Monday, January 30, 2012

Cheating

This is something that many many people struggle with, roughly 1 out of 5 relationships in the U.S. I wanted to post and share this with the horse therapy community because I'm sure you've thought about these things yourself or know someone who has gone through a bad relationship. Please take a look at this video from Psych Central on the issue of Cheating. 

Source: http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/01/30/video-on-cheating/

 

Pegasus is an organization that brings recovery through Horse Therapy and Equine Courses to help people achieve an addiction cure! Visit PegasusEct.com for more information! :) 

 

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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

2012 KENA Networking

Hey everyone, just wanted to pass on this golden nugget of information to everyone involed in the horse therapy community.

"The dates and topics for the 2012 Kentucky Equine Networking Association (KENA) have been set. KENA is a bimonthly networking dinner hosted by the Kentucky Horse Council in partnership with the University of Kentucky's Ag Equine Programs (formerly the UK Equine Initiative).

KENA provides an educational and social venue for equine professionals and other horse enthusiasts from all disciplines to share ideas and business strategies.

Upcoming dates and topics are:

  • March 15, Buyer vs. seller perspective of marketing techniques
  • May 17, Common causes of lameness in the horse
  • July 19, Equine business vs. hobby: What is the law?
  • Sept. 20, Equine acupuncture
  • Nov. 29, Considerations for building an equine facility

All meetings are at 6 p.m. at the Clarion Hotel in Lexington, Ky., except for the March 15 meeting, which will be at the Embassy Suites in Lexington, Ky.

For more information, visit www.kyequinenetwork.org."

Source: TheHorse.com

Pegasus is an organization that brings recovery through Horse Therapy and Equine Courses to help people achieve an addiction cure! Visit PegasusEct.com for more information! :) 

 

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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Update on Equine Herpesvirus

Many horses including the ones at Pegasus, an equine therapy program, have been quarantined this past week due to the outbreak of the herpesvirus among horses. Here's an update on the situation by TheHorse.com

"Three additional cases of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) were confirmed in California over the weekend, bringing the total number of cases in the current outbreak to eight, according to a statement from the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA).

On Jan. 11 a gelding residing on a "large multidiscipline facility with no movement of horses on or off the property" tested positive for the debilitating virus. He was quarantined on the farm and is receiving veterinary care.

On Jan. 12 testing confirmed that two additional horses on the property were EHV-1-positive. Those horses were also isolated and quarantined on the same farm and are receiving veterinary attention. On Jan. 13, two additional horses on the premises tested positive for the virus.

Over the weekend, three additional cases were confirmed. New information from the CDFA indicates that only one horse has displayed neurologic signs; however, all eight have been quarantined on the property and are receiving veterinary attention.

"All exposed horses on the property are being monitored, and enhanced biosecurity measures have been implemented," the statement read. "The source of the outbreak has not been identified."

Further, an epidemiologic investigation into the outbreak showed that the current situation is in no way linked to any of the three EHV-1 outbreaks California saw in 2011, the statement noted.

Although it's not transmissible to humans, EHV-1 is highly contagious among horses and camelids, and it is generally passed from horse to horse via aerosol transmission (when affected animals sneeze/cough) and contact with nasal secretions. The disease can cause a variety of ailments in equines, including rhinopneumonitis (a respiratory disease usually found in young horses), abortion in broodmares, and myeloencephalopathy (EHM, the neurologic form).

Myeloencephalopathy is characterized by fever, ataxia (incoordination), weakness or paralysis of the hind limbs, and incontinence. Should a horse with potential EHV-1 exposure display any of the aforementioned clinical signs, a veterinarian should be called to obtain samples and test for the disease.

TheHorse.com will continue to provide updated information as it becomes available."

Source: http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=19462

Pegasus is an organization that brings recovery through Horse Therapy and Equine Courses to help people achieve an addiction cure! Visit PegasusEct.com for more information! :) 

 

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Wednesday, January 18, 2012

New Deworming Strategy

This article is for all horse professionals and horse owners! According to TheHorse.com both owners and professionals have teamed up to create a new deworming strategy! This is great news for the horse therapy and equine therapy community! Read more...

"When Kevin Nelson, DVM, of Union Grove, Wis., hosted a barbecue and fecal egg testing party, it was the most well-attended educational and social event Bristol Veterinary Services had ever sponsored. Barbecue and fecal egg testing? That's right.

"We wanted to talk with horse owners about old deworming vs. new deworming strategies and thought having an event, with fecal egg testing right on site, was a creative way to boost attendance," Nelson said. "It worked. We had more horse owners there than at any other educational event we had held in the past. What that told us is horse owners are interested in and receptive to changing their deworming strategies."

The original concept of rotating equine deworming products as a way to reduce the development of resistance was created more than four decades ago. Standard practice since then has been to rotate different products throughout the year but to treat every horse identically, without knowing if that horse is a high, moderate, or low shedder of parasite eggs. Although seemingly a sound strategy at the time, it simply doesn't make sense to treat every horse the same given previous research has shown that 20% of horses harbor 80% of the parasites.

