Horse show stress? Who needs it? Horse shows are supposed to be a fun outlet from the realities of everyday life. But horse shows are no fun if you and your horse aren't performing your best because of poor preparation. Well, no worries! With a little knowledge your horse will be fit, healthy, well-schooled and prepared for the physical stress of traveling and showing. Keep reading to find out how!
• Allow plenty of time to train your horse. In other words, don't decide you want to go to a show next weekend, and spend the week trying to get your horse up to speed! Pushing your horse too fast can cause a host of stress-related problems, including muscle soreness, lameness, tying up, colic, overheating, electrolyte imbalance, and dehydration.
• Know that there is no substitute for good schooling. Short-cuts that rely on training gadgets almost always never pay off in the long run. Set realistic goals, and come up with a training schedule that is reasonable. Avoid overtraining at all costs, even if it means you have to skip an upcoming show.
• Keep your horse healthy. A healthy horse is the foundation block of a horse who performs well. It just makes sense that horses in optimal health will be able to perform their best! Keeping your horse healthy starts with a good diet. High quality feeds and forages, as well as fresh water, are key.
Keeping your horse's environment clean is also important to good health. His stall, pasture, and all his tack and equipment should be kept squeaky in order to reduce the possibility of disease.
Make sure your horse is current on all his vaccinations! This can't be stressed enough. When your horse travels to shows, he will come into contact with lots and lots of other horses. This contact, combined with the stress caused from traveling and showing, will lower your horse's resistance. Keeping him vaccinated will ensure he doesn't pick anything up. While the types of vaccinations will depend upon where you live, generally speaking a horse should be vaccinated against tetanus, eastern and western equine encephalomyolitis, rabies, influenza, rhinopneumonitis, botulism, and Potomac horse fever. Talk to your vet about giving the flu and rhino shots every few months during show season. He can tell you whether this is a good idea based on your particular situation.
Another thing you must do to ensure your horse's health is maintain a good deworming program. Since parasites can cause lots of problems, it's absolutely necessary that your horses have the defense that regular deworming provides. Since horses who travel and show are often under more stress than backyard horses, and have lower resistance, parasites can do more damage. Get rid of them!
• Make sure your horse is in good shape to compete. Even though you've done everything to maintain your horse's health, he should still have an exam about a month before the show. Have your vet come out to check the horse's heart, lungs, and teeth. Also have the horse examined for any signs of lameness. If the horse show requires it, and many do, this is also a good time to have blood drawn for the Coggin's test.
• Allow your horse to recover from his travels before asking him to perform. Travel causes a tremendous amount of stress to your horse. To ensure he's at his best when he hits the ring, arrive early to allow him time to recover from the journey and settle in. If possible, bring enough hay, food, and water from home.
Remember, by paying attention to your horse's needs, you can ensure he'll perform his best!
