THE HORSE-TRAINER'S & SPORTSMAN'S GUIDE: DUTIES OF GROOMS, BLOOD STOCK & VETERINARY EXAMINATION
CHAPTER 1 AN INTRODUCTION TO GOOD HORSEKEEPING 1 CHAPTER 2 PROBLEMS OF DOMESTICATION 15 CHAPTER 3 PRACTICAL AND SAFE HORSE HANDLING 41 CHAPTER 4 FACILITIES OF GOOD HORSEKEEPING 71 CHAPTER 5 FEED AND WATER GENERAL NUTRITION 129 CHAPTER 6 FOOT CARE AND HOOF HEALTH 185 CHAPTER 7 ASPECTS OF CARE IN VARIOUS SEASONS 233 CONTENTS TO CARE FOR HORSES AND HANDLE THEM INTELLIGENTLY WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE BASIC NATURE OF THESE ONCE WILD YET HIGHLY ADAPTABLE ANIMALS EVEN THOUGH A HORSE CAN ADJUST TO A WIDE VARIETY OF UNNATURAL CONDITIONS MANY HEALTH PROB LEMS STABLE VICES AND HANDLING TRAINING PROBLEMS STEM FROM ARTIFICIAL CONDI TIONS IN WHICH HORSES ARE KEPT AND THE UNTHINKING WAYS WE TRAIN OR HANDLE THEM WE NEED TO BE AWARE OF THE PHYSICAL NEEDS AND NATURE OF THIS LARGE HERBIVORE THAT EVOLVED ROAMING VAST GRASSLANDS WE MUST UNDERSTAND THE EMOTIONAL AND SOCIAL MAKEUP OF THIS PREY ANIMAL THAT DEPENDED UPON KEEN SENSES ATHLETIC ABILITY AND HERD LIFE FOR SURVIVAL PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL STRESSES DUE TO DOMESTICATION WHICH INCLUDE RICH FEED POOR CONDITIONS FOR HOOF HEALTH SUCH AS INACTIVITY OR STANDING IN MUD OR MANURE EMOTIONAL STRESSES DUE TO ISOLATION FROM OTHER HORS ES OR THE BOREDOM OF CONFINEMENT CAN CONTRIBUTE TO PROBLEMS THE HORSE OWNER MUST TRY TO MINIMIZE OR CONTEND WITH THIS BOOK EXAMINES THE PROBLEMS OF DOMESTICATION AND HOW THE HORSEMAN CAN PREVENT OR DEAL WITH THEM IT DISCUSSES PRACTICAL AND SAFE WAYS TO HANDLE HORSES TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THEIR NATURAL INSTINCTS AND SOCIAL STRUCTURE THE CHAPTER ON FACILITIES LOOKS AT WAYS TO MAINTAIN HORSES SAFELY IN PASTURES PADDOCKS OR BARNS WITH LEAST ADVERSE IMPACT ON PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH NUTRITIONAL NEEDS FOOT CARE AND SPECIAL HEALTH CONSIDERATIONS THAT MAY VARY WITH THE SEASONS ARE ALSO ADDRESSED GIVING THE HORSEMAN A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE FOR TOTAL CARE IF WE NEVER FORGET THE HORSE S BASIC NATURE PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL WE WILL DO A BETTER JOB OF HANDLING AND CARING FOR HIM UNDERSTANDING HOW THE HORSE EVOLVED AND ADAPTED TO HIS NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIAL ORDER CAN HELP US BETTER UNDERSTAND AND MINIMIZE BEHAVIORAL AND METABOLIC PROBLEMS OFTEN ENCOUNTERED IN HORSES THAT LIVE IN THE ARTIFICIAL ENVI RONMENT WE PROVIDE PHYSICAL EVOLUTION THE HORSE S EARLY ANCESTORS WERE FAR DIFFERENT FROM EQUINES TODAY IN SIZE APPEAR ANCE AND INTERACTION WITH THEIR ENVIRONMENT A VASTLY CHANGING HABITAT FROM SIXTY MILLION YEARS AGO UNTIL THE PRESENT CREATED SELECTIVE PRESSURES THAT CONTINU ALLY SHAPED AND RESHAPED EQUINE ANATOMY AND BEHAVIOR AS PREY ANIMALS THEY HAD TO ESCAPE CARNIVOROUS PREDATORS OF ALL DOMESTIC HERBIVOROUS