Equestrian Barns & Architecture: Start Living the Dream

Book Review: The Eighty-Dollar Champion

3:35 pm

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Snowman, the Horse that Inspired a Nation

By Elizabeth Letts 336 pages (includes notes, bibliography and index), 2012 Ballantine Books.

Much in the fashion of Secretariat and Seabiscuit, The Eighty Dollar Champion is a well documented historical non-fiction novel, this one written by an equestrienne.

I had originally read the original children’s book many years ago, Snowman by Rutherford Montgomery published in 1962. So while I was familiar with the story, this adult version tells the comprehensive tale of the symbiotic relationship between a horse and a man with extensive detail of […]

In My Most Humble Opinion: ARENA FOOTING

6:02 pm

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Facility Planning & Design, Guest Author Farmgirl

I have been asked, more than I ever expected, questions about my choice of arena footing.

As any horseperson is well aware, in the horse world, everyone has their own opinion about everything and their opinion is the only right one.

With that and one more caveat, I am taking a deep breath and going out on a limb to share with you my opinion on footings. The caveat is: this is the footing that works best for me. Your situation may be far different depending upon material availability, weather conditions, riding discipline and personal experience.

In the […]

Just a Barn Cat

6:02 pm

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Guest Author Farmgirl, Misc.

His name was Jester. Actually it was Chester when I got him, but he quickly earned the name Jester.

His perfect black and white markings, and his entertaining personality made me think of a court jester.

He came with the farm. I didn’t want him, had too many cats already. But the seller had to leave him behind. He had come with the place when she bought it, and with her divorce, just one more thing she could not deal with. She smoothed over my objections, “He is just a barn cat, no trouble, doesn’t need […]

The Pros and Cons of Legislating Green Construction

6:14 am

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Facility Planning & Design

There’s a lot to be said about going Green. Often times, the benefits are accentuated. And generally speaking, those benefits inspire us to invest in what we believe will be a better and more efficient future for generations to come.

Makes sense, right?    With this being an election year, my thoughts take me to the campaign process and recent debates. Each candidate expresses their views, experience, and opinion with great passion and conviction. For the most part, they present a compelling argument. However, I tend to wait for the Fact Check coupled with my own research, values […]

Fall Adventure: De-clutter Your Stables

3:19 pm

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Equine Care, Facility Planning & Design

Recently, I read a blog on MyHorse Daily written by Jessica Hein, titled “Sprucing Up Your Horse Barn.” She provides a 10-step guide to de-cluttering and organizing your stable in preparation for fall.

Because I enjoy cleaning out my closets several times a year and organizing my garage (always a daunting task) this article immediately grabbed my attention like dust to a microfiber cloth.

Although cleaning stables can seem like a massive undertaking, the suggestion is to tackle one thing at a time, or in my case, go full force when inspired! For me, de-cluttering […]

Analogies and The Wizard of Oz

1:34 am

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Equine Care, Guest Author Farmgirl, Misc.

I absolutely love analogies, love them, couldn’t live without them. That which could take a novel to explain can be communicated quickly and simply with an analogy.

Definition: analogy (a-nal-o-gy /a’nalegee) Noun. Similarity in some respect between things that are otherwise dissimilar, a comparison based on such similarity. A resemblance, likeness or parallel.

So, I was having a lesson a few weeks ago and started describing the personalities of my herd (sigh, yes, a small herd, but still a herd) to my instructor. And all of a sudden it came to me that […]

Fire!

1:06 am

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Equine Care, Guest Author Farmgirl, Misc.

The four letter word that brings fear to everyone, but hits especially hard to horse owners on rural farm property.

The smell of smoke in the dog days of summer is so out of place and unexpected that you question your nose and doubt the olfactory glands that are shooting adrenalin throughout your neurological system: FIRE!

Quickly, you instinctively move towards the closest window, pressing flesh against window screen, breathing deeply through your nose to convince yourself you really aren’t smelling smoke on this breezy summer morning. Not trusting just one of your five senses, your eyes […]

Stall Cleaning

6:52 am

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Equine Care

Cleaning a stall is crucial to maintain the health of your horse(s), and may aid in limiting the spread of contamination when an outbreak of infectious disease occurs.

It may also be necessary after a period of disuse or as a precautionary measure when infection is suspected. Here’s how:

1. Remove all bedding from the stall. Do not put contaminated bedding in a manure pile or anywhere near animals. Piles of manure and bedding are perfectly suited for the breeding of bacteria. Dispose of soiled bedding by spreading it in an area where it can break […]