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Horse Mangement Newsletter by
Stormy May
Selected articles from HMN's January & February editions! To read the full newsletter, see back issues,
or to join the HMN's email list, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HorseManagementNewsletter/
* Note to Canadian Pony Clubbers: Any
Pony Club advice given below is based on the US Pony Club Rule book,
and should be confirmed with the Canadian Pony Club rule book (available
to download on the Canadian Pony Club Website www.canadianponyclub.org),
or ask your DC.
Contents
1) Feature Fun learning games for all ages
2) Rally & Rating Tips Home-made saddle soap conditioner
3) Question & Answer Daily wormers vs. Paste wormers
4) Featured Rule Saddlery
Feature: Fun learning games for all ages
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by Katrina Gowen
When I was teaching regularly and doing a lot of book work with the kids, I
used several teaching aids that I thought would be helpful to share.
Flash Cards - What is needed:
3x5 index cards
An endless supply of tack catalogs
Scissors
Set of Standards
Tape or glue
3x5 card holder
For Quiz Flash Cards
Cut out different types of tack and horse items, tape or glue picture on one
side and the name of item and uses on the other side.
For Rating flash cards
Cut out book work parts in sections, (For example feed) tape or glue on to
cards write, print off or type answer on back
This helps with the grab bag section of the quiz as well as helps with
future ratings when they need to talk about tack.
Horse Jeopardy - What is needed:
Different colored paper
Standards
Set of Pony Club Manuals
Computer or typewriter
For each color of paper assign a rating level For example tan D1-D3
Set of standards to form questions, as on Jeopardy the answer has to be
stated in the what is form. Example what is a foxes tail called, they would
answer what is a brush. Assign points for each level of questions. For
example a d-1 question might be worth 5 pints, but they can ask for a d-3
level question and it might be worth 15 points. This really helps them get
used to the idea of what the quiz is about.
Horse win lose or draw - What is needed:
3x5 index cards
An endless supply of tack catalogs
Scissors
Set of Standards
Tape or glue
3x5 card holder
Write or tape items for the kids to draw on 3x5 cards
Win lose or draw is where you have a chalk board or pad a paper, markers or
pen. Competitors are then given a time limit to see how many questions the
team can get answered. They have to draw which ever item is on the card,
they get the opportunity to pass or choose another team to draw the same
item. For example the item may be a hoof pick they would have to draw both
a hoof and some sort of pick or the actual hoof pick.
Katrina Gowen received her B from Sundance Pony Club, part of the Cimarron
region. She is currently fundraiser and membership chairperson for Mossy
Creek Pony Club which is part of the South Region.
Rally and rating tips: Saddle soap conditioner
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I found a great recipe for a cheap saddle soap conditioner and I've been
using it on all my tack! It's made my saddles and bridles almost water proof
and it's a breeze to shine them up for an inspection. What you do is take 1
cup of whole milk and mix it with 1/4 of a glycerin saddle soap bar cut into
small pieces (the smaller the better) heat it until it's melted then freeze
it. It took about 5 minutes in-and-out of my microwave to get the bar to
melt and 1 hour to freeze it, but now my black saddles reflect light and
brown leather has become dark with rich colors. My leather is 10 times more
supple and easier to work with and I don't have to condition as often. I
just thought you might want to share this with everyone.
Christina Brennan, C3, English Hills Pony Club, Sierra Pacific Region
Question & Answer: Daily wormers vs. past wormers
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Hi Stormy,
I was just wondering about the pros and cons of a daily pelleted dewormer
(such as Strongid-C) as opposed to a paste worming rotation. Is one more
effective or "better" than the other? I've heard things about paste wormers
only being effective for a couple days so one should use daily, likewise
I've heard that dailys are too much and cause the worms to become immune to
the dewormer. What is the truth? I read in one of your previous issues
that we may be overdoing it on the deworming program and it's possible that
(depending on where you live of course) you may only need to worm four times
per year. I'm trying to decide what would be best for my horse and there
are so many options I would really appreciate any input you have.
Thanks!
Jessie
C-1, Carbon River PC, Northwest Region
Hi Jessie,
You're definitely asking the right questions. I'll give you the pros and
cons as I understand them.
Reasons to use a daily pelleted dewormer (such as Strongid-C [pyrantel
tartrate])
>>> Your horse will have continuous protection against most internal parasites.
With only paste deworming, the horse's parasite load will start to build back up
within a few hours to a few days after deworming. A study by Phizer (the maker
of Strongid-C) showed that mares treated with pyrantel tartrate had reduced
numbers of parasite eggs, while mares treated with bi-monthly paste dewormers
had increased parasitic egg counts at 6 weeks.
>>> Continuous protection will result in reduced internal inflammation due to
parasites resulting in greater efficiency of digestion. One study suggests that
this efficiency can lead to the horse needing 10-15% less feed.
>>> It's usually easier to get the horse to eat the right amount of daily
dewormer than to make sure all the paste dewormer gets ingested each time.
>>> So far, I haven't heard of any cases of internal parasites building up
resistance to pyrantel tartrate.
Reasons to not use a daily pelleted dewormer
>>> Costs roughly twice as much as bimonthly paste dewormers ($15/month per
1,000 pound horse versus $10-15 every two months per 1,000 pound horse).
>>> Cost of extra time needed to make sure the horse gets the dewormer every
day. If the horse doesn't get any other daily supplements, this can be a
significant drawback.
>>> Daily dewormers are not effective against bots and onchocerca (which cause
summer sores). Phizer recommends paste deworming with Ivermectin twice a year
in addition to daily Strongid-C doses.
>>> I haven't seen any studies about this but it seems to me that if a horse is
on a daily dewormer for an extended period of time and then taken off of it (for
example, the horse gets sold) I would be concerned that the horse's immune
system would be significantly taxed with trying to cope with this "new" threat
of internal parasite migration. Our own bodies are able to build up some level
of natural immunity and ways to cope with the ever-present levels of bacteria
and parasites in our environment by constant exposure. Paste dewormers keep
parasites at bay but still allow the horse to develop their own natural defenses
against the invaders.
Good luck in your war on worms,
Stormy
Featured rule: Saddlery
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2002 Horse Management Handbook page 35 section 23 A:
Girths on English saddles must have at least two buckles at each end and
must be fitted so there are at least two spare holes at the top and one at
the bottom of the billets after they are tightened. Buckle (billet) guards
are required and must be in proper place. Stirrup bars are to be down
(open) for riding. Wither, girth, and saddle pads are optional unless
required for proper fitting of the saddle. Rubber stirrup pads are
discouraged but not penalized when the rider is wearing boots with rubber
soles. Exception: Fillis irons must always have pads. The stirrup iron
should be 1 inch wider than the riders' boots.... If a running martingale
is used, it must be properly adjusted with a stopper at the chest and have
rein stops on each rein, on the bit side of the martingale rings.
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