Regular readers may remember Alayne’s message in May about Felix, our new 3 year old reining horse. I’ll give you an update on what we’ve been doing with him since then. Our plan early on was just to spend this year getting to know him, putting hours in the saddle on him. Well, as we got to know him we began to realize how athletic and talented he really is.

If you had asked me back then if I would be showing a 14.1 hand, 3 year old in a Reining Futurity in September not only would I have said no, I’d have said h--l no (actually I think I did say something like that when Alayne suggested it a month or two after we had him). I have never been one to spend much time riding squirrelly 3-year-olds in the show arena—I just don’t like riding them anywhere but on the trails. And I never thought showing in a 3 Year Old Futurity would be anything but nerve-wracking—certainly not the ride of a lifetime!

That was before Felix.

Felix isn’t like any other 3 year old I’ve ever ridden. Most young horses feel like you’re riding a skinny Slinky toy—all wiggly and jumpy. Felix, on the other hand, is so solid and quiet he’s actually a bit lazy, which is one of the reasons we have him now. He was in training with Andrea Fappani (one of the top reining trainers in the world) but he was not going to make it as a top caliber horse. His owner, a friend of ours, Marilyn Fleek of Fleek Quarter Horses, made us an offer we couldn’t refuse. I don’t know if it is was because of being started by Andrea or because his dam was one of the best-minded mares I’ve known, but his foundation skills are rock solid. I often forget he’s only 3.

Nothing seems to phase him—not being out on brushy, over grown trails with muddy puddles to walk through, logs to step over, nor branches poking him in the sides; not in the warm-up arena with horses running straight at him at full speed, sliding to a stop in front of him all while we’re going full speed ourselves; not in the show pen all by himself with the crowd yelling so loud poor Felix can’t hear me say “whoa” (a reiner’s cue to put on the brakes and slide). He just takes it all in stride (literally) and goes about his business. I’m pretty sure his reactions to all these different types of situations is attributable to both his personality and his early training; he has both nature and nurture going for him (for you psychologists out there).

I just know that when I’m riding him in the woods and a deer jumps up and runs off he’ll just nonchalantly look over as if to say “Humph. I wonder what got to her going?” Meanwhile, Alayne will be trying to get RB (our 9 year old been-there-done-that reiner) back on the trail and heading in the same direction as Felix.

Well, as you can see from the photos I did end up showing him in two Washington Futurity classes this fall. He did phenomenally well (it was just the rider who had a few bobbles). Not only did we place and win money, but both Felix and I had FUN! And, now I can’t wait to see what that small package can do as a 4 year old.

Happy trails and a good luck riding over the winter!

Disaster Preparedness For Horse Owners

With the images of the Southern California fires still focused in our minds, there is nothing like an emergency to wake us up to the reality of having an emergency preparedness plan for our own places and animals. No area of the county is immune to natural disasters and there is no time like the present to reassess what needs changing or what you need to add to your disaster preparedness plans. Here in the Pacific Northwest disasters could take the form of earthquakes, flooding, mud or land slides, snow or ice storms or volcanic activity, to name a few.

Below we have some emergency information that would be good to review, as well as informative web sites. If you haven’t seen enough images from the Southern California fires of how horses, pets and livestock fared, we have some strikingly poignant images and stories listed below. One horse image and story particularly striking is “A Fire Runs Through It.” This touching story and moving photograph were posted by a solo rescuer who helped some horses and people unknown to him.

Stories

I Thought I Understood What A Firestorm Was... by Rebecca Sparenberg, assistant editor for Riding Magazine, tells firsthand of saving horses from the California wildfires, as well as sharing stories of the horse community, which banded together in a time of crisis. From October 28, 2007, TheHorse.com.

Bright Spot: Better Evacuation Saved Lives by The Associated Press. Even though the devastation from these fires is over a billion dollars one statistic is markedly better: fewer deaths. The San Diego County medical examiner lists six deaths connected to the blazes. In the 2003 California wildfires 22 people died. From October 25 2007, TheHorse.com.

