Horse Blog by Chapman's Premium

Horse Health, Wormers, and Diatomaceous Earth

June 23rd, 2011

Ever hear of diatomaceous earth? I certainly hadn’t, until one of my clients contacted me. She had contacted me in regards to the liniment, wanting something less toxic to her horses. As we discussed gentler but more effective methods of treating our horses, she asked me if I’d ever heard of diatomaceous earth. I admitted that I didn’t have a clue.

She proceeded to tell me that she had been in France at a horse farm with 70 – 80 horses, and that there were no flies, either in the barn or in the pasture. I was skeptical of this story, having had horses for years and knowing that as soon as the warmer weather arrives, so do the flies. Ugh.

She proceeded to tell me that the farm owner told her that they fed all their horses, as well as their dogs and cats, diatomaceous earth to treat them for parasites (worms, etc), rather than the toxic and expensive wormers that my horses love to spit out. The result was, not only did it treat the parasites, but it eliminated the flies as well. From one website, the information states ‘When diatomaceous earth comes in contact with the insects, the sharp edges lacerate the bugs waxy exoskeleton and then the powdery diatomaceous earth absorbs the body fluids causing death from dehydration.’ (More info here: http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/defaq.html)

Of course I’m interested in trying this on my horses, and to see if it works as described. There are precautions regarding the product, so be sure to read the site before purchasing and using. As my horses are fed grain and beet pulp, mixing some of the diatomaceous earth into their grain won’t be an issue in getting it into them. I just hope it works as well as it says it does. Fewer flies would be so nice, for me and for my horses. My poor mare gets bitten so bad on her belly, that she gets raw sometimes. (I use Swat® on her and find it works wonders to repel flies as well as heal the sores).

I can’t help but think that eliminating flies, would also help eliminate the cycle of parasites. All in all, a small investment in diatomaceous earth, for seemingly big results!

Enjoy!

Andrea Chapman

Tags: diatomaceous earth, horses, parasites, wormers
Posted in horse health | post a comment

The True Story of Rudolph

December 19th, 2010

A man named Bob May, depressed and brokenhearted, stared out his drafty apartment window into the chilling December night.

His 4-year-old daughter Barbara sat on his lap quietly sobbing. Bob’s wife, Evelyn, was dying of cancer. Little Barbara couldn’t understand why her mommy could never come home. Barbara looked up into her dad’s eyes and asked, “Why isn’t Mommy just like everybody else’s Mommy?” Bob’s jaw tightened and his eyes welled with tears. Her question brought waves of grief, but also of anger. It had been the story of Bob’s life. Life always had to be different for Bob.

Small when he was a kid, Bob was often bullied by other boys. He was too little at the time to compete in sports. He was often called names he’d rather not remember. From childhood, Bob was different and never seemed to fit in. Bob did complete college, married his loving wife and was grateful to get his job as a copywriter at Montgomery Ward during the Great Depression. Then he was blessed with his little girl. But it was all short-lived. Evelyn’s bout with cancer stripped them of all their savings and now Bob and his daughter were forced to live in a two-room apartment in the Chicago slums. Evelyn died just days before Christmas in 1938.

Bob struggled to give hope to his child, for whom he couldn’t even afford to buy a Christmas gift. But if he couldn’t buy a gift, he was determined to make one – a storybook! Bob had created an animal character in his own mind and told the animal’s story to little Barbara to give her comfort and hope. Again and again Bob told the story, embellishing it more with each telling. Who was the character? What was the story all about? The story Bob May created was his own autobiography in fable form. The character he created was a misfit outcast like he was. The name of the character? A little reindeer named Rudolph, with a big shiny nose. Bob finished the book just in time to give it to his little girl on Christmas Day. But the story doesn’t end there.

