May 2026 Issue

May 2026 | EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN 40 Go ahead... Ask da Mare Dear Mal…I’m just getting into all the ups and downs of owning a horse. My 10 year-old gelding and I have been together for just a couple of months. I’ve been busy making lists of all the things I need to do to keep him healthy. But to- day, while I was grooming him, I found a couple of ticks on him! Ticks! Do I need to add tick problems to the list of worries? It’s only April, and I’m shocked! I thought they were a summer problem. What should I do? Grossed out! Dear Grossed Out…Congratula- tions on your new horse! You’ve got wonderful adventures ahead. But the ticks? Well, they’re among the benefi- ciaries of climate change. Their range is bigger and they’re arriving earlier. Sorry to bring bad news. But you don’t have to become a worry wort about them. Ticks can be discouraged, but not completely eradicated. Good pasture management, such as regularmowing, is one tactic. But amore direct prevention tactic is applica- tions to your horse—substances that can discourage ticks. There are a number of these. Repellents can range from chemi- cals like DEET and permethrin, to more organic products containing oils such as cedarwood, lemongrass, garlic, pepper- mint, etc. A good place to start is chat- ting with your veterinarian; to find out what kinds of tick-borne illnesses pre- dominate in your area. He or she will be able to tell you what kinds of things you should watch for. Tick bites don’t always result in illnesses. But your veterinarian can tell you how to take care of tick bites you find on your horse—to ensure they don’t turn into trouble. Lyme disease, which you may have heard of, affects horses as well as dogs and humans.There is a vaccine available for dogs, but not yet for horses. As the season heats up, ticks will show up more frequently. Ticks and other nasty bugs are great reasons to take extra care grooming your horse, looking for any nicks, cuts, bruises, etc. And ticks! Good luck, and happy trails to you and your horse. Dear Mal…Can horses heal the sad- ness that comes from a cascade of trage- dies? I have a friend who has had an un- believable run of sad events. In a span of sixmonths, she lost bothher parents; and she was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. She has been remarkably brave, and focused on the future. All of us (her friends) who worry about her have en- couraged her to seek professional help to deal what seems like overwhelming stress. But she is adamant that her daily routine of riding her horse and taking long walks with her dogs is all the thera- py she needs. What do you think? Worried Friend Dear Worried Friend…You are very kind to care so deeply about your friend. Sometimes people do need interventions from their loved ones in order to see that they do need help. It’s impossible for you to know precisely how grief is affecting your friend. You can, however, look for some signs that she is not coping as well as she says. For instance, if she refuses to talk about her losses, or has begun drinking more than usual, or blames herself for all that has happened, her cop- ing mechanisms may be overwhelmed. But your original question is key here. Horses are not necessarily healers, but they most definitely facilitate healing. Your friend historically has derived great joy from being with her horse and her dogs. Maintaining those routines—dai- ly riding and long walks—are ways she is applying a layer of normalcy over the stress she is living with. One of the great mysteries of the human/horse partner- ship is the powerful emotional bond that exists. Same with the canine/human partnership. The animals we care about don’t exist in emotional vacuums. They are sentient and capable of recognizing our emotions. That is one of the reasons horses anddogs are so adaptable to—and successful partners in—therapy with hu- mans. They have deep reserves of com- passion. The remarkable bonds humans forge with their horses and dogs are powerful enough to help us humans see and tap into our own reserves of strength and optimism. In that way, horses—and dogs, too—can help humans heal. Take care of your friend, and give her horse a big hug.