January 2003- Progress in EPM, West Nile Virus: Be Prepared; Horse Racing; What’s It All About. Look for us at the Sun City Circuit in Scottsdale,Az and Denver Stock Show, Denver, CO

February 2003 - Stallion Issue, Look for us at the Scottscale Arabian Show. Plus Care of the Broodmare in Early Pregnancy 

March 2003- Look for us at the Rocky Mountain Horse Expo, Denver. Plus Saddles: Custom or Off-the-Rack

April 2003- Helping a Foal Nurse; Packing Your Horse: Gearing Up For The Trip

May 2003- Kids Camp Issue - featuring horseback riding camps from all over the southwest. Watch for us at the The New Mexico Horse Fair, Albuquerque, NM

June 2003- City Slickers: Dude Ranches in the Southwest

August 2003: Colorado State Fair, Pueblo, CO

October 2003: New Mexico State Fair • IAHA Arabian Nationals

November 2002
On the cover: *Val Pacha SSB (Nabat SSB x Val Bandera) 2000 Chestnut Stallion Imported from Spain March 2002 Owned by: Unser Spanish Arabians Bobby Unser, Jr. and Schanen Yates Unser (505) 304-3319 (505) 761-0102 Photo by Joyce Fay See pages 24 and 25 for more infomration	Table Of Contents From the Publisher  by David Lewiecki........ 6 The Use of Laser Surgery to Eliminate Cribbing   by Heather Smith Thomas.... 7 Classical Horse: Training From the Heart   by Ginger Gaffney...... 8 Horse and Rider: Controlling Extension and Speed   by Christina Fleming... 10 Just My Opinion  by John “Flint” Martin... 11 Dressage Horse & Rider: Getting Started in Dressage Part Three  by Dianne Fay............ 12 Focus on Mules  by Sophia Sarember... 13 Success Is Easy  by Don Blazer............ 22 Ask Erlene: Questions and Answers  with Erlene Caldwell... 23
From the Publisher  by David Lewiecki Ever Increasing This month our print runs goes up to 30,000 magazines per month. Some estimates in the publishing industry indicate that an average of 2-1/2 people read each magazine, which means an average of 75,000 people see this magazine every month. Not too shabby!  A Little Self Promo I started this magazine first and foremost as a way to make money, but would not have done so if I did not see a need and a demand among equestrians for the information and Advertising Rates we provide. Now in our fifth year and covering 3-1/2 states, we can not only boast about our large circulation, but how popular we are among a wide variety of horse people. Larry Mahan says, I always pick up the Horse Trader, I really like this magazine. And Jerry Kimsey says he is,only Advertising Rates in the Horse Trader from now on... I've tried the stallion directory in Colorado without a single phone call while everyone bringing a mare to breed this season saw my ads in the Horse Trader. This magazine is really working for me.  And our writers are consistently getting feedback from readers who love our content and variety. We work hard at providing across the board information for virtually every equestrian, whether you are a beginner or a seasoned show person, in dressage or cutting, or you have a horse that just looks pretty in the back yard.  The satisfaction we get out of hearing how well our Advertising Rates works and how much people appreciate our editorial takes the work out of putting each issue together and actually makes it fun! And I think this shows in the quality of our product. Sure, we make a mistake now and then, but that's life. If you never make a mistake, you'll never learn. And we do learn. Just look at how we started only in New Mexico on cheap newsprint, offering free classifieds, and have grown into one of the most popular regional magazines anywhere. We have subscribers from Washington to Florida who love what we do. And it only makes sense because when you think about it, you don't have to be in any particular state to appreciate a cure for cribbing, or get a tip on knowing how much extension you can really expect from your horse. And our full color classifieds can't be beat. They are high quality, affordable, and guaranteed. If you have not tried us yet, you should. I'm not saying we work for everyone, but we offer a quality product with high exposure. And exposure is what you need if you want to be noticed.
EQUINE HEALTH by Heather Smith Thomas Use of Laser Surgery to Eliminate Cribbing Many horses live and work in situations convenient for their owners, but unnatural for the horse. Most horses adapt, but the unnatural conditions sometimes cause problems. Cribbing is a vice (more properly termed a stereotypy Ð a ritualistic and repetitive behavior), that some horses develop when kept in confinement with artificial lifestyles Ð without room to roam. Most of these horses are fed concentrated rations they consume quickly, leaving them with nothing to do. Horses raised on pasture, grazing more or less continually, are much less likely to develop the habit.  Many performance horses, race horses and show horses are confined most of their lives, and a high number of them develop stereotypies such as cribbing, weaving and stall walking, in an effort to cope with their unnatural situation. Most horse owners try to halt this behavior, since in some instances these habits can be detrimental to the horse.  What Is Cribbing Cribbing is an activity in which a horse grips a horizontal surface such as a rail, fence or stall manger (in earlier years called a crib), with the top incisors. He anchors his top teeth over the object or presses them into the wood, letting his lower jaw hang slack. He then flexes his neck, opens his throat, pulls back with his mouth open, and swallows air with a grunting sound, with a backward jerk of his chin.  