Cooinda Park Equestrian in Alligator Creek | Equestrian centre

Cooinda Park Equestrian

Locality: Alligator Creek

Phone: +61 409 159 133

Add/Update information

Reviews

Tags

• Sport & recreation
• Equestrian centre

24.01.2022 Check out the new hay shed! Thanks Hubby! No more annoying hay in my feed room.

24.01.2022 Salt and electrolytes Id like to share my personal story. I have recommended 2 tablespoons of salt (about 50 g or so) and more in hot weather for horses on unt...ested forage on the basis of the NRC Nutrient Requirements of Horses and Dr Eleanor Kellon VMD. Horses use sodium, chloride and potassium for chemical processes in the body (maintenance needs) AND for cooling down when sweating (sweat losses). Fortunately potassium is relatively high in all feeds including grass and hay so from a daily, maintenance aspect, the two electrolytes we mainly have to supplement is sodium and chloride. Fortunately the easy way to do this is with NaCl, salt. A couple of days ago I was visited by Dr Mel Quick, well respected and extremely qualified lameness vet, chiropractor/vet with extensive clinical experience. She is in my area for a conference with Dr Ian Bidstrup. Mel commented on how well my horses are but pointed out that they were dehydrated in the fascia and I need to supplement more salt. They would get an A in their endurance logbook from a vet checking hydration but Mel was looking more comprehensively. Mel gives her horses 6 (six!) tablespoons of salt over a day on extremely hot days. It makes sense. If we only supplement at one time in a day and knowing that electrolyte excess is excreted easily and efficiently within a 4 hour window (NRCPlus) then it makes sense that if a horse is sweating in the heat in the paddock, its not going to be enough. Ive now stepped it up to 4 tablespoons, split between two small feeds (we have plenty of grass thank goodness). If your horse does not have access to water (huh?) never force salt into your horse as it can cause hypernatraemia. Always have drinking water available. Sodium is what the brain reads in determining when to trigger thirst and when to regulate the amount of sodium and water the body excretes in the urine. Sodium levels in brain are read by cells called osmoreceptors. At normal body levels, the horse has 1.58 g of sodium per kg of body weight. Thats 632 g of sodium for a 400 kg horse. Slightly over 50% of that is stored in the bone and only 10% of the bodys sodium is in the blood. If blood levels of sodium have been low for a long time, when you start to provide salt, sodium will need to be replenished in the skeleton and other tissues, not just the blood. When a horse is sodium deficient, they drink less, they urinate less to conserve sodium. A sodium deficiency = fatigue. Drinking less may make you think you shouldnt give salt but salt is what they need. By supplementing salt, it can trigger drinking. Many endurance riders know how well this works. You may ask, why do horses not drink when they are obviously dehydrated (pinch test)? The two triggers that can cause the thirst mechanism to be activated are loss of body fluids and loss of concentration of sodium. When body fluids around cells drop due to sweating (horse looks dehydrated, tucked up, skin stands up in tent, slow to lower), fluids are forced out of the interstitial spaces (around tissues and organs) to compensate for this. With continued exercise and sweating, fluid is absorbed from the stores in the gastrointestinal tract. (Jenkinson et al., 2006) This helps maintain the fluid volume of the plasma. Due to the large reservoir of fluids that the horse maintains, plasma volume is able to be maintained, even with a fairly large loss of total body volume. The plasma concentration of sodium is also fairly stable. When the sodium levels drop, the kidney concentrates the urine and less is secreted. When the fluids move from interstitial spaces or from the colon, sodium is moved with it. This allows for a more stable plasma concentration of sodium, so the cells do not recognise that there is sodium depletion. The notion that all grass and hay provides enough salt, or that horses will always get what they need from a salt block is not supported by pasture and hay test results or research. Horses are amazing at conserving sodium if the need arises, and will even excrete potassium as a substitute for sodium in urine. I dont want to confuse people, salt is so far the only documented craving in horses, they will travel long distances to a salt lick but the above hopefully will help with understanding why some horses simply wont access a salt block. The best way to supplement salt is in a feed, in addition a bucket of loose salt in the paddock is sensible too but NOT to be relied on. And please dont be fooled into thinking your horse knows always when he needs to grab salt from your salt block. Some dont even like the flavour. I havent covered sweat losses but this is enough detail for now. http://jap.physiology.org/content/86/5/1610.full http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UFE0022784/00001

