Sweet itch (also known as summer itch or seasonal dermatitis) is believed to be an allergic reaction to the saliva of certain biting flies and the female culicodes midge, which can cause severe skin irritation. Sweet Itch symptoms include intense itching (you may see the affected horse spending hours rubbing against
Read More
Not all wormers are the same. Do you know which is the best choice for your horse? Different wormers target different worms and parasites. An easy and inexpensive way to find out if your horse is infested, and if so, with what, is to get a sample of your horses
Read More
Some of us will never outgrow the “I love horses” stage…but some of us will. I lived in a horse community for over a year and could count on one hand how many different riders I actually saw riding their horse. Day after day as I drove or rode through
Read More
Do you know what’s happening inside the mouth of your horse? Not sure which bit is best for both you and your horse? One of my pet peeves is watching people yanking on their horse’s mouth. Breaks my heart to see a horse with eyes bulging and mouth wide open,
Read More
Who or what animals need minerals, vitamins and trace elements? The simple and complete answer is all of God’s creatures need minerals, vitamins and trace minerals in order to sustain life and to prosper as a well being as opposed to a healthy being. Many people think that well and
Read More
Is It Colic, Or A False Alarm? Sometimes you just can’t tell. Sometimes it’s a mild colic that doesn’t require a Vet even seeing the horse. Sometimes it’s as obvious as can be that something is wrong and a Vet needs to be called immediately. Sometimes the signs are so
Read More
Summer is here and many of you are making your plans for summer vacation! Many horse owners start to feel anxious at the thought of leaving on vacation and leaving their most prized possession, their horse, in the care of someone else while they are gone. Though this is understandable,
Read More
New Zip Code, New Beginnings Some of you already know, others do not, Equine Challenge changed zip codes in March. I got the news the end of January that the ranch Mackie and I moved into in August 2009 was going up for sale. It wasn’t the first time I
Read More
I headed out earlier than usual to beat what was going to be a hot one. I was riding my 16 year old Morgan gelding “Rocky”, and my friend was on her Quarter Horse mare Belle. Cherie and I decided to repeat the 2.5-hour ride we first rode a few
Read More