who took up horse massage during the past year.

"It's a growing phenomenon, especially with performance horses," said Lisa Senus, administrative vice president of the New Jersey Horse Show Association. "Sometimes your horse is not quite right, even though traditional veterinary medicine might not find anything wrong. So, you find the horse might benefit from equine massage. They get sore and get tight the same way we do."

It's an interesting article - read it here

The Law Of Attraction

You've probably heard of it....like attracts like etc etc. How does that apply to horses? Well, here's an interesting 'psychological' example of the method used on a horse that just didn't drink as much as it should with the results that he was always suffering from various health problems.
It's from the Equine Teleseminar blog and makes good reading whether you believe it or not!!!

http://equineteleseminar.blogs.com/equineteleseminar/
There are also a couple of UTube videos showing a very clever horse!!

Gelding = Better Behaved Horses??

There are always questions regarding badly behaved stallions and whether gelding will solve the problems. I'm obliged to 'Horse Training Success' for this fairly comprehensive article on this subject....we've all heard the saying, "Stallions are from hell, Geldings are from heaven", and here's a discussion on the reasons for it!!!

The link is here: http://horsetrainingsuccess.blogspot.com/2007/03/does-gelding-improve-behavior.html

Good Reasons For Bad Behaviour? Read On......

Now I hadn't heard of the Tellington methods for looking into the way horses behave as they do. I have to say that I'm quite sceptical of the 'make a real friend of your horse' training methods because most of them are not based on an understanding of horses in the wild...their very nature in fact.
The system, called the Tellington Method and authored by Linda Tellington-Jones, is based on a discovery that working on a horse's body releases fear, tension, discomfort and pain in a way that changes his behavior, influences his personality and enhances his overall health and well-being.
Now I'm not sure that I agree with the some of the techniques put forward in this method, but the basis for this type of training is relatively sound. If any of you have ever heard of Maslow's hierarchy of needs for humans, then none of this will sound strange to you albeit developed for the horse. If you want to know more about Maslow go here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Maslow
If you want to read the article, courtesy of Equisearch, go here:
http://equisearch.com/horses_care/health/behavior/tellingtonjones_121506/

Horse Trainer Uses Firm But Gentle Touch

Too many horses get away with all sorts of bad habits - simply because we let them AND we don't know how to stop them. We get used to them and put up with them....and we shouldn't because it's just bad behavior. Here's a nice little article from Michigan about a woman who was in just that position who used the services of an experienced horse trainer. She likes his even-tempered approach to training horses. "(He) just goes about it in a calmer manner and speaking the horse's language," she said.

The techniques he uses are very similar to those I read about in the Jesse Beery training books, and he uses the 'even tempered' approach used by John Pinnell, one of Australia's top horse trainers.
The article link is here...have a read! http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/michigan/index.ssf?/base/news-42/1172511582319690.xml&storylist=newsmichigan

Medication By Mouth - How Do You Do It?

Here's a great little article from Equisearch with a technique on how to get your horse to take medication by mouth. Difficult enough with children let alone horses!!! You might try this though - here's the link http://tinyurl.com/28sxjf

Charlie At 2...And What A Looker!!!!

You might remember that here at H10 we proudly sponsor two champions, one a show horse champion and the other an ASH champion shower and breeder. Our ASH Champion is Jackie Long from Ivery Park Stud and I wanted you to see a lovely picture of her young star Charles, a mere 2 year old, at the Canberra Royal recently. Charlie's real name is 'Time To Celebrate' and the great pic was taken by Anne Braidwood.

Naturally enough, Charlie's groomed with the best products available....H10 of course, and boy, doesn't he look good!!!

Life Stages - What You Can teach Your Horse & When

Here's a great post from The Heartland Horseman on the life stages of a horse and what you can teach them during the various stages of their development. It's full of different opinions and techniques from all sorts of horse trainers some of which you will agree with...and some of which you won't!!

Whatever you might think, it makes interesting reading just to see the different points of view around!!
Here's the link: http://www.theheartlandhorseman.com/articles/2007/02/23/news/news90.txt

It AIn't Easy Being A Mum!

It ain't easy being a Mum.....humans, dogs, horses, it really doesn't matter very much. It's nice to see then, a horse 'Mum' and her foal in complete agreement over this. In this case the foal is giving his Mum a rest!!

How To Lose Weight And Get Fit...With Your Horse

Here's an inspirational story about a lady, 100 lbs (about 40kgs) overweight who used her horse and horseriding to get her weight down and her fitness up!! It's well worth a read courtesy of Equus magazine.
Here's the link Losing To Win

I can't ride any longer - bad back injury, surgery etc so I ride a bike. A lot less interesting I can tell you!!

New FREE Cd Now Available

We've just made the latest H10 FREE CD available. It's a 140 plus page book on 'First Aid For Horses', written by a UK Army major and updated by a good friend of mine, Roger Bourdon of Horse Back Riding
The link is here: FREE CD It's in Adobe .pdf format which means that you can download it or print off any pages you might want to use.

The True Meaning Of Horse Training

Look, we all know about the 'hype' of horse training. Let's face it, the whole idea is to modify behaviour and we know just how difficult that can be in humans let alone animals! How many of us struggle to give up food (well, some foods anyway), alcohol and other behavioural habits we can do without?
Same with our horses....yet so often we put up with mediocrity believing that our relationship with the horse should be one of comfy friendliness, equal terms etc etc. Um!
Here's a thought provoking article
From the "CAN I JUST TELL IT LIKE IT IS?"
series by JP Giacomini - "Learning Horsemanship Is No Bed Of Roses"

Here's the link to click:
http://EquineTeleseminar.net/blog

How NOT To Train A Horse

I get around the other horse blogs and there are plenty of good ones. Here's a post from a lady who took her Arab to a 'so called' professional trainer...the results were catastrophic! It just shows that a good trainer like John Pinnell for instance, can show you how they go about horse training without the use of force and certainly without the use of a whip.
here's the link: http://risingrainbow.blogspot.com/2007/02/are-you-good-advocate-for-your-horse_13.html

You can see an example of John's methods here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALJbqrHiuTc

RSS Feed available

There's a little RSS logo at the bottom of the page that you can click on to subscribe to our RSS feed. All you have to do then is add that feed to your RSS favourites on your Web browser reader and get new content as and when!!

Arthur Kottas-Heldenberg New Training Site

For those of you into dressage, an acknowledged master of that art has just launched a brand new online training site.
His website links to a learning management system that will help to develop a rider’s knowledge and skills of dressage and other areas of equestrian discipline. Kottas will be utilising the techniques he has mastered over his 40 year career, which culminated in his appointment as First Chief Rider of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna.
Via www.kottas-academy.com Kottas ensures the continual passing on of the benefits of his knowledge even though he may not be directly working with the rider. The academy’s aim is to set up a single point of contact where users can find any information they need; from basic horse management, to dressage riding and instructors’ techniques. It will cater for those who have little or no experience straight through to those who ride at international level.

Worth a look - it's a very nice site and the prices seem pretty reasonable too!

The Tap

If you've come straight from the H10 newsletter page, then you'll probably have looked at 'The Endorphin Tap' web site. We'd love to hear any comments so please feel free to make them....but no profanities please, no matter what you might think!! We hold no views either way on 'The Tap' but we're interested in your views.

February 2007 - First Blog Post

Well, finally got around to it!! Created the blog 9 months ago and just got around to posting something!
In future the blog will be updated 2x per week and will be an alternative to the emails we send out. The blog means that you can reply or post to anything that's on the blog and leave your feedback...means that you can help others or have a rant if you want to. And why not!?
First blog post due Weds Feb 7th.