My Soapbox for Equestrian Writings
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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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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Seven horses in Massachusetts have been euthanized this month after testing positive for eastern equine encephalitis (EEE), and four people have contracted the virus, one of whom has died. Unlike humans, horses can be vaccinated against the virus — none of the horses that died in Massachusetts this year had received vaccinations. My vet is […]
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Summer is here and the girls are enjoying their time out on the grass. At the end of the day they wait patiently at the gate to be allowed on to graze. They are good about it, though. Grain still trumps grass so they come back when it’s dinner time. This really looks like horse […]
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Earlier this spring there was so much rain and so much mud that the girls were destroying all the grass in their pasture. They ate the tender shoots of grass faster than they could grow. It takes grass about 21 days for grass to be established, so we removed them before the whole pasture became […]
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When I know I’m going to ride Zelda I always feed her in the small fenced in paddock outside the barn. That’s because she’s wicked hard to catch once her stomach is full. If she’s hungry, she’s right in your pocket. If she’s not, there’s nothing she likes better than a game of tag. With […]
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A few years ago I was lucky enough to borrow a veterenarian friend’s cold laser to treat my tendonitis. It seemed to help reduce inflammation and the sensation was pleasant — mostly, it just made the area feel warm. I’d always hoped to try it on Freedom as she told me that many vets use […]
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How long should you wait to ride after feeding your horse? For many years, conventional wisdom said you should wait an hour. Kind of like what your mother told you when you wanted to swim after lunch. Of course, your mother told you that because she wanted to lie in the sun and read her […]
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