Confidence is Precious!

Fundamental to feeling good about riding your horse is having his nervous system functioning normally so he can RESPOND and listen to you despite feeling unsure, rather than REACT.

Reactions are instinctive and lightning fast. Nothing dents a rider’s confidence more than the thought of being unseated by a violent spook!

The key is to understand what causes the horse to do these uncalled for manoeuvres.

Just as there’s no point having a saddle fitted when the horse’s skin is twitchy/hypersensitive to touch and the back muscles are not relaxed; there’s no point going to lessons, or sending the horse for re-education when mineral imbalances are causing him to ‘malfunction’.

It is not the horse who is at fault and some adjustments to his diet /management can make all the difference.

A ‘Grass-Affected’ horse cannot process information so is not able to be in a 'learning frame of mind'.

His perception is altered, and also his awareness and his sensitivity. When he is thus affected he will be having a whole different experience to what he should be having!

Here's what to do:

- Feed more FIBRE – the more hay the horse eats and the less grass, the better for the horse’s digestive system – and for you. Even if there is plenty of grass, if it is short or lush green they need to be supplemented with hay.

- Avoid the following because they add to excesses, particularly of potassium: Lucerne, clover, kelp, soy-bean or rapeseed meal and sometimes herbs.

- If you are feeding any of the following: rice-bran, copra, linseed, sunflower, lupins or grains make sure to add a properly formulated calcium supplement to balance the low phosphorous.

Ditto for horses grazing oxalate grasses or consuming warm season hays like Teff

- Feed GrazeEzy when the grass is green to counter balance the high Potassium & Nitrogen in the grass

- Make sure you are adding salt to feeds - 10gms per 100kg BW

No-one should have to ‘pluck up courage’ to ride their horse. With some adjustments to diet, riding will again become an enjoyable experience.

We can help you to check your horse’s diet in case it is contributing to his ‘behaviour’ as Erin found out when it happened to her. See top picture!

The horse above, Mac, out on his clover grazing...

Mac had become incredibly reactive and spooky.

Transitions from trot to canter were rushed and sometimes explosive.

There was an occasional head twitch (had he stayed on this pasture any longer he would most certainly have become a full-blown head shaker).

He had ongoing muscle soreness and ‘sacro-iliac’ issues.

Erin described him as "disconnected from me entirely".

Finally he bucked her off in spectacular fashion as seen in the picture above! (Fortunately, although very sore, there was nothing broken!)

Two weeks on his new diet and he is back to his calm healthy self