Featured | Ride Magazine

Don’t neglect your horse during the holidays

by Tom Seay | Dec 14, 2021 | Best of America by Horseback

All of us are busy during the month of December, especially in preparation for Christmas, New Years and family visits. Because of this, we may unintentionally neglect our horses. It is easy to neglect our horses quite by accident. Most of the care we give all year can be offset by the new cold weather. Here is why: Many of our horses are pastured all year but when winter and the cold arrives, we begin feeding hay. The hay seemed great when we put it in the barn but a leaky roof or being baled with a high degree of moisture. During the late summer and fall, mold can form that you can not see. All of us seem to look at the price of hay instead of the quality.

Safely Social Distancing by Horseback

by Tom Seay | Sep 7, 2020 | Best of America by Horseback

Last week we traveled to Pennsylvania for a trail ride and television show production at Cook Forest Scenic Trail Rides in Clarion. On this ride, we kept the campfire going both night and day.

Picking the right location or ride to participate in

by Tom Seay | Feb 28, 2020 | Best of America by Horseback, Horsemanship

One of the most frequent questions asked at various events and trade shows concerns tips on trail riding for the ride itself. In upcoming articles, we will offer suggestions on picking the right location or ride to participate in, but this article will note some common practices we follow.

Is Your Horse Worth his Salt?

by Eleanor Blazer | Jan 13, 2020 | The Way of Horses

The ancient Greeks traded salt for slaves – hence the saying “worth his salt”.
Early Roman soldiers were partially paid in salt (salarium argentum, which is where the word “salary” originated).
A severe salt deficiency can cause your horse to die.
Napoleon had thousands of soldiers die during his retreat from Moscow when wounds would not heal due to a “salt deficiency”.

Wait!

by Don Blazer | Jan 13, 2020 | A Horse, Of Course

In this day and age of “instant” everything, it’s hard to do, especially when you’re training a young horse, or even an older horse for that matter.

It’s easy to get excited; everything is now or soon. There are show classes for weanlings, yearlings, two-year-old futurities and derbies for three-year-olds. And time flies when you are having fun.

What Bedding to Use?

by Eleanor Blazer | Nov 8, 2019 | The Way of Horses

Water, water everywhere…and not a drop to drink!

An average 1,000-pound horse produces about 2 ½ gallons of urine a day.

So, how do you keep stalls dry?

A stall that drains properly is the first step.

Constructing a good base will allow the urine to drain. Poor drainage means the bedding must absorb all the moisture.

Bran – Not for Horses – What goes in must come out.

by Eleanor Blazer | Nov 8, 2019 | The Way of Horses

One of the by-products of feeding horses is manure. The quality, quantity and frequency of production should be of concern to every horse owner.

7 Questions to Ask

by Don Blazer | Nov 6, 2019 | A Horse, Of Course

There are seven questions you should be asking if you want your business to grow and your profits to increase.
Ask these seven questions again and again and again…never quit asking.

Planning Next Season’s Riding Destination

by Tom Seay | Nov 6, 2019 | Best of America by Horseback

For many people, the end of October is considered the traditional end of the trail riding season and the beginning of next season’s planning. To help in your planning, I wrote to the Director of State Parks in each state and asked if they were opening any new trails or had plans to close any riding trails in their parks in the upcoming year.

Trust

by Eleanor Blazer | Nov 6, 2019 | The Way of Horses

The definition of “trust” is to have confidence in something or believe in someone.
We are entrusted to care for our horses – to train with compassion and provide for their needs.
We trust others to provide us education, services and products to aid us in caring for our horses.