Fly Season: It's Coming

I thought this winter would never end - and suddenly it did. Pretty much skipping spring, we're already battling summer bugs out at my barn. Foxie (AKA The Princess) is not a bug fan, so let's get down to the business of battling flying pests of all sorts.

Non-horse people, seriously. 

There are a lot of products out there to help you take on the pests -I'm covering fly masks, sprays, spot on's, sheets and boots. There are also products like fly predators that can really help you get ahead of the fly population. I've never used bands or anything else from above, so I will leave that for someone more knowledgeable.

Things to keep in mind: Spring and summer is mud season. Keep your fly products clean and in good condition. Check yourself and your horse often for ticks - that means ears, legs, tails bone and the base of the mane for your pony! Lyme Disease is nasty in horses and you don't want it, either! Keep an eye out for hives or other signs of buggy distress in your horse, too, and try to keep stalls and paddocks clean of manure so they attract and provide breeding grounds for fewer flies.

When riding, don't forget to wear sunscreen (my bad, this week - Ouch!) and bug spray. If it's bad, I wear old breeches and spray them with bug spray, since the mosquitoes can often bite through the fabric, and itchy  legs and knees are the worst!

Click down for the run down on products to help your horsey friend!

A Case of the Funks

Yep - it's spring, which means that I've started suspiciously inspecting my horse for "funky" spots. Funks can include (with descriptions borrowed from The Horse - best site ever for reference!)

Scratches: Breaks in the skin lead to bacterial and/or fungal causing scaly patches, hair loss, and inflammation on the legs called scratches (aka grease heel or mud fever). Causes include contact allergies and irritants, infestation with Chorioptes mites (leg mange), and malformations with the lymphatic vessels, etc. Secondary infections are often worsened by exposure to moisture in mud or pastures. Draft breeds and other horses with feathered legs might be most susceptible.

Rain Rot: Also known as rain scold or dermatophilosis, rain rot is skin disease caused by the opportunistic bacterium Dermatophilus congolesis, which thrives in moist conditions and enters through damaged skin (think bites or chaffing). Rain rot is usually evident over the horse’s neck, back, and croup, but can also spread to the legs. The skin crusts and raised tufts of serum-matted hair, called paintbrush lesions, form. The tufts usually shed, leaving hairless patches. Rain rot is contagious.

Hives: Hives are round, raised wheals over the body that cause the hair to stand up. They can range from the size of a nickel to several inches in diameter and can cover part or most of the body. A breakout of hives is usually related to air-borne allergens (e.g., tree, bush, weed, or grass pollen; mold; dust; etc.); ingested allergens (e.g., feed ingredients); or vaccination or medication reactions. A breakout usually isn’t painful but might itch.

Other ailments include warts, ringworm and sweet itch. The above three are the ones I have experience with, so I'm going to stick with what I know. As per always, please contact your vet with your concerns - I'm not one! 

Click to hop over to my (rather long, sorry for the novel) list of tips and tricks!

Spring has Sprung!

Hey Bloglings - here are some tips from Foxie and I on handling exciting spring weather!

1. Keep Calm, and Keep Covered.
Especially this year, Minnesota and many areas around the horse-riding world experience wet springs. As the owners of thoroughbreds, clipped horses or generally "thin coated" horses know, our ponies get soaked to the skin pretty quickly. Especially for riders already struggling to maintain weight on their horses, having a few waterproof sheets on hand is a great way to not only keep your horse from shivering, you also help head off rain rot and keep mud at bay. That way, you aren't battling skin ailments and bald spots into the show season and you aren't spending an hour de-mudding before you ride!

Foxie likes her mud baths. 

2. Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

Since spring is the time of moisture, I suggest clipping down the legs (especially the feathers and fetlocks) to minimize the mud that sticks to your horse's legs. This can help head off scratches and rain rot on the legs, both of which are painful, persistent fungal infections that are very hard to totally eradicate. Also make sure to pick out feet regularly and keep an eye out for excessive softness and funny smells, which can be indicators of thrush or other problems. I also make sure to do a thorough grooming and keep an eye out for any problems in the coat (can you tell I hate rain rot?!) and, if conditions are muddy enough, mud knot the tail to cut down on grooming. To mud knot, you can either look up the fancy braided-in way traditionalists do it, or cheat, like me! 

My mud knots are inspired by my early days of riding Arabians, who have their tails tied up to help them grow and stay beautiful and long for the show ring. I start with a clean tail, and usually take this opportunity to put some conditioner in. Don't braid and put up a wet tail, as the hairs are more prone to breaking, and shrink as they dry. I braid from the base of the tail bone, not pulling the tail too tight to prevent discomfort on that bone. then, taking the braid, I fold it back on it's self and wrap with vetwrap, running a section of the wrap through the top of my braid to keep the tube of vetwrap from sliding off. You end up with something like this:

3. Tack Swap season!
At least where I come from, spring and fall are tack swap seasons. I love to go to spring ones and not only stock up on deals for the show season, but take advantage of the blankets for the next year. Some tips for tack swaps are:
1. Make a list of what you "need"
2. Do your research - how much does it cost new? How much are you willing to pay for used? How used are you willing to buy something?
3. If you're impulsive like me, bring a friend/parent to be your common sense - do you really need that pink zebra saddle pad? Common sense friend is there to remind you that you don't actually like pink. It's just the Black Friday of horse shopping rearing it's ugly head.
4. Consider volunteering. For our local swap, you can volunteer and as a result you get to shop for an hour before the swap opens and snag all the good deals. That's smart shopping!

