Evaluate Your Horse
A friend mentioned that she was having trouble keeping weight on her mare, Missy. Missy has always been an “easy-keeper”. I asked her a few questions which every horse owner should regularly review.
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Calories for the Horse
The calculations for the amount of energy in your horse’s diet (and yours) is based on a platinum-iridium bar made in 1885.
That bar weighs exactly one kilogram (1,000 grams or about 2.2 pounds). It is kept at the International Bureau of Weights and Measures near Paris, France. Copies of the bar are kept at various governmental weights and measures agencies around the world.
What does that bar have to do with energy in a diet? It is the international standard for the metric system. The metric system is used in nutrition calculations.
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Preparing your saddle for Spring
Every winter, usually in late February, we get a few days of warm weather which reminds us of spring. This year will be no different and we use those days to catch up on outside work or repairs. For me, it is a time to spend some time getting my tack and saddles ready for the new riding season.
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No More Horses!
There are certain combinations that are irresistible.
German chocolate cake and mocha ice cream.
Staying in bed 15 minutes longer on a cold, rainy morning.
Horses at auction and your daughter.
Because I am older and wiser now, I can tell you with certainty, “Never go to an auction with your daughter.” (My father told me many times: “Do as Daddy says, not as Daddy does, and be the man Daddy should of was.”)
The Equine Intestine
Why is small 60 feet in length and large only 25 feet?
It’s a question about the equine intestine that could keep you awake at night. When you know the answer you’ll sleep more soundly.
A horse’s meal leaves the stomach through the pyloric sphincter and enters the small intestine – a tube that is approximately 60 feet in length and holds about 15 gallons of material.
It is not to early to plan
Last week, my wife, Pat and I met our son and his wife for dinner. As he is a sheriff’s deputy, he glanced at my car tags and asked if I knew my car tags were expired. Yep, they sure were.
When I got home, I went on-line to renew it. The Virginia DMV was kind enough to also show my driver’s license expires this Spring. My horse trailer expires in February and my stock trailer’s State Inspection ran out on the 31st as well.
In our fast paced lives, we often overlook the details of routine things. So, in this article, I thought I would reflect on some simple things that we do each year to get ready for that first trip the season.
A Horse, Of Course
Cold rain, snow, slush and mud…they’re all part of winter for a horse. And winter is here. (Even in the sunbelt, horse’s suffer some of winter’s wrath.)
Horses on their own take pretty good care of themselves even in a snow storm, but when they are “protected” by loving owners, the problems of “winter” neglect occur.
THE WAY OF HORSES
Through the lips, over the gums…look out stomach! Here it comes!
Once the horse has sorted, chewed and softened feed with salvia he swallows. The slurry travels down the esophagus and into the stomach.
The esophagus, a muscular tube about fifty inches in the average horse, leads to the stomach.
A horse chokes if a foreign object blocks the esophagus. This object may be an apple, corn cob, hay cube, a wad of improperly chewed feed or baler twine. Horses can choke on most anything…
The equine esophagus could also be blocked by a growth (tumor) or scar tissue from trauma (a previous choke episode or damage to the sensitive tissue because of a medical procedure).
Symptoms of choke in horses:
Being prepared to help yourself and others
You have probably seen the news footage of the horrific fires in California or remember the recent floods across the South and Texas. Other news footage of people turning their horses or livestock loose so they have some chance to survive is heartbreaking to us all.
In this article, I want to reflect how you and I can be able to help in a tragedy in your area. The secret to being able to do this is to be prepared to help yourself, your horses and your friends. In an emergency, time is precious and being ready to move your rig or animals is critical.
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