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 […]

The first time I heard the term “equilates,” I thought it might be Pilates for horses.

In fact, it is Pilates developed specifically for those who ride horses.

It seems a couple of people claim to have coined the term and developed the system, but dressage champion, Betsy Steiner, has trademarked the term. Her website, Equilates, describes the method as:

“…the sport-specific training method developed by Betsy Steiner using the basic premises of Pilates: promoting elongation of the spine, muscular flexibility and balance, strengthening the core resulting in the relaxed concentration and flow needed to create the […]

On the night of February 10, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln was awakened by a fire alarm outside the White House.

His bodyguard, Robert McBride, saw Lincoln dash across the space between the residence and the Treasury building—the stables containing the Lincoln family horses was on fire.

With the horses still inside, Lincoln “with his own hands burst open the stable door.” McBride reported that others standing nearby prevented Lincoln from entering the hopelessly-engulfed stables. Six horses died, and when McBride returned to the White House, he found Lincoln in tears.

Though that fire was determined to […]

Have you ever spent time standing in one place in the cold for an extended period? Did you notice how when you moved again, your muscles felt stiff?

Multiply this by a winter’s length of time standing in a stall or moving slowly around a wet field. Now you know how your horse feels when you want to start riding more consistently with summer on the way.

Even if you ride year-round, if you’re in an area with highly changeable weather you probably ride indoors in the winter and less frequently. So how do you […]