Pure Magic Arabians

We love this image by Susan Harris. It really shows what you are telling your horse with your body positioning!

Shut down horses, the most misunderstood and sadly also misused horses. Beeing quit is not a synonym of consent. Only a ‘yes’ is a consent.

Truth: The horse possesses a highly effective thermoregulation system. Piloerection gives the horse’s hair coat the ability to stand up, lay down and change d...irection via hair erector muscles trapping warm air and creating an insulating layer. Blanketing prevents this ability and if applied long term can cause hair erector muscles to atrophy. Any muscle can atrophy without exercising for a period of time. Of course, blanketing may be required for a variety of reasons including but not limited to: Extreme cold. Underweight, older or compromised individuals. If appropriate shelter from wind and precipitation is not available. Shivering. If required, provide a variety of thicknesses appropriate for the current weather. Be mindful of the fact that they can’t take it off if they get hot or change into a warmer blanket if they get cold and that the entire body heats up or cools down. Allow your herd to live and eat together full time. Doing so promotes movement and provides the psychological and physical comforts of a herd animal. Hierarchy will always exist, but the majority of time aggressive behavior is associated with food aggression. If free choice forage is available, the intensity of dominant combative behavior typically subsides. Avoid using artificial lighting, which discourages the growth of a full winter coat. A horse’s hair coat changes twice a year. Sensors in the horse’s skin react to the duration of light and dark hours. The horse will start to grow their winter coat after the summer solstice as days shorten and will start to grow their summer coat after the winter solstice as days get longer. Stalls can be colder than being outside. The coldest time of day is just before the sun rises and when it does, a stalled horse remains standing - in the shade! Being outside gives them the ability to move and bask in the sun to warm up. Offer appropriate shelter 24/7 that they can enter and exit at will and free choice forage in multiple locations. A three-sided shed or stall will ensure protection from the wind and gives them the ability to stay dry. With these options available, they have a choice of where they are most comfortable. It alleviates the task of moving horses from one enclosure to another depending on weather conditions. Avoid bathing, which removes the natural oils in their coat that help to protect their skin from getting wet. A healthy diet, parasite control and sufficient healthy omegas produce glowing hair coats while retaining the natural oils on the skin and hair that repel dust and water. Win - win, no need to bathe! Discover other common misconceptions about the cold and how to stoke internal body heat while providing a healthier, natural lifestyle for your herd. https://www.thehaypillow.com//keeping-horses-warm-naturall

Today's Wise Words are from Olympian Ingrid Klimke

Link to Arista's pedigree: https://www.allbreedpedigree.com/index.php

One of Hidey from today. She made lots of silly faces!

I am going to delve more deeply into that barn repair analogy, where you fix the roofline by first fixing the foundation. This equally applies to the way the be...st instructors like these shown here, Klaus Balkenhol, Sally Swift, Louise Nathorst, Walter Christensen, Richard Shrake, Gayle Lampe, and Lynn Palm are apt to address a rider issue. So say that a rider has erratic control of her hands, They post when she posts, or they are never steady or consistent, whatever. Instead of just saying, "Stop letting your hands move," trainers like these will look for the deeper root cause. Perhaps they will notice that her seat is erratic. How can you have steady hands with a floppy seat? But instead of working on her seat, they will look even deeper. WHY is her seat erratic? Well, she is tight in her lower back, to the point that it creates a lack of flexibility in her pelvis. But why is she tight in her lower back? Well, she is trying so hard to "sit up, shoulders back," that it is freezing her entire torso. (I am making up this sequence to give an idea of possible problems and possible solutions) So these great instructors might start to fix the hand problem by working on her posture problem, which helps her stiffness problem, which helps her develop a more flexible pelvis, which will allow her to develop a more independent seat, which will (FINALLY) help address the erratic hands. So much different than what the greener instructor might do by concentrating on her hands, the best trainers dig down to find the root problem, repair that first, then build back up.

Good morning! Walked out to feed my girls and the goats their breakfast and saw an owl on a tree branch by the house. Happy Friday my friends!!Good morning! Walked out to feed my girls and the goats their breakfast and saw an owl on a tree branch by the house. Happy Friday my friends!!

It took some time, but the mares all have their blankets on, adjusted for a safe and proper fit. Bring on the snow! They were so energetic when they went back out to the pasture after their evening feed. Hidey played so hard she un-fastened the front clasp on her blankie! It took some time, but the mares all have their blankets on, adjusted for a safe and proper fit. Bring on the snow! They were so energetic when they went back out to the pasture after their evening feed. Hidey played so hard she un-fastened the front clasp on her blankie!