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. 

Horses, like most prey animals, have their eyes positioned on both sides of their head. This is so they can have a wide field of vision to watch for approaching predators. Horses have “monocular” vision, meaning that each eye sees things differently and independently. This benefits the prey animal as it allows him to watch his herd with one eye while watching behind him to see if anything is coming after him with the other eye.

It happens to all of us at least once.  Your vet retires or you move to an area that your current vet doesn't serve.  Now you have to find 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 you use is a great one. Do you know what traits you should be looking for in a great equine vet?

Whether you’ve been around horses a long time or you're 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. Another big question is whether your barn will be for personal or business use.

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.