To see about this book visit Como Piensa tu Caballo
To see all books by Cherry Hill including all international editions, visit
Posted in Books, tagged caballo, cherry hill, equine, horse, horse barn, horse books, horse care, horseback riding on December 12, 2012| Leave a Comment »
To see about this book visit Como Piensa tu Caballo
To see all books by Cherry Hill including all international editions, visit
Posted in 101 Horsekeeping Tips, Barn, Facilities, Flooring, Horsekeeping Almanac, Horsekeeping on a Small Acreage, Management, Pen or Run, Stall Mats, Your Horse Barn, tagged concrete pad, equine, horse barn, horse flooring, horse loafing area, horsekeeping, management, stable on October 11, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Posted in 101 Horsekeeping Tips, Barn, DVDs, Equipment, Fire Extinguishers, Horse Movies, Safety, Your Horse Barn, tagged equine, fire extinguisher, fire safety, horse, horse barn, horsekeeping, management, safety on July 19, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Posted in Barn, Ceiling, Facilities, Horse Housing, Your Horse Barn DVD, tagged barn, barn ceiling, barn ventilation, horse barn, horsekeeping, management, sanitation, stable, ventilation on June 16, 2011| Leave a Comment »
I don’t know of a material for your application that would be both breathable and light reflective. I would suggest a polyiso material with white reflective surface for the ceiling surface. To dissipate the moisture produced by keeping horses in the barn you’ll need to install a sufficient number and size of vents in the walls, ceiling and roof.
Here is a link to a polyiso product.
We cover ventilation requirements and suggestions in our book Horse Housing and in our DVD Your Horse Barn.
Posted in Barn, Facilities, tagged earth shelter barn, equine, horse, horse barn, horse facilities, horse shed, horsekeeping, management on April 30, 2011| Leave a Comment »
I’m thinking of constructing a “natural” horse run-in shelter, like by building an earth shelter or 3-sided “shed” with dirt vs a wood barn. Any thoughts or experience?
Andrea
Hi Andrea,
I’m sorry to say I have no experience in earth shelters for horses but am posting this in case one of the readers of this blog or my Facebook page might have some information that might be helpful for you.
If you decide to go with a conventional horse shed or barn, be sure to consult the following publications:
Posted in Barn, Facilities, Pen or Run, Stall, Stall Mats, tagged cherry hill, equine, horse barn, horse barn mats, horse stall, horse stall mats, horsekeeping, management, mat anchors, stall, stall mats on November 3, 2010| 1 Comment »
Do your stall mats shift and bulge? Here’s a simple way to make horse-proof anchors that will help keep even a four-corner junction in place.
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Illustration from Stablekeeping by Cherry Hill & Richard Klimesh |
Why they’re handy:
Stall mats, especially those thinner than 3/4 inch, have a tendency to bulge along seams and intersections of corners. Bulging corners can be chewed or pawed by horses, and the uneven surface makes cleaning the mats more difficult. With their rounded stake heads, these anchors sit tightly against a mat, allowing a broom, shovel or hoof to slide over them without catching the edge of the mat.
Materials:
Instructions:
1. Weld the 1/4-inch washer flush with the end of the rod and then weld the fender washer on top of the smaller washer. Weld the center hole of the fender washer and two or three spots around the smaller washer on the underside.
2. To round the head, insert the stake through a piece of 1-inch diameter pipe so the head of the stake sits flat on the pipe. Bend the perimeter of the large washer down over the edge of the pipe using light taps with a hammer. (Always wear eye protection whenever striking metal with a hammer.) Remove the stake from the pipe.
3. Clean out debris from under the corners of the mats so they lie flat and even. Insert the mat stake between the corners of the mats and use a hammer to drive it to the surface of the mats. Keep the stake vertical so the head will sit level.
Posted in Behavior, Conformation, Exercise, Facilities, Feeding and Nutrition, Grooming, Hoof Care, Management, Safety, Sanitation, Tack, Veterinary Care, tagged cherry hill, equine, grooming, health care, hoof care, horse, horse barn, horse care, horsekeeping, horsekeeping almanac, management, manure, nutrition, pasture, sanitation, veterinary on October 10, 2010| 1 Comment »
Good Afternoon!
I am a newly developed horse lover and I just wanted to say I read your book “Cherry Hill’s Horsekeeping Almanac”. It was very informative and I enjoyed your insight. In our Public Library that’s all we had on you and your books. The horse selection is very old and few on the shelves here. In the next few years I plan on having a career, or owning a few horses myself. Thank you so much for writing the book and living the life you wanted. Your an inspiration to me and all horse lovers a like. Keep up the great work! Marilyn S.
Hi Marilyn,
Thanks so much for taking the time to write. I’m so glad my Almanac has helped inspire you to continue to reach for your dream. I’m happy to share what I have been fortunate to experience and learn about horses and their care and training. The Almanac, which was published in 2007, was a perfect medium to be able to paint the whole year round picture here at Long Tail Ranch.
And thanks also for your encouragement to keep up the work ! The art of writing is applying the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair and sometimes that keeps us writers out of the saddle more than we like ! But there are several new books in the works – one which I am just finishing up the final touches on and will be out in a few months.
I’ll post information about the new books when they become available or you can visit Chronology of Books and Videos by Cherry Hill – the newest ones are at the top of the left column.
