Three-legged lame. Dead lame. Moving a little off. These are phrases no horse person ever wants to hear. But if you own horses long enough, you will hear them. Lower limb injuries can be mild to severe, have a long list of causes, and an equally long list of treatment modalities. A little preparation ahead of the need will give you peace of mind when you have to face caring for a lame horse.
Managing horses is not an easy task, especially with all the demands these days. Keeping an accurate schedule that is easily shared with owners, riders, trainers, grooms and support staff can feel overwhelming. Luckily, there are digital solutions you can use to manage your barn more efficiently and help keep your horses happy and healthy.
If you would have asked Tanja and Scott Hodges a year ago if they thought they’d be taking their newly acquired Friesian mare, Hilde fan Seldsum, and rider/trainer, Macy Clark, to US Dressage Finals during the close of the 2022 Dressage show season they would have chuckled at the thought of it even being possible.
By Michele Harn and Jeanna Schaffhauser.
She was born into it. Her father (Sam Schauffauser) and grandfather (Randy Schaffauser) are professional Reining horse trainers with a barn full of champion horses. Her mom, Jeanna, is a non-pro competitor. But having it all on the proverbial silver spoon doesn’t guarantee success in the show arena.
It’s that time of year again. The temperatures have dropped across the mid-south, and many horse owners are fighting the annual winter battle with Mother Nature: keeping the water trough from freezing.