Humane Society of North Texas Fighting to Save Mare's Life

A Texas charity says a neglected mare found stumbling down a country road three weeks ago is making excellent progress in its care.

The Humane Society of North Texas has been fighting hard to save the life of Stella since her rescue.

Stella was unable to stand without support when she first arrived in the charity’s care. Photo: Humane Society of North Texas

It described the 12-year-old horse’s condition as critical when she first came into its care, with a sling needed to keep her on her feet.

Stella has since rallied under round-the-clock care.

“Stella is making amazing progress,” the charity reported on its Facebook page.

“Stella still relies heavily on the sling, but she is now able to get out for daily walks to exercise and build muscle.

“She’s not out of the woods yet, but she is certainly gaining strength.”

It renewed its appeal for any information on the bay mare’s past. How she came to be wandering alone along a quiet country road west of Fort Worth remains a mystery.

A $2500 reward has been posted by the Murrell Foundation for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individual or individuals responsible for her condition.

Stella has been on a carefully planned feeding program and had received antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, eye medication, and wound cream for the scrapes and bites on her limbs.

If The Rider Is Right The Horse Is Right

Rider Number 1

by Cheryl Childs 
  
Here are several riders who are all riding      different disciplines. All these rider have one  thing in common they are right in the saddle so
 there horses are right.

Rider number 1  is riding on a Flat Seat English.  She has her irons at the proper length so she is able to post the trot properly. She is balanced in the saddle. Her hands are in the correct  position even as she rises posting the trot. She is balanced and correct which helps her horse be balanced and correct.  She is perfect example of a Flat Seat English rider.

Rider Number 2

Rider number 2 is riding Hunt Seat. Her Irons are the correct length and she is seating balanced in the saddle. Her hands are in the correct position not to low or too high. This rider is balanced and correct as is her horse.  She is a perfect example of a Hunt Seat Rider.


Rider number 3 is riding Western Pleasure. Again her stirrups are the proper length so she is well seated in the saddle. Her hand is in the correct position on the reins and she is riding one handed as she should be. She is balanced and correct in the saddle.  She is a perfect example of a Western Pleasure rider.

Rider Number 3

Rider Number 4 

Rider number 4 is riding Dressage. His stirrups are the correct length, so he is seated properly in the saddle. His hands are in the correct position too. He balanced and correct in the saddle. He is perfect example of a Dressage rider.

Rider Number 5

Rider number 5 is a pleasure riding on a western saddle. She like the other riders have her stirrups at the correct length and she is seated properly in the saddle. Her hand is in the correct position. Just like those other rider she riding balanced and correct. She is the perfect example of a Pleasure rider.

My point here is whether you are in the show ring, dressage ring or trail riding it's important that you are right in the saddle so your horse will be right. Being right means having your stirrups at the correct length not too short or too long. You should be centered and balanced in the saddle sitting on your seat bones. You should have your hands in the correct position for reining for your horse. Being balanced in
the saddle is also important for your safety when you are riding on the trail, because if you are properly balanced than when you encounter obstacle on the trail like a limb of a tree or your horse is startled by something you won't be so likely to become unseated. If you are riding correctly your horse will find the ride less tiring and less stressful , which will make a more enjoyable ride for  you both.

Are Your Choices Effecting Your Horse Badly?

Here are some phrases that always make me cringe: "I had 30 days put on him by a friend of mine" or " I had a young guy who's kind of cowboy start him" or " My farrier is a trainer too and he put 30 days of him for me" or " This guy rides them every day for hours, you know really gets them broke". When I hear those statements I feel badly for the horse, because that person has made a bad choice and the horse is paying the price for that bad choice. They don't realize it, however, and often times will blame the horse or become angry with the horse.

Every choice you make affects your horse in a positive or a negative way. 

When you choose a person to train your horse whose only objective is to "saddle break" the horse and achieves this objective by riding your horse for hours on the trail or until he has saddle sores or is physically exhausted your horse ends up paying the price for that decision. Don't be surprised if your horse doesn't want you riding him. If your horse has not been taught to change leads, collect his gait, flex or rein properly don't get flustered with him because he can't do those things when you ask.  You made that choice - your horse didn't.