"Based on scientific evidence, we now know there is a more effective way to manage parasites," said Hoyt Cheramie, DVM, MS, manager of Merial Large Animal Veterinary Services. "Through fecal egg counts, we can identify the high, moderate, and low shedders and treat each horse based on its specific needs.

"Then, following the individualized treatment plans, we can use fecal egg count reduction tests to help determine whether or not specific products are effective against the parasites present on a particular farm," Cheramie continued. "Without this information, horse owners may be deworming in the dark--and perhaps spending money on products that aren't effective."

"Once we started educating people about the importance and value of strategic deworming, they really showed an interest in adopting this approach," said Nelson. ""It was simply a matter of sharing the information and showing them through fecal egg counts how every horse is different. We were then able to talk about specific programs tailored to each horse's needs, which can ultimately result in spending less money and not giving a horse medication it doesn't really need."

Besides educating horse owners individually or through events, veterinarians can refer them to www.rethinkdeworming.com, Merial's website dedicated to advanced parasite management which is part of the "Greetings Human" campaign, which uses humor and parasite banter to help educate people about what can be perceived as a somewhat dry topic.

In addition to access to important information on the site, www.rethinkdeworming.com offers veterinarian-focused features such as fecal egg count tracking charts and educational materials."

Source: http://www.thehorse.com/viewarticle.aspx?ID=19442&source=rss

Pegasus is an organization that brings recovery through Horse Therapy and Equine Courses to help people achieve an addiction cure! Visit PegasusEct.com for more information! :) 

Please support us by "Liking" our page at...Horse Therapy

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Perfectionisms Good Side

In horse therapy we get a lot of perfectionists, including myself. People think there is always a "right" way or "wrong" way to do things like haltering a horse. This article takes a look at perfectionism and brings out the good!  

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"There are many pitfalls of striving for perfection. Most of us are familiar with these damaging effects: the pressure that leads to paralysis, a fear of mistakes, missed deadlines, stress, anxiety, low self-confidence.

But many people also credit their perfectionism for their great success. According to self-professed perfectionist Jeff Szymanski, Ph.D, a clinical psychologist and author of The Perfectionist’s Handbook: Take Risks, Invite Criticism, and Make the Most of Your Mistakes, there is such a thing as healthy perfectionism.

 

He distinguishes healthy from unhealthy perfectionism in this way:

 As a rule of thumb, you’re operating within the realm of healthy perfectionism when your payoffs are greater than your costs, you are striving for and meeting standards you set for yourself, and you value organization. However, your unhealthy perfectionism is at play when your behavior, choices, and strategies are driven by factors such as a fear of failure, chronic concerns about making mistakes, constant self-doubting, attempts to live up to others’ expectations of you, anxiety about always falling short of self-made goals, and if your costs outweigh your payoffs.

Szymanski cites findings from a review of 20 years of perfectionism research. The results were quite surprising. It revealed that healthy perfectionism was associated with everything from less depression, anxiety and procrastination to higher achievement and academic success to more social support, greater life satisfaction and less self-blame.

The problem with perfectionism, he explains, isn’t in wanting things to be perfect. It’s in what we do with that desire. According to Szymanski:

In other words, our intentions, desires, and ambitions aren’t the problem. Rather, what matters are the ways in which you go about achieving those desired outcomes — the strategies you choose to use. Different strategies lead to different outcomes…Research on perfectionism has found that striving to achieve personal standards (your intention) isn’t where the problem occurs. Instead, people run into trouble when they become preoccupied with making mistakes and doubting themselves excessively. These ineffective strategies are, in fact, what get in the way of reaching our desired outcomes.

In his book, Szymanski has a useful way of thinking about perfection that can help perfectionists achieve good outcomes. Consider a recent experience when you didn’t achieve what you aimed for, and think about the following:

My intention was to ________________

My strategy was to _________________

My desired outcome was ___________

The actual outcome was ______________

 

"

Source: http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/01/17/a-different-take-on-perfecti...

Pegasus is an organization that brings recovery through Horse Therapy and Equine Courses to help people achieve an addiction cure! Visit PegasusEct.com for more information! :) 

 

Please support us by "Liking" our page at...Horse Therapy

 

Monday, January 9, 2012

Your Brain and Anxiety

Almost all of us suffer from anxiety from time to time, but what if we could actually rid ourselves of it by using our brain and thoughts. I thought people involed with horse therapy would enjoy this article, it's a little long, but its really great! 

"Our thoughts affect our brains. More specifically, “… what you pay attention to, what you think and feel and want, and how you work with your reactions to things sculpt your brain in multiple ways,” according to neuropsychologist Rick Hanson, Ph.D, in his newest book Just One Thing: Developing A Buddha Brain One Simple Practice at a Time. In other words, how you use your mind can change your brain.

