Whenever I am asked to look at a horse either for sale or because the horse has a problem I always start with facing their head. I mean stand in front of them, put your hands on either side of their face and look at the symmetry or lack of it in every aspect. 

Ask yourself these questions: Are the nostrils level and exactly the same or are there differences? Are the bony structures exactly the same on either side? Are there any dips, dents, or scars down the length of the head? Is the muscling around the eyes, the forehead and on the cheeks the same? Are the eyes level, the same size and shape? How about the ears and the distance between them? Notice, how does the horse hold his/her head from the neck? Is it tilted, twisted, leaning in one direction, jammed?

And finally, check the mouth, smell the breath. Are the teeth level, matched and top and bottom meeting evenly?

There is so much this exam can tell us from this observation and feel. Ideally you would like everything to be equal side to side and for the head to be set on the neck evenly and straight. This is rarely the case especially with horses that are in training. They have learned to compensate and twist their bodies in hard work with maybe not-so-forgiving hands of the rider.

Any imbalance in the head can affect their vision, their sense of balance, their proprioception (where their limbs are in space and time), their thinking and their reflexes. This includes parrot mouth and other conformation flaws of the jaw and teeth. 

You would also like to see large eyes without seeing much or any of the white around them, a wide flat forehead, with even muscle development throughout. Horses that have small or partially closed eyes (or eye) have built up defenses and are either toxic, hyper-nervous or very shut down and can be explosive. This can also indicate neurological issues such as EPM.

Along with an application of The InBalance Horse oil blend, I can generally do enough myo-fascial, endorphin, trigger point releases, acupressure and stretches with oppositional energy exercises to get the horse leveled and straight in their head set as well as opening up the distance between the head and neck.  There are a few cases however where I will call in a chiropractor.

You will also be able to tell a great deal about the horse's dental health and immunity by feeling the bones and glands from the chin upward toward the throat latch. If you feel lots of lumps the size of grapes or marbles or larger the horse probably could use immune system support such as Iosol (Iodine) and an immune booster.

I use Livimmune from Blue Ridge Distribution as all their products are certified organic and made to order. If you feel hard or hot bumps along the bony structures then you are probably feeling tooth eruptions and may lead you to understand some of your horse's reasons for being head shy or having behavioral issues. These eruptions can be very painful and last for weeks.  Watch where you put your nosebands and keep them fairly loose or at least use a fleece cover.

Go check your horse's head and let me know if you have any questions. I would be glad to help you out over the phone.

Meet My Friend Jimmy

Swift Taylor's half brother "My Friend Jimmy" arrived at my stable in late September as a yearling. He was a very big colt already just under 16 hands. But just as beautifully put together as his sister. We agreed to geld him a few weeks after he had settled in. 

He is a two-year-old now and has been under saddle and doing ground work for about 45 days. He is similar to Swift Taylor (Rita) in his display of affection by curling his head around you and holding you against his chest and by the way he looks to me to lead and guide him through his training. As long as I show him once that he's safe he will trust and go ahead. Over time I will need to do less and less but for now in his development he is gaining his confidence in his surroundings and belief in himself.

I approach Jimmy as I do with all my horses by wiping out the nostrils and applying The InBalance Horse oil blend inside his nostrils, around his muzzle and do massage on the corners of his mouth and around the gums. This settles him and gets him to learn to let go of any tension or stress before we start our exercises.

Jimmy acts out occsionally in-hand and wants to play like he's a stallion. I know he is a young male and he is in a paddock by himself surrounded by other horses and misses his boxing matches with his buddies. So I do not punish him for wanting to play as long as he respects my boundaries and stays within himself. If he is aggressive, biting or pawing I might pinch him on the shoulder with my hand like his mother would do, then ask him to do some work on the line and he quickly stops and behaves like a gentleman. He continues to settle more each week and loves our long walks together.

Under saddle, however, he is a perfect gentleman and behaves like a well schooled hunter. His natural balance and ability to carry the rider's weight is remarkable for such a young horse. He looks at new things but does not spook or get flighty and trusts his rider to send him forward. He has been a joy to bring along.  Because of his size and development we are going slow. He is ridden 4 times per week and has one day of ground work with me. We walk all over the farm both under saddle and in-hand, jog in the arenas, walk around the racetrack, and practice going over and around multiple objects.

Here are some early photos of him back in October 2011 as a yearling and a couple of videos showing him being started under saddle in December. Notice how willing and balanced he is right from the start. Click here to watch the video.