Enter at A

It has been a fairly relaxed week thus far.

We've had a few short but fun trail rides, a day of easy jumping (a few at 2'6", but mostly 2'3"), and two dressage days.

I started to enact my dressage test ride plan, which has been going smoothly. It has also been addressing exactly what I wanted it to, which is a huge bonus. The first test (Training One) was pretty sloppy--Toler was having a slightly off day, and he hasn't ridden through a test in so long he forgot the expectations and pace of doing one--even one as simple as the first training level. The second ride-through was much improved, though it still pointed towards some training needs.

We had to work through a few halt at X impatience issues, both at the beginning and end, and while doing the trot-canter transitions between K&A and H&C, I realized that lately I do most of our transitions on the straightaway or on a circle; certainly not in/out of crisp dressage corners which I'm being really (read: overly) picky about. So, we had a few goes about that as well. For the most part, however, he's doing the tests well. We're achieving good relaxation, forward movement, precise 20m circles, a very nice and swinging free-walk, and an ever-straightening center-line. There were a few hiccups with maintaining a constant rhythm through some parts, mostly when I ask him to turn onto or off of the center-line, which is a problem I'm going to continue to address.We also needed a few reminder sessions about walking as a movement (i.e. he needs to stay focused so I'm not fussing with him), and I'd like to get a bit tighter about collecting him from a free-walk. He generally collects up within 3-5 strides, but there is always a step of tenseness in his neck and back.

For our next dressage day, I am going to move onto Training Two, and probably progress on through Training Three and Four very quickly after that. There's not really any reason to stretch it out.

In unrelated news, I recently switched Toler's supplemental feeding. I give him a little something after every ride (I also give him his dose of joint supplement and yucca at that time) to really keep his weight on and muscle up. I've been noticing steadily over the last several months that his usual mixed amount of Nutrena Empower and Nutrena LifeDesign Senior just weren't doing the same thing for him anymore. He's not losing weight, but he's not putting on the muscle quite as much as he should be, and for the amount of calories he's getting, his energy level is pretty low. After some research, I discovered Nutrena (and Purina) reformulated their feed last fall and a lot of people have been unhappy with how Empower (in particular) has been performing compared with how it used to.

Rather than continue to increase the amount of food I was giving him, as I'd been doing slowly since winter, I decided it was a time to switch it out. So, he's now getting roasted soy beans (with hulls) and Purina Ultium. I really wanted to stay away from Nutrena/Purina brands, but guess what, if I want to buy from a nearby feed store, that's pretty much all they carry (that isn't grain-grain). I've heard a lot of good things about Ultium, especially from people who have weight/muscle-touchy TB's and TB crosses. So, we'll see how it goes. He was pretty happy with the first feeding of it--there was definitely a higher level of contentment in his licking and munching. He's definitely getting more fat and protein out of this new supplement feed mix, so here's to hoping I see a bit more on his top-line, over his ribs, and some mooscle support. =)

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Spoilage & Joint Health

Toler got the day off today, and he'll get tomorrow off, too, probably. I did stop out to give him grain (*ahem* his joint supplement *ahem*), which meant I also had to give him a carrot. Yes, he's so spoiled that I can't even stop out to feed him without treating him. Rough life, eh?

He was full of dried mud, of course, and actually sighed when I didn't put his halter on and instead produced his pre-mixed supplement food to dump in his bucket.

Toler gets grain morning and night in a usual ration (it's actually quite a bit). I also give him ~5 oz of Nutrena Empower and ~5 oz of Nutrena LifeDesign Senior feed after every ride, with a scoop of Farnam MaxFlex XR and a scoop of powdered Yucca mixed in with a splash of water. I used to have to mix it with molasses or he'd either refuse to touch it, or he'd spit the supplements out. I slowly weaned him off the molasses and onto the water, which makes me feel a little bit better in the spoiling department. XD Toler keeps like the typical Thoroughbred. His weight and muscle fluctuates at the swish of a tail--especially his top-line, which creates a lot of problems in the saddle department. As it is, he eats a ton of food (even for his body mass) and I still think he could use more weight on his top-line and over his ribs.

