365 Days in Horse Country – Stable Lighting      When the sun is shining and you are spending time with your horse, lighting is the last thing on your mind.  But if you have ever found yourself trying to muck stalls or untack your horse in the dark, you know how important stable lighting really is. Here are some key places that need lighting to keep in mind when you are planning or ...

365 Days in Horse Country – Safety Review    It’s easy to get comfortable around horses when you spend so much time with them.  But one of the worst mistakes a horse person can make is to become complacent about safety.  Horses are big animals, and they can easily hurt or even kill a human without meaning to.  Even the quietest, gentlest equines are capable of accidentally causing gre ...

365 Days in Horse Country – Competitive Trail Riding    Trail riders who enjoy competition have found their sport in an event called competitive trail riding.  Most widely sponsored by North American Trail Riding Conference, or NATRAC, competitive trail riding take place in regions all over the Canada and the United States.  It can be done with any kind of horse or tack, and it doesn’ ...

365 Days in Horse Country – Bucking One of the scariest misbehaviours a horse can throw at you is a buck.  Her head goes down, and her back end goes up, as her hind feet seem to point to the sky.  Small bucks are not too hard to sit out if you have good balance.  The larger, more determined ones on the other hand are another story altogether and can unseat even the best of riders.  Hor ...

365 Days in Horse Country – Riding on the Lunge Line     Maintaining your balance on the horse is probably the single most important aspect of riding.  Without balance, you won’t stay on your horse for long.  Good balance also makes it easier for your horse to carry you. A great way to improve your balance is to ride on the lunge line.  The lunge line is a rope measuring anywhere fr ...

365 Days in Horse Country – The Trakehner    Originally from Eastern Germany, this breed goes back to the sixth century BC.  The Scythians first bred the ancestors of today’s Trakehners for travel and welfare.  In the 1700s, they used their horses for war mounts to fight the Prussian army.  By the 1900s, the Trakehners were well known throughout Europe as riding horses with great endu ...

365 Days in Horse Country – Volunteering at a Rescue  Your horse is loved and well-cared for, but unfortunately that’s not the case for many equines.  Horses, donkeys, and mules often end up in abusive or neglectful situations, and in need of dire help. If you love horses and want to help equines in need, volunteer at an equine rescue.  All you need to do is contact an equine rescue w ...

365 Days in Horse Country – Wild Horse Auctions   In 1971, The U.S. Congress passed the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burros Act, marking the beginning of the wild Horse and Burro Adoption Program.  Managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the program is responsible for finding homes for wild horses and burros that have been removed from public lands. Throughout the year, the BL ...

365 Days in Horse Country – The Bashkir Curly     In 1898, father and son ranchers John and Peter Demales were riding in a remote Nevada mountain range and they spotted three wild horses.  They had seen mustangs before, but not like this.  Instead of having straight hair-coat like other horses, these three had coats made up of tiny ringlets that covered their entire bodies. Taken wi ...

365 Days in Horse Country – Doctorin’ Horses  Occasionally, on my journey through horse country, I come across interesting little tidbits that I like to share.  Some provide cause for pause, some are nothing more than an amusing anecdote, and others make me cringe.  Could this be one such moment? It takes four or more years of intensive study to become an equine veterinarian these day ...