The Basic Horse

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Something interesting I've been able to study the past few years is red tips on the horses' mane. When I first learned t...
09/14/2025

Something interesting I've been able to study the past few years is red tips on the horses' mane.

When I first learned trimming, I was told it was due to iron:copper:zinc being out of balance. Specifically, iron being way too high. Being that I studied equine nutrition in college courses and also on my own, this made sense when looking at hay tests. Iron was usually 50x higher than copper and zinc. I was taught that it should be 10:1:3 OR in the case of metabolic horses 4:1:3 was even better. The tests I did on hay over the years always showed iron way up there with almost no copper or zinc.

Now, what I find interesting is that when you look at photos of feral horses (mustangs) they typically have super black manes. They aren't bleached out, fried and red. But no one is out there making sure they get their daily dose of copper and zinc to balance out that iron... I even found one study that followed a wild herd along the east coast. The tests on the forage they ate came back exactly the same and the study even said that they expected to see issues from the low copper and zinc, but there were none found.

Ok, back to domestics. Why are we seeing so many horses with red/orange, damaged hair?

I started trying to balance my horses diet and feed high quality minerals starting in May of 2014. Over the years I've tried nearly ALL of them out there that are good quality.

California Trace and Trace Plus
Vermont Blend
Arizona Copper Complete
Dynamite Specialty Products

I even made my own blend with everything others didn't have, perfectly balanced to their hay. It didnt change a darn thing with his hair.

His hair was orange from 2inches off the base of the mane all the way down for basically 10 years.

2 years after moving to Wyoming from Illinois, he now has a dark mane. When I moved here I stopped doing all the herbs, minerals, mixing feeds, etc. I threw out a Redmond salt block (they've always had this), white salt block, filtered water (they've also always had filtered water) and either pasture or grass hay. The hay I've tested here, tests exactly the same as Illinois. Same higher iron and really low copper and zinc. Yet, somehow, his mane has totally changed color. Finally.

I believe maybe it was the humidity, sweating and crazy high temps (lots of sun exposure) that actually cause the damage to the mane. NOT high iron- because that is the same in both locations. I also dont believe it's the uv rays alone, because I am at 6200' altitude here and the sun is much much stronger and burns things much faster here than in Illinois at 600' elevation.

Interesting right? What do you think? Have you seen these changes moving to or from a high humidity and heat area, causing them to sweat even when just standing around?

Check out the photos below to see what I mean!

Sidenote: his mane has also become thicker and longer in wyoming and his legs used to also bleach out to a brownish orange color, but now they stay coal black with zero supplementation. Crazy right?

Barefoot or shod.... which foot is healthier (and why) and which do you think was shod versus barefoot? Hint: It's the s...
07/12/2025

Barefoot or shod.... which foot is healthier (and why) and which do you think was shod versus barefoot?

Hint: It's the same hoof on the same horse at different times.

Can you tell me which of these horses has a healthier chest? You may be thinking what the heck does the chest have to do...
06/29/2025

Can you tell me which of these horses has a healthier chest?

You may be thinking what the heck does the chest have to do with anything??! Isn't it just genetic??

Yes and no. Its true we won't get a super wide chest on a Tennessee walker no matter how much work we do, but between two similarly built horses, there can be massive differences as seen here in these photos!

Who has the stronger chest? What else can a weak/strong chest affect?

Good info!
06/20/2025

Good info!

05/25/2025

How to become your farrier's favorite client in 5 easy steps....

When we find a good farrier, we want to keep them as long as possible. So what can we do to make sure they don't decide our stop isn't suitable for them? Here's a list below to follow. I promise your farrier will thank you and appreciate your efforts!

1. Be on time
- don't allow them to show up to an empty barn, no horses pulled up, you running behind, etc. They have very busy schedules, and they are not responsible for our time management.

2. Have your horse's legs and hooves clean
-don't pull up a muddy horse and expect them to be able to hold on to the legs or see what they are doing. The mud also ruins their tools. Be considerate and wipe the legs and hooves down with a dry cloth and allow them to stand in a dry area long enough for the mud to dry out. If you need to hose them off, please make sure you can also get them reasonably dry before they need to work on them.

3. Pick out those hooves
-we should be doing this at least weekly anyway. Don't be a stranger to your horses' hooves. Know the structures, keep them clean and treat anything the farrier tells you is an issue. It will really impress them the next time they come to trim when all that thrush is gone!

4. Work with your horses
-none of us have any excuse for poorly behaved horses. If they are that bad, we should be hiring someone to help us with their training OR doing the work ourselves. We should never expect a farrier to risk their life, physical health or livelihood for our lack of training.

