• Decrease Nervousness
• Enhance Mental Clarity
• Increase Focus
• Decrease Anxiety

How does it work?

Before you begin to get nervous when riding or showing place one magnet on either side of the ear at the precise point known as the fossa.  Repeat in other ear.  It begins working immediately by triggering your body to release endorphins which naturally:

• Increase Focus
• Calm Nerves
• Decrease Pain

The Focus Ear Magnets are painless and there is no need for pierced ears.  Both men and women can wear them.  In fact, see what a few are saying:

“Dr. Mark’s [Focus Ear] Magnets work wonders.  They noticeably reduced my anxiety and allowed me to focus on riding without the typical butterflies.  I highly recommend these little magnets to anyone with a case of show ring jitters.”  - Andrew S.

“I have tried other products to calm my nerves at the horse show.  I have never found anything that works as well as the Focus Ear Magnet.  I can feel them start to work as soon as they hit the right spot in my ear!.” -Carrie F.

“After trying the Focus Ear Magnet I have stopped taking Xanax® before every class.” -Laurie D.

If you are interested in purchasing a set of the Focus Ear Magnets, please email FocusEarMagnets@Gmail.com.

Dr. DePaolo has developed a very comprehensive approach to his veterinary chiropractic treatments.  The horse will NOT be tranquilized or restrained and all adjustments are performed by hand.  NO mallets, implements, devices or standing platforms are used.

Since chiropractors are working with the musculoskeletal system, it can be extremely dangerous to use someone with minimal training. The practitioner should be a veterinarian or human chiropractor who has studied equine chiropractic.  A thorough examination should be performed to assess the need for chiropractic care.  At that time, it should be determined if other veterinary services would be more beneficial — such as a neurologic exam, dentistry, radiography or lameness evaluation.

Since the nerves that exit the spinal cord contain the nerve supply to the internal organs, freeing up the joints with chiropractic adjustments makes these nerves healthier. When this happens, the body is able to heal itself, fight disease and maintain optimal health. The goal of each treatment is to restore normal mobility to the joint, thereby stimulating proper neurological reflexes and reducing pain and muscle spasm.

Since chiropractors are working with the musculoskeletal system, it can be extremely dangerous to use someone with minimal training. The practitioner should be a veterinarian or human chiropractor who has studied equine chiropractic.

This is the first video in a 4 part series on Equine Chiropractic Care by Dr. Mark DePaolo.

Also, a supplement like Excel® keeps the digestive tract healthy and able to absorb the nutrients to enhance warmth. In addition, A.B.C.’s Energy™, which provides additional calories to the body, can be tremendously helpful in meeting the increased demands from the body to maintain warmth and proper weight. It is recommended to feed these supplements over low glycemic index feeds such as rice bran.

Shelter

Horses should have access to shelter from extreme weather. Consider horse instincts and herd pecking orders when deciding shelter design. An enclosed, multi-sided structure may increase horse injury to horses on the low end of the herd dominance order. In this type of structure dominant horses will keep others from having access. The more submissive horses generally will need more shelter because they are the ones that are usually in the least favorable body condition.

Other Fundamentals

• Proper dental care
• Proper digestive health
• Proper deworming program
• Daily inspection to check for injuries

Please also read our other article on hay and water for your horse during the cold winter months.

The beautiful scenery at The Brass Ring Stables.

Practice makes perfect….

We are ready for our close up!

Ouch Dr. Mark! My ulcers are hurting me.

For an in-depth look at Ulcers, visit our health library on our website.

Water

Horses naturally tend to drink less water when the temperature drops. Water consumption is necessary to prevent impaction of ingested material in the intestinal tract, thereby avoiding colic.

• Make sure water sources aren’t frozen.
• Warm water to around 45-50 degrees F.
• Add water to feed.
• Sprinkle salt on feed to stimulate a thirst response.

Hay

Grass is very limited in winter and the ground may turn to mud or be frozen. A basic guideline of feeding enough hay to equal about 2% of the horse’s body weight and increase as needed when the temperature drops. Hay is digested in the gastrointestinal tract by fermentation, which produces heat that the horse can use to maintain core body temperature.

As a general rule, horses that shiver and regularly clean up every scrap of hay probably need to have their hay rations increased. Horses that leave some hay untouched might seem to have been overfed, but it is also possible they are leaving weeds, rough plants, or moldy flakes. Inspect the rejected material and purchase better quality hay if necessary.

