Summer is the best time to own a horse, but we have been getting some real scorchers these last few years.  Here are some tips on keeping your horse cool this summer.

Horses have faithfully served our country through countless battles, becoming an integral part of America’s military history. Top leaders are often depicted in statues, and they’re frequently mounted on horses. It’s long been said that military horse statues follow a certain “code” – but is it true?

The 4^th of July holiday is a wonderful opportunity to remember all that is great about America.  Across the country, we celebrate it with parades, speeches, picnics – and fireworks.  Some horses are literally “bombproof” around loud noises, but others can become stressed.  Here are some ideas on how to help your horse cope.

An indoor wash bay is a necessity for any well-planned barn.  They are typically the same size as a stall.  They can be used for many other tasks as well – grooming, tacking up, shoeing and vet visits. 

A few months ago, we asked our readers what topics they'd be most interest in learning more about in our "Barn Bits" enewsletter and our blog. The overwhelming leading concern for horse owners was - fire.  Every year, thousands of acres of land are burned and hundreds of homes and buildings destroyed. However, every once in awhile a miracle happens - a lone house remains standing, untouched, while the area around it is completely destroyed. Here are some tips on how you can help better the odds that your barn becomes one of the survivors.

You’ve decided on the perfect summer riding camp for your child, and the camp has sent you a list of suggested items to pack. Great! But, before you start squeezing items into duffle bags, go over the list yourself to see what you have, need and should take.  While some camps are wonderfully thorough in the packing lists they provide, others might miss some essential supplies that your young rider will really need to have.

When someone says, “don’t look a gift horse in the mouth,” they are talking about the custom of telling a horse’s age by looking at his teeth.  It is possible to estimate the age of a young horse by observing the pattern of teeth in the mouth, based on which teeth have erupted.  A horse's incisors, premolars, and molars, once fully developed, continue to erupt as the grinding surface is worn down through chewing. A young adult horse's teeth are typically 4.5–5 inches long, but the majority of the crown remaining below the gum line in the dental socket. The rest of the tooth slowly emerges from the jaw, erupting about 1/8" each year, as the horse ages. When the animal reaches old age, the crowns of the teeth are very short and the teeth are often lost altogether.  Differences between breeds and individual horses, however, can make precise dating impossible. 

It happens to all of us at least once.  Your equine vet retires or you move to an area that your current vet doesn't serve.  Now you have to f ind a new vet for your horse.  If you're like many horse owners, you'd rather find a new doctor for yourself than a new vet for your horse. A vet is your partner in maintaining your horse's health, so it's important to make sure that the vet that you use is a great one. Do you know what traits you should be looking for in a great equine vet?

When it comes to your plans for your horse's retirement, is donating him to a therapeutic riding program an option? Donating your horse to a therapeutic riding program may seem like an ideal option, but therapeutic riding horses need to possess a very special set of skills. Could your horse make the cut? Consider the following must-have characteristics.