Horse Family Values: Why Should a Child Have a Horse?

Horse Family Values: Why Should a Child Have a Horse? What Horse Care Can Teach Kids Religion needs a baptism of horse sense.Billy Sunday(1862 – 1935) What makes friendship with a horse such a wonderful part of a child’s healthy development? After all, horses can be costly. Actually, the purchase price of the horse is not the issue. The upkeep is what adds up. Boarding,

Have You Herd?

Have You Herd?A Rhyme Past-Duefor My Favorite Crew Of what shall a man be proud,if he is not proud of his friends?Robert Louis Stevenson(1850 – 1894) Have you heard about the herd?It’s my very favorite word.Although you may think it absurd,It’s where I am most self-assured. The herd admits without password.There, pure acceptance is conferred.Equine affection may be stirred,

Horses and Ponies - What's the Difference?

Horses and Ponies - What's the Difference? “I heard a neigh.Oh, such a brisk and melodious neigh as that was!My very heart leaped with delight at the sound.”Nathaniel Hawthorne Size matters.What is the difference between a horse and a pony? Many people assume that a pony is simply a baby horse, or even a little horse. This is absolutely not true. Ponies and horses, though related,

Home-Grown Fertilizer

Home-Grown Fertilizer -How My Best Intentions Destroyed My PretensionsWhat crops up, when you combine horses and gardening?As a budding gardener, I read somewhere that organic fertilizer is excellent for garden beds and patio pots. In fact, for several years, we had actually purchased manure to compost and enrich our landscape plantings.We live in horse country. We even have our own horses. We

What's Your Name?

Just for fun today, "The Mane Point Is ..." posting a poem I wrote to help children (and the rest of us) remember the correct names for various baby animals.What's Your Name? Those baby animals are sweet;Look at their tiny eyes and feet.What can you call a girl or boy,The parent creature’s pride and joy? A pony’s not a little horse,A colt or filly is, of course.But both are known as

Falling Off Your Horse - Getting Over the Unscheduled Dismount

Back in the Saddle AgainWhoop-pi-ti-yi-yo Rockin' to and fro Back in the saddle again Whoop-pi-ti-yi-yay I go my own way Back in the saddle again. Gene Autry (The Singing Cowboy)Falling Off Your Horse - Getting Over the Unscheduled DismountHave you been launched by your Lippizan? Pitched by your pony? Heaved by your Hanoverian? Thrown by your Thoroughbred? Upended by your Appaloosa?

Horse Measurement - How Many Hands Is Your Horse?

Horse Measurement - How Many Hands is Your Horse? Why is a horse's stature measured by hand?Here's a trick question, unless you have horses: The tall, dark and handsome thoroughbred hunter-jumper stands 16 hands high. His flashy Arabian show horse and pasture pal, however, is 15 hands tall. And the sturdy and dependable Paint pleasure horse is 15.3 hands. How tall are these three horses? (

A Daughter's First Love

A Daughter's First Love - A Poetic Lead Line on Her Best ValentineIt is difficult to know at what moment love begins.It is less difficult to know that it has begun.Henry Wadsworth Longfellow(1807-1882)I bought my girl a Valentine,When she was only twelve.This one was of divine design,Not something off the shelf.He was a little jumpy, sure;That's how he stole her heart.His racy manners, her allure

Shooting Horses - Tips for Equine Photography

Shooting Horses - Tips for Equine Photography"Film is cheap! Time is not!"That's best photographic advice I ever received, as a budding corporate journalist years ago. Gathering bigwigs in the boardroom for a photo-shoot can be challenging, so it's critical to keep that shutter clicking as much as possible. The photo-opportunity may not appear again.Yearlings in the pasture can be even more

Horsey Products We Love - Passier Grand Gilbert (Nicole) Dressage Saddle

Product Review - Passier Grand Gilbert (Nicole) Dressage Saddle"Deep-Seated Delight."What's your favorite saddle? Here's mine! Click here for a full product review.You can find the Passier Grand Gilbert dressage saddle online at Cheshire Horse, Dover Saddlery, Mary's Tack, Pelham Saddlery, Rick's Heritage Saddlery, Saddlers Row, St. Croix Saddlery, State Line Tack, VTO Saddlery, and other

What's Wrong With Mouthy Gift Horses?

What's Wrong With Mouthy Gift Horses?"Never look a gift horse in the mouth." This age-old adage has become so overused that it now has its own chat-room acronym (NLAGHITM). If that doesn't make you roll on the floor laughing (ROFL), then what will?What do horses have to do with giving?When a veterinarian, equine appraiser or other expert assesses the value of a horse for sale, he will look

Running With the Right Herd

Running With the Right Herd - A Poetic Tribute to True FriendsMy friends, they're not so cool at all.I think they need an overhaul,An extrication from the mallAnd tutoring in protocol.Their manicures are without flaw;It ought to be against the law,Their afternoons spent at the spa,Where every day is Mardi Gras.They need some soil beneath their nails,From strolling scenic nature trailsAnd

Horsey Products We Love - Troxel Spirit Equestrian Helmet

Horsey Products We Love - Troxel Spirit Equestrian Helmet"Heads Up!"Smart horseback riders use their heads, by wearing equestrian safety helmets. Which is the best utilitarian safety cap for schooling, training and everyday riding? Here's the one we like.Click here for the full product review.You can find Troxel's Spirit helmet in direct-mail catalogs (such as Rods, SmartPak Equine and Valley Vet

A Running Start

A Running Start -A Rhyme I Penned for a Truest FriendMy favorite friend is tall and strong;He takes me where I don't belong.We share our secrets and our joys,With him, I need no other boys.You caught my heart.You caught my hand.With a running start,On you I'll land.My favorite friend has earned my trust,We leave all others in the dust.He doesn't scratch or pick his nose;He never worries 'bout his

A Yearling's Reminder

A Yearling's Reminder -Learning Holiness from a Horse"I will follow You wherever You go."Luke 9:57bNot long ago, I was working with a favorite little yearling colt, when he kicked me.This little guy and I have been together for about a year now - ever since the day he was weaned from his momma. He trusts me, and I trust him. He will follow me anywhere - even into dark nooks and crannies of the

How to Trim a Horse's Bridle Path

How to Trim a Horse's Bridle Path -Clipping Without SlippingWhat is a bridle path?To betrothed lovers, a bridal path is the aisle to the wedding altar. However, to horse lovers, a bridle path is something altogether different.In fact, a bridle path may be either an outdoor trail that has been groomed for equestrian use or a groomed area of the horse's mane to accommodate tack. This second