Horse Podcast Ep 89: The Great Trek – Riding Across the USA

EquestrianAdventuresses.com Podcast - Listen

Posted byutetonia
January 27, 2021

On today’s episode, Ute talks with Kathleen Schmitt, Equestrian Adventuress of the first hour. After finishing her education including horsemanship training in England and Germany, Kathleen headed off to her personal adventure of a lifetime. She crossed the USA from coast to coast on the back of her Arabian part-bred Murphy accompanied by her dog Country Boy who went along as her protector. This ride took place in 1981, a time without internet, mobile phones or hand-held GPS devises. Kathleen only had an unreliable map and a direction: West! She was on trail for seven months, crossing mountains, plains and deserts. She met countless people on the ride, got lost ever so often and finally published a book about her ride recently. We talk about her ride, about her book and why it took her such a long time to write it.

Listen:
https://equestrianadventuresses.com/2021/01/27/horse-podcast-ep-89-the-great-trek-riding-across-the-usa/

Gaited Horse Versatility – Myths or Facts?

WeRide-magazine.com - Full Article

By Lisa Bialy

Because there is so much misinformation out there about the smooth gaited horse breeds, I have collected and compiled a list of “myths” and “facts” with respect to the versatility of the gaited horse. Sadly, there are so many myths and I’m sure I did not cover every one of them! My facts are based on research and also from personal experience. Over the past 16 years, I have owned several gaited breeds, including Walking Horses, Peruvian Horses, Foxtrotters and Rocky Mountain Horses. I have worked with several excellent trainers (gaited and non-gaited), from dressage and eventing to Western Vaquero style. I have raised and trained several of my own Peruvian and Walking Horses, and have rehabbed rescues, including some ex-biglick Walking Horses. While I mostly trail ride, I enjoy doing about everything from parades to musical performances, obstacle and ranch work, some liberty work, dressage and endurance. I am passionate about learning everything I can about these awesome horses!

Okay, here we go!!...

Read more here:
https://weride-magazine.com/2021/01/16/gaited-horse-versatility-myths-or-facts/

Vet Check, Halfway Across the Country

HorseNetwork.com - Full Article

Rebecca Didier
January 12, 2021

There aren’t many of us who will ride a horse clear across the country, but in 1982, before GPS and cell phones, Melissa Chapman did it. On her own with just her horse and her dog for company, Melissa depended on the kindness of strangers to help her complete her journey. In this excerpt from her memoir, Distant Skies: An American Journey on Horseback, we see how a sudden sickness led to a chance meeting that would impact her adventure in more ways than one.

***

The sun burned high and hot when I stopped Rainy in the shadow cast by a large billboard along the side of the two lanes of Route 54. Rainy snatched at the green grass growing thick there, the reins lying loose on his neck. Gypsy’s tongue hung out as she stretched in front of me on the saddle. Me, I just stared, in wonder you could say, up at the great sunflower welcoming us to Kansas.

Halfway.

We were halfway across the country...

Read more here:
https://horsenetwork.com/2021/01/vet-check-halfway-across-the-country/?utm_source=Horse+Network+Email+List&utm_campaign=e0e47b5cc2-jan_14_2020&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_5694ca6b0c-e0e47b5cc2-84641243&goal=0_5694ca6b0c-e0e47b5cc2-84641243&mc_cid=e0e47b5cc2&mc_eid=b3c9897994

Keeping Water Troughs Thawed With or Without a Heater

Thehorse.com - Full Article

Our equine nutritionist offers tips and asks for your input on dealing with ice in horse watering tanks.

Posted by Clair Thunes, PhD | Jan 9, 2021

Q. Winter has barely started, and I’m already tired of breaking ice in my horses’ water trough. Is there anything I can do to help stop the water from freezing other than some kind of water heater?

—Via e-mail

A. We all know how important it is for our horses to have ready access to water, but this can pose challenges when temperatures fall below freezing and you’re unable to use a water heater. It’s a lot of, literally, digit-numbing work and sometimes near impossible to break the ice when temperatures fall. There are some things you can try that might help. However, keep in mind that many of these are less effective as temperatures decrease...

Read more here:
https://thehorse.com/137146/keeping-water-troughs-thawed-with-or-without-a-heater/?utm_medium=Nutrition+enews&utm_source=Newsletter

How much does it cost to travel full time with horses?

RideClimb.com - Full Article

January 9, 2021
by Jess

Jess and Byron trail riding in Montana

We’ve been living in an RV and traveling with our horses since June 2018. The most common question we receive about our lives as digital nomads is how we afford it. This is usually asked with a tone of astonishment. People can’t believe that it’s possible to travel full time and not break the bank; with horses nonetheless! In my opinion it’s not that hard when compared to owning a home, raising children, etc. I’ll explain how we do it. How we make money

At this time our income comes entirely from Gunks Apps, a digital rock climbing guidebook platform that Byron and his partner Christian started in 2014. The income from this venture is very small but it continues to grow. We hope that it might one day sustain us completely...