California Fires Still Threaten; Horses Seem To Have Fared Well by: Kimberly S. Brown, Editor. The good news coming out of Southern California is that horse owners learned early evacuation lessons well from the fires four years ago. Veterinarian Mark Martinelli of California Equine Orthopedics gives The Horse an eyewitness view of the situation in San Diego County. “I hope the nation will look at this as a good response,” he comments in regards to coordinated efforts on the animal side, human side, and housing side. From October 24 2007, TheHorse.com.

Images

National Geographic News Photo Gallery of the California Fires effecting horses and livestock:
California Fires Force Animal Evacuation
California Fires Rage, Visible in Space

Aftermath of the California Fires and Horses

A Fire Runs Through It

Emergency Information and Resources

Disaster Preparedness for Livestock article in The Green Horse. This article has more information for livestock owners on what to do, what to have on hand, and other important preparations.

USRider Equestrian Motor Plan is a nationwide member-based roadside assistance organization for horse owners. For information visit the web site or call 800-844-1409.

Emergencies on the Road by Toby Raymond Traveling with horses is no longer the big deal it once was, but the risks attached to hauling are as great as ever. Learn what precautions to plan for. From October 24 2007, TheHorse.com.

Preparing Your Horse Farm for Winter To register and receive directions to this FREE event, contact the King Conservation District at 425-277-5581x125 or e-mail.

Farm Focus: Fleek Quarter Horses

Visit a beautiful reining horse breeding facility in Fall City, WA on Saturday, November 17th, 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon.

If you have plans for designing and building your own barn this large-scale reining horse breeding operation is the place to visit. This gorgeous facility was built by the owners from the ground up. Painstaking care was taken to research every last detail—from cobweb control to an efficient arena watering system to the compost bin set-up. Learn lots of great ideas that all work for horse health and chore efficiency!

Tour this 20-horse facility with the owners to see and learn about:

• Winter pasture management techniques in place
• A covered arena that doubles as turnout
• Dust control techniques
• Built-in insect control
• Gates designed for tractor access
• Green alder shavings which compost quickly and thoroughly, with less dust and greater absorbency
• Cement compost bins on asphalt pad which drain to pasture
• Chore efficient tacking up area (a wall that actually turns to access tack and equipment!)

And much more!

	Reader’s Tip of the Month: Using Conveyor Belting Story and photos by Kent Wiles As we have reported in previous issues of TGH, conveyor belting can be a free and easy way to help alleviate mud in high traffic areas. This month’s Tip of the Month comes from TGH reader and HCW class participant Kent Wiles, of Clatskanie, OR. Kent shares with us his experiences in acquiring and using conveyor belting. Free, used conveyor belts are easily found at rock quarries in my area of Southwestern Washington/Northwest Oregon. In fact, quarry operators are often quite happy to get them off of their property. Sometimes you can find them pre-cut in sizes that will fit easily in the bed of a pick-up truck. However, more often than not they are found laying around in large heavy rolls, which the quarry operators will usually load into your pick-up for you. After transporting them home, I back my truck up on an incline near the barn and roll them out so that they unravel easily. The best way I have found to cut them is with my chain saw. I recommend designating a chain for this purpose only and save another chain for wood. A dull chain attempting to cut through wood can be dangerous, as you want to keep that one real sharp. After cutting the conveyor belting into mats, it is important to clean the chain saw really well by disassembling it. When that is done, replace it with the chain you will use for wood. As a be forewarned, many of the conveyor belts have a smooth surface and when wet can become slippery for livestock and humans. Therefore, it is necessary to take this into account and locate them accordingly.

Your Questions: Which Footing For My Paddocks?

Since fall is a great time to assess your paddock footing situation and make the appropriate changes or additions, we thought we’d feature this question on paddock footing from reader Lisa Grace in Orting, WA. The answer was supplied to her by HCW’s April LaLande.

