Rita (Swift Taylor) began telling me what she needed by digging up grass to get to the dirt below, rooting into mud and eating it and nibbling and licking the dirt in the indoor arena. When I would take her for walks and let her hand graze she would demonstrate these behaviors and it finally dawned on me (the distracted human!) she was asking me to help her find what she needed.

At the same time she had developed skin fungus issues around her girth and neck area which I had attributed to sweat and dirt from daily training. I was using Iodine medicated shampoos, fungus remedies and increasing my tack and equipment cleaning to an obsessive level. I even asked her rider to clean his boots before he got on her as he was riding many other horses at other barns before he came to see us.

A friend and kindred horse spirit, DeDe Jones, suggested that I look into minerals as Rita could be deficient in something. I thought I had covered all the bases with her supplements, good hay, organic grains and her deep-mined salt rocks. But I had not. She was missing one or several minerals.

Thanks to her persistance I went to the farm store and purchased ABC (Advanced Biological Concepts) Rush Creek 1:1 Minerals.  They are free choice minerals that horses eat when they want or need certain minerals.

I gave Rita a couple of cups of the minerals on the ground in her paddock and she ate all of it within minutes. ABC recommends that you not mix the minerals with feed/rations so I created a bowl for her minerals out of an unused automatic waterer. I put 2 cups in per day and the next morning for 4 days running they were all gone the next day. 

At the same time I offered it to my other horses and they were as eager to clean up the minerals as Rita was. So now it is a part of their health regimen. Their desire does decrease as their body is satisfied.

The most amazing result from her mineral intake was an immediate sloughing of her skin and coat. The minerals literally cleared up her fungus issue within 24 hours! I also noticed she became a bit more calm and enjoyed her nap time more peacefully.

She is no longer digging, rooting or trying to eat dirt and mud.  You may want to look at your horse's weaknesses or behavioral issues and consider your horse is looking for minerals they are missing.

*A word of caution: Since this mixture of minerals is so tasty be careful not to overfeed. They may want to eat even when they don't need it. I am feeding 1 cup per horse twice per week for maintenance.

Swift Taylor (Rita) checks out the photographer on her way to starting gate practice.

 

 

Her confidence and presence are evident even at a very young age.

She listens to Eric as he guides her through her daily routines of learning to change leads while galloping and going straight and forward at all times.

She waits patiently as Eric and I introduce her to the starting gate.

She trusts her team of committed people even in a claustrophobic situation. 

She proudly dances showing her beauty and athleticism.

As of July 18, Swift Taylor has made the transition to the racetrack seamlessly.  She is now in the care of Robin and Lon Wiggins at Churchill Downs with John Ward as our race training advisor.  We live 10 minutes from the track and I have been there every morning making sure she continues to be positive in her progress.  So far she is showing everyone how smart and ready for new challenges she really is.  What a joy to watch her blossom!

Thank you DeDe Jones for the beautiful photography.