More books from my personal library are being added to the Buy One, Get TWO FREE page – some vintage, some New Old Stock, some just plain old NEW !
Take a look – here are just a few of the latest additions.
Posted in Bad Habits, Behavior, Books, Management, Miscellaneous, Riding, Safety, Sanitation, Tack, Training, Used and Collectible, Veterinary Care, tagged art, bad habits, health, horsekeeping, management, problem solver, riding, used horse books on November 27, 2016| Leave a Comment »
More books from my personal library are being added to the Buy One, Get TWO FREE page – some vintage, some New Old Stock, some just plain old NEW !
Take a look – here are just a few of the latest additions.
Posted in Blanket Care, Blanketing, Cooler, Horsekeeping Almanac, Management, Tack, tagged bathing horse, blanket, Cooler, curvon, grooming, horse blanket, horse care, horsekeeping, management, saratoga horseworks, wilsun, wool cooler on July 25, 2016| Leave a Comment »
Coolers
A cooler is a lightweight, absorbent cover designed to help a wet horse dry slowly without getting chilled. Essential during cold or cool, breezy weather, these items are also valuable in hot times. Even when he doesn’t need protection from chilling, a cooler can help dry a horse more quickly by wicking moisture away from his hair and letting it evaporate from the outer surface of the cooler. Sometimes, during cold weather, frost will form on the outside of the cooler, a sure sign that it’s working! In the winter, you can layer two coolers after bathing a horse and remove the inner cooler once it has absorbed most of the moisture.
The typical cooler style covers the horse from poll to tail and hangs very long on the sides. It usually has a browband, two or more light tie straps under the neck, and a tail loop, but no surcingle or leg straps. This style is good for throwing over a horse, tack and all, after a workout to allow him to cool down while walking or untacking. Small size is 66 by 72 inches, Regular size is 84 by 90 inches, and Large is 90 by 96 inches.
Coolers also come in a more fitted stable-sheet style, with one or more belly attachments, front closures, and possibly leg straps. Because this style is more secure on the horse, it’s better suited for a horse that’s unattended, such as a horse turned into a stall or paddock to munch hay after a bath or workout.
Coolers used on sweaty horses need to be easily washable, since the dirt and minerals from sweat remain in the material after the moisture evaporates. Since wool coolers, even when washed cold, are more prone to shrinking than synthetic coolers, you can minimize their trips to the washing machine by double-layering them with a more washable synthetic cooler next to the horse.
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Posted in Books, Fly Control, Grooming, Hoof Care, Management, Moisture Control, Sanitation, Sarcoid, Skin Ailments, Veterinary Care, tagged cherry hill, equine, grooming, horse care, horse skin, management, ringworm, sanitation, Sarcoid, scratches, skin ailments, thrush, ticks, veterinary on May 5, 2016| Leave a Comment »
Ten Skin Ailments to Avoid
Here is a brief primer on some of the most common skin problems that might plague a horse.
Rain rot is caused by Dermatophilus, an infectious microorganism from the soil that eagerly becomes established in skin cracks under a dirty hair coat during rainy weather. The painful, tight scabs that form on the horse’s neck, shoulders, back, and rump make him uncomfortable and unusable and require medication and bathing.
Seborrhea is a skin disease caused by a malfunction in sebum production and function, resulting in flaky skin.
Ringworm is a fungal infection affecting the skin and hair, characterized by round, crusty patches with hair loss. It is easily spread between horses via tack and grooming tools.
Photosensitivity of the skin (usually under white hair) can result from components of certain plants (ingested). The skin becomes red, then sloughs off.
Warts, most commonly on the muzzle of a young horse, are caused by the equine papillomavirus. As a horse matures, he develops immunity to the virus and the warts disappear. The same virus also causes aural plaque, a scaly condition inside the ear, which can become painful if flies are allowed to bite and feed inside the ears.
Sarcoids are common skin tumors with unknown cause. There are several types, mostly occurring around the head or the site of an old injury.
Thrush is a fungal infection of the hoof that thrives in moist, dirty environments.
Scratches (also known as grease heel) is a common term that refers to a general localized skin inflammation found on the lower legs of horses. The thick, chronic sores at the heels and rear of the pastern can be quite painful. Scratches are linked to an opportunistic fungus, but can be complicated by bacterial infection.
