As a leader in equine nutrition science, Mad Barn thanks the Rider for featuring this story. To read the full version of this article, visit https://madbarn.ca/common-equine-diseases/. 

Horses are susceptible to many common illnesses and injuries that can impact their well being, performance, and longevity. Understanding common horse diseases is fundamental for everyone involved in equine care, as…

For the second consecutive year, Beth and Tom Rankin hosted an Open House event at their St. Catharines based Standardbred breeding farm in co-operation with the Bill Galvin Racing Alliance (BGRA).

The event on Saturday, May 25, promoted two horse themed contests - a Youth Literary Derby and a Youth Art Derby, coordinated by the BGRA, and sponsored by the Rankins. Complete rules and details for the contests can be found on the BGRA website.…

Global, Sport-Inspired Brand Hosted Charitable Event at the USPA National Polo Center

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., February 22, 2024 (Newswire.com) - U.S. Polo Assn., the official brand of the United States Polo Association (USPA), was Title and Official Apparel Sponsor of the U.S. Polo Assn. 40-Goal Polo Challenge, the marquee fundraising event of the Polo Players Support Group (PPSG), hosted at the USPA…

Management Proposals for 2025-2027 Now Being Accepted

Lexington, Kentucky – December 7, 2023 – The Kentucky Invitational Grand Prix CSI presented by Hagyard Equine Medical Institute will move to the Five Star level starting in 2025. Equestrian…

Choosing a Ration Balancer - A Balanced Bay Blog Post …

Comparing Soaked vs. Unsoaked Ontario Hay - A Balanced Bay Blog Post…

Dr Orla Doherty is gathering data on the impact of problem behaviors in horses on riders, handlers, and those working with horses, along with their strategies for addressing these issues. Dr Doherty is an Irish veterinarian with a Master's Degree in Animal Behavior and Welfare from Edinburgh University. She established the Animal Behavior Clinic in 1994 and has been addressing behavior issues in animals ever since. She kindly requests that as many people as possible take a moment to…

I've Been Studying Horse Anatomy

I have been riding MJ for my riding lessons, walk, trot, halts and turns. I have also been riding my Home Horse with Shannon's help every Sunday, and last Sunday I made it to 22 minutes riding my Home Horse!!!! But there has been nothing new, nothing exciting and certainly nothing ground breaking in my riding this summer. Riding in the summer heat can get boring…

“Not Today”

MJ and I are old. Our joints ache at the best of times. Throw in ANYTHING, the weather, sleeping on the wrong side, MJ being bullied out in the paddock, a little bit of gas, and our whole system gets thrown out and we just can't do stuff that is easy when conditions are good.

Like my rides on MJ. In the past…

Nutritional Considerations for Donkeys - A Balanced Bay Blog Post …

Sorry I've Been Gone

I have not ridden much lately because I just cannot deal with the heat, the polluted air, and the humidity, all of which affect my ability to write as well as my ability to ride a horse.

There were other reasons I did not get many lessons lately,…

Slogging Along

For me the beginning of the Summer weather has been a lazy time, very lazy time. I had gotten over whatever was wrong with me, I was really looking forward to my lesson, but when I went outside for my lesson two weeks ago I faced a new challenge, extremely dirty air. This was from the wildfires in eastern Canada visiting us just in time for my riding lesson, bummer.…

by Bricole Reincke | May 16, 2023 | Bricole Reincke, Equestrian,…

Soaking hay is a popular topic in equine nutrition. There are many reasons a horse owner may choose to soak their horse’s hay. Some examples include laminitis, poor dentition, digestion concerns, metabolic disorders, as well as respiratory problems. Today’s blog post will discuss what the research tells us about soaking hay to reduce non-structural carbohydrate (NSC)…

Forage first is generally considered to be one of the “golden rules” of horses, so why is it so commonly ignored or disregarded? Ensuring your horse is getting adequate forage can make a huge difference in many aspects of their health.

Horses are herbivores with hindgut…

By looking at whorls we can have a clue about temperament from the time of birth.

There are limitations. One of those is the distortion of the whorl caused by the foal hair coat.

Foal coats do all sorts of interesting things. From…

A Smoother Sitting Trot

Monday it was hot and humid. I did wear my technical fabric tights, shirt and socks, but I should have worn my ice vest instead of my protective vest. I only walked but I ended up hot and sweaty, and I felt exhausted before the end of my placid ride.

MJ was stiff since he had been in a St. Jude's…

One Reason Why I Use the Double Bridle

The weather down here has been wonderful for riding, the worst I had to deal with was a minute or two of a sort of serious sprinkle but the rest of my rides were rain free.

When I got to the stable Monday morning it was a lot more crowded than usual. They had gone to a show on Sunday…

After almost a year, my hip is good enough to swing over the cantle again. Likely, I'll have this soreness for the rest of my life, but at least physio has  got me back into the saddle.

For the better part of the year, I've been doing once, and sometimes twice, a week ground work. That is, as I've said before, something that most riders never learn, but I think it is far more important than most people ever grasp. Groundwork is not just running a horse around in circles, but there are…