Grand Meadows Cares Series: Can You Read Your Horse?

by Nikki Alvin-Smith

As a horse trainer/owner you may often wonder what your horse would say if he could read or talk. Of course horses do communicate their emotions and wants/needs on a regular basis but even the most astute among us horse aficionados are guilty of sometimes missing their cues and attempts to message us about their daily dilemmas.

There is plenty written about understanding the horse, and as is commonly speculated, one lifetime is not enough to learn all we’d like and need to learn about horses to do our best by them and for them. Imagine if you had the ability to not only ‘read’ your horse, but he had the ability to do his own research and read all that is written about him too.

In the world of horse competition and horse lifestyle as a sporting event, the equine contingent is such a focal point of our attention that it is easy to overcompensate for what we perceive are shortcomings in his energy level, obedience, and ability and willingness to work. Where does your competitive edge come from? If you horse complete when he competes?

The correct provision of a solid level of nutritional support for the high-performance horse is often an overwhelming task to accomplish, given the equally overwhelming quantity of options that are touted will make all the difference.

Learn To Read Your Horse

Unfortunately when it comes to education on basic tenets of horse communication a lot gets lost in the mire. As a trainer the experience of working with horses of different breeds, ages, talents and temperaments can cause us to become arrogant about how much knowledge we actually have and best ways to provide support for the horses well-being without over-complicating the issue.

As you’ve probably heard from your own trainer in addition to other horse professionals that feed the information hopper, even when you reach an advanced level you are very often advised by your mentor of choice to get back to basics.

The same could be said of feed supplementation for your equine partner. Regardless of whether you are an established bona-fide professional or an equally keen horse person who keeps their equines at livery or in the backyard, going back to basics in horse care and horse nutrition can offer a substantially better level of support than going mad about the latest product.

Consider for example, one of the most popular products on the market that continues to see major support for use that has stood the test of time and maintained its high standard in both formulation and ingredients, Grand Premium Plus. This supplement offers a complete and carefully combined complex of wellness support elements that deliver a broadband and highly accessible feed additive that does not ‘break the bank’.

Feed supplement product lines from champions in the riding disciplines that provide unsolicited championing of a brand or particular product are often not found where you think they are. While the rider and horse partnership may be on top of the leaderboard, advertising wise the product may not enjoy the same limelight. But then of course it doesn’t cost as much either.

Here’s a type of review that speaks volumes as to product legacy and manufacturing standards:

“Thanks to Grand Meadows, I know my horses are getting the best possible nutritional and joint support. They work at a very intense level and deserve only the best in supplements my vet and I can find. I really trust Grand Meadows to offer just that! Their impressive amount of research, quality control and proof of efficacy is unsurpassed that I’ve seen in any other brand. Their products have worked so well for so many years and they are heads above the rest!”

Heather Blitz / Dressage Rider, Trainer & Clinician – ’11 Pan American Team Gold & Individual Silver Medal, ’12 Olympics Alternate

It probably isn’t often, or perhaps even almost never, that you’ll hear a manufacturer of a horse feed supplement talk about over-supplementation. Not in their best interest to do so obviously, but there is one – take a look. Whether you are sitting fireside of a living room hearth on a cold winter’s night or enjoying time by the firepit on a summer’s evening, the insights that are available spoken in a fireside chat based not just on an obvious wealth of experience but also with integrity does make you stop and take stock of the track you are on in building your competitive edge.

Just as in horse training there are no shortcuts to long-term success. The fundamentals all have to be there as building blocks to support what comes after, and the cornerstones of practicing attentive horse management and being able to read the horse is essential.

What experts you listen to should not be fueled by their own desires to perform based on financial gain or personal prestige. Humility is not always easy to come by in an expert, and their motivation for what information is shared must always be considered. Just like horse riders someone can be at the top of an industry, but that doesn’t necessarily make them the best at how they arrived there and the compromises they made along the way.

Learning to read your horse includes instances such as:

Develop the ability to differentiate lameness from one biomechanic area of the horse failing from another
Acceptance that the horse is already doing his best and that there is no more in the tank and backing off
Regard that displays of non-compliance by a horse to our wishes as a lack of understanding or physical/mental ability to answer the requests and that shouting or pushing harder will not improve the outcome
Learn to adapt and address an individual horse’s specific dietary needs to maintain a diet that is balanced but also offers availability in format for his digestive processes to uptake and utilize effectively
Always putting the horse’s long term well-being front and center throughout his life.

You don’t have to be financially rich or rank as a high-profile horse person to make good decisions in horse feed supplementation. You just have to use a good dose of common sense and learn to not just listen to your horse but to hear what he is saying and address it, casting aside ego and ambivalence to adapt your practices.

As most horse folks know much can be learned about riding from watching a good horse trainer at work. You can similarly learn much about how to read your horse simply by keen observation of him at rest and at play, alone in company, and of course by feel (especially under saddle).

One lifetime is certainly not going to ever be enough to learn all we need about horses to do our best by them, but that shouldn’t stop us trying. And of course, we all learn more from our mistakes than our successes, so don’t be afraid to move forward. We’ve all made them!

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About Grand Meadows: Founded in 1989 by visionary Angela Slater, Grand Meadows is a leading horse health product and equine supplement manufacturer driven by the guiding principle of providing affordable, extremely high-quality science-backed horse products to help ensure horses look and feel their best.

For the past 35 years the company’s mission has been honored and developed further, by President Nick Hartog, who among other accomplishments is one of the founding members and current board member of the National Animal Supplement Council (NASC), an organization that has a profound impact on the safety, transparency, and legitimacy of the animal supplement industry.

Grand Meadow products are widely used and trusted across the entire horse community from Olympic medal winning competitors and successful horse racing trainers to backyard horse owners. Their equine supplements are highly regarded for their excellent quality resourced ingredients and completely accurate labelling and effective formulations. Learn more at https://www.grandmeadows.com/

Please visit https://www.horseinakiltmedia.com/ and https://nikkialvinsmithstudio.com/ to learn more about her affordable services.

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