As the days start to get shorter with corresponding longer nights, now is a good time to start thinking of adding some additional lighting to your barn to chase away the gloom for both you and your horse.  Horse's eyes are sensitive to weak light. They can see fairly well at dusk, but they don't have the ability to adjust their eyes to darkness quickly, which is why they will often refuse to enter a dark building from bright sunshine. In addition, shadows and poorly lit areas make stall cleaning cumbersome and inhibit observation and care. A combination of individual stall and general aisle way lighting is preferred. Place fixtures where they won't create shadows for the horse when he enters his stall.  

A sustainable pasture depends on proper management of both the fertility needs of the soil and good management of grazing animals.  One of the most critical periods is fall.  Management decisions made at this time can have a strong effect on the plant’s ability to overwinter, which then determines when new growth begins in the spring and how much total growth will be produced over the entire season. 

If you have a background in showing your horse, you may want to consider a job as a Technical Delegate (TD).  You can find them at horse shows for most every discipline.  Sometime they are called “Stewards.”  But no matter what they are called, their job is the same:  to make sure that horse show where they are stationed complies with the rules established for that discipline.  This, in turn, makes sure that all competitors have an equal opportunity to succeed at the show.

Horses have binaural hearing meaning they hear out of both ears at the same time, the same as people and most other animals.  However, unlike humans who have small, flat ears, a horse’s ears are large and shaped like a cup.  These ears act like a satellite dish to capture sound waves and funnel them to his inner ear.  Because of this, very little sound is missed and the horse might hear noises that you can’t.  This is one reason why you may think that everything is perfectly fine, but suddenly you horse spooks for no apparent reason.  He may have heard something that sounded like a predator to him.

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Knowing how your horse acts and reacts when he is feeling good will help you to faster realize when there is something "not right" with him. Every horse owner needs to know what is "normal" for their horse. Being able to report these to your veterinarian when you contact him can help evaluate whether a visit is necessary and/or how quickly your horse needs to be seen.

Heat stress and heat stroke are extremely dangerous conditions for your horse.  Often seen in the summer months in sports such as eventing, jumping, combined driving or other strenuous activities, especially in areas where the humidity is high, heat problems can also occur simply when riding an unfit horse at your own barn when you push him too hard or he has to stand in a poorly ventilated trailer for too long. There is a difference in the causes of heat stress and heat stroke.  Heat stroke can occur over a relatively short period of time.  Heat stress, also known as heat exhaustion, usually results from protracted fluid and electrolyte loss during exhaustive exercise.

When you think of the game of polo, you usually think of it taking place in The Hamptons or in Kentucky or in England. But Portland, Oregon is not only rapidly becoming a hub of great polo, but it is building a reputation of horsemen and women giving back to the community.

In support of the White House's proclaimed "Made in America" week, we wanted to celebrate Classic Equine Equipment’s long-time commitment to their own made-in-America products.  Their contribution to the long lifespan of products is a quality point you won’t see on the surface. All of the company’s steel products are made in Classic’s hometown of Fredericktown, MO, ensuring complete control over the quality of the process and the end result.

Whether you’ve been around horses a long time and have lots of ideas from boarding stables or you are brand new to horses, building your own barn can be a challenge.  Location, construction materials, stall types and amenities are all decisions to be made. There are literally hundreds of options when building your barn and we won’t be able to cover them all.  But we’ll go over the most common types of barns and stalls as well as tips to remember before and during the construction process.