365 Days in Horse Country – Stall Mucking, Anyone?  It’s every horse owner’s least favourite activity but one of the most frequently necessary.  Who could possibly enjoy removing manure from a stall or paddock? By cleaning your horse’s stall each day, you provide him with a more aesthetically pleasing environment, and also a healthier one.  Horses who live in dirty stalls are prone to ...

365 Days in Horse Country – All-Important Salt Sodium and chloride combine together to make salt, which is an essential major mineral for many mammals.  They are electrolytes necessary for bodily functions.  Salt is an essential part of the equine diet, and should be provided at all times. Lack of these minerals can cause a horse to experience fatigue, the inability to sweat, and mus ...

365 Days in Horse Country – The Right Bit   Bits have been around for centuries.  They were first developed when the horse was domesticated to control the horse’s movements.  The first bits were made of wood, bone, or rope.  Metal bits became the norm during the middle ages. Today, most horses are ridden with metal bits, usually made from stainless steel.  Bits are designed to appl ...

365 Days in Horse Country – The Oldenburg  The Oldenburg may sound like an old-timey automobile, but in reality it’s a German sport horse whose bloodlines date to the seventeenth century.  It comes from Germany’s Lower Saxony region near the city of Oldenburg, from which it takes its name.  The breed descends from the Friesian with contributions as well from Spanish, Neapolitan, Thoro ...

365 Days in Horse Country – Mr. Ed     “A horse is a horse, of course.” So begins the theme song to “Mr. Ed”, one of the most popular television shows of the 1960s. Staring a palomino gelding named Bamboo Harvester, “Mr. Ed” featured a talking horse who would only speak in front of his owner, Wilbur Post.  The horse would get Wilbure into all kinds of trouble with his misbevaviours a ...

365 Days in Horse Country – Equicaching     One of the newest sports to hit the world of North American trail riding is equicaching, which is essentially a treasure hunt on horseback.  With the help of a global positioning system (GPS), riders search for caches hidden by other riders.  The catches can contain anything from money to coupons to books to horse shampoo.  You only discove ...

365 Days in Horse Country – Flat Racing      It’s what Thoroughbreds do best: flat racing.  Flat racing is a form of horseracing that takes place on a flat track.  The track can be a dirt track or turf (grass track).  The horses break from a starting gate.  In Thoroughbred racing, they usually run anywhere from three furlongs (3/8 mile or 603 m) to more than 2 miles (3.2 km), dependi ...

365 Days in Horse Country – Your Horse’s Personality    Horses are a lot like people, they all have their own distinct personalities.  One horse can be shy and retiring, while another can be outgoing and bossy.  Age and breed may not even be a factor, although younger horses tend to be more fractious than their older counterparts. If you haven’t already figured out your horse’s perso ...

365 Days in Horse Country – Working on Your Equitation     Equitation, quite simply put, is ho you sit on a horse.  Part of it is about looking good, but the other part is about having balance and security on the horse. The type of equitation you should strive for depends on the type of riding you are doing.  If you are competing in jumping events, you want equitation with forward se ...

365 Days in Horse Country – Treating Diarrhea in Horses    Like people, horses can suffer the discomforts of diarrhea.  The gut pain and loose liquid stools can have many causes, including the following: Bacterial diseases such as Potomac Horse Fever Bacterial agents such as salmonella Certain antibiotics or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs Intestinal parasites Eating too m ...