Video: Men’s Sidesaddle
Clearly the class description was “go big or go home.”
Product Review: Noble Outfitters Hay Bucker Pro Glove
Hay season, you’ve met your match.
What The Muck Is That? Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Amanda Uechi Ronan details this common skin tumor, and Kristen Kovatch shares her firsthand experience in treating this equine disease.
6 Reasons Adopting This Team of Belgians Basically Makes Me Daenerys Targeryen
Just call me “Mother of Draft Horses.”
Summer Grooming Tips from Andis
All that shaggy winter coat is gone, so you can rest easy, right? Not necessarily: Andis has a few tips for summer clipping that will help your horse look and feel his best!
1. Desensitize your horse
You should always desensitize your horses first with the clippers. You should have your lead ropes looped around your horse but not securely tied in case he wants to step back. You should rub the horse with the clippers before you clip anything so the horse knows you are not hurting him and he can become familiar with the feel of the clippers.
2. Clip hair short
Use shorter blades in the summer because you want the horse’s hair to be shorter. An ideal blade length is between 10-15 in the summertime, especially on performance horses. The clip job will blend better as well. The number one rule is that you can always take more hair off; you want your horse to be as clean as possible and that means shorter hair. Use the Andis ShowEdge Detachable Blade Equine Clipper to ensure the perfect groom every time.
3. Protect your horse from the sun
Most people might not know this, but horses can suffer sun damage just like humans. It is not so much sunburn, but rather a fade. To protect them from the scorching sun, it is best to place a lightweight sheet over your horses and always keep them in the shade. During the winter, horses should be kept outside during the day and inside at night and in the summer, they should be kept inside during the day and outside at night.
4. Keep your horse bug-free
Protect your horse from fleas, parasites and other unwanted bugs in the summer by spraying your horse regularly with fly spray. A fly mask is always beneficial in keeping your horse clean as well. Another tip for keeping annoying pests at bay is to ensure your horse’s environment and stall are clean. Bugs are drawn to manure, so cleaning it up regularly will prevent them from having somewhere to congregate.
5. Go cordless
My favorite tool to use right now for grooming horses is the Andis Pulse ZR Cordless Detachable Blade Clipper. Its cordless feature lets you go from stall to stall and not worry about running out of power or tripping over a cord. It’s a very mobile clipper and it allows you to be free and non-committal when you are clipping horses. Since this clipper has a detachable blade, you have to be more knowledgeable about the blades and the specific look you are trying to achieve.
Kirk Stierwalt is an official Andis Grooming Educator and owns and operates Stierwalt Show Cattle, which sells champion show cattle across the United States. In addition, Kirk runs Stierwalt Show Cattle Clinics, which help people sharpen their grooming skills. Kirk has judged numerous showmanship contests in the past and enjoys sharing his knowledge and expertise with the grooming world.
Standing Ovation by Ovation Riding: Operation Gelding
Each Friday, Horse Nation teams up with Ovation Riding to spotlight an individual or organization doing good work in the horse industry. Today, we recognize the Unwanted Horse Coalition’s Operation Gelding program.
2016 Best of HN #16: 6 ‘Game of Thrones’ Horse Facts
If you haven’t caught up, spoiler alert! (more…)
The Princess Diaries: Just a Little Pony
All Leslie Wylie’s ever wanted in her life was a pony. Now that she’s a full-grown adult with plenty of adult responsibilities, she decided the time was ripe. Introducing a new column: The Princess Diaries.
Photo Challenge: 5 Horses Keeping It Cool
Bring it on, summer, because these horses know how to beat the heat.
Fantasy Farm Thursday: $17.9 Million Padua Stables in Ocala, Florida
This one-in-a-million racing farm has enough room enough for you, your dreams, and around 800 fast little legs.
Thursday Video: Mule Foal Is Unstoppable
Nothing is going to stop this sassy mule foal — not even the most epic slip and fall ever captured on video.
Seriously, we have a lot to learn from this little mule foal: don’t ever stop being yourself. When you fall down, get right back up and keep on rockin’. If you do something totally embarrassing when someone’s watching, laugh it off and keep following the beat of that wacky drummer.
I’m pretty sure the last time I had this much sass while also being able to fall down, get back up again and continue to be sassy, there was a lot of alcohol involved.
Go little mule, and go riding!