April 2011 Blog Posts (43)

Your May Horseyscope by Lauren Bode

Taurus April 20 - May 20

Happy Birthday ! Take control of your year. Set aside time once a day, just for you and

your horse. It is your life and how you feel about yourself will be reflected by your horse's

behaviour. Communication is key this year, and you will begin to focus on your goals.

Changes abound as well, so take things easy. Check your horse's hooves more regularly.

Gemini May 21 - June… Continue

Added by Barnmice Admin on April 30, 2011 at 4:59pm — No Comments

Are we legit crazy?!

A day or two ago someone asked me what makes riders giddy about horses and the prospect of riding. I didn't really know the answer then and I still don't, but today I was asking myself why I bother. It was super windy this morning and a storm was blowing in, but I had to let the 7 horses and ponies out to pasture, and it was pretty hectic. They all have their buddies of course, so no matter what order I did it in someone was feeling left behind, and they were all being very pushy and one… Continue

Added by Willow King on April 30, 2011 at 10:34am — 4 Comments

Saddle Fit and Empathy with the Horse in Training

Back at WEG there was one stand that was absolutely swamped for most of the two weeks we were there – the one with Jane Savoie and a mechanical horse. For those of you who were there, you might remember waiting in long line ups to experience the amazing new product developed by the geniuses through the partnership with Jane at Equi Sense.

Equi Sense is technology developed in order to help the trainer train better, and the rider ride better. It is truly eye-opening; when you sit on…

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Added by Jochen Schleese on April 29, 2011 at 5:51pm — No Comments

Equine Guelph is Holding an Integrative Therapies Seminar

Welcome to Equine Guelph’s First Integrative Therapies night!

This seminar is a memorial tribute to Rosalie Logan from family members to share her love of the horse. Rosalie believed an ounce of prevention was worth a pound of cure and Equine Guelph is pleased to facilitate this educational evening. Guest speakers include: Dr. Brad Hanna, OVC, “From bloodletting to evidence-based medicine”, Dr. Scott Hie, DC, (chiropractic as part of the health program), Dr. Wendy Pearson, U…

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Added by Jackie on April 29, 2011 at 11:44am — No Comments

Donkey Church

“Do you ever wake up and wonder how your life got you to this day? Oh well, no time to daydream. Off to church with the donkeys.” That was my Facebook post, and my friend responded, “Donkey church or donkeys take you to church?”

Neither. Actually the donkeys get invited every year (last year.) But the comment got me thinking about Donkey Church. What would that be like? Is there a…

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Added by Anna Blake on April 29, 2011 at 8:00am — 1 Comment

Shoes...

Now I know it's not fashionable to have shoes on your horse, better for the hoof, blah blah. I've always kept front shoes on the big Mags, she toes in and works all through the winter. We briefly (it was a couple days before I could get them back on), had shoes off of her last winter. We aren't really going to try that again.

Maggie has great feet. Good solid wall, round, nice concavity, big ol healthy frogs. She's also 17hh of hard working dressage horse. My trainer suggested we try… Continue

Added by MagsNMe on April 29, 2011 at 12:08am — 1 Comment

Short post on my thoughts about jumping into horse ownership

So one thing that really grinds my gears is when ignorant people jump into the ownership of horses (or any animal really) just because they've ridden a few times and hey- there's nothing to it, right? They think that having a horse will be a fun thing to do a weekend or two out of the month, and it'll sure make a pretty lawn ornament when it's not in use! Kind of like a pretty sports car. But then they get their my little pony home, and discover that not only do they not know how to ride, but… Continue

Added by Willow King on April 28, 2011 at 12:16pm — 4 Comments

Mares: The Fairer Sex?

It is well known that a prejudice exists in the showjumping world against mares and it is not without some cause. Mares can be harder to ride, more highly strung and sensitive, and much more likely to accept suggestions rather than demands from a rider. While it is true that mares do not suit all riders, and few beginners, riders aiming at higher levels should not overlook them. That renowned sensitivity for which mares are famous can be channeled into carefulness with…

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Added by chris hickey on April 28, 2011 at 10:33am — 4 Comments

Product Video showcasing Testimonials

Check Out Our Most Recent Video Showcasing Our Products and People's Experience with Fiske's

One Product...Endless Possibilities…

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Added by Melanie Fiske on April 25, 2011 at 11:55am — 7 Comments

New blog on blogger!

Hey guys!

So I just got a new blog up and running, and I think that instead of writing blogs on here, I'll just post links to the one on blogger whenever I write a new post.

