b'LOW-STRESS HORSE HUSBANDRYJust as in people, chronic stress can have adverse effects in horses. A horses reaction to acute, short-term stressors is adaptive and involves a rapid release of adrenaline and preparation to take action, says Foster. The horse returns to normal baseline physiology and behavior quickly. In contrast, chronic stress result-ing from routine and stressful handling and mismanagement practices can create a negative welfare state. Common indicators of negative ISABELLE BEAU DE LOMENIE welfare status in horses and other animals include stereotypic behaviors (cribbing, weaving, stall running) and signs of chronic stress, she adds. Signs of chronic stress are often physical or physiological and should be evaluated Trailering involves many stressful elements; introduce it early in a horses life, and practice it fre-by an equine veterinarian. They includequently to make it a nonissue.muscle wasting, impaired liver function, disrupted reproduction, and suppressioninoften alone for hoursstruggling toa foal at his dams side, says Houpt. The of the immune system. In horses, diagno- maintain balance in the moving vehicleeasiest thing is to start early, she says. sis of gastric ulcers may indicate that theand ending up somewhere unfamiliarHoupt recommends breaking the pro-horse is experiencing chronic stress. where the horse is often asked to workcess down, beginning with control of each hard.step, making sure the horse starts and Reduce Stress on the Road Trailering involves many different ele- stops on command. Its much better to Another situation that commonlyments. Consequently, reducing the stressfirst move one hoof, then (offer) a treat, causes stress is transport, and it doesntof trailering involves an equal number oftwo hooves, then treat, and so on than to take much imagination to understandstrategies. Trailering is most likely to be ahave to resort to negative reinforcement why, says Foster.routine and mundane nonevent if trailer(rewarding the horse by taking away the Many horses are reluctant to load intotraining begins when the horse is youngunpleasant stimulusfor instance, tap-a trailer, she says. Simply entering aand is practiced often. ping his rump with a whip until he steps dark, narrow, closed box can be challeng- Introducing skills such as trailer load- forward), she notes. If you later run ing, but this is followed by being closeding should ideally begin when a horse isinto problems trailer loading,having The Two-Minute/30-Second Rule the goal? In my opinion, says Thal, handling horses should be a precise and logical thing, and you should know what you are doing After observing his staff and horse-owning clients struggling withand why you are doing it, when you are doing it. If you are forced to horses over tasks such as administering medications and trailer-describe or articulate something, it indicates awareness and true loading, Doug Thal, DVM, Dipl. ABVP, owner of Thal Equine LLC and cre- understanding.ator of Horse Side Vet Guide, began implementing a two-minute/30-Is there a method to what I am doing, or am I caught up in the second guideline to train his staff. If you are trying to accomplishstruggle?something with the horse for more than two minutes without real What is another approach I could take to accomplish this task? Am I connected with the horse and communicating within each progress every 30 seconds, pause and ask yourself: moment? Have I successfully managed this situation with this horse before?Is the approach I am taking in the best interest of the horse? If not,Am I breaking this into the smallest components possible andmight there be another approach I could take to accomplish this rewarding each microstep?task? Am I working within safe parameters? If youre trailer-loading, forThings should almost always look easy with horses, says Thal. You instance, make sure your horse hasnt backed toward a wire fenceshould be able to accomplish your goal quickly, easily, and quietly. or sharp corner. We can get caught up in pushing toward whateverDont blame and label the horse. You have to be honest with yourself. goal we are pushing toward and, before we know it, we can get outIf when handling any horse, you cant make at least some sort of of balance or in dangerous situations, says Thal. The situation isvisible progress every 30 seconds or arent able to explain why there changing, and you need to be adjusting to that constantly. is no visible progress, there is something wrong with your approach.Is there someone I could ask to help who would be skilled at this? The two-minute/30-second rule should apply to anyone working with aCould I explain to an observer the steps I am taking to achievehorse, including trainers, farriers, and vets. Natalie DeFee Mendik28December 2019The Horse|TheHorse.comLowStressHandling.indd 28 10/30/19 10:21 AM'