Equine Consulting

PENZANCE Events 2012

PENZANCE Equine Solutions — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:19:45 +0000

PENZANCE just announcing some of the 2012 season’s events being scheduled. Be sure to bookmark the page so you can see what else is added to date!

(Online Web Calendar).

Are you going to feel embarrassed today?

PENZANCE Equine Solutions — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:33:31 +0000

Mark 9:33-34

“After they arrived at Capernaum and settled in a house, Jesus asked his disciples, “What were you discussing out on the road?” But they didn’t answer, because they had been arguing about which of them was the greatest.”

Hahahaha – I love this. Jesus took ‘em by surprise! They had NO idea that He was listening …. that He ‘knew’. They became embarrassed.

That’s how I think those of us who lose sight of what’s ‘important’ in horsemanship should feel – embarrassed. But then we first have to realize that, like Jesus with his disciples, the horse surprises us! He surprises us by recognizing that our energies are NOT focused on him – but on our own egos. We’re so busy thinking of the ‘technique’ and who is bigger, badder, stronger, what WE have ‘to do’ in order to ‘make’ the horse do this or that or the other thing, that we forget the horse is even there! Listening, watching, … FEELING what we’re thinking.

When we think our little brain cells wiggle around and, in doing so, cause shifts/changes in energy. The energy produces frequencies that affect what’s around us. We’re all about electrical energy, ya know – that’s how our cells transmit information and ‘talk’ with one another. That’s how the horses talk between themselves and the world around them. The universe is all about energy. And we all know that energy is never destroyed; only changed.

So while we’re focusing on our selves, where’s that leave the horse?

Out.

And he tells us just that as he pulls us over to the side of the road to eat grass, or decides he’d rather go back to the barn or simply doesn’t respond when we decide we’re going to ‘make’ him move forward!

The horse is just receiving our energy. And our energy, if not all about the HORSE, is … well, not about the horse! It’s USUALLY about us.

Just like the disciples all arguing about who was bigger and better — discussing/arguing about their egos, with their egos, in their egos.

They forgot about Jesus.

But Jesus knew … He didn’t forget about them! He knew. And he called them out on it just like the horse calls us out when we lose our focus.

Are you going to be surprised today? Are you going to think on this and feel just a tiny bit embarrassed or shameful? If so, that’s a GOOD thing. Ya know why?

Cause you’re the only one who can change it.

Curcumin compares favorably with corticosteroid therapy in the management of chronic anterior uveitis.

PENZANCE Equine Solutions — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:31:24 +0000

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/article/curcumin-compares-favorably-corticosteroid-therapy-management-chronic-anterior-uveitis

Human studies but uveitis is uveitis — I think curcumin would be helpful for the HORSE with uveitis, too. Curcumin is found in Turmeric …

Question of the Day

PENZANCE Equine Solutions — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:21:51 +0000

Question of the Day from an online Horse/Hoof forum:

My farrier has told me that [Dobbin] needs a supplement to strengthen her hooves.
She said there are lots out there available but couldn’t really advise me on
what would be best. Does anyone here have any recommendations of what I could
give to her?

My Answer:

Strength comes from within. There’s more to that saying than just the philosophical. One can add all the artificial supplements one wants and may do *some* good; may do *some* bad but mostly will be emptying the pockets with no real results because the origin of the issue has not been addressed.

Horses’ hooves are strengthened by stimulation, diet, husbandry and pretty much in that order. Movement is keep to get the blood circulating in the foot to grow healthy new horn/capsule. The blood carries nutrients (diet’s the next in line) and O2 to the foot. But if the nutrients are not present in the blood then well …

Horses, as a species, are designed to eat forages. Live, fresh, raw forages. Grasses, flowers, weeds, herbs, trees, roots, etc. according to their indigenous environment. Sage brush and cactus augment the diet in the dry, arid west (US) while kelp, algae, beach grasses, etc augment the diet for the feral horses who live along the shore.

What does that mean for the domestic horse? How can we feed live foods to the domestic?

With live vegetables,fruits, nuts, seeds, grasses to augment free-choice EXCELLENT quality hay.

Each vegetable, fruit, etc. have their own properties, vitamins, minerals etc. with each having individual energies to heal different conditions, strengthen different organs and enhance performances of the different parts of the body. Some have antibacterial properties while others are strong antioxidants while others help to regulate blood sugar etc. etc.