The cribbing horse wears down his top incisors (the teeth often become so worn that the top and bottom incisors do not meet when the mouth is closed), and develops unsightly large muscles under the neck. This can interfere with proper neck flexion when the horse is being ridden. Serious cribbers may lose weight; they become so addicted to their habit that theyÕd rather crib than eat.  The destruction of facilities can also be a frustration to horseowners. Once the habit starts, many of these horses keep cribbing Ð even if given access to pasture and grass. They kill trees, damage fences, destroy stall dividers and feed boxes. Cribbing is a habit that is almost impossible to break, once a horse starts, and other horses may mimic the cribber and start doing it.  A Learned Habit Young horses often imitate their elders. A cribber in the barn may start others cribbing; a foal may learn the habit from his mother. For these reasons, horsemen usually try to halt the cribbing.  Cribbing straps have been in use for a long time. These are fastened around the throatlatch and adjusted to cause discomfort when the horse cribs Ð making it painful to tense the muscles that retract the larynx. Many of the straps are fitted with a heart-shaped piece of metal or stiff leather that goes on the underside of the throatlatch. When the horse arches his neck to suck in air, the strap tightens and the point of the metal piece jabs him Ð making him put his head forward again so he canÕt swallow air. The strap is not a permanent solution, however; the horse will generally resume cribbing whenever it is removed. It is also a nuisance, as it can rub out his mane, wear the hair off his throatlatch or create sores. Wearing the strap all the time can also pose some risk if it ever catches on anything. Surgery to remove various portions of the three major neck muscles (on the underside of the neck), used in cribbing is sometimes done to keep a horse from arching his neck to draw in air. A neurectomy can be done to remove a small portion of the nerve on both sides of the neck that supplies the largest of the muscles (the sternocephalicus).  Advances in Surgical Techniques to Cure Cribbing Surgery, until recently, was successful in only about 60 percent of cases, and sometimes left a horse disfigured. Some horses eventually began cribbing again even if they halted for awhile. Neurectomy worked best if done very early when the habit was just starting. Surgery was not necessarily a total or permanent cure, since the horse recruits other musles to participate in the action; if he has been cribbing for a long time he might still be able to crib even after the surgery. Newer methods, however, have made surgery a more successful option. Daniel J. Burba, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, Associate Professor of Equine Surgery at Louisiana State University, has done a study on the use of laser surgery for cribbers. In his study, this newer method alleviated cribbing in all 18 horses that had this operation. He feels that one reason for the higher success rate with this type of surgery is because it is performed on the muscles in a more forward location Ð decreasing the possibility of the transected muscle ends growing back together (a problem that sometimes made earlier surgeries merely a temporary solution). This new technique is a revision of the modified ForssellÕs procedure, which was developed several years ago by Dr. Forssell, says Burba. ÒHe originally developed a method where the paired muscles underneath the throat Ð the sternothyroideus, sternohyoideus, omohyoideus, as well as the sternomandibularus were transected. A section of muscle was taken out of all of those muscles. The muscles under the throat are sometimes referred to as the strap muscles, by horsemen,Ó he says.  ÒForssell later revised the technique because of the unsightly effect it created. Instead of cutting the sternomandibularis on each side of the neck, he would transect the motor nerve to those muscles. This procedure has been used for a number of years, but there has been variability in its success, so it has not been used widely,Ó says Burba. Reports vary on the average success rate Ð from 75 to 80 percent success. A Modified Technique One of the reasons the technique might not have worked (why some of the horses went back to cribbing), was that possibly the two ends of the muscles eventually reconnected, due to development of fibrosis, explains Burba. ÒThis enabled the horse to start cribbing again. So we went a step farther and did two things. One, we took out more muscle; our transection is generally more forward, underneath the jaws, right at the hyoid apparatus. The modified ForssellÕs is transected somewhere right over the throat area. Secondly, we take out about 34 centimeters of the sternothyreoideus, sternohyoideus, and the omohyoideus muscles (a 34 centimeter section that includes all 3 pairs of those muscles).  We also transect the motor nerve, which is called the spinal accessory nerve Ð on each side of the neck.Ó He explains that the incision is made between the jaws, and goes about a third of the way down the neck.  