Ticks cause crusty scabs and can be disease carriers. Check the mane and tail carefully throughout spring and summer. Use rubber gloves or tweezers to remove ticks, which can carry Lyme disease that can also affect humans (see July Vet Clinic). Be sure to remove the entire tick. If the head is left in, it can cause a painful infection.
Lice are not common in horses unless they are poorly kept and crowded. Then lice can spread rapidly through a group. You’d find the nits (eggs) or the lice themselves along the midline of the horse, such as in the mane and tail head.
Take advantage of our Book Sale. Buy One and Get TWO FREE on this page. New books are being added weekly in both categories.
Here are a few added this week:
Posted in Books, Horsekeeping Almanac, Management, Used and Collectible, tagged collectible books, haymaker handbook, horsekeeping, horsekeeping almanac, long lining, lungeing, spring management, used books on March 15, 2016| Leave a Comment »
From Cherry Hill’s Horsekeeping Almanac
Shedding horses, green grass, the return of the meadowlarks . . . spring is here! When I go to bed each night, I am often rehearsing all the things I want to do the next day as I slip into dreamland, and when my feet hit the floor every morning, they are in high gear. This is the beginning of a new horse season and it can’t start too early for me.
Mother Nature, however, can bring some interesting events to the mix. We usually have our deepest and wettest snowstorms during March, April, and even May. So although I am revved, I always need a backup plan in place if the weather makes it unsafe or impossible to train or ride.
The horses are all brought in from winter pastures in March, if not before, to allow the land to rest and the plants to grow. Each horse has his own separate sheltered pen. I bring the horses back into work one at a time, starting with a grooming program. I might vigorously groom a horse daily to remove as much of the shedding hair as possible, or in some cases, I might bathe a horse in early March and give him a body clip. (See more about body clips in December.) Until a horse is 95 percent shed out, I usually don’t put a sheet on him. Then I either give him a turnout sheet or a fly sheet, depending on the weather, to protect his coat.
The horses are still on a 100 percent hay ration, but I cut back a bit to help them start to lose their winter fat and hay belly if they have one. Because they are in pens, they require exercise, so I review in-hand and longeing to get them back into work mode.
I pay attention to each horse’s specific needs for conditioning and adjust rations as needed.
Horses in training are kept shod, and even some that are not in training are kept shod to protect their hooves from our abrasive Rocky Mountain terrain. It is great having a resident farrier!
This time of year, the horses are fed three times per day, at 6:00 a.m., noon, and 7:00 p.m. The seniors are still getting their beet pulp and supplements, and the rest of the horses receive beet pulp with additives as their level of work dictates.
Spring makes us all feel great. I’m spending lots of time outdoors. I always wear a broad-brimmed hat, bandanna around my neck, gloves, and long-sleeved shirt. This is mainly to protect my eyes and skin from sun damage. I often find that from this time of year through fall, I get plenty of varied exercise from chores, grooming, training, riding, mowing, and facilities maintenance tasks, so the indoor exercise equipment gets a little dusty over the summer. The early mornings and late afternoons can still be a bit chilly, so mainly for my horse’s sake, I try to do vigorous training and riding either mid-morning or mid-afternoon, giving them plenty of time to cool out thoroughly before chilly evening temperatures.
Visit our Good Horse Books site for new, used and collectible horse books – Buy one and get TWO FREE.
Here are a few added today
Posted in Behavior, Books, DVDs, Facilities, Grooming, Hoof Care, Management, Tack, Training, Veterinary Care, tagged cherry hill, equine, health care, horse, horseback riding, horsekeeping, riding, training on October 8, 2012| 2 Comments »
Posted in Management, tagged ranch dogs, rottweiler, working dogs on March 21, 2012| 1 Comment »
Posted in Euthanasia, Management, tagged equine, euthanasia, health care, horse care, horse slaughter, horsekeeping, management, nutrition on February 25, 2012| 4 Comments »
Posted in 101 Horsekeeping Tips, DVDs, Grooming, Winter, Winter Tail Care, Winter Tail Care, tagged equine, grooming, horse tail, horsekeeping, management, winter horse care, winter tail care on December 17, 2011| 3 Comments »