RIP Hickstead

Today the horse world lost one of it's great ones. Hickstead passed away today after completing the course in Verona. He will be sorely missed I am sure.

Hickstead and Eric Lamaze on their winning run of the 2011 CN International at Spruce Meadows

Here is a video of Eric Lamaze and Hickstead winning the CN International this year at Spruce Meadows.

Equine Science Studying

I've been completely swapped with school lately. It feels like I'm studying all the time (which I guess I am). On the bright side, one of my last two midterms next week is equine science, so at least the content is super interesting! So I thought I would share some of the interesting points with all of you!

Exercise Physiology:
-Sweat contains latherin, a protein that helps spread sweat over hair.
-At rest, a horse respires 50-60 L of air per minute. Maximally, a horse can respire 1800 L per minute.

Pasture Management:
-Control weeds by not overgrazing pastures.
-Alsike clover can cause liver damage and photosensitization. Could that be why Scarface and Teto had sunburns in the summer? I know there's clover in their pasture, but I'm not sure what kind. I'll definately look into it before next summer. Alsike clover is fairly easy to identify because the leaves don't have white watermarks like those found on red or white clover.

Could we have found a cure for your sore nose Scarfie? Now I feel really bad!

Confirmation:
-According to Martin Beeman, a conformation exam should be divided into 5 categories (check out a full article from thehorse.com here):
     -Head, neck, body and balance
     -Forelimb
     -Hindlimb
     -Type
     -Way of going

Welfare:
-5 Freedoms of Animal Welfare:
     1. Freedom from Hunger and Thirst
     2. Freedom from Discomfort
     3. Freedom from Pain, Injury and Disease
     4. Freedom to Exhibit Normal Behavior
     5. Freedom from Fear and Distress

Lameness:
-5 grades of lameness used by vets:
      Grade I = Inconsistent lameness
     Grade II = Consistent under certain circumstances, ie: circling in one direction, while going downhill etc.
     Grade III = Consistent, constant, visible when horse is trotting on a circle AND when he is trotting in a straight line
     Grade IV = Lameness is obvious at a walk
     Grade V = Extreme lameness - hopping, dragging a limb, unable or unwilling to move

Dentistry:
-The upper arcades of teeth are slightly wider than the lower arcades. The chewing surfaces of teeth are not level, but have an occlusal angle of 12-15 degrees
-Watch out for performance signs of dental problems, such as resiting turns, head tossing/shaking, mouthing or chewing the bit, head tilt while ridden or lunges, resisted bridling etc.

Infectious Diseases:
-West Nile Virus has similar symptoms to a number of other diseases such as Rabies, Botulism, Western/Eastern Equine Encephalomyelitis (WEE/EEE), Equine Herpesvirus (EHV) and Equine Protozoal Myelitis (EPM), making diagnosis more subtle and difficult.
-Horses as 'dead-end' hosts for West Nile Virus and WEE/EEE, meaning they can't infect other horses

Hopefully you've learned something and wish me luck on my exam!!

Riding Withdrawal

I have to admit I am in a slump. Maybe a funk even. And I know exactly why. It's riding withdrawal. Going back to university to bump up my grades so that I can go to vet school so that I'll have a good paying (and enjoyable/interesting) job so I can afford to live on an acreage and ride horses seemed like a really great idea. And I still think it is. But this part sucks! School keeps me busy (I'm on campus 5 days a week) and in order to pay for it, I have to work Saturday and Sunday (not that it will keep me out of debt, but it will put me less in debt). Which means I m busy every single day! Now add in midterms, projects and the fact that my horse is 2.5 hours away. I don't get much (any) chance to see Scarface and I miss him so bad! I can't justify paying to board him somewhere when I'm already heading into debt and I can't make it out to visit him after school or work because they days are getting too short and I am usually too busy studying anyway. Well, I can't wait for summer already!

Sorry for the rant, I guess its a symptom of withdrawal!

Stacy Westfall - 2011 freestyle reining champion at the American Quarter Horse Congress

I just wanted to share this awesome video with everyone. Hopefully everyone is familiar with reining, it is an event at WEG and people are campaigning to get it in the Olympics as well. Watch her amazing run, which was done bridle-less! Stacy is famous for her bridle-less riding and  I was lucky enough to be able to watch a couple of her clinics at the 2010 Mane Event in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. One of her hour-long clinic focused on stopping. Her biggest take-home point? Most horses stop based on some combination of voice, seat and reins. If you take away any of these, the horse won't stop, or at least not as well. Stacy trains her horses to stop 100% on each of these cues individually. Then if she takes 1 away (like the reins), she still has 200% to guarantee her a stop. I think this would be good for people who trail ride as well, just for the safety aspect, in case you lose your reins or are hanging off the side of the saddle. Anyway, enjoy the video (it's not mine, I borrowed it from YouTube from chavaux84)!

Spruce Meadows Pictures

Eric Lamaze and Hickstead!!

I went to Spruce Meadows to watch the CN International competition at the Masters last month. I didn't take many pictures, but there is one of Eric Lamaze. Olympic gold medalist, Rolex Leading Rider and, most importantly, Canadian! Eric and his amazing horse Hickstead even have fangirls! There were 2 girls sitting near us wearing short-shorts with Eric Lamaze and Hickstead written all over their arms and legs. It must have been good luck, but they did amazing and came first and won a boat-load of money!

I also watched the RCMP musical ride for the first time in my life. Very cool. They have excellent timing and their horses are all super comfortable with each other.

The big wheel!

The spinny wheel maneuver (not it's real name)

And I met a small celebrity. Little Chief, who plays Sugarfoot on the TV show Heartland! Do people in other places watch Heartland or is it just on in Canada? Either way, he was very cute. Amber Marshall, the star of the show did appear and sign some autographs, but I had much more important show jumping to watch!

Me and a tiny celebrity!

Blog Award!

I hope everyone had an excellent Thanksgiving (if you're in Canada, otherwise too bad you missed the turkey)!

I was lucky enough to receive the One Lovely Blog Award from 2 awesome bloggers! Cjay and Ruffles! Thanks so much!

I am supposed to list 7 things about me:

1. I'm currently working on my second university degree, this time in Animal Health with a major in Companion and Performance Animals.

2. I've planning to go to vet school once I'm done and because a equine vet!

3. I was in 4H for quite a few years and my favourite part (besides riding) was public speaking! I made it to regionals one year. My least favourite part was putting my book together at the end of the year.

4. I recently joining my university's judging team, but all I know how to judge is horses! Lots to learn!

5. I have a microbiology midterm tomorrow and I feel like my head is going to explode!

6. My favourite colour of horse is grey (sorry Scarface, sorrel is pretty awesome too!)

7. I often take equine science books out of my university library for "fun reading." Currently on my desk is "An Illustrated Guide to Equine Diseases."

Next I'm supposed to tag my 15 favourite bloggers. A lot of the people I follow have already gotten this award, so here are 4 more people I think deserve it!

Carol at Dressage Training Journal
Jeni at Supersize My Cob
Paigley at Sincerely Paige

Win a Gorgeous Hand-Painted Saddle Pad

The lovely Kate from The Adventures of Lucy is generously giving away one of her beautiful hand-painted saddle pads. I really love these (as in if I don't win, I might just buy one anyway because they are so pretty!) and the ones you can choose from are all great. My favourite is this fishie one.

Click here to head over and enter your name in to win one of these beauties!