Southtowns Equestrian Center

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Southtowns Equestrian Center Southtowns Equestrian Center is now located in Irving, NY. We do not have stalls available, nor do we provide any instruction or training.
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Southtowns Equestrian Center is located in Irving, NY. Our new location is a smaller 7-stall barn situated on 8 acres. We have an outdoor riding area, three fenced paddocks, and a 60' round pen. At this time, we do not have any stalls available for rent, nor do we presently provide riding instruction or horse training. Note: we have no association whatsoever with the facility we formerly leased and operated in Hamburg, NY.

Saddened to report that Marcia Shiel's gelding Monstrossity peacefully crossed the Rainbow Bridge on Thursday, June 1st....
05/06/2022

Saddened to report that Marcia Shiel's gelding Monstrossity peacefully crossed the Rainbow Bridge on Thursday, June 1st.
One of Southtown's Equestrian Center's original clients, he had recently developed an unresolvable leg issue. He had a very long life, and he kept his unique personality through the last.
He will be missed very much.

Wow.
22/10/2021

Wow.

Bronze Age riders trotted out their new mounts in the western Eurasian steppe

Good chance of becoming law in NY.
05/02/2021

Good chance of becoming law in NY.

A bill relating to the aftercare of retired racehorses passed the New York State Senate with bi-partisan support and is expected to pass the N.Y. State Assembly in this legislative session. The bill, Senate Bill 1442, sponsored by State Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr., prohibits the slaughter of race...

25/12/2020
09/05/2019

Finder's Key (Finder)

I thought I would share this with my facebook friends. This is Nelson, a real war horse that fought in WW1 along side his human, Alfred Henn. Until his death in 2000, Alfred kept a photograph of his war horse he had cherished as a young soldier. Speaking before he died, at the age of 103, he recalled, 'My horse had lost an eye, so I called him Nelson.' Nelson's bravery was unflinching. With Alfred riding him, and the full weight of a gun carriage behind him, he galloped directly into the gunfire that was cutting down foot soldiers that were advancing front of them. It was also a shared terror that was to forge incredible friendships between soldiers and horses. It was a very physical relationship, as they often slept together in the mud to ward off the cold. - Mail Online

04/04/2019
Alan Young, star of 1960s sitcom 'Mr. Ed,' dies at 96

Sad.
Loved the Mr. Ed show.

Actor-comedian Alan Young, who played the amiable straight man to a talking horse in the 1960s sitcom "Mister Ed," has died, a spokeswoman for the Motion Picture and Television Home said Friday. He was 96.

02/04/2019

Donald U. Newe - Comportementaliste Equin

The Equine Pain Face
Horses may not be able to say how much it hurts in words, but recent research is demonstrating their face tells all.
Learn to recognize the signs of the equine 'pain face'.

Study: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/vaa.12212/pdf

01/04/2019

Appaloosas rock!

Crocodile - Appaloosa gelding jumping a 6’9” wall at Indio being ridden by Tw***ie Nissen in 1972 to win the Knock Down and Out Jumper Stake. He was close to 18 hands and people watching this giant said he was like a freight train coming down the rail to the jumps.

19/03/2019

Equine love.

Muffit joined Bubbles over Rainbow Bridge tonight. The bond between these two was so strong that Muffit could not go on without Bubbles. Our vet said her heart gave out. Their love was so strong that she just couldn't stay here. Now, they are running free together. They will be buried next to each other. We are left behind to fight on and so we will... in their memory with them in our hearts.

16/03/2019
Kelly Neale DVM

Kelly Neale DVM

NYS DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND MARKETS ADVISES HORSE OWNERS TO MONITOR HORSES FOR SIGNS OF EQUINE HERPES VIRUS TYPE 1

Cases Confirmed, Quarantine in Effect at Two Horse Stables

The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets is advising owners, boarders and riders to watch their horses closely for signs of Equine Herpes Virus Type 1 (EHV-1) after several cases of the virus were confirmed in horses boarded in Canton, St. Lawrence County and Geneseo, Livingston County. The virus is not a threat to humans, but people can also spread the virus from infected horses to other horses.

