Horses, Dogs, Humans in Heat

It’s hot as heck! But we still want to get out there with our four-hooved and four-pawed compadres. You’ll find LOTS of advice from professionals and non-professionals on scores of sites, shows, podcasts, and social platforms. Here’s our take in a concise yet summary post. […]

Episode 1: Tying Trials and Confidence Building with Daniel Dauphin

Listen to Episode 1 Welcome to Season Four!! of Best Horse Practices with Jec Ballou. Our show is a space for riders and horse owners of all disciplines to learn best practices and to discover ways, skills, strategies, tools, ideas for better connecting with their […]

On the Fence: What Horses and Riders Gotta Have

Listen to Episode 5 This episode is episode 5 (sorry about the error on the audio, in which we identified it as episode 4) and an On the Fence segment – a show in which Jec and I discuss something that’s been on our collective […]

To Pull a Nail or Not?

Recently, Dr. Brian Burks, a veterinarian at Fox Run Equine Center in California posted a warning about puncture wounds to the hooves on Fox Run’s Facebook page. In short, he said horse owners should not attempt to remove the offending object. Check out his point […]

Episode 11: Stacie Boswell & Heart Rate Variability

Listen to Episode 11. Head to main podcast page. In our 11th episode, Jec Ballou visits with Dr. Stacie Boswell, author of the new book: The Ultimate Guide for Horses in Need, published by Horse & Rider Books. Use the coupon code “BESTHORSE” for a […]

Safety Sticks: Got ‘Em?

Given the interest in our recent WiseAssWallace helmet post, we thought we’d discuss the greater issue of safety. Studies show that horse riding is one of the riskiest activities we humans do. Riders assess and mitigate risk all the time. Being safe is an integral […]

First Aid Essentials: Skills and Stuff

It helps if the horse is haltered. That’s what I was thinking when driving along a Maine state highway years ago. Two big Belgians had just dashed across the road. Partners in crime, you could say. They trotted through one yard and began helping themselves […]

First Response Tips

Years ago, I shared Canadian trainer, Lauren Fraser’s, equine field emergency to Cayuse Communications readers. It provided such fun and valuable information that it ended up in my book, A Rider’s Reader. Aside from a fully stocked first aid kit, she reminded readers facing an […]

Emergency Homework for Horse Owners

Dr. Rebecca Gimenez Husted was a popular presenter at the 2018 Best Horse Practices Summit. She provided some horse-owning particulars for preparedness here. For more information, visit her organization TLAER or Facebook page. We have a great library of Emergency topics here. Husted writes: Ready […]

Quick Emergency Rescue Tips

Dr. Rebecca Gimenez-Husted was enthusiastically received at the Best Horse Practices Summit, held earlier this month in Durango, Colorado. She is the president of Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue. After the conference, she wrote: It has been a week since we were synthesizing together – […]