Canadian Horse Journal - SAMPLE - Early Summer 2023

Research Advances Lead to New Genetic Tests

The first equine genetic tests became available in the 1990s, well before the equine genome sequence was completed in 2009. Technical advances have since led to a rapid expansion in available tests. Here are a few that can be utilized to inform breeding decisions and provide diagnostic information.

Appaloosas

Some Appaloosas are closely related to Quarter Horses, so the five panel test (see page 18) is recommended.

Equine recurrent uveitis (ERU) is characterized by inflammation of the middle layer of one or both eyes. Cumulative damage can lead to cataracts, glaucoma, and blindness. Appaloosas are eight times more likely to develop ERU than other breeds and significantly more likely to become blind.

By Amy Young, UC Davis Center for Equine Health

It is thought to be a complex disorder. However, research identified the leopard complex white spotting pattern (LP) allele as an associated ERU risk factor, with homozygotes (LP/LP) — inheriting the same allele from both parents — being at highest risk. Genetic testing can be used to identify which horses should be examined more frequently. Infectious organisms, particularly Leptospira spp. have also been associated with ERU. There is no cure, and early diagnosis and intervention are associated with the best prognosis.

PHOTO: SLOWMOTIONGLI

Congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB) is the inability to see in low to no-light conditions. Horses with LP/LP have abnormal cell signaling from the rods, or low light detecting cells of the retina, to te next cell in the visual pathway. Affected horses likely have normal vision during daylight, but may exhibit anxiety, apprehension, and confusion in low light. They may bump into things, be reluctant to move, or be prone to injury at night. There is no cure for CSNB, but most horses can be managed successfully. Genetic testing can be used to confirm diagnosis. A genetic variant associated with CSNB in Tennessee Walking Horses (CSNB2) has recently been identified. The genetic test can be used to inform mating decisions and aid in diagnosis.

Arabians

Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) causes affected foals to be born with severely weakened immune systems. They do not produce functional B and T lymphocytes (each a specific type of white blood cell), and cannot mount appropriate immune responses to challenges, making them highly susceptible to infections. There is no cure, and affected foals die or are euthanized within the first six months of life.

Lavender foal syndrome (LFS) causes affected foals to be unable to stand or nurse properly due to neurological impairments including seizures, hyperextension of limbs, neck, and back, and involuntary eye movements. They are born with a characteristic dilute coat colour described as lavender or silver. Supportive care can provide temporary relief in some cases, but the condition is ultimately untreatable. Affected foals die or are euthanized shortly after birth. Genetic testing can be used to confirm diagnosis and identify carriers.

Cerebellar abiotrophy (CA) is caused by the progressive death of neurons in the cerebellum. Clinical signs are variable, and can include head tremor, ataxia, exaggerated movement, a wide-based stance, and inability to rise. There is no treatment for CA. Foals that show signs of CA are euthanized or restricted to life as pasture pets, as they are never coordinated enough to be ridden safely. Affected horses are also a danger to

Ann Appaloosa homozygous for leopard complex white spotting (LP/LP).

PHOTO COURTESY OF UC DAVIS

PHOTO: CANSTOCK/MELORY

PHOTO: CLIX PHOTOGRAPHY

Keys to a Light-Mouthed Horse

By Lindsay Grice,

Visiting a Western art museum recently, I was captivated by the Russell and Remington paintings of horses and riders. The harsh realities of cowboy life were portrayed by hard riding and bronco busting. Horses in action — vehicles of transportation and battle — seemed a sharp contrast to horses in our modern Western cultures as companions or partners in sport. Though enchanted by the artistry, I was unsettled by the common denominator in every painting — every rider hauling on the reins; every horse a picture of mouth-gaping tension.

Today our everyday bit evasions might not be so dramatic, but every evasion or lack of response must be addressed in our quest for the light horse.

Riding effectively can be distilled to a system of signals and responses — pressures and releases. Your hands telegraph signals through your rein technique as slow, turn, or flex. I regularly ask the riders I coach to describe the type of rein aid they’re using: Is it direct, opening, or indirect?

As your horse responds correctly to each request, you respond with a reward, releasing the pressure and offering freedom. If the horse offers the wrong answer, you keep the pressure steady or

even increase it. It’s like a conversation with your horse. By trial and error, he learns that a certain response yields consistent release.

When your horse shows resistance, he’s likely tried a few options to find relief from the pressure and none seem to shut it off.

