In every issue of Horse & Rider you'll find articles on training by the country's leading experts, the latest on equine health care from top veterinarians, trail riding tips from savvy back country riders, and much more!
THERE’S A FINE LINE BETWEEN TRAINING until your horse masters a skill and overtraining. It may seem like the more you practice, the better your horse will be, but I’ve found that too much schooling has the opposite effect. Your horse will start anticipating your cues, resulting in undesirable behavior—or worse, penalties in the show pen. Young horses may lope off too soon. Seasoned horses may stop at every cone without being asked. You want to be in control of your horse during competition, but if the horse decides he knows best, you’ll find yourself out of the driver’s seat while your horse takes the wheel. Horses are creatures of habit, and they learn from consistency—whether it’s intentional or not. If you always stop and turn at the same spot,…
Plan ahead. Know exactly where you’re going, plotting the coolest, most efficient route to get there. Check DOT (department of transportation) websites for updates on construction-site detours and delays. If you’re planning overnight stays, be sure you have current directions. Getting stuck or lost on the way to your horse’s “hotel” means extra time in the trailer—and the less time he spends in the trailer the better, especially when it’s hot. Prepare your paperwork. Be sure you have the appropriate travel papers in hand before you leave for your trip. Few things are worse than arriving at a border crossing, only to find out you have to wait for the local vet to arrive and inspect your horse before you can continue down the road. Oh wait, there is something…
Summer means you’re enjoying long trail rides, and maybe competing in endurance rides or competitive trail rides. Before you go, ensure that your horse won’t become overheated or dehydrated, conditions that can lead to serious health consequences. Here, I’ll explain how to head off four hot-weather hazards: 1) on-trail crisis, 2) overheating, 3) dehydration, and 4) heat-index risks. For each hazard, I’ll tell you how to avoid it and why this works, then give you on-trail techniques and an expert tip. Next, I’ll outline signs of heat stress/dehydration. Finally, I’ll explain the immediate steps to take if your horse becomes overheated/dehydrated despite your best efforts. Even if trail riding isn’t your summer activity, you’ll want to read on. Each of these hazards can arise in arena riding and competition, too.…
You arrive at the barn to find your horse with a snotty nose. Do you clean him up and ride him anyway? Call your veterinarian for an emergency visit? Or do you decide to take the day off and see what your horse looks like the next morning? The answer isn’t simple. The cause of your horse’s nasal discharge can range from something as simple as a little dust irritation to as serious as a life-threatening pneumonia. Here, I’ll give you the tools you need to determine what to do when you find your horse with a nasal discharge. First, I’ll tell exactly what mucous is. Next, I’ll explain how to evaluate your horse’s discharge by giving you five questions to answer about its nature. I’ll describe what each answer…
“I think my horse is dying! He must have pneumonia, because he’s coughing like crazy and has thick disgusting discharge coming from both nostrils. I just don’t understand it—he seemed fine yesterday. I need you now.” The minute I hear this sort of message on my pager (and I hear it a lot), I’m already pretty sure I know the answer. The good news is that the horse really isn’t dying, and he probably doesn’t have pneumonia. In fact, this is a classic description of an esophageal blockage—the equine version of choke. An equine choke is very different from a human choke. It involves a horse’s esophagus (between his mouth and stomach) not his trachea (the passage to his lungs). Although the horse’s behavior may appear dramatic, he isn’t in…