ANIMALS ONLY THE HORSE IS DESCENDED FROM AN ANCESTOR THAT DEPENDED ON FLIGHT AS ITS PRIMARY SUR VIVAL TACTIC CATTLE SHEEP AND GOATS HAD HORNS AS THEIR FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE AN INTRODUCTION TO GOOD HORSEKEEPING THE HORSE IN NATURE 1 CHAPTER 1 THE EARLIEST RECOGNIZED ANCESTOR OF THE MODERN HORSE WAS A SMALL CREATURE CALLED EOHIPPUS A GREEK WORD MEANING DAWN HORSE EOHIPPUS LIVED ABOUT SIXTY MIL LION YEARS AGO AT THE BEGINNING OF A TROPICAL PERIOD KNOWN AS THE EOCENE EPOCH AT SOME EARLIER POINT HE MAY HAVE SHARED A COMMON ANCESTOR WITH THE DOG AN ADULT EOHIPPUS WAS THE SIZE OF A SMALL FOX ABOUT TEN INCHES TALL WITH AN ARCHED BACK LONG TAIL SMALL BRAIN CASE EGG SHAPED HEAD LIKE A SHEEP AND A SLIGHTLY TAPERED MUZZLE HE HAD FOUR TOES ON THE FRONT FEET AND THREE ON THE HIND WITH PADS OF HEAVY CUTICLE ON WHICH TO WALK EOHIPPUS WAS NOT BUILT FOR SPEED HIS TEETH WERE CHANGING FROM THE SHARP CANINE TEETH OF EARLY MEAT EATING ANCES TORS TO A FRONT SET FOR BITING OFF FOLIAGE AND A REAR SET FOR GRINDING IT UP THE HABITAT OF THE DAWN HORSE WAS SWAMPY AND LUSH WITH VEGETATION EOHIPPUS WAS WELL SUITED TO THIS ENVIRONMENT WITH SPLAYED TOES THAT DID NOT SINK INTO THE MUD AND SHORT TEETH FOR MUNCHING SOFT LEAVES OF SHRUBS AND SWAMP PLANTS HE SCUTTLED AROUND THE FOREST FLOOR OR FED ON PLANTS IN LOWLANDS BORDERING THE UNDER BRUSH OF FORESTS HE RESEMBLED HIS MODERN DAY RELATIVE THE TAPIR WITH SPLAYED TOES AND PADS TO REST THE TOES ON LIKE A DOG HIS TAIL WAS LONG AND HELD IN A CURVE LIKE A CAT S HE WAS NOT AS FLEET AS HIS MODERN DESCENDANTS AND HAD TO STAY CON STANTLY ALERT TO AVOID LARGE PREDATORY BIRDS WHEN FRIGHTENED HE SCURRIED TO COVER MUCH LIKE A RABBIT HIS BACKBONE WAS ARCHED JOINTS BETWEEN INDIVIDUAL VERTEBRAE ESPECIALLY IN THE LUMBAR REGION BETWEEN THE LAST RIB AND THE POINT OF THE HIP WERE QUITE MOBILE HE COULD MAKE BENDING AND TWISTING MOVEMENTS THAT A MODERN HORSE CANNOT MAKE WHEN RUNNING HE WAS MORE FLEXIBLE THAN MOST DOGS BUT NOT AS SUPPLE AS A CAT HE COULD ACCELERATE RAPIDLY AND CHANGE DIRECTION QUICKLY SINCE HIS HIND LEGS WERE LONGER THAN HIS FORELEGS SIMILAR IN POSTURE TO A RABBIT HIS FLEX IBLE BACKBONE AND GROUND GRIPPING TOES ENABLED HIM TO DODGE AT SPEED AROUND TREES AND BRUSH BY CONTRAST THE MODERN HORSE IS PROGRAMMED FOR SWIFT FLIGHT IN STRAIGHT LINES SINCE HIS RECENT ANCESTORS HAD TO ADAPT TO TERRAIN WITH OPEN SPACES ABOUT FORTY MILLION YEARS AGO WHEN OPEN SPACES IN THE FORESTS FIRST BEGAN TO APPEAR SEVERAL TYPES OF ANIMALS BEGAN TO VENTURE OUT OF THE WOODS CAMELS WERE THE FIRST TO DEVELOP THE TEETH AND GUT FOR CHEWING AND DIGESTING GRASSES AND THEY PRECEDED THE HORSE IN LOSING THE ARCHED SPINE AND ITS FLEXIBILITY HORSES AND CAMELS DEVEL OPED WITHERS AS A FIRM ANCHOR FOR THE NECK AND THEIR LUMBAR SPAN OF VERTEBRAE SHORTENED AND STRENGTHENED TO STABILIZE THE COUPLING BETWEEN HIND LEGS AND BACKBONE ALL THESE ADAPTATIONS WERE NEEDED FOR