The general manager of Montgomery Ward caught wind of the little storybook and offered Bob May a nominal fee to purchase the rights to print the book. Wards went on to print,_ Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer _ and distribute it to children visiting Santa Claus in their stores. By 1946 Wards had printed and distributed more than six million copies of Rudolph . That same year, a major publisher wanted to purchase the rights from Wards to print an updated version of the book.

In an unprecedented gesture of kindness, the CEO of War ds returned all rights back to Bob May. The book became a best seller. Many toy and marketing deals followed and Bob May, now remarried with a growing family, became wealthy from the story he created to comfort his grieving daughter. But the story doesn’t end there either.

Bob’s brother-in-law, Johnny Marks, made a song adaptation to Rudolph. Though the song was turned down by such popular vocalists as Bing Crosby and Dinah Shore , it was recorded by the singing cowboy, Gene Autry. “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” was released in 1949 and became a phenomenal success, selling more records than any other Christmas song, with the exception of “White Christmas.”

The gift of love that Bob May created for his daughter so long ago kept on returning back to bless him again and again. And Bob May learned the lesson, just like his dear friend Rudolph, that being different isn’t so bad. In fact, being different can be a blessing.

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2010

Tags: reindeer, Rudolph
Posted in Christmas, Rudolph | 1 Comment »

Why Santa doesn’t use horses to pull his sleigh…..

December 17th, 2010

The question finally had to be asked? Why does Santa use reindeer instead of horses to pull his sleigh? Victoor (aka Vic), the Harmony HorseWorks spokeshorse, caught up with Santa while both enjoyed ice skating at the lake in Evergreen, Colorado, and here’s what Santa had to say:

Vic: Santa, so many of our newsletter readers have asked , “Why doesn’t Santa use horses to pull his sleigh at Christmas?”

Santa: Ahem. Well, we really don’t have anything against horses, you know.

Vic: The ESCT newsletter readers think horses would make an excellent team.

Santa: Early on, we did try them, yes. In fact, we tried dogs, too. Seemed logical to use sled dogs, being at the North Pole and all, but the tail-wagging thing created too much air turbulence.

Vic: So, tell us what happened with the horses?

Santa: We ran into a few problems with them that got us way behind schedule, so we had to look for alternatives.

Vic: What problems exactly, Santa?

Santa: Well, first off, most of the applicants were Arabians and they turned out to have a fear of heights. In fact, they had a fear of air in general. Their snorts and feet-planting would bring the sleigh to a complete stop, pitch off the packages and throw the elves overboard. They don’t follow anything but the lead mare (I think she is called the diva in correct parlance) and her head-tossing raised heck with the rein signals.

Then the Standardbreds showed up and that fast trot, winging thing doesn’t work well in the air because it tends to propeller and pitch us around in the sleigh. They were great at pulling sleds, though. Faultless. Those horses moooove!

The elves are all for decoration so they wanted to audition a matched set of Lallapaloosas.

Vic: Santa, I think that’s Appaloosas, not Lallapaloosas, although some appys are lollapaloozas like Magic, the one in our herd.

Santa: Whatever. The ones with the crazy spots and no mane and tail to create turbulence. We had a heck of a time finding a matched set, believe me. Anyway, the only 2 gaits they know are “no” and “mosey.” We’d have to start last year to get them anywhere this year!

We also ended up auditioning a team of heavy drafts and their ground drill was top notch and boy could they pull, but they didn’t get any lift-off, as you can well imagine.

Saddlebreds didn’t get any air either because they have those dead weights on their shoes and there’s that winging thing again.

A friend of mine, a cowboy in Texas, sent me a team of reining and team penning horses to try, but every time they got near a cloud cluster, they’d run crazy circles around it and throw us off course. It must be the herding thing, mistaking clouds for sheep?

Sooo, we auditioned some Baroque horses - Lippizaners, Andalusians and Lusitanos – figuring they could do “airs above the ground” and get plenty of lift-off. Which they did. But that didn’t end up well because they wanted me to wear one of those flouncy Spanish riding outfits with a three-cornered hat instead of my Santa suit and cap, so I couldn’t very well show up looking like King Ferdinand of Spain on Christmas Eve. As good as they are in the air, so bad they are at landing. Belly flops every time. Sad. No injuries, though.

