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We would like to mention a few items to keep in mind before you compete and use Focus Equine:
PLEASE USE AS DIRECTED-DOSAGES ARE VERY EFFECTIVE
Make sure you have eliminated all possible sources of pain e.g. gastric, joint or ill-fitting saddle.
Have your vet flex your horses hocks.
You must have a proper fitting saddle.
All equipment must fit proper and should not pinch.
Your horse must be on a comprehensive joint supplement. Injections only are NOT proper maintenance.
Sensitive horses do not tolerate pain or discomfort of any kind well. Pain causes distraction and a negative association to work.
Here are a few ideas and tips to keep in mind while using Focus Equine in a competitive situation.
Some do not apply to race horses. (flat track)
What we
have learned from working with owners with challenging
horses is that some horses, no matter how good the training, breeding,
care and equipment, just cannot handle much pressure. These horses are
typically extremely gifted and talented athletes but anxiety and
excitability get in the way of a winning performance.
They are
over-sensitive to their surroundings, your show nerves, your tension,
weather, other horses....you name it, they see it, feel it, hear it,
have to look at it and worry about it! These horses require finesse
on the riders part and a great deal of patience and stamina.
These
horses often require an absurd amount of warm up time and can be very
complex to show. They run on adrenaline most of the time and fatiguing
them is our only option at a show. This becomes a vicious cycle as
they get fitter and fitter! You cannot use FATIGUE as a training tool.
Focus Equine allows you to help your horse gain confidence and control during
competition. Here is what you can do to help your horse through these
anxiety filled situations and create new positive mental habits for
your horse.
~Try and get there a day before. Saddle up and take him in the show pen and just walk and trot a little. Resist the urge to 'ride him down' while on Focus Equine.
Long trot till he lowers his head and starts to breath a little
deeper. Stand in the middle of the arena and just hang out if he will
let you. If not,keep long trotting till he starts to relax. Do NOT
push the horse to go faster than he wants. If he wants to stop, let
him. This is a good sign.
Resist the urge to tune on him or do any training. Let the horse have a low stress experience in the arena.
Let them build confidence here. Think of this as your new routine with Focus. Create new habits.
~Don't be discouraged if your seasoned horse still seems hot and wired.
Because he is a seasoned horse- he anticipates the big 'ride down' as
this is the routine and habit he is used to. Think of this time as a
warm up instead of a ride down. If you don't push him hard, he will
relax sooner. If he spooks at something, he will pull it together
sooner and re-focus. If he misbehaves, he will take a correction with
a better attitude. Each subsequent competition will improve as your
horse re-habituates to his own NEW positive behavior. Your horse will learn to 'pull himself together' rather than check out.
Often, fatigue is the only tool we have with these horses but you won't need to do this anymore on Focus Equine.
~Remember-
you have load dosed your horse for several days before the show. If
you run them hard the day before your show or race and over-adrenalize
them- you will do two things.
-You will burn through the
calming compounds stored in your horses tissues that you need for
competition and decrease the calming effect. Save it for the ring,
race or competition
.
-You will over-ride the effects of the
product if you run your horse into the ground before you show. Here's
where good horsemanship comes in. Use Focus to help create a new and
better show experience for your horse.
DON'T THINK OF THIS PRODUCT AS A QUICK FIX. IT'S A TOOL.
~If
you typically lunge your horse before you ride, don't bring the whip
out with you, crack it and amp your horse up. Let them tell you how
much play time they need. Again, the idea is NOT to fatigue. Your
horse will perform better if you don't fatigue them. A FATIGUED HORSE IS MORE PRONE TO INJURY. Focus Equine will help you tons here.
These
horses often learn to resent competition because they are ridden
extremely hard, they become body sore, they require a heavy hand
sometimes and they don't rest well away from home. By the third day of
a show- they are tired, sore, grumpy and hating their work. They start
to figure out this is not a good deal for them. This creates a
negative association to being away from home.
We use Focus Equine to turn it around and create a positive association post competition.
~This product does not sedate but rather creates a feeling of well-being and of a positive attitude. The idea now is to NOT do what you used to have to do.
It helps them NOT to be over-come with anxiety. Warm up different.
Vary your routine if you can to help facilitate a new habit of positive
behavior for your horse.
~No Grain for these horses if you can avoid it.
It's like throwing gas on a fire! Experience has shown us that these
horses can be hyper sensitive to complex carbs and these horses become
hot fast. These horses are also highly prone to ulcers and grain can
exacerbate this condition.
www.egus.org/vet/what/e_factsheet.htm "grains
and pelleted concentrates can increase the production of gastrin, a
hormone that stimulates acid production. Therefore, horses that are fed
high grain diets are more likely to have higher gastric acidity than horses offered free choice forage without grain"
There
are many other feed options you can give to keep weight on without
adding grain. Your vet is a great source of nutritional info.
Hopefully, you will not need to 'ride them down' so much thus
conserving their bodies for competition.
~Watch your daily vitamin mineral supplement.....some can be very energizing. Some well known and popular brands of daily vitamin mineral supplements were originally designed for race horses. We
recommend withdrawing these supplements while showing. This would not
apply to race horses. If you feed it daily, he will have enough of the
therapeutic compounds stored in his tissues to get him through a show.
~Get your horse out of his stall a couple times a day during the competition.
Put his halter on and hand walk him around the grounds. Try to find
some grass and let him put his head down and eat. When a horse's head
is down, he's relaxed. This is a good sign and you want to encourage it
away from home.
You will find the positive effects of using Focus Equine
are accumulative. Each time you use it for a show, competition or
training rides, you are creating positive experiences for your horse to
gain confidence through. Build on it.
Use it for young horses
just being started or for there first time at a show. It helps them
think and respond favorably to the training rather than resisting. Use
it at home to maintain good behavior and assist you in your training.
The uses for a fabulous product like this are endless in the equine world.
Good luck to you and we hope to hear about your successes in the equine world.
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