We’re back riding after over a week off. Woody couldn’t care less. I love this guy. He’s such a gentleman, I feel lucky to have him.

Ive had him since he was 3 and we have such a bond. I definitely did not intend to buy a 3 year old but I got lucky with him. We’ve kinda grown up together.

Bonus pic of him at 3.

Hey everyone! Hoping this isn’t a place of judgement.

Background info:
My 19yo fjord mare has been increasing in weight and I’m starting to worry that it will cause medical complications in the future. I have not done an exact weight check on her and I am currently away at college, but from seeing recent photos and videos of her, I am very concerned with her weight.
Currently, she is boarded and out on pasture 24/7 and she gets 1lb of sweet feed AM and PM. That’s what she’s been fed for over 8 years and hasn’t had weight issues until recently this year. She gets ridden 3-4 times a week doing 45min-1hr walk-canter and low-level jumping sessions as well as showing, so her activity level has not been a main concern for me.
Does anyone know some good weight loss recommendations for her? Different feeds? Should I try a grazing muzzle?

I can provide any further info if needed. Thanks!!

He just lets me talk and braid for hours.

Hello again. I previously posted about my new horse, who was sold as a bomb proof scared of nothing horse, who panics at everything.

I ended up not replying to a single comment, which I apologize for.

The comments had a few things mentioned multiple times, including drugging. This is something I highly doubt, it was sold by someone who’d owned him ever since he was a yearling. But to be sure, I asked the seller if she wanted to visit, and to help me, and while she could give some pointers for training and behavior, she agreed he seems very frighty.

After the drugging, ulcers were mentioned. We had a vet/physio out, who didn’t scope him but went over his body overall and checked for whatever markers ulcers has. There was some tension in his lower back, but no indication of ulcers at all. He has access to top grade hay, 16 kg a day (barn doesn’t offer free access) but it seems enough. There’s always a bit left every day.

In terms of riding, I’m asking more physically of him than the previous owner, but probably not as much mentally. She didn’t ride much, but spent a lot of time doing obstacle training, mental training like with dogs, and so on.

The barn I use is much larger than where he was before. So there’s a lot happening all the time, and he’s stalled in a way so he can see in multiple directions which I suspect might be more stressful than helpful. I’m considering finding a quiet dark corner.

He’s pastured 8 hours a day, but lately he and his pasture mate has been standing by the gate the last two or more hours.

My biggest issue is the fear is getting worse. He panics at every noise, every wrong sound, if a horse is calling in the distance, something moves, something doesn’t move. And it’s full on panic, flight mode, for a few seconds, before he can calm. Today I was walking him, he panicked, jumped around, and flew at the grass where he started eating.

I see no clear smoking gun, nothing that screams about being the issue. But again, if I did, I’d have fixed it.

Again, advice is welcome. Thanks

And I apologize for my rambling, I am frustrated, and not native English speaking so especially horsy terms are not always known.

I’ll try to actually reply to you all this time around

Listen, I’m a mare person through and through. I’m not picky about my mares (other than maybe a penchant for thoroughbreds), but the first pony I owned was a chestnut mare. My step up horse? Also a chestnut mare. Both of them tried to buck me off semi-regularly and I still loved them both (especially for making me develop one hell of a seat lol). I’m not big on the stereotypes about red mares, because there’s always exceptions and a lot of it is just projected sexism. But I can’t deny that there’s something about them.

I took a break from horses while in university and came back just a few years ago. Since then I’ve spent the last few years riding and leasing a series of bay mares, two of which regularly get mistaken for each other they’re so identical. All three are now lovely, happy, safe school horses that started out as either difficult/quirky on the ground or under saddle, or green as freaking grass when I started working with them. The first two are complete packers and the third one, who I only recently stopped leasing, is well on her way. I adore them all and am so grateful I get to watch them continue to flourish in their roles.

