• "A dog has lots of friends because he wags his tail and not his tongue" -Author Unknown
  • "Every boy should have two things: a dog and a mother willing to let him have one." - Anonymous
  • "Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot little puppies." - Gene Hill
  • A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same. - Elbert Hubbard
  • "A hug is like a boomerang - you get it back right away." -Bil Keane
  • "A meow massages the heart." - Stuart McMillan
  • "There is more to life than increasing speed." -Mahatma Ghandi
  • "Happiness is where we find it, but rarely where we seek it." - J. Petit Senn
  • "If your horse says no, you either asked the wrong question, or asked the question wrong." - Pat Parelli
  • "There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man." - Winston Churchill
  • "Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole." -Roger Caras
  • "No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle." - Winston Churchill
  • "Agreeable friends - they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms." - George Eliot
  • "To err is human - to forgive, canine."
  • "Money may buy you a fine dog, but only love can make it wag its tail." -Kinky Friedman
  • "Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." - Anatole France
  • "I hope to be the kind of person my dog thinks I am." - Unknown
  • "Horses - if God made anything more beautiful, he kept it for himself." - Author unknown
  • "Are we really sure the purring is coming from the kitty and not from our very own hearts?" - Terri Guillemets
  • "There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face." - Ben Williams

Horse Nibbles of Information

shutterstock_6445645.jpg

COGGINS

Coggins tests in Wisconsin are valid for a calendar year only. Every state has its own requirements for coggins and interstate travel.

All horses traveling across state lines are required to have a health certificate issued by a veterinarian.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 VACCINATIONS

All horses should have a 5-way vaccination annually. The vaccination protects against Eastern and Western Equine Encephalitis (EEE, WEE), Tetanus, Rhinopneumonitis and Influenza.

It is also recommended that all horses receive a Potomac Horse Fever vaccination and West Nile Virus vaccination.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SAFETY CONCERNS

Walk your fence lines often and check stalls for any sharp or protruding objects your horse could cut himself on.

Check your water buckets - one of the most common causes of eyelid lacerations is a water bucket where the 'S' opening faces out toward the bucket (and horse) instead of facing the stall wall. 

WINTER & WATER

One of the most effective ways of preventing colic for your horse this winter is to promote normal water consumption.  Adult horses need 10 -15 gallons of water per day, even when it's cold!! They must have access to drinkable / non-frozen water at all times. Research shows that horses prefer to drink water between 45-60 F.

Bucket and tank heaters only keep water above freezing. Monitor your horse's water consumption and if needed, add hot water to their water source to raise the temperature. Think about when you are cold.... do you prefer hot cocoa or ice water? Flavoring the water (e.g. kool-aid, etc.) can also help increase their water consumption.

shutterstock_26268115.jpg

COLD WEATHER ISSUES

A horse's winter haircoat is designed to insulate from cold. But, the hair loses its insulating ability when it gets wet. Thus, freezing rain and 32º F is harder on your horse than -10º F and dry weather! Make sure all of your horses have access to a shelter from wet and windy weather at all times.

Horses should have access to a salt/ mineral block. This helps them to drink more water even when it is cold out.

Horse urine  on white snow may appear orangish-red which makes people think it is blood. Don't be alarmed, this may be normal due to crystals and pigments in the urine. Snow just makes it easier to see.

FLAVORING MEDICATIONS

If you having difficulty getting your horse to take his medication, we can make the medication a liquid and flavor it to make it more tasty! Some medications, such as Bute, are very bitter tasting and are not often tolerated.

Flavor options include

Tangy Apple
Creamy Caramel
Leapin Licorice
Gooey Molasses 
Watermelon

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GRASSY ISSUES

Spring means lush, green grass... Make sure to adjust your horses SLOWLY to the new grass. A general rule of thumb is to double the time  they have access every 5-7 days. Example: start with one hour/day for 5 days, then 2 hours/day for 5 days, then 4 hours/day for 5 days, then 8 hours/day, etc...

This helps to prevent colic and founder (laminitis) problems in Spring. The time and risk will vary with the type of pasture, amount of pasture and number of horses in the pasture

shutterstock_7688026.jpg