Divine Equine Design

Who designed the horse? God. How do I know? Because it is a consensus of nearly all the people I’ve ever asked that question. I know he designed mine too. I once asked that question of a Clydesdale breeder in Scotland and he said “Gawd, lad, who de ell did ya tink?” There is an old saying: God first made Man. He thought better of it and made Woman. When He got time He made the Horse, which has the courage and spirit of Man and the beauty and grace of Woman.

What is a horse designed to do all day? Running and grazing. What does your horse do all day?

How much running and grazing does your horse do each day? I hope your answer is “a lot”. If not, then why not? I realize that if your horse is competing in a horse show, it may spend all of it’s time in a box stall without getting turned out to run and graze. Did you ever ask yourself why that is? What is the advantage of not turning a horse out each day? Some trainers will tell you it helps in programming the horse into only doing one activity. That activity is what the horse is let out of his stall for everyday.

One thing I’ve noticed is there are not too many people concerned about their horse’s health. What is the first question most owners and trainers ask a veterinarian when he comes out to diagnose an ill horse. How soon can we start riding him Doc? If the Doc says give the horse his medicine 6 times a day for 6 days, the one in charge of the horse is sayin’ to himself “Let’s see I can manage to give him his medicine twice a day. Is that enough Doc?” How about a bandage that has to be changed twice a day relegated to the migrant worker that cleans stalls and has never really changed a bandage before? Then on Friday night the migrant worker wants to leave early to go out with his friends and his boss is at a horse show, so he just skips it altogether. I’ve seen this happen.

Did you ever wonder what your horse thinks? Some people say a horse doesn’t think. I have always believed that horses are a reflection of their owners. Oh, for you pet owning people in California I guess horses are a reflection of their guardian. What does that tell you?

After more than thirty years of working on other people’s horses I’ve learned one thing. The more you confine a horse the more health problems you will have. Excessive confinement contributes to physical & mental stresses. It’s just like people that live in the city. Where are there more epidemics, crimes, etc.? In the city, where people lead a more confined life. Give people lots of room in the country and they lead a much healthier life. What happens to rats when you put too many in a cage? How about an influenza that goes through a school? This isn’t rocket science, folks. The more any “being” is confined the less healthy it will be. If you have ever been involved with horse racing, you’ll find that the majority of your top trainers realize the benefits of rotating their racehorses back to the farm to help their minds and bodies. Why would anyone build a training stable and not have sufficient room to turn the horses out after their work? Start asking your veterinarian and farrier how horses are kept healthy. The other thing I think is so funny is the horse owner that wonders why their horse starts acting nutty after being confined to a box stall 22 hours per day. I once knew a horse trainer that had a training stable of 160 horses on 5 acres. How many days a week do you think the veterinarian visited that training stable? How often do you think a veterinarian visits a working cattle ranch where the horses are turned out after they work? I’ll bet you would be shocked at the answer. Remember most horses on working cattle ranches in Arizona are worked 6-8 hours over rough terrain and roping 1000 lb. cattle in a rock pile on the side of a cliff. If you are having foot and health problems with your horse that works an hour a day in a groomed arena and is kept in a box stall you may want to rethink your program.

My first suggestion is to think about how your horse is kept. Are your veterinarian and farrier bills getting out of hand? If they are, consider how to change it. Is this an animal right’s article, absolutely not? In my book there is no such thing as “animal rights”. In this country “rights” are guaranteed under the constitution for people with no mention of animals. However, it is an article designed to give your “moral obligation” to your horse a little extra thought. Sometimes old advice is wisest. When all the medicines and corrective measures are not working, turning your horse out for six months may just work wonders. The grand design of the body is always trying to heal itself if you just allow it enough time. Sometimes you have to throw your schedule away. Oh by the way, someone told me about a new animal organization you might want to join. Yup, it’s called PETA, which stands for “People Eating Tasty Animals”.