Kids n Horses News. February News chases away February Blues. February, 2017

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1 February, 2017 Kids n Horses News February News chases away February Blues Howdy to all the 4-H Horse Project members in Kansas! This is the February, 2017 edition of the Kids n Horses Newsletter to help keep you informed about 4-H Horse events happening around the state; AND give you a little educational information too! Don t forget to renew your 4-H Horse ID Papers. OR if you got a new horse, start a new 4-H Horse ID paper on that horse. The form can be found at: under General Horse Resources. There is a sample available under Downloads at that same website. Remember, the 4-H Horse Identification Certificate should be on 1 page (front & back) with the picture attached. The Kansas 4-H Horse Show Rule Book can also be found at this site. This rule book is used at all 4-H horse shows, including District and State Horse Shows. If you would like to submit an article or have a horse event you would like to publicize, please that information to Jean at jhuntley@ksu.edu. Happy trails and safe riding! Dates to Remember: March 24 Youth Horse Judging Contest, Springfield, Missouri (see attached flyer) April 30 Marais Cygnes & Southwind Extension Districts Horse Judging Contest (See attached flyer) April - Miami County Horse Judging Contest (more information to follow Oct or Nov Douglas County Hippology/Quiz Bowl Contest Nov SW Area Hippology/Quiz Bowl Contest 4-H is a community of young people across America learning leadership, citizenship, and life skills. K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

2 Look Good, Feel Good Follow these grooming tips to help maintain horse health. Get into a daily grooming program to make your horse's coat shine and keep him in the best of health. Whether you show or not, good grooming is an important part of horse ownership. In or out of the show ring, when your horse looks good, you look good. Most horses enjoy the attention of regular grooming and look forward to the daily ritual. It strengthens the bond between horse and owner. Additionally, grooming your horse on a regular basis gives you a chance to spot minor scratches, rashes, cuts or swelling before they become major problems. Day-to-Day Basics Get into a daily grooming routine. Most professionals follow a three-step program that involves currying, brushing and toweling. Currying is the most important of the three. It removes dead hair and dirt, massages the skin and stimulates the release of natural oils that make the coat shine. If you can't do anything else, make sure you curry your horse every day. Use a round, rubber currycomb. Don't use a metal one; they are hard on the skin and break hair. Move your rubber curry in a circular motion, making seven to 10 circles over every inch of your horse's body. Put a little muscle into it. Your horse will love the massage. The next step is brushing. For best results, brush in short, firm strokes. Start with a hardbristle brush to remove mud, manure and other debris from your horse's coat. Follow with a medium-bristle brush to take out the dirt the currycomb brought to the surface. Then use a soft-bristle brush for facial areas and finishing touches. Toweling is the final phase of your daily routine. Take a terry cloth towel and "polish" your horse like you polish a car. Move the towel in brisk, circular motions over his whole body, from head to toe, nose to tail. Give extra attention to the shoulder and rear, where the coat can really shine. Use a dry cotton towel to finish, rubbing hard along the grain of the hair. Clipping Mane, tail and clipping styles depend on the breed of your horse and the classes in which you show. If you need to shorten your horse's mane, do not cut it with scissors. No matter what length your horse's mane needs to be, it has to look like it grew that way. The proper way to do this is by pulling and thinning the mane by hand. Horses are not as sensitive about this as humans. However, if too many hairs are jerked out at once, the horse will become irritated. Start pulling at the longest part of the mane. Work evenly along the entire mane. Take the longest hairs from the underside and pull only a few hairs at a time. Make sure you pull the hairs out completely rather than just break them off. Broken hairs make manes thick and bushy with frizzy split ends. Clipping is an art. The only way to be good at it is to practice. If you're a novice, don't start practicing the day before the show. If your horse has never been clipped, you'll have to work with him long before the show date to get him used to the clippers. For the show ring, the bridle path, ears, muzzle, jaw and fetlocks should be clipped clean, looking smooth and neat. The best time to clip your horse is after a bath, once he's dry. Clipper blades must be sharp, clean and oiled. Dirty, dull or dry blades won't do the job. Washing Up If you're getting ready for a show, give your horse a bath a few days before the event. This gives natural oils enough time to regenerate a glossy sheen on the coat. Any stains or spots can be touched up on the day of the show. Make sure you use a shampoo specially formulated for horses. People shampoo is too harsh and can strip away essential oils. Select a