Break larger feedings into several small meals spaced throughout the day. There is a variety of hay feeders designed to keep the horse eating and occupied for longer than when just putting out loose flakes of hay.

Pastured horses that eat hay in a group setting need to be monitored to be sure that low-status animals have adequate access to hay.

The senior horse, especially as dental health declines, may benefit from having chopped forages available. Water soaked hay cubes are a nice option as well. This will help to avoid the risk of choke. Supplements can be added to the soaked cubes to make a complete meal.

Next week we will share some tips on fundamental supplementation in the winter.

1. If your horse is chronically sore in the low back one easy thing to rule out is a negative P3 angle.  Have your farrier put 3 degree wedge pads on both hind feet.  Some horses will be better the next day, some take 10-14 days before you see a difference.
2. If your horses’ teeth “clack” instead of grind when he closes his mouth his incisors are too long and they need to be reduced.  If you have had his teeth done within the last 6-10 months, find a different veterinarian to do your dentistry. 
3. Many horses’ will have chronic tendon and ligament sensitivity and even lameness when the toes are too long.  This problem is very common, you need to talk to your farrier or maybe find a new one who will back the toes up to speed break-over.
4. Many sore-backed horses have a hind gut acidosis that can easily be cured with a good digestive conditioner.  If your digestive conditioner doesn’t do the trick, check him or her for negative P3 angles in the hind feet.
5.   If your horse cribs, chews wood or is cinchy/girthy it is very likely that he or she is suffering from ulcers.
6.   I don’t recommend “scoping” a horse for ulcers because you can only rule in or out damage to the stomach lining; you can’t tell if your horse has ulcers of the hind gut.  If you are concerned about ulcers I believe that you should treat your horse, you will get your diagnosis based on the response to therapy.  If he or she responds to the treatment what else could it have been but an ulcer, and really, who cares what it was as long as your horse is better. 

A horse was euthanized on January 18th with tests pending but most likely the horse was infected with EHV-1.  The outbreak was first spotted on January 11th when a gelding at the facility tested positive for the virus.  He was immediately quarantined but in the following days several other horses tested positive.

EHV-1 symptoms include:

• Fever
• Ataxia/Incoordination
• Weakness of the hind end
• Paralysis of the limbs

It is very important to understand that there is no specific treatment for EHV-1 and there are NO EQUINE VACCINES that protect against this neurological strain of the virus.  In fact, vaccinating your horse for the EHV-4 strain of the disease (which is a respiratory form of the disease) might in fact compromise your horse’s immune system therefore making them MORE susceptible to the neurologic strain.

The best way to help help your horse combat viruses is to make sure his/her immune and neurologic systems are strong and healthy and a good start is to supplement with Lysine.

L-Lysine is a critical building block for all protein in the body. It is an essential amino acid that cannot be created by the body, so it must be obtained by food or supplements. Using a L-Lysine horse supplement at times of stress is key to calcium absorption, building muscle protein, boosting the immune system and supporting the body’s production of hormones, enzymes and antibodies.

The most important steps in preventing the spread of EVH-1 are:

• Limit your horse’s contact with other horses who may have been exposed to the disease or whose history is unknown
• Do not share tack, buckets or grooming tools with unfamiliar horses
• Do not let your horse rub noses with other horses
• After handling a horse wash your hands before handling, touching or petting another horse
• Abide by all quarantines when traveling in or out of an area infected with neurologic EHV-1

To check the latest outbreak information in your area, contact your State Veterinarian or you can go to Outbreak Alert to see a US map.

Dr. Mark will be treating horses at the fairgrounds from February 13th – 26th but book your appointments early as his schedule is very full during the first portion of the show.

The chiropractic and acupuncture treatments performed at the show focus on:

• Decreased performance
• Shoulder, back and hip pain
• Overall stiffness
• Hollowing back
• Soreness and trigger points
• Hock or stifle problems
• Compromised immune system
• Hormonal conditions
• Inflammation
• Nervousness
• Anxiety

Please feel free to contact All Star Equine before the show starts to set up an appointment at (940) 268-6460 or call Dr. Mark’s cell phone during the show at (503) 819-5151.