Watch For Hypothermia When Temps Drastically Drop

With the drastic swing in temperatures horse owners need to keep a close eye on their horses to help prevent hypothermia.  Go to http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/watch_horses_for_hypothermia_when_temperatures_drop to read more about prevention . . .

Who Will Name The Budweiser Foal?

I'm looking forward to the Super Bowl - in particular, seeing the Budweiser commercial . . . .

It's always fun to see the commercials that feature their Clydesdales.  My favorite is still the one where the young horse aspires to be like its peers and practices kicking the football.  This year's appears to have great emotional appeal - featuring a colt and prompting views to name him.

"Little Bud", anyone?-->

January Thaw Can Be a Horseowner's Nightmare

While it always seems nice to hear of a 60 degree day in the middle of winter, most longtime horseowners (especially those who keep their own horses) will tell you its a nightmare.  Mud and wet coats (which lend itself ti cases of rain rot, etc.) are some of the problem . . . .  Even worse is the swing in temperatures, which can be tough for horses with arthritis and can throw mares off with their cycles.

I would just as soon have it stay in the 20s then this.  We spent the weekend cleaning up our hay barn so the area I have to either hand walk our horses, or to ride a small circle, is larger.  By the end of the week when temps drop back into the teens - this will be the only option for working horses around here.  Cement hard ground outside (which it will be after all of this rain and then a 40 degree temperature drop) is a sure recipe for sore feet . . . and a good reason to think more about building an indoor arena.

It's Soooooo Cold Outside!

Winter is finally here for us in southwest Michigan.  The sub-zero temps and wind chills don’t bother me much, actually I’ve looked forward to having a couple of these days -when I’m not tempted to ride or work horses.  Still, chores take more time . .  . shuffling horses so everyone gets some time outside, keeping the run-in doors dug out, and monitoring water pails.  Fortunately, we have hot water in the barn, which we add to our horses’ pails every couple of hours.  It keeps our pails from freezing and keeps our horse drinking – something that’s very important in the winter so horses don’t colic.