C 1 Study Answers:
CONDITIONING

- Discuss conditioning and how to condition for Pony Club activity of candidate’s choice.
11“Conditioning” is the process of getting a pony fit so that he can go longer and faster and work harder without getting tired.  Through conditioning, he also becomes tougher and stronger and is less likely to hurt himself.  Conditioning only works over time, so exercise must be repeated and increased gradually, day by day, over weeks and months.  If you try to do too much exercise in one day, not only are you not conditioning, but you are running the risk of injury.  The only way to build a strong body is to give it just enough exercise every day, along with the right nutrition and enough rest
12Conditioning for Showing, Dressage and Show Jumping:
o	Ordinary riding of one to two hours a day, six days a week, is usually sufficient to get a pony fit for showing.  Remember to warm up gradually and cool down carefully after work.  A pony should not be jumped every day because this is hard on his legs; two to three times per week is plenty.
13Conditioning for Eventing/Combined Training Events:
o	Eventing is a demanding sport that requires proper conditioning and training for both horse and rider.  Before entering, you must get advice and instruction from someone that is an expert in conditioning and preparing horses and riders for combined training events.  The conditioning schedule should be reviewed daily.  An example weekly schedule is:
?	Monday   Flat work and dressage
?	Tuesday   Jumping (gymnastics and stadium jumping)
?	Wednesday   Fitness work (distance and hill work)
?	Thursday   Flat work
?	Friday   Jumping (school cross-country fences)
?	Saturday   Fitness work (galloping)
?	Sunday   Rest day

NUTRITION

- Describe how feeds are measured and weighed
14Feed should be measured by pounds, using a small coffee can (one-pound size), a large can (two and one-half-pound size) or a grain scoop.  Weigh each kind of grain that is fed and find out how much grain equals one pound, and how many pounds of each kind of grain your can or scoop holds.  Hay should also be fed in pounds, so you will need to find out how many flakes it takes to make 5, 10 or 15 pounds of hay.
- Know amount and type of feed for own pony
15Member needs to know information for mount used at rating

- Describe characteristics of good and bad feed, watering, and pasture.
16Hay:
o	Good hay has a green color, leafiness and fine stems meaning the hay was cut early.  If it is cut late the stems become coarse and woody, there are fewer leaves, and much of the nutrition is lost.
o	Good hay smells sweet, like a new cut lawn.
o	Moldy or musty hay can give a horse colic; dusty hay can cause chronic cough and permanent lung damage—you must check each bale as it is opened.  Never feed hay that smells moldy or musty or that has gray or white patches.  
17Grain:
o	Good grain is clean, well stored, and not moldy.  Grains may be in kernel form or processed to make them easier to chew and digest. 
o	Moldy, dirty, fly infested grain should not be fed to horses.  Proper storage of grains, especially sweet feed, is essential, especially in hot and humid conditions.
18Water:
o	Good water is clean, plentiful (horses need at least 12 gallons per day), and not iced over in the winter. Water buckets, automatic waterers and water tanks must be kept clean.
o	Unsuitable water is dirty or scummy; smells bad; has hay, grain or manure in it; or is very cold (below 40 degrees Farenheit).
19Pasture:
o	Good pasture has limited weeds, swampy areas, and coarse, tough grass, and should not be overgrazed.  Horses can be very hard on pasture, eating the grass close to the ground and tearing up the ground with the hooves.  
o	If the pasture does not have sufficient grass, hay and grain will need to supplement the pony’s nutrition.

