We’re Ready for a Hunter Revolution
by Julie Winkel


I’d love to see the days of the comatose show hunter behind us, and I think we’re going to see that happen sooner rather than later. There’s a feeling in our industry that I’ve not experienced before— trainers, owners, riders and judges are realizing that where we’ve ended up isn’t really where we wanted to go.

So, I’ve decided to step up and candidly discuss our show hunter sport. It’s not going to be pretty, but it’s time for us to really lay the cards on the table, see what hand we’ve been dealt, and then start a new game.

I’ve been involved in the hunter/jumper sport for more than 30 years, from the days when our classic Thoroughbreds dominated the scene to today, when they are basically an anomaly in a show ring full of warmbloods.

Personally, I’d like to see the hunters continue to evolve back to more of the lighter types, with the Thoroughbred influencing their jump and movement. About 20 years ago, our show hunters became completely different than they started out being in the mid-20th century, and that evolution has fundamentally changed how we do what we do today.

As a United States Hunter Jumper Association clinician, I’m hoping to help guide our sport back to the days when our show hunters were rewarded for boldness and brilliance. During a recent judges’ clinic in southern California, we had a lively classroom discussion about this topic.

We want to encourage the judges—new ones as well as experienced ones—to remember how important it is to reward expression. A major part of having a great hunter round is when your horse is doing what he loves and expressing that sentiment.

We Do Know
I’m going to be frank. As judges, we know when a horse that has been over-medicated or over-prepared comes into the ring. It’s actually the first thing we notice. Usually, they’re glassy-eyed or just not alert. Often, they’re slow to react to their surroundings or the aids, and that’s not safe for the horse or the rider.

I’m a professional. I know everyone’s under pressure to produce winners, but we owe it to our horses—and to the sport—to do a better job of training our horses and riders.

Maybe we need to take a step back and teach our clients to ride rather than having them simply learn to show. I see so many people who have no business showing because they don’t ride well enough yet. Our pros are under a lot of pressure to make the money, make clients happy and make them look good. It’s hard to tell clients that they’re not ready to go to a horse show.

But as professionals, we owe it to our clients to educate them about the sport and horses, and I think we need to say up front that this is a sport that takes years to master. That’s why riding a hunter or jumper is so incredibly rewarding—because it’s challenging, and it’s important to master the basics before you compete. Even the quietest horse won’t help a rider who just doesn’t know how to ride.

Concurrently, we’ve seen a recent upswing in substances given to horses specifically as quieting agents, including magnesium sulfate, Dexamethasone and Carolina Gold. Many of you have probably now heard that Carolina Gold and the amino-acid GABA (gamma aminobutyric acid) have been deemed prohibited substances by the United States Equestrian Federation and the Fédération Equestre Internationale. There have been excellent articles written about the dangers of such drugs, including one by Dr. Stephen Soule regarding Carolina Gold that was published in this magazine’s April issue.

Drugs are not the way to go, but I’m certainly not condoning the other primary way to quiet horses, “lunging ’til dead,” which I think is just as detrimental. It’s a vicious cycle; horses that get lunged get too fit and have to be lunged even more. So what is the answer? It’s a combination of better horsemanship and finetuning our judging system.

I’d love to see more horses out of their stalls, hand walking, hand grazing, allowed to mentally unwind instead of becoming physically exhausted. I know it’s easier said than done with the demands already imposed on our grooms, but altering the way we run our businesses is a big part of the solution.

In case you’re wondering, I don’t just sit in a judge’s box. I’m still in the thick of things with breeding and training young horses, taking clients to shows and giving lessons to novice children and timid adults. I understand the importance of safety and making sure horses are quiet and properly prepared for their jobs. But I have never condoned drug use. There are other ways!

Be a Horseman
I once had a really great grand prix jumper prospect that was too careful and too spooky. He scared himself when he rubbed a rail. By the time he got to 1.45m, he was so worried that it wasn’t fun for him or for me.

So, I put aluminum shoes on him and sent him into the hunter ring. He took the biggest breath and went, “Wow; this is awesome.” He was Regular Working reserve champion in his first outing.

We had some retraining up front, but I took the time to do it properly. I didn’t rely on the lunge line to be his training tool. In the end, he became a top junior hunter and has enjoyed a long and fruitful career. But I chose to take the proper steps and not rush him. Instead of drugs and lunging, we figured out what worked for him.

