All the Creatures

Do you have a horse that looks more like a blimp? There is no such thing as a fat burner pill for horses, only an owner that is knowledgeable in what they feed their horse. Putting a horse on a weight reducing diet is a slow process. First all unnecessary grains, sweet feeds and treats are to be removed form their diet. Grass hays should replace the higher calorie alfalfa hays. Next the owner should be only feeding the hay by weight and not bulk. The average horse eats 15-17 pounds of hay a day. That amount is usually split up into 2 feedings fed approximately 12 hours apart. The process of the horse losing weight should be done over a period of several months. As the horse loses weight, exercise then can be slowly increased. Go slow on the exercise as a horse that is overweight might also exhibit sore legs due to the increase in weight on them.

All the Creatures

Have you been out on the trails lately? Are you hiking with your dog, riding your horse or just going out for a bike ride? Do you know proper trail etiquette? Knowing what to do out on trails is not only common courtesy but a huge safety factor too. If you ride your horse or your bike you are well aware of the sometimes conflict going on between horseback riders and bicyclists out on trail…it is not a good one.

In order to educate both horseback riders and bikers, 2 organizations have started an education campaign. The Idaho Backcountry Horsemen Ass’n and the Central Coast Concerned Mountain Bike Ass’n (CCCMB) have jointly issued this poster:

You can find out more about the on going trail user education at this webpage at the CCCMB Horses, Bikes and Trails

The Bay Area Equestrian Horse Network, known as BAEN, has just introduced a fantastic selection of free online how-to horse videos called The Horse Lover’s 2 minute How to Videos. They are short, entertaining and informative. I highly suggest you check them out.

All the Creatures