There Is A Great Revolution In The Horse Industry We applaud the horse that consistently wins. The horse that loses fades fast from our memory and the front page of the newsletter. His name comes off the billboard pretty fast. Recently, the horse that was sure to win the Triple Crown lost. Suddenly, he slipped out of the news as suddenly as he had become everyone’s hero. I don’t know much about the racehorse industry anymore. It has been a few years since I have been on the back side of the track and had an insider’s ear to the plight of those beautiful thoroughbreds as they speed around the track, muscles rippling, hearts pumping blood through their bodies, performing like well-oiled machines.
It is those other horses that I am most familiar, those performance horses in the arenas. And the questions are raised because of the requirements asked of these horses. Do they do it, or can they do it, without drugs, medications and painkillers?
Why medicate, mask and marginalize a horse’s performance and actually put them at risk?
When you look at the horse with a real athlete’s eye, you cannot help but be amazed and absolutely overwhelmed at the perfection of the horse’s physical aspects and ability. He is stunning. He was built for endurance, stamina, speed, survival, movement and to be man’s partner. When God created the horse and gave man dominion over the animals, he meant a partnership. If you look back in history, the horse has brought man through history as a partner. Man would never have evolved without the horse. He could have never traveled and covered the great expanses of land without the horse. Trust between human and horse should be the most natural and beautiful relationship and is found where some humans use their hearts as an extension of their hand today.
Today there is a revolution in the horse industry. There is a way to keep a horse sound, effective, performing in ultimate condition and performing longer with shorter recovery rates from the high levels of the physical challenges and stress required of today’s performance horse.
Take a step back and become a vigilant observer. Listen and watch horses, their owners and riders as they are asked to perform. Do you see the difference in the horses that are allowed to move freely and willingly in competition and those that are robotic.
The horse is like a well-oiled, well-tuned machine when in the hands of a caring, considerate and great operator. This machine can also become ineffective when the wiring and components break down. Each part of the machine must be working in harmony to run efficiently. The fastest, mechanically perfect car won’t go anywhere without gas; and without oil, the engine is surely to blow. If your truck has a flat tire and you use the new “spare tire” that comes with it until you can get to a garage, you cannot continue to run a mismatched tire that is a different size than the other 3. Your gas mileage will go down, turning and braking becomes inefficient and even dangerous. Compare that with the horse with a shoe that is the wrong size. After all, we can change a tire or take off our shoes. The horse is stuck with the ones we put on them. Over time performance is compromised and the horse will start to show symptoms of discomfort and can even suffer long-term damage. Too often, these symptoms are misinterpreted and perhaps medicated to cover up the discomfort.
For those trainers and owners who understand the horse’s mind and the psychology of the mind-body connection, the horse has a friend. These individuals take a whole horse approach to training, healthcare and building athletes that can compete in demanding equine events. They understand that drugs affect the relationship between the body and mind and this knowledge enables them to recognize and prevent physical and behavioral issues and act in the best interest of the horse. They know that there is a source, cause and symptomatic criteria for problems and they go to the source before beginning any treatment or therapy. Find the source, find the cause from the symptoms, and an appropriate treatment plan can be put in place. Horses all have their own language and by spending a few minutes reading the horse, their signs can very often allow preventative measures before treatment is necessary.
Drugs in the horse industry have always been accepted to some extent, with each season bringing on a broader spectrum of drug use. There are times when drugs are absolutely appropriate and used under the right circumstances, humane. However, broadening the scope of accepted drugs in the horse industry to encompass drugs just to make a horse appear or perform in a manner that is not natural is extremely dangerous. It sits right up there with expanding drug use to school kids to keep them quiet and in a stupor because they seem to be hyperactive. There are truly legitimate circumstances when drugs are critical for treatment, but it is a sad day when drugs are considered appropriate just to manipulate the horse’s appearance, such as deadening tails. I won’t even go into the disastrous consequences from that ridiculous concept. After interviewing lots of trainers and contestants and hear them say that they continue to deaden tails because if they don’t, the judges won’t place their horses, it just makes no sense.
Is it OK to use drugs on a horse just to alter the appearance, even though that drug may be detrimental to the horse. Is the “appearance” of the horse more important that the horse itself. Is it OK to use drugs on horses in place of poor or improper training, undue stress factors on young horses not given adequate recovery time, poor behavior due to lack of proper training and training horses that are too young? Many abnormalities and even death can result in constant drug use. So many medications are being accepted in the horse industry and many underlying health problems are caused directly by mismanagement of these fact.
This article does not address the positive and valuable use of medications and drugs for horses. Your veterinarian is the first line of defense for your horse and can give you that information. A good veterinarian that has true compassion for the horse and supports the integrity of horse health is the horse’s strongest ally, as are the professional therapists and support team (equine dentists, farriers, etc.).
Also, because the word holistic, herbal, and natural seem to imply safe, it is crucial that you work with a trained professional. Most therapies have the ability to change the physical, mental and emotional state, that is why they are so successful, but it is an intelligent choice to work with a knowledgeable and trained therapist. Individuals who attempt to treat their horses often don’t know the complexities of side-effects, yes, there may be some, and contraindications. Therapeutic Massage, for example, is a wonderful adjunct to any therapy, but there are conditions that prevent its use.
Holistic and conventional therapy is a critical combination for preventative and maintenance healthcare for the horse. Whether the horse is a top money winner and top competitor or a little girl’s dream, the horse is a gift to mankind. From the time the first human sat astride the horse, a bond has been forged that has crossed centuries and cultures. The horse has been given into our care and it is our responsibility to take that responsibility with honor and integrity. This is not a free pass to put the horse in harm’s way for our vanity and petty fads.
The REVOLUTION of which I speak is actually a change of perspective. The horse is a valuable commodity, a competitor’s ally, and some little girls dream. An educated, considerate and caring horse owner is the horse’s very best friend.
