Horses Creating Happiness

9:46 pm
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Looking for happiness? Look to horses.

Of course you’ve been telling your friends and family your horse is your therapist for years, but many psychologists will now back you up against those skeptical raised eyebrows. Horses are becoming an important part of mental health treatment, joining the ranks of therapy horses who assist people with physical disabilities. In this modern age, psychologists are using horses to make people happy, and it’s working.

Equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP) is one way psychologists are enlisting horses to help humans with a variety of issues, including attention deficit disorder, substance […]

Hay is For Horses

5:33 pm
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Hay is for horses…

and how much and where you feed that hay can make a difference to the health of your horse. Horses are natural-born grazers, meaning that in their natural state, horses would work at roughage for fourteen hours a day or more. Stalled horses, in contrast, often only have food before them for a few hours a day. Although free-choice hay is the best way, not every horse can have hay before them all the time.  What can a horse-owner do to make sure their horse gets the most from their hay […]

Can Music Relax Horses

5:36 pm
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Does music relax your horse?

Most barns have a radio. Sometimes it’s a dusty old clock radio that’s seen better days, sometimes it’s a fancy stereo kept safe from barn dirt with a towel. And barn radios play all sorts of tunes and talk, depending on the barn. Some trainers swear their horses only like country music; some say their horses live for Pink Floyd.  Others say classical music keeps every animal in the barn, whether they have two legs or four, nice and relaxed. But does music really relax your horse?

A team of […]

Washington International Horse Show

4:42 pm
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Fall horse shows can be trying, what with mud and rain and cold winds and all, so it shouldn’t come as any surprise that in fall, an equestrian competitor’s thoughts turn to indoor events.

And the largest indoor show of them all, the Washington International Horse Show, is about to kick off its 56th installment in the nation’s capitol.

The Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) has changed venues throughout the years, beginning in the Old Armory downtown. Stabling was in the basement, the schooling area was only available in the mornings, before competition began. Later […]

Easing Transitions for Horses

4:27 pm
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Horses are creatures of habit.

They like their meals at a certain time (as anyone who lives within earshot of a hungry horse will attest to), they like returning to the same stall every evening, and they like seeing the same familiar faces every day.

So when humans begin periods of transition, our horses do not always take the change well. New schedules, resulting from school starting, a new job, or even a new owner or rider, can send the most reliable and calm of horses into a physical and emotional tizzy. Behavior changes, health problems, and nervous […]

Buying Your Next Horse

7:54 pm
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Where did you buy your horse?

From Craigslist ads to breed shows, from auctions to sales barns, finding the perfect horse can feel like a hunt for a needle in a hay-stack — or several different hay-stacks! How do you know which route is best for you?

Are you an amateur or buying your first horse? In these cases, it’s best to go the tried and true route — to established sales barns, with a trusted professional at your side. Many horse enthusiasts are drawn to rescuing down-on-their-luck horses in auction rings and sales […]

Choosing the Right Stallion for your Mare

7:52 pm
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Fall may have just arrived, but for those in the horse breeding business, it’s already time to think about spring.

Today’s foals are tomorrow’s yearlings, and horse magazines are printing up their stallion issues. The breeding season will be upon us before we know it. Have you decided on the right stallion for your mare yet?

Chances are, unless you’ve fallen head over heels for one particular horse, there are still a few players on the market. What criteria will you use to choose the perfect stallion? We have a few suggestions.

Shared […]

A History of Horse Breeds

7:50 pm
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There are more than three hundred breeds of horse and pony in the world – we’ll bet you have a favorite one out of all those breeds! Where did such diversity come from? If every breed descended from one little dog-sized creature, Eohippus, how did we end up with everything from the Shetland to the Shire?

Well, the answer is humans, of course — we know what we want, and we aren’t afraid to mix and match horses until we get it. But in the case of horses, different groups of humans wanted different sorts of horses. The light […]

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