Horse Care Habits I can't live without

When it comes to horse management, I rely on a lot of people for guidance and advice....farrier, vets, trainers, saddle fitter, fellow riders...The list goes on and on. But when I got to thinking about my personal horse management habits, these 3 habits of mine really stood out to me.

Lunging to monitor soundness
Leo has a weak left stifle which results in a toe drag. He has had some minor lameness issues over the years with that leg which led us to putting him on monthly Pentosan shots to manage his soundness. But I am still always concerned a large-scale lameness will blow up in my face. I consistently have this stressful moment when I'm in the saddle - right before I begin to trot - where I hesitate to trot because I don't want to experience that moment where I feel a lame step.

I like to be proactive or maybe I am just a control freak. Either way, ever since he lameness issues came to light in Maryland, I took to lunging Leo in order to watch his movement and monitor his soundness for any changes. I lunge Leo religiously, once a week. I've imprinted his trot into my mind so I know what normal is for him. I have to say there is something very calming about watching the rhythmic and even steps of a horse as they trot circles around you. It's a weird stress reliever for me because watching him on the lunge, I can be completely confident in his soundness.

When I first got Leo, he couldn't lunge for the life of him. We both hated it, but when he was younger, lunging him was the only way to wear him out a little so he was more rideable. Eventually, he started to like his dates with the side reins and surcingle. Even now, it's really the only time I can get him to go in a long and low frame. I discovered yesterday, that Leo is now a lunging pro beyond my wildest expectations...

Currently, Leo has a mysterious edema on his stomach which is preventing me from saddling him. It had been raining buckets so the horses weren't turned out. I went to the barn with the intent to let Leo gallop around the riding ring and blow off some steam. Turns out, Leo would not gallop around the ring at all. When I clucked at him and moved the lunge whip, he proceeded to trot circles around me. I discovered that Leo is so well schooled on the lunge that he will walk, trot and canter circles around me on command even without a lunge line. Who would have thought!

Tea-Clenz to prevent Rain Rot
Leo notoriously gets horrible rain rot and this year I am desperate to stay ahead of the problem. I visited my local tack store way back in spring and went through all their fungus solutions. I ended up buying a tea-tree based body wash, Tea-Clenz Anti-Microbial Concentrate. When I took it up to the counter, the woman working said she can't live without the Tea-Clenz product so I had hope even before I left the store!

I really wanted to step up my horse care game this year. Leo hates to be fussed with and especially hates grooming so I have developed a bad habit of rushing through this part of my ride. Fussing with him after my ride is also not very welcomed, but dealing with rain rot year after year is no longer acceptable in my mind.

Tea-Clenz is supposed to help keep a horse’s skin properly balanced to prevent rain rot from developing. The solution gets diluted in water and is sponged over the horse. Any excess is simply scraped off the horse and the rest just stays on to dry. I applied this to Leo anytime I hosed him down after riding starting in April/May. I used it all the way through September/Oct and not a sign of rain rot developed on his rump this year. His legs were clean and pristine - no sign of that gross, grubby, black stuff. Plus, the Tea-Clenz left his coat super shinny! I'm definitely sold on this product and will be using it again in the spring.

Perfect Prep Training Day to manage a spooky, flighty, hot-headed horse
Leo hates it, but he gets Perfect Prep Training Day in his feed daily. I forget now how long he has been on it, maybe two years? It took me a while to find the right calming supplement, but this turned out to be the one. When Leo is not getting this supplement, he is barely rideable. He spooks literally at everything, has no focus and forgets his entire education. It's really amazing how quickly he regresses back to a fresh-off-the-track state.

The worst part about Leo without Perfect Prep is that it negatively affects his jumping. I always know that the flat work will be hard even with the Perfect Prep, but Leo loves to jump! Without Perfect Prep Training Day, he's behavioral deterioration eventually translates into the jump arena. He will start charging his fences, ruining the distance, get himself into situations he can't get out of and that scares him, which then leads to stopping. It's awesome.

You'd think I would know better by now and never run our of the stuff, but noooooo....At least once a year, I run out of Perfect Prep and there is a delay in the restock. A week without it is typically ok, but Leo gets progressively worse the longer he is off this stuff.

Well, this fall I ran out while I was dealing with the house stuff. Leo was off the supplement for 3-4 weeks and boy did I pay the price. By week three,  I could barely get Leo over a fence without incident. He was back to charging fences, scaring himself, then refusing fences....we were a mess. Then, when I got the Perfect Prep, Leo went on a hunger strike and stopped eating his grain. Now we're administering Perfect Prep via syringe and Leo is back to being settled again.

Note to self: Never, ever, ever, run out of Perfect Prep Training Day.