Studies have shown the effects of processed foods on the human body; the results being leukocytosis and the more processed, the stronger the reaction to the processed food. Studies have also been done through 3 generations of cats (Pottenger’s Cat Studies) with 3 groups showing the effects of a ‘raw’ diet vs. a 100% processed diet. The 3rd generation on nothing but processed food? Diseased, sick, organ failures … not pretty, not something we want for our horses (or ourselves!)

Incorporating fresh, live foods into the domestic horses’ diets is not difficult to do. Eliminating processed and substituting all fresh is easy and even economical! Variety of fresh is the key – feeding all parts of the body and mind.

And helping to develop hooves that are rock strong and like cement to trim! (Just ask my clients who call me a few months after instituting a raw diet for their horses !!! The complain that they can’t trim them anymore cause they’re like cement! hahahahaha! Luv it!)

The other factor in strong hooves is movement, as I said. Even simply walking a horse for 10 mins. a day, barefoot (no boots) on a hard, smooth, tarred surface will reap incredible results in just a month or less!

So, some factors to consider. If you want to learn more about feeding fresh and the results of processed foods please feel welcomed to read some of the articles on www.thepenzancehorse.com under EQUINE NUTRITION (in the articles section) and EQUINE HEALTH. I think you’ll find them interesting and filled with thought-full information.

— Gwen
PENZANCE Equine Integrated Solutions

Natural Hoofcare Videos

PENZANCE Equine Solutions — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:07:33 +0000

Good Morning! Natural Hoofcare Videos – JUST RELEASED! Limited time only!

http://tinyurl.com/7b7p46g

The last video, the 4th, cannot be uploaded yet until some MBs have cleared for us. But if you order all 4 at once, you’ll receive all 4 passwords needed to view each video.

You will be notified as to when it is uploaded and ready to view!

A few years ago a friend of mine tagged along ‘for the ride’ on one of my trim days. He videotaped the entire day and then edited the hours long videos down into a 4 section video. This is your chance to ‘ride along’ with me and see, firsthand, some of what is encountered on any given work day around here at PENZANCE.

Questions and comments are encouraged. Please don’t be shy.

HAPPY TO HAVE YOU ALONG!

Equine Agility Play Days!

PENZANCE Equine Solutions — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:46:24 +0000

Last year we had several months that included PLAY DAYS here on PENZANCE. I’m excited that I can now report that this coming season, 2012, will also see regular PLAY DAYS at PENZANCE! We all had a good time last year and can’t wait for another round of practice for Equine Agility. (In my day, way back when *grin* we called it “Extreme Trail”) …

Hopefully we’ll be able to start in mid-April or so if the weather holds and the ground is not boot-sucking mud!

We are anticipating some new obstacles — Just put our order in for an ‘elephant platform’, a new ‘bridge’ and a teeter totter! We also will be building a new ‘tunnel’ and have a trailer onsite for practice loading. Of course if you got your horse to PENZANCE to begin with you may not think you need practice BUT … answer this question – did you horse SELF LOAD? *Grin* … if not, if you ‘lead’ him onto the trailer then you can anticipate having some new fun teaching him to load up all by himself. How cool would THAT be !?!!? I can attest that its great! What a great partnership experience to just be able to open up the trailer and say, “Come on, Dobbins! Off we go!” and to have him just walk right in. That makes me smile.

Besides the changes and additions to the obstacles we’re also going to be instituting a charge for the day. It’s not huge by any stretch of the imagination but every bit helps and its alot of work to get set up, supervise, coach, videotape, photograph and then break it all down again at the end of the day! Don’t think $15 per person for the day will break anyone’s bank. So, that’s what it is … $15 per person, per day.

We’ll be running from 10 am to 2 pm and will have demos scheduled at the start of each day. May be with groundwork; may be under saddle or may be both! Might be with a seasoned horse or with a fresh one.

We use clicker training here on PENZANCE and it WILL be incorporated into the Demos. Clickers will be available for sale if anyone is needing one. We may have some treatbags also available to borrow if you don’t have your own. Fanny paks make great treat bags! Carpenter aprons also do. Many times fanny packs can be found at Salvation Army or another thrift store for just a couple of dollars. Easy, peasy! Target sticks can easily be fabricated from a wooden dowel and tennis ball or even purchase a new, old-fashioned toilet plunger … one of those ugly, rubber red ones? But heck — they work, they’re soft so if a horse bumps his nose or face into it accidentally then its not going to hurt. And, they’re easy for the horse to see.

