So You Think You're Hot...

Well it seems that most of the country is swamped by the heat and humidity of summer temperatures lately. I’ve found an article on a study that makes sense and validates what we’ve been doing for our horses in this miserable weather. Normally we hose the sweat from their bodies scraping them afterwards and at other times we sponge them with a cooling Vetrolin bath. In addition to their cooling baths we also add salt and/or electrolytes to the horses' feeds and also offer it free choice to make sure they're getting enough in hot weather.  (we have automatic waterers so adding it to their water wouldn't work).

Unfortunately, there haven’t been many days that riding would be enjoyable for either the horses or ourselves so we’re kind of in limbo here until the weather cools. Normally, I don’t like to reprint articles because it seems a little lazy or like cheating. I feel my addled brain should come up with subjects that are original, however, I thought this article was timely and perhaps might be helpful.

Summer Riding: When the Rider is Hot, the Horse is Hotter

By: University of Guelph

A hot humid day. One rider. One horse. Both are exercising at a moderate level. Who is more likely to overheat? It might surprise you to know that your horse gets hotter, much faster than you and is more susceptible to the negative effects of heat stress.

Michael Lindinger, PhD, MSc, an animal and exercise physiologist at the University of Guelph, explains: "It only takes 17 minutes of moderate intensity exercise in hot, humid weather to raise a horse's temperature to dangerous levels. That's three to 10 times faster than in humans. Horses feel the heat much worse than we do."

And the effects can be serious. If a horse's body temperature shoots up from the normal 37 to 38°C to 41°C (98.6 - 105.8°F), temperatures within working muscles may be as high as 43°C (109.4°F), a temperature at which proteins in muscle begin to denature (cook). Horses suffering excessive heat stress may experience hypotension, colic, and renal failure.

Lindinger, a faculty member in the Department of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences, became interested in the effects of heat on horses when he was a lead researcher on the Canadian research team that contributed information on the response of the horse to heat and humidity for the Atlanta Summer Olympics. He recently presented a workshop on the topic at Equine Guelph's outdoor Equine Expo held June 4 at U.G.'s Arkell Research Station.

Horses are more susceptible to heat for several reasons, explains Lindinger. First, they are larger and have a higher percentage of active muscle than people do during exercise. When muscles are being used, they produce a lot of heat.

Horses also rely to a significant extent on sweating to cool them off. They can sweat 15 to 20 litres per hour in cool, dry conditions and up to 30 litres per hour in hot, humid conditions, but only 25-30% of the sweat produced is effective in cooling the horse by evaporation.

"Because so much more sweat is produced than can be evaporated, the rest just drips off the horse's body," says Lindinger. "By comparison, up to 50% of the sweat people produce is evaporated from our bodies during exercise and helps to cool us."

The salts in horse sweat are also four times as concentrated as in human sweat. Lindinger refers to a photograph of an area where endurance horses had been standing while their sweaty bodies were repeatedly scraped and cooled with water. As the liquids evaporated from the ground, the soil surface was left white because of the salt in the horses' sweat.

"Those salts have to be replaced," he adds. "Just giving the horse water will not rehydrate a dehydrated horse. When horses drink plain water, it dilutes their body fluids, and their bodies respond by trying to get rid of more water and more electrolytes."

Horses also pant to dissipate heat, but Lindinger says this is only effective if the air is at least five degrees cooler than the horse's body temperature.

His tips for protecting horses from the harmful effects of summer heat begin with teaching your horse to drink an electrolyte solution (water with the right proportion of salts dissolved in it) to replace sweat losses. "Start with a small amount in the water, allowing the horse to get used to the taste, and gradually increase it over days and weeks until you have reached the manufacturer's recommendation." Keeping your horse properly hydrated is the most important step in protecting it against the harmful effects of heat, he says.

If you're preparing for a competition, Lindinger recommends trying to acclimatize your horse to the heat by spending four hours daily, at least five days a week for three weeks, in hot conditions. For best results, exercise the horse for an hour during the second hour of each of those days.

"Many riders will train their horses in the mornings or evenings, when it's cool, then go to a competition held during the hottest part of the day. You need to get horses used to being ridden in the heat and allow them to develop the full spectrum of beneficial adaptations that come with heat acclimation." Lindinger says that horses who have been through a process of heat acclimation will lose more heat through sweating and respiration and will be better able to stay hydrated because they are more likely to drink.

When your horse is hot, look for shade and breezes to help cool it down, but never use a blanket or "cooler" on a horse that is sweating, he adds, suggesting the best way to cool a horse quickly is to rinse the horse's body repeatedly with cold water and scrape off the excess water.

"You can cool the horse two degrees in 10 minutes this way: pour on the water, scrape it off, pour on more, and just keep repeating it," says Lindinger. "The scraping part is important because otherwise the water will be trapped in the horse's hair and will quickly warm up. By scraping and pouring on fresh, cold water you keep the cooling process going."

Just as equestrians pack a canteen of water, some sunscreen and a hat with a brim for summer riding adventures, Lindinger says they should also equip themselves with the tools needed to protect their horses from the heat and humidity. If you prepare your horse in advance and have a plan to cool him down if he becomes overheated, he says, even the hot, muggy days of summer can be great riding fun.

