Welcome 5 Star

Saddle pads and cinches aren’t the most glamorous tack items in your barn. But they may be the most essential. Bad ones make your horse miserable and cause sores and sore muscles. Good ones make even marathon rides easy and fuss-free. Just ask Ben Masters, […]

Fatal Virus is Here

While dry weather is making wildfires a constant concern for horse owners out west, the wet weather is increasing the threat of contracting Eastern Equine Encephalitis and West Nile virus in New England. This week, EEE was detected in York County (Maine) mosquitoes. It’s a […]

A Whip by Any Other Name

A recent trail incident provided some timely relevance to our recent discussion of whip use. Read Whip Use research review here. Comet and I went for a solo trail ride. We got off the road and into the woods only to be bombarded by deer […]

Like Whale, Like Horse

Blackfish is this summer’s hot documentary. It’s movie about killer whales and how captivity makes them miserable and crazy. It’s an easy concept for us horse owners to understand. A recent Los Angeles Times piece suggested humans should get out of the whale captivity business. […]

Water and Salt – hot items

From Utah to Iowa to Maine and all points in between, it’s been a warm summer. Some weeks in some states have been downright hot. Hydration for you AND your horse is key. So is salt intake. I like tortilla chips myself. My horses like […]

Confessions of a bad rider

My name is Maddy. And I own a bolting horse. The first time we met, she tossed me. The second time, she tossed me, too. I love her dearly, but after those experiences, I stopped riding her. For several months, she was the one left […]

This Bug Dope is a God-Send, she says

Marsha Craig and her miniature horse, Lily, have provided hundreds of therapy hours to folks in nursing homes, hospitals, and schools. Read more here. But they spend most of their hours outside, at their home in Massachusetts. Bugs are a problem there. Or, at least […]

Vet reflects on tornado

More than a month after an EF-5 tornado ripped apart Moore, Oklahoma, Dr. Clayton McCook paused to reflect on the damage, the recovery, and the prospects. EF-5 is a Level 5 tornado on the Enhanced Fujita scale; it is the highest level, with “incredible” […]

Summer Read: The Nature of Horses

Authors of horse books generally come in two varieties: Horsemen and women who write about their expertise. Their strength is horses. Writers and journalists who love horses and want to write about them. Their strength is writing. It’s rare to find books by authors who […]

Bug products worth the cost and effort?

No Mas to my old routine! This summer, I’ve decided to stop my zealous and expensive efforts to keep flies off the horses. Why? At 20 to 25 bucks a bottle, fly spray is expensive. Read what readers pick for Best Fly Spray. […]