For the hunter/jumpers, we were finally wearing the right color – red, but the fox didn’t like being the lead all the time. The Thoroughbreds were fast as lightning, but we missed all our test stops – yup, blazed right past every single one. Whoooosh…

Then we found out that mustangs are called “mesteno” in Spanish, which translates as “you can never get these horses to do anything in harness, much less in unison.” They didn’t speak English and my Spanish is lacking. I confuse la isquierdaand a la derecha so signaling was a mess.

from http://www.harmonyhorseworks.com

Tags: Arabian, heavy drafts, horses, Thoroughbred, Warmblood
Posted in horse | post a comment

A Horse’s Heart, Endurance & Love

August 20th, 2010

This is a story as told to me by a man that I was acquainted with when I rode the trails in Campbell Valley Park. I had met him and his horse initially at cattle penning, and then proceeded to see him quite often at the Park.

I hadn’t seen him in quite some time, and he told me the following story. It’s a story of perseverance, determination, loyalty, trust, and a boundless love. Everyone should be so blessed to know such trust and loyalty. Everyone should be so blessed to have a relationship with a horse.

————–

Dead pine cones and needles crunched under his feet as he trudged through the gnarly pine trees. It had been months since he’d last seen her and still he looked for her every weekend, up in the mountains.

He was an endurance rider and ’she’ was his willing partner, a bay arab mare with a sweet disposition and a heart that would carry him anywhere. They had been endurance riding when she spooked, he fell and she took off. He looked for her all that weekend, calling her name, whistling for her.

He drove back home with a heavy heart, worrying, wondering where she was. Work kept him busy, but still, he worried. Where was she? He drove back up to the mountains the next weekend and again, picking his way through rough and hilly terrain, calling her name. He posted ‘lost’ posters at every tack shop, on the internet – asking if anyone had seen her, and where.

Weeks went by, with sightings hundreds of miles away from where he had fallen off. He drove to every single one of the sightings, calling her name, pushing through brush, over dead logs, and miles and miles of mountainous trails. Summer turned to fall, and the warm summer days turned crisp with a cold bite. He hoped that someone, somewhere had found her. He hoped that his endurance saddle had fallen off of her, or that someone had found her and taken it off.

Every weekend he hunted for her. Fall turned to winter, and he hoped the early snow fall that silenced his footsteps would reveal her hoof prints. Weeks marched on, snow cloaked the deadfall, leaving soft mounds like whipping cream where trails had been. Icy, snow laden roads made driving treacherous and he could no longer access the mountain. Still, he kept her poster and internet listing ‘alive’, requesting info for any sightings.

Winter’s cold whiteness slowly warmed to brown mud and new green buds and shoots peeked and popped towards the spring sun. Once again, he was able to head for the mountains to look for her.

Spring stretched into warm summer days again. One weekend, intuition led him back to where he had originally fallen off, and with little hope, he wandered the area, calling her name, hearing his footsteps crunching in the fallen pine needles, branches grasping at his coat, hair and face. His leather riding gloves protected his hands from the dead branches he constantly pushed aside.

He called her name again, his heart skipping when he heard a soft noise. He stood silently, listening – he called again, and again, he heard the soft nicker that was so familiar. His heart pounding he called and listened, trying to determine which direction she was in.

Frantically, he pushed through brush, not wanting to frighten her, but panicked that he might lose her again. He called her name again, and again she nickered, and this time, as his hands roughly pushed some branches aside, he glimpsed her standing in the shadows of overgrowth and trees.

Elated, he moved quietly towards her, talking softly. As he neared her, his elation turned to heartbreak. Her bridle was still on and was embedded into her skin in spots. Branches were twisted into one side of her bridle, holding her tight. She was badly cut, with no resources to heal herself, and no fight left to get herself free.

