Spring and Summer are a great time to own a horse and spend time riding – except when you’re swarmed with flies.   Here are some ways to help keep the fly population away from your horse and barn.

Preparing for spring weather means preparing for everything else that comes along with it.

With lots of rain comes muddy pastures and muddy horses. There are several months throughout the year when mud can become a stressful problem. In the spring months, rain can fall for long periods of time causing a monsoon of mud puddles. In the winter months when snow falls and then finally melts the ground becomes a muddy mayhem.

Thinking of remodeling or building a new barn? One of your big decisions (and biggest expense) may be the type of wood you use. There are several types of wood available  and it can be daunting to figure out which one to use. The general answer? It depends on what’s available in your area as well as your local weather conditions. Heavy snows may require one type of wood while areas with insect issues might be best with another. Whatever you choose, if you’re building your walls with wood, use pressure treated wood whenever it’s in contact with earth or steel. However, keep in mind pressure-treated wood should never be placed where horses are in close contact.

With summer in the near future, you will find yourself outside riding trails. Regardless if you are riding alone or with a group you should always make sure you are taking the right safety precautions. Riding alone can be a wonderful way to connect with your horse and enjoy some solitude, but there’s also an element of danger when you’re the only one on the property. Before you ride solo, think about putting some or all of these safety tips to use.

Whether you are building your barn for your own personal use or as a business for boarding, training or breeding, you need to know what your liability risk is and how to best insure yourself and your assets from lawsuits. While this blog is based on a seminar by Oregon equine attorney Kathryn A. Hall, the information is not to be construed as legal advice – it is strongly recommended that you meet with your own lawyer and insurance agent who specialize in equine businesses.

There are many “alternative” treatments for your horse – chiropractor, acupuncture, and equine massage are just a few. However, most of these require special training to do them correctly. But with some basic education, aromatherapy can be used by anyone for a variety of ailments.

Have you ever thought about taking a trip to Lexington, Kentucky? April and May are the perfect times of year to not only enjoy “The Horse Capital of the World,” but there are some major events to enjoy during that time.  Late April is the Range Rover Three Day Event – the USA’s only 4-star horse three day event.  The first weekend of May is, of course, the Kentucky Derby in nearby Louisville.  There are tons of things for horse lovers to do in Lexington – and non-horselovers as well.  Here are some reasons why you might want to take a trip to Lexington.

One of the best ways to succeed jumping at a show is to get your horse as familiar as possible with a variety of jumps in the safety of your own arena. Most show jumps are fairly straightforward – vertical and oxer. What often scares horses are the bright colors, flags, flowers and other design elements.

In Honor of St. Patrick's Day. - Ireland is a land of incredible beauty and incredible horses. The following three breeds were developed to work with people of Ireland under a variety of tough conditions. Their hardiness and easy temperament are legendary.