Are you and your horse communicating? Your horse may signal he’s missing, or resenting, your message in some of the following ways:

DULL MOUTH Your horse habituates to rein tension if he can’t figure out how to make it go away. He adapts to the pressure by bracing against it or tuning it out altogether.

ROOTING The horse opens his mouth and thrusts his head and neck forward, yanking the reins out of the rider’s hands and tugging her out of the saddle. It’s a horse’s frustrated attempt to find peace from the rein pressure. School horses are

Equestrian Canada coach and judge

Lindsay Grice is demonstrating an elastic rein connection with a straight, soft line from elbow through hand to the bit.

PHOTO COURTESY OF LINDSAY GRICE

PHOTO COURTESY OF LINDSAY GRICE

In speed events, riders can get caught up in their strategy, spiking the rein tension as their own adrenaline spikes.

How to Manage Your Mind and Emotions at the Show

Last summer I was watching a warmup ring at Thunderbird Show Park in Vancouver, BC and noticed a rider who seemed to be having a hard time. Her horse was quite tense and wasn’t paying attention, despite her best efforts to create a contact. The horse seemed very distracted and when they trotted up to a practice jump he refused. The rider was fighting to retain composure, but her tension and frustration were evident. She managed to get over a few jumps at the trot but when they began cantering, the horse rushed the jumps and nearly bolted

away on landing. After a couple of jumps she pulled up in the corner of the arena and I could see from her face that she was working hard to hold back tears.

I’m sure everyone reading joins me in empathising with this rider. Regardless of discipline, we have all been in similar situations where we work incredibly hard to prepare for a show and then everything seems to fall apart when we get there. From my work with riders on their mental performance and wellbeing, I’ve observed that riders rarely have an effective strategy or routine in

By Annika McGivern

place to support their confidence, resilience, focus, and performance at competition.

To fully understand why a competition routine is crucial to a successful show, it helps to understand a bit of the science behind how our mind operates under pressure. When we enter a high-pressure situation, our mind often interprets the pressure as a threat and responds by activating our fight, flight, or freeze response, designed to help us survive danger. This survival-orientated response is our default response to

pressure unless we teach ourselves a different way of understanding and responding in those high-pressure environments. Without a routine in place to help us regulate our nervous system, we are easily overwhelmed when things become challenging and likely to react emotionally instead of with a calm, problem-solving focus. By creating and practicing a competition routine, we are teaching ourselves an intentional and helpful way to respond to pressure, stress, and emotion with a well-learned series of behaviours or habits.

Before the Show

Set the intention to manage your mind and emotions while at the show. This is a simple yet important step in the process. By setting this intention we are affirming to ourselves that this is an important element of our success that we want to pay attention to.

Practice strategies to create a set of habits you can step into when you feel emotional or stressed, to help you release tension and control your energy and focus.

PHOTO: ISTOCK/RAYLIPSCOMBE

PHOTO: CLIX PHOTOGRAPHY

PHOTO: CLIX PHOTOGRAPHY

Before the show, prime your brain to perform well under pressure by building a strong competition mindset.

By Jec A. Ballou

Define your goals to develop a training plan.

Hills

While hill training is widely accepted as important for building strength, its actual benefits rely on answering the question: What is the goal for this individual horse?

The potential value of athletic activities is determined by applying them relevantly. This is what leads to prescriptions for reps, duration, and intensity levels of the activity. When a vet or trainer suggests that hill training

will benefit a particular horse, the owner needs to ask: What degree of slope? What speeds? What activities should be done on the slope? How many reps?

In the case of increasing strength, there is no guarantee of results by making your horse occasionally climb up inclines that leave him winded and sweaty. By itself, traipsing around steep terrain without a clear plan often brings cardiorespiratory improvement without intended strength

PHOTO: CLIX PHOTOGRAPHY

Prolonged repeated hill riding improves cardiovascular fitness. This type of conditioning, especially at higher rates of speed, is best suited for specific sports with taxing cardio demands such as endurance, high-level jumpers, and three-day eventers.

gains. This is due to hills being too steep and encouraging poor form and/or over-exertion, insufficient repetitions, unproductive workto-rest ratios, or working past fatigue.

In fact, depending on their physical challenge, climbing steep hills often contributes to asymmetrical movement patterns and requires the horse to work in an anaerobic metabolic rate that does not support the type of muscle fibre recruitment and strength-building sought for bettering locomotion and balance. Further, eccentric muscle contractions responsible for descents produce more metabolic waste (acidic buildup, “burning” sensation) than other types, which leads to poor function and recovery.

