HORSE LEARNING SERIES

SONOMA EQUESTRIAN CENTER

12575 Dunbar Rd, Glen Ellen, Ca 95442

707.364.2575

(Our Monthly ‘Sunday Schooling’ Program for Humans)

2009 Past Events

OCT 26th, Sun. 3-5 pm

Speaker: Sheri Brodsky, B.S., M.S. P.A.S.

Professional Animal Scientist and member of the American Registry of Professional Animal Scientists. Yes. It all starts with food. It's the Holy Grail. And nutrition is a moving target as your horse changes in age, in work levels and in different seasons. Ms Brodsky will give a lecture on basic nutritional needs of the horse and how to determine what your own horse needs and when. Learn to read a hay report. Learn to read a label on a supplement bag. Just what do all those percentages mean on the label? Are you giving your horse too much, too little or just right? We will open it up to a free form discussion. Bring your questions. This is a very practical approach to nutrition. Strong basics are emphasized here. Building a sound nutrition program for your horse starts with knowledge.

Equine Behavior: Why does your equine partner do what he/she does?

Nov 16th, Sun. 3-5 pm

Speaker: Laura Ponter, Natural Horsemanship

Anthropomorphism—a dangerous area of human projection that complicates and creates the misunderstandings between you and your horse. Why does your horse act the way he does? What's that funny noise he makes? How can you prevent bad habits or aggressive behavior? Step inside the secret language and unravel the code and what makes your horse 'tick' here...bad habits and ways to re-habituate a horse to a better behavior. How do you become a better partner for your horse. Teach your horse to be less of a prey animal and yourself to be less of a predator. Build trust and confidence. Mentored by some of the best, Laura brings the practical experience and teachings from Robert Miller, DVM, Ray Hunt, Tom Dorrance, Buck Brannaman, Pat Parelli and Richard Winters. A consummate student of the equine language, Laura’s presentation goes to the core of equine action and reaction and offers very practical explanations. (Live herd demonstration if not raining).

No Hoof, No Horse or Know Hoof, Know Horse

Dec 7th, Sun. 3-5 pm

Speaker: Jamie Kerr, DVM

The phrase "no hoof, no horse" underlines how much the health and the strength of the hoof is crucial for horse soundness. Since a single digit must bear the full proportion of the animal's weight that is borne by that limb, the hoof is of vital importance to the horse. Equid hooves have enormous strength and resilience but is not at all a rigid structure. It is elastic and flexible. But Thrush, White Line, cracking, laminitis, dreaded founder and so many more maladies that besiege our horses' delicate feet undermine their structural integrity. The lecture explores the anatomy and mechanics of the hoof and how it works. How to determine if a hoof is balanced. How to see the problem coming before it happens. Learn the basic rules of hoof care. Know the Hoof, and really know your horse.

Equine Vision – See the World from Inside Your Horse’s Eyes

Jan 4th, Sun. 3-5

Speaker: Grant Miller, DVM

This high caliber lecture will give you an insight into the detailed nature of the Equine Eye. As the largest of any land mammal, the horse’s eye and its visual abilities directly affects its behavior. How they work, just what and how DO they see which is so different from our human eyes. A fascinating journey into their visual sensory experience and from the horse’s perspective. And as the horse is a flight animal, both the strengths and weaknesses of the horse's visual abilities should be taken into consideration when training them. Understanding of the horse's eye can help us to discover why the animal behaves the way he does in various situations and give humans This lecture and visual presentation is extraordinary. A well crafted and eye opening learning for all of us. This lecture was totally sold out last year.

Emergencies vs. Urgencies—Be Prepared with Solid Basics

Feb 15th, Sunday 3-6 pm

Speaker: Grant Miller, DVM

Identify the difference between an equine urgency vs. a true emergency. Know when to call your vet, how to take your horse’s vital signs, how to communicate to your vet over the phone for an accurate assessment of the situation. How to help your horse until the vet gets there. Identify signs of colic, manage bleeding, wounds and lameness until your vet arrives. How to assess ‘Just how bad is it?’ Anyone who owns a horse needs to be prepared for the eventuality of wound and injury care. Horses often get hurt or injured in the normal course of the day, from wire, nails, fencing, glass or metal or another horse! They run into things, step on sharp objects, or get stuck or struck. If there are deep cuts, puncture wounds, open sore injuries or things requiring antibiotics, you're going to need to call the vet, but it's important to be able to provide your horse with first aid until the vet arrives.

Injuries and Healing Management

Mar 15th, Sunday 3-5 pm

Speakers: Wendy Albrecht & Cindy Krout,

North Coast Equine Physical Therapy

Don’t panic or fall on your sword. Most injuries if managed well in rehab can restore your horse to great athletic health. There is new research and modalities that speed healing and restore body fibers to solid strength. Microcurrent, Cold, Photon, Shock Wave, Ultrasound therapy, electro-stim and others. There is much to understand about tissue injury and cellular repair. Just how does the body repair itself and how can we speed the recovery and not delay it? And yes, the body is electric! And so is this lecture. Come and find out! (Demonstrations to be performed).

Alternative Medicine & Treatment

April 19th, Sunday 3-5 pm

Speaker: Joanna Robson DVM

Inspiritus Equine, Inc

From deep healing to a mere tune-up, the alternative medicine modalities are working and here to stay. No longer considered on the fringe, integrated medicine does work. Integrative medicine combines treatments from conventional medicine for which there is high-quality evidence of safety and effectiveness. Explore the various options, how and when are they used, how do they work, how will it affect my horse’s health? Bring your questions. Dr Robson also works with Thermography for the hard to diagnose horse. Using infrared technology, the thermographic camera can detect hidden inflammation by measuring minute temperature changes on a horse up to .02 of a degree. Not only can a thermographic scan detect injuries, even before signs of lameness appear, but it can also be useful in discovering pressure points in poor fitting saddles, rider imbalance, hoof abscesses and much more. Yes, it IS very Star Trek. Integrated Soundness Solutions. Dr Robson is Certified Veterinary Acupuncture, Certified Veterinary Chiropractic, Chinese Herbals, Saddle-Fitting and allied with Top Professionals.

Lameness—Issues and Remedies

May 3, 2009, Sunday 3-5 pm

Speaker: Jamie Kerr, DVM

If you own a horse, you’ll have a lameness at some time. This is an Introduction to investigating and understanding lameness. What is lameness? Learn to look at the abnormality of gaits and what could be causing pain and / or restriction of movement. What are the most common causes of lameness? What are basic processes that cause disease can be remembered by using the acronym DAMNIT. Which is what every horseowner says when their horse comes up lame. Equine Joints, tendon and ligaments, bones and muscles. Learning where to look and how to look with educated eyes. It’s the basics that every horse owner needs. Identifying the location of the problem. Which leg? Evaluate the horse's gait. Investigating the cause: Basic Skills here.

Tuition for Seminars

$25 per class (al la carte) as single lectures, or $20 each for the whole series of $160.00