QUESTION: My young adult daughter and I have a disagreement on footing in a paddock area. She swears that pea gravel is the recommended footing by natural hoofcare farriers because it conditions the horses’ feet. I have always heard that 5/8" minus is best, as you also suggest in your literature. Have you ever heard of pea gravel being a more appropriate footing? Thanks for a timely response. I have a muddy area to deal with and want to resolve this before I invest in gravel for her horse that my daughter might be unhappy with. (My horse shares the paddock area, too, so I want to do it right the first time.)

Lisa Grace, Orting, WA

ANSWER: Hi Lisa. What a great question, and one that many people have when pursuing the perfect mud free paddock. I have to call a “tie” on you and your daughter’s disagreement!

Each type of gravel can work well in the right circumstances. 5/8" minus gravel (minus means the fines or small pieces are mixed in with the larger pieces which are up to 5/8" in size) has fines that can be sharp and may possibly be what some natural hoof care farriers are worried about; sharp pieces could potentially work up into the laminae of the hoof. However, I have not observed sharp fines in gravel from any of the local suppliers in the King County area of Western Washington; the fines are generally round sand-like particles. All this means is it’s important to visit the gravel yard and look at any products you are considering before you purchase.

To answer your daughter’s concern, pea gravel can work great on well-drained soils. But if a soil or site is not right, pea gravel will mix with and sink into the soil much easier than the 5/8" (which packs together and forms more of a barrier), making your efforts a waste of time, hard work and money.

A gravel paddock should be made with permanence in mind. You don’t want to have to scrape it off and replace it periodically as you would a hog fuel paddock. Gravel doesn’t break down and is expensive; therefore paddocks should be designed so they will last many, many years or even decades! To help you create the perfect paddock I’m going to provide you with three basic questions and the evaluation process that goes with each so you can make the best choice for your situation.

1. Is your new paddock footing going to solve your mud problem?

To answer this you need to thoroughly evaluate your paddock site to determine what type of gravel will work best for you.

Does water drain into your paddock from natural surface flow, or from your roofs or downspouts? If so, you will definitely want to divert this water by some type of drainage system and/or by running drainpipe from your downspouts away from your paddock area and toward a vegetation area. This not only helps keep the water out of your paddock (less mud) it also keeps the water clean so that when it does soak back into the ground or run off into water bodies it doesn’t carry contaminants with it.

Do you know what type of soil you have? If not, you can get free help from your conservation district to determine this. If your soil is already highly organic water will not drain through as fast as it will through a sandy or rocky soil. The same applies to clay soils. The lucky ones with sandy soil can get away with much less gravel and prep work than with other types of soil. Also, if your paddock location is the highest area on your property as opposed to the lowest, your paddock will naturally stay much drier. Rainfall is also a consideration as it varies dramatically in different areas of the Northwest. If you have 30" vs. 100" per year, you will be able to get by with less site work, depending on your soil and location.

Say you have all the worst possible circumstances: organic soil, lots of rain, and paddock in a low spot. Besides diverting all the water you can, you may want to consider a couple of additional options. The first option is to use a barrier between your soil and gravel such as a geotextile fabric which will keep gravel from mixing in with the soil. Heavy duty, well-draining geotextile fabric can be a great investment and will pay for itself over time. (NOTE: this is not the weed block fabric sold at your local hardware store; it is heavy-duty, much larger and designed for either road or livestock use.) For more information see: Geotextile Fabric: Another Ally in the Fight Against Mud.

Another option is to layer products. This works exceptionlly well if you want your paddocks to drain quickly and stay dry no matter what. One of our HCW demonstration farms with cows used geotextile in her paddocks. She built her paddock by putting down geotextile, large drain rock, then a second layer of geotextile and then 6" of sand. There will never be a speck of mud in that paddock!

If you have a difficult situation and can only use one product, 5/8" minus in adequate quantity is the best choice to keep a paddock mud free. You could also compact a 4 to 12 inch layer of 5/8" minus and slope it so it drains. If you could afford the additional expense, top-dress your paddock with 2 to 3 inches of pea gravel. This is actually my favorite choice and what I have in my paddocks—and it might be a solution for the “disagreement” between you and your daughter! I like the lightness of the small pea gravel, it’s not dusty, it’s easy to add more occasionally, and I don’t mind the little bit of pea gravel that ends up in my finished compost.