We never rode this horse in the ring in the morning. We found from showing him in the jumpers that he did his best when he went to the ring and hung out for 45 minutes before his turn. He would take it all in and relax. He still shows, and we still use this same routine. He does his best because he’s mentally relaxed and not exhausted or in a coma.

Each horse is different. You must find out who they are and what will make their performance the best. Today’s horsemen need to return to individualized programs for their horses. In the old days this was more common and it wasn’t a cookie-cutter approach to training that often occurs today.

Just because you’ve started a lot of young horses doesn’t mean that you have the key to success all mapped out. Once in a while, you’re going to get one who needs a different program, and you’ll do best by that horse to adapt to his needs. Yes, it may take more time, but by doing the right thing for each horse he’ll have a longer and more successful career.

Continuing Education
Altering the way we judge hunters is an ongoing discussion in our USHJA Judges’ Clinics. I think that trainers and professionals believe we want dead quiet, comatose horses when in fact it’s not the case. Having this discussion out in the open is a big step. It’s basically putting into writing what the judges are feeling and broadcasting our wishes.

Judges want to see more enthusiasm and liveliness in our show hunters. But I also want to be clear that I’m not saying these horses in the adult amateur hunters, for instance, should land off a jump and buck. That’s manners. They’re not going to be rewarded for poor manners. It’s important to remember that the amount and type of enthusiasm we see and score is all relative to the job the horse is doing. You’re always judging the class or division in front of you.

In the High Performance Hunters, those who are a little more seasoned, we like to see more brilliance of pace and expression. The enthusiasm is also a factor here. For a junior or amateur-owner hunter, at this point in their careers we want to see a horse who still has enthusiasm for the job. We love to see a horse figuring out the jumps a little, eager to go down the line, even if maybe he doesn’t have the help that a pro would give him. So maybe he jumps big out of a line and shakes his head and plays on landing; that’s great. We expect that. If they love their job after years in the show ring, more power to them!

As you go down the levels, you’re looking for a horse who can take care of himself. You don’t want a comatose horse who can’t help his rider!

On the other hand, manners are important. I’m a little harder on one that plays too hard and might unseat his adult or child rider. Their job is to cope with things that come up but still take care of
their riders. Self-preservation can never be underrated, either.

I believe consistent judging will change the goals we set for our horses. It’s all about continuing education for our judges, professionals, owners and riders. At a recent judges’ clinic, we watched a video of Rumba and John French winning the 2009 USHJA International Hunter Derby Finals. He cared so much about every jump. There were probably three or four times where after the jump he shook his head with enthusiasm. That was something I hadn’t noticed when I was judging the Finals, and it really hit me how much that horse loved what he was doing. That outcome has to be our goal. The sport is about making our horses happy and not about making people
look good!

Keep that thought in mind as you go about your business. At the end of the day, if we’re doing the right thing for the horses, then everything else is going to fall into place.

Julie Winkel owns and operates Maplewood Stables Inc., in Reno, Nevada, and has been a USEF-licensed hunter, equitation, hunter-breeding and jumper judge since 1984. She’s presided over the top shows in the country, including the USHJA International Hunter Derby Finals in 2009 and 2011, the ASPCA Maclay and USEF Medal Finals, and the fall indoor shows. She’s on the USHJA Board of Directors, several committees and task forces, and is a USHJA Certified Trainer.

Acupuncture Use in Equine Reproduction

Originally published on TheHorse.com

Breeding season can mean a growth in acupuncture needle inventory for many horse reproduction specialists. Such veterinarians combine strategic insertion of tiny needles with Western veterinary techniques to address subfertility issues in mares--and even stallions. During a presentation at the 2011 American Association of Equine Practitioners convention, held Nov. 18-22 in San Antonio, Texas, Rhonda Rathgeber, DVM, PhD, a partner at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, in Lexington, Ky., discussed using acupuncture to improve mare and stallion fertility.

"Integrating principles of Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine can provide the best treatment for equine reproductive disorders," Rathgeber said. "Acupuncture is used widely in human infertility clinics, and acupuncture for infertility cases has been cited in literature since 11 A.D."

Mare Infertility

"Acupuncture stimulates increased blood supply, relieves local pain, and relaxes muscles," Rathgeber explained. "Acupuncture also increases the immunity of local tissue by stimulating the large number of mast cells at each acupoint.