You make choices all the time that affect your horse. Choosing a saddle, tack and bit for your horse affects him. If the saddle doesn't fit him properly it may cause him pain. If it doesn't fit you properly you won't be seated correctly on your horse - which will affect him and could cause him pain as well. Choosing the right bit for your horse is important, too. The bit needs to fit him correctly and be suited to him. This , of course, applies to young horses, but to horses that have already been trained as well. In some cases you might purchase a horse and find out the previous owners were rough or heavy handed which hurt the horse's mouth. That's when you need to change the bit or perhaps try a Bosal. Choosing the wrong bit will harm you horse.


Training clinics are very popular today, but you need to be careful about the clinics you choose. I have had clients come to me with nervous, fretful, stubborn and sometimes fearful horses that they have created by attending a clinic. Remember just because they bill themselves as " the world's best or most trusted" doesn't mean that is the case. Going to a clinic where someone encourages you to poke your horse with a stick or chase him with it might not be your best choice. Going to a clinic where the person giving it insists you keep making your horse gallop around the round pen until he is exhausted is not the right choice. On the human side of it going to a clinic where the person giving the clinic ridicules and humiliates you is not a good choice for you or your horse. Please don't go to a clinic where they tell you to "move those feet" or they want you to push your horse away from you - that's ridiculous. You want your horse to enjoy being around you.  Don't make a bad choice in what clinic you attend with your horse - it may harm your horse and you as well.

I guess what I'm saying here is think about what are you doing where your horse is concerned.  I believe that 95% of the problems horses have today are caused by their humans making thoughtless
choices that harm them.

Forward thinking: The perils of going backwards in horse training

My pet aversion is seeing people chase horses backwards on the ground. The last thing I want any horse to do is move backwards away from me to relieve pressure. Everything you ever want to do with your horse relies on moving forward, not backwards. You must have forward movement to control your horse.

I teach every horse I work with to step forward to me to relieve pressure.

Forcing horses to run backwards seems to be the “in” thing these days. Many trainers justify their approach by saying that they use natural techniques. Some claim to have camped out in the bush to observe wild horses and say this has given them an understanding of horse behaviour. They claim that their training techniques are just what horses do to each other in their natural state.

If you watch a mob of horses, some horses do chase others away from their feed. The chased horse turns and runs away because he’s scared of being bitten or kicked. He wants to move away as quickly as possible and does so by turning and moving forward.

When you watch any mob of horses, you rarely see horses taking many backward steps. Although they may back up for a step or two, a horse’s natural inclination is to turn and run forward as soon as he can. In the wild, a horse won’t try to escape danger by facing his foe and rushing backwards. Every horse will turn and run as soon as possible. The horse’s first means of defence is to run. Speed is his saviour. When a horse runs from an enemy, his second line of defence – his hind legs – are at the ready. He can kick out with his hind legs to ward off an attack. A horse’s best chance of survival is to turn and run and it’s natural for him to do this.

Yet the first thing that so-called ‘natural horse trainers’ do is chase horses backwards. They spend hours on the ground forcing horses to run backwards away from them. This is the most unnatural thing that you could ask any horse to do. Horses don’t naturally run backwards at any time.

If you teach a horse to run backwards on the ground, he may also run backwards to relieve pressure if he becomes worried when you’re on his back. This is the most dangerous thing that any horse can do. When a horse panics and runs backwards, he stops thinking altogether and you have absolutely no control. A horse running backwards like this can easily roll over backwards and it’s usually on top of the rider.

I teach every horse I work with to step forward to me to relieve pressure. Every horse must know that it’s always easy and pleasant to step forward and be with me. I want every horse to know that if he’s worried or confused, life is easy and pleasant when he steps forward to me.

