Will you be traveling for the holidays and leaving your barn in the care of a barn sitter? In our last blog we included some tips on how you can find a great barn sitter for the holidays. But when it comes time to leave your property, how well have you prepared your barn sitter? These tips can help set your barn sitter up for success.
Before you head out of town, call your vet’s office and explain that you will be away. Provide them with the sitter’s […]
Winter weather makes horse care more challenging, but the better prepared you are for the winter, the easier it will be. These six tips can help you to get your barn ready before the first snowstorm arrives.
1. Prepare for Rodents
As the temperature drops, rodents seek out warmer areas to live. This means your barn will be even more appealing than it normally is. In order to make your barn less appealing, clean up your feed room and make sure that all feeds and supplements are […]
Horsemen often rely on hot walkers and treadmills as opposed to hand-walking as an efficient method of conditioning, rehabilitation therapy, and for cooling horses down after work. These devices come in many shapes and sizes, each with its own unique characteristics and benefits. Walkers allow several horses to be exercised or cooled off simultaneously, providing time saving systems and quicker results.
Traditional Hot Walker (or Lead Walker):
This style of hot walker has been used by trainers and farm managers for years. An example of this would be the […]
Bringing a new horse home is often an exciting time, but introducing that horse to your herd can also be quite challenging and risky. Horses rely on the hierarchy of the herd for their security, social status, and safety. During the weeks following the introduction of a new horse, the herd must redefine their social rankings, leading to an increased risk of injury and stress for the newcomer as well as the established herd members. There are several steps you can take however, to help assure the transition is […]
When horse owners are faced with choosing the right barn for boarding and training, no two options are alike. So what will it take to make your show facility stand out from the rest?
Start with a professional website
Your website is home-base for your business and will often provide a first impression to your potential clients. It doesn’t have to be expensive; however it does need to portray quality and a high standard of professionalism. Great photos and videos showing happy clients, quality horses and a clean, safe, well-equipped facility are a must! Your […]
Autumn is the perfect time of year to enjoy a long trail ride with your horse, while taking in the beauty of the season. But before you head out on the trail be sure you’re prepared, to assure you and your horse both enjoy a safe and pleasant ride.
Prepare Your Horse
Before venturing out with your equine companion, be sure his confidence and fitness levels are adequate for the ride you have planned. If he is inexperienced on trails, slowly desensitize him to unique situations such as uneven terrain, water, dogs […]
Horse bedding: there’s never enough of it, is there? Whether you use shavings or straw, horse bedding always seems to disappear at an alarming rate. It’s frustrating throwing down expensive bedding so your horses can literally destroy it, but there are ways to stretch your bedding and save some money along the way. Using fewer resources, better, to save money? Sign us up, please! Here are some strategies to save horse bedding.
Try a sifter: For the horse who treats his stall like the set […]
Springtime is the traditional foaling season, but your mare could be expecting a foal at any time of year. Your foaling kit should be ready to go at a moment’s notice, because once the mare’s water breaks, you should have a foal on the ground within thirty minutes. That means the time to prepare is well before your mare’s due date. So how should you stock your foaling kit?
Here are some of the essential elements of a foaling kit:
Flashlight, battery-powered lantern, or head lamp, with […]
