Bobbie McGhee’s Stable in Apache Junction

02/23/2025

02/21/2025

LAST MINUTE, I KNOW:
There’s an amazing equine body worker coming tomorrow that we have 2 more spots for- message me ASAP if you want one!!

02/18/2025

All boarders- I know there were some kids playing on the neighboring property behind the roundpen- they were asked to be quieter and be careful with their little air plinkers, but y’all- this is the FIRST time in a YEAR they have been back there running around, MY horses are closest. If it’s upsetting your horses in the roundpen , don’t go to the roundpen for one day… we are not starting battles with neighboring kids that are playing on a day off of school. If your horses need desensitized to yelling and running we can always do a clinic!

02/10/2025

Do I know any gaited horse people local to Apache Junction? I have a horse I’d like to have someone look at for me!!

02/06/2025

Someone didn’t tell Amy that we live in the desert… she’s having the absolute time of her life! Between her size and her love of water, I think we may have discovered a rare Superstition Mountain Hippopotamus 🦛!

02/04/2025

I HIGHLY recommend you guys get some electrolytes to your horses this week. This is insanely hot for winter coats, and we already have a few horses going a little off feed and water. ELECTROLYTES!!

Phoenix Sky Harbor had a high temperature today of 86°F, which ties with the record high set in 1925. The normal for this date is 69°F.

02/02/2025

Lessons around here… sometimes they’re “heels down, proper seat, stop slouching”, etc. Other times? Not so much! Video in comment!

02/02/2025

Let’s rank how serious these rider/horse combos are… Byron and Jill- serious. Remy and Bella- not serious. Helen and Amy- mildly serious.
I need more pictures! Don’t be surprised if I start stalking you when you’re headed out on rides… this is your fair warning 🤣!

01/26/2025

Let horses move past their “story”

When you’re in the thick of it, the story is real. The behaviors can be explained by a past, near or far. Some of it may be valid, some may be our interpretation, some may be best guesses. Either way, here we are.

But horses have a strong desire to be balanced. If given half a chance, most of them, I’ve found, adapt. Some need a little more help, some have a missing ingredient that helps them complete the recipe of wellness. But usually, people are in the way.

I’ve been that person too. It’s easy. You tell the story over and over - “she was traumatized.” “You won’t be able to catch her, she hates men.” “She doesn’t trailer.” “She had an accident while tying so she doesn’t tie.” These things may have been true at one time, but without adapting our awareness to the current moment day by day, moment by moment, we so often keep the horses progress stifled.

I can’t tell you how many troubled horses I’ve had that I tip toed around, told the public to watch out, and one day discovered them calmly standing. Before my very eyes they had turned into another horse, and I was so busy talking about them I hadn’t noticed who they were now.

Photo by Caitlin Hatch

01/22/2025

Some of you have heard this from me A LOT- even if you don’t read the whole thing- scroll to the part about signs of vitamin e deficiency!

Fresh pasture provides an abundance of vitamin E but hay is devoid of vitamins after harvesting.

My horses have always been on VE supplementation during the winter & since moving to Arizona they have been on it full time.

However as of late I’m learning it’s not enough. 😖

The NRC recommends a daily intake of about 1000 IU per day for the average horse in light work, although many experts insist this should be higher.

I typically provide 2-3000 IU to my horses depending on their workload however after my best boy Prowler displaying odd and unusual behavior, off to the vet we went.

Over the last few months he has been becoming unpredictable, overreacting at the smallest thing, feeling out of control even at a trot & exploding for no reason (the latter resulted in bucking me off very badly).

After cervical xrays, ultrasounds, THO & hyoid scopes, the vet came up with nothing. But she agreed something was “wrong” as Prowler seemed to have vision impairment & failed his baseline neuro exam.

We started with running blood work for EPM which came back negative, so her next idea was testing for Vitamin E through which we uncovered he is dangerously low in this essential piece of nutrition. 🏥

Symptoms of VE deficiency that look like other common problems:
🩺Eye & vision changes aka: becoming spooky, reactive or nervous
🩺Muscle pain & stiffness: we often reach for the magnesium here
🩺Dry/damaged coat: more omegas are typically toted as the answer
🩺Neurological problems: often we reach for trial treatment of EPM & Lyme.

Untreated - vitamin E deficiency can cause severe issues including permanent vision problems as well as equine motor neuron disease and equine degenerative myeloencephalopathy (this is fatal).

Although we finally have a direction of Prowler’s problems, now begs the question if we found it soon enough. For me, as the ever advocate of prehab & prevention, it feels like I’ve failed my horses once again by having to learn the hard way.

He’s now on 10,000IU of natural VE per day and we will retest in 3 months 🙏 Natural VE is also the key, with liquid form being more bioavailable than powder, but both are better than synthetic. If you do feed a powder it is essential to feed an oil alongside it for optimal absorption.

Running testing for vitamin E will become a regular part of my veterinary workups for all my horses - how about you?

01/20/2025

Sometimes you get such a cute pose out of nowhere. Thanks Dottie!

01/19/2025

A whisper of rain brought these cool shots during a group lesson on Thursday!

01/16/2025

Hey!! We have a boarder interested in getting a saddle fitter out- she could come 2/19 for a few people. Otherwise she will schedule for herself a different date- so we need to know ASAP if there’s interest!! Tammy Smith (she owns Fancy) or I can be reached out to. It’s with Topline Saddle Fitting America

https://www.facebook.com/share/1EoFE7zVge/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Topline Saddle Fitting America LLC is a fully accredited mobile saddle fitting service, catering to

01/13/2025

Would anyone be interested in PM Arena membership? I have a partial card to submit and would like to fill last couple spots. $35/ each for the year! Best deal out there!

01/13/2025

The Louie Ride was AWESOME!! They said biggest turnout ever- Sara, Matilda and Byron enjoyed a great morning.

01/10/2025

💥💥REMINDER💥💥
Tomorrow! Hope a few people can make it!