It is important to know where the bones are but also understand that in themselves bones cannot move. It is the action of the muscles, tendons and ligaments that create motion or action. Thus how the muscles feel - tense or relaxed, stiff, plump, dry, contracted, elastic is essential to good movement -and keeping the horse supple and straight.…

Does your horse's tail swing?



If a horse's tail gets caught between his hind legs he is not using his body properly. If the tail lays flat and listless these are clues that energy, messages and feedback from the brain to the body and back may not be traveling up and down his spine properly. If the tail is clamped down, the horse may be in…

If such a thing existed, would you donate to an equine behavior/welfare research fund? I'm just curious. Funds for equine research are hard to come by --- especially funds for behavior/welfare research. I'm thinking of setting up such a fund in my will, but doing so means I won't be around to see the results. I would hope, though, that once such a fund existed, other people would donate to it, so that research in the field could be advanced. I thought it would be interesting to get comments…

Blake

From 2004 – 2007, Dawn and I lived on a ranch in northwestern Nebraska, doing work with our nonprofit.  There was an area at the ranch that had several houses and other buildings, and the main horse pastures were in that area.  The area around the houses had several apple trees that bore many apples each year.  The ranch had high game fence around most of the pastures because…

Love Your Pony, Love Your Planet is a delightful, engaging way to help the youngest equestrian learn the BEST methods for the ultimate health of their pony and our planet. These BEST methods are depicted on 64 pages using full color photos of actual children and their ponies. The added…

My horse loves these.

I spent part of my night baking  to give as gifts to the various equine-owning people in my life. They came out well, I think. I guess I won't know for sure until they get horse-tested, though. ;) I'm hoping they go over well with the furry beasts, as the  was a nice, easy…

Somehow the seasons have already run through from spring to summer to autumn, and now winter is just around the corner. It has crept up on us more quickly than it seems possible - Christmas is suddenly the next big celebration on the calendar! As a horse rider this means it is high time to get prepared for the coldest season as it is important to take extra care at this time of year.

Follow some of the hints and tips listed below so you can be sure that you are ready to deal with the…

Apples came to us this summer from my husband’s ailing aunt. She is entering the early stages of dementia and as a result decided to sell the farm and move into a retirement community nearby. Though we weren’t necessarily on the market for a persnickety 12-year old Percheron mare, our farm came with stables and an empty paddock and my husband was insistent that Apples stay in the family, so now she’s become the newest member of our household. My daughters are overjoyed but I guess you could…

Humans show pain through facial expressions which have been coded and used to assess the discomfort of patients who cannot communicate their suffering in other ways, such as babies.

Scientist have done the same for laboratory animal (for example the “Mouse Grimace” scale).

And now the Horse Grimace Scale has been…

You hit a roadblock at a horse show and, because youre a thinking rider, you don’t jump to the “he’s just being a jerk” or “his saddle doesn’t fit” or “she must be in heat” conclusion, with a sigh and a wave of your hand. You look deeper. A common thread. Go through your mental files of personal experience, and the proven facts about horse physiology and behaviour…