2. Is your new paddock footing going to improve the health of your horses and also their/our environment?

Horses of course are all different. And just like us they have different preferences or physical needs. Some love to roll in pea gravel, some won’t. Some may have laminitis and need a “soft” surface. Some need a little firmness because they rough house a bit and you don’t want them to injure soft tissues (muscles, tendons, ligaments) in their legs. One thing is for sure, there is a more consistent moisture level in the hoof when a horse is kept up out of the mud, no matter which type of footing you choose. You can also keep a more hygienic paddock and help eliminate some of the many problems associated with exposure to manure, urine and mud such as scratches, abscesses, thrush, white line disease and other diseases. Vet bills and time off are some decisions to weigh against investing in the cost of building a truly mud-free paddock.

Here are some gravel footing choices we at HCW have seen work well for different people. With the appropriate site preparation, all will work well for a mud free paddock:

1. 5/8" minus crushed gravel (this is the most versatile size gravel, so it is mentioned most often)
2. 3/8" minus crushed gravel
3. 1/2" pea gravel
4. 3/8" pea gravel
5. Washed coarse sand (often called arena sand)

If you have a really big paddock, you might consider testing out a few options before you decide. Remember to make sure you research your product carefully—have the quarry explain exactly what their product is (what it is made from, how it is processed, how it is used on horse properties), as different quarries have different names and product definitions then others, plus the raw materials may vary.

3. Is your new paddock footing going to make your chores easier and be time and cost efficient for the long run?

It all boils down to this: we all want to spend more time riding healthy horses and less time doing chores!

Tips when choosing your gravel:

1. Get a gravel size that is not too large; one that will fall through your manure fork tines so it doesn’t get carried away to your compost pile or make it a difficult process to clean paddocks.
2. Make sure there aren’t too many fines in your gravel; you don’t want your paddocks to become rock hard and/or too dusty.
3. Make sure your choice will provide a good footing firmness for your horse. You might want to check with your veterinarian if you have a horse with special medical needs, or you might want to use different types of gravel in different horses’ paddocks.
4. Make sure your paddocks will drain in heavy rains and not mix in with the soil below. You may want to get some help, or talk to other horse people with similar soil to see what has worked (or not) for them.
5. Make sure your paddocks are accessible to a delivery truck. It will save hours of backbreaking time if your material can be dumped right into your paddocks. You will need at least an 8' gate (preferably 10' or 12') so trucks can back in. Also, have a firm drivable access with enough room for trucks to back and/or turn around on year around.

Good luck Lisa! We hope you and your daughter end up with the perfect paddock for you and your horses. Send us a picture!

April LaLande

Have a question you’d like answered in The Green Horse? Send us your questions.

Educational Events

Now is the time to prepare for winter! Learn great ways to ready your horse property so it’ll be chore efficient for you this coming winter—and healthier for your horses as well. Check out the web site for new events added regularly.

Fall City, WA
Farm Tour: Managing Horse Property in Winter
Saturday, November 17th 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon FREE!	This large-scale reining horse breeding operation is beautifully set-up and managed. Tour this 20-horse Fall City, WA facility with the owners to hear and see how they designed and built it from the ground up. Learn what works for chore efficiency and what doesn’t. See winter pasture management techniques in place, tour a covered arena which doubles as turnout, hear about dust control, see gates designed for tractor access, and learn about green alder shavings which compost beautifully in their cement compost bins. To register and receive directions contact the King Conservation District at 425-277-5581x125 or e-mail.

Aromas, CA
Managing Horse Property in Winter
Saturday, December 8th 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.	Join HCW at the 101 Livestock facility in Aromas, CA in this workshop to learn ways to prepare your property so it will be easier to care for this winter. Find out about great ways to reduce mud and runoff, geotextile and footing options, useful manure management options, as well as natural insect and dust controls. Compost guru Peter Moon will do a presentation on composting with an Aerated Static Pile. Vendors with products related to the topics will be on hand. Includes lunch. To register and receive directions contact 831-464-2950x22 or e-mail.

