ProudHorse Connections

08/08/2025

Is this correct?

11/04/2025

𝗙𝗶𝘅𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗺𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 & 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗘𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗥𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀

𝘉𝘺 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘩, 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘥𝘏𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 2013

Something to keep in mind when you lunge your horse or work him/her in-hand - or ride him/her:

Fixed headsets, fixed postures, fixed gaits for long or even short stretches of times do not build fitness, instead they build stiffness.

Too much energy/activity runs the horse down and damages its body.

Not enough energy/activity and he becomes careless and indifferent, disconnected.

Remember to vary the gaits, and the gaits within the gaits and to vary the level of activity you ask of your horse.

To develop strong and elastic muscles, tendons and ligaments your horse's body needs to gather and extend, open and close, contract and release within a healthy range of postures for his body AND his mind to thrive in unison.

His/Her posture must be able to change, his/her neck must be able to shorten, extend, lower or rise to help him/her find its equilibrium and travel in balance.

This is true of a young horse and of any horse as it progresses up in its training.

𝗙𝗶𝘅𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗽𝘀𝗲𝘀, 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲'𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 (𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻) 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲.
´
Bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, skin, eyes, ears, lips, hooves, bones, everything is cells, fascia, everything is alive, constantly adjusting to movement, load, pressure, direction and thus having to be elastic, to absorb, and distribute and give and stretch.

The mind of the horse is receiving and telegraphing signals to its body constantly based on the data it receives about its environment but also based on its emotional state which impacts its tonus.

𝗕𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗱, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗳𝗹𝗲𝘅, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲. 𝗕𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀, 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗮𝗱𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗮𝘁.

We do not want to block this process.

We want our horses' balance to spring from within.

We want 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 minds engaged in responding to what 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 senses tell them.

We want to GUIDE and SHAPE, we do not want to create straight jackets for their bodies and conduct hostile take overs for their minds.

We do not know better then the horse's body, it knows how to protect itself - which is why we must learn to investigate resistances very carefully.

When we block our horse and restrict the body's ability to adjust, the horse is more likely to travel in a manner where he will hit the ground harder and wont absorb and dissipate the, energy, the shock waves throughout his entire body. His joints will have to work harder, his entire structure will suffer.

Blocking the horse's posture and demanding a high degree of activity at the same time is equally detrimental - it places too much stress on the horse's spine, pelvis, stifles, shoulders, joints and tendons and ligaments.

Photo caption: This is a young horse just beginning to lunge and learning to develop a different posture. Saying NO to fixed headsets and gaits...Why? Developing elastic muscles requires our horse's body to open and close, open and close.

Trotting in the same pace and posture for too long with make him stiff.

To keep him suple, alternate short bursts of energy with a slower pace that allows him to stretch forward, down and OUT, and relax.

We do not ask him to perform with great energy for long periods: this will over tire his body and begin damaging him.

We do not work him in a relaxed frame all the time or he will become inattentive, loose and careless.

© Caroline Larrouilh, ProudHorse Connections, 2013

𝗧𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀™️ 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝟯 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻-𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁 𝗴𝗼 𝘁𝗼:

Step into the Fundamentals of In-Hand Training and Lunging with Manolo Mendez Elevate Your Understanding of Equine Training: Are you an amateur horse owner…

27/03/2025

That this even needs to be said is unacceptable.

Es gibt einen erneuten Versuch auf FEI-Ebene, die No-Blood-Rule aufzuweichen: Dieses Mal ist es der „International Jumping Riders Club (IJRC)“, der unter der Überschrift „Eliminierungen – ein Aufruf zur Verhältnismäßigkeit“ eine Regeländerung erreichen möchte, sodass künftig nicht mehr jede Blutspur am Pferd automatisch zum Ausschluss führt.

Beim kommenden FEI Sports Forum in Lausanne (31. März bis 1. April) soll der Antrag des IJRC auf die Tagesordnung gesetzt werden. Als Begründung führt der IJRC an: „Seit Tokio gibt es bei den Olympischen Spielen in den Mannschaftswettbewerben des Pferdesports keine Streichergebnisse mehr. Dies bedeutete, dass eine geringfügige Blutspur an den Flanken eines Pferdes zum unanfechtbaren Ausschluss der brasilianischen Springmannschaft in Paris führte. Die IJRC ist der Ansicht, dass diese Konsequenz jeder Verhältnismäßigkeit entbehrt.“

Daher soll zukünftig nach folgenden Kriterien unterschieden werden:

1. Unbeabsichtigte Mikroverletzungen
2. Unbeabsichtigte Verletzungen
3. Läsionen, die durch unsachgemäße Handlungen des Reiters verursacht wurden
4. Misshandlung des Pferdes

Nur in den Fällen 3 und 4 solle ein Ausschluss erfolgen. Bei unbeabsichtigten Mikroverletzungen oder Verletzungen hingegen seien Verwarnungen oder gelbe Karten als Maßregelung ausreichend.

