Horse-Crazy Kids: Selecting the Right Lesson Program
A pony-tailed girl wiggles in her seat, tapping her tiny pink boots together in anticipation of visiting the stable. A boy laughs and swings his lasso at bales of hay, imitating a rodeo cowboy....
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Solving Your Shoeing and Trimming Worries
The horse’s foot is so important that they’ve even come up with a cliché about it. You know, “No foot, no horse.” Yada yada yada. But, as another cliché goes, “The devil is in the details.” The...
View ArticleSix Rules for Buying a Horse Sight Unseen
The topic of buying a horse unseen comes up from time to time in our practice and it can be tempting, especially with travel to Europe largely halted amid COVID. The simple answer is that you should...
View ArticleThe Twitch (or, “You’re Going to Do What to My Horse?”)
I will be the first to admit that I am really glad that I am practicing on horses in modern times, as opposed to just about any other times. For example, sedatives, the drugs that make horses sleepy,...
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When to Swipe Right: Finding the Right Match for Your Training Business
Looking for an assistant trainer or trying to find an assistant position are unique challenges for a horse trainer. How do you know someone will be the right fit, as an employee or as an employer?...
View ArticleThe Problem with Overdiagnosis
I ran across a thought-provoking article in the November 2014 edition of the human medical journal, Pediatrics. ASIDE: Yes, I have other things to do. The article is called, “Overdiagnosis: How our...
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The Long Haul: Tips to Ensure Your Horse Ships Safely
While the 2020 show season is anything but typical, many of us are still planning to ship our horses to year-end finals and championships or are preparing to send our horses on a long-distance haul to...
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5 Things to Know About Allergens in Hay
Fall is here! Along with pretty colors and the holidays, the season brings new airborne allergens. Did you know that allergic responses in horses are cumulative and that a response to one allergen may...
View ArticleSmoke Coping Strategies
Smoke from wildfires in the West has made its way to the East Coast of America and has hit Europe. Speculation that it will circumnavigate the globe is sadly realistic. That smoke is as bad for...
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Building a Cross Country Schooling Course at Home
If you have the space for it, a cross country schooling course at home can be a great asset to your training program. After deciding that you have enough room, the challenge is that you need multiple...
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Dry Climates and Regular Manure Picking Are Solid Defense Against Strongyles,...
I have never been satisfied just going out and working on horses. I mean, I really love working on horses, but I always thought that my obligation—to horses, to my profession, to people that own...
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Preventing Tendon and Ligament Injuries
Among the more common injuries besetting equine athletes are injuries to the various tendons and ligaments of the legs. In fact, they’re so common that some have even earned the sort of colorful,...
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Inspired by the ASPCA Maclay Final? Try This Exercise at Home!
Round 1 of the 20202 ASPCA Maclay Final tested control. “You had some questions that kept being repeated—long to short, long to short—really showing that the kids had focus and control over the...
View ArticleNon-Disclosure Agreements in the Equine Industry
Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) are signed documents that are typically utilized in businesses to protect an organization’s confidentiality. This practice of having employees sign NDAs has been...
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Now You See It…Now You Don’t
Sometimes finding the distance to a jump or seeing your spot on course is just downright frustrating. The ability flickers in and out like lights in a thunderstorm, occasionally leaving you and your...
View ArticleQ&A: Can Horses Develop Mental Illness Similar to What Humans Exhibit?
Question: “A couple friends and I were talking about all the horses we’ve trained and ridden throughout the years and comparing their characteristics and personality traits, etc. We were wondering if...
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Master Balance and Straightness with the Target Exercise
Straightness is a critical factor for jumping success. A horse that jumps straight is set up to jump in good form, jump higher and has a better chance of landing the lead—all factors that contribute...
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Marginal Gains Win Medals, Part 1
As I sit here, watching the British November rain run down the windows, I have been thinking about the last 12 months. With so much negativity in the world and a general inability to achieve...
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Cold Weather Care
Although southern California is a pretty balmy place in which to keep a horse, not everyone is so lucky. Fortunately, while wintertime means that people are breaking out the down parkas and long...
View ArticleI’m a Barn Owner with Unpaid Boarding Bills: Now What?
Boarders come and boarders go, but sometimes they leave with unpaid bills. What happens when a barn owner has a boarder that leaves with a large unpaid balance? Unfortunately, most barn owners do not...
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