Tommy Fahey Horsemanship

10/10/2025

Interesting information.

❄🐴🌾 Is it safe to graze horses after a hard freeze? What do I need to consider before turning them back out on pasture? Also, what defines a hard freeze?

🌡 A hard freeze refers to a frost that is severe enough to end the growing season. The National Weather Service defines a hard freeze when temperatures fall below 28ºF for a few hours. Cool-season grasses commonly found in Midwest horse pastures go into dormancy for winter and conserve their energy stores (starches and sugars) following a hard freeze.

❄️ We recommend keeping horses off pastures for at least 7 days after a hard freeze. Frost-damaged pastures are higher in nonstructural carbohydrates (starches and sugars) because plants can not use up their energy stores as efficiently. It can take plants 7 days to return to more normal nonstructural carbohydrate levels. Higher levels of nonstructural carbohydrates can lead to an increase risk for laminitis, especially in horses diagnosed with or prone to obesity, laminitis, Cushings, and Equine Metabolic Syndrome.

The decision to graze again after a hard freeze depends on the condition of your pasture. After a hard freeze, no additional regrowth of the pasture will occur, even though the pasture might appear green in color. If your cool-season grass pasture is

✅ taller than 3 to 4 inches, then grazing can resume 7 days after a hard freeze and can continue until the pasture is grazed down to 3 to 4 inches.
❌ shorter than 3 to 4 inches, then no grazing should occur after a hard freeze. Grazing below 3 inches can harm the plant and lead to poor productivity next season.

🌾 Plants rely on stored nonstructural carbohydrates in the lower 3 inches for energy. Therefore, the 3- to 4-inch minimum height recommendation is necessary to help maximize winter survival and can help predict a vigorous and healthy pasture come spring. We do recognize horses rarely graze uniformly and pastures tend to have areas of both over and under grazing. You will need to base decisions on the average appearance of your pasture

10/05/2025

Gillyana JL had her first ride in a double bridle!

Thanks to JLdressage LLC for letting us borrow this beautiful bridle!

Gilly girl wasn’t quite sure what to think, but settled in and went right to work. Third level here we come!!!

10/03/2025

Gillyana JL obviously very stressed at the horse show.

10/03/2025

10/02/2025

Gillyana JL came in 4th place with a 67.7% in the Second Level Regional Championship class.

JimmyDean came for the day to cheer us on, thanks to his aunts Joanne and Lynn!

09/03/2025

Don’t let Perfection be the enemy of Good.

08/21/2025

Reward every try, build lasting confidence. Guy McLean

08/21/2025

08/19/2025

When riding corners, you should only ride them as deep as the smallest circle required for the level at which your horse is currently working.

For example, if you are working at British Dressage Introductory level, the smallest circle you’ll be expected to perform is 20-meters. Therefore, the corners you ride will be fairly shallow, not much deeper than the arc of a 20-meter circle. Elementary horses are expected to negotiate 10-meter circles, so the corners you ride will be correspondingly deeper.

This rule ensures that your horse stays relaxed and well within his comfort zone. He’ll be able to maintain the correct rhythm as he moves through the corners without variance in the tempo. He’ll also be less likely to lose his balance and fall onto his inside shoulder or his forehand, and he won’t swing his quarters out in an attempt to evade a degree of bend that is beyond his capability.

However, this rule is temporarily broken if you are preparing to turn down the center line or ride across the diagonal. In which case, you may need to ride the corners fractionally deeper.

08/17/2025