Megan Chastain Dressage

As many of you know, I’ve decided to get out the horse business and get into the kid business. As such I will no longer be doing training. I wish everyone the best in their horsey endeavors!

Motivational Monday: To the new trainer or amateur with one saddle in an over heating truck with a rusty trailer worth 1/100th what your horses are worth, I se...e you grinding. Pulling up next to that Platinum LQ with the back tack left open full of saddles makes you feel small. But you're not. To the person who can't seem to place in a class or even make it around, bending every ear in the industry, I see you. I know how bad you want to know what the big guys know. I commend your drive. It feels like everyone is making jokes at your expense but it's really only one or two, and they don't matter. To the one who's horse was a reject. You bought her cheap as dirt and she's not the best horse in the barn but damn it if you can train her imagine what you can do with a good one, I see you. I know the sweat you've put into this horse. I know you've put your head down on her neck and cried trying to figure her out. I know how thankful you are. I know how bad you want success. To prove you're worthy of the coliseum and to pay it forward. No one knows you came from nothing. No one knows what you sacrificed to keep going. But someday you could inspire many. Work in silence and continue to be humble. Do not stop grinding. I know who has left you. This is a tough sport, but there's a plan for you, I promise. Greatness is in your reach. I see you. Because I am you. @fleeceworks @samshieldamerica @frilly__fillies @soless_visors @customsaddlery @auburn_laboratories @c4belts @profchoice @jump4joyusa @coat_defense @nupafeed__usa @devoucoux @ezupshelters @totalsaddlefit @mdc_stirrups @soundhoofconditioner @revitavet @flairstrips @nutrenafeed @premierequestrian @cavallo__boots.fashion @uptimeenergy @haygainUSA @flexineb @mannaprohorse @multiradiance @hylofit @frilly_fillies @neueschuleusa @neue_schule_bits @zarasylltd Picture Credit: Shannon Brinkman Photography

*SOLD 2002 Brenderup Royal TC 2-horse bumper pull trailer. Warmblood height (7.2). $5800. Floor, tires, shocks, brakes all in great condition. Includes center stall divider (not shown in pics). Located in Stapleton, GA.

A recent study, conducted in Japan, compared various methods for cooling horses after exercise in hot and humid conditions. Thoroughbreds were exercised until t...heir pulmonary artery temperature reached 108F. The time until the pulmonary artery temperature returned to <102F and the rectal temperature at 30 minutes after the onset of cooling were compared between five methods including, (1) walking, (2) walking with fans, (3) walking with the intermittent application of cold water (50F), (4) walking with the intermittent application of cold water with scraping, and (5) stationary with continuous tap water (79F) application. The stationary with continuous tap water application produced the shortest time to return to a pulmonary artery temperature <102F; this time length averaged 2 minutes. The intermitted application of cold water produced the next shortest time length with an average of 10 minutes, while adding scrapping to that protocol lengthened the time to 12 minutes. Simply walking the horse took the longest time and averaged 25 minutes, while walking plus the fan took 15 minutes. All cooling methods resulted in lower rectal temperatures at 30 minutes compared to walking. Continuously showering the horse with cool tap water was the most effective method to decrease the core temperature in horses. This study demonstrated that the essential feature for cooling a hot horse is not the water temperature or the use of scraping but that the horse is kept covered in water cooler than its body temperature over an extended period. For more information on this research, visit https://www.sciencedirect.com//artic/pii/S0737080620302215