There were 10 MARES meetings in 2005

December - Holiday Party

Unfortunately the December meeting was cancelled due to bad weather.

November 5th - Spiritual Connections

This meeting was held at Hickory Knoll Farms in Fitchburg. C.J. Gilbert of "Spiritual Connections" demonstrated a variety of techniques that she uses, including aromatherapy, Tra-Mair Reiki, and animal communication. It was fascinating to watch the way Zach (the demonstration horse) reacted to the various aromatherapy oils presented to him. After Zach picked out which scents were important to him, C.J. mixed a unique blend for him and demonstrated how it is used.

We also did an exercise which showed all of us just how important our thoughts are in controlling our bodies. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't experienced just how much my mind can affect what my body can do. It was a very fascinating and enlightening meeting.

October 11th - Western Riding

Mr. Gary Gibson of Gibson Training, presented a much-requested program on Western Riding. Gary Gibson and his "staff" made us all so welcome and taught us a lot about Western Riding. Those who wanted to even got to ride - so many thanks to Gary, Lori, Ann, Taz and Trooper! And what a gifted trainer Gary is...he's even taught his cat to ride! Many thanks to those who attended.

September 13th - Business Meeting

We had about 35 MARES members at our first meeting of the year. Even though this was a business meeting, we had a very good time with lots of laughs. Who knew that that Marti was so funny! All of a sudden I realized that we were laughing hysterically at things during a business meeting! Marti always manages to make any type of MARES meeting a lot of fun.

We reviewed plans for the year, made announcements, heard about our financial status and welcomed seven new members! We ended the year with a healthy balance and so have increased our scholarship fund from $200 to $300, and have sent a donation to Three Gaits, as we did last year.

One very exciting topic at the meeting was the planning of our Sept. 30, 2006 benefit weekend event for Three Gaits! We have a firm commitment from Olympic Dressage Team rider, Debbie McDonald, to conduct a 2 day clinic for us, as well as acceptance of our invitation to perform from the Barteau family. This Illinois-based husband-wife-daughter team will perform several musical freestyle numbers on their FEI-level horses! Marti also invites club members who'd like to perform on the Saturday evening of the clinic to let her know as soon as possible. We will have a high-end Silent Auction all weekend, the performances (under the stars, if possible), a lovely cocktail party preceding the performances...all in all, a FABULOUS weekend! Marti will need many volunteers to assist in planning and execution so PLEASE contact her if you can help.

This year, we will attempt to send the newsletter via email, and it will also continue to be available on our website. Many of you indicated on your Member Survey that you would prefer an email version so we'll see if it works!

It was noted that the new MARES Directory will be coming out in December. Please send any changes in your Directory info to Pamela Gesbeck. This directory is confidential and available only to MARES members. We ask that all members refrain from giving any of the information in the directory to anyone other than another MARES member.

We want your biography! If possible, also include a photo of yourself and/or your horse if you have one. We will be publishing a synopsis of the biographies in the newsletter, and we will also putting the entire biography (and photo if available) on the website.

The October meeting will be on Western Riding, November will be on Holistic Health Care for Horses and in December we will have the annual Christmas party. Other topics for the future include judging, nutrition, American Saddlebreds, Lipizzaner stallions, and even a “friends night” to just hang out and get to know each other better.

Carpooling was brought up at the meeting. Since many of our meetings are at stables located around Madison, some members might want to carpool to the meetings.

June 8th - Driving

We met at Friebergers' Hickory Knoll Farm for a program on Driving with MaryRuth Marks and Betsy Frieberger. We invited the Southwest Chapter of WDCTA to join us so that we could interact, share information and network.

May 10th - Three Day Eventing

Dr. Jon Ketzler and his wife Dr. Mary McSweeney presented "Three Day Eventing" at Judd's Green Meadows Farm and at their nearby home. Jon has ridden cross country for many years and has competed at Rolex Kentucky. We watched dressage and stadium jumping at Judd's Green Meadows Farm, then drove a short distance to their home to watch Jon demonstrate cross country jumping. Jon explained what three day evening is all about as we watched the sun set over their absolutely gorgeous land. Afterwards we watched eventing videos, talked, asked questions and drank wine in their beautiful home. Check out the photos of this meeting in the "Gallery" section. To learn more about three day eventing, click the link below.

April 14th - Second Chance Horse Rescue Ranch

Our April meeting at the Second Chance Horse Rescue was wonderful...Jenny Ashbacher has done, and is doing, such a great job, rescuing horses at auction, reconditioning and placing them...what a wonderful thing to do for our companions! We toured her farm, met all of the horses-who charmed us the whole time- and heard how Jenny runs her farm. Many thanks to Jen for having us and many accolades for doing this difficult and important work. To learn more about the rescues, and volunteer opportunities, call Jenny at 608-795-4668.

March 29th - Equine Dentistry

Just how far can you put your arm up inside a horse’s mouth and what will you find in there? If you attended the March 29th MARES meeting you already know the answer to this question. As a horse owner I was interested in exactly what the veterinarian is doing in my horse’s mouth when they “float” his teeth. For those who do not own a horse it was an interesting lesson in the differences between the mouths of horses and the mouths of humans.

