Finding the best boarding barn for your four-legged family can be stressful. Not only do you have to find a farm where your horse’s needs are met, you need to find a place where you feel comfortable, as well.Having...
When trying out a potential horse, ride in the same manner you intend to ride him at home. Photo courtesy Dale Rudin You’re horse searching with carefree confidence in your ability to choose "The One,” but do you have the...
The ad read: Beginner safe horse needs a good home. Extensive trail experience. Easy to handle. Since the price was right too, I rushed up to see this Quarter Horse mare for myself. She was calm and stood quietly...
Q: My 8-year-old gelding has a bad case of sweet itch. When I bought him three years ago, I was told he liked to scratch his stomach, but I eventually figured out that he's very allergic to the bite...
Putting up a winter’s supply of hay is a satisfying accomplishment for horse owners and barn managers, but improperly stacked hay is an invitation for trouble. Not only can hay stacks become dangerously unstable, they can also welcome pests,...
Q: Is there a safe way to keep flies away from my horse’s eyes? He always manages to take off his fly mask, but it doesn’t seem safe to use fly spray near his eyes. Are there any other...
Earlier this week, a West Virginia horse named Catnip was found viciously strangled with a tow rope in her pasture. Although Catnip's owners removed the rope and worked with her veterinarian to help the horse recover, her throat was...
Q: I have been at my boarding barn for almost three years. Other horses rotate in and out for various reasons. I would like to try switching from the rotational deworming routine to the fecal count method. But can...
Barn workers are paid to keep stalls clean and horses fed and turned out. Yet without much fanfare, boarding barn workers often do much more. Even so, owners sometimes ignore their own role in helping barn staff help their...
When our days are busy, we tend to use our time at the barn for necessities only: feeding, grooming, mucking stalls, and, if we’re lucky, riding. But don’t let yourself become so busy that you inadvertently neglect facets of...