--Teresa Pitman, University of Guelph

Until next time

Quote for Today

You can lead a horse to water but you can't stop him from rolling in it

The Rider's Knee

The Riders Knee

I’ve just gotten around to reading my latest Equus magazine and found a very interesting article by Dr. James Warson. Dr. Warson is a retired neurosurgeon who is the leading authority on equine-related spinal injuries and author of The Rider’s Pain Free Back. His article this month in Equus addresses rider’s knee problems.  I’m sure a lot of you receive this magazine but if you don’t I thought I might relate what Dr.Warson had to say;

Your knees are designed to move in one direction only, front to back. It is not meant to move side to side or rotate. When we ride, we compress this straight structure against the apex of a round surface, the horse’s barrel. This creates a side-to-side stress on the joint it was not meant to endure. Over the years, this pressure causes the medial collateral ligament to tighten and the lateral ligament to weaken and stretch.  Disruption of either ligament shifts the tibia in the opposite direction, so lateral-ligament weakness results in deviation of the tibia inward (medially) to produce a bowed leg. Once the knee starts to bow, the stresses on the joint accelerate. When standing and walking the body presses down on the knee unevenly, with more weight borne on the medial surface of the tibia. The resulting compression of the medial meniscus  causes inflammation in the joint and degradation of the cartilage that can eventually lead to osteoarthritis. Add hook like arthritic bone spurs, and the result is likely a future knee replacement.

I actually didn’t realize these facts and always thought my bad knees were due to jumping courses and dismounting from a 17’2 hand horse for years.  Now that I know better and do not intend to get another knee replacement, I’ll follow the recommendations Dr. Warson makes below:

1. Control inflammation. In addition to providing some pain relief, over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs(NSAIDs) can help reduce inflammation in the knee and slow the progress of any arthritic changes. Consult your doctor before starting anti-inflammatory medication.
2. Support joint health. Supplements that contain glucosamine, chondroitin and /or MSM are worth trying, although results are variable. (I take these supplements and they seem to help me).
3. Watch your weight.  Carrying extra pounds adds to the pressure placed on your knees when you stand and walk. (My doctor actually told me that you relieve 3 pounds of pressure on your knees when you lose just one pound).
4. Wear knee braces. These can minimize the sideways pressure on your knees as you ride and provide some relief from discomfort. Braces with solid or semisolid sides are useful when more support and stability are required. Your doctor or orthopedic specialist can help you in making the best selection for your situation. (I haven’t found a knee brace I actually like yet but I do know that the pull on elastic ones absolutely don’t work).
5. Use wedge stirrup pads.  Because they position the foot so that the outside is slightly higher than the inside, wedge stirrup pads will tension the medial collateral ligament, which takes pressure off the medial meniscus and relieves stretching forces on the lateral collateral ligament. ( I’m going to try this and I’ll let you know how it feels. In the meantime, I still like the Herm Springer flex stirrups I am using).

I hope this post was helpful to everyone with older or arthritic knees.  Even if you’re younger it’s a good idea to take care of your knees now before it’s too late. I wish I had known about this earlier on so I could have taken better care of my knees. Do I sound like your mother, sorry about that. I actually am reminded of my grandmother, who had terrible arthritis, warning me “you’re going to get arthritis walking around barefoot in the cold weather” Ah, well the invincibility of youthful ignorance. Sorry Grandma, I should have listened!

Until next time

Quote for Today

In my opinion, a horse is the animal to have. 1100 pounds of raw muscle, power, grace, and sweat between your legs - it's something you just can't get from a pet hamster.
    - Anonymous

' Fridays Funnies '

‘Friday’s Funnies ‘

Now that the holiday festivities are over and our thoughts turn to the ‘full-scale’ question. “Why are my pants so tight”! Some of us have probably concluded the extra hip padding needs to come off as quickly as it went on. I read somewhere the average person gains approximately seven pounds during the holidays, and am happy to report I did everything I could not to throw their calculations out of whack this year.

For all of my friends out there suffering from the same ‘chubby – virus’ syndrome, below is a picture that pretty much sums up how to lose that extra piece of cheesecake recently bonded to your hips. I hope this picture, which I think is timely and humorous and is now hanging on the door of my fridge, offends no one.

Until next time

Quote for Today

Bread may feed my body, but my horse feeds my soul.

Product Review - iGallop

iGallop™

This is a product review for the exercise machine, the iGallop™.

My first introduction to this particular piece of exercise equipment came about one day when I was visiting my daughter. I noticed this apparatus in a corner with her saddle perched on the seat. Intrigued I sat in the saddle and located the on/off switch, then hit the trot button. Almost immediately, the saddle flew off the back end and I bailed off the side. After fifteen years of riding “Sir-Spooks-A-Lot”, it was refreshing to know that I still had my self-preservation skills intact. Feeling a little foolish, I immediately checked my surroundings. Thank goodness, no one had witnessed this rather amusing dismount or I would never have heard the end of it.