Schon im Jahr 2011 gab es einen ähnlichen Versuch, die No-Blood-Rule aufzuweichen, damals maßgeblich unterstützt von den Dressurreitern. Unsere daraufhin initiierte Petition dagegen erzielte 20.000 Unterschriften, und die No-Blood-Rule blieb unverändert. Ein weiterer Versuch folgte im Jahr 2015. Nun, zehn Jahre später, versuchen die Springreiter neue Fakten zu schaffen.

18/03/2025

Worms can and do kill horses and it is not a pretty death. Having a worming schedule in place with the right products can help.

🔬Breaking Down New Recommendations for Equine Deworming 🪱

Deworming horses is a practice that seems to constantly evolve – the more we learn, the more recommendations change to ensure we are making the best decisions for our horses and the industry as a whole, and sometimes it can feel hard to keep up! We used to recommend rotating dewormers every 2 to 3 months to combat parasites, however, I hope by now, the only thing you rotate are your pastures (sorry – a little equine science humor). Rather, you should be utilizing targeted deworming for your mature horses. This means you are performing f***l egg counts to (1) identify your high shedders and (2) performing f***l egg count reduction tests on your herd to determine which dewormers are still effective. So let’s dive into how targeted deworming would work with your horses.

I want to make sure everyone is aware that through deworming, you will NEVER get rid of all the parasites – and that is not one of the goals of deworming. Rather, we want to minimize the risk of parasitic disease and delay further development of anthelmintic (dewormer) resistance. To accomplish these goals, we want to target parasites that are often associated with parasitic disease (primarily strongyles and tapeworms), provide more frequent dewormings to high shedders which contribute to environmental contamination, and only use dewormers that are effective for our herd.

However, not all horses are created equal and some variables can impact deworming recommendations such as age (see my previous post about deworming young horses), geographical region/climate, shedding level, and access to green grass. This is because many of our concerning parasites are transmitted when horses are on pasture, and we want to target them during periods of high transmission when they are more readily spread.

All horses should receive one to two baseline treatments of a macrocyclic lactone (ivermectin or moxidectin). Current recommendations are to deworm in the spring and once horses are removed from pasture going into winter. If you do not remove your horse from pasture, you can just time these for the spring and fall.

For high strongyle shedders (>500 eggs per gram), additional dewormings can be done during periods of higher transmission. This varies by geographical region and a study predicted the successful development of strongyles eggs for six different locations (Leathwick et al., 2015). This model suggests colder northern climates have a short window of transmission during the summer months. This window becomes larger as we move south to warmer climates until we reach southern states where transmission can be observed throughout the entire year. An exception here is arid states in the southwest (which I will discuss in a moment). If you want to see the graphs detailing these transmission windows, take a look at the 2024 AAEP Internal Parasite Guidelines.

Based on these findings, I would choose to deworm high shedders in colder climates during the summer months when transmission is observed. In comparison, high shedders in southern states may also benefit from an additional deworming in the winter when it is more mild. These recommendations could change based on the weather conditions observed each year.

I do want to specifically address arid regions of the United States (primarily in the southwest (including Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico). When horses are located here and are not kept on green pastures, small strongyles and tapeworms are unlikely to require the primary attention in parasite control programs. As a result, the current recommendation for horses without pasture residing in these regions is to perform regular f***l egg counts to determine the necessary level of anthelmintic intervention required (Ramey and Nielsen, 2019).

So hopefully these recommendations help clear things up as to how to deworm! I still continuously see inaccurate and outdated information on this topic so it is important to stay educated for the sake of our horses!

Cheers!
Dr. DeBoer

Leathwick DM, Donecker JM, Nielsen MK. A model for the dynamics of the free-living stages of equine cyathostomins. Veterinary Parasitology. 2015 Apr 30;209(3-4):210-20.

