Here’s a horse health care question: What does it mean when your horse is shaggy rather than shiny in the spring? Most horse owners expect to see their horses shed out their dull winter coats after the winter season is over, and emerge with a shiny spring bloom. A shiny horse is a healthy horse. … Continue Reading »
Boy, has this been a dry winter/spring in Central Texas. It is only April and we are regularly in the nineties with single digit humidity. The Metal horse temperament is the most at risk for colic under these conditions. The Metal horse temperament often has challenges with the lung and large intestine so a Metal … Continue Reading »
Great poem by my good friend, Wayne McKinzey Every Horse has a Story Came down from the steep hills, an empty belly, half lost. Cold mornings in the mountains, too little feed, too much frost. Crossed our browning pastures, barely held a trot. Eyed us from a distance, for fear of being caught. But a … Continue Reading »
Whether you can breed for a certain horse temperament is a great question. In my experience you can attempt to breed for a certain horse temperament but there are no guarantees. I have also been asked, by someone who took the online level one certification course, if any breeds tended to be a specific horse … Continue Reading »
No place is horsemanship more important than in the first few rides on a colt. I was riding with some friends this last weekend and one was on a colt for only his fifth ride. We were reviewing the importance of the one rein stop. The one rein stop is an important horsemanship skill to … Continue Reading »
I have known for many years that horsemanship is an important part of any holistic horse health program. I started my journey of understanding horsemanship about 25 years ago when I was introduced to Linda Tellington Jones. Following LTJ came my good friend Linda Hoover who introduced me to horsemanship icons such as Ray Hunt, … Continue Reading »
As a veterinarian I am often asked what people should feed their horses. Many people tell me that they simply feed their horses oats and grass hay, and their horses experience no problems. While this seems to work for some horses, it doesn’t often work well for most horses. The Truck Analogy To me, feeding … Continue Reading »
I think there is a saying “Rarer than a hen’s teeth” and it is a good thing hens teeth are rare. Hens are very protective of their eggs and chicks so even though being pecked by a chicken is not fun it is much better than being bitten. This spring I decided I was not … Continue Reading »
I have decided that horse feeding is very much like gardening. The secret of a thriving garden is in the soil. In the case of a successful holistic horse health program, the secret is the digestive tract. This fact came to me when I recently made a trip to my local, organic garden store. I … Continue Reading »
If you don’t know what motivates a horse to perform, how can you train your show horse to be a healthy and happy athlete? This was certainly the dilemma faced by Beckett’s owners … and many other people in the horse world as well! Beckett was a beautiful fine-featured Hanoverian gelding who was bred for … Continue Reading »
Remi has been doing so fantastic in his shoes with the fill in pads. I intend to get him barefoot again but with all the rain we had last summer he wore his feet off too fast. His hooves have been tough and without flair on his holistic horse health program of di magnesium malate, … Continue Reading »
The word “burnout” is now being used a lot in regard to horses, but do we really know what burnout means or how it feels to a horse? Burnout can be a complicated condition, and manifests differently in different temperament horses. In short, burnout is the condition where the horse has been pushed beyond his … Continue Reading »
Last week I ran over my cat, Owl, and this week CC, my clinic cat, died of old age. Owl and CC were both old souls and I believe they both made a choice to move on to a better life. Last fall I went in search for a male kitten to keep Owl company … Continue Reading »
Last week was sunny and warm which was quite a contrast from the previous week of sub freezing temps. Unfortunately, this is typical for Central Texas in February. On Monday night it was 80 degrees and by Tuesday morning it was 24 and we did not get above freezing for 3 days. We had multiple … Continue Reading »
Does your horse seem to wake up on the wrong side of the pasture often, or have a short fuse? Does he seem quick to anger? Or is he always acting naughty by destroying fences, pestering his herd mates, bucking you off, or spooking even when he is not afraid? If so, then you probably … Continue Reading »
Flower and herbal essences are liquid preparations that are made by infusing fresh flowers or herbs under very specific conditions to create a potentized essence. Distilled vinegar is used as a preservative. These essences are used to balance emotional and spiritual energy that can be the underlying cause of physical imbalances. To get the best … Continue Reading »
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could have an engagement process to determine a horse temperament before you made a purchase? I mean, people have the option of getting to know each other and learn each others patterns before jumping into a long term relationship but alas a person in search of a new horse … Continue Reading »
Do you ever wonder what your horse is really thinking? Is he happy, sad, frustrated, or angry? Or are suppressed emotions affecting him in a negative way? It is often at that moment in training when we feel we have finally convinced our horse to see things our way that the real problems start … Continue Reading »
Does your horse have so much get-up-and-go that he can barely stand still? Does he run from the far end of the pasture to the water trough … even though he could just as easily walk? Is trotting his favorite gait? If so, then you probably have a Tai Yang (Water/Fire) temperament horse … and … Continue Reading »
It may sound ridiculous to say that your horse needs a chef, but it’s true. Sadly, many much-loved horses suffer from poor nutrition, even at the hands at dedicated and truly affectionate owners. Why does this happen? Because not every horse can thrive on the same diet. The best feeding program for your horse depends … Continue Reading »