When you ride, you must concentrate on teaching your horse to move forward. Even backing a horse under saddle is an extension of moving forward. You must have impulsion and forward movement before you ask any horse to move backwards. Backing up should be taught only after a horse has been ridden for a few months. There’s absolutely no reason to teach any horse to back up in his early training. It won’t help him to stop, give, turn or anything else.

You must have forward movement to control your horse. Forward movement forms the basis of everything you ever want to teach any horse. When you understand this, you’re beginning to understand horses.

Neil Davies began training horses full-time in 1977. Over the next 15 years, he started more than a thousand horses under saddle and trained thousands of so-called ‘problem’ horses. [read more]

He is the author of Fear-free Horse Training – every step of the way.

Visit Neil’s website at www.fearfreehorsetraining.com.

Researchers Identify the Genetic Footprint of Horse Domestication

A total of 125 genes have been identified by researchers as playing a key role in a wide range of physical and behavioural traits promoted through selective breeding to give rise to the domesticated horse.

The domestication of the horse revolutionized warfare, trade, and the exchange of people and ideas. It is a process that has been unfolding for at least 5500 years, which has transformed wild horses into the hundreds of breeds living today.

The international team of researchers zeroed in on the 125 candidate genes by comparing the genomes of two ancient horses with those of the Przewalski’s horse and five breeds of domesticated horses.

To complete the work, the researchers sequenced two complete horse genomes that predated domestication by many thousands of years.

By comparing the genomes, they found positive selection for genes in domesticated horses involved in various aspects of locomotion, physiology, and intelligence.

© Ludovic Orlando

One group of genes they identified is involved in muscular and limb development, joints, and the cardiac system, and may represent physiological adaptations for human use. A second group comprises genes with cognitive functions, including social behavior, learning capabilities, fear response, and agreeableness, all of which may have been crucial in taming horses.

However, on the downside, they found that modern horse genomes contained an excess of harmful mutations, which they characterised as representing the genetic cost of domestication.

This genetic load is in line with the “cost of domestication” hypothesis also reported for rice, tomatoes, and dogs. It is generally attributed to the relaxation of purifying selection resulting from the strong demographic bottlenecks accompanying domestication.

The researchers, across a dozen international universities, suggested that a significant part of the genetic variation in modern domesticated horses could be attributed to interbreeding with the descendants of a now extinct population of wild horses.

This population was distinct from the only surviving wild horse population, that of the Przewalski’s horses in Mongolia. The Przewalski’s horses descend from a mere 13 individuals, preserved only through a massive conservation effort.

As a consequence of this massive loss of genetic diversity, the effects of horse domestication through times have been difficult to unravel on a molecular level, said Dr Ludovic Orlando, an associate professor at the University of Copenhagen’s Centre for GeoGenetics, who led this work.

The usual way to evaluate the evolutionary impact of domestication involved comparing the genetic information present among wild animals with their living domesticates. This approach was ill-suited to the minimal diversity in the remaining Przewalski’s horses.

For that reason, the researchers decided to sequence the genome of ancient horses that lived prior to domestication to directly assess how they looked genetically.

In 2013, Orlando and his team had succeeded in decoding the genome of a 700,000 year-old horse, which still represents the oldest genome sequenced to date. This time, they focused on bone specimens dating from about 16,000 ago and about 43,000 years ago. They were excavated in the Taymyr Peninsula region of Russia, where arctic conditions favoured the preservation of DNA in ancient specimens.

With the genomes mapped of the two ancient specimens, they compared them to those of the Przewalski’s horse and five breeds of domesticated horses.

This led to the identification of the 125 candidate genes for traits most likely favoured through selective breeding.

Their comparison also revealed that the ancient individuals contributed a significant amount of genetic variation to the modern population of domesticated horses, but not to the Przewalski’s horses.

This suggested that restocking from a wild population descended from the ancient horses occurred during the domestication processes that ultimately led to modern domesticated horses.

“Our estimate suggests that at least 13 percent, and potentially up to as much as 60 percent, of the modern horse genome has been acquired by restocking from the extinct wild population,” said Mikkel Schubert, a doctoral student at the Centre for GeoGenetics.

