RECIPE: Bring 'em Running Bran Mash

Here is a great recipe for a nutritious bran mash that your horse is sure to love.

2 Quarts of wheat or rice bran (8 cups)
1 cup of Quaker oats (or any rolled oats)
3/4 cup of applesauce
1-1/2 cup of hot water

Mix all ingredients together until the bran and oats are well moistened.

ADD-INS FOR VARIETY:

1. You can add a couple of tablespoons of honey or molasses for a little added sweetness;
2. For a crunchy surprise, try adding about a cup full of chopped apples or carrots, raisins, pears (or any of your horses' favorite fruit or veggie OR toss a tad bit of several different things in there! Get creative! Your horse will love it!);
3. For extra nutritional benefits, you can add a couple of tablespoons of oil
4. You can also add a little beet pulp (make sure it soaks for a few minutes in the mash before giving it to your horse)

This probably goes without saying but I have to say it anyway.... :D When making hot bran mash, always make sure it's cooled a little before giving it to your horse so it doesn't burn his or her mouth. :D

And just like we humans with our comfort food, remember that too much is not a good thing. Because of the high phosporus content (that can throw off a horses' calcium levels) you shouldn't feed a bran mash any more often than once a week.

Apple Cider Vinegar For Your Horses' Health

I began researching and getting into natural products in the early 90's. I found out back then that apple cider vinegar has a countless number of great uses for home and health.

I recently found an awesome website on apple cider vinegar, in particular this page that is loaded with uses for your horses' health! You can use apple cider vinegar for everything from a cooling linament, a nutritional supplement, a hoof care product, a cure for some skin conditions, a natural fly spray and more!

This page is definitely worth checking out! http://www.apple-cider-vinegar-benefits.com/horse-care.html You will be amazed at what all you can do with apple cider vinegar and SAFELY! with no dangerous chemicals!

Treat Recipe: Hor-Sa-Mores

I've had a request for recipes (thanks Amelia!), so I'll be searching through all of my old papers and books and post some recipes for treats and mash as well as natural products and remedies.

Your horse will definitely ask for "sa-more" of these delicious and healthy treats! You may even want to eat some yourself. Go ahead! Have one! They're yummy and safe for you to eat, too! :D

2 cups Quaker Oats (or any rolled oats)
3/4 cup of unsweetened apple juice (if you don't have apple juice, substitute applesauce!)
2 medium apples, diced
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup of raw, shelled sunflower seeds (Sidenote: NEVER substitute peanuts. Horses can't digest them.)
2 Tablespoons of honey or molasses
1 cup of wheat bran (can use rice bran)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.

Using a tablespoon, drop balls of "dough" onto an ungreased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely before giving to your horse and place the rest in an airtight container for storage. (I keep them in the fridge)

HANDY TIP: You can also wrap this dough in plastic wrap (like Saran Wrap), roll it on the counter until it's in a roll like refrigerated cookie dough and partially freeze it. It will be so easy to cut into "cookies"!

Treat Recipe: "Nicker"doodles

Here's an easy recipe for yummy horse cookies. It doesn't take much time and you probably have all of the necessary ingredients in your kitchen!

3 cups of Quaker Oats (the original, long-cooking kind is the best, but you can use the instant or 1 minute kind if that's all you have)
1 large carrot, shredded (can substitute 1 large apple, diced)
1/2 cup of applesauce
1/4 cup of honey
1/4 cup of oil

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a medium bowl, blend together the applesauce, honey and oil and set it aside.

In a large bowl, mix the oats and shredded carrot (or apple) together. Fold in the applesauce, honey and oil mixture and continue stirring until it is all blended well together.

Roll into small cookies or balls, about 1 inch in diameter. (If too sticky, add a few more oats. If too dry to stick together, add just a little more oil.)

Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 325 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool completely before giving to your horse. Place remaining cooled cookies in a ziplock plastic bag for storage.

I know we all want to spoil our babies but remember that too much sugar is really bad for a horse. A couple of these treats a day is plenty and they'll love it! :D

HANDY TIP: If this is too sticky and messy to roll it with your hands, try this: Put the dough in a large sheet of plastic wrap (like Saran Wrap), roll it up tightly. Using both hands, press lightly and roll it on your counter top, into a roll (like refrigerated cookie dough) and then partially freeze it! It will cut off so easily!