Read more here:
https://rideclimb.com/how-much-does-it-cost-to-travel-full-time-with-horses/

Medical Grade Honey prevents surgical site infections

EquineScienceUpdate.blogspot.com - Full Article

Thursday, December 24, 2020

Medical Grade Honey prevents surgical site infections

Abdominal surgery is a major undertaking in horses, and not without significant risks to the patient. Colic operations, especially those that involve opening the gut wall, risk contaminating the wound with bacteria such that surgical site infection (SSI) is a potential complication.

Medical grade honey (MGH) has been used successfully to treat established infections in both humans and animals, and has been shown to improve wound healing of equine lacerations and significantly reduce infection rate.

Would the application of MGH help abdominal surgical wounds to heal?

A study by Gustafsson and colleagues investigated whether medical grade honey gel, applied on the linea alba during wound closure, would decrease the prevalence of incisional infections in horses undergoing colic surgery...

Read more here:
https://equinescienceupdate.blogspot.com/2020/12/medical-grade-honey-prevents-surgical.html

Keeping Rodents Out of Your Feed Room

Thehorse.com - Full article

Rats and mice spread disease and ruin horse feed. Learn how to reduce populations in your barn.

Posted by Clair Thunes, PhD | Jan 4, 2021

As an equine nutritionist who visits lots of feed rooms, I come in to contact with my fair share of rodents. At one large facility that backed a stream I came within three feet of several large rats snacking in the feed room. I didn’t seem to bother them at all, and the barn cat who was sunning himself in the doorway seemed to have decided they had him out numbered. With cold weather coming and native food sources becoming scarce, the attraction of food and bedding provided by our feed and tack rooms makes these unwanted guests almost a given. However, there are several important reasons why you should not accept the presence of these critters in your feed rooms...

Read more here:
https://thehorse.com/136721/keeping-rodents-out-of-your-feed-room/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Equestrian+Home+D%C3%A9cor+%7C+Horse+Plays+Dead+%7C+Dani+the+BreyerFest+Horse+%7C+Turning+Soap+into+Ponies&utm_campaign=HC_Enewsletter2019-Wednesday+Jan+6+2021

Give Colic the Cold Shoulder This Winter

KER.com - Full Article

January 8, 2020
By Kentucky Equine Research Staff

Colic can strike at any time of the day, month, or year, but impaction colic occurs more frequently in winter. Decreased water intake usually carries the blame for these impactions, defined as a blockage in the large colon caused by any feedstuff undergoing digestion, though other management factors also contribute to the problem.

“Horses require approximately 5 to 15 gallons (20-55 liters) of water per day. Signs of inadequate water intake include production of dry, sparse feces and weight loss,” described Catherine Whitehouse, M.S., a nutrition advisor for Kentucky Equine Research.

Forage fermentation requires voluminous water, which is why the large colon and cecum are referred to as fermentation vats. Insufficient water intake forces the body to borrow water from the hindgut, which subsequently hinders the fermentation process and puts horses at risk for impactions...

Read more here:
https://ker.com/equinews/give-colic-the-cold-shoulder-this-winter/?highlight=give%20colic%20the%20cold%20shoulder%20this%20winter

Cold Weather Horse Colic

Thehorse.com - Full Article

With cold weather comes complicating factors that could increase horses’ colic risk.

Posted by Scott Leibsle, DVM | Nov 14, 2016

Well here we are again … winter! The average horse owner is likely well-acquainted with his or her horse’s colic risk regardless of the season, but with cold weather come complicating factors that all owners should prepare for.

The No. 1 cause of colic during winter is a lack of fresh, unfrozen water. Horses must drink 10-12 gallons of fresh water every day and can dehydrate quickly if water is unavailable. Horses that aren’t getting enough water are at a greater risk for conditions such as simple indigestion or impaction. A frozen water trough is the usual dehydration culprit, but occasionally horses choose to not drink water simply because it is so cold. Heaters for your troughs and buckets are therefore an absolute “must” to ensure continual access to water in the winter. Keep in mind that electrolyte supplements are not a suitable water substitute and do not mitigate the risk of dehydration. There is nothing wrong with adding (appropriate amounts of) electrolytes to your horse’s diet, but offer them in a separate container, leaving the main water supply clean and fresh. Horses might attempt to eat snow to compensate for some fluid loss, but snow is largely composed of air and will not provide the volume of water necessary to hydrate a 1,000-pound animal...

Read more here:
https://thehorse.com/120625/cold-weather-horse-colic/?utm_medium=Reader+Favorites+enews&utm_source=Newsletter