Lessons for Next Summer: Tips to Keep Your Stable and Horses Cool During Heat Waves

4:11 pm

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A thermometer with the sun shining in the sky

Summer Tips: Keep Your Stable and Horses Cool in Heat Waves

With global heat waves becoming more intense, keeping horses cool and comfortable is more challenging than ever. As another hot summer comes to an end, now is the perfect time to reflect on what worked, what didn’t, and how we can better prepare ourselves and our horses for the following years.

1. Ensure Optimal Ventilation

Good airflow is crucial for maintaining a cool stable. Poor ventilation traps heat, humidity, and harmful gases like ammonia from manure. Installing roof vents, ridges, adding windows, or using […]

7 Tips to Name Your Foal in 2024

5:51 pm

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Equine Care, Misc.

7 Tips for Naming Your Foal in 2024

Welcoming a new foal into the world is a thrilling journey cherished by every horse owner. With the 2024 foaling season around the corner, breeders anticipate one of most significant and exciting decisions of the year: choosing the perfect name for their new foals! Did you know that certain breeds have traditions where foals are named based on the first letter corresponding to the year of their birth? For instance, breeds like Thoroughbreds or Standardbreds often associate each year with a specific letter for naming foals.

Naming a […]

Hemlock (the plant) vs. Hemlock (the tree) – An Important Distinction in Equine Safety

11:28 pm

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Equine Care, Misc.

Hemlock (the plant) vs. Hemlock (the tree)

Hemlock Plant vs. Hemlock Tree: Key Differences for Equine Safety

In the world of equine health, distinguishing between the hemlock poison plant and the benign hemlock tree is crucial. Despite their shared name, one poses a hazard to horses, while the other may very well be an asset to your equestrian property.

Hemlock Poison (Conium maculatum)

Hemlock poison, scientifically known as Conium maculatum, stands as a threat to horses and various livestock. This toxic plant harbors potent alkaloids, including coniine and gamma-coniceine, capable of inducing paralysis and, in the most serious cases, death if consumed […]

7 KEY CONSIDERATIONS WHEN BUILDING YOUR DREAM BARN

7:22 pm

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Equine Care, Facility Planning & Design

7 Key Considerations When Building Your Dream Barn

7 Key Considerations for Building Your Dream Barn

As architects, we are frequently asked what makes a great barn design. And while aesthetics are important, there are several crucial factors that must be considered to prioritize the well-being of horses, providing them with a secure, comfortable, and healthy environment, while also ensuring functional and practical spaces for their handlers. These considerations apply whether you are planning a grand, state-of-the-art facility or a cozy personal barn!

Here are 7 key features we carefully consider when building or renovating stables in collaboration with our clients:

The Rise of Genetic Technology in the Equine Industry

10:30 pm
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Equine Care, News

The Rise of Genetic Technology in the Equine Industry

The equine industry has seen a significant shift in recent years with the rise of genetic technology, with DNA testing slowly becoming a commonplace in several countries. Currently, a lot of the interest around performance testing focuses on a few specific genes responsible for producing big muscles and sprinting speed. However, the introduction of whole genome sequencing tests by companies such as Victory Genomics (VG) is set to revolutionize the industry.

Improving Horse Welfare Through Genetic Testing

We caught up Jessica Morton, a lifelong equestrian and horse […]

Trick Training: 3 Simple Tricks to Teach Your Horse

4:44 pm
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Equine Care, Misc.

Positive reinforcement is an ethical training methodology that can help horses that lack self-confidence or willingness to benefit from an exciting learning experience, while building a stronger relationship with their human!

Horses are intelligent and emotional animals that can learn new tricks easily. For each trick, make sure to use repetition, consistency, and reward (positive reinforcement). At the beginning, reward each small step before asking for more, and keep sessions short (between 5-15min) to prevent your horse from losing patience and disengaging. Don’t forget to have fun and take it one step at a time!

Teach […]

How to ‘Potty Train’ Your Horse Using Stud Piles

7:08 pm
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Equine Care

Maintaining a clean pasture and keeping the area clear of droppings is an important step in ensuring the wellbeing of your horse. With an average of 15-20 bowel movements per day, generating up to 50lb of manure, cleaning up after your horse can quickly become a labor-intensive activity, making manure management feel like a never-ending clearance chore!

To recognize horses’ poop habits, it is useful to understand their behavior in their natural habitat. In the same way that dogs urinate to mark their territory, stallions in the wild use ‘stud piles’ as ‘elimination marking behavior’. By leaving […]

The Turnout Debate and How to Minimize Field-Related Injuries

11:28 pm
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Equine Care, News

The turnout debate:

After several months of lockdowns and social isolation, people around the world have become increasingly aware of the effects of prolonged confinement on mental health. So, when a renowned Grand Prix rider announced that she was not giving her horses any turnout in order to avoid potential field injuries, it sent the internet into an uproar. Social media users were quick to point the finger at her disregard for her horses’ well-being and mental health. She defended that, while her horses do not get field turnout per say, they leave their stalls […]

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