5 Star gets Five Stars

Saddle pads and cinches aren’t the most glamorous tack items in your barn. But they may be the most essential. Bad ones make your horse miserable and cause sores and sore muscles. Good ones make even marathon rides easy and fuss-free. Just ask Ben Masters, […]

Fatal Virus is Here

While dry weather is making wildfires a constant concern for horse owners out west, the wet weather is increasing the threat of contracting Eastern Equine Encephalitis and West Nile virus in New England. This week, EEE was detected in York County (Maine) mosquitoes. It’s a […]

Diggin’ Salt

From Utah to Iowa to Maine and all points in between, it’s been a warm summer. Some weeks in some states have been downright hot. Hydration for you AND your horse is key. So is salt intake. I like tortilla chips myself. My horses like […]

Weight does matter

Together with the horse, we’re Olympians. Together, we’re scholarship athletes. We’re a legendary duo, crossing continents, scaling mountains, swimming rivers, and outsprinting nearly every other species on the planet. But somewhere along the line, it became OK to partner-up with our horses as overweight, out-of-shape […]

Pasture Plan Foiled

The seasonal transition plan at our farm (one that includes dealing with the mud and staying off fields until they’re ready) hasn’t come without a few glitches. The most distressing? The Big Girl, Shea, came up lame. She went from fine to barely able to […]

Pasture Plan in Theory

The girls and I had a meeting. I explained to them the concept of Delayed Gratification. “You’ll thank me later,” I said. They threw visual daggers at my back, I’m pretty sure, as I walked out of their muddy, stinky paddock. Yes, Grass is back! […]

NickerNews & Redmond Equine

Several years ago, I bumped into the Redmond Equine folks at the Equine Affaire. The folks at their booth suggested I taste regular table salt and then try their Utah salt. Until that moment, I always thought Salt is Salt. But it isn’t. The white, […]

Help for Hayburners

Come winter, horse owners can get in a jam – with no viable pasture, too little hay, and not enough money to buy more. Finding a new home for your beloved horse, for whatever reason, isn’t an option. If you’re struggling, there’s help. It’s often […]

Horse Health on Maine’s Mind

Most horse owners are learn-a-holics. They’re interested in improving their horses’ lives. Often it involves the horse and rider partnership. But sometimes the best learning investment can be straight-up science and equine health. The University of Maine is offering what looks to be an excellent […]