12/17/2024
Such amazing advice that rings incredibly true! I had came across this post and wanted to share it with you all.
Making the best out of what you have is a great skill, all for the aim of making our horses happy! You can never go wrong with resourcefulness.
Reminds me of the days when my younger self would make cloverleaf patterns with “barrels” out of buckets and feed bags at home after school to practice with my horses.😁♥️
A tip a day for the 12 days leading up to Christmas:
Day 3: Make the best out of what you have!
It is so easy to want to keep up with the Joneses and whine about what we don't have. I'd be a liar if I said I never complained about anything!
But here's the thing- sometimes not having all the things we dream of is actually more of a blessing! Sure, the comforts of life are wonderful and there is nothing wrong with wanting the finer things of life, but also keep in perspective that everything has their pros and cons!
🛖 Don't have a nice barn to keep your horses warm and dry? That's what blankets are for ;) But honestly, having a horse that's able to be out in a pasture will be less likely to have digestive upset, have better hoof health, and overall better muscular & skeletal health. Did you know that muscle loss is visible via ultrasound after just 4 days of being in a stall? Stalled horses will need extra care and management to ensure they get daily movement because movement is tied to so many different aspects of their health.
🏇 Don't have an arena to ride in? Riding on the trails and in a field will give your horse an advantage over horses that are only ridden in an arena. Varied terrain and footing will work muscles that you even forgot exist! Ever go on a walk on the sidewalk vs a sandy beach vs a hike? Muscles get worked differently and different muscles may also get recruited to work more depending on the ground. Hard surfaces help strengthen bone, soft surfaces will strengthen muscle & soft tissue, and varied terrain will help strengthen stabilizing muscles and improve proprioception. All of this helps your horse avoid injury due to slips, trips, or poor footing at a show or race. Even if you are able to ride often in an arena, it's important to not ride 100% of the time in one for these reasons.
📚 Don't have the funds or access to top notch therapies? You can learn basically anything and everything for free on the internet. Even without all the latest and greatest technologies, you can go a long long way in learning how to maintain and care for your horses in a DIY fashion. Don't let imposter syndrome get the better of you! Anyone and everyone is capable of learning best practices, how to advocate for your horse, exercises, massage techniques, stretching, nutrition, tack function & fit, icing, poultice, etc Tons of information is available online for free! Some pages I encourage you to follow are:
Superior Therapy
Caliente Therapy LLC
Sozo Equine, LLC
Sharp Sports Medicine
The study of the equine hoof
The Masterson Method, Integrated Equine Performance Bodywork
Red Hot Barrel Horses
Burns Saddlery
