Most horses are happy to grow a full, luxuriant coat of fur to keep them warm through the nastiest winter storm. But keeping a horse in work with all that hair can be a challenge. If that fuzzy winter coat gets soaked with sweat during a work-out, it could be doing more harm than good.
If you’re ready to get out […]
Recently, several barns across the country have been destroyed by massive fires. It’s every horseman’s nightmare, but there are ways to lessen the risk of fire and even suppress fires once they do start.
But what’s that old saying? An ounce of prevention beats a pound of cure? Sadly, President Lincoln experienced a tragedy of his own, as I wrote about in https://equinefacilitydesign.com/equine-care/horse-barn-fire-prevention.htm
Let’s talk fire prevention. Here are three steps you can take right now […]
And your horse might be, too! Let’s take a look at some products that can help keep your toes from going numb and your horse from getting a chill as you train through the winter. We also have links to examples, although we haven’t necessarily tried all the products linked.
It’s hard to keep your hands soft when they’re frozen solid. Heating packets like HotHands […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
How about some natural fly repellent? Here are three homemade fly repellents for your horse to give a try. Some contain essential oils, some contain dish-soap, some Avon’s Skin-So-Soft. Where you live and the kind of insects you have in your area. Horsemen in mosquito-prone areas often swear by Skin-So-Soft, while barns that only have a minor fly problem might get away with little more than soapy water.
Keep in mind that every horse (and person!) is different and […]
When I first heard of the concept of a Black Swan event, I was more than intrigued. Curious enough in fact, that I read the New York Times bestseller: The Black Swan, the Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb (2007, Random House, 300 pages and notes, etc). This very complicated treatise was based upon the story of the black swan: basically people were convinced that all swans were white. When a black swan was first discovered, it literally, in today’s vernacular, rocked their world.
This shock […]