4. Get Creative!
Is your horse as sick of the indoor as mine is? Think outside the box. We still have snow in our outdoor (well, it melted, then it snowed again...) but the gravel roads are snow and ice free, dry, and relatively non-rocky. Take advantage of nice spring days to trail ride, do some gallop sets (they aren't just for eventers!) or just go exploring. I can proudly say that Foxie has gotten over her fear of garbage cans, mail boxes and running water in ditches after our ride yesterday. If riding alone makes you nervous, please bring a friend. And if you do go alone, don't go far, wear a helmet, tell someone where you are going and when you should be back and think about carrying your cell phone. I like to use the "Track My Hack" app from WOOF and am considering the upgrade so my mom can track me from her phone. If you do carry a phone, don't put it on your saddle or in a saddle bag - put it on your body, and somewhere where it's least likely to be damaged should you fall. Also, if your horse is shod, be careful on paved roads and ALWAYS be cautious and courteous to and around traffic.

5. Spring Cleaning
Spring is a time of hair, hair and... more hair. Once the de-shedding process is beginning to wane, or any time you suspect a skin ailment (or when your brushes are so gross they make your horse dirtier...) take some time to take care of your brushes. I like the effervescent brush cleaner you can buy, or a simple mild bleach solution and warm water. Use a bucket, or a feed pan for wood backed brushes and let them have a good soak, rinse and time to dry in a well ventilated area. You'll be amazed how much cleaner you can get your horse - and it's a comfort knowing you are not spreading skin gunk or reinfecting your horse.Take some time and wash everything - saddle pads, blankets... your horse will thank you!

Have an awesome spring idea you want to share? Leave it in the comments!

Small Hiatus...

Greetings bloglings!

Foxie and I are sorry we haven't been able to post in a while. Spring is well... springing, and the Diva and I have been roading and enjoying the outdoor arena in the small amount of free time I've been able to steal away from school work. I promise I'll bring you more blog posts soon - and as per always, drop us a line about what you want to read about!

Ash & Foxie

Grooming Kit 101

Everyone's grooming kit is a little different - we all customize to our horses needs as we come to understand them, but most grooming kits should have the same basic tools:

Other than being a bit heavy on the curries, this is actually a decent pic. 

Hoof Pick - 

I like the type with the brush, and tend to like the more blunted "tip" of the brushed picks in comparison to the cheapie ones with a sharper end. I have one of each now, but especially for inexperienced hands, the blunter tip is probably safer and prevents any unintentional injury from a slipping hand. The brush is nice for getting the last bits of grit out. 

Curry Comb(s)-

This photo shows several. For basics, I like a gelly-scrubber type, with the larger knobby side and a softer side. If something is uncomfortable on your skin, I would be very very careful (or not use it at all) on the face, legs and only gently on the belly. In shedding season, you tend to collect curries - have a soft one with long bristles, a gelly scrubber, a standard "classic" curry comb and a shedding blade. The shedding blade is used very gently for removing long winter hair. I like a stiffer curry for removing mud, and use a soft one (either the soft side of the gelly or the long bristle) on legs and faces, as well as "ticklish" spots.

Stiff Brush-

The stiff brush is used in a flicking motion to whisk away the dirt brought to the surface by the curry comb, which is used first. I like a plastic, medium length bristle for ease of cleaning and since my stiff brush is my favorite mud tool, it's an important consideration. Shape and size also make a difference - think about brushes you've really liked or try out several in the store to find one that is comfortable to hold and feels "right". 

Soft Brush-

Another brush you can collect several of. I have a soft version of my stiff brush and a few of the wood backed finishing brushes with the leather handle that have very soft bristles. These brushes get off  the fine dust and a great for ring side grooming and making your horse look nice and shiny. Because they are often made of finer materials, such as goat or even horse hair, make sure to use them on a clean horse to preserve them. 

Sweat Scraper-

These come in both the "stick" form and the crescent shaped "squeegies". The sweat scraper is used to scrape water trapped between the hairs out, allowing a horse to dry more quickly after a bath. Eventers and endurance riders also use them to slick away water in the cooling out process, as leaving water on the horse when they are very hot simply heats the water. By slicking away the water as it warms and applying more cool, you are able to drop a horse's body temperature quickly in the vet box. Scrapers are easy to use- just gently scrape in the direction of the hair and watch the water magically disappear! 

Mane Brushes and Combs-

A brush is a nice thing to have, for neatening up after pulling a mane or just for daily maintenance. Remember your horse does have nerves there, despite the old sayings, so brush gently. With the tail, I like to grasp the while thing below the bone to keep my de-tangling from pulling on the hairs and irritating the mare. I wouldn't suggest brushing a horse out too often or you can pull out a lot of hair and make the mane or tail thin. For a comb, I usually just use a pulling comb if I need one.

To pull a mane:

1. Look at the mane. Select a length that works well for your needs (consider if your horse has a mane that will stick up if its too short) and start by grabbing the long pieces that hang down below the mass of the mane.

2. Holding only those hairs, back comb the rest out of your way.

3. Slide the comb through the small bit of hair that remains, wrap the hair around the bridge (back) of the comb and pull straight down. 

I'm not a huge fan of pulling, and Foxie has a thin mane, so I use a Grooma "Mane Master" that follows the same steps as pulling but instead of doing the wrap-and-yank, you slice the hair rather than pulling it out. For some manes, or very uneven ones, you may have to do a combo of pulling and "Grooma-ing". 

My grooming kit occasionally contains grooming additives, as well. I like a bit of shine spray now and again, and I know a lot of people like the Cowboy Magic products for de-tangling. I also have Quick-braid in my kit, as I braid when I show. It's all a matter of opinion - find what you like, and what agrees with your horse.

Keep an eye out in the next few weeks for hopefully a few videos I've had brewing in the old noggin - a wrapping tutorial and a braiding/mane pulling one. Maybe I'll even make a saddle fitting one if that will help someone! 

Ashley & Foxie