In terms of strength training, hills are generally used to serve three roles. Determining which role applies to your horse will help you devise a plan or find modifications if you lack access to slopes. It will also help avoid the false impression that sporadic hilly trail rides will deliver measurable propulsive and locomotive gains. These roles include movement therapy, gymnastic strength, and sport-specific conditioning.

Movement Therapy

Exercising horses on mild slopes, whether mounted or unmounted, requires neuromuscular coordination, increased joint flexion, balance adjustments, core stabilization, and proprioceptive gains. It is used for these reasons in rehab settings, early conditioning phases, and to correct poor movement patterns. In these scenarios, hill training relies on parameters. These include the following:

• A mild slope; a gentle uprising that progressively gains height; terrain rises six to eight vertical feet over 100-foot distance (1.8 to 2.45 metres over a 30.5 metre distance). Many driveways and pastures fit the description.

• Short exercise bouts, from 10 to 20 seconds at a time. Bouts are repeated an appropriate number of reps based on the vet’s or therapist’s assessment.

• Exercise performed at low intensity, mostly at walk. Routines can be performed either in-hand or ridden.

• Exercise routines are performed two to three times weekly.

• Terrain is traversed in a manner of

PHOTO: DREAMSTIME/JAN GAJDOSIK

EQUINE

Boarding School

By Alexa Linton, Equine Sports Therapist

Along with many people, I’ve sent my horse away for training with varying results as to its impact.

It is common practice, especially at certain stages of training such as starting under saddle, to invest in several months of intensive training at a trainer’s facility. Given that our horse is going to be in

someone else’s care for a substantial amount of time, in a new environment, with countless changes, a great level of care must be given to our decision.

As an equine professional, especially one who specializes in working with trauma, I have seen my share of horrible outcomes arising from situations where a

horse has been sent away for training — from extreme illness due to poor, moldy, or inadequate feed, unclean water, neglect, or poor or stressful living conditions, to emotional and physical trauma due to low choice, high pressure, or abusive training styles. Although I know it is sometimes a necessary

First, everything changes in a very short time, often without permission from the horse. This includes their feed, water, pen, neighbours, footing, shelter, and climate, not to mention their human(s). Remember, environment is a huge factor when it comes to equine well-being and nervous system regulation, and it can take time for your horse’s system to acclimatize to something new (even one thing), much less all things changing at once without warning.

Next, add the element of being thrust into learning a bunch of new things all at once. Many trainers are under the pressure of a training window: an agreed upon period of time to train and implement a specific set of skills with your horse. The reality is that most horses, especially young ones, are not prepared or ready for drinking through the fire hose of an often highly pressurized training regimen. A lucky few might excel; a larger number may muddle along, not learning much, returning fairly unscathed but perhaps less trusting; and an unfortunate few will leave

What to consider when sending your horse out for training.

the training time worse off than they began, often traumatized and displaying challenging stress behaviours as well as health issues because of the stress.

well-being and safety. Shipping your horse out to a trainer may seem convenient, but it can be a recipe for disaster if you don’t take the time to become well-informed and get involved.

solution, I would question whether it is possible to bring a trainer into your facility to work with your horse. I have seen many horses far prefer and benefit from learning in a familiar environment where they are comfortable and relaxed.

Let’s consider sending a horse away for training from the horse’s perspective.

The way a horse experiences training time depends on the trainer and their training methods and style but, perhaps less obviously, the major responsibility rests with you. The reason is simple: You are your horse’s advocate. Your horse depends on you to make informed choices that ensure he is safe, cared for, listened to, and worked with in a way that works for him, his nervous system, and his unique character. You know your horse best (and if you don’t, you might know who does). As your horse’s person, it’s your responsibility to make sure the environment he is entering supports his

A lot of things in the horse industry are done because it’s the way others do it, and training is no exception. It’s common to send a horse to a recommended trainer with few questions asked, and without regular contact or involvement. It’s common for a trainer to request that the owner not be present for training sessions and not be overly involved. However, I suggest you get involved and stay involved. From start to finish, be involved in the process with your horse and make sure you are accepted by your chosen trainer as an important part of the process. After all, you also need to learn and grow with your horse, and in the end, your horse will come home and be in a relationship with you. Your involvement creates trust, a sense of added safety in a new environment, and allows you to advocate for ethical treatment of your horse in the training process. Sadly, there are still trainers who will “do what it takes” to get the desired results, even if their methods sacrifice your horse’s emotional or physical well-being. If your chosen trainer is not open to having you present during training sessions, advocating for your horse if necessary, and being involved in care while your horse is away from home, I would argue that these might be good reasons to choose another trainer.

