Changing Weather Brings on a Protest

Last week I did my homework, first 4 minutes on the Anywhere Saddle Chair (ASC) then two days later 10 ½ minutes on the ASC because Shannon had the sniffles and did not come out on Sunday. This last session made me tired, on Monday I woke up really tired and I was moving very slowly all day. Then on Monday I rode my Home Horse (HH) for 5 minutes when my…

My Homework Paid Off

Wednesday morning did not start off that well. My hands were klutzy when I dressed for riding, all of a sudden starting zippers and getting straps through buckles became a major challenge. When I got to the barn and Debbie brought MJ in he decided that he did NOT like the sound of the clippers as another horse got his head trimmed in the next wash stall. MJ was moving from…

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…

What I'll Look For

When I got up on MJ for my lesson this week I told Debbie I was NOT going to be doing the sitting trot for a while. Ten days after I tried to sit MJ's trot I still hurt, mainly my upper back between my shoulder blades. It hurts, it creaks, and I have decided that until MJ gives me a really clear signal that his back feels good enough for me to sit his trot, good enough so his…

From Toes to Heels

I had an exciting week. I got a homework ride in! Yeah, the ride itself, 30 minutes at a walk on a horse “saying”--”this should be a day off for me”--isn't that exciting, it is that for the first time in months I got to ride twice a week! Hurrah!!!!! I also discovered that if I did some more grooming—curry comb and dandy brush, that my back did not hurt between my shoulders…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Caroline Akervik

Website: http://carolineakervik.blogspot.com/

Twitter: @CAkervik  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HorseNamedViking/

WISCONSIN AUTHOR…

At 80 years old, Denny Emerson is an undeniably an old dog in the horse industry, challenging us through his example to learn new tricks.…

The month of March was one of... winter is over... not it's not... yes, finally.... no, it's back.... now it's clear... no, still more snow...make up your mind!!

So annoying.

Eager plans to get busy training were stopped cold (yeah, pun intended) by the vagaries of weather. Kind of hard to work on a rope when confronted with freezing whiteout conditions and whipping winds. Of course, on the days I wasn't planning to train, because of my day job, the weather was warm and…

I'm excited to show off my beautiful new mare, Tessa! 

Babying MJ Along

This week was frustrating as far as riding goes. It had rained throughout Saturday night and it was too wet for me to ride in Shannon's grass ring on Sunday, so I was really looking forward to my lesson on Wednesday.

We got to the stable and Darryl told me that MJ was sort of lame, and Debbie said I could…

Ottawa, ON, March 9, 2022 – The Equestrian Canada (EC) Board approved a resolution today condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the breaking of the Olympic Truce, and Belarus’ support of the attacks. EC joins the International Olympic Committee (IOC), International Paralympic Committee (IPC), Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) and Canadian Paralympic Committee (CPC) in banning Russian and Belarusian athletes, horses and officials from sport…

Winter Gloominess

Since I have not been able to ride as much as I need to (riding is physical therapy for me) I have had a lot of time to read on-line and think about horse stuff.

I think we, in North America and the rest of the Western world, have come to the end of the time in which non-wealthy people can afford to support…

Winter

This year we are getting a REAL winter down here in the mid-southern part of NC.

It snowed last night, over an inch. The lows have been in the lower 20sF to the upper teens, with maybe one night a week approaching the freezing mark. Luckily for me that one night was Tuesday night this week, and that one night will be…