My blog's website is http://trainerinprogress.blogspot.com and the new post is here

--> …

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Added by Willow King on April 24, 2011 at 8:25pm — 2 Comments

Continued Amazing Results

The heat has come back to NC. Both my teachers have already started murmuring about me coming out an hour earlier to ride. My wonderful half chaps have come off--they are too hot. Fortunately my new support stockings are tight enough so my lower leg has some idea of where it is. Soon I will have to start riding in my ice vest, though I am delaying this as long as I can since the ice can trigger muscle spasms if I use it when the weather is still coolish. We…

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Added by Jackie Cochran on April 24, 2011 at 1:19pm — 4 Comments

Spring

After a short break my alter ego, Shakespeare "The Equine," returns to demonstrate his way with words. Enjoy!

Spring

by Shakespeare "The Equine"

Spring is here;

Brings with it change.

My life…

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Added by Bear on April 24, 2011 at 9:51am — 2 Comments

Handy List of Weeds & Plants That Are Poisonous to Horses

This article by Nicole Salo is in the Barnmice Review. The info. is so important this time of year, I thought it well worth sharing - and I know she won't mind!!

Weeds & Plants That Are Poisonous to Horses

By: Nicole Salo

- A list of weeds and plants that are commonly found throughout Canada and the United States that are poisonous to horses and ponies. For further info and/or a list of poisonous weeds and plants that can be harmful to livestock…

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Added by Barbara F. on April 23, 2011 at 6:18pm — 2 Comments

The 'Other' Mother’s Day.

The nightly news let me know gas prices are up. Wars and natural disasters to blame. I don’t pretend to understand exactly how world events impact the price of a barrel of oil but I do know it trickles down to my little rancho. The current price of last year’s hay has gone up, along with farm calls from the vet and most everything else. And it isn’t like I wouldn’t…

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Added by Anna Blake on April 22, 2011 at 8:37am — No Comments

Saddle Fit and Difficult Shoulders

One of our certified Saddlefit 4 Life® saddle ergonomists in Europe recently came across this horse – which had a shoulder blade that was higher than the withers. She said that the ‘best’ fitting saddle for it had a half panel to accommodate this unique conformation, but asked for my advice. Does anyone else recognize seeing a horse like this before?…

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Added by Jochen Schleese on April 21, 2011 at 5:27pm — No Comments

The Cavalia Experience Vancouver, BC

I was asked to provide a review of Cavalia for Barnmice for Cavalia during April 2011. A big thank you to Barnmice and Cavalia for offering me such an amazing experience. The entire night was more than I could have imagined!

The Cavalia Experience Vancouver, BC

By Shannon Whitaker

…

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Added by Shannon Whitaker on April 19, 2011 at 11:31am — 6 Comments

Horse Book Review: Riding Lessons by Sara Gruen

Riding Lessons by Sara Gruen

First HarperTorch Paperback Printing: April 2004

Fiction

ISBN: 0-06-058027-5…

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Added by Ashley on April 18, 2011 at 6:13pm — 2 Comments

Australian Stringhalt

Australian Stringhalt

By Nicole Salo

Australian stringhalt (ASH) is an exaggerated hyper flexion of the hock. Australian stringhalt causes the horse to walk with an exaggerated forward and upward motion of one or both back legs. In mild cases, the horse may only be noted to having an odd gait while backing up, turning or during cold weather. This is not the case with severe Australian stringhalt, the affected horse will move… Continue

Added by Nicole Salo on April 18, 2011 at 5:00pm — 3 Comments

The green breaking of Rainey

Back in February, I started training a 5 yr old paint mare. She is owned by Very old friends of mine - who used to live locally, then they moved to Virginia, but we stayed in touch. Then they came west again, to Arizona. Last year they wanted to send Two horses to me, but their barn was struck with Strangles, so no one could go anywhere, then the roof on their home got damaged and all money went to that - so fianlly, Reggie and Rainey came to me in February. Reggie was a 6 yr old morgan…

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Added by Monica Whitmer on April 18, 2011 at 1:00pm — 1 Comment

Yet Another Experiment with Horse Gear

Normally at this time of year I am happily riding in a bit, but with the horrible cold I had two months ago my hands are not currently good enough to ride with a bit. I was not looking forward to riding bitless because, face it, riding bitless in all the different types of bitless systems I've used, I NEVER got the type of results that I expect with a bit. The obedience was fine, but I was missing the subtlety of the bit, the ability to make all those tiny…

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Added by Jackie Cochran on April 17, 2011 at 2:30pm — 12 Comments