When considering whether to send your horse for training, here are some questions to ask a potential trainer:

1 What kind of hay do you feed? How is it fed (e.g., hay net, on the ground, etc.)? Who does the feeding? What other feeds are used? Will you feed the supplements I choose?

2 What is your water source? How often is the bucket/trough cleaned?

You are your horse’s advocate.

PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK/DOGIST

&CompromiseCooperation

Advocating for horse access across Canada

Horseback riders across Canada are advocating for horse use on provincial and regional trails. In Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia (BC) that often means resolving potential conflicts with other user groups. On Prince Edward Island (PEI) it’s meant trying to gain access to the Confederation Trail — a 470-kilometre stretch of Canada’s Great Trail, previously called the Trans Canada

Trail, which follows a former railway bed across the island.

“There’s a long history of horses not being allowed on the Confederation Trail,” says Sylvia Hall Andrews, a BC resident who has trailered her horse east across Canada to her family’s home on PEI several times.

“The reasons cited are that horses are going to damage the trail, there’s going to

be too much manure, or there’s going to be user conflict,” says Andrews. The trail is currently open to walkers and cyclists in summer plus snowmobilers in winter.

The initial understanding by PEI’s horseback riders was that the trail would be multiuse and open to horses. In the 1990s, PEI equestrian Yogi Fell donated to fundraising efforts to purchase the former railbed, with the understanding that horseback riders

would be allowed on the eventual trail. In 2000, Fell drove her Newfoundland Pony along the Confederation Trail during its official opening. The following day, horses were prohibited.

When Andrews learned of this, she decided to pursue the matter and in 2019, she and others met with the PEI Ministry of Transport.

“In the first meeting we had with

government I said, ‘Horses can share the trail with cyclists,’ and they looked at me like I was from another planet, like I was crazy,” says Andrews.

Accordingly, the group provided information about multiuse rails-to-trails across Canada that welcome horses: Cowichan Valley Trail and Kettle Valley Rail Trail in BC; Iron Horse Trail in Alberta; Rossburn Subdivision section of

The Great Trail in Manitoba; Celtic Shores Coastal Trail in Nova Scotia; and T’Railway in Newfoundland.

In 2021, the ad hoc group organized as the PEI Trail Riders and affiliated with PEI Horse Council.

“We needed a unified voice,” says Andrews, who is the organization’s interprovincial trails representative. “That way, only one group of people

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

— MARGARET MEAD

A beautiful autumn day on the Bragg Creek Trail System near Calgary, Alberta.

PHOTO: ALF SKRASTINS

Foxhunting in Canada

Galloping after hounds for over 150 years

By Tania Millen

In 1873, Canada’s Governor General Lord Dufferin started the Ottawa Valley Hunt (OVH) for Ottawa’s upper classes. It was popular with politicians of the day.

“They hunted from Capitol Hill,” says Jamie Hughes, the huntsman for OVH. “Originally, it was a live hunt but the men needed to get back for parliament in the afternoon so they switched to a drag hunt to control the length of time they rode.”

That was 150 years ago. It was when the 49th parallel was being surveyed across the prairies; the Northwest Mounted Police force was created; bison were disappearing due to overhunting; and Plains Indigenous Peoples were starving. It was only six years after Canada’s 1867 Confederation and three years after the Hudson Bay Company sold the western third of what is now Canada to the nascent country.

“The club has moved three times and now we’re about 45 minutes from downtown Ottawa but still within city boundaries,” says Hughes.

Hunting Imaginary Foxes

Foxhunting originated in England and was brought to Canada by colonialists. The Montreal Hunt is North America’s oldest foxhunting organization. It started in 1826 and members still hunt regularly.

Most of Canada’s foxhunting organizations “drag” hunt whereby the hounds follow a scent (usually fox urine) that has been purposefully laid by a horseback rider or foot-runner before the hunt meet. Two to five tracks are laid with breaks in between them, so the hounds and horses get a rest. A typical hunt covers 10 to 20 kilometres and lasts two to three hours.

PHOTO (BELOW): STACEY FINDLAY • PHOTO (RIGHT): KJW PHOTOGRAPHY

Jamie Hughes, huntsman at the Ottawa Valley Hunt, is responsible for caring for and training the hounds, and directing them during hunt meets.

