When you’re doing effective groundwork, your body language and energy convey your intention to your horse, usually without the need for actual contact. When you’re riding, communicating your intention is just as important, but as your horse can’t really see what you’re asking, you must convey your requests in ways he can physically feel. In...

In extremely cold temperatures, a horse’s body decreases the blood supply to its extremities. And though it isn’t common, frostbite can result when fluid in the cells forms ice crystals that break or harm cell membranes and cause permanent damage. The most typically affected areas are the tips of a horse’s ears. In males, the...

Many horse owners opt to give bran mashes to their horses on Sunday evenings, after a big competition, or on a cold winter night. Bran mash is made by mixing wheat bran with ample warm water to produce a slurry, then adding in other grains, apples, carrots and/or other treats. The premise is to give...

The digital cushion is a wedge-shaped pad located between the collateral cartilages, below the back part of the coffin bone, and above the frog. This extremely important little pillow does a number of important things for the hoof, if it is properly developed, including: absorbing concussion protecting and supporting the navicular bone and the back...

Even very active riders can struggle with their posture, because riding encourages you to stabilize your shoulders by becoming rigid through your middle back. This means that riders at any level can struggle to avoid slouching in the saddle. The problem with slouching is that it causes unnecessary tightness in many areas of your body....

Riders often have challenges with their hand and elbow alignment. It may manifest as issues like riding with your elbows out, or with turned down “piano hands.” It may also be a problem that only pops up at specific times, like a hand that drifts during specific movements. Either way, it disrupts contact between the...

I highly recommend working with a qualified instructor or, at the very least, having an experienced rider to help you get started teaching a horse to jump. You’ll need to have: A safe, flat arena or field with good footing to work in 12-foot wood or PVC poles Safe jump standards or cavaletti blocks A...

Once thought of by many as being “a bit out there,” some holistic modalities are now recognized as valuable adjuncts to conventional back pain treatments, even among veterinarians. Three of the most popular – massage therapy, chiropractic adjustment and acupuncture – are widely believed to be able to help many horses get relief from back...

The exact reason horses crib remains unknown. The most prevalent belief is that cribbing horses have unmet dietary or management needs. Some researchers also suspect a link between trace element deficiencies resulting in oxidative stress and the stereotypy. Because trace elements such as selenium, zinc, manganese and copper protect the body from oxidative stress, one...

When Katarina (Katie) Keca was a little girl, she dreamed of riding a horse across the country with her sister and cousin. Time passed, life happened and she put her dream on the shelf. Years later, her sister, Jewel Keca, picked up the dream, dusted it off, and started making plans. Jewel convinced Katie to...