22.01.2022 Happy Monday everyone!

22.01.2022 When youre trying to get a majestic photo of your horse and the rainbow!

22.01.2022 With our British Eventing Official season starting in just 4 weeks at BEDE Eventing Oasby we thought it was only right to have a little look back at 2019...and ...the infamous dressage video Who said dressage was boring. Someone wanted to be friends with Ruby. watch to the end Devoucoux cottages.com Spillers Equi-Bebb Products Omega Equine Majyk Equipe Protexin Equine Premium Finer Stables Eventing Images KEP Italia UK KEP Italia - MAIN PAGE Silverfeet Aubiose Horse Bedding Hi Ho Silver FAIRFAX & FAVOR Mackenzie & George Lotus Romeo UK 3 Donkeys Clothing coolhorsesocks.co.uk

21.01.2022 Isolation means time to build some more jumps! Currently researching colour ideas to make them pretty. Feel free to share any cool jumps youve come across (I already have basic blue and white!).

21.01.2022 Quote of the day...

20.01.2022 Lockdown translated for horse people: You are now on Box Rest. If you stay quiet, you can start hand-walking in 4 weeks.Lockdown translated for horse people: You are now on Box Rest. If you stay quiet, you can start hand-walking in 4 weeks.

20.01.2022 Happy New Year!

20.01.2022 Finished the isolation jumps! Phoenix inspecting them... he feels going around them is much more sensible! Ill make a show jumper out of you one day buddy!

18.01.2022 EOI - I've been asked to come to Townsville one last time before Christmas. It would only be a short visit with limited appointments - is anyone keen for a sad...dle fit or equine massage? Please DO NOT PM me as I have gremlins in this pages' messaging system. To register your interest - please fill in the enquiry form on my website and I'll get back to you. Thanks!! [email protected] See more

15.01.2022 We shall remember them The purple poppy - to commemorate all animals deeds and sacrifices during war #remembranceday #weshallrememberthem #purplepoppy

13.01.2022 Feeding time at Cooinda. What a magical time of year in Townsville!

13.01.2022 NEWS ALERT Women ages 30-70 are most likely to carry COVID-19 CORONA VIRUS without symptoms! The best treatment plan is quarantine away from work, men and c...hildren. Horse stables are designated quarantine centers and must be stocked with wine or beverages of choice, and both kinds of snacks, salty and sweet. No contact for a minimum 15 days while they suffer through the incubation period, although feed deliveries, vets and farriers are permitted. Please spread the word....see you all in 15 days LOL!!!! (partially stolen from a friend ;) ok - mostly stolen) See more

13.01.2022 Dont over complicate it. There was a time when you were just happy to ride, happy to be in the company of horses. It didnt matter if you could execute a perf...ect shoulder in, or jump double clear round 1.20 tracks. You were just happy to have two feet in the stirrups and ears leading the way. You didnt care about having the best tack, or the newest hi-tech breeches. An old jumper, your favourite, well worn jods and colourful half chaps did the job just fine. You didnt spend the days between Christmas and New Year planning a heavy schedule of training sessions, clinics and competitions. You threw tinsel round your ponys neck and went hacking with friends. The new year was just another 365 days to go riding. Dont forget that you started this sport because you loved the animal. You loved the rush of galloping across open fields and the serenity of watching a horse quietly graze in the sun. You do this because there is nothing on this earth that makes you feel more alive than being on the back of a horse, so dont overcomplicate it. Enjoy the little things, because one day youll look back and realise, they werent little at all.

