A Day in the Life of Lilo and I

On a normal day, I will first head out to the pasture to get Lilo. Once I am able to see him, I call his name. He will normally come walking up to me and out of the pasture! Before we leave the pasture, I put his halter on, and then we head out to start our day together. 

First, I bring Lilo into the wash rack and clean and treat his hooves. Then, I brush him off a bit, and then I feed him. After he is done eating and he is all brushed off, its off to playing! One of our favorite things to do is go for walks and small runs. We will run around a little bit, and then head off to the arena or round pen where we will practice our tricks. 

After playing for a while, I will bring Lilo back into the pasture and spend some quality time with him. I will read to him, sing to him, pet him, or even just sit with him and take in all of his beauty. 

I hope you've enjoyed this weeks post!

How to Get Your Horse to Take Medicine

When your horse needs to take medicine, such as the monthly de-worming paste or antibiotics, it is not something to mess around with. It is very important that your horse takes his medicine to stay healthy, just like any other human.

One effective way to get your horse to take his medicine is to have him associate the medicine with a reward. So, when you give him his medicine, you can reward him with food. This lets him know that it is a good thing when he takes his medicine. 

Another way is very similar to the method above. You simply fill your syringe with something tasty, such as apple sauce or a smoothie. This will show him that the syringe does not always mean that he will get something that has a bad flavor! 

I hope you've enjoyed this weeks short (but somewhat informative) blog post! 

How to Keep Your Horses Hooves Healthy

As you may know, horses need four good legs and hooves to survive. On todays post, I will be giving some tips on how to keep your  horses hooves strong and healthy. 

1. Clean out their hooves! 

It is mandatory that you pick all of the dirt and rocks from your horses feet, otherwise, they could develop an abscess or an infection. 

2. Use a hoof hardener. 

I like to use a liquid called Durasole on Lilo's feet to keep them strong and hard. 

3. Soak their feet every so often. 

Soaking your horses hooves in epsom salts and betadine is extremely beneficial for them. The betadine kills bacteria in their hooves, and the epsom salts help to strengthen their hooves as well. 

4. Get their hooves trimmed often.

To keep a horses hooves healthy, you must get them trimmed about every 6 weeks or so. 

Unhealthy hoof

Healthy hoof

For more information, you can visit these websites:

https://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/AG_Equine_2006-03.pdf

http://practicalhorsemanmag.com/article/eqhooftips837-11352

Types of Markings

It is extremely common for horses to have some type of marking on them. Whether it is a face marking or something on their body, most horses have at least one!

Face Markings:

Stripe - 

Blaze -

Star -

Bald - 

Snip - 

Feet Markings:

The Importance of Blanketing

On this weeks post, I will be explaining to you the importance of blanketing your horse. 

Living in a place like Hawaii, where there is lots of rain, it is very important to blanket your horse (when its raining). Putting a rain sheet on your horse will prevent them from getting rain rot, or even simply getting too cold. 

If you live in a place where it snows, you must have a blanket ready for your horse! On days where it gets very cold, you will need to put a blanket on him to stay warm. 

The downside of blanketing is that, in a very cold place, you may have to blanket your horse frequently. This is because your horses body becomes dependent on the blankets warmth, and their coat will eventually fail to provide enough warmth for them. 

For more information, please click the link below:

http://www.horse.com/horse-articles/why-your-horse-needs-a-blanket/9944/

My Opinion on Horse Racing

I am not, and I never have been, a fan of horse racing. On this post, I will explain why I feel this way.

Most horses in the racing industry are started at around the age of 2. This is much too young to be starting a horse, especially for something as harsh as racing. A horses bones are not fully developed until they are about 7-10 years old. So, when they are ran so hard at such a young age, they can develop hoof and bone problems in the future. 

Many people who are apart of the racing industry treat their horses as investments, and throw them out once they no longer have any use to them. 

Many of the horses that are bred for the horse racing industry are not raced even once, and lots of them get sold to slaughter houses. 

I hope I have helped to spread awareness to the cruelty of horse racing. Watch the video below for more information.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfUPC_Bho5M&spfreload=10 (this video contains graphic content, watch at your own risk)

Best Ways to Keep Your Horse in Shape

Keeping your equine companion in shape is extremely important for their health. When they are at an ideal weight, diseases such as laminitis and founder are well prevented. They also have a lower chance of colic. 

For your horse to be able to keep an ideal weight, you must make sure to balance feed with exercise. You also must be sure that they are getting the right amount of nutrients from their feed. If they are not getting enough nutrients, they can become undernourished. If their nutrients intake is too high, they can develop things such as founder, laminitis, or colic. 

