I’m told that little girls love horses. Then when they get older other things, perhaps boys (LOL) take that place.

Well not for some girls and woman. I’m one of them.

I’ve loved horses from the first time I was near then. The first time I was near them was when my parents would take us to a local farm for pony rides. I was probably one of the few children that didn’t cry when put on their back. I instead loved it. I’ve always been petite and thought it was great to see the world from their back. It was a perfect perch for a little girl. I also thought they were gentle and beautiful.

Aches, pains and fevers are often a part of life. They are for people and they are for horses as well. Just as we have medication in our medicine cabinet for our relief for these discomforts relief for horses often comes in the form of bute. Phenylbutazone, more commonly known as bute, is an anti-inflammatory and analgesic, or pain relieving drug for horses. It is sometimes called NSAID which stands for non steroidal anti inflammatory drug. Aspirin and ibuprofen are also NSAIDs. Bute is often a favorite choice because it is less expensive than other anti inflammatory drugs. It is convenient to give to horses because it is only given once or twice a day. Bute is available as one gram tablets that must be ground and made into a powder to administer orally, in a tube (like a dewormer) ready to give orally. Both are ways an individual may give the horse themselves. Bute is also available as a drug your veterinarian can inject.

No, I don’t mean lost in a pasture or stolen in the night, although those are bad things too. I mean passed on from this world, no longer here on the planet. If you like horses enough to spend a bunch of time with them, then chances are, at some point, you might have to deal with losing a horse too. A lot of riders start out with older horses. Some older horses are the best teachers of all.

Here is part of the process that can happen:

Horses evolved on a different diet from the one they’re expected to eat today. The manner in which horses eat and the time they spend eating has changed considerably - even a horse living on grass eats a different diet from his ancestors. Unfortunately for the domesticated horse, his intestines have not evolved to meet these changes and, as a consequence, he is susceptible to digestive upset.

A horse’s digestion involves fermentation of which a by-product is gas, which can easily distend the gut causing problems. Horses cannot vomit to get rid of toxins, or
indigestible food. The gut has a large absorptive area (needed because the animal is a herbivore) which leaves the horse susceptible to toxins being absorbed quickly.

In the care and keeping of horses, it is necessary to have a variety of standard horse supplies at the ready in order to responsibly fulfill our duties as horse owners or caregivers.

While fundamental needs such as quality food, adequate water, and comfortable shelter are obvious, there are additional supplies that are absolutely essential to the health and functionality of the horse in question and they are classified by the physical care for the horse and utilization of the horse’s abilities.

Included in physical care are those horse supplies that feature the materials used for grooming the animal. Frequent horse grooming is imperative for the comfort and appearance of the horse.

Horses are living creatures with needs and emotions. But if you love horses, you don’t need to be told that. And like all living creatures, they need to be kept healthy if they are to be happy and successful. However, this world can be tough, and “nature red in tooth and claw” has a number of threats to horse health that a wise owner will want to watch out for.

How do you keep those nasty parasites at bay? A regular deworming process is necessary to rid your horses of dangerous, and sometimes deadly nasties such as large strongyles, small strongyles, ascarids, bots, pinworms, intestinal threadworms, and summer sores.

Of course, sometimes deworming is easier said than done! It’s one thing to come up with a regular deworming schedule, and quite another to put it into practice. First of all, your deworming schedule should be unique to your circumstances. What agent you use, and how often, will depend upon things such as geography, time of year, how many horses you have, size and type of pasture, amount of turn-out time, etc. It can be complicated! To add insult to injury, once you come up with a schedule you’ll have to get your horses to accept the deworming process. While some horses have no issues with deworming, others can make it quite difficult on you!

Bowed tendons on a horse can be murder. The deep flexor tendon between the knee and the pastern joint blows due to excessive stress and stretch. It’s a long recovery process sometimes leaving a blemish.

There can be several elements that can all contribute to this problem. Hard work is surely one while incorrect shoeing the other. A quick look at race horses and how prevalent bowed tendons occur can give you some clues to a deeper understanding into this issue. Race horses are definitely worked hard – at the end of the race horses are completely exhausted. In this condition of exhaustion and fatigue the muscles of the body are not carrying the horse in the most optimum manner-hence a breakdown.

Insurance of all kinds has become endemic in our society today; car insurance, home owners insurance, health insurance, and everything in between. The role of insurance in our lives is the protection of our assets. And when it comes to horse insurance, the goals are the same. For those who own one or more horses, horse insurance provides them with the same peace of mind as any other insurance policy.

A horse blanket is for protecting your horse from the elements.
To keep your horse warm, protected from the rain, wind, heat
and sun. They are tailored to fit around your horse’s body with
straps crossing underneath, allowing your horse to move about
freely without dislodging the blanket.

The traditional horse blanket is a woven blanket, usually made
of wool. Modern blankets are much warmer and resistant to
weather than traditional wool blankets, using inner and outer
shells with an insulating fiber between. Outer shells are
usually made of synthetics which are water repellent and
windproof, while the inner lining is smoother than wool so
it won’t chafe against your horse’s skin. The filling between
them provides warmth with much less bulk than older blankets.
This means the overall blanket is light enough not to flatten
your horse’s coat, and is more durable than their wool or cotton
predecessors.