3 shampoo that rinses out easily. Any leftover residue dulls the coat and can cause skin irritation. When you bathe your horse, start by wetting his entire body down to the skin. Mix shampoo with warm water in a bucket. Sponge on the soapy water, sudsing up sections at a time. After you sponge each section, massage the shampoo into the coat. If your horse is dirty enough to turn white suds gray, rinse away the suds and soap him up again. Keep soapy parts wet. If allowed to dry, shampoo leaves a film that will dull the coat. Rinse your horse thoroughly with clean running water. Massage the skin and hair with your fingertips or a grooming mitt as you rinse. Keep the water running until no more soap runs out with the rinse water. Be gentle when you wash your horse's face and head. Use just a little soap. Too much soap requires a lot of rinsing, and most horses don't like gallons of water running over their heads. Do not get water in your horse's ears or soap in his eyes. Shampoo your horse's mane and tail like you shampoo your own hair. You can double up his tail and wash it right in the bucket of soapy water. Don't scrub too vigorously when you're working on the mane and tail; you can break off the hairs. Use a good conditioner to make the mane and tail more manageable after shampooing. After your horse is rinsed, scrape his coat as dry as possible with a sweat scraper. Towel dry your horse after you've removed as much water as possible with the scraper. Dry heels to avoid drying and cracking. Then walk him until he's dry. Depending on the weather, you may want to use a cooler or blanket. Wool is always good because it keeps horses warm while letting moisture escape. Don't turn him out where he can lie down. Freshly washed horses love to roll. Make a Shining Finish While nothing can replace a healthy, natural shine, using a good-quality hair polish gives your horse the added edge that attracts attention. Apply hair polish to your horse's mane and tail right after shampooing to keep the hair tanglefree and more manageable. Then, right before you go into the show ring, use it on your horse's entire coat for a first-place finishing touch. A number of hair polishes are available. Choose the one that works best for you. Foot Notes Hoof cleaning and moisturizing are great for day-to-day grooming, but feet have to look extra neat for the show ring. If class rules allow, use hoof polish to give hooves a sharp-looking shine. Make sure to remove it completely after the show and apply moisturizing hoof dressing immediately to the clean hooves to keep them in good condition. Source: America s Horse Daily, January 19, 2017 Reading Feed Tags Being able to read a feed tag correctly is important to understanding what you are feeding your horse. At the top of the typical feed tag will be the name of the feed, followed often by a brief explanation of the purpose of the feed. Sometimes this alone can help you to choose the correct commercial mix to feed your horse. Next is usually the guaranteed analysis. This is a list of the minimums and maximums for some of the nutrient levels the company is guaranteeing will be in that feed mix. Some of the nutrient levels are required to be listed, including crude protein, crude fat, and crude fiber. The ingredient list usually follows the guarenteed analysis. This list tells you the feedstuffs that were used to mix this particular feed. They are usually listed in order from greatest amount used to least amount used. Some feed tags list the ingredients specifically (i.e., wheat middlings). Other tags list processed grain by-products or other products. These general classifications are used so the company

4 can substitute feedstuffs from within the same product category without having to rewrite the feed tag and to be able to use least-cost items in feed. Feed tags will also include directions on how to feed this particular mix. These are usually good rules of thumb to follow if you don t already know how much your horse needs to eat. Follow the directions, monitor your horse s body condition to determine whether or not you need to change the amount you are feeding. The last thing on the tag is the name and address of the manufacturer. One other piece of information that shows up on a feed tag is the weight of the feed in the bag. This can be seen at the top of the tage or at the bottom, depending on the manufacturer s wishes. Source: Horse Nutrition, Ohio State University Extension Only current 4-H members are allowed to ride 4-H horses on the grounds of a 4-H show. Trainers, parents, and other adults are prohibited from providing training for a horse. This includes, but is not limited to, lunging and riding. Kansas 4-H Horse Show Rule Book managed by proper feed management and an appropriate deworming program. There are several different types of colic. Gas colic is caused by the over-production of gas in the intestines, which causes the tissue to stretch uncomfortably. This is usually associated with an over-consumption of grain. Impaction colic is caused by the intestines being blocked in some way and is often associated with dehydration or an over-consumption of feed. This can also happen if the horse has a large parasite load. Torsion colic is the term used when there is a twist in the intestines. This type of colic is very dangerous and almost always requires surgery to fix. General colic symptoms include an increased heart rate and body temperature. The horse may sweat profusely. The horse will tend to be restless, pawing at the ground, repeatedly lying down and rising, pacing, and will often bite or kick at the flanks. The horse may refuse to eat or drink and may not defecate or urinate for several hours. If you see these symptoms in your horse, you should call a vet immediately. If your horse will stand or lie quietly, then leave him alone until the vet arrives unless you are told to do otherwise. If the horse keeps trying to roll violently, then walk him until the vet arrives in order to prevent him from hurting himself. Source: Beginning Horse Management, Ohio State University Extension Horse Health Concern: Colic Colic is the term used to describe any sort of abdominal pain due to a digestive disturbance in the horse. There are several causes of colic, including the overconsumption of grain or young, rich pasture; sudden changes in feed (usually associated with changes in fiber content of the diet); and parasites. These sorts of things can be

5 Marais des Cygnes Extension District Southwind Extension District Horse Judging Contest Uniontown Saddle Club Arena Uniontown, KS (If arena conditions are wet the contest will be moved to Mound City) Date: Sunday, April 30, 2017 Contest to begin at 1:30 p.m. with registration from 12:45p.m. 1:15 p.m. Youth Registration Cost: $ 3/person Registration Deadline: Monday, April 17, 2017 Pre - registration required and payment must accompany registration Coach s Name : Address: County State: Zip Code: Phone: Check #: Amount: Team Participants (Name and Age): Mail Payment to: Contact Information : Marais des Cygnes Extension District Abbie Powell Attn: Abbie Powell abbie2@ksu.edu 115 South 6 Street Mound City, KS Clinic Information This clinic is intended for 4 - H and FFA members along with coaches and parents who have an interest in learning about equine evaluation. For those new to horse judging there will be a short information session at the beginning of the contest. There will be a comb ination of confirmation and performance classes. K - State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer K - State Research and Extension is committed to making its services, activities and programs accessible to ll a participants. If you have special requirements due to a physical, vision or hearing disability, or a dietary restriction please contact Abbie Powell at or abbie2@ksu.edu.

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