Shetland ponies in America come in four varieties, although all can be registered with the American Shetlan Pony Club. This article will focus on two of those variestes, the Modern American Shetland and the Classic American Shetland. All Sheltands aren’t born nasty, but they can easily become nasty if they are not handled properly. Unlike ...
In 1986, about thirty horse breeders got together in Winchester, Kentucky and formed the Rocky Mountain Horse Association (RMHA). Not only did they want to be sure the Rocky Mountain Horse breed didn’t die out, but also wanted to be sure future breeders would stick to the same goals they had in order to breed ...
Miniature horses typically have a somewhat higher rate of foaling problems than their bigger cousins. These are my top tips for foaling out your Miniature Horse mare. During the last 60 days of your mare’s gestation, the mare should be fed a high quality mare and foal feed and hay. This will prepare her for ...
The construction of horse stalls entails more than slapping together some scrap lumber and rigging a door. The size, strength, and behaviors of the horses themselves must be carefully considered in order to build safe and sound box stalls for horses. A horse kept in a box stall may want to walk around, lie down, ...
Long before a young Thoroughbred goes to a professional racehorse trainer, he begins learning the life of a racehorse. His first trainer is his mother or dam. Watching interactions between his dam and people help to familiarize him with people and learn that they should be obeyed. Grooms and veterinarians teach him about being handled, ...
Maintaining the health of your horse is a basic responsibility of horse ownership. Keeping a horse on your land forces the animal to comply rely on its owner. If you fail to keep the horse in good healthy, the animal will suffer. One very important health measure you must take to maintain your horses’ health ...
Your horse’s well being depends entirely upon you, however. I always say, “You can park a boat for the winter and forget about it, but you cannot simply park your horse. He needs around-the-year care.” One of your responsibilities is regular maintenance of his vaccinations so all those “little and big bugs” cannot get him. ...
Thyroids put out the hormone thyroxin, which helps with many areas of the pony or horse’s health. But if the thyroid glands put out too little, the horse will be ill and listless. It’s unusual for an adult horse to get goitre or hypothyroidism, or under active thyroid glands. It is generally far more common ...
Botulism is also called clostridal disease, limberneck or forage poisoning. No matter what you call it, it is potentially lethal for a horse and mostly preventable. The main cause of botulism is a horse eating spoiled feed, hay or drinking water that was contaminated with spoiled feed or hay. “The Complete Equine Veterinary Manual” (David ...
With weaning time soon approaching, many horse owners will begin halter breaking their foals. This can be very traumatic for a foal, or it can provide them with a foundation that will serve them for the rest of their lives. By teaching him to lead properly, the foal learns good manners which will make him ...
