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…

Tired of Being Exhausted

When I bought my Home Horse (HH) and Anywhere Saddle Chair (ASC) I was full of bright and optimistic hopes of improving my riding, of increasing the strength of my riding muscles, of improving my balance, and of being able to practice such mundane things like posting and 2-point. I was determined not to let these simulators just sit and collect dust, darn it I was going…

Topsy-Turvy

Last Sunday I got to ride Cider, for the first time in over 6 months at Shannon's new place where I had not ridden Cider before, in her current pasture. Cider was all groomed and waiting for the saddle when we got there so I did not have to wait long to ride. I had change from the BOT/ThinLine Contender II pad with center shims to a combination of a Fenwick Western pad with a…

Establishing a Base for Movement

I got my lesson this week. I even trotted twice. Of course MJ was rather stiff at the beginning so we meandered around in 2-point for a minute or two while he warmed up with the help of all the far infra-red gear I put on him for my rides. He did OK during the ride but he most definitely did not feel like extending his walking stride so I contented myself with a…

Working on My Core Muscles

I did get a lesson this week on Wednesday with Debbie. I told her of my physical exhaustion from exercising too much on my Home Horse and that I would just be walking for my lesson.

MJ started off STIFF. Debbie told me that his leaser and her daughter rode him on Tuesday and I think he felt it in…

I Did Too Much for my MS

I have one personality trait that does NOT go well with having MS, I tend to be too ambitious for my own good. When I start physical work I try to start of sort of slow, but my ambition drives me to do just a little bit more, then a little bit more. This always ends up the same way, I get into a deep exhaustion and all progress comes to a screeching halt.…

Strengthening My Seat

I did not get to ride a real, live horse this week, my usual riding days started off in the low 20s F, the ring would have been frozen and we would have thought we were frozen solid in the cold wind.

At least now I have an alternative that exercises many of my riding muscles.…

I Welcome My Home Horse

I apologize for my long absence. I had two rather boring lessons of the same old, same old, nothing new to discuss. During this time I learned about the Home Horse (http://www.homehorse.com/), I saved up enough money, and I bought one. It got here before the weather, either rain or COLD, interfered with my riding. My husband put it…

Defining Protein

Protein is one of 6 nutrient classes that horses have a requirement for. It is a major component of body tissues. Along with being a core component of tissues, proteins are also heavily involved in enzymes, hormones, and antibodies.…

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)…

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…

Keeping a horse in optimal condition is a team effort. A veterinarian, farrier, nutritionist, and trainer all play an important role in the horse’s well-being. Many horse owners use the expertise of a nutritionist to not only ensure that their horse is not deficient in any nutrients but to also improve the ration. This can resolve issues such as delicate hooves, over-conditioning, inappetence etc.

Having…

This week’s blog is a little bit different than normal. Instead of a broad nutrition topic, we are diving into a recent publication from the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, A survey: Horse show judges’ perceptions on equine adiposity. The objective of this study was to survey judges’ views on the level of adiposity in horses and ponies in various competition types as well as track their ability to distinguish different levels of…

Obesity is defined as the accumulation of excess fat tissue on the body and is a prevalent issue in the equine industry. Obesity in companion animals, including horses, has been on the rise. Horses have a unique relationship with humans as they are companion animals, sport animals and working animals.…

Horses have evolved to graze for upwards of 16-18 hours per day. Unfortunately, modern management tends to revolve around meal feeding. There is a significant amount of research on how encouraging slow feeding improves equine welfare. This is typically done with a hay net or slow feeder. This article will summarize the research on hay nets and slow feeders as well as discuss the best option.…

Quality of hay varies greatly, even from the same field year to year. When purchasing or harvesting your own hay, the only way to know the nutrient content is with a lab analysis. With all the time and money that goes into feeding our horses, why not know exactly what you’re feeding!!…

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…

Is second cut hay always too rich ponies and maintenance horses?

This is a commonly used rule by many horse owners when trying to choose a forage to buy, and there is some truth to the rule, but it isn’t always true. There are many factors that play a large role in the nutritional value of the hay. The more mature the grass the lower the…