"All of these factors should facilitate the uterus to be healthier, reduce inflammation, and be more suitable for implantation (of an embryo as occurs in pregnancy)," she continued. "They should also help the uterus clear any post-breeding inflammation more readily."

Rathgeber explained that she has used acupuncture to treat a variety of reproductive issues in the mare including:

• Anestrus (mares that aren’t cycling);
• Cystic ovaries;
• Retained or cystic corpus luteum (which forms from the tissues remaining after a follicle ruptures at ovulation; structure is also responsible for production and secretion of progesterone in the early stages of pregnancy.);
• Silent heat;
• Pseudopregnancy (false pregnancy; when a mare is not pregnant, but her body tells her that she is and all of her reproductive systems react accordingly);
• Inflammation of the reproductive tract;
• Retained placenta (after foaling);
• Uterine prolapse (when the uterus falls out of place, often times emerging out of the body through the vagina);
• Uterine fluid accumulation; and
• Uterine infections.

She has also used acupuncture to prevent abortion and, on the other hand, to induce birth.

Rathgeber described a German study of women treated with acupuncture before and after embryo transfer: The investigators showed an increase in pregnancy rate as opposed to those not treated with acupuncture before and after embryo transfer—from 26% to 42%.

Researchers on another study, she noted, found that treating women with acupuncture or hormone therapy yielded similar pregnancy rates, but the 131 women in the acupuncture group "had fewer side effects and less subsequent infertility."

Rathgeber also noted that in the aforementioned study, researchers found that those women receiving acupuncture treatment 30 minutes before in vitro fertilization had a 51% pregnancy rate and an 8% miscarriage rate. Those that did not receive acupuncture treatment had a 36% pregnancy rate and a 20% miscarriage rate.

"Although the exact mechanism of acupuncture in (mare) fertility remains to be elucidated, there is certainly plenty of evidence supporting its integration into a reproductive practice," Rathgeber summarized.

Stallion Infertility

"There is very little information on acupuncture in stallions compared with mares," Rathgeber said.

She noted, however, that because acupuncture has been well-documented to relieve equine back pain, stallions experiencing back pain "would be good candidates given the nature of their job."

Rathgeber noted there are reports of success in treating both sub- or infertile bulls and men with acupuncture, and that there are "increasing numbers of studies in men identifying the effects of acupuncture on fertility."

Researchers on one study she discussed found that 24 of 30 men (80%) receiving acupuncture treatment had an increased libido and an easier time sleeping.

In another study she mentioned, investigators revealed that men receiving acupuncture had a significant increase in total sperm function as compared to a control group with no increase.

Finally, she noted, a recent study demonstrated increased sperm motility and quantity, along with better morphology (structure) in men that were treated with acupuncture for five weeks.

Take-Home Message

While there are few studies on the effects of acupuncture on horse fertility, studies in human medicine are yielding promising results to support its application in equine reproductive practice. Additionally, Rathgeber reported success in using the complementary therapy in her own management of subfertile mares and stallions. 

Disclaimer: Seek the advice of a qualified veterinarian before proceeding with any diagnosis, treatment, or therapy.

Factors Affecting the Stallion’s Reproductive System

Stallions are sometimes expected to be fertile with normal sperm counts all year, every year. However, as with the mare, the fertility in the stallion varies according to the season.
The sperm count (concentration of sperm per ejaculate) is lower in late autumn and winter, being only about half of that in spring and summer. The stud manager should not overwork the stallion at this time. The total semen volume is lower in winter, and a stallion is much slower to mate (less interested) in late autumn and winter, and is also more likely not to ejaculate even when he does serve a mare.

The fertility of a stallion depends on several factors:

• Total sperm production.
• Percentage of motile normal sperm. A large daily sperm production will be ineffective if the sperm are not motile.
• Size of the testicles. Stallions with larger testicles are generally more fertile than stallions with smaller testicles because they produce a greater number of sperm per day.
• Frequency of ejaculation. If a stallion serves two mares one hour apart, the second mare receives only half the quantity of sperm that the first mare receives. If the stallion has average fertility, the second mare receives enough sperm to enable her to conceive, but if the stallion has poor fertility she may not conceive.
• Illness or stress. Sperm produced in the testes take almost 60 days to mature and be ready for ejaculation. If a stallion becomes stressed or ill, causing sperm production to cease or resulting in deformed, infertile sperm, the effect on fertility will not be seen until 60 days later.
• Handling and care. Mistreatment during breeding will affect the stallion’s behavior and thus desire to mate. Excessive roughness, excessive use as a teaser, isolation from other horses, boredom, and stress are all factors that can cause abnormal behavior and affect the stallion’s desire to mate and ejaculate.

