Walk into a tack room for the first time, and it can look like a wall of leather, buckles, and pads. Which pieces do you need first, and which can wait? Quick answer: Horse tack is equipment used to ride, drive, or handle a horse. A basic riding setup includes a saddle, saddle pad, girth …
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The halter is the most-used piece of tack in any barn — it goes on before anything else and comes off last. Getting it wrong matters more than most owners realize, especially when it comes to turnout. A nylon halter left on an unsupervised horse can become a serious and sometimes fatal hazard — entanglement, …
Walk down the supplement aisle at any feed store, and you’d think every horse needs a scoop of something. There are tubs for hooves, joints, coats, guts, and nerves, and most of them aren’t cheap. So what supplements do horses need, and which ones are just making expensive manure? Quick answer: Horses don’t automatically need …
Putting together a grooming kit for your horse? It’s easy to end up with more tools than you need. What belongs in a basic kit, and what can wait? Quick answer: A basic horse grooming kit should have a hoof pick, a rubber curry, a stiff dandy brush, a soft body brush, a mane and …
You’re brushing your horse and your hand finds a lump that wasn’t there last month, or a sore near the eye that won’t heal. A lot of lumps aren’t cancer, but some are. So how do you know, and if it’s cancer, what can be done about it? Quick answer: Cancer treatment for horses depends …
Filly, colt, foal — these terms get mixed up constantly, but they mean different things. About this guide: I’ve bought, raced, and bred horses at every age and stage described here. Terminology in this guide follows AQHA, Jockey Club, and Daily Racing Form conventions. Horse age and sex terms — complete reference Term Sex Age …
Say the word mustang, and most people picture a band of horses running across open desert. But what is a mustang horse, exactly, and is it really a breed? Quick answer: A mustang is a free-roaming horse of the American West descended from domestic horses. Mustangs are commonly called wild horses, but they aren’t one …
Your young horse leads well, stands quietly, and responds to pressure on the ground. Now he needs to learn to carry tack and a rider. Knowing how to start a horse under saddle means knowing what to introduce next—and when to slow down. Quick answer: Start with solid groundwork, then introduce the saddle pad, girth …
Bell boots aren’t standard equipment — they’re protection for horses that actually need it. They prevent overreach injuries where the hind hoof strikes the front heel bulbs or coronary band — pulled shoes, soft tissue damage, and chronic heel irritation in horses that move fast, wear shoes, or lose coordination under fatigue. If a horse …
