Reading Time: 2 minutes The creators of a book about legendary Black cowboy John Ware have released a second title in their ‘Howdy Books’ children’s book series that aims to highlight Alberta’s pioneers. Howdy, I’m Flores LaDue tells the story of Flores LaDue (1883-1951), a world champion trick roper and co-founder of the Calgary Stampede. “For too long, Flores […] Read more
Children’s book brings alive once-famous Alberta trick roper
Emotional health an important issue for horses
These complex emotional creatures have a subtle language of their own to express their feelings
Reading Time: 4 minutes The emotional state of the horse is deeply involved in all matters of the equine’s world. Their emotional health exists in strong relationship to outcomes of their physical health, behaviour, and performance. Most equine owners, caretakers and professionals would readily acknowledge the rich emotional world of the horse, yet emotional content can be challenging to […] Read more
Free training on equine code of practice
Reading Time: < 1 minute The Horse Welfare Alliance of Canada has created a free training program for the code of practice for the care and handling of equines. The code was developed by the National Farm Animal Care Council and the course (available at horsewelfare.ca) covers each of the 10 sections of the code, the alliance states on its […] Read more
Taking the two-week grain-free challenge is worthwhile
Removing grain or processed feeds from your horse can be a good starting point in identifying dietary issues
Reading Time: 3 minutes Even though the ‘two-week no-grain challenge’ may be anxiety inducing, implementing it can offer surprisingly beneficial results for both horse and human. Humans often equate food with love and unknowingly project these feelings on to their animal family — cats, dogs and horses. So this grain-free challenge, touted in some horse websites and forums, often triggers […] Read more
Horses have many ways to stay warm during the winter
Putting on a blanket or feeding more grain can sometimes do more harm than good
Reading Time: 3 minutes The horse is remarkably adapted and adept at staying warm as the winter season arises and temperatures plunge into the double digits. In order to stay warm, the horse requires resources to do so. If its environment and circumstance do not meet the requirements needed to physiologically thermoregulate and generate internal heat, the horse may […] Read more
Forage is the key to healthy diets in horses
Forages don’t get a marketing push, but they play important roles in many areas
Reading Time: 4 minutes Horses both need forage and horses need to forage. Both aspects are equally nourishing to the horse and both aspects are necessary to fully satisfy their physical, emotional and mental contentment. Forage comes without a feed label and receives very little marketing attention compared to the enterprising sales campaigns for designer equine rations. Many of […] Read more
The nose knows: the sense of smell in horses
This often-overlooked sensory system is a major contributor to horse well-being
Reading Time: 4 minutes Despite horses being described as one of the most perceptive of all animals, research on equine sensory abilities is limited and has mainly focused on hearing and vision. Although olfaction, or the sense of smell, has only been studied sparsely, the highly developed and sophisticated anatomy of the olfactory system in the horse with its […] Read more
Discovering the healing power of horses
Reading Time: 4 minutes The bond between human and horse can be a great comfort, and The Lethbridge Therapeutic Riding Association has found new ways to strengthen that bond during the pandemic. “COVID-19 forced us to be creative,” said Jason Shriner, executive director of the LTRA, a small 30-year-old non-profit. “There were no visitors to the farm, which was […] Read more
There’s a lot to be learned by reading a horse’s withers
This complex structure can reveal a lot about a horse’s soundness
Reading Time: 4 minutes The comfort and health of the horse’s withers is a central key to its performance and soundness. The withers are the part of the spinal column that lies in between the animal’s shoulder blades and includes the third to 11th thoracic vertebrae. Collectively these vertebra project upwards into an arch. Their uniquely prominent (tall) spinous […] Read more
Keep watch and take quick action when it’s sizzling out
You can help your horse beat the heat with a few simple steps
Reading Time: 3 minutes Extreme bouts of hot weather are particularly stressful for horses and for some, even more stressful than extreme bouts of cold weather. Thus it becomes particularly important to identify the individuals at a greater risk for heat stress and what factors can provide extra care for them when necessary. Those particularly prone to heat stress […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