A veterinary examination to assess the stallion’s fertility should be carried out prior to purchase. Mature stallions with normal fertility can serve two or three mares each day of the week without lowering their fertility. Younger stallions, aged two or three years, should be used less frequently. Two or three services a week in their first season may be enough because their ability to produce sperm is lower than the mature stallion. The number of mares booked to a young stallion is not the criterion. The number of services given per week is the critical factor with regard to fertility, and a veterinary examination of mares to determine their suitability for service is more important.

http://equimed.com/diseases-and-conditions/reference/laminitis

Laminitis

Laminitis is a vascular and metabolic disease associated with a breakdown within the laminae which secure the coffin bone/distal phalanx to the hoof wall. Inflammation interferes with the wall and bone bond. Laminitis begins when bacterial endotoxins and lactic acid are released into the bloodstream.

The endotoxins and lactic acid dilate the large arteries and cause constriction of the small capillary vessels that nourish the laminae. Deprived of blood, the laminae swell, causing tissue damage because of the rigidity of the hoof wall.

The coffin bone may become detached from the wall, rotate, or sink, and often penetrates the sole. In acute laminitis, the horse is obviously lame and may refuse to stand or walk. Chronic laminitis occurs when displacement of the distal phalanx occurs, but no active laminar necrosis is present. Horses with chronic laminitis are subject to recurrent episodes of acute laminitis.

The terms laminitis and founder are often used interchangeably by authorities. However, founder usually refers to a chronic or long-term condition associated with rotation of the coffin bone, while acute laminitis refers to symptoms associated with a sudden attack, including pain and inflammation of the laminae.

Symptoms

• Lameness, especially when horse is turning in circles
• Heat and increased digital pulse in feet
• Reluctant or hesitant gait
• "Sawhorse" stance
• Refusal to stand or walk
• Pain in toe region when hoof testers are applied
• Dropped soles
• Rings in hoof wall
• Bruised soles

Causes

Laminitis is often caused by conditions in another part of the horse's body. Digestive upsets due to grain overload, abrupt changes in the diet, or sudden access to excessive forage are feed-related causes. .

High fever or illness, severe colic, retained placenta after foaling, and prolonged doses of cortcosteroids are medical issues that are known to cause laminitis.

In addition, consumption of cold water by an overheated horse, excessive concussion to the feet, excessive weight bearing on one leg, and bedding that contains black walnut shavings have all been identified as causes of laminitis. .

These metabolic and vascular-related stresses allow endotoxins and lactic acid to be released into the bloodstream, affecting the arteries and smaller capillaries that nourish the feet, including the laminae. .

Prevention

Preventing laminitis is accomplished through proper horse management, with consistent practices as to feeding, routines, disease prevention, and good health care.

Avoiding feeding excesses, making sure the horse is kept at a reasonable weight, and limiting time in pastures during exceptionally lush growth will help prevent the development of laminitis. Horses should have unlimited access to fresh, clean water, except immediately after exercise when the amount and temperature should be regulated.

When making changes to routines and amount of exercise, go slowly and progressively. Avoid excessive concussion to feet and work-outs on rocky, hard, uneven terrain.

Illnesses, digestive upsets, and primary foot diseases should be addressed immediately before complications can occur that might lead to secondary illnesses or conditions, such as laminitis.

Treatment

Treatment of laminitis depends on the risk factors involved and the severity of the condition. Dietary restrictions to prevent overeating and too much weight gain are important. Administering drugs, such as antibiotics to fight infection, vasodilators to improve blood flow to the feet, anti-inflammatories, and painkillers may be recommended by the attending veterinarian.

Stabling the horse on soft ground, such as sand or shavings, encouraging the horse to lie down to relieve pressure on the feet, and corrective shoeing can be effective in both treating and preventing laminitis.

A certain amount of exercise on a daily basis to encourage blood flow into the affected area is also important. The healing process for laminitis is often long term, taking up to two years in severe cases. Regular examinations by a veterinarian can determine the extent of healing and help develop a timetable for return to full activity.