Different aspects of horse health, including proper diet, teeth, and proper grooming techniques, are addressed.
I recently took my grandson to the Bureau of Land Management wild horse sale. He’s seen wild horses before, but I guess with age, he’s become more perceptive. He noticed that the wild horses at the sale didn’t have shoes, yet their feet looked healthy. So he asked me, “why don’t wild horses need shoes?” …
My niece has a horse that gets anxious every time she travels in a trailer. By the time we get to a show, her horse is washed out from the stress, definitely not in the best condition to compete. She asked me if I knew of anything she can do to calm her horse. Recognizing …
Horses have more boots than me and most of their owners. There are bell boots to protect heels from overreaching back legs. There are boots for traveling and others for hanging out in their stall. There are turnout boots for horses that play exuberant games in the paddock, or some just wear brushing boots. Then …
It is no secret that horses need hay to perform their best. Hay is a necessary part of their diet, providing them with the fiber they need to keep their digestive system working correctly. But what many people don’t know is that different types of hay have different protein content levels, which can affect a …
My son is looking at some land to build a house and wants to ensure he has enough acreage to keep at least one horse. So, he did some research on the topic and also asked for my opinion. In general, most horses require at least one to two acres of land per horse. In …
When my granddaughter and I went to the racehorse barn, she noticed that the trainer secured the horses differently from us at home. We typically use a single lead rope while he uses cross ties. On our way home, she wanted to know all about cross ties and if we could set some up for …
When I go to horse auctions, the first thing that typically happens is I visit my potential purchases and ask their handler to take them out of their stall. My grandson asked me why I spend so much time staring at each of the horses? The answer was simple: conformation. Good conformation is essential for …
Two of our grandchildren compete in a weekly barrel racing competition. There’s always an award ceremony at the seasons’ end, and the kids come out riding decorated horses. This year we decided to paint theirs as zebras, but first, we needed to find safe animal paint. Many different types of paint can be used on …
Horses frequently have their tails wrapped or tucked in a bag before a competition. However, when my friend accompanied me to watch her first horse show, she was surprised to see horses’ tails covered and wondered why people did this. Owners primarily use tail bags to keep their horse’s tails clean and dry. The bags …
I took my family on a tour of the barns after we watched some young horses work at the training center. While there, our youngest child asked why a groom was running cold water over a horse’s lower legs – the trainer told us the horse bowed a tendon, which raised even more questions. A …