How Horses Actually Stay Warm in Winter (And How to Help Them)
As caring horse owners, we worry about how our horses will stay warm in the winter. They do better than we think.
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The Mystery of Birdcatcher Spots: Fleeting Markings with a Storied Past
Rosie’s new friend, Jay, is a chestnut Quarter Horse (or possibly Appendix) that has a number of small white spots across his body, roughly the size of a dime or a quarter. This curious phenomenon is known as Birdcatcher spots. Named for a 19th-century Irish Thoroughbred stallion, these elusive markings are more than just eye-catching—they […]
Read MoreA Friend for Rosie
After Curly died, Rosie was distraught. She paced. She called out. She searched for her friend. I would go and sit with her and she would occasionally stop to check in, but I wasn’t much comfort. The vet gave me Trazodone, which helped (I have never seen so much Trazadone in one place before!) but […]
Read MoreFairy Tails
When I first got Finn, his tail was knotted beyond anything I’d ever seen before, so tightly fused that it felt like a rope. Impenetrable. I worked on that tail for weeks. Every day, I tried to loosen the knots bit by bit, fingers aching, frustration mounting. He wasn’t particularly thrilled about the process, either—understandably […]
Read MoreA Life Well Loved
It is unfortunate that our animals — who are truly members of our family — don’t live longer. Curly had a good run, closing in on thirty-three, when the infirmities of old age caught up with her. Last weekend, she needed to be helped over the Rainbow Bridge, because the final gift we can give […]
Read MoreFinding a Retirement Home for your Horse
It’s been more than a year since Freedom stepped onto the cruise-ship-on-wheels and was whisked away to his retirement home in Virginia. While I was reluctant to send him so far away, I had just broken my ankle so couldn’t do my share in a co-op barn, and he is not a horse that tolerates […]
Read MoreAll Wrapped Up — the Purpose of Polos.
Okay, let me preface this post by saying that I’ve never “gotten” polo wraps. I just don’t see the point. In my book, they are just one more thing to wash. However, judging by the prevalence of multi-colored wraps in horse catalogs, I decided to spend some time looking into their pros/cons. Polo wraps are […]
Read MoreHorse TV
The places where I’ve kept my horses for the past 20 years are mostly on town trail systems. The good news is that I’m able to ride on the trails. The challenge has been keeping trail walkers from feeding the horses. I can always tell when people have been feeding them because Zelda is like […]
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