Her once gleaming coat was dull and shaggy. His saddle had worn a hole in her withers, her emaciated and bony frame told a story of months of famine. Her once rounded hindquarters were sunken, her hip bones jutting sharply through a thin covering of skin. He touched lightly the matted mess of her mane, and gently ran his hand down her hollow neck.

Tears slid down his cheeks as he rubbed her softly between her eyes. Her once bright brown eyes were dull and glazed from fear, flight, loneliness and starvation. Freeing her from the snarl of branches, he pressed his forehead to her neck, feeling his hot tears against her skin.

Once free, she dropped her head to his chest and nuzzled his hands. Slowly, he crouched down and as if on cue, she tucked her knees and dropped heavily beside him.He stretched his legs out on the blanket of pine needles, next to her. Content, she lay her head in his lap, closing her expressive brown eyes, relief relaxing her entire body. He stroked her head, her neck, scratching the place behind her ears that had always made her nudge him for more.

If she could only talk! What tales would she have to tell? Where had she run to? What had scared her? And how much pain had she endured with that saddle still on? Stroking her neck, her face, he talked, telling her of how he had looked for her for so many months. How he never gave up on finding her. He talked for hours, telling her of all the places he’d been to look for her. All his adventures and disappointments, and how, this weekend, he didn’t know why, but his heart led him back to where it all started.

He told her how happy he was to have found her, and let the tears fall, as his heart knew this was the end for her. He stroked her, told her how much he loved her, she opened her eyes, full of trust and love, and with a huge deep breath, closed them and let her last and final breath go – safe and happy again in the care of her partner. Love had kept him looking, and he was certain, had kept her alive until he found her.

Gently, he moved her lifeless head from his lap, to the indentation his body left in the pine needles, stroking her one last time. Tears blinding his sight, his heart aching, he turned and picked his way carefully through the brush and down the mountain.

Andrea Chapman

Tags: Endurance, Heart, horse, Love
Posted in Endurance, Heart, Love, horse | 108 Comments »

First Ride!

July 26th, 2010

Today, I went for a ride for the first time in two years! I have really missed riding – and going again reminded me of how much fun it is, and how much I enjoy it. I love all the ritual of grooming… brushing his glossy summer coat, and brushing his tail – combing out his thick mane. His tail was a bit of a mess, but with Fiebing’s Satin Sheen, it makes it really easy to brush out.

Nick (fatty boy) was a bit spooky, but all in all, for a first ride in a long time, he was really good. We (my daughter and I) went to our old haunt, Campbell Valley Park. We did not attempt the 14km around the park, as none of us is in any shape to go that far, but just rode to the water splash and back. Nick is such a great little horse – and for 22, he’s sure doing well. His trot was bit short and choppy to start, but I think that was as much the rider (wink) as it was the horse.

Dodge, my daughter’s horse, has really nice gaits. He has a lot of suspension in his trot, and I’m sure once he’s fully trained, he’ll be awesome. He’s a little green and wobbly, and he was quite nervous going through the trails. He behaved himself admirably though, for a ‘green’ horse.

The horses were tired at the end of the ride, and Nick could only manage a canter half way up the hill. Dodge trotted the whole way up – a good indication they both had had enough. A good sponge bath for them at the end of the ride, a quick spray of Chapman’s Premium to ease any muscle soreness, and they were glad to be going home.

Overall, a fantastic day with a wonderful ride! I can hardly wait until the next trip out! Oh yeah, and I’ll be using some of that Chapman’s Premium on myself tonight.

Andrea

Tags: Chapman's Premium, grooming, horse, horse grooming, liniment
Posted in grooming, horse, horse grooming, horse ride, ride | 56 Comments »

Grooming For Horse Show Days – Part II

July 12th, 2010

After putting the horses to bed, the tack would come home from the barn to be cleaned and checked. Boots were polished, and show clothes were laid out. Stitching was checked on stirrup leathers, and irons were polished. Everything else was left for the morning.