Keep working toward your dream and best of luck to you,
Posted in Barn, Facilities, Pen or Run, Sanitation, tagged barn, equine, health care, horse, horse barn, horse care, horse pen gravel, horse stall, management, pea gravel, pen gravel, stable, swinging stall wall, turnout pen on October 8, 2010| Leave a Comment »
I’m new to horses, my 8 year old daughter has always been fascinated with horses and I’ve finally decided to get started. we are visiting some stables now to pick one for her to begin riding lessons before we purchase a horse. I’m currently building a barn and working on the stalls. I was reading in your book, Horsekeeping on Small Acreage, that you used a moving wall to allow you have a larger stall if needed. Could you provide me with some additional information on how you built the wall to move? My stalls are 10′ wide by 12′ deep. It will be the 12′ that needs to move, since I’m only 10′ wide that would be all that could swing to the back wall. Do I leave a 2′ section permanent on the from wall or does it need to hinge back to give the full opening? Just curious how you built yours to help me with my design.
Also had a question about the pen for daily turnout and bad weather, I plan to have approximately 30 x 30 pen at the back of my barn to use for this, the book mentions that this could be graveled. What would be your preference for the gravel type? Are there any con’s to having them turned out on the gravel?
The book has been great, Thanks for your help….Kevin
Hi Kevin,
So glad you found my book helpful ! You sound like you are approaching horse ownership and your daughter’s experience in a logical way. Bravo to that.
First to the swinging stall wall. One of our stalls was set up like yours, with the 12′ side being the swinging side, we left the extra 2 feet as a solid wall. Actually this makes for a nice nook for a water pail or grain bucket. And having a solid wall portion there adds stability for fastening the swinging panel when it is closed to make two stalls. Our 2″ wall portion is on the aisle side and the hinged partition is on the exterior wall side of the barn if that makes sense.
Since you have my book Horsekeeping on a Small Acreage, look on page 108. The short wall where the turquoise bucket is is the 2 foot wall on the aisle side of the stall and if you look over at the right hand side of the photo, you’ll see the 10 foot hinged wall fastened on the back wall of the stall.
There is detailed coverage of the swinging wall construction in our How-To video Your Horse Barn.
Then for the pen gravel question, if you look on page 42 there is a photo of a handful of pen gravel which is 3/8- pea gravel. You can read more about it here on my website Horsekeeping. There is also detailed coverage of pen gravel in the 2-DVD set Your Horse Barn mentioned above.
Best of luck with your new venture !
Posted in Barn, Facilities, tagged barn aisle, cross tie height, cross ties, equine, horse barn, horse stable, horsekeeping, management, stable on July 30, 2010| 1 Comment »
How high should cross tie rings be installed?
Thanks a bunch! Paddy
That is going to depend on the width of your aisle and the height of your horses. My barn aisle where my cross ties are located is 10 1/2 feet wide and I have 15 hand horses.
The 5″ diameter tie rings are mounted approximately 80 inches from the barn floor. They are attached to heavily reinforced wall studs with 3″ x 3/8″ lag bolts. The cross tie ropes are each approximately 5 feet long when tied. I tie them to the cross tie rings with a quick release knot. Tying instead of hard splicing onto the rings allows you to find that perfect adjustment.
This set up works great for me and is featured in all of my books that show me grooming, vacuuming, clipping and tacking up my horses in that area.
Cherry Hill
Posted in Management, Sanitation, tagged barn, cherry hill, flies, fly, fly control, fly spray, grooming, health care, horse, horse barn, horse care, horse flies, horseflies, horsekeeping, management, sanitation, stable, stable flies on May 26, 2010| 1 Comment »
© 2010 Cherry Hill © Copyright Information
If you look in your favorite equine supply catalog, you could find up to 15 pages of fly control products! During fly season, the shelves of your local feed or tack store will display a myriad of insecticides, repellents, fly traps, baits, and masks. The choices for fly control products can be overwhelming. However, if you arm yourself with some basic fly facts and gain an appreciation for the importance of management, you’ll have a better chance of winning your war against flies.
Stable flies, horseflies, deerflies, horn flies, and face flies are a menace to your horse’s health and well-being. Stable flies, by far the most common, are the same size as a house fly but while house flies just feed on garbage and spread filth, stable flies (both males and females) suck your horse’s blood. Common feeding sites include the lower legs, flanks, belly, under the jaw, and at the junction of the neck and the chest. When stable flies have finished feeding, they seek shelter to rest and digest.
The bite of a blood-sucking fly is painful and some horses have such a low fly tolerance that they can be driven into a snorting and striking frenzy or an injurious stampede. Even fairly tough horses, subjected to a large number of aggressive stable flies, might spend the entire day stomping alternate legs which can cause damaging concussion to legs, joints, and hooves, and result in loose shoes, and loss of weight and condition.
Stable flies breed in decaying organic matter. Moist manure is a perfect medium. The life cycle is 21 to 25 days from egg to adult. A female often lays twenty batches of eggs during her thirty day life span. Each batch contains between 40-80 eggs. When the eggs hatch, the adult flies emerge ready to breed. (The clouds of small flies on manure are often mistaken for immature stable flies but in fact are a different type of fly which may play an important part in the decomposition of the manure.) The number of flies produced by one pair of adults and their offspring in thirty days is a staggering figure in the millions. That’s why fly prevention is the most important line of defense in your war against flies.
FIVE LINES OF DEFENSE IN YOUR WAR ON FLIES
Your first line of defense is
TO PREVENT FLIES FROM BREEDING.
For those flies that manage to breed, your second line of defense is
TO PREVENT THE LARVAE FROM HATCHING.
If some of the larvae succeed in hatching, your third line of defense is
TO CAPTURE ADULTS FLIES IMMEDIATELY.
To deal with flies that avoided the traps, your fourth line of defense is
TO KILL THE REMAINING FLIES.
For flies that escape your previous four efforts, your fifth line of defense is
TO PROTECT YOUR HORSE.
Natural fly protection with Bare Skin Barrier
Watch for parts 2 and 3 of this post coming later this week.
I hope you find some helpful information here or on my website http://www.horsekeeping.com/