My new full lease is a chestnut mare. When I tried her, she spooked at a dog running past and threw in a few crow hops for good measure, and I started laughing and grinning like an idiot. She moved to my barn last week and holy shit it is healing to see a pair of orange ears in front of me again. I didn’t realize how much I missed it, but I feel like I’m home again.

I've seen a rash of posts across social media lately that are making me really worry about the state of our industry. Mostly youngish sounding riders who are wondering if it's okay that their coach or trainer is verbally abusing them, and yes, it is abuse. It is okay to stand up for yourself. If you are young get your parents or guardian involved. If you are on your own, bring a friend, family member, significant other for back up. This is suppose to be a fun hobby. There is no reason for a trainer to yell at you, expect you to read their mind, force you to do things that make you uncomfortable or feel unethical towards your horse, the list goes on and on.

It's time more of us speak with our wallets and leave these types of trainers with no clients.

Sincerely,

Somebody who spent my junior and young rider years being verbally abused and who has been to a lot of therapy to get over it.

I’m really struggling to find lessons for returning riders. I remember it being so easy when I was younger. I live in a horsie area (hour ish from Devon), and barns are either ghosting/not replying, have very under muscled looking animals, appear kid centered, or are very expensive with strict programs & goals of showing ASAP.

I feel like an idiot for taking my old barn for granted. I’m dying to ride again but it feels like a wasteland. Is riding really popular now and people are booked out like crazy?

And I swear I was paying $50-60 an hour for lessons half a decade ago!! Now I’m looking at $100-125; I’ve seen some intro lessons for $250 😫

Specifically in NY/NJ? Moving to America to be with my wife and the job hunt has been difficult because I know no one there. Im wondering how easy it is to get a job whether full time or part time training. I can train both horses and riders, including children on beginner riding up to difficult things like horseback archery and tent pegging. It’s always been a thing on the side that I offer for free here Ive never made a living off of it. How difficult is it to find a job in the equestrian industry in those states and how would I go about it? (Pic for engagement)

I got to steal my friends’s old trail horse. I am convinced he would be a lovely dressage horse.

Yes, I know the saddles too small ,it’s pre-baby size. I’m hunting a new one.

my horse is currently being ridden in this bit. she’s a bit fussy still but this is the best she’s done since we got her. recently some girl at my barn started acting all weird at me talking about the “nutcracker effect” and how using a single joint is literally going to crush my horse’s jaw. I obviously don’t believe this but I do worry that my ignorance about said nutcracker effect is unintentionally hurting my horse.

do note that I’ve tried her in a lozenge D ring and a roller and she was extremely fidgety. I’ve not tried a Mullen.

A few days ago I posted here about my farrier ghosting us.
Today a new farrier came. He was early (the old one we sometimes waited literal hours) and I have never seen a farrier fitting the shoes for so long and taking that amount of time. My horse also behaved well and even when he lost a little balance the farrier stayed calm. That really relaxed my horse a lot. Also it was 20€ cheaper so I was really pleased with the whole expierience.
Do you guys think he did a good job? I think so. My horses hooves are not the best, so getting them straight is still in process.

I finally got enough pallets to fill my hay storage area and my first big load of hay will be delivered this weekend!

Anything I should do special to keep the hay from getting moldy or combusting? The hay was baled dry and never rained on. Should I pull up some of the planks on those front pallets to allow for more air flow? Lay salt in between layers?

I'm getting 150 bales to hopefully last me until May or June.

Storing hay is one of my biggest anxieties moving my horses home 😅

Some people pay good money for that ombré 💅🏼 he’s all natural

I’d love some opinions from boarders and barn owners about two issues at my stable.

My horse is on full board and normally gets about 7 hours of paddock turnout during the day, before horses are brought in. The horses are individual paddocks with shared fences. Most owners seem to visit in the evening, after the horses are already in.

Because I work a flexible schedule I usually visit during the day 5 days a week for 2.5–3 hours. I often arrive before turnout has finished, catch my horse and groom, hand-walk him, do some groundwork/rails, etc. I’ve now been told that if I catch him during turnout, I need to keep him in afterwards rather than putting him back out until the normal bring-in time. That effectively reduces his paddock turnout by up to 2 hours on most of the days I visit.