The Fraser Valley Hunt welcomes riders of all ages in either English or Western attire.

The Azores

Wild Women Style

After a two-year hiatus from travelling due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I am excited to get back in the saddle and venture out of the country again. Minor ligament damage in both of my knees, self-inflicted by overuse on the ski hills, means I’m not quite ready for a full seven-day ride. The Wild Women Expeditions Azores Horses, Whales and Volcanos Tour seems to be the perfect fit. I dust off my helmet and half chaps, pack my camera gear, and make my way to the island of Faial, a 173 square kilometre (67 square mile) island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Portugal.

Story and photos by Shawn Hamilton

Endless arrays of blue, pink, and white flowering hydrangeas hover over stone walls bordering the windy road from the airport to the Pátio Ecolodge. Owner Victor Hucke came from Germany to Faial with the idea of running a daily trail riding business, but quickly recognized the demand for accommodating those who wished to enjoy the ocean views and the island’s hospitality a little longer. His quaint

The agricultural centre of the island, Cedros is located in the northern part of the municipality of Horta on the island of Faial in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. Dairy is one of the primary rural industries on the island, with sales of milk, cheese, and butter accounting for 30 percent of Portugal’s production.

Painted Warriors

Connecting with horses from an Indigenous perspective

By Jacqueline Louie

When Tracey Klettl is on the back of a horse on a beautiful woodland trail, her mind is always clearer and she feels so much more at peace.

“I always hope that people feel that same peace that I do,” says Klettl, co-owner of Painted Warriors Ranch, located in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies about an hour-and-a-half northwest of Calgary, Alberta. Painted Warriors creates authentic outdoor experiences from an Indigenous perspective, based on Klettl’s Cree and Mohawk heritage and on the Ojibway heritage of Klettl’s partner and business co-owner Tim Mearns. Guests learn a variety of skills, from riding to natural navigation, medicinal plant identification, and backcountry basics.

“It’s about building a connection with

your horse,” explains Klettl, a nationally certified English riding instructor and an instructor for the Outdoor Council of Canada. “You’re catching your horse, leading it, brushing it, and tacking it up. We feel it’s really important that people take the time to learn what I call, ‘speaking horse.’ We try to get people to understand the way that horses interact with each other and the way they communicate with each other, watching the subtle language horses have when they’re talking to each other.”

She explains that when the rider recognizes they’re not just being packed around on a horse — that they can understand their horse, and their horse understands what they’re asking — it’s not only a safer experience, but a more enjoyable one for both the horse and the rider.

Klettl also wants her guests to appreciate what it’s like to travel by horseback or to live in a horse culture, like in many Indigenous societies. “Because it’s not just the skill of being able to ride. You also have to be able to understand how to light a fire, and how to set up a camp,” she explains. “It involves a lot of outdoors skills. At Painted Warriors, the guest is part of that — they’re learning how to do it. When we are on horseback in the mountains, we’re showing people what it would have looked like when our ancestors travelled by horseback. My grandmother always said that horses are our connection to the land. This experience gets us back onto the land.”

At a Level 2 Backcountry Boot Camp this past autumn, a small group of

Tracey Klettl, co-owner of Painted Warriors, leading a pack horse.

“As a Métis woman who grew up without very much connection to my culture, it’s been very healing to learn about horses from a traditional perspective, and with traditional teaching and learning methods in place,” says Brigid Elliott, lead instructor at Painted Warriors. Enjoying lunch on the trail are (L-R) Brigid Elliott, Mandy Schanzleh, Tracey Klettl, and Kara Stelfox.

Painted Warriors Horse Programs

Almost all of Painted Warriors’ horse programs (for ages 12 and up) run yearround (with the exception of the Canadian Horseback Adventure). Programs include:

• Horse Tails and Trails A four-hour experience that includes building a connection with a horse, a trail ride, and a cooking session around a campfire.

• Warriors Path Storytelling and lessons while exploring the land in a two-day program.

• Horseback Riding Backcountry Bootcamp (Levels 1 and 2) A four-day bootcamp prepares guests for backcountry riding.

• 10-day Canadian Horseback Adventure Guests spend five days at Painted Warriors Ranch gaining backcountry and riding skills, and five days riding in the Rockies.

For more information visit > www.paintedwarriors.ca

Tracey Klettl with Chase (left) and Ringo (right).