Miles’ Quick Answer: The 20°F Rule The Bottom Line: Blanket an unclipped, healthy horse once it drops below 20°F (−7°C). If your horse is clipped, senior, or struggling to hold weight, blanket them below 40°F (4°C). Louisiana Insight: Down here, it’s the damp that gets you. A 35°F rain is often more dangerous than a …
Do Horseshoes Hurt? It’s a common question among horse enthusiasts and those new to the equine world. The simple answer is no; when done correctly by a skilled farrier, horseshoeing should not hurt horses. Let’s delve deeper into the world of horseshoes, hoof anatomy, and the shoeing process to understand why. When Horseshoes Hurt: Potential …
Grooming a horse is an essential task for responsible owners. It may seem daunting at first, but when you have a good grooming kit and plan, even someone just starting can groom their horse without any difficulty at all. Good horse grooming kits include a hoof pick, currycomb, shedding combs, soft brush, stiff bristle brush, …
Cancer, in general, is a scary word. Horses are no exception to this rule! However, it’s important to know the facts about cancer and horse health so that you can stay informed and keep your horse healthy. Horses, like humans, can get a variety of cancers. The most common are sarcoids (tumors), lymphoma, and melanomas …
Three springs ago at Fair Grounds, I watched a promising two-year-old Thoroughbred pull his own shoe mid-workout. His hind hoof clipped the front heel—what we call overreaching—and that steel shoe popped clean off. What started as a $40 bell boot conversation turned into a $450 vet bill for a coronary band laceration and three weeks …
You probably feel like you’ve lost a good friend when your horse died and haven’t thought much about what you need to do to dispose of its body. I’ve been in this position myself and researched options on what to do with a dead horse. You can arrange the disposal of your dead horse through …
You may have heard the saying, “Never look a gift horse in the mouth.” But when you’re trying to guess an animal’s age or assess oral health issues, it is precisely what you should do! We recently had an equine dentist come check our horse’s teeth, and I took the opportunity to ask a lot …
A horse owner’s life can be full of joy and fulfillment as you watch your mare produce healthy foals destined for success, but at some point, we will need to face reality. It takes a lot out of her body every time she gives birth, so what is the oldest a horse can breed? In …
My neighbor and I were at the fence. His horse ran up to us. We petted it and noticed that its tail was missing. It was either pulled out by an animal or yanked off after getting caught in something. If the horse’s tail will grow back, I don’t know yet. In general, a horse’s …
The water in my horse’s drinking trough smelled like rotten eggs! Then I realized he had been avoiding the water there for quite some time, which really made me wonder if my horse could sense the water was spoiled and didn’t want to risk getting sick from it? Horses will not drink bad water if …