“That we identified the population that contributed to this process demonstrates that it is possible to identify the ancestral genetic sources that ultimately gave rise to our domesticated horses,” Schubert said.

Horse euthanized after chuckwagon race at Calgary Stampede

Read more: http://horsetalk.co.nz/2015/07/05/horse-chuckwagon-race-calgary-stampede/#ixzz3f7fe2Lpq
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A horse was euthanized after breaking a leg during the sixth heat of Saturday’s chuckwagon races at the Calgary Stampede.

A veterinarian was on the scene immediately and determined that the horse, a 10-year-old thoroughbred named Duke, had suffered a broken cannon bone in his right hind leg.

The horse, who was competing in the team of Layne Bremner, was euthanized.

Bremner had acquired Duke about three years ago after a previous career as a racehorse.

Officials said a Stampede veterinarian had inspected Duke earlier this week and before the heat.

Stampede officials will undertake a review to determine if there were any contributing factors to the incident that could have prevented it.

The injury appeared to have been sustained in contact with another wagon.

Bremner, who was driving, received a “no-time” sanction, a $2500 penalty, and a five-second penalty for interference.

A post-mortem examination will not be performed, as the official Stampede veterinarian determined that the injuries were self-evident and did not require further investigation.

Stampede organisers have increased efforts in recent years to improve safety in chuckwagon racing, in response to public concern over the death and casualty rates.

They brought in changes in 2011 aimed at making chuckwagon races safer for horses and competitors.

All horses are now inspected by veterinarians on arrival at the Stampede, and before and after races. Horses are now given mandatory rest days during the competition.

Officials also reduced the number of outriders in each chuckwagon.

Some People Just Don't Get It

by Cheryl Childs 

Horses have been part of my life for 40 out of my 52 years, so one would think that after all those years people wouldn't say things like " well if you didn't have those horses" to me. How in the world do they not realize that horses are who I am for heaven sakes? That's right I'm a 52 year old  woman who couldn't imagine my life without horses in it. 

 No, I don't take many vacations to the Caribbean (if I could afford it) because I have horses, but I don't care. Yes, I have to live in the country instead in town, but that's fine with me if it means I can walk out my back door and hear those horses whinny at me every morning -that's what keeps me going. Sure there are times when I  have to leave a social event earlier than others do because I have to go home to feed the herd, not a problem for me - I enjoy taking care of those horses and some days it's all that gets me through my day. I know if you're not a horse person you don't understand this, but please just smile and accept it because it makes me happy. 

 I realize to some people horses are just a beast, but to me they are for more than just a beast. Horses have given me so much in life like confidence, courage, grace, patience, compassion and spirit. When I was in the 7th grade I was terrified to get up in front of the class and give an oral book report, but today I stand in the middle of an arena, with far more people watching than those in that 7th grade class, and conduct clinics at Horse Expos. My job today is standing up in front of people instructing, giving clinics, judging horse shows and speaking to groups of people with no fear whatsoever. I think horses helped me face difficult things in my life both now and when I was younger, but I didn't realize it then the way I do today. If it hadn't been for horses I probably wouldn't have become a writer. I think horses make me a better person and actually help me see things more clarity.

To me horses are very spiritual beings. I read a book  called Horses and the Mystical Path The Celtic Way of Expanding The Human Soul and in that book they talk about how horses have affected human lives throughout time. There were so many things in the book that made me say " yes that's how I feel," and made me feel connected to the Celtic people. For me horses connect me to my ancestors. 

When I'm training a horse I feel a connection to my Grandfather. Being around my horses often time makes me feel closer to family members that are no longer here with us. 

In conclusion I'm proud to be a unabashed horses enthuses who is looking forward to 40 more years of taking care of horses, riding horses, training horses and just having them in my life. Monica Dickens said it best. " If you have it, it's for life. It is disease which there is no cure. You go on riding even after they have to haul onto a comfortable wise old cob, with feet like inverted buckets and back like a fireside chair," If don't understand it I can never explain to you, but please never say to me  " if you didn't have horses".