Olympia, WA
Natural Ways for Managing Horse Properties
Wednesday, January 9th, 2008 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. FREE!	Learn how you can control dust, mud, bugs & weeds naturally -- all while reducing dependency on fertilizers, herbicides and other chemicals. See different designs for low-cost ways to put native trees, shrubs and animals to work for you on your property. Get an early jump on managing your horse property and plan ahead for spring! Plenty of free parking after 5pm. Pick up free designs for bird & bat boxes, as well as resource info for purchasing native plants. Registration and directions, Sara Carter at 360-754-3588x136 or e-mail or Karin Strelioff at 360-427-9436x22 or e-mail.

Mason County, WA
How to Design and Build a Winter Paddock
Saturday, February 9th, 2008 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Location TBD FREE!	If you are tired of seeing your horses slosh around in mud up to their hocks then this workshop is for you! Learn about ways to eliminate mud and see many designs for winter paddocks. See footing examples, talk with vendors and construction experts that can give you the whys and hows of building a safe, mud-free, odorless outdoor paddock for horses. Registration and directions, Sara Carter at 360-754-3588x136 or e-mail or Karin Strelioff at 360-427-9436x22 or e-mail.

Maple Valley, WA
Caring for Your Horse and His Home Workshop
Saturday, February 23rd, 2008 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. $95 per person	Are you new to horse ownership or do you have children who want a horse? Do you know what the regular health, dental and shoeing needs are for horses? Would you like to learn about shelters requirements and horse-safe fencing? Join Alayne Blickle and her horses on her Maple Valley, WA demonstration farm for an all day workshop geared for novice horse owners. Topics include horse behavior, horse and handler safety, planning your horse facility, how to buy a horse, nutrition and feeding, vet and farrier care, and pasture, manure and mud management. To register or for more information contact Alayne by e-mail or call 425-432-6116.

Mason County, WA
Understanding Forage, Hay and Equine Nutrition Workshop
Saturday, April 19th, 2008 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Summerhill Farm, Shelton, WA FREE!	Learn how pasture management and horse health weave into managing horse properties. Speakers include HCW, veterinarians and other experts. Registration and directions, Sara Carter at 360-754-3588x136 or e-mail or Karin Strelioff at 360-427-9436x22 or e-mail.

Olympia, WA
Farm Tour: Managing small acreage pastures to increase production and reduce weeds
Wednesday, July 16th, 2008 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.	Join HCW at this small Olympia suburban farm and learn how to make your place healthier for your animals, more productive this growing season, less bothered by nuisance insects, AND more chore-efficient! This special farm tour will be held at an award-winning urban small farm with excellent pasture management techniques. See how rotational grazing can be used to actually improve your pastures and eliminate weeds. Registration and directions, Sara Carter at 360-754-3588x136 or e-mail or Karin Strelioff at 360-427-9436x22 or e-mail.

Olympia, WA
Fencing Workshop
Sunday, September 7th, 2008 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. FREE!	Fencing is a key tool for good pasture management. Come learn the whys and hows of horse fencing. Learn about the differences between power and electric fencing, as well as what makes a fence safe for horses. Work with fencing experts to build a short segment of fence and learn how to do build a fence on your property. Registration and directions, Sara Carter at 360-754-3588x136 or e-mail or Karin Strelioff at 360-427-9436x22 or e-mail.

Olympia, WA
Fall in Place: Preparing Your Horse Farm for Winter
Sunday, October 5th, 2008 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. FREE!	Join Horses for Clean Water for a workshop on how to prepare your farm so it will be easier to care for in the coming winter with less runoff, mud and manure. Learn techniques you can put in place to improve horse health, make chores and horse life easier and improve the health of the environment. Registration and directions, Sara Carter at 360-754-3588x136 or e-mail or Karin Strelioff at 360-427-9436x22 or e-mail.