The Department is investigating the cases at St. Lawrence University’s horse boarding facility and Leg Up Stables, which is home to SUNY Geneseo’s Equestrian Team. The stables are working closely with the Department and have voluntarily quarantined their animals and proactively instituted biosafety measures.

Horses and people who visited the facilities, competed at the venues, or who had contact with these animals from February 23 through March 10 may have been exposed to EHV-1. This virus may cause neurological signs, or Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy (EHM), in horses. Symptoms can include fever, loss of balance and unsteady gait.

In addition, people who visited the affected facilities during that time, and those who had contact with these horses, should pay close attention to biosecurity and carefully observe their own horses daily for neurological signs, which can indicate exposure to EHV-1. They also are advised to contact their veterinarian and the Division of Animal Industry at the NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets at 518-457-3502.

If possible, exposed horses should be isolated from other horses for at least three weeks after a known exposure. If an exposed horse has not shown any signs of EHV-1 infection for three weeks after the last known exposure, it is likely safe to resume normal activities.

Vaccinations, while helpful, do not guarantee disease prevention.

Information on the disease, standards for biosecurity, control and other guidelines can be found online. Precautions like hand-washing, using disinfectant and sanitizers, changing clothes and not sharing equipment can help reduce the risk of transmission.

13/03/2019

Wear your f*cking helmet ... every time!
Save for a helmet, neither Linda nor I would be here today.

09/03/2019
How your horse learns by watching you

How your horse learns by watching you

As you go about your daily barn chores---opening gates and turning on lights---keep in mind that your horses may be watching, and possibly learning how to do

03/03/2019

Awwww.

Elona (Paint) is blind. Jaco holds the grain pan just right for Enola. ♥️

03/03/2019
San Diego Fleet

Our Ron got a touchdown!

THIS is how you start a ballgame! Ron Brooks to the 🏠.

18/02/2019
San Diego Fleet

Ron doesn't change!

Ron Brooks takes care of the ! 🏈🙌

18/02/2019

Make it a Better World for All Equines

Good story! Had to show you all this amazing mare named Angel who was rescued from slaughter along with her own foal. 3 other foals all under 5 weeks old were orphaned when there mothers went to be slaughtered, Angel adopted them all. They were all frightened in the corner of a yard and she just walked over and nuzzled the sacred babies toward her milk bar. One in a million:-)

09/02/2019
UNILAD

UNILAD

These horses playing in the snow will surely brighten your day 😍🐴

06/02/2019

Fox Run Equine Center

Fascinating Facts About Horse Digestion

Many people anthropomorphize horses. We think they should be clean. We think they should wear nice, warm blankets when it’s cold, and we think they should eat two or three meals a day.

Horses are horses–not humans. They should be treated like horses. They like to get dirty. They can regulate their own body temperature in most cases. They have a unique digestive system that is very different from the human digestive tract.

Understanding horse digestion should be a top priority. It sometimes seems that the horse’s digestive system is quite delicate, but many of the common digestive problems are due to the unnatural way horses are fed. When a horse is out in the wild with thousands of acres of free-roam grazing, and the only external demand is to maintain itself and occasionally run from predators, this configuration serves it quite well, most of the time.

A minimum of 10 acres is required per horse to make enough forage for consumption, allow adequate movement, and to minimize parasitism. This is difficult to achieve in the modern world for most people. Riding or lunging must suffice for exercise, and the horse is much more reliant upon hay. Dewormers, of course, rid them of parasites- at least most of them, there are exceptions.

Here are some fascinating (and good-to-know) facts about horse digestion:

1. The horse is a non-ruminant herbivore. The digestive system share features with dogs and cats (and humans) which are monogastric, as well as the ruminant in which there are 3-4 gastric compartments. (Camelids have three).

2. As forage (the horse’s natural food) is chewed by the horse, the salivary glands produce up to 10 gallons of saliva (per day). Saliva is crucial for neutralizing stomach acids and reducing the risk of gastric ulcers. Horses do not make as much saliva when eating grain-type feeds.

3. The esophagus, which empties into the stomach, only works in one direction for the horse. Food cannot be regurgitated or vomited.

4. Gastric capacity is 8-10 liters, which is quite small compared to other parts of the digestive system.

5. Water only remains in the horse’s stomach for about 15 minutes before moving on to the small intestine. Food retention varies depending upon the type- grass, hay, or grain.

