Category: Uncategorized

June 16, 2017

Your Horse & You – Care and Safety

Back from the road and it’s always good to be home!
With the wild days of “Wild Horse Tales” (www.HorseTales.org) and all the fabulous stunts the horses and their riders have done over the years – thought we should spend a minute talking about care and safety.
It goes without saying you should know your horse, that you should feed and groom them regularly, have them checked by a vet, and always inspect your tack before and after riding. Maintaining the heath and condition of your horse is important to both of you! Prevention of injury is the most important thing you can do, always. My Dad and I put together a little book about this years ago with his writing and my photos. Still have a few of them for sale if you want to take a look.

If however you do find your self in an emergency and you need to care for an injured horse here are a few tips from our friends at www.animalorthocare.com

4 Tips for Caring for an Injured Horse

Any horse owner who has had to handle an injured horse before will tell you that it can be a challenging ordeal, especially if you have no experience or guidance on the matter. Horses are huge, heavy animals that can do a lot of damage if they fall onto something or accidentally kick an object or person. You don’t want to put yourself in danger or run the risk of worsening the injury by improperly handling or treating the horse, so it’s imperative that you do your research and have the right help on hand to make sure you’re in the best position to provide top-notch care. With that said, here are four things every horse handler should do when they have an injured horse.

1. Seek Veterinarian Assistance and Advice

It’s always best to get a professional opinion on an injury, even if you think it might heal on its own. Try to find a vet that has extensive experience in dealing with horses. If the horse with a severely injured leg or its leg needs to be amputated, you may need to consult with a horse prosthetics specialist to restore the animal’s mobility in the long-term. Regardless of what needs to be done, you’ll feel much better knowing that you’re following the advice of a trained and knowledgeable horse vet instead of going it alone.

2. Be Gentle When Cleaning and Treating Wounds

The reaction you’ll get from a horse will vary greatly depending on the horse’s personality, the extent of the injury, and how well you know and handle the animal. However, as a general rule of thumb, you should try to apply no more than 7-15 pounds of pressure per square inch when cleaning wounds. That’s about the amount of pressure generated by a strong spray bottle. Thus, spraying the wound down and gently patting off the water is the best technique.

3. Approach the Injury Carefully and With Help

Handling an injured horse on your own is never a good idea, and it’s also important that you’re careful about how you approach the horse. If you startle the animal, it could further hurt itself with its reaction or it could respond aggressively and injure you or one of your assistants.

4. Allow for Adequate Rest

Last but definitely not least, giving the horse adequate time to rest and heal is essential. Although walking and other forms of physical therapy may eventually be necessary, in the beginning, sufficient rest should be the primary focus.

Keep Close Watch for Troublesome Symptoms

Finally, once you’ve done all of the above, it’s important to follow up with a vet as necessary. If the horse begins showing any signs of infection or other serious symptoms such as fever, fainting, strange behavior, or lethargy, try to have an emergency vet visit organized as soon as possible. Addressing problems as they arise will prevent the horse from having to deal with an injury that is aggravated or worsened due to postponed treatment.

May 6, 2016

Derby Day 2016

Tomorrow will be another exciting Kentucky Derby, maybe not the American Pharoah triple crown … but you never know!

The 2016 Kentucky Derby will be held on Saturday at Churchill Downs at 6:43 p.m. ET.

Nyquist stands as the current favorite, with a 3–1 chance to win this year’s Derby. According to the odds, Exaggerator will pose as Nyquist’s toughest challenger on Saturday, as the horse has 8–1 odds to win the race. Mohaymen, Gun Runner and Creator all have 10–1 odds to round out the top five horses, at the moment.

Trojan Nation, Oscar Nominated and Laoban have been given the worst odds out of the 22 horses in Saturday’s race, as they each currently have 50–1 odds to win.

But then there is always a possible upset;

The ultimate spoiler is Oscar Nominated, at 50-1, trained by Mike Maker. He won the Spriral last out on Polytrack at Turfway, but has not run on dirt. All prior starts on turf as his sire, Kitten’s Joy, is the most prolific U.S. turf sire presently. Turf form translates to Polytrack often as it did for him in the Spiral. Should he win, the winner’s circle presentation with the Ramseys will be classic. A Kentucky family that loves their racing at every level. While Mr. Ramsey’s dream is to win a race at Royal Ascot and collect a trophy from the Queen, we here in Kentucky love it win he wins a race on a muddy track and then leads his horse into the winner’s circle barefooted. The Ramseys LOVE the game.

That’s Ramsey, not Alec Ramsay (who also LOVES the game). Get some Black Stallion LUCK here.

1. Trojan Nation 50-1

2. Suddenbreakingnews 20-1

3. Creator 10-1

4. Mo Tom 20-1

5. Gun Runner 10-1

6. My Man Sam 20-1

7. Oscar Nominated 50-1

8. Lani 30-1

9. Destin 15-1

10. Whitmore 20-1

11. Exaggerator 8-1

12. Tom’s Ready 30-1

13. Nyquist 3-1

14. Mohaymen 10-1

15. Outwork 15-1

16. Shagaf 20-1

17. Mor Spirit 12-1

18. Majesto 30-1

19. Brody’s Cause 12-1

20. Danzing Candy 15-1

Last year’s Derby; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQzXSJWmUIM

April 24, 2015

FREE TRIP TO THE DERBY!