Many people use the one-percent rule for feeding their horses. This means that they feed their horses a minimum of one percent of their body weight in forage per day. 

In my opinion, the healthiest thing for a horse to eat is what is most natural for them, grass. So, Lilo lives in a big pasture with a mix of different grasses. Some of the grasses are high in nutrients, and some are low. This helps to balance his diet. He also gets fed one cup of alfalfa pellets twice a day, and one cup of Timothy pellets once a day. Alfalfa is very rich and contains lots of protein, and Timothy has low protein. 

Some of the best exercises to do with your horse to keep them in shape include going for long walks and trots, walking and trotting up and down hills, trotting over poles, and stretching. These exercises build muscle and help the horse to lose weight. 

I hope this weeks post has been helpful!

Best Stretches for Your Horse

On this weeks post, I will be focusing on the best stretches that you can do (or teach) with your horse to keep them loose, flexible, and comfortable. 

Front leg stretch - this stretch is very effective in keeping your horses front legs flexible and loose. It is very commonly used before long workouts, as this stretch can help to prevent the horse from injury. It also is very important after saddling the horse, the reason being when the leg is stretched out, all of the skin underneath the girth will not get pinched.

Back leg stretch - this stretch is very similar to the first one. What it does is it loosens the muscles and ligaments in the leg and, like the first stretch, can prevent them from injury.

"Four-leg" stretch - this stretch is great for loosening up the horses legs, chest, and rump. 

Other sources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sx6rfJYVQ64 http://www.equinewellnessmagazine.com/articles/stretching-for-your-horse/

Hope you've enjoyed this weeks post!

My Favorite Supplements for Horses

On this weeks post, I will be listing a few of the supplements that I use for Lilo, and some other supplements that I like as well.

MSM - MSM is a supplement in the form of powder. This supplement is very commonly used. What MSM does is it helps to keep the horses joints strong and healthy, therefore working to prevent them from injury. 

Bute - bute is a supplement, like MSM, in the form of powder. It can also come in paste. This supplement is very useful when your horse has sore feet, legs, etc. This supplement reduces pain.

(No decent photo found)

Vegetable Oil - this is something that I use for Lilo. This supplement helps Lilo keep a sleek, shining, healthy coat. This can also be used to help horses gain weight!

I hope you've enjoyed this weeks post!

Treating Rain Rot

Rain rot is a skin fungus/disease that is created by Dermatophilus Congolensis. This is an organism that also causes Mud Fever, a skin disease very similar to rain rot. The way that horses get rain rot (assuming they already have the bacteria D. Congolensis in their skin) is when it rains, the bacteria absorbs it and creates a fungus on the skin. 

There are many was to treat rain rot. The one that works most effectively for Lilo is fungicide powder. I take a small container and fill it about 1/4 with the fungicide. Then, I fill up the container with water. I then mix it up, and pour it on the spots where the horse has rain rot. This combination dries up the rain rot and kills the bacteria, making it easier to brush/pick off. 

Another effective treatment is Betadine. I like to give Lilo Betadine baths every now and then, as it kills skin bacteria just like the fungicide does. 

An example of rain rot.

Thanks for reading!

Guidance with Tackless Riding

Whenever Lilo and I ride tackless, we guide each other instead of me guiding him. Because theres no way that I can "control" him, we listen to each other. I ask him if he wants to go one way, and he'll show me if it is a yes or a no. I let him choose which way he wants to go! Our connection guides us instead of force. We are linked together, giving us all of the "control" we need. I don't need to kick his stomach or force his face one way or the other, because we simply listen to each other instead. 

Our riding, just like everything else that we do, is based on love, trust, connection, energy, equality, and freedom. Letting Lilo choose his own path does not create dominance issues, because when I listen to him, he listens to me in return. There is no need to use force when riding, because if you are connected, and you listen to each other, that is enough.

My Favorite Breeds

Some of my favorite horse breeds include: Quarter Horses, Clydesdales, Haflingers, and Mustangs.

Quarter Horses - Quarter Horses are, in my opinion, the best all-around horses. You can find QH's in jumping competitions, rodeos,  and trail rides/western pleasure riding, although they are much better with western riding than english.

Clydesdales - ever been to Disneyland? Ever seen the Budweiser commercials? If so, you have most likely seen a Clydesdale. This breed is most popular for driving (pulling carts). 

Haflingers - these horses are most known for pulling carts. They are short, but stalky. Their build gives them the power to pull lots of weight for their small stature. 

Mustangs - Mustangs are the only true type of wild horse. There are still some roaming the United States, although they struggle to survive.

Our Favorite Things!

On this weeks post, I will be sharing some of the fun things that Lilo and I do together.

