Hello and welcome to our first bhr equine Newsletter! The great turnout at the last Easter egg hunt/pony ride event motivated us to start doing more and sharing our passion for horses with our neighbors, as we feel there is a lot of interest out there

That makes 14 horses in our community so far… how many do you think there are in total? If you know or guess the correct answer, email it to Annette Kenny, thekennys@bluewin.ch, on or before May 30. A winner will be drawn from all the correct answers, and awarded a prize. Sorry horse owners, you may NOT enter this contest!:) We will complete our head count in the next issue, until then, you are free to count and guess for yourselves…


Important Info:

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  Dana Coste runs a 4H club right here in our community! They meet the first Tuesday of every month at 6:30 at the Coste Residence on Hackney Ct - unless they are doing something with the horses, in which case they meet at the community barn. Anyone can join but you do need to have access to a horse. If you have any questions or want to join please give Dana a call, 919-706-5701(H) 919-390-8126(C)
  

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  Annette Kenny just started up an equestrian vaulting program for the neighborhood kids. Equestrian Vaulting is gymnastics on horseback. It is very popular in Europe. At this time we have a full team but we will let you know if slots become available. Google this fascinating sport and let Annette know if you might like to be put on the waiting list. The ideal age for vaulting is 8-12 years old. thekennys@bluewin.ch
  

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  Keep your eyes open for community trail rides, dates to be posted on the BHR website.
  

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  Save the date: Saturday, June 23, we will have a horse show in the big arena! We’ll offer Western and English classes, some demos of different riding styles and equestrian vaulting, barrel racing and other fun races and games for kids with and without horses! A detailed description of all the classes and games will be posted on the BHR website shortly.
  

IN THE RIBBONS

Hooray for our successful BHR riders!

Erin Kenny on Belle: April 14, Triangle Jumper Series at Mac Nair’s, two 1^st Places (2’3”), one 2^nd Place (2’6”)

Ashley Fletcher on Sly: April 14, Triangle Jumper Series at Mac Nair’s, two 1^st Places in the 18” to 2’ division

Bailey Privette on Buster: March 31, Franklinton Saddle Club Fun Show:

Western GAYP 1^st Place, Western Pleasure 3rd Place, Ride a Buck 2^nd Place,

Mailbag Race 4^th Place, Barrel Racing, 11-18 4^th Place, Fastest Horse Around the Track 2^nd Place

April 14, Franklinton Saddle Club Point Show: Western/English GAYP Novice Rider 5^th Place, English GAYP 6^th Place


Alona Harris on RH: April 14, Franklinton Saddle Club Point Show: 4^th Place in Western/English GAYP Novice Rider. This was Alona’s very first show, congrats!!

Tamara Coste on Beauty: they recently competed at a hunter show at Finally Farms and did a youth fun day at CCWH, where there were no ribbons but tons of fun games!





On to our educational section:


Did you know a horse’s intestines are about 70 feet long? And those 70 feet are extremely sensitive… Colic in horses is the most common cause of untimely death. 10% of all horses in the US have colic every year.


1. Mouth
2. Pharynx
3. Esophagus
4. Diaphragm
5. Spleen
6. Stomach
7. Duodenum
8. Liver, upper extremity
9. Large colon
10. Coecum
11. Small intestine (approx. 70 feet)
12. Floating colon
13. Rectum
14. Anus
15. Left kidney and its ureter
16. Bladder
17. Urethra

Their complex digestive system makes horses very susceptible to “belly problems”. Very common are stomach ulcers, colic, or “founder”, which is really laminitis, an inflammation of the foot bone caused mostly by too many carbohydrates and other feed-related incidents in horses that are prone to it. Colic refers to different types of severe gastrointestinal problems. Colic can come on very quickly and cause a horse a tremendous amount of pain. If not treated within a few hours, colic is often fatal. Among domesticated horses, colic is the leading cause of premature death. The incidence of colic in the general horse population has been estimated between 10 and 11 percent on an annual basis. Just like laminitis (founder), colic can be caused by the wrong type or amount of food – one grain bucket carelessly left open and within a horse’s reach can mean its death unless a vet is called right away.

Another threat for horses is some of the vegetation: lots of plants are poisonous to them (please Google for a complete list, there are hundreds in NC!). While horses know instinctively not to eat the buttercups in the pasture, for example, some “greedy” horses might eat them out of hands that usually give treats.

Very few treats are actually safe for horses. Here are some:

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  Apple pieces (slice because of choking hazard)
  
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  Carrot pieces (slice or break into small pieces)
  
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  Peppermints (not too many as horses get cavities)
  
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  Sugar cubes (very few!)
  

Please do not feed the horses in our neighborhood anything other than what’s on this list. Fresh apples and carrots are always ok, as long as they’re sliced so the horses can’t choke. A lot of owners don’t want their horses to eat refined sugar because of their teeth, so it might be a good idea to check before feeding mints and sugar cubes.

Weeds from the side of the road, bread, chips or fried food in general are not only unhealthy but potentially dangerous for the horses. The horses and their owners thank you for being thoughtful about this.


KIDS PAGES

Help Jumper Joe and his Horse Jolly find the next jump!

Printables for Kids from www.PrintActivities.com

Find the horse breed words from the bottom in the horse word search grid. The words can be forwards or backwards, vertical, horizontal, or diagonal. Circle each letter separately, but keep in mind that letters in each horse breed may be used in more than one word. When the horse word search puzzle is complete, read the remaining letters left to right, top to bottom, to learn an interesting horse fact.

Horse Breeds Word Search Puzzle

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ABYSSINIAN APPALOOSA ARABIAN ASTURIAN AZTECA BELGIAN BUCKSKIN CARTHUSIAN CASPIAN CLYDESDALE DALES PONY GELDERLANDER HIGHLAND PONY MINIATURE MUSTANG PALOMINO PINTO QUARTER HORSE SADDLEBRED SHETLAND PONY



And last but not least, here is some horse anatomy. Did you know horses have barrels, cannons, and muzzles? They can be highly explosive, indeed! Although most BHR horses have a calm nature, we should never forget that horses are prey animals and their instinct to run from danger cannot be eradicated completely even with the best of training.





The BHR Equine Newsletter will be published quarterly on the BHR website and sent by email to all BHR members whose email addresses are on file with the BHR office. If you do not want to receive any more Equine Newsletters, please let Pat Snyder know.