It took me a long time to decide on a joint supplement for Toler. I wanted to put him on something now that I'm no longer away for college and work him pretty much every day. We also thought it would help with his hip(s) and overall comfort, considering he's a big boy. Remember, bigger horse doesn't necessarily mean denser bones! I actually did quite a bit of research into the key ingredients of actual joint supplements.

There are a lot of marketing ploys out there--especially where equine joint health is concerned. A lot of people these days are hopping onto a bandwagon of using Omega 3 oils as the sole joint supplement. Omega 3 oils mostly supports skin, coat, hooves, internal tissues, etc. Yes, it does play a role in healthy joint tissues, but as far as my research has turned up (I could be wrong, after all, as I am neither a vet nor an equine nutritionist), Omega 3 isn't specifically geared for joint health. Just because you play football doesn't mean you're the quarterback. (And I can't believe I just made a football analogy...)

When I was looking into local products (I really didn't want to be buying things online every month), I focused the "key players" (in my opinion--again, me =/= expert):
+Yucca: Helps inflammation and joint pain & is safe enough for everyday dosage (note, you do have to be careful if you need to start using Bute/etc for a few days).
+Glucosamine: Helps lubricate the joints and maintain healthy cartilage.
+MSM: Provides sulfur, which is a vital building-block for joints, cartilage, coat, hooves, and many biochemical processes.
+Chondroitin sulfate: Helps joint lubrication and maintain/repair healthy connective tissue.

My breakdown/thinking process:
+I really wanted to give him once-a-day supplements. That way I could add it to the grain that I give him as supplement. Twice a day means that I have to rely on someone giving it to him. Yes, I trust the stable and the people there, but it's easier to just deal with it myself.
+Dosing: Toler is a BIG horse. I usually end up adding an extra half or whole dose just because the dosing instructions on most labels are figured for the weight of an average horse. Toler is not an average horse in any way, shape, form, or, especially, weight. (Toler generally weighs in at 1700 lbs. Average dosing is made for a 1000 lb horse, usually.)
+I liked the idea of buying the individual ingredients and balancing them myself. I wanted to get him on something with MSM, Chondoirin sulfate, and Yucca. It seems to me that Glucosamine and Ch. Sulfate do the same thing, but Ch. Sulfate seems to be more highly regarded as it plays more of a role in the repair as well as maintenance field. I might someday break it down further and buy everything separately and mix it myself (which actually might be more cost-effective).

In the end, I thought it would be fine to go with the MaxFlex XR and add in my own Yucca--it is locally available and more cost effective considering the range of ingredients. MaxFlex contains a balance of glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, hyaluronic acid, and MSM. My other top contender was Absorbine Flex Plus, which contains a balanced amount of MSM, Glucosamine, and Yucca. The problem with the Absorbine was that it was more expensive, and dosed to be given twice a day, not to mention it has 3 ingredients whereas MaxFlex has 4 (and I add in Yucca). I did initially give Toler twice the dose. Most joint supplements advise a "loading dose" for four weeks to get the supplements readily available in the system, then lowering to a "maintenance dose" to keep things in check. MaxFlex didn't indicate anything like that on it's own label, nor did they indicate what weight their dosage was calculated for (which still annoys me), but I assumed an "average" horse of 1000-1200 lbs. I kept him on my own calculated loading dose (two scoops) for about a month and a half, then lowered it to 1.5 scoops for about a week, and finally down to 1 scoop where he's at right now.

I have noticed a change in Toler since he's been on the supplements--which started Feb. 1st, as we had to wait for him to recover from a Strangles vaccine reaction (which I will post about someday). His hocks creaked less when I was warming up, he seemed to warm-up faster/smoother, he had a bit more spring and power to his step, he did generally seem happier, and he was more willing to work at lateral movements and other more joint-stressing movements. There wasn't a miraculous change, but it was noticeable to me, and my trainer has commented a few times that he's moving more freely.

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