A year ago, I started looking for a new arena harrow. For years I’d used a Parma Groomer that did a good job, but it was difficult for me to adjust and maintain. The points (sharp pieces of metal that screw onto the harrow teeth and cut into the soil) …
“Horses are workmen, athletes, adventurers, accomplices. How they look is inessential. But how they go, how they are—in other words, who they are—is what makes any horse beautiful.” – Sarah Maslin Nir It may be surprising to some to learn that today there are over seven million horses in …
I live in a river valley in the Pacific Northwest. With annual rainfall amounts close to 50 inches per year and clay soil on my farm, I’ve spent much of the 30 years I’ve lived here perfecting mud control. I’m often asked about the best footing choices for sacrifice areas. …
Winter can be a challenging time for riders and our horses. Shorter days with inclement weather can make finding time to ride a challenge. Horses confined in paddocks or dry lots during winter still need something to do. Increasing turnout time, allowing social interactions between horses, and providing sufficient forage …
Aging is a mystery to science. We know that we age, we know how we age, but we don’t know why we age. The answer to that question would unlock some of geriatric medicine’s most puzzling dilemmas. Before I entered university as a student, I had a particular interest in …
I discovered the joys of a “real” mounting block about ten years ago when I tore my right anterior cruciate ligament and several other key ligaments that stabilized that knee joint. After the requisite surgery, my wait to get back on my horse was going to be six or more …
Fall in the Pacific Northwest is a beautiful time in many ways. We can take long drives through the Cascades to see the colorful trees in all their splendor, enjoy cool evenings and sunny days, harvest time on the farm, and increasing rains. Did I say the increasing rains of …
Footing is an important consideration for confinement areas. Using some type of footing, at least in the high traffic areas, will reduce mud by keeping your horse off the soil surface and avoiding erosion. Less mud equals less chance of nutrients and sediments running off and polluting surface waters, too. …
Swallows Eat Thousands of Flies and Mosquitoes Daily by Alayne Blickle Horse people love spring, but what gives us great hope of summer being just around the corner is the return of swallows to North America. Depending on where you live, you should begin seeing swallows in March and …
Rubber stall mats are the gold standard in horse stall flooring. Unfortunately, they’re so cumbersome in size and shape, they can be a struggle to place perfectly in a stall. If not perfect, they end up working themselves loose, twisting, turning and creating hassles. Anita Medina and her two horses …