6. When the stomach is empty, acid can attack the squamous cells in the stomach lining, often resulting in ulcers. Therefore, small frequent meals, access to a slow feeder, or access to pasture are important.

7. Most of the digestion and absorption of sugars, starches, proteins, and fats occurs in the small intestine.

8. Horses do not have a gall bladder. Instead, the small intestine aids in the digestion of fats.

9. More than 1g/kg of sugars and starches spill into the colon, potentially causing colitis and diarrhea. Horses should be fed primarily forage and only small amounts of a low carbohydrate concentrate.

10. The cecum is homologous to the human appendix.

11. The colon is shaped like a stacked horse shoe, with varying dimensions to allow proper food mixing and digestion.

12. Food enters and exits the cecum at the top. This is a common site for impaction colic, which is often due to lack of water intake.

13. The cecum and other parts of the large intestine contain active populations of bacteria and yeast, which help break food down in a process called fermentation. This results in the formation of free fatty acids, from which the horse derives most of its energy. It also results in a large amount of gas, as a by-product.

14. The bacterial and microbe populations become specific in fermenting the type of food the horse normally eats. When a new food is introduced suddenly, the bacteria/ microbes cannot ferment it effectively and the result is often colic. (Therefore, all feed changes should be made very gradually.)

15. Borborygmic sounds or ‘Gut sounds’ indicated that food is moving through the digestive tract. An absence of gut sounds likely means there is some digestive upset or obstruction.

16. A horse requires a minimum of 1.5% of his body weight daily of long-stemmed roughage (grass/ hay) for normal digestive tract activity; this is 15 pounds of roughage for a 1000 lb. horse.

17. The entire digestion process, from oral to aboral, takes about 36-72 hours.

18. If it were to be stretched from end to end, the horse’s digestive tract would be about 115 feet long, from mouth to a**s.

Fox Run Equine Center

www.foxrunequine.com

(724) 727-3481

06/02/2019

Out former barn neighbor is back on the field this weekend!

Finally healthy, life begins at 30 for Ron Brooks in The Alliance.

Story: https://bit.ly/2BkRiFW

05/02/2019

KD Performance Horses

An Open Letter to my Daughter’s Teacher
-Angie Mitchell

Today my 7 yr old daughter came home from school a bit sad. When I asked why, she said you told her that if she kept missing days, she would get bad grades. I understand where you are coming from, I’m sure it’s frustrating for you when she’s gone, but she’s missed 3 Fridays since the beginning of the year to compete in something that at 7 years old she’s found to be her true passion, Eventing. And so you know, there are not many 7 year olds that event. It’s difficult. It’s mentally and physically demanding. And she works harder than any kid I know her age because she enjoys it, and loves her pony, at a level beyond words.

It was interesting you told her that today, because in her backpack she had her report card with 6 A’s and 1 B. She also had her standardized test scores, where she scored above her peers in every category. But most interesting was the sheet of paper you also sent home, listing out what I should expect of my second grader, what I should work with her on. And as I read it all I could think is how much my daughter is benefiting from all the hours she’s spending at the barn preparing for her competitions. How much she is learning from all the hours, day in and day out, she practices. And finally, how my expectations of her are so much higher than yours, because of her riding.

Under the “Life Skills” portion it states she should be zipping zippers. She can put on a pair of leather half chaps by herself. Zipper level: Expert. It states she should be able to snap snaps and button buttons. She can put on her show shirt and jacket, a stock tie, breeches and her helmet. She can also tack up her pony by herself and apply bell boots, open front jump boots and brushing boots, and she knows which ones to use when.

It says she should know how to wash and dry her hands. Not only can she do that, but she knows how to clean and condition her boots, bridle and saddle, bathe her pony, pick his feet and apply hoof polish, organize a tack trunk and shovel and sweep manure from the grooming bays.

She’s supposed to know one parent’s phone number, and her parents names. She knows the names of the 30+ horses at the barn. She knows what size girth to use, and when to use a running martingale. She knows what hole to put the jump cups for a 2’ course, or a 2’6 course. She also knows how to change her diagonal, turn down centerline, make a 20 meter circle and how to ride a transition.

