Showing posts with label equine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label equine. Show all posts

Thursday, 25 April 2013

Does Your Horse Over Reach?

In the Tictac Equestrian office today, we have been chatting about how some of our horses overreach and what we do to prevent it. Overreaching is a very irritating problem that can cause serious injury to a horse and also cost us all a small fortune in shoes!
For anybody who doesn’t know what overreaching is, it’s when a horse reaches its back foot too far forward and clips the back of the front foot.  Some of the main reasons that cause overreaching are fatigue, poor conformation, lack of balance, poor muscle tone, poor shoeing (loose shoes) or overgrown hooves.
My horse and Lauren’s horse both overreach quite regularly, so we both invested in a pair of Mark Todd Competition Overreach Boots. They are a top quality boot made from neoprene, covered with a tough tear resistant outer. They have a little bulb on the inside which stops the boot spinning around like other cheaper rubber bell boots. I would highly recommend them to anybody looking for a pair as they are definitely well worth the money at £18.99! You can read more about or purchase these boots online on our Tictac Equestrian website. You will also receive a free gift for your horse with every order J
If you have any questions you would like to ask our team or if you have any advice for our customers, we would love to hear from you on our Facebook or Twitter.

Tuesday, 16 April 2013

Rachael's Corner: Magnetic Therapy for Horses

All of our Tictac Equestrian team are strong believers in how effective magnetic therapy can be. Whether you use it to aid the recovery of an injury, to help reduce swelling for an older horse or even just before and after exercise to help promote circulation, we would definitely recommend giving it a try!
Magnets work exactly the same as a copper bracelet would work on a human, they can help repair scar tissue, reduce inflammation, swelling, stiffness, muscle cramps and even ease arthritis pain. Equine magnetic products range from stable chaps, tendon or brushing boots and even rugs!
I have used the Equilibrium Stable Chaps and would highly recommend them to anybody looking to try magnetic therapy. I used them on my thoroughbred mare with arthritis for years and they helped her tremendously! Her legs got very swollen and she was very stiff after being stabled for a short period of time. Using the chaps at night time reduced her swelling and she was a lot less stiff too! Lauren also uses the chaps on her little 14.2 who has previously broken both of her back legs in separate incidents so she also suffers from severe arthritis and swelling. These chaps also helped her out dramatically too! J
If you’re looking for something that you can use whilst you are riding, I also use a magnetic therapy band. This is a thin magnetic band with a Velcro strap that fits comfortably around the fetlock and comes in black and fluorescent yellow (which is very useful for hacking!) My mare had an injury to her right hind leg before I bought her and she always seems to be very stiff through this leg. I find that using the band helps to loosen her off a lot more quickly than without.
At Tictac Equestrian, we stock a large range of quality and affordable magnetic products, including the Equilibrium chaps and fetlock bands J To see our full range, visit www.tictacequestrian.com
 If you have any questions or any advice you would like to give to our team and our customers, we would love to hear from you!

Monday, 25 February 2013

Hair Whorls - The Prophet's Thumb Mark

We all have lovely little attributes that make us who we are - from the colour of your hair, your hair line, moles, birthmarks, eye colour and even fingertips, we each possess little differences that make us special, and it is no different in horses! 

Of course you own horse is special in its own right, but there are little physical differences that tend to share a common thread in some horses that have been known for their cultural significance, particularly 'Hair Whorls'.

A hair whorl is a patch of hair growing in the opposite direction of the rest of the hair on a horses body. Locations where whorls are found in equines include the stomach area, the face, stifle areas, and sometimes on the hocks.

Hair whorls in horses are also known as crowns, swirls, trichoglyphs, or cowlicks and can be either clockwise or counterclockwise in direction of growth. Whorls, like many marks or blemishes on humans, such as moles or birthmarks, have been known throughout the centuries for their spiritual or mythical significance.

One legend of whorls is the ‘Prophet’s Thumbmark’, a small indentation in the horse’s neck. The legend reads: “Prophet Mohammed tested his horses by depriving them of water for several days. He then released them near a waterhole but before they reached it, he sounded his trumpet to summon them. Only five mares responded and returned to him, and these were kept for breeding. He pressed him thumb into their necks, leaving an indentation which they passed onto their offspring.” 

It has since been said that if you ever have a horse that has the marking, they are blessed, and if that person’s thumb fits exactly in the indentation then you are the horse’s true owner!

So, if you find something similar upon your horse, why not try and see if you're a perfect fit! 


Prophet's thumb mark