December 2009 Paddock Paper

Northern New Mexico Horsemen's Association

November Minutes and Announcements

  • The meeting was well attended by more than 30 people. It was brought to order at 7:10 p.m. by Eldon Reyer, who spoke of his gratitude for being of service as our president for so many years, and his looking forward to his “retirement”.
  • The motion was brought to vote in new officers for the coming year:
    Trish Hug – President
    Betsy Walker – Vice President
    Lori Daggett – Treasurer
    Joanne Honkonen – Secretary
    Ayes carried the vote for all.
  • After the vote Betsy (VP) presented Eldon with a beautiful Carhartt work jacket with his name and the NNMHA logo embroidered on the back, along with his years of presidency (see pictures at bottom of page). Trish’s first “official” act was to give Karen and Eldon a lifetime membership to NNMHA in thanks for their years of service.
  • The Christmas party will be hosted by Susan Stevens, Saturday, December 5, at 6:00. At this time the location of the party is TBD. Pot luck for all so e-mail or call Sue for your sign up. Also, bring a small gift for exchange.
  • Speakers were Robert Holt and Stuart McCall presenting “Causes and Management of Founder”.
  • The meeting was adjourned at 8:30

 

November Speaker
NNMHA meeting was extremely well attended. Veterinarian Stuart McCall spoke first about laminitis. He has had five or six cases of laminitis this year, all precipitated by endocrine (insulin resistance) and equine metabolic syndrome. Laminitis in horses is similar to diabetes in people – some body types are predisposed to the condition and build up fat deposits along the neck, tailhead, and shoulders, while the rest of the body looks OK. No one would think the horse was overweight, much less obese, so they are surprised when it founders. Circulation in the extremities is compromised. Morgans and Arab mares are prone to founder. If your horse is acting lame and you’re not sure what the problem is, it’s good to soak its feet in cold water – stand it in a stream if possible.

Farrier Robert Holt spoke next about treatment, giving a presentation of xrays, still photos, and video. The owner of one of the foundered horses, an eight year old Arab mare, was at the meeting; she says her mare is now totally rideable. Robert says don’t exercise the animal, bed it in deep sand to reduce leverage on the foot, give no grain or treats, soak the hay. Bute and banamine are good for a very short time but get the horse off it asap or there can be a rebound worsening of the pain. Styrofoam blocks taped to the feet have never failed to help. He uses a special metal shoe that allows the heel that to be built up or lowered with pads and wedges. Dental impression material covers the soles to keep out packed dirt which can put pressure on the coffin bone. A rotation less than 5° is not too bad, but above 5° is; one of the example horses was rotated 16° but after shoeing and diet, is now comfortable, though can never again be ridden. With treatment, set a time limit to assess the situation – one month, six weeks – if more good is happening, reassess and keep treating, if more bad (pain) is happening, consider not prolonging the animal’s agony. Both Robert and Stuart say their biggest problems with relapses is because the clients fail to get/keep weight off the horse. —Trish Hug



Ridge Riders – YES, Ridge Riders!
The first Ridge Riders ride in over a year has been scheduled by Joanne Honkowen for January 9 in Abiquiu. The ride will be led by Jennifer Humphrey and will take two to three hours; that’s usually plenty for most horses and riders in this terrain (and this time of year). The footing is nice, wonderful sand; there are some rocks but all of her horses are barefoot and don’t have any trouble. The views and terrain are spectacular.

Riders will meet in Abiquiu and ride out at 10:30. Please RSVP to Joanne at 520-975-9551 or joanneburkardt@yahoo.com so she will know how many to expect. Bring water and a snack for yourselves. Inclement weather will cancel the ride.

Directions: It takes about fifty-five minutes to get there from the intersection of St. Francis and Guadalupe. Take Hwy. 285 north to Espanola. You’ll pass all of the fast food joints. You’ll see a KFC on your left. Get in the left lane. The next light is Fairview. Take a left on Fairview. The next light is Paseo de Onate/Hwy. 84. Take a right/north. The signs will say Chama and Abiquiu. When you get to mile marker 204, slow down and prepare for a right hand turn. Jennifer’s place is four driveways beyond that – #1615, a small, blue and white sign – at the end of the driveway. You’ll see the horses. There is plenty of room to park and turn around.

 

Calendar of NNMHA Events
January 27 – Transitioning Mustangs to Domestication – Alicia Nation, president of the New Mexico Mustang and Burro Association, will talk about her experiences adopting BLM mustangs at Colorado BLM Facility and her process of transitioning the three horses she brought home to a domestic environment. Inspired by the encounter with the many gentle, willing and beautiful BLM horses awaiting homes, she founded the New Mexico Mustang and Burro Association (www.nmmba.org) and Shaking Wind Ranch (www.shakingwindranch.com) to educate people about the true nature of wild horses and their accessibility for the average horseperson.

February 24th – Dr. Doug Thal: “Parasite control revisited” After 40 years of aggressive and often indiscriminate worming, we are learning that there are some disturbing trends in parasite resistance to our commonly used equine dewormers. What this means is that horse people and veterinarians need to rethink how they are deworming horses. Dr. Thal will present some new ideas on parasites and deworming and describe the approach he suggests based on recent papers and presentations.

March 31 – Shantel Sexton: local trainer/ competitor will present: “Building Partnership with Horses” a presentation exploring the elements involved in creating a long-term, healthy and harmonious relationship with your horse. Tips on how to support confidence, cooperation and willingness for every ride.

April 28th – Doug Lanham: “The Spanish Mustang Foundation” is comprised of individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds who, together, provide a broad array of experience, leadership and expertise in protecting the Spanish Mustang. What joins these people by a common thread is their commitment and enthusiasm to protect and preserve this exceptional horse. Mr. Lanham began his involvement with the Spanish Mustangs in the late 1990’s and has been an active supporter of the Brislawn Family and Spanish Mustang Registry. He is currently a board member of the Horse Shelter and the Espanola Valley Humane Society.

May 26th – Susan Smith: “Ortho-Bionomy for Equines” Registered Ortho-Bionomy practitioner Susan Smith has adapted Ortho-Bionomy bodywork principles to suit a being who stands on four legs most of the time, lowers its head to the ground to eat, and whose structure is designed for speed, agility and performance. Susan will do a demo on 2-3 horses to show how Equine Ortho-Bionomy can address such issues as structural imbalance, lameness, trauma, chronic and acute injuries, joint pain and stiffness and behavioral issues. Meeting to be held on the grounds of NNMHA.

 

In The News
Read Mary Ann Menetrey's review of renowned horse trainer Art Grunig's cow working clinic – In The News.



Other Equine Activities
Be sure to check out the Other Activities webpage for more fun events to attend.

 

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