“Health is Wealth”
by Catherine Madera
This saying is both figurative and literal. Health gives people and horses a full, “wealthy” quality of life while lack-there-of steals joy as well as dollars from our pocket books. The latter scenario became a painful reality when my daughter’s horse, Cowboy, sustained a traumatic hock injury last spring. We are still nursing him back to health and I pray for future wellness.
Our horse’s mental and physical well being directly impacts the quality of relationship we enjoy with them. It is critical and the focus of this month’s issue—Equine Wellness. For all their majesty and strength, horses are surprisingly fragile. Freak accidents aside, there are lots of ways to nurture wellness. The basics include offering the best possible forage, regular veterinary and hoof care, and choosing to keep our animals as naturally as possible. Other, more subtle, ways to ensure healthy horses include selective breeding of the healthiest individuals—in both mind and body.
This month we have a variety of articles on the topic of wellness including exciting developments in the field of regenerative medicine and ways to ensure respiratory health. In addition, Easygo Ranch introduces The German Mountain Pony and we welcome new columnist Raye Lochert. Publisher Karen Pickering also shares a heartwarming experience of how giving an older horse a job aids in wellness. Enjoy and don’t forget to enter the Senior Horse Essay Contest. We want to hear about your special senior horse and how, perhaps, you keep them well by giving them purpose. As always, email your thoughts to editor@nwhorsesource.com.
Ride On!
Published October 2011 Issue
Catherine Madera served as editor of the Northwest Horse Source for five years. She has written for numerous regional and national publications and is a contributing writer for Guideposts Magazine and the author of four equine-related books. She has two grown children and lives with her husband and three horses in Northwest Washington.