Mornings were always earlier than normal. Breakfast was little earlier, and while they were eating, we’d load up the trailer. Water buckets, saddles (in eventing two saddles are needed – one for dressage, and one for jumping). Bridles and extra bits loaded, along with extra stirrup leathers, and reins. Coolers and sweat sheets were loaded, along with the grooming box and the travel first aid kit. Alfie – Mr. Ultrasensitive was a tremendous athlete and, like many talented horses, was prone to injury. Show clothes (breeches, boots, jacket, show shirt, hair net, helmet, protective vest, gloves) were all packed and checked off. And of course, treats and snacks for both horse and rider.

So then, we’re ready to go. Shipping boots are put on and the horses loaded. Once we get to our destination, then comes the last minute preparations.

A last minute check of the braids. A final brush, and hoof picking. At this point, prior to competing, I’ve always used the Chapman’s Premium to calm down our horses and relax their muscles so they can use them to their full capacity. ?Both horse and rider are ready for warm up. Warm-up consists of a relatively short ride, only to warm up the muscles and ensure obedience. Enough time is allotted though, if a longer warm up is required.

Out of the warm up ring, a last wipe down of the boots, wiping the horse’s mouth from ‘foam’, (this is a good sign) and off into the arena, with a relaxed but eager horse. Preparation is the key to excellent results.

“Horses – they fill your heart and feed your soul”.

Andrea

Tags: horse, horse grooming, horse show
Posted in grooming, horse, horse grooming, horse show | 5 Comments »

Founder!

July 7th, 2010

Founder – another dreaded word in the horse world. It’s such a preventable disease, and yet, every year, thousands of horses suffer from founder. There can be many causes of founder, and one big one is not enough exercise for the amount of feed they are getting. Many horses founder in the spring, and it’s thought to be from the grass being too rich and too sweet.

Interestingly enough, more horses founder in the fall than in the spring. The reason? When the rain starts to fall again after a dry summer, the grass starts to grow rich and sweet, just like the spring. Many people are aware of the dangers of keeping their horse out on the spring grass too long, but do not recognize that you have to be aware equally as much in the fall.

Of course, restricting your horse’s intake and ensuring they get enough exercise will help prevent founder. When I was living up-country, I had to watch my horses as they were not getting the exercise and certainly getting a lot of pasture grass. At one point, my farrier advised me that my tb, Moka was foundering a little, and to watch fatty boy aka uber brat Nick. I was stunned in regards to Moka – and promptly brought her in off the grass and started exercising her. She had some heat in her feet, so I sprayed some Chapman’s Premium on her. I was amazed at how quickly it brought the heat out of her hoof.

Fortunately, Moka was caught in time, and it was a very mild case of founder in just one hoof. As a result, I’m totally anal about keeping their weight down.

A client of mine had advised me that he hauls horses for a living. He said he was hauling a horse with founder and it went down in the trailer it’s feet were so sore. He heard it go down so he stopped to check on it. He said he used some Chapman’s Premium liniment on it, sprayed it’s hooves, both sole and wall, and he said within minutes the horse was back up and stood all the way to it’s destination.

Although it’s not a cure, if it helps ease the inflammation, pain and swelling and makes them more comfortable – then it’s all good!

Horses – they steal your heart and fill your soul.

Andrea

Tags: Chapman's Premium, founder, horse, leg injuries, liniment
Posted in Injuries, founder, horse | 42 Comments »

Leg Injuries

July 4th, 2010

When dealing with leg injuries, there’s a few things I do to ensure a speedy recovery. Cold hose or ice, depending on the time of year, liniment, and bandaging. I feel it’s really important to support their legs as much as possible while they’re movement is limited – and I always bandage the opposing leg, and sometimes all four.