STRAIGHT LINE RUNNING A NEC ESSARY SKILL FOR SURVIVAL IN WIDE OPEN SPACES AFTER THE HORSE S BACKBONE BECAME LESS ARCHED AND MORE STABLE HIS LEGS BECAME LONGER ENABLING HIM TO RUN FASTER THE EARLY HORSE CHANGED FROM A BROWSER TO A GRAZER MAKING CHANGES IN TEETH AND DIGESTION EVOLUTIONARY CHANGES CREATED OROHIPPUS AND EPIHIPPUS AND THEN MESOHIPPUS AN ANIMAL THAT WAS AS LARGE AS A COLLIE DOG MESOHIPPUS WAS FOL 2 LOWED BY MIOHIPPUS WHO WAS TALLER WITH A NARROW AND WEAK JAWED VERSION OF THE MODERN HORSE S HEAD A TAPERED MUZZLE AND SIX GRINDING CHEEK TEETH AS GRASS BECAME MORE ABUNDANT MANY BROWSING ANIMALS WERE UNABLE TO ADAPT TO THIS NEW FOOD GRASS IS TOUGHER AND MORE FIBROUS THAN LEAVES AND BECAME EXTINCT BUT THE HORSE S ANCESTOR THRIVED ASSUMING A NEW ROLE AS A TRAVELING GRAZER INSTEAD OF A SMALL BROWSING HIDING IN THE BUSHES SWAMP ANIMAL HE WAS THE SIZE OF A SMALL DONKEY WITH LONGER CANNON BONES THAT ENABLED HIM TO RUN FASTER AND SUR VIVE BETTER IN OPEN PRAIRIES NOW CALLED MERYCHIPPUS HE ADAPTED TO HIS NEW ENVIRONMENT BY DEVELOPING LONG HARDER LAYERED TEETH CAPABLE OF UNINTERRUPTED GROWTH CONTINUALLY MOVING UPWARD THROUGH THE GUM LINE IN THE JAWBONE HE COULD GRAZE COARSE GRASSES WITHOUT WEARING OUT HIS TEETH OVER A LONG LIFE SPAN HIS TOOTH PATTERN ALTERED TO PERMIT GRINDING AND HE COULD EAT ALMOST ANY KIND OF VEGETABLE MATTER INCLUDING HARSH GRASSES AS HIS TEETH BACKBONE AND LEGS CHANGED SO DID HIS VISION HIS EYES BECAME LARGER AND WIDER SPACED SO HE COULD SEE DANGER ON THE VAST HORIZONS OF THE PLAINS THIS GAVE HIM EXCELLENT PERIPHERAL VISION AND EXPLAINS WHY THE HORSE OFTEN STARTLES AT THINGS WE CANNOT SEE HIS SIDE VISION A DIFFERENT PICTURE WITH EACH EYE INTERFERES WITH STRAIGHT AHEAD FOCUS HOWEVER AND HE HAS POOR DEPTH PERCEPTION AS A PREY ANIMAL DEPENDENT UPON QUICK REFLEXES AND SWIFT FLIGHT HE DID NOT NEED GOOD DEPTH PER CEPTION AS MUCH AS HE NEEDED THE ABILITY TO BECOME INSTANTLY AWARE OF ANY MOVE MENT AROUND HIM A CHANGE IN HEAD POSITION WAS A QUICKER WAY TO FOCUS ON SOMETHING IN THE DISTANCE THAN A CHANGE IN PUPIL SHAPE THIS TYPE OF VISION MAKES IT HARDER FOR A HORSE TO FOCUS ON SOMETHING STRAIGHT AHEAD HOWEVER AND HE MAY RAISE OR LOWER HIS HEAD OR TURN IT A BIT TO GET A BETTER LOOK AS THESE CHANGES TOOK PLACE IN HIS TEETH AND EYES THE FEET OF MERYCHIPPUS BECAME MORE SUITED TO HARD DRY GROUND HE STILL HAD THREE TOES ON EACH FOOT BUT ONLY THE ENLARGED MIDDLE TOE REACHED THE GROUND AND CARRIED HIS WEIGHT EVENTUALLY ALL EXTERNAL SIGNS OF THE OUTER TOES DISAPPEARED EXCEPT FOR VESTIGIAL SPLINT BONES ON EACH SIDE OF THE CANNON AND THE ERGOTS SMALL ROUND HORNY GROWTHS AT THE BACK OF THE FETLOCK SEVEN MILLION YEARS AGO THE HORSE S ANCESTORS SPLIT INTO SMALLER SUBGROUPS AND ONLY ONE OF THESE CONTINUED THE LINE THAT EVENTUALLY BECAME THE MODERN HORSE PLIOHIPPUS LOST HIS SIDE TOES WHICH ALONG WITH AN EARLIER ADAPTATION THAT LIMITED THE HORSE S EYE PLACEMENT EVOLVED 3