Here’s a contest just announced by AOL;
VIP trip to the `Kentucky `Dreby;
Have you ever dreamed of attending the Kentucky Derby? Now you can!

Enter the #HomeStretchSweeps for a chance to win 2 VIP tickets to the 2016 Kentucky Derby, a $3,000 travel voucher for your Derby weekend stay, and a feature on AOL.com!

This exciting opportunity is provided by AOL.com in partnership with Churchill Downs Racetrack LLC ©, the official home of the Kentucky Derby.

whole story and rules here;

DERBY CONTEST

The other back story;

http://www.kentuckyderby.com/news/2013/05/03/right-man-right-time-kevin-krigger-chases-derby-dream

RIDE ON!!

January 29, 2015

Stay fit, stay strong – all winter long!

If you’ve ever been to a Horse Tales “Second Touch” you know that we all learn a bit about grooming, tack, feed and keeping horses healthy.

Here’s some more simple tips about care for your horse and other critters.
Take care of yourself – it’s cold outside. Warm up, cool down and enjoy the ride!
Be sure to leave your comments on the forum, facebook or here on the blog page.

Routine Health Care Of Horses

As loving owners, our horses mean the world to us, but without the right education looking after them properly isn’t an easy task! Here are a few things every owner should be aware of.

1) Regular Veterinary Check-Ups

It’s a good idea to schedule regular veterinary check-ups to ensure your horses stay fit and healthy, and to get much needed medicine in the event of illness. Most general health inspections should begin with nutrition. Many problems can be traced to a horse’s digestive system, which was made to process large amounts of grass, fiber, and water. A simple diet is best, and horses should get plenty of grass, high quality hay and water when they need it.

2) Food

Make sure your horse has plenty of grass and hay to graze on. Malnutrition can lead to several problems including ulcers, which are common in leaner sport horses. It is generally agreed that horses should eat between 2 and 4 percent of their body weight in hay and feed. It’s advisable to monitor their weight regularly to make sure it remains within healthy limits.

3) Vaccination & Deworming

Horses should be vaccinated and dewormed at regular intervals to prevent deadly viruses and parasite infections. The vaccinations needed can vary depending on the horse’s lifestyle. Deworming is particularly important due to how common parasite infections are, and because they can result in weight loss, colic and other dangerous symptoms.

4) Social Life, Excercise & General Wellbeing

Horses need to be social and around others or they could develop emotional and mental problems. They need regular mental stimulation and should receive adequate exercise to ensure they grow up as healthy as possible. Carefully monitor your horse’s sleeping patterns to make sure they aren’t out of the ordinary as strange sleeping patterns can be a symptom of illness or anxiety.

Unless it is particularly wet and windy outside, horses stand the cold better than hot weather. If they cannot sweat, their bodies may have trouble getting rid of excess heat.

5) Medicines

It’s a good idea to stock up on safe, versatile medicines such as Benadryl (containing diphenhydramine only). Purchasing antihistamines for horses can come in handy to counteract blood pressure problems and allergic reactions that would otherwise harm your animal, but should only be administered when you have approval from a veterinary professional. The right types of antihistamines do not block active histamines, and instead compete with them for the receptor to keep your horses healthy. As an added bonus, you can also safely use antihistamines on household pets, meaning you can keep Fido’s summer-time allergies under control too!

September 11, 2014

Wild Horses of Sable Island

A story today of removing the Sable Island horses.
Seems a lot of horses are being rounded up this days.
Saw this beautiful B&W photo show of the Sable Isle horses in NY.
Take a look if you’re in NYC
Roberto Dutesco – 64 Grand Street, New York, 212 219 9622

Today’s story:

Canada: legendary horses ‘should leave’ Sable Island

A Canadian biologist has reignited a long-running debate over whether the famous wild horses that roam a remote Atlantic island should be evicted for endangering the local ecosystem.

About 400 horses wander undisturbed on Sable Island. But scientist Ian Jones of the Memorial University of Newfoundland says the horses are an “invasive species” causing desertification on the island. They eat too much of the vegetation and compacting the soil with their hooves, the National Post newspaper says. He insists they should be relocated to Canada’s mainland to stop further damage to the environment.

But he faces firm opposition. Legend has it that the animals came to Sable Island centuries ago, swimming ashore after their ship was wrecked at sea. “It’s a debate between this romantic idea of horses and conservationism and biology,” Jones says. “But you have to differentiate between values and science.” The public have opposed earlier attempts to remove the horses, even though it’s more likely they were brought to the island as farm animals sometime in the 18th Century.

Other scientists also challenge his theory. Bill Freedman, a Dalhousie University biology professor, tells the National Post: “The horses have been on the island for centuries, and I believe the ecosystem is now in a steady-state condition with respect to their ecological effects.”
http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-29157273

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And find that gift for your honey!