According to Canadian scientist Donald Hebb, “Neurons that fire together, wire together.” If your thoughts focus on worrying and self-criticism, you’ll develop neural structures of anxiety and a negative sense of self, says Hanson.

For instance, individuals who are constantly stressed (such as acute or traumatic stress) release cortisol, which in another article Hanson says eats away at the memory-focused hippocampus. People with a history of stress have lost up to 25 percent of the volume of their hippocampus and have more difficulty forming new memories.

The opposite also is true. Engaging in relaxing activities regularly can wire your brain for calm. Research has shown that people who routinely relax have “improved expression of genes that calm down stress reactions, making them more resilient,” Hanson writes.

 

Also, over time, people who engage in mindfulness meditation develop thicker layers of neurons in the attention-focused parts of the prefrontal cortex and in the insula, an area that’s triggered when we tune into our feelings and bodies.

Other research has shown that being mindful boosts activation of the left prefrontal cortex, which suppresses negative emotions, and minimizes the activation of the amygdala, which Hanson refers to as the “alarm bell of the brain.”

Hanson’s book gives readers a variety of exercises to cultivate calm and self-confidence and to enjoy life. Here are three anxiety-alleviating practices to try.

1. “Notice you’re all right right now.” For many of us sitting still is a joke — as in, it’s impossible. According to Hanson, “To keep our ancestors alive, the brain evolved an ongoing internal trickle of unease. This little whisper of worry keeps you scanning your inner and outer world for signs of trouble.”

Being on high alert is adaptive. It’s meant to protect us. But this isn’t so helpful when we’re trying to soothe our stress and keep calm. Some of us — me included — even worry that if we relax for a few minutes, something bad will happen. (Of course, this isn’t true.)

Hanson encourages readers to focus on the present and to realize that right now in this moment, you’re probably OK. He says that focusing on the future forces us to worry and focusing on the past leads to regret. Whatever activity you’re engaged in, whether it’s driving, cooking dinner or replying to email, Hanson suggests saying, “I’m all right right now.”

Of course, there will be moments when you won’t be all right. In these times, Hanson suggests that after you ride out the storm, “… as soon as possible, notice that the core of your being is okay, like the quiet place fifty feet underwater, beneath a hurricane howling above the sea.”

2. “Feel safer.” “Evolution has given us an anxious brain,” Hanson writes. So, whether there’s a tiger in the bushes doesn’t matter, because staying away in both cases keeps us alive. But, again, this also keeps us hyper-focused on avoiding danger day to day. And depending on our temperaments and life experiences, we might be even more anxious.

Most people overestimate threats. This leads to excessive worrying, anxiety, stress-related aliments, less patience and generosity with others and a shorter fuse, according to Hanson.

Are you more guarded or anxious than you need to be? If so, Hanson suggests the following for feeling safer:

  • Think of how it feels to be with a person who cares about you and connect to those feelings and sensations.
  • Remember a time when you felt strong.
  • List some of the resources at your disposal to cope with life’s curveballs.
  • Take several long, deep breaths.
  • Become more in tune with what it feels like to feel safer. “Let those good feelings sink in, so you can remember them in your body and find your way back to them in the future.”

3. “Let go.” Letting go is hard. Even though clinging to clutter, regrets, resentment, unrealistic expectations or unfulfilling relationships is painful, we might be afraid that letting go makes us weak, shows we don’t care or lets someone off the hook. What holds you back in letting go?

Letting go is liberating. Hanson says that letting go might mean releasing pain or damaging thoughts or deeds or yielding instead of breaking. He offers a great analogy:

“When you let go, you’re like a supple and resilient willow tree that bends before the storm, still here in the morning — rather than a stiff oak that ends up broken and toppled over.”

Here are some of Hanson’s suggestions for letting go:

  • Be aware of how you let go naturally every day, whether it’s sending an email, taking out the trash, going from one thought or feeling to another or saying goodbye to a friend.
  • Let go of tension in your body. Take long and slow exhalations, and relax your shoulders, jaw and eyes.
  • Let go of things you don’t need or use.
  • Resolve to let go of a certain grudge or resentment. “This does not necessarily mean letting other people off the moral hook, just that you are letting yourself off the hotplate of staying upset about whatever happened,” Hanson writes. If you still feel hurt, he suggests recognizing your feelings, being kind to yourself and gently releasing them.
  • Let go of painful emotions. Hanson recommends several books on this topic: Focusing by Eugene Gendlin and What We May Be by Piero Ferrucci. In his book, Hanson summarizes his favorite methods: “relax your body;” “imagine that the feelings are flowing out of you like water’” express your feelings in a letter that you won’t send or vent aloud; talk to a good friend; and be open to positive feelings and let them replace the negative ones."

Source:http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/01/09/how-to-train-your-brain-to-alleviate-anxiety/

Pegasus is an organization that brings recovery through Horse Therapy and Equine Courses to help people achieve an addiction cure! Visit PegasusEct.com for more information! :) 

Please support us by "Liking" our page at...Horse Therapy