Ramey DW, Nielsen MK. Limited strongyle parasite occurrence in horses kept in an arid environment. Equine Veterinary Education. 2020 Aug;32:37-40.

10/03/2025

Why the Piping Povers Can’t "Just Go Elsewhere”

1. They Nest in Specific, Limited Habitats
• Piping plovers require open, sandy beaches with minimal vegetation for nesting.
• These habitats are disappearing due to development, climate change, and human disturbance.
• There’s nowhere else for them to go—if they move, they struggle to survive.
2. They Help Protect the Beach Itself
• The conservation efforts that protect plovers also protect dunes and prevent beach erosion.
• If plovers disappeared, beach quality would decline, making the area more vulnerable to storms and rising sea levels.
• Protecting them ensures coastal ecosystems remain healthy for future generations.

Instead of viewing plover conservation as an inconvenience, you can look at it as a shared responsibility—helping maintain natural spaces that benefit everyone.

✔ Plover protection is seasonal and temporary—restrictions on beach access typically last only during nesting season (spring & summer).
✔ If plovers go extinct, it wouldn’t just affect birds—it would impact the beaches, biodiversity, and coastal health.

Note: I was walking on a beach today (no restrictions) and this little bird was completely unconcerned with my presence. I read up on his species and why they are protected. Suffice to say, that tiny bird plays a huge role in the ecosystem and should be protected and appreciated.

03/03/2025

Smart idea. This is a thermometer from an Aquarium store. It allows this owner to
monitor her horse's core temperature when she chooses to use a blanket. All blankets should come equipped with something similar. I once had an idea for a blanket with intelligent textile panels that changed color if the horse was uncomfortable/too hot, making it is easy to spot in the barn and the field. I did not have the funds to develop it, unfortunately. If you are going to use blankets, it is important they be adapted to the weather and the horse.

01/03/2025

🐴 New Research: AI Now "Reading" Horse Pain Better Than We Can

Brilliant, thorough article by equine science journalist Christa Lesté-Lasserre in Science magazine about how artificial intelligence is becoming better than humans at detecting pain and stress in animals - including horses.

The research shows horses communicate distress through specific facial changes: rotated ears paired with "worry wrinkles" above the eyes signal pain, while similar movements plus showing the tongue can indicate stress. Even expert horse people need about 100 seconds to properly "read" a horse's face in a single image - AI can do it instantly.

Let's be honest - despite our best intentions, the reality of horse care doesn't always match what we know is best. Horses are cared for badly and ridden poorly routinely, even by people who adore them. Many if not most of us miss subtle signs that our horses are uncomfortable at least some of the time.

Veterinarian Gabriel Lencioni (University of São Paulo) has developed an AI system that achieved 88% accuracy detecting pain in horses by analyzing facial expressions before and after surgery. Other researchers found their AI tools recognized pain signals that even experienced vets had missed. I wish a cross section of training experts were also tested!

If incorporating AI into horse management and training helps reduce horses' stress and discomfort, then let's hope we find ways to develop new tools to do just that. Lencioni suggests this technology could eventually be used during competitions to reward riders of comfortable horses and improve welfare across our sport.

What about having intelligent arena mirrors that give riders feedback in real time about their horse's comfort and stress levels?

Our horses can't speak, but their faces - and bodies- tell us plenty - if only we could read them better. Maybe AI can help
us with that though it should never replace our responsibility to learn about and understand our horses.

These technological improvements do not absolve us from developing our own skills in reading equine body language and striving to communicate better with them. It would be a tragedy if our interspecies relationships were entirely codified by AI. The human-horse connection is too valuable and nuanced to outsource completely.

At the same time, there are legitimate applications where AI could help detect pain across all species, including humans. If these tools can alert us to suffering we might otherwise miss, they deserve a place in our toolkit - as supplements to, not replacements for, our own knowledge and relationship with our horses.

What do you think? Is there a balance to be struck between technology and traditional horsemanship?

Artificial intelligence is becoming better than humans at scanning animals’ faces for signs of stress and pain. Are more complex emotions next?

Learn more: https://scim.ag/4bgluSJ

28/02/2025

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17/02/2025

How it can and should be. Note that this reflect a movement of talented young riders choosing to train and care for their horses with their mental and physical happiness and wellness at the core of their partnership.