I rode my Yang Ming horse temperament, gelding, Remi, in a Tom Curtain horsemanship clinic last weekend. He was a star. This will be the third Tom Curtain clinic for Remi and it has been a blast to see him progress. The first clinic he could barely canter he was so stiff and tight. I had to be careful not to push him or he would buck.

The second clinic he was able to move better but he still had many braces in his body. This year he was relaxed and supple enough to not only do all the exercises but really do them with some quality. Typical exercises include trotting, stopping, rolling the hindquarters 180 degrees, backing exactly five steps, bringing the front end around 180 degrees and leaving at the trop or lope. It was so fun to put all these pieces together into one smooth movement. Remi was really enjoying himself.

I have had Remi for five years and his return to soundness has not been an easy path. He had very contracted heels which he had been coping with for many years before he came to me. His chronic hoof pain had cause many other issues in his body. He was also very nervous to handle in part because he was hurting and in part because he had had some harsh treatment in his past roping career.

Remi was barefoot for 2 years as in an effort to get some proper function back into his hooves. I was never able to get him sound enough to work without shoes so I went to natural balance shoes with the fill in pad material. As I increased the work Remi was getting I had to shoe him in his hind feet as well. I would rather have him barefoot and may be able to get back there someday.

Remi has had extensive body work for sacrum and sternal bone rotations. I have also worked to find the best diet for him. Remi is a Yang Ming horse temperament. He gets Kool and Kalm feed, Empower, chia seeds, di magnesium malate, powdered blue green algae and  a stem cell support product and digestive product Succeed every day plus grass hay and a little bit of alfalfa. This is a complicated feeding program but if I leave off anything I can tell a difference.

The extra fat from the Empower and chia seeds helps with Remi’s hair coat and hoof quality. The di magnesium malate helps with his hooves and keeps him quiet. I only give a half teaspoon a day and increase it if the grass is lush or Remi is sweating excessively. Both these conditions call for extra magnesium. The powdered algae blend and stem cell support supplement provide extra whole food nutrients to support digestive health and connective tissue healing. The Succeed supports the hind gut to treat and prevent ulcers.

I struggled with getting Remi’s ribcage free and the Succeed was the piece of the puzzle that made the most difference. I have come to believe that any horse in training that has any issues at all should be given digestive support even if they don’t show classic signs of ulcers. What fun to be able to go spend and weekend with my happy, healthy horse, great friends and super trainers. Madalyn

For more information check out: Holistic Horsekeeping