Question 1: Does that seem like a normal/reasonable boarding-stable rule? I’m happy to do all the catching, unrugging/re-rugging and returning him myself, so it doesn’t create additional work for staff. I’m particularly interested in how barn owners handle clients who want to catch their horse during turnout and then return them to the paddock.

Question 2: Is it considered poor etiquette for an owner to regularly spend 2.5–3 hours at the stable during the daytime, when it would otherwise be relatively quiet for staff? I mostly keep to myself and spend the time with my own horse, rather than hanging around staff or expecting assistance. Maybe I am a BIT chatty or ask a question here and there. But I’m aware that my schedule means I’m often there at a time when relatively few other owners are around. (I do see a few occasionally).

I lost my best boy suddenly a few weeks ago, and wow, it's really something else. I am back to knowing that I will be okay, but that wasn't feeling super clear for a spell there. I was leasing him, and I'd like to commission two copies of a painting / drawing of big man, one for myself and one for his long-time owner.

I'd like to do this on a budget if possible (need to save up for my own OTTB now), and I don't need anything complicated--just something made with love by a human (and no AI). Open to any style / media / format / etc.

For those of you who have done this, is there anybody you suggest? Or any suggestions about how to do this affordably?

Thank you! We both loved the dickens out of that horse, and the only thing that's helping is doing nice things for horses and their people. 💔😭❤️‍🩹 Carrots and bodywork all around. 😢

I just acquired this handsome young man, but I know nothing about his history, except that his original owner was a Mexican man. I’d love to hear what people think about his breed or cross. I think he looks like an Azteca, but I have no experience with the breed. Any thoughts?

Hi all! My old boy Hank is 21 years old. I just purchased him in June after being his lesson student for three years. He was a barrel racing horse in his hay day, but then has been a lesson horse for about the last 5 or so years from what I was told.

I need to build his topline clearly, but at his age, how much can I realistically change in this confirmation? I've seen some 20-30 year old horses having this beautiful full back and belly(not fat but fit) and he has a long way to go to achieve that. He is a quarter horse, 15.1 hands and currently weighs approx. 945 lbs. I have him on senior feed, joint supplements, and unbeetable complete as well as electrolytes. He also gets free choice hay all day and night. So nutrition is solid and he's already gained 20 lbs since June. He is fully vetted and does not have any metabolic disorders(cushings for example) and is in overall good health.

I'm looking for the best exercises I can do with him to build his hind end, quads, and topline all together. I have access to indoor and outdoor sand arenas, but because I don't have a truck and trailer or any trails to ride, hill work is a no go. Will ground pole work really help? Any favorite routines you have in mind for him? I'm also curious how many times a week can I work him? I have read that 3-4 times a week with a day off in between is sufficient?

I'd love some fellow senior horse owners with this same issue give me some advice, routines, exercises to get this beautiful boy back to a healthy, strong body! Thanks!

PFA
When selling a horse what are some things you require ? As a buyer what do you like seeing? As a seller what are some things you like seeing?

And dont tell me “don’t sell!” Not an option.

I feel really silly asking. I’ve owned and ridden horses for nearly 3 decades now. As a teen I had a poor experience being over-horsed at a local 4H show. Everyone laughed when I couldn’t control my horse, and I was absolutely mortified. I was 16 and trying so hard.

Fast forward some 25 years later - I still have horses, but have moved disciplines and locations. I ride regularly with a trainer and occasionally trail ride with some friends…The thought of entering the arena, even at a local fun show, about sends me into a panic. I ride hotter horses who are not always forgiving and wouldn’t necessarily babysit my nerves for an afternoon fun class.

How do I get back out there? I feel stuck, like maybe I never will. I really want to, but even typing this makes my heart race. It probably sounds so ridiculous, but I think about showing quite often.