There was a section for “Following Directions” where it says she needs to be a good listener. She listens to her trainer give her a jump course consisting of 10+ fences, which she has to immediately remember, and then jump. It says she has to remember multiple directions at a time “such as brushing your teeth, putting on your shoes and moving your backpack.” She can remember and ride a dressage test, cross country course and show jump course in one day.

It says I should play “Mother May I” with her. Everything her pony does, is because she’s asked and she knows she has to ask correctly. She weighs 50 lbs. He weighs 700. She has spent hours learning how to not only ask, but listen, when she wants something from him.

It says she should have responsibilities, such as packing her lunch. She can not only feed herself, but knows how to feed and care for a pony. She can groom him, put on his blanket, braid his mane and brush his tail. She can scoop his feed, throw his hay, fill his water buckets and lug all 5 gallons 100 feet from the hose to his stall (though I do have to help her hang them.) She knows he always comes first, even when she’s hot and tired or it’s cold and raining.

But most of all, she’s learning about hard work. She’s learning how to succeed, and how to fail. She’s learning patience and compassion and best of all Love. Love for her pony, Love for her sport, Love for learning.

Dear Teacher, while I know school is important, I also know there is more to life than what can be learned in a classroom. These experiences aren’t just teaching her the things that come from a book, but things that are making her a better human being. When she looks back on her life, she won’t remember missing those 3 days of school. She will remember her last show on her beloved pony Champ, her first ribbon at a USEA show, and how she and her Best Friend spent 3 days in the rain together doing the thing they love the most, being Eventers.

Sincerely,

The proud mom of a horse loving little girl

03/02/2019

Ozark Mountain Minitack

😂

31/01/2019

Our good friend and barn neighbor is back on the field in San Diego with the AAF Fleet.
Go, Ron Brooks #33.

The roster is set for the season debut. ⚓️🏈

Story: https://bit.ly/2HFRFR3

30/01/2019

Equine Rescue Network

27/01/2019
Potomac horse found after 50 days

Happy news.

POTOMAC - Dinkelman, a 16-year-old gelding quarter horse, got lost around Thanksgiving during hunting season on the north side of Potomac. Local snowmobiler and hunter Jeff Hahn found him on Jan. 11 after more than six weeks in the woods. Lifelong Potomac resident Chad Thurston owns Dinkelman. He ha...

18/01/2019
How to listen to your horse

How to listen to your horse

Horses are asking us questions all the time, says the author of the new book, Horse Speak, and with practice you can learn to answer appropriately—and start a meaningful conversation.

14/01/2019

Steve Wiberg Horseshoeing

These two beauties had been barn mates but were separated for a few months. This is was what happened when they saw each other at the horse park after their long absence from each other. Photo courtesy of Jenn Wang.

13/01/2019
Old Horse Needs Gone ASAP

Definitely, give the old ones their chance.
My late employer's old mare Keenie was gifted to me when she passed away, fulfilling her desire that her old girl would stay in the hands of the fellow who had provided her daily care for nearly 10 years. Keenie and I only got to share another 10 months together before she was called to the great green pasture. She never lacked love, and she gave it back in spades. Miss her.

As horses spend their younger days showing, and packing us around we sometimes tend to forget they do get older. We wish they would stay young forever. If they did stay young forever we wouldn't have those horses that make...

10/01/2019
Freak Riding Accident? Hardly.

Every time, every ride.

The horse world has lost some good riders in the last few weeks. Sadly, it happens all too often. Horses can be unpredictable and people get hurt. Some of it is unavoidable and some of it is totally preventable. Two of the most recent stories were especially hard: One was a 27-year-old professional....

06/01/2019

We, the undersigned citizens, call on the United States President, the U.S. Congress, and the U.S. Department of the Interior to redirect tax dollars toward on-range management of wild horses and burros and away from the Bureau of Land Management’s antiquated, inhumane and unsustainably expensive ...

06/01/2019
US to Mexico Horse Exports Trending Higher

Gross. And the Bureau of Land Management, Dept of the Interior, if facilitating the growth.

Thus far in 2018, nearly 66,000 U.S. horses have been shipped to Mexico for slaughter.

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