The meeting was held at the wonderful facilities of the Country View Veterinary Clinic, and started off with a presentation by Dr. Judy Batker on the equine mouth. After the presentation she answered all of our questions before we headed out to watch two horses have their teeth floated. Below is a photo of the indoor large animal examination area where the horses' teeth were floated.

Horses, like us, do have “baby” teeth that eventually fall out. Unlike us, however, their teeth continue to erupt throughout their lifetime. Horses use a sideways motion when they chew and they wear down the chewing surfaces of their teeth. As the tooth wears down it is also erupting, keeping a more or less constant amount of tooth above the gum line. The entire tooth is present in the jaw and simply erupts during the horse’s lifetime. They do not grow more tooth as they age. If the teeth are erupting and not growing, what happens when they run out of tooth? Well, unfortunately you would have to put your horse on a very soft diet because they would no longer be able to chew. Normally horses in the wild do not live long enough for this to be a problem.

The horse’s teeth consist of incisors, premolars and molars (see diagram below). There can also be wolf teeth and/or canine teeth (tushes). Horses have twelve incisors in the front of their mouth (one set of six on the top and another set of six on the bottom). These are used for grazing and biting. There is a space (where the bit goes) before you reach the premolars followed by the molars. On each side of the upper and lower jaw, there are three premolars and three molars. The wolf teeth (if present, not all horses get wolf teeth) are not functional as grinding teeth, and are usually removed because they can interfere with the bit. The canine teeth, if present, don’t usually cause problems in an adult horse but can be filed down if they get too sharp.

Where did the term “floating” come from? Masons (brick layers) use the term floating to mean the action of smoothing the mortar layers between bricks. Poured concrete is also “floated” to smooth it. Masons and concrete workers have many different tools to help them “float” the mortar or concrete. Veterinarians use either power or manual floats to smooth horse’s teeth, and each one may have a slightly different angle depending on which teeth they are trying to smooth. At the meeting, MARES members were able to examine both power and manual floats.

There were two horses which were used for demonstration. To keep the horse calm, a mild tranquilizer is administered into a vein in the horse’s neck. Then a device is put in the horse’s mouth to allow it to remain open while the teeth are examined and floated. MARES members were able to look in and feel in the horse’s mouth before the teeth were floated. We were told where to feel for the ridges and points that would be smoothed away. It was quite an adventure to put my hand way up inside the horse’s mouth. It’s much larger than I would have thought. The sharp ridges were easy to feel. Dr. Batker used a power float and the procedure took about 15 minutes. After she was finished and had rinsed out the horse’s mouth, we were allowed to feel the teeth again to see the difference from before they were floated. It was amazing. The same procedure was repeated on the second horse, and we all got a chance to feel the teeth both before and after on that horse as well.

If your horse has sharp points that are bothering them they may exhibit one or more of the following:

Not accepting a bit
Not finishing meals
Undigested material in their stool
Weight loss
Hay belly from bad digestion
Tossing of their head
Not being willing to “collect”
Do not want to turn

The bridle can push against the sharp points on the teeth or the sharp points can hurt the inside of their cheeks when they chew. Different horses will have different sensitivities to this. Some horses can tolerate very large sharp points where another may begin to show signs of discomfort when the points are still fairly small.

The more we understand about our horses, the better we are able to take care of them. This meeting was very informative and everyone was given the chance to see and feel what is in a horses’ mouth. After the meeting, Dr. Batker stayed and answered everyone’s questions.

February 17th - Massage for the Equestrian

The MARES meeting on February 17th focused on massage for the equestrian. The massage therapy meeting was very informational and fun. Certified massage therapists Michelle Bertrand and Amy Kruger shared their expertise and insights on massage from both a “western” and “eastern” philosophy. A massage chair was utilized so that we could watch actual demonstrations of various massage techniques on our own MARES members. Those in attendance were able to ask questions pertaining to specific physical problems that they are encountering. Everyone was given a laminated sheet of stretches to do before riding that will help limber and warm your muscles. Brochures on massage therapy were also available at the meeting.

Before we got into the massage portion of the meeting, we watched a DVD from Tracy Trevorrow which showed many of the wonderful equine portraits she has done. Tracy is offering all MARES club members a free photo session. This is a $129 value. She will take appointments at any time and can do 2 to 3 sessions per day. July is filled already but many times are still available during other months. A good strategy is to team up with your boarding buddies and have Tracy do a session at your barn. She reviews the finished product with each client who then selects and purchases whatever size photos that they would like. Costs range from a single 5 x 7 at $40 to wall-sized portraits in the $100s of dollars. Many packages exist so that you can customize your choices. Photos can be taken of just you, just your horse, you with your horse, you with your dog, or any other combination. Contact Tracy at (920) 533-5643 to make an appointment.

February 1st - UW Madison Veterinary Clinic

View the photos from the meeting in the gallery. This was an incredibly informative and interesting meeting!!!