My grandson asked me a while back if he and his sister could ride double on their horse. I remember doing the same thing as a kid, and I remember my dad scolding me for it — which is what got me thinking about what actually makes riding double safe or risky, beyond just “my …
A long, full tail takes a long time to grow, and one muddy week, a careless step, or a night in the shavings can undo a lot of it. If you’re trying to protect that hair, you’ve probably wondered whether a tail bag is worth it and which kind to get. Quick answer: A tail …
A bowed tendon is an injury to the tendon running down the back of a horse’s cannon bone, most often the superficial digital flexor tendon. It usually causes heat, swelling, and a visible bow-shaped bulge, and it often needs veterinary diagnosis and a carefully managed rehabilitation period. The scary thing about a bowed tendon is …
It has been nearly four centuries since formal horse racing was developed and over this time, there have been some amazing horse racing facts that you might not know about but should. I’m going to share with you critical information about horse racing, racing personalities, and the most important players in the game – thoroughbred …
Horses have been used in healing long before equine therapy became a formal practice. Today, structured programs use horses to help people manage trauma, anxiety, physical disabilities, and developmental conditions — but the reason it works is something horsemen have always understood: horses respond honestly to human emotion and behavior in the present moment. That …
Your horse steps off the trailer tired but looking fine. Then a day or two later, he starts coughing, runs a fever, or just seems off. After a long haul, those signs deserve attention because shipping fever can start with symptoms that look a lot like ordinary travel fatigue. Shipping fever is a transport-related respiratory …
Watch a dog trot alongside a horse in the pasture, or see the two touch noses over a fence, and it’s hard not to wonder if there’s some family connection there. They’re both social, both trainable, and both have lived alongside people for thousands of years. So are horses and dogs related, or is it …
Polo wraps are essential leg protection we keep in our tack room and horse trailer. If you are unsure what a polo wrap is, it’s basically like an Ace bandage but specifically designed for horses’ legs. It’s used primarily when the horse needs extra support or protection for its leg. Polo wraps should be comfortable …
If you’ve ever ridden in regular gym leggings, you know how it goes. You slide around in the saddle, the inside seams rub your knees raw against the stirrup leathers, and by the end of the ride they’ve sagged halfway down your hips. Riding tights are supposed to fix all that, but there are dozens …
A horse can drink 10 gallons or more on a mild day and twice that in hot weather, so the trough has to keep up. The wrong one cracks after a winter, leaks at the seams, grows algae fast in warm weather, or has a rim rough enough to scrape a lip. If you’re shopping …