How do you stop a horse from bolting their feed?

"Bolting" of feed means the horse is eating their grain much too fast. Bolting increases the chance that the feed won't be properly chewed and digested, (which can mean the horse won't be getting all of the nutrients from their feed) and it's unnerving and frustrating because of the danger that it may cause choking or colic.

There are many different reasons why a horse may bolt their feed. The most common reason is competition with barn or pasture mates (or a horse that has had to compete for their feed in the past). Help your horse relax by making sure they don't have to fight to eat and that they're not stealing one anothers' food. Separate horses at feeding time and make sure each one has their own feeding dish.

If you've done that and they're still eating too fast, there are several other things you can do to make them slow down and enjoy their feed a little longer:

1. Place a few smooth stones in their feed dish so they have to nudge around the stones to get the grain (Make sure the stones don't have any sharp or pointed edges that the horse will poke themselves with and that the stones are large enough so the horse doesn't pick them up in their mouth. Remember that you want eating to be a pleasurable experience for the horse and the object is just to slow the horse down by making them nudge around the stones to get to the grain, not to make them put the stones in their mouth). If done correctly, this is a very safe and effective technique.
2. In a solid feed rack, (not a slatted one) scatter the grain on top of their hay ration;
3. Put their grain in a deep feeding dish and then cover with chaff or hayledge (a finely chopped hay product) or some hay cubes.

Using any one of these techniques is a minor change in your feeding routine and your horse will be healthier (and safer) because of it!

At what age should a horse first be ridden?

How young is "too young to ride" is often a heated debate among horse people. My opinion is just one of many but I hope that you'll take the time to research some things (don't just take my word for it) before you form your own opinion of when you should begin riding a horse.

Many people are under the impression that it's okay to begin riding a horse at 2 years old. When I'm talking to people with this belief, the next sentence that follows (without fail) is: "they run racehorses at 2 years old". And I might as well go ahead and say it: This must be one of my #1 pet peeves when it comes to horses.

What many people don't realize is that yes, racehorses are ridden at 2 (often at 1 yr old) BUT racehorses are usually retired by 6 or 7 years of age. Many are retired before that. The most sickening part is that many are permanently lamed and many have to be euthanized (put to sleep) by the age of 2, 3 or 4. I wonder how many yearlings are injured while in training and euthanized before they ever make it to the racetrack that we will never hear of?

If a horse survives the training for racing, and lives long enough to be retired, almost every one has arthritis and joint problems from being ridden so hard at such a young age and are no longer rideable after racing. To me, it's a sad, sad thing to see a horses life ruined at such a young age as 6 or 7, just to "entertain" and make money for people.

Before you begin riding a horse, please consider that a horses skeletal system is not matured until they are around 4 years old, (some breeds take even longer to mature). Their bones are simply not fully formed, not strong enough and not designed to carry a persons weight at 2 years old. Riding a horse too early causes all kinds of joint problems.   Update 8/31/2016:  Please read this article:   TIMING AND RATE OF SKELETAL MATURATION IN HORSES, With Comments on Starting Young Horses and the State of the Industry

If you want to do what's best for your horse and help to lengthen their lives, it's best to begin "light riding" (such as in the ring or on easy trail rides) when the horse is around 3 years old, and no "hard" riding (such as galloping with a rider) until 4 years old or more. I know some people who do absolutely no hard riding until the horse is 5 or 6 years old.

There is lots of ground training that needs to be done and many ways you can spend time with and enjoy your young horse while waiting on them to get old enough to ride. And it's worth the wait. Think of the long run: If you are patient and allow your horses' bones the time to grow and mature, you can have a strong, healthy riding partner that can happily carry you well up into their twenties. 

UPDATED NOTE 8/31/2016:   

I know this is a subject that generates a lot of passion from horse owners and trainers.  
I BESEECH YOU to read this informative article by Deb Bennett, Ph. D.

TIMING AND RATE OF SKELETAL MATURATION IN HORSES, With Comments on Starting Young Horses and the State of the Industry

How old is a foal before it can walk?

A foal will begin to try to stand within just a few minutes of being born. They will be very wobbly and uncoordinated but should be able to stand on their own in about 1 hour. (If they are not standing on their own within about 2 hours, you should consult with your vet.)

By 3 hours old, they should be standing on their own and nursing from mama. :D

Incredible, huh?