5. Pay them at the time of service
-they pay out of pocket for all the tools, gas, vehicle and supplies to show up at your door, provide a service and make your life easy. The least we can do is pay them right when they get done to show we appreciate them and respect their work.

Now get out there and start practicing! Use hoof boots, soaker boots, buckets, noisy bags, and whatever else you can think of to make your horse stand still and respectfully for the farrier. Tie them up. Work with them so that they understand when they are tied, they are doing a job, and certain things are expected. Make them comfortable with the whole process. Spend 20 minutes picking up their hooves and tapping on the hoof. Pick them out. Soak the hooves. Do ALL the things!

You won't regret it ❤️

This boy stood patiently for 3 hours while we had a spa day for his hoofies.

I've spent the better part of my working career working on and with horses. Since February 2011, I have worked with them...
04/03/2025

I've spent the better part of my working career working on and with horses.

Since February 2011, I have worked with them daily. From February 2011- December 2014 I raised, trained, bred and sold Standardbred race horses. We had around 80 head on average to care for daily, including stallions, broodmares and foals up to yearlings. One summer we had 150. I did not have ANY horse experience before this, and pretty much got thrown to the wolves taking that job- which is exactly what put me on the fast track to really understanding them. I didn't have time to watch and learn how to handle stallions. It was do it right or get seriously injured, so I figured it out very quickly.

Same with the broodmares. We had a few over the years that came in and were absolutely out for blood. They would grab you by the arm, shoulder or neck- whatever they could latch onto- and throw you. Some would've happily stomped us to death. You could never be unaware of how you approached or went into a stall, how you caught them, lead them (there are very specific parameters of what spot you can be in to not get bit, kicked or run over) or handled them if they did get a bit crazy.

We halter broke the foals and that was the best part for me. It was so interesting to see the little things click in their mind when they "got it" and it prompted me to become softer and softer in my cues and asks. How light and subtle could I be to get them to understand? How could I persuade a being the same weight as me or larger of what i was saying? It's amazing how willing they are to interact and do these weird things you ask. In fact, most of them found it fun and WANTED to be next to you and do more things with you.

If you think about it, to be a true horseman, one who really has magic, they have to learn a silent language. One that is mostly body cues and discreet contact. The quieter they are, the more response they get. The better they are, the more willing of a partner the horse is. Isn't that amazing?

From March 2015- June 2022 I embarked on the journey of taking care of hooves. The amount of knowledge I gained by doing that was even more vast than training them. You see, training them myself I got first contact. I got to set the tone. I got to do it the easy way. Working on other people's horses meant working with other people's problems masking the horse itself. I ended up learning a lot more about the people than the horses, but it also forced me to learn how to listen to the even quieter voice from the horse. The one that had been silenced, the one who pushed through pain for years, the one who just couldn't stand because they hurt so bad, the one who lashed out because they were never heard..... I could evaluate a new horse on the spot within 20 minutes and tell you what body issues they had, their personality type, their preferences and so on.

It actually got so overwhelming dealing with all of the issues owners can cause that I quit. It was too much for my heart and body to take. I was being punished physically for things I didn't even do to those horses.... one day I'll publish something recounting all the crazy stuff that happened in barns where I was hired to work.... but that's a very long book.

For now, I'm so thankful to look back and see everything I learned over the span of 14 years and know that is why I had the guts to buy Luna. That is why I understand her and don't fear her. That is why she will excel beyond what many would imagine. That is why I'm confident in her before she even knows anything. That is why she is calm around me. That is why she will trust me.

The thousands of horses I have touched before her have made me softer, wiser and better. She will have everything she needs because the horses before her didn't.

04/01/2025

Day 2 with Luna - the feral bucking stock horse

The plan with this new girl is the same plan I executed with my two boys, who were basically wild as well. All 3 have done the exact same thing, which is pretty interesting.

The story always goes, "They are wild, can't be caught, spooky, whatever." We get them on the trailer fairly easy, and they are quiet as a church mouse the whole ride home. I open the back doors to the trailer, expecting an explosive exit, and they just stand like a statue wondering what to do next. Within 3 weeks, I was able to halter and pick up hooves on both Buck and Fabio and that was not with daily training. That was just me being around and sitting with them. In that 3 weeks, I never tried approaching them. I allowed them to choose what they wanted.

I find the softer you can be with horses, and the more body language you can use, the faster they understand. The smaller the cue, the softer and quicker the response. It's really quite fun seeing just how LITTLE you can do and how extremely smart and perceptive they are.

This girl has all those same qualities the boys do- curious, watchy, wants to be involved, nervous because she just doesn't know, not mean because she's is scared, very intelligent.

