My Soapbox for Equestrian Writings
Has your barn closed? Many barns across the country (and worldwide) are closing to the public because of Covid-19. The influx of people is putting barn owners and barn workers at risk, not to mention other borders. For horse owners this is traumatic. In the midst of the craziness of shelter in place, cut off […]
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While the mantra for real estate success may be location, location, location, when it comes to horses I think the most important element of a boarding facility is turnout. Like pasta, horses need space to move around. It’s good for their joints and good for their minds. My horses are extremely lucky (IMO), as they […]
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Last weekend we had some fabulous warm weather. I got a long over due ride and the horses enjoyed basking in the sun, rolling in the mud and not wearing their blankets. However, when I removed Freedom’s blanket, I noticed he’d gotten a bit ribby. It’s hard for him to hold his weight in the […]
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It should not be snowing, sleeting and this cold on December 2nd. But it is. The horses are warm under their blankets. Zelda was hungry and cranky when I went to feed tonight — Curly is her best friend in the world, but Zelda absolutely terrorizes her at dinner time, especially now that the last […]
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We are experiencing our first winter storm as I type this post. Although it’s only December 1st, we will likely have close to a foot of the white stuff before it ends. I tucked the horses up in their winter blankets for the event. In general, I’ve gotten a lot less obsessive about blanketing, the […]
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Freedom has a kind eye, which reflects his gentle nature. Over the 16 years that I’ve owned him, however, his left eye has changed. Freedom started to lose pigment in the iris of his left eye a few years ago. It came on gradually until now it’s a quite a large spot, which is almost […]
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For many years my horses ate from hay racks or from feed troughs or buckets mounted in their stalls. I liked it because there was less waste and everything stayed more contained — or neater. But as with many “improvements”, sometimes it’s better to go back to what nature intended. Horses were designed to eat […]
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Sometimes you read something that just makes you feel good about people. Today I came across a post on Facebook by Ty Murray, considered to be one greatest rodeo cowboys ever. After retiring from rodeo competition, he has made a practice of retiring great bucking horses to his ranch in Texas. 12 grave markers sit […]
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