13.01.2022 Life goal! Phoenix, we have a lot of work to do!

12.01.2022 Steamy, warm feeds for a dreary, wet day! Brrrr!

11.01.2022 On this Anzac Day, we dont just remember our brave service men and women. Lets also honour the hundreds of thousands of horses, dogs, donkeys, mules and pigeo...ns that selflessly sacrificed their own lives in battles theyll never be able to comprehend. For example, of the 136,000 horses sent off to World War One, only one ever made it home to Australia. These animals have given so much. Not just on the battlefield but also as comfort and support for our soldiers at their most difficult times. Lest We Forget.

09.01.2022 When you get bored of handwalking! Two birds, one stone! Love my pony. He tries so hard to understand what the heck I’m asking him to do now. Just look at that sweet face!

08.01.2022 Thank you to my talented agisters, Steph and Lou, for making Kenny look amazing for the first pony club rally!!!

08.01.2022 Im posting this with a heavy heart... As much as I love having horses, it takes up too much of my time and I am struggling to keep up with the everyday basics... such as cleaning and maintaining my home, so something has to give. I will be re-homing my collection. Please dont ask any questions, as I cant handle talking about it. Below is a list of whats available. All FREE of charge, but to good homes only. Serious inquiries only please. Thanks for reading and understanding... 1. Dustpan and brush 2. Sponges 3. Dusters 4. Mop and bucket 5. Window cleaner 6. Vaccuum 7. Dishwashing liquid 8. Laundry detergent 9. Fabric softener 10. Laundry baskets 11. Toilet brush 12. Cleaning sprays 13. Scrubbing brushes

07.01.2022 THE FRONTAL LOBE OF THE HORSES BRAIN IS NEARLY NON-EXISTENT. How does this apply to schooling/training? Frontal lobes are involved in higher mental functions ...such as reasoning. This means that horses cannot reason or plan to be naughty. They cannot be blamed for bad behaviour or poor performance. They cannot recognise future consequences. Horses simply react to the situation. They learn through conditioning and memory. I see and hear so many riders anthropomorphize their horses instead of finding better training tools. Phrases such as, he just likes to be difficult or this pony is so naughty or he understands or knows what I want, but wont do it, or he moves his hindquarters at every halt just to irritate me. Horses do not know what we want unless we explain it in a manner that they can understand immediately. A few months ago a rider told me how her horse just does not want to co-operate. It started with overt flight behaviour and then became a subtle snatchy movement of the nose. I asked her whether it could be due to discomfort. She answered, no, she is just naughty. It turned out that the horse was suffering from laminitis and was in severe discomfort! It made me want to cry. At the moment I am training a young horse from scratch. I also used phrases such as, she has a short fuse and she challenges me every step of the way. Then I realised that everything I was doing on this horse was completely new to her. I realised how frightening that must be for an animal with no reasoning ability. She was actually trying hard to understand me, but when new instructions were a tad confusing, she showed me in no uncertain terms that she did not understand it. The horses reactions to learning new skills all depends on personality. This particular horse is extremely sensitive and an introvert. Utopia, my older horse, is less sensitive and a complete extrovert. She can deal with much more pressure than the youngster. The message for me is that I must train each horse with the kind of pressure which they can deal with. Each horse has a different tolerance for pressure. Us riders have to be adaptable to each horses ability to deal with pressure. Personally I find that most behavioural problems stem from confusion, discomfort and too much pressure. If you enjoyed this post, please like the page The Zen Racehorse for more! Photo one: the equine brain. Photo two: the human brain. Thanks to Karin Blignault for the info!!

06.01.2022 When you want to ride, but ponies have decided its nap time instead.

05.01.2022 Merry Christmas everyone! Love from Cooinda Park (Its a real struggle trying to get all ears forward and antlers in the photo!)

04.01.2022 Un peu de poésie :)