365 Days in Horse Country – The Trakehner    Originally from Eastern Germany, this breed goes back to the sixth century BC.  The Scythians first bred the ancestors of today’s Trakehners for travel and welfare.  In the 1700s, they used their horses for war mounts to fight the Prussian army.  By the 1900s, the Trakehners were well known throughout Europe as riding horses with great endu ...

365 Days in Horse Country – Volunteering at a Rescue  Your horse is loved and well-cared for, but unfortunately that’s not the case for many equines.  Horses, donkeys, and mules often end up in abusive or neglectful situations, and in need of dire help. If you love horses and want to help equines in need, volunteer at an equine rescue.  All you need to do is contact an equine rescue w ...

365 Days in Horse Country – Wild Horse Auctions   In 1971, The U.S. Congress passed the Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burros Act, marking the beginning of the wild Horse and Burro Adoption Program.  Managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the program is responsible for finding homes for wild horses and burros that have been removed from public lands. Throughout the year, the BL ...

365 Days in Horse Country – The Bashkir Curly     In 1898, father and son ranchers John and Peter Demales were riding in a remote Nevada mountain range and they spotted three wild horses.  They had seen mustangs before, but not like this.  Instead of having straight hair-coat like other horses, these three had coats made up of tiny ringlets that covered their entire bodies. Taken wi ...

365 Days in Horse Country – Doctorin’ Horses  Occasionally, on my journey through horse country, I come across interesting little tidbits that I like to share.  Some provide cause for pause, some are nothing more than an amusing anecdote, and others make me cringe.  Could this be one such moment? It takes four or more years of intensive study to become an equine veterinarian these day ...

365 Days in Horse Country – Born to Trot: The Standardbred    Although Thoroughbred racing is the most watched equine sport, harness racing is not too-distant second in North America.  The horses that pull the sulkies down the track, trotting or pacing at speeds up to 35 miles per hour (56 km/h) are Standardbreds. The Standardbred was developed in colonial America, when people preferr ...

365 Days in Horse Country – ANNOUNCEMENT – Daily Health and Basic First Aid Clinic    It was just the other day that I wrote about partaking in worthwhile clinics in your area!  As it happens, one such clinic just came to my attention.  As promised, it is my pleasure to bring the clinic to your attention such that you might consider availing yourself to all of the knowledge that the cl ...

365 Days in Horse Country – The Escape Artist!    If you have one of these creatures, you know all about them: the escape artists!  With dexterous lips and smarts beyond what their equine brains should possess, these Houdinis of the horse world manage to find a way to escape out of being tied up or enclosed more times than not. Escape artists learned how to untie knots and unhook lat ...

365 Days in Horse Country – Attend a Clinic  Not everyone has the financial resources to hire a full-time trainer, but thanks to the many clinicians who travel around to teach horse owners, you don’t need deep pockets to learn. Attending a clinic is a great way to build your horsemanship skills and find new ways to solve problems with you horse.  Clinics specific to certain discipline ...

365 Days in Horse Country – Driving      Most people no longer need horses to pull carriages for transportation in this modern world, yet this use for our equine friends is alive and well. Driving is not as popular as riding, but it’s still high on the list for many equestrians.  This elegant discipline harkens back to a time when horses were the only way to get from one place to an ...