Grooming - when I bring Lilo out of the pasture, one of the first things that I do is grab my brushes and groom him. This is a very relaxing and enjoyable time for Lilo.

Going on walks - Lilo loves to explore, and as I do not like to ride him very much, we often go on walks. This is a very fun, calm way to get some exercise and spend quality time together.

Practice our tricks - learning/practicing tricks is a great exercise for the horses mind. Not only does it stimulate the brain, but it is also very fun!

Play with objects - bringing out random, weird, or "scary" objects is a great way to build trust and have fun. 

Spend time in the pasture together - every now and then I like to bring a book and a blanket out in the pasture and go sit with Lilo. I will read the book to him while he grazes or hangs out with me. This is a great way to spend quality time together without asking anything from one another.

Practicing hugging :)

Going for a short run!

Building a Friendship with a Horse

Being a friend to someone is a very special thing. Especially an animal! Just being there for someone, loving them, taking care of them, and showing them how special they are to you is one of the most amazing things in the world. Knowing that they love you as much as you love them - its an indescribable feeling! You should always treat your horse as a friend. Get to know their likes and dislikes, love on them, make them little treats every now and then. But most importantly, make sure they know how much they mean to you. Don't think of them as anything below you - because they simply aren't! 

Another thing that breaks a friendship down is expectation. Don't expect a horse to let you ride them or listen to you, because they don't have to! Horses, just like any being, have rights to their bodies. Riding is not our right, its their back after all! Friendship is all about love, trust, equality, and acceptance. If you told your best human friend that you were better than them, chances are they wouldn't want to be your friend anymore. Same goes for your horse. If you treat your horse as a friend, for the amazing, beautiful beings that they are, that is what you will receive from them!

How to Teach Your Horse to Lay Down

This trick is much more advanced than any other trick that Lilo and I have done. Not because of the difficulty, but because of the time that it takes to get there! In fact, Lilo doesn't completely know what I am asking of him yet. With laying down, I 100% disagree with any form of force to get the horse on the ground. It is a tremendous invasion of trust, space, and respect. So, I like to do it in a much more natural way. What I do is I start off by rinsing the horse off, and taking them to an area where they like to roll (for Lilo, it is in the arena!). If the horse is uncomfortable rolling when people are near, give them their space, and let them know that you aren't a threat to them when they are in such a vulnerable position. Once they feel more comfortable rolling near people, I click and reward when they go down, and then reward a ton when they're laying down near me. 

Once they know that laying down is something that you want them to do, you can add a cue. For Lilo, I point to the ground and say "down". When they are laying down, give them the cue, and after a while of repeating those steps, they should be able to put the cue and the action together!

Me giving the cue for Lilo to lay down.

Learning to lay down :)

I hope you've enjoyed this weeks post!

My Goal

Have any of you ever seen 'Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron' ? Well it is definitely my favorite movie! There is something interesting that I have noticed as well. 

When Spirit gets taken away from his herd, and the army men try to 'break' him, they automatically become the 'bad guys' of the story that no one likes. Yes, it's just an animated movie, but it really does show exactly what horses go through when they're being trained or 'broken' in a harsh way. It totally makes sense, and then in the real world, breaking horses is completely fine? It's still the same pain, the same reaction and the same fear that the horse endures. 

This movie inspires me so much, because it truly shows the feeling of freedom and love with horses. You can feel the freedom that the horses feel when they're released, or if they're wild. And it's just so magical! That is the feeling that I strive for when I work with horses. I strive to set the horse free and give them that feeling. 

No matter what horsemanship you do, I'm sure you think that Spirit is a very magical movie. What is more magical than being free with a horse? Running with them, not controlling them or forcing them. Setting them free, not breaking their spirits. That is my exact goal when with horses. All I really have ever wanted to do is run with wild horses, ever since I can remember! I just can't seem to think of anything more magical than that. If we trust the horse, and they trust us, there is no need for bridles, spurs, whips, or halters even. Because if they want to be with us and they enjoy what they do, there is no limit to the possibilities.

The Beauty of the Horse

Have you ever truly watched a horse? Have you ever just stopped right where you are, looked at the astounding creature, and taken in all of his beauty and grace? You watch him as he moves, and you have never felt so completely liberated in your entire life. In everything he does, you see love, you see wisdom. With every motion, he is contributing to his beautiful dance. In all of my life, I have never met such a loving, forgiving, magnificent being. All that I have ever desired is to give horses every bit of love in my heart. To spark their soul with freedom. My goal in life is to go back to the dream that I had as a child, of only wanting to give horses love. No expectations, no force, no dominance. Just simply love. My goal is to become one with them, and to continue this beautiful journey that is Liberty Horsemanship.