STABLE MANAGEMENT

- Discuss bedding appropriate to area.
20Bedding in the area tends to be absorbent (like shavings and sawdust) vs. drainage (straw)—Misty Brae uses absorbent bedding

- Describe conditions which foster internal & external parasites
21Worms, their eggs, and their larvae are carried in the pony’s intestines and excreted in manure.  A single pile of manure can contain thousands of parasite eggs and larvae.  Lack of parasite control, including regular worming, fly control, pasture rotation and manure control fosters parasites.
- Procedure for parasite control, in pasture and stall management
22Deworm pony on regular schedule, following vet’s advice on how often and what products to use
23Avoid keeping too many horses in small pastures; otherwise a heavy infestation of worm eggs may result.  
24Avoid overgrazing.  Horses will not eat grass near droppings (which is heavily contaminated with parasites) unless the rest of the grass is gone.
25Rotate pastures to give them a rest from horse grazing.  This can help to destroy the worm’s life cycle.
26Manure should be picked up from paddocks and small  pastures at least once a week, and from small paddocks and corrals every couple of days.
27Keep hay, feed, and water from being contaminated with manure.

- Ways to control flies, bot eggs
28Keep stable area clean – close garbage cans, clean up spilled grain, dispose of wet or moldy hay
29Use fly traps, especially near manure piles
30Control or eliminate (by improving drainage, etc) standing water, which can be a breeding ground for mosquitoes, deerflies, greenhead flies, and blackflies.
31Fly repellent can be used on horses during fly season.  Horse should be tested for skin sensitivity by using the repellent on a small area and making sure it doesn’t irritate the skin.

- Discuss types and causes of stable vices.
32Stable vices are usually learned out of nervousness or boredom.  Ponies that are kept in stalls or pens most of the time often have them.
33Cribbing   Pony grabs a solid object with his teeth and arches his neck while he swallows air (some can suck so much air that they can colic).
34Wood Chewing   Pony chews on wood, but does not suck in air – this may be caused by a vitamin or mineral deficiency or lack of salt; or by hunger; or boredom.
35Stall Kicking   Ponies kick the walls of their stall when they are anxious to be fed, jealous of their neighbors or upset.  Some just seem to like to make noise
36Pawing   Some ponies paw when they are excited or waiting to be fed, digging holes in their stall floors.  Some do it for attention.
37Weaving   Pony sways from side to side, swinging his head and shifting from one foot to another.  This is usually seen in nervous ponies.
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- Describe and give reasons for three types of clipping.
39Strip Clip   A minimum clip, like unzipping your jacket.  A strip is clipped along the underside of the neck and the front of the chest, and underneath the belly.  The pony still has most of his winter coat and usually does not need a blanket except in the coldest weather
40Trace Clip   A partial clip – the sides of the neck, shoulders, and belly are clipped about halfway up.  This clips the parts that sweat the most, leaving long hair on the legs and body.  A trace-clipped pony may or may not need a blanket, depending on how much hair has been clipped off and how cold the weather is.
41Hunter Clip   Often used on field hunters, includes the body, neck, and head.  Long hair is left to protect the legs (called “stockings”) and in a “saddle patch” (shaped like a saddle).  Blanketing is necessary.
42Full Clip   Used on show horses, includes the body, head, and legs.  Warm blankets and sometimes a hood are necessary.
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- Put a blanket or sheet on pony.
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CONFORMATION & LAMENESS

- Identify good and bad points of basic leg conformation.











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- Describe five common unsoundnesses (location and outward appearance)
53Splints   These are hard lumps that appear between the splint bones and the cannon bones.  The splint bones are attached to the cannon bone by a small ligament.  If the splint bone is injured (often caused by being struck) or carries more than its share of weight (often caused by bench knees), this ligament becomes sore.  It heals by building up a calcium deposit (new bone growth or “exostosis”) to weld the splint bone to the cannon bone.


54Bowed Tendon   This happens when a tendon is stretched too far, often because of an accident of slip when the horse is overtired.  Some tendon fibers are torn, causing pain, heat, and swelling.  Later, scar tissue forms, creating a thickening or “bow” in the tendon.  It may be a “high bow” or a “low bow”, depending on whether it is up close to the knee or down close to the fetlock joint.  Calf knees (back at the knee), long sloping pasterns, long toes and low heels, and weak “tied-in” tendons put more strain on the tendons and may contribute to bowed tendons, however and horse can bow a tendon through an accident such as a slip or a fall.
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