Welcome to the first Manes and Tales post! I decided that I wanted to make some more story-based content and here’s the first one! I will not be mentioning any names/dates in these stories to keep people/places anonymous. Please enjoy the story and learn from our mistakes! Some Backstory Today I wanted to tell you…… Continue reading Manes and Tales: My Outrageous First Horse Trainer Experience
Posts
Basics of Equine Behavior: What Every Equestrian Should Know
Horses have spent 55 million years evolving as prey species. One may immediately recognize that horses have a “fight or flight” response. This is the extent of many equestrians’ equine behavior knowledge. But what other behaviors can we witness in horses? How do they interact in a herd, determine who’s in charge, or form relationships?…… Continue reading Basics of Equine Behavior: What Every Equestrian Should Know
Budget Equestrian Style: How Horse People Can Save Money
It is fairly well-known that being an equestrian can get pretty expensive. With riding clothes, equipment, and more driving up the costs, you may be wondering if there are any ways to save money. That’s where I come in 🙂 My mom got me into riding lessons when I was 8 years old (16 years…… Continue reading Budget Equestrian Style: How Horse People Can Save Money
Equine Core Vaccines: What Are They and Why Are They Important?
First off, what are equine core vaccines? Well, to answer that, you must first ask, what is a vaccine? A vaccine is a preparation of living attenuated organisms, dead (killed) microorganisms, or living, fully virulent organisms. This preparation is administered to an animal to produce or artificially increase immunity to a specific disease. In simpler…… Continue reading Equine Core Vaccines: What Are They and Why Are They Important?
Boarding Barn Red Flags: 13 Things to Look Out For
As someone who boarded their horses for over a decade, I wanted to share some of the things that I have learned over the years. There are numerous boarding barn red flags to watch out for in order to ensure quality care for your horse. All the red flags I will list are situations/observations that…… Continue reading Boarding Barn Red Flags: 13 Things to Look Out For
15 Easy Equestrian Life Hacks That You Should Use in 2022
I know what you may be thinking. Hacks? Really? What is this 2019? But hear me out! I wanted to share with you all my equestrian life hacks/tips/tricks (whatever you want to call them) that I have gathered or learned over nearly 15 years of being around horses. For this list, I accumulated all the…… Continue reading 15 Easy Equestrian Life Hacks That You Should Use in 2022
Through the Judge’s Eyes: How to Evaluate Equine Balance and Conformation
Have you ever wondered what makes the top performance horses so successful? The answer can most likely be found in the study of equine balance and conformation. Horses that are built well, typically perform well. It is important to evaluate horses’ balance and conformation for a few reasons. By being conformationally correct and balanced, our…… Continue reading Through the Judge’s Eyes: How to Evaluate Equine Balance and Conformation
Eyes Up: Important Qualities to Look for in a Horseback Riding Instructor
So you’ve decided you want to start taking horseback riding lessons. Yay! I’m so excited for you to develop your equine knowledge and grow your love of horses. To get started, of course, you’ll need to find a riding instructor! After having a number of riding instructors over the years (along with preparing to start…… Continue reading Eyes Up: Important Qualities to Look for in a Horseback Riding Instructor
Pasture Planning: How to Create the Perfect Habitat for Your Horse
In preparation for our Spring 2023 planning, I thought we would discuss some things you need to consider when planning an equine pasture. We will discuss the horse’s natural tendencies, things every pasture needs, fencing types, and some extra considerations. **Please note that much of what we discuss are ideals. We understand that not everyone…… Continue reading Pasture Planning: How to Create the Perfect Habitat for Your Horse
Straight From the Horse’s Mouth: The Equine Digestive System
An understanding of the equine digestive system is essential when establishing proper husbandry practices. Unfortunately, many modern day feeding and horsekeeping practices go against the horse’s natural way of being. Horses are herbivores and hindgut fermenters. They are built to eat around 1.5-2% of their body weight in forage (hay, grass, etc.) per day. Sadly,…… Continue reading Straight From the Horse’s Mouth: The Equine Digestive System