ÒWe use a laser to transect these muscles and nerves. This reduces the amount of bleeding. Cutting those muscles (with traditional tools) produces a lot of bleeding, since the muscles have such a good blood supply, so we use a laser instead. The cosmetic aspect is also much better; most of the clients are pleased with the horseÕs appearance after everything has healed. The horse has a much cleaner throatlatch area,Ó he says. 100 Percent Success ÒTo date, we have done 18 of these surgeries. The first time we used a laser and started doing some of these modifications was in 1994. So far, none of the horses have returned to cribbing. ItÕs been 100 percent successful, at this point. We feel the reason for this success is the more forward transection of the muscle, creating a greater gap Ð so the muscle ends cannot fibrose back together. Using a laser, which reduces the amount of post-operative bleeding, also helps. Excessive bleeding can lead to a clot, which can end up as a fibrous tissue formation,Ó he says. ÒWe still use a drain, however, because even with the laser we still get some serum drainage. There is a fair bit of dead space left there. So a drain is put in at the time of surgery and left in for 4 or 5 days,Ó says Burba. He says the age range on horses theyÕve done has been from yearlings up to horses 12 years old. ÒThe average age of the horses has been about 7 years of age. WeÕve done a couple Thoroughbred yearlings that were cribbing; they may have been exposed to another horse doing it Ð that may be why they were doing it so young.Ó  Horses do copy other horses. If one horse does it, other horses may start doing it. ÒThe vice can spread through a barn where horses can see each other. You might have a cribber at one end of the barn and come back a year later and half the horses on that same row are doing it. They see it, and try it, and next thing you know, they are hooked, too,Ó says Burba.  The surgery seems to be the best way to halt this activity.  ÒRight now there is no other definitive means of curing a horse of cribbing. Cribbing straps or collars are temporary. A lot of clients eventually look for some permanent solution. Some horses crib in spite of the collars, and the task of maintaining the collars is ongoing. So a lot of times the client is looking for a better way, or something more permanent Ð so they donÕt have to continually keep a collar on the horse.Ó These were several reasons he wanted to try to modify the surgical techniques; there were some problems with the methods in use. ÒSo far, our modifications are looking very promising, with the percentage of success rate.Ó  Why This Surgery Works He says, ÒThe question is always asked: why does the horse stop cribbing after the surgery? Cribbing is a habitual action, and we have not changed the mental aspect (the horse would still crib, if he could). We just take the physical aspect away.Ó The horse is no longer physically able to perform the action. He no longer has the muscular structure there to keep doing it. The horse probably tries, but canÕt do it, and after a while he resigns himself to not doing it. ÒThere is no effect on the horseÕs performance, head and neck flexion, etc. He just canÕt get into proper position to crib. One of the things these muscles do is retract the larynx. ThatÕs one of the things a horse does when he cribs Ð he pulls the larynx backward, to suck the air in. We are cutting the muscles that are responsible for this retraction. They are tensing up the neck, but they also must have something to pull back on, in order to retract the larynx, and thatÕs why the horses set their upper incisors on an object, to give them some leverage to pull it back. Then they can retract it and make that sucking, gargling sound,Ó he explains. ÒWe have a variety of horses down here in Louisiana, but a lot of the ones weÕve done the surgery on have been Quarter Horses in cutting careers. A lot of these horses, particularly in upper level cutting, donÕt get much turn out time. They are kept in stalls, except for the short periods they are working cattle Ð then they are taken back to the stall. Probably the reason we have done so many of these horses is that the clients are often in the barn, hearing the horses crib, and want to find a way to alleviate this.Ó It has been said that this stable vice may bother the owner more than it does the horse, but there are some potential side effects from cribbing. ÒBesides the excessive wearing of the incisors, some horses will get gassy colic, or slivers Ð depending on the surface they crib on,Ó he says. But the audible sound is irritating and annoying when horses are doing this all the time. The laser surgery techniques hold more promise as a ÒcureÓ than other methods. ÒIt is a little more involved because of the amount of muscle we are taking out, so we usually keep the horse here for about a week, in our hospital. We keep the drain in for four or five days, pull it out, and at that time usually go ahead and send the horse home. Once the horse gets home Ð once the skin is healed after the staples are taken out Ð in two weeks they can actually resume training.Ó Incisions are closed with sutures or skin staples, which are removed a few days later. Laser Surgery The use of lasers has revolutionized many types of surgery. ÒFor the cribbing surgeries, weÕve used two types of lasers, both the CO2 laser and the Nd:YAG laser, the two types that are commonly used in equine surgery. Laser surgery uses the principle of an intense beam of light that creates thermal energy.  The thermal energy can seal blood vessels and nerves, and cut tissues as well. One of the big advantages with laser surgery is the reduction in bleeding, and reduction in pain. There is less tissue damage, which minimizes the pain. It also seals nerve endings, so the nerves are not as painful after the surgery,Ó says Burba.  ÒThe cost for this type of surgery may vary from region to region, but we charge about $1500 for the surgery. This covers everything, including the hospitalization and the time the horse is here at our facility,Ó he says. These improvements on previous surgical techniques show a great deal of promise for the horse owner who wants a safe and permanent solution for a cribbing horse. HT Heather Smith Thomas is a freelance writer living in Salmon, Idaho. She is the author of several books and can be reached at 208-756-2841 or E-mail: hsthomas@ida.net.

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