Those qualities make a very sensitive horse- which I absolutely adore. They are very willing to please, yet retain their own personality and quirks as long as you allow it. It should be allowed BTW. We don't want dull, lifeless, desensitized horses..... we want intelligent creatures who trust us but are still hyper aware of what's going on around them- yet they choose you.

I want and educated and willing partner. We all should ❤️

I'm starting the process of having a custom saddle made for myself and my horse. Correct saddle fit is so absolutely imp...
12/18/2024

I'm starting the process of having a custom saddle made for myself and my horse. Correct saddle fit is so absolutely important to keep your horse healthy.

Over the course of 10 years I've tried over 30 saddles on my horse. None fit him well at all. Many were "quarterhorse bars," standard gullets, standard makes and models. Sadly, many of these don't fit the majority of horses.

What do you think these white markings on these horses are from?

Is it normal? Or is it abnormal, but common? The answer may surprise you!

When we learn the art of listening to our animals, understanding why they choose the things they do starts to make more ...
12/08/2024

When we learn the art of listening to our animals, understanding why they choose the things they do starts to make more sense. If we become REALLY good at listening, we start to lose the need to know WHY as well, because it no longer matters. What matters is what they need and want, not what we think makes sense.

You see, generations of horse owners have put their own feelings on their horses (it's so easy to do!) and as a result, we have come up with these standards of care that don't fit the horses nature at all.

Stalling for example. It may make it easier for us for feeding, grooming, catching, etc., but it's not in the horses' best interest. Yes, there are some horses that have grown up with it and seemingly love their stalls, but I'm willing to bet the majority of horses do not.

When given a choice mine will only use a shed when the bugs are bad. Otherwise they seek shade under the trees, and stand out in all types of weather. When allowed to choose, they find different spots in the pastures for different reasons. They know what they want and need.

When we start giving them choices, we start being able to observe what they would choose if we were out of the picture. I also got to witness this same thing on a major breeding farm. In severe rain and thunder storms the horses would all line up almost military like, with their butts to the wind. They had multiple shelters but would only use them in the heat of the day to escape sun and bugs. However, if they had trees for shade I can guarantee they would have picked the trees over the shelter.

Horses like to be able to see what is going on around them. Generally, they don't like to be isolated, locked up in a small box or have options on what they feel safest doing taken away.

I think once we start realizing this, we will start having better relationships with our horses. We can't say we love them and be narcissistic about it ❤️ they need a voice too.

Once we are enlightened, I believe a lot of the issues we see in horses today will start healing- including physical, metabolic and behavioral ones.

04/20/2024

This is a great example of why it is sooooo important to work with your horses and get them confident. When you do, you do not have to expose them to every single thing known to man for them to be calm about it.

This horse has never seen or heard a dremel, but he didn't even flinch.

It's so important for your farrier, chiro, vet, massage therapist, trainers and so on to be able to do whatever they need to do with your horse. Calling them out to work on an unruly, distrusting, spooky animal is not ok, unless it's a trainer that fully knows what they are getting into. Even emergency situations are not an excuse because the animal should have been worked with prior to the incident.

Things happen. We may get horses we thought had been trained that aren't, that should be safe, that should know, and so on and so forth... you can't help how they came to you, but you are responsible for how they are in your care.

If you need help, be honest and ask for it. Most professionals have dealt with a lot of crazy cases and behaviors and have figured some things out. It's up to you to do right by your animal and teach them so they can be secure, confident and safe for others to work on and with them and you as well! It's for your own safety as well!

We love our jobs and we love these big, amazing animals. Help us help them by being their biggest leader. Teach them, and if you don't know how, learn ❤️

How many of you can pick up your horse's hooves and see this type of foot? Can you identify all the structures and wheth...
03/24/2024

How many of you can pick up your horse's hooves and see this type of foot?

Can you identify all the structures and whether they are healthy and robust? If they are not, can you see the difference when they are weak and compromised?

Do you know the course of action that needs to be taken in order to heal the hooves? If not, what is stopping you? Knowledge is power and your horse needs you to be their experienced voice.

If the hooves don't look similar to this one posted below, there is room for improvement ❤️

If you feel confident (or even if you dont) in posting this same view of your own horse's hoof, I will take the time to mark it up and show what is good, and what could use improving and how to go about doing that. No judgement. Just help.

Are you wanting to learn? Feel free to comment below, and I will be happy to answer your questions. We are all here for the horse ❤️

03/16/2024

Drying out hooves for thrush applications! You could also just use sawdust, but I have the pellets for my cats litter box so it was easy to just grab a few handfuls!

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