With the spotlight focused on the safety of eventing, it is critical that the ambassadors of our sport — course designers, trainers, equestrian organizations, and riders — take all steps that can prevent injuries to both riders and horses. There is some progress. For example, at the Olympics, there was a last minute change to […]
In an ideal world, you find a horse that you think you’d like to buy. The seller lets you take the horse on trial for a week or two, you buy the horse, and everyone goes home happy. In real life, it often seems to be more complicated than that. There have been several stories […]
How much salt should your horse get on a daily basis? Certainly, it’s more than I thought. Researchers in Michigan measured the daily salt consumption of 12 horses during the hottest months of the year from the beginning of May to the end of August. Salt consumption averaged 0.64 ounces per horse in May and […]
There’s something incredibly cool about sitting in your living room and watching the first equestrian events of this year’s Olympics. Especially when they are in Hong Kong and you are in Boston. The live feed is available for free at: http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/index.html Right now I’m watching the dressage but I can’t wait for the cross country […]
I’ve written about beet pulp in the past as a forage alternative in the past, but there are so many misconceptions about this type of feed that I feel it deserves its own post. Beet pulp is the fiber that remains when sugar is extracted from beets. It is high in fermentable fiber and is […]
Ever since the Jim Masterson DVD arrived I’ve been practicing the bodywork techniques on my two boys (massage techniques to try at home). The two horses are very different; I’ve gotten a much better understanding of where each one holds tension in their bodies and how each one likes to be touched. It’s been a […]
Extinct in the wild since the 1970s, the rare Przewalski horse is making a comeback: not only have several foals been born in zoos this year, but a program to reintroduce the breed back into their native Mongolian habitat is showing success. The Przewalksi’s horse, pronounced pshuh-vahl-skeez (to hear the pronunciation, use this audio link […]
Helping to grow better hooves has been on my mind a lot lately! I came across this article today, Feeding the Hoof, by Pete Ramey. Certainly, this provides a lot of food for thought. Briefly, the article discusses 1) the impact of carbohydrate overload on the quality of hoof growth and 2) the importance of […]