Events, Seminars & Workshops For Horse Owners

Horse Owner’s Lameness Essentials

Saturday October 1st, 2011 from 9 am-12 pm At Our Facility

Lameness is the leading cause of equine loss of use and is a daily concern for pleasure and performance horse owners, riders and trainers.  As an equine veterinarian, I deal with lameness problems and their consequences every day.  I have always felt strongly that horse enthusiasts should know the basics of equine musculoskeletal anatomy and function and should know how to recognize and avoid common lameness problems.

With this in mind, we are offering a 3 hour workshop consisting of intense discussion and a live horse demonstration that is focused only on what you really need to know.

• The key points a horse owner should know about forelimb and hind limb anatomy and function.
• Recognizing and avoiding common lameness conditions.
• How to do a quick assessment of your horse’s front and rear legs – live horse demonstration.
• How to do a quick assessment for lameness in your horse – live horse demonstration.
• Live horse hands-on participation for everyone. One small group in which everyone will participate.

Call early to reserve your spot.
Participation is limited to 12 people to ensure a quality hands-on experience.
Fee $30.00 payable in advance.

This event was a success, even though Dr. Thal lost his voice later that afternoon!   We would like to thank all of the attendees.   If you would like to be on the list for our next equine lameness workshop (date tbd) please call our office.

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Horse Behavioral Workshop

Saturday October 15th, from 9 am – 11 am At Our Facility

Dr. Thal and horse trainer Loal Tucker will discuss common behavioral issues on the ground and how to work through them.  All of these behaviors are very similar and can be dealt with using simple principles of gentle, but firm and consistent communication.  If you have a horse that is particularly difficult in any way, talk to us about bringing it to the workshop for demonstration purposes.

Examples that will be discussed and demonstrated include horses that are difficult to catch, difficult to load, horses that are difficult to medicate, worm, or inject, and horses that are difficult when handling their ears and their feet.  If you have another issue with your horse, we would be happy to address it at the workshop.

Call early to reserve your spot.
Participation is limited to 12 people to ensure a quality hands-on experience.
Fee $30.00 payable in advance.

Thanks to everyone that attended our Behavioral Workshop on Saturday, October 15^th.   We had a great group of attendees, and we appreciate the favorable feedback.  We started with a discussion of some principles I have learned through my experience as a veterinarian and a lifelong horseman.   Loal Tucker, a horse trainer and friend also shared his approach to horsemanship.  Loal also has trained young horses since he was very young.  Both of us discussed the evolution in our horsemanship to the present day, and I expressed my gratitude to the late great Ray Hunt who opened my eyes to a new approach.

Horses labeled as “difficult for the vet” should not be characterized that way because it creates a conceptual limitation that may ultimately prevent you from developing a better relationship with your horse.  With a very rare exception, I believe that horses can be taught (or re-taught) to accept veterinary treatments without a struggle.  A veterinary visit should be a positive experience for a horse.  Ideally, it should reinforce the trust between horse and veterinarian, and help the relationship between horse and owner.

I was presented with a horse owned by an attendee that I have never seen before.  The owner had reached a point where she dreaded veterinary visits because she knew that the horse would become very stressed and resist.   The horse was labeled as needle-shy and reticent to accept oral medications.  With a bit of patience and good horsemanship, I taught the horse to easily accept de-worming paste and vaccinations.  Several other horses at the clinic were characterized as being difficult to de-worm. I discussed some techniques for working through that problem because no horse should be difficult to de-worm.  In my opinion, accepting these treatments is no different from teaching a horse to do anything else, which is premised on good horsemanship.

Following the veterinary piece, we brought out 8 of my own mares.  Attendees handled the horses on the ground and asked them to walk through a few simple obstacles.  Again, I emphasized that horse owners should be able to work with their horses through any challenge, be it related to veterinary treatments or otherwise.  An important point is that our most mundane and uninteresting time in contact with our horses can define our relationship with them and our ability to do more glamorous and interesting things with them.  Following the arena work, Loal Tucker demonstrated some of his horsemanship skills in the round pen with several horses.

If you are interested in more about this clinic, please see “Thal Equine Client Handout: Equine Behavioral Workshop” and my article “How to Perform Equine Veterinary Treatments Without Drama” located under the Horse Owner’s Resources Page.  

In total, I think everyone enjoyed the workshop – the attendees, the horses and myself included.  If you are interested in our next behavior workshop (date tba) please call our office.  We will take down your name and call you once we have the date set. Thank you – Dr. Thal