It’s really important to put liniment on all four legs to keep any swelling down. Many times, due to having to redistribute their weight, their other legs may swell while taking the weight for the injured one. The other area that I always use liniment on, is their back – and in particular, their loin area. I find using the liniment on their neck and back eases any muscle tension from stress at having their movement restricted.

I’ve found that many times when their leg(s) are injured, their back gets sore from taking the weight off the injured leg and redistributing it onto the other three. I use an infrared muscle massager to massage their back, and then use liniment. It’s a great time to just spend time with your horse, and especially if they are isolated or stall bound, being herd animals, they really appreciate the company.

I always enjoy giving my horse a complete grooming every day, during recovery. We both seem to take pleasure from the touch – kind of like having a spa day!

Just … ride!

Andrea

Tags: back, grooming, Injuries, leg injuries, liniment
Posted in Injuries, grooming | 4 Comments »

Mane Pulling

June 25th, 2010

I’ve never been a big fan of mane pulling. I wouldn’t want my hair pulled out by it’s roots to have my hair cut. I’ve been told by various people – ‘oh, it doesn’t hurt them’ – oh yeah? And maybe some of them it doesn’t. But for certain, I have two that it definitely hurts.

I have a theory, that the thicker and coarser the hair, the more likely it is to hurt when pulled. Alfie – the wonderful chestnut thoroughbred, it never bothered. His hair was very thin and fine – he was also a very passive horse and a pleaser. Moka, the rescuee, has fine but very thick hair – she’s also very dominant. Pull her mane? Not if you want to live – and I mean that seriously. She will do anything to keep you away from pulling her mane. Cut it? No problem, but pull it – not a chance.

And Nick, the uber brat? Well, being a fjord cross his mane is very thick and the hair very coarse. Even tranquilized he will not allow you to pull his mane. Believe me, I tried it after his teeth were floated. He will shoulder check you right into next week if you’re not careful. It’s not a fun experience for me or for them.

So what did I do? I bought a mane comb with shears on it – and I just cut the darn things. It’s a lot easier for all of us. And I’m all for making things pleasant! That’s what having a horse is supposed to be about, isn’t it?

Horses – my heart, my hope, my life.

Andrea

Tags: grooming, horse, mane, mane pulling
Posted in grooming, horse, horse grooming, mane, mane pulling | 77 Comments »

Grooming – Tail

June 25th, 2010

We’ve had a number of horses over the years. Alf, the thoroughbred chestunut, had very fine mane and tail hair. Nick, the fjord cross and uber brat, has very course thick mane and tail, just like the purebred fjords. Moka, the bay thoroughbred, has black mane and tail and although the hair is fine, it’s very thick.

So, did we groom them differently? No, not at all. Alf needed a little more care in grooming his mane and tail, but basically we treated them all the same.

Nick’s tail was actually the toughest to groom, being the thickest. My favorite product for grooming mane and tails is Feibing’s Satin Sheen. It doesn’t leave a sticky feeling like so many others do.

I start with the tail first. I spray the entire tail with Satin Sheen and then pick up the bottom of the tail and rub it against the top of the tail. I use the palm of my hands to rub it in from top to bottom. I then use a regular hair brush, with plastic bristles, spread widely apart.

I take the brush and start at the bottom of the tail. I take a small piece of the tail and lay the tail across my thigh, just above my knee. Starting at the bottom, brush a few inches at a time, until you can feel the tangles are out. Work your way up to the top.

Continue brushing the tail in this manner until you’ve brushed all the tangles out. Then take the entire tail and lay it across your knee and in the same manner, brush it all again, right up to the top.

Brushing in this manner reduces and prevents breakage, and leaves their tail looking full. I found brushing their tails was very theapeutic and was one of my favorite pasttimies.

Enjoy!

Andrea

Posted in Uncategorized | 13 Comments »

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