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Look at this beautiful mane! Does your horse have a great mane like this? 

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What is Rain Rot?

Rain rot is a common skin infection in horses and is often mistaken as a fungal when it is really bacterial, and is caused by the organism called dermatophilus congolensis. This most often occurs in humid, damp areas with high temperatures, such as Georgia and Florida. Not all horses that pick up this organism are affected with rain rot, but they can still spread it as they are carriers. It spreads by horses sharing brushes and other grooming tools, saddle pads, halters, blankets, leg wraps, etc.

What does it look like?

Rain rot can look like scabs on a horse’s skin, or like small tufts of hair matted together. It will feel like little lumps if you run your hand over their coat. The little scabs will usually come off easily and will leave bare skin underneath. Be sure to wash your hands and throw away the scabs if you do pick them off, as the scabs can be contagious for months.

How can you prevent it?

You can prevent rain rot by making sure to only use one set of brushes, tack, and equipment for each horse, or by making sure to clean the brushes, tack, and equipment with antibacterial solution before using on another horse. Make sure to also wash your hands when you are touching a horse with rain rot. Also, keeping your horse in on rainy days may also help as rain rot spreads more easily in wet conditions.

Rain rot treatment

There are several good anti-bacterial shampoos and solutions for rain rot that you can use, including the product Resolve. With Resolve, you saturate the area that is affected once a day until the rain rot is resolved. This product can also help prevent it from reoccurring if you apply it in the areas that the horse usually gets rain rot in whenever there is lots of rain and high humidity.

Check out Resolve on this website- www.equinesafetyzone.com

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Let's Talk Mini

What comes in a tiny package, has all the characteristics of a Horse that all people love , is easy maintenance and is just a pleasure to be around?

A Miniature Horse of course !

Miniature Horses are no taller than 38 inches and come in a variety of coat colors and patterns. They are easily trainable and have a sweet and gentle nature. They are also known for their friendliness and their love of human companionship. These little horses are descended from Shetland ponies and were selectively inbred for their size. They can pull four times their own weight. In earlier times, small horse breeds were likely the products of surviving harsh natural climates and limited feed sources. As human knowledge of genetics grew, it became possible to breed specifically for size.

Miniature Horses have been bred for outstanding dispositions and superb confirmation . The result is a  proportionate little horