Favorite Finds 51
Kinetic Vet EquiShield IBH
Fly season is in full swing and I’ve seen many horses with welts, hives and bites here in the midwest. Of course there are plenty of horses that do not have an adverse response to bugs but the ones who are sensitive to bug bites can become so itchy and miserable that it is hard to know how to help them. The EquiShield IBH spray made by Kinetic Vet has been a life saver for my mare. IBH stands for Insect Bite Hypersensitivity and although this stuff isn’t cheap when you’re comparing it to other fly repellents and sprays, when you look at the ingredients, the cost is justified. With anesthetic, antiseptic, anti-itch and anti-inflammatory properties this spray will sooth your horse’s skin fairly quickly. I wipe the spray on with a rag or mitt rather than spray, I find it helps more if you rub it into the hair and skin. Kinetic Vet also makes a IBH salve that I keep on hand as well. I personally use the salve on my mare’s belly if she gets little gnat bites or if she has a bite that’s more open, the salve is a better deterrent and helps keep other bugs away.
Straight from the Horse Doctor’s Mouth- Joint Injections
I have shared about this podcast in the past but I wanted to share a specific episode about joint injections because it is always such a hot topic in the horse world, especially when dealing with performance horses of any discipline. Anyone who’s horse has had injections or if you plan to get your horse injected, should listen to this episode. I don’t think many owners understand the options, the pros and cons or the nuances of what they are actually doing to their horse when they ask their vet to come out and administer injections. I am not by any means saying injecting joints is a bad thing, it is just something that has become so common that most horse owners do not even question what they are putting into their horse or what the side effects and long term effects are to administering the different types of injections. I have personally seen great success with the biological products such as PRP and IRAP but of course those cost more money than your average steroid injection. In this episode, Dr. Lacher and Justin Long discuss all aspects of the different types of products and I hope you will have a listen so you can have an educated discussion with your vet before you decide to inject your horse.
Straight from the Horse Doctor's Mouth-S1 E16 Joint Injections
Groundwork & In-Hand Exercises
My students know that I put a lot of value into teaching the horse what we want from the ground, especially if the rider is finding an exercise or situation difficult under saddle. Groundwork not only will help your horse to build strength and coordination but they will start to understand what you are looking for under saddle and for you as the rider, it gives you the chance to watch your horse and feel them in a different way. Many of my students have had epiphanies from working with their horse in hand because they connect the dots between what they are seeing and feeling on the ground to what is happening in the saddle. Doing some simply groundwork exercises are great as a warm up before you ride or something to do with your horse when you don’t have a lot of time or a lot of energy. Below I have attached two videos, the Instagram video is an exercise to help with your horse’s coordination, mobility and strength and the Youtube video is focused more on in hand work that will directly relate to your riding. The one thing I will say about the Youtube video is that I hold my whip and outside rein different than how she shows in the video but I think you have to find what works for you. I hold my outside rein and whip like I would in the saddle and my palm faces the horse. I would also say that some horses don’t need the whip and you can use your body language and intention to move the horse so that may be something to experiment with when trying these exercises. Both videos are helpful in different ways so play around with your horse, I bet you will find it just as useful as riding!