Not a chance :-)
> always used some form of snaffle bit for all of our horses that take a bit.
> Mostly we use a gag snaffle for one simple reason, just a piece of 3/8 line,
> even clothesline for a head stall. Easy to keek clean or replace.
A gag snaffle is not the gentlest of bits. And many other bits can be
used in a simple headstall as well.
> We let the
> rig have plenty of slack and in all cases the horse has ended up carrying
> the bit with a closed mouth and no foaming or slobbering. The other snaffel
> we use is a dee ring and in the bridle we also give slack, no wrinkles to
> the lips or mouth corners. The horses always carry the bit closed mouth, no
> noseband, no foaming or slobber.
If you were running 50 miles would you choose to have a loose pack that
kept slapping you in the side, so you had to hold your arm around it
to keep it from slapping you? Or would you choose to have a pack that
was fitted correctly, just tight enough to stay still and in place?
The 2 wrinkles in the mouth (for most horses) is the "just tight enough"
placement.
What you're doing to your horse is forcing him to clamp down on the bit
to keep it still. Of course the horse has a closed mouth. Of course the
horse has a dry mouth. The horse can't relax it's mouth. This makes for
a tense mouth -> tense neck -> tense horse.
A horse with a moist mouth is a happy horse. Excessive foaming is not
desireable, but some slobber is good.
>
> Could never figure out the endurance riders with a noseband to keep the
> horses mouth shut on the bit but then expecct the poor horse to eat when it
> has the chance. Not on oxymoron just a moron (My personal humble opinion)
I have yet to see an endurance rider with the type of noseband which is
made to keep the horse's mouth closed. In most cases, the noseband is
loosely fitted and set back far enough to simple help hold the headstall
and bit in place. If you want to see a cranked down noseband, check out
some of the dressage type bridles. And even then, you'll see horses that
can open their mouths easily.
>
> Feed and here is wherte you will all come down on me. have never had a
> horse get hot from any feed ever given including corn or corn oil. I have
> had them get hot from work, standing in the sun, but never from eating!!!
You seem to be taking terms from one generic area and applying them to
well established horse terms that have a different meaning.
If a horse eats certain types of protein, such as from alfalfa, they
will generate heat within the gut as the food digests. Thus, in
winter I feed more alfalfa and in summer I stay with grass hay.
(Winter temps frequently drop to the minus F range.)
There are cases where a horse just standing in the shade will start
sweating while eating due to the type of food.
Hot, as most horse people apply the term, is related to the attitude
of the horse. Studies have shown that feeding some types of grain
will change the attitude of horses. For example, if fed a high
corn diet, the horse will be more flighty. In the studies, the
control horses have been fed an equal number of calories.
This is equivanent to children getting hyper from too much sugar.
>
> If ytou mean that the horse has excess energy then say so. nIs that not what
> you feed for? So they can go down the road mile after mile at a good rate of
> speed?? Food, any kind of food, has its own particular amount of energy
> giving components inn its makeup. Some have more of one type than others,
> and it is this combination that allows us to regulate the diet to the
> benefit of ourse
Excess energy is third use of the term hot, but generally not used
by horse people. If a horse has inadequate calories, it will burn
up the muscle and fat first, and then get lethargic. When an adequate
number of calories is added to the diet, the horse will pick up
energy. At this stage, some folks might think the horse has too
much energy, when if fact, this is normal for that horse. If
you increase the calories too much, you'll get a fat horse that
once more looses energy because of lugging around all that fat.
For most endurance riders, we know all this. The situation arises
with endurance horses that we place a heavy exercise burden on them,
and then find that we are having trouble getting them to eat enough
calories to keep weight on.
>
> Please educate yourself as to the needs of the yourselves and also the horse
> .(you can carbo-load, the horse cannot).
You should do the same. Carbo-loading is very bad for humans and deadly
to horses. Yes, humans should eat a lot of carbos before an event,
but that is not carbo-loading. Carbo-loading is the process of
starving your body for carbos for weeks, and then suddenly over loading
the carbos. After a year of this, many althletes are completely
unable to perform at all.
> There are several books written
> about nutrition and Kentucky Equine Research Inc.is a very good authority on
> the subject. If you feed for energy then expect an energetic horse. If you
> feed for energy and do not exercise the horse expect a hyper and then fat
> horse. Remember, you ar ewhat you eat and your horse is what you feed it.
> You cannot feed energy and expect an unenergetic animal!!
And if you do? I can't remember a single case on this list where
anyone has complained about an unenergetic horse, unless there was
a problem with the horse. Remember, a horse's digestive system
is very different from our own. Just adding calories to the diet
is not enough to get performance. You have to add the correct type
of calories, and make sure the horse is able to digest them.
>
> Any one want to dispute it send your question to sduren@micron.net he is the
> Kentucky Equine Research person here in the west.
>
> OK have at me now!!
How about just learning to type, spell, and use proper grammar.
Or where you out fishing for flames?
-- Wendy\|/ /\ -O- /**\ /|\ /****\ /\ / \ /**\ Here there be dragons / /\ / \ /\ /\ /\ /\ /\/\/\ /\ / / \ / \ / \/\/ \/ \ /\/ \/\ /\ /\/ / / \/ \ / / \/ /\ \ / \ \ / \/ / / \/ \/ \ / \ \ / / \/ \/\ \ / \ / / \ __/__/_______/___/__\___\__________________________________________________
Wendy Milner HPDesk: wendy_milner@hp4000 Training Development Engineer HP-UX: wendy@fc.hp.com Mail Stop 46 Telnet: 229-2182 3404 E. Harmony Rd. AT&T: (970) 229-2182 Fort Collins, CO, 80525 FAX: (970) 229-4292