And a couple of other fun things being planned for 2012: WORKSHOPS! Clicker Training, Hoof trimming, Partnership Teaching … and more.
We’re thinking about a weekend retreat for those who travel a long distance — be ready to camp out at PENZANCE and enjoy a couple of evening bon-fires with new friends and lots of laughter.

So keep an eye on PENZANCE Equine Integrated Solutions. And if you have other ideas for workshops or presentations (Homeopathy for Horses? Herbs? Nutrition? Communicating?) … just let us know!

8 Manners for EVERY Horse

PENZANCE Equine Solutions — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:53:46 +0000

The following are 8 manners that I feel EVERY horse needs to know. (Not necessarily in order)

Can you add to this list?

1. Respect Handler’s space

2. Accept Halter calmly.

3. Lead quietly

4. “Come” when requested (allow to ‘catch’ easily)

5. Yield to Pressure

6. Stand for vet, farrier, grooming

7. Allow to be touched all over body

8. “Wait” no rushing open gates or doors.

Trust …

PENZANCE Equine Solutions — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 01:23:07 +0000

I’m posting a blog post from http://heccateisis.wordpress.com cause I think its one of the most poignant posts I’ve read in a long, long time.

Everyone talks about the horse has to trust his handler/rider but what about the human trusting the horse !?!?! Sometimes that’s the ONLY thing to do …

——————————————————————————-

Winter Ride or I LOVE My Horse

I love my horse.

Let me rephrase that- I am in love with my horse.

He occupies 75% of my brain cells and is never far from my thoughts.

Now I know it is unrequited love- horses can’t love in human terms.

But when he greets me with a nicker as he jogs over to the gate; it feels like love.

Yes, I know he’s really looking for a treat. (95% of the time there is one in my pocket.)

I am a realist.

On the trail he takes care of me the way he takes care of the herd. He is the horse the other horses choose to follow because he is so sensible.

Take yesterday’s trail ride as an example, it was snowing fairly hard. The trail was covered by 3 inches of light fluff, the kind that squeaks under foot. The footing beneath the snow was completely concealed. We got to a point where there was a plywood bridge and Jigs REFUSED to step forward.

I kicked. Nothing. I kicked again. Still Nothing. “Come on Jigs,” I pleaded as I slapped his but with the trail latigos. He backed up a step.

With a big sigh, I got down to lead him and the other horses with us over it.

My foot touched ground and went out from under me.

It was pure ice.

I went down on my right knee pushing Jigs sideways. He slipped but managed to slide away from me.

It could have been a disaster.

This was a part of the trail which is not known for water.

Jigs just knew.

We bushwhacked around the bridge.

Elle the pony followed him and we made it in one piece. Willow insisted on going a different way and fell through ice scraping the skin off both shins. Poor thing.

On the way back we cut across the water line road letting Jigs pick his way. He did this by sniffing along the ground to ‘nose’ the best way forward. Did he smell ice? Water?

There were times he chose a way I thought was potentially slippery but wasn’t.

Not sure how he did it.

I’d like to say his was the best route, but he didn’t see the two trees fallen across the road further down. I did. I should have forced him to go the blue trail, but I felt I owed a decision to him.

I’ve been thinking about this…. As partners we should complement each others strengths and weaknesses. He knew the bridge was too icy to be safe and let me know by balking. I saw the trees; he didn’t. In a way I let him down by not making him go a different way.

But I trusted him to keep us safe and go around the fallen trees.

And he did.

How could I not be in love with Jigs?

PENZANCE FAN PAGE on Facebook

PENZANCE Equine Solutions — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 15:43:40 +0000

New Apps for PENZANCE HORSEMANSHIP Fan Page … check ‘em out! LIKE Us and then click on the “For Likers” app listed in the left hand column of the “Wall Page” …

http://tinyurl.com/bn3uker

No Matter What …

PENZANCE Equine Solutions — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 21:20:12 +0000

No matter what, a horsey hug or shared breath just seems to make the world go away. Cold, snow, ice, sleet, frozen manure piles, frozen water buckets — at 60 years old one would think that enough is enough. But can’t get enough horsey hugs or breaths. They just warm me all over!