Have you heard the expression, “No feet, no horse.”? It means no matter how beautiful or how perfect the rest of a horse may be, without good feet they can’t perform and they can’t exercise. In fact, they can’t really do much of anything. Hooves that are allowed to grow too long not only look bad, they affect the internal…
Have you participated in halter or showmanship classes? These classes require you to memorize and perform a showmanship pattern, a series of movements and paces that you and your horse or pony are judged on. In a showmanship class the horse is handled from the ground, using either a halter or bridle. The exhibitor is…
Water is one of the most important parts of a horse’s diet, and watering horses in winter can be especially challenging. How do horse owners keep fresh thawed water available to horses when temperatures drop below freezing? 1. What is the freezing temperature of water in °C and °F? 2. If the temperature is 10°F…
Have you ever bridled a horse? You have to be careful when sliding the bit into the horse’s mouth; you don’t want the hard metal of the bit bumping against the horse’s teeth. What does it feel like for the horse to wear a bit and have it pulling at the corners of their mouth and pressing on their…
Would you like to hear the clip-clop of horse’s hooves on your street every week? That’s what people living in Bristol, Vermont hear every Friday – on garbage day. Twenty-two years ago, Patrick Palmer of Thornapple Farm was awarded the town’s contract for trash and recycling pickup. He and his team of horses have been…
Most people today have never even seen a real sleigh being pulled by horses. But there are places where people still hitch up their horses, wrap themselves in warm blankets and with sleigh bells jingling, go for a sleigh ride. At one time Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts, held an annual event to keep this wonderful…