Apparently, my daughter had recently bought this exercise machine from www.brookstone.com to help get fit for riding before the spring. It boasts being a core and abs exerciser. Surprisingly enough, most reviewers, horse people included, really like this machine. Some customers even use the iGallop for their autistic or handicapped children who cannot take more than one lesson a week with horses. They use it to keep the children’s muscles in shape and for balance.

The DVD that is included has a range of warm–up exercises--beginner and advanced—that you can do while riding this machine. The exercises are designed to promote balance and flexibility while tightening your core muscle groups. I have done the warm-up and beginner sets and can attest to the fact they are not easy; I can see how they would strengthen your core while improving balance and flexibility. The hardest exercise, I find, is bending your knee and pulling it up to your chest. The scissor exercise is also a little tricky. Don’t forget, you’re doing this while the machine is doing a “trot” and you must keep your balance. These are exactly the kind of exercises the classical riding schools used to put students through as part of their weekly regimen. For those of us who don’t have the benefit of good old-fashioned longe lessons in which these kinds of exercises are used, this can be a practical alternative.

While the iGallop™ labels the different settings with the names of horse gaits, it does not accurately duplicate the gaits of a real horse. Below are how the gaits feel to me, you can be your own judge. If you are interested in this piece of equipment, try it out at your nearest Brookstone stores, which are located in most malls.

The Trot – This unbelievably feels like a good, active walk on a real horse

The Gallop – This is nowhere near what a real gallop or canter feels like, especially on one of my horses. I would compare it to an active sitting trot on a horse. One reviewer felt it was like a pace.

The Race – feels like the Gallop, only a little faster.

The Circuit - which incorporates all of the above at intervals, which is a bit like hacking over varied terrain, and is a nice change of pace.

The Stop – (Ok, this isn’t an actual setting, but the machine shuts off automatically after fifteen minutes, and if you don’t know this is coming, it can feel just like a real horse stopping for no apparent reason. This nifty feature allows you to practice staying on when your horse refuses a fence or slams on the brakes in front of a puddle, etc. It can also provide some entertainment for anyone who may be observing you.)

(Note: if you happen to lose your balance, you may want to avoid grabbing the handle on the front of the machine, as this is where all of the buttons for changing the settings are, and it’s all too easy to accidentally hit the “go faster” button at the least opportune moment. I speak from experience… It’s a little like losing your balance on your horse and simultaneously poking him with your spur!)

There is a similar machine that is available from, Hammacher Schlemmer, www.hammacherschlemmer.com , called The Mechanical Core Muscle Trainer. It actually has a saddle shaped seat and stirrups, but it is pricey at $1,500. I have owned horses that cost less than that. The iGallop is on sale right now for $299. Below is the actual ad from the Brookstone site:

Zero-impact, tri-axial action
Your body automatically responds to multidirectional movements to maintain balance. This constant balancing engages muscle groups in your abs, back, hips, seat and legs—and may help improve balance, coordination and posture.

Three levels of speed and intensity
Choose the Trot program to warm up, Gallop for extended toning and shaping, or Race for a truly invigorating workout.

Circuit program
Switches between the three speeds at random intervals, enhancing the shaping and toning effects of iGallop™ as muscle groups respond to continual changes in motion.

Sturdy construction
iGallop™ is built to last—and its attractive contemporary design looks good in any room of your home.

Any individual who may be pregnant or who has preexisting medical conditions that could be negatively impacted by the rocking motion associated with horseback riding should consult with their physician prior to using iGallop. Anyone who has suffered a neck or back injury or who suffers from chronic neck or back pain should avoid using the product.

Some reviewers have said they put their saddle on the machine, sometimes over a saddle pad, both with and without stirrups, to get the feel of riding. I have tried this and it does make a difference. In addition to strengthening your core, it works your inner thighs and helps you practice good posture for riding. Perhaps one of the greatest benefits is that you can work on improving your “following seat” both at the walk (the machine’s “trot” setting) and at a sitting trot (the machine’s “gallop” setting) without subjecting your horse to any unnecessary agony. Unlike a horse, there really isn’t anything to grip onto on this machine, so it is impossible to balance on the reins or grip with your knees, etc. – you have no choice but to relax and learn to balance and follow the motion or you are in for a seriously uncomfortable ride. The one advantage of the machine over a live horse is that you can work all of this out in our own time without the worrying about trying your horse’s patience or possibly getting bucked off for doing it wrong! And, of course, there is always the added bonus of being able to “ride” while watching TV.

Being very versatile, the iGallop™ can be personalized to fit your particular needs. Nothing is as satisfying as being on a real horse, but this could help to get you in shape for riding when you are otherwise not able to ride. The fact that the iGallop™ exercise system accommodates bad knees and other conditions with a low impact exercise is a plus for some of us.

Overall, it’s a good machine and, while it can never replace the benefits gained by actual riding, it can help get you in shape during those hours you are not able to ride. The only thing I might suggest if you decide to give the iGallop a ride, is to avoid using it in front of a window. Taken out of context, it can look a little freaky to bystanders, and you could wind up being the talk of the neighborhood…

Until next time

Quote for Today

A horse is an animal not a machine, and is only as good as it's rider.