The way to heaven is on horseback

So today I got en email saying that I was starting the course and could log on to check what was going to be happening in the first week! Well I was that excited that I just decided to watch the first video, I learn better by taking notes while people are talking and three and a bit pages letter after an 8 and a half minute video, I was even more excited. The course I am finding so interesting and I just want to learn more, It's like my brain is a sponge that is absorbing everything. I can't wait to be able to learn all these new things and then be able to put them in to action. I also find it so odd or maybe Ironic is the better word that i started off doing a series for this blog on 'How the horse works' and then a few weeks later a course about Equine Nutrition appears for free. At the minute it seems like luck is on my side and things are just falling into place. Today I haven't really done much after two massive branches fell down at an old couples house a...

What is it? It is not a disease but is an inappropriate behavioral pattern in horse, and can also be called 'Sterotypic Behavior'. Like humans animals can exhibit Obsessive compulsive behavior, that is non-lethal but can still be destructive, well horses to exhibit repitition and habitual behavior, that can be difficult to control and stop. Cribbing is when a horse places his upper incisorts on a hard object e.g. a stall door, and sucks in large amounts of air. They make a gulping noise, and will repeat it. It's not related to nutritional disorders or any illness, but is linked to boredom or nerves. This is more annoying than it is an actual illness, however it can lead to superficial health issues e.g. enlargement of the throat muscles. It can also be mistake for wind sucking. As the horse cribs the arch in the horses neck causes the horse to swallow air. Symptoms? Teeth marks can normally be found on a stable door, or any other wood pieces. Top fr...

What is it?  Swamp Fever is a horse disease that is caused by blood sucking insects. The virus is a lentivirus, much like HIV to the human. Swamp fever can be treated through blood, saliva, milk, and body secretions. However the infection is mainly given by biting flies e.g. a horse fly. The virus survives up to four hours in the carrier. Mares can also transmit the disease to their foals. The biggest risk of transmitting the disease is when the horse is ill, as the blood levels of the virus are at theie all time highest. Stages  Acute This form is the sudden onset of the disease at full force. The symptoms will include high fever, anemia, weakness, swelling of the lower abdomen and legs, weak pulse and an irregular heartbeat. The horse can also die suddenly  Subacute . This is slower, and has a less severe progression of getting the disease. The symptoms include recurrent fever, weight loss, an enlarged spleen, anemia and swelling of the lower chest, as wel...

Today was my day for my retake of my AS textiles Exam and I went in feeling confident about it, I had revised a lot this time I knew my stuff and I was ready for whatever was going to come up. I was sitting right at the back of the hall, which i preferred and there wasn't that many people, that were doing other exams, well other than my entire textiles class that was retaking the exam. The first section was really easy and was on fibre's which I had been revising with my mum whilst washing my hair after we had been swimming. The next section that we had to answer was to do with environmental and ethical issues, I also found this quite simple, although with having broken my right hand twice, my hand was really starting to hurt by this point, but I just ignored it and got on with doing my paper that was the important thing. Then the final section was to do with what fibre blends, fabrics, embellishments and fastenings make for a good school skirt, we then had to judge between tw...

What is it?  Colic is a word used to describe abdominal pain, it can initially indicate that there is a problem with the gut but it could also be other organs that are contained within the abdomen. There are so many different causes for the it can range from something as simple as the horse isn't digesting it's good but could be as complicated as a twisted gut. The main thing to remember is that prevention is essential, the risk of a horse getting it can be reduced by simple management techniques but it can never truly be eliminated.  Causes?  As well as obvious general changes in a horses temperament a horse with colic can also show other signs. Here are the signs that a horse might have colic, restlessness and pawing at the ground, sweating and an increased heart rate when there is no apparent reason for it. Trying to kick at the stomach because it is irritating them, going as if to urinate but not being able to. Attempting to roll and an elevated pulse rate. ...

Today is the day before my textiles retake exam that I told you guys about earlier in the year. In the lesson today we decided that it would be beneficial to do a past paper as this would get us used to the layout and the set up of the questions. We decided that we also wanted to get a feel for how the paper was marked so we did one question and then had to mark it. I think that I marked it fairly and i even had to get my mum to recount my marks because I was surprised when I got 50 marks this was a B, we can safely say that it is an improvement from the last textiles mark that was a U. After this we were supposed to have English, well that didn't happen only three of the people turned up for the lesson so we got sent away to do some revision as I had spent all of lunch revising I decided that it was time to just relax and chill out! So went to the sixth form centre, and sat with some mates and while they played chase, I got my diary out and wrote the majority of the important...

What is it?  The hoof wall is made up of an interlocked outer layer that is insensitive this is called the horn and is supported by an underlying inner area that is sensitive this is called the Laminae. When Laminitis occurs the blood flow to the laminae is affected, this causes inflammation and swelling in the tissues that are with in the hoof, it also causes extreme amounts of pain. The Laminae doesn't get any oxyden or nutrient rich blood causing the cells to become damaged. If the cause is removed and treatments is started as soon as the first sign of the condition shows, the laminae stays alive, however if it is left untreated it will begin to die. The Laminae supports the pedal bone (this is in the hoof) and the weight of the animal. In extremely severe cases of laminitis the pedal bone can sink and rotate, because the Laminae can't support it also from the pull og the deep digital flexor tendon.If the pedal bone sinks too far it can come through the sole of the foot. ...

Yesterday I did a post on Cushing's as it was an interesting thing to learn about but such a sad thing to, and I got some comments on it that made me think that I am going to do a series of posts, looking at horses' health, whether it would be main illness that are really well known or it could be laminitis (can't spell it sorry guys) or just facts to do with the structure of the horses digestive system and how it works. I don't know fully yet but it will be to do with horses health and how the horse works. How the horse works will look at different horse personalities, as I got a book a couple of months ago all about different ways that the horses mind works, and it is something that fascinates me and something that I think that people that are like me will also find interesting to! If I have time later I might do another post, that looks at one of the things that i have mentioned above but I am pretty tired tonight so I can't guarantee that one. But is there any...