Have you ever
French Kissed….

a HORSE?! 

Equine Affaire 2023, Ohio: Julie Goodnight tells spectators not to kiss on their horses faces… that’s not the way horses show affection, and you run the risk of being bitten.

The only incident I’ve encountered while nuzzling my horse’s muzzle was not a bite, but startling just the same. While brushing her face we just happened to turn toward each other at the same moment. I was talking to her, as I always do while grooming, and she had her mouth slightly open……. The rest is history. Perfect set up for the French Kiss!

Maybe that’s why our bond is so strong!?
We were both a little startled.
It was not necessarily a bad experience,
but we agreed not to make a habit of it.

Photo: istockphoto-1199486942-612×612

The post On Kissing Horses appeared first on City Horse Woman.

•The Cadbury Bunny?     no

                         •April Showers?    no

  •Crocuses Budding?   no

                  •The 1st Robin?     no

•Bees a Buzzing?            no

            •Colored Easter Eggs?       no

 •Toads on the Roads?       nope…

YES!

Credit: Rural Avenue LLC – check out their website 

The post Spring Has Sprung appeared first on City Horse Woman.

Or rather, it happened again…..

When you fall off your horse it’s one thing. You’ve got an excuse. After all you’re dealing with a thousand-plus pound animal with a mind of its own, and misunderstandings happen. When you fall while just walking around the grounds that’s quite another matter. To be clear, I don’t just randomly fall down – there’s always extenuating circumstances. Like a mud patch, on the slope that leads down to the arena, with just a little bit of invisible ice. Yep, that’ll do it. I do have those grippie things that clip on the bottom of my boots, and they’re great on the ice, but was I wearing them? Of course not….because ‘it was only muddy.’

I’m blessed that I’ve never been seriously hurt in one of these incidents, other than my pride. Seriously hurt, no. Painfully hurt, yes….very bruised and battered.

I find it amazing the bizarre colors a bruise goes through during its life cycle. And of course, the larger the bruise (say from above the elbow down to the wrist and most of the way around the arm) the more spectacular the ‘artwork.’ An ever-changing display of colors and hues, from very dark purple to sickly shades of yellow-green as the days progress.
Quite the sight to share with friends
if they’re not too squeamish.

But I digress…. You’re flat on your back so you pull yourself up and assess the situation: nothing’s broken, you’re not feeling too bad, so you continue your day at the barn. But there’s a Bonus down the road. In the following days every muscle in your body lets you know it did NOT appreciate the impact, abruptly coming to a stop, splayed on the ground. Now you’re dealing not only with a large, painful, swollen bruise but body ache, soreness, and stiffness. You don’t get much sympathy for those injuries which are unseen, only reflected in your zombie-like movements, occasional moans, and your seaming overdose on ibuprofen.

At least the ice season will be over soon….

The post Mud & Ice appeared first on City Horse Woman.

Keeping a Horse Can Be a Waiting Game

As I drove to the barn recently on a cold, damp, rainy, miserable morning I wondered if the vet would arrive on time. And if not, I wondered how long I would have to wait in the damp barn on this cold, rainy, miserable morning. Stopping at the drive-thru for a hot cup of coffee to take was little consolation as I wondered how long it would stay hot, or even lukewarm. I knew not for long on this cold, damp, rainy morning.

As I sat and waited I was thinking: do vets and farriers even have ‘appointments’ in the traditional sense? Sure, weeks in advance they give you a time they EXPECT (hope) to arrive, but when it comes down to it ya just never know. So many circumstances/emergencies can come up to change the best laid plans. Personally, I’m a stickler about being on time and am uncomfortable when I’m late for appointments or meetings. Meetings especially – it drives me crazy when a late comer holds up the whole team and much of what had already been covered has to be repeated for the late-comer.

But truth be told, as frustrating as it can be, I can’t really complain about the vet/farrier’s schedule. When it’s MY horse being seen I want them to spend as much time as needed with Pins, even if it delays ‘appointments’ later in the day. I imagine most horse owners feel the same.

Photo Credit: Andrey Grushnikov

The post Waiting appeared first on City Horse Woman.

This is always a tough time of the year for me – the transition from fall’s waning to winter’s approaching, to oops not here just yet let’s have a little more fall, to yep NOW it’s winter! Fluctuating winter temperatures when you live in the City far from your horse can be a real concern and you worry – at least I do. I’m constantly checking the weather/ temperature/winds. (I have my phone’s weather app location set, not for my home but for the barn!)

A few days ago it dropped to 21º at the barn. Although Pins wears a blanket due to her age and physical condition, I worry will it be warm enough? Should I have put her heavier blanket on last time I was there? This is constant conundrum: with the heavier blanket will she sweat if the temp goes up? With the lighter blanket will she be cold? And then I worry some more.

And there’s ANOTHER concern. The winter before last, as I led her down from the barn, she slipped on the packed snow. Then she fell. I’ll never forget it. It was horrible to watch because I couldn’t help her. Then she struggled to her feet. We’re so lucky that she wasn’t hurt badly, and I vowed I could not let this happen again. Of course there’s no such thing as I sure thing but at least I can rest a little easier this winter knowing I’ve done all I can to prevent a reoccurrence. My farrier has prepared her feet well for winter with cleat-like things on her shoes as well as snow pads.

But of course I’ll still worry….

The post Almost Winter appeared first on City Horse Woman.

It seems appropriate just days after Halloween, one of the candiest times of the year, to think about horse treats. There are a lot of options: home grown (apples & carrots), home made (there are lots of recipes online), store bought or of course ‘people’ treats like peppermint candies. I recently read an excellent article that I’d like to share.

But first: I’ve heard some people don’t give their horse treats.

Nada.  None.
Never.
No Way Ever!

I’d guess they have more of a business relationship with their horse because other people believe that giving treats as a reward for coming when called, a good performance etc. is not only acceptable but helpful in the training process. Still others (I won’t name names) feel giving a treat is communicating affection for their horse, so the more treats the more love! But that’s not necessarily the case as the WARHorses article “Horse Treats 101 – Good Choices for Your Good Horse” points out.

While I’ve been offering my mare more treats in her later years (getting sentimental I guess) I have made age appropriate changes. Switcing to more healthy options and from carrots to apples as her ability to chew harder food declines. Now I find a LOT of options for healthy snacks and list of good treats/bad treats, and related explanations, is very informative (did you know horses are lactose intolerant?). But read it for yourself and let me know what you think. You can find the full article at: https://womenofageridinghorses.com/training/advice/horse-treats-101-good-choices-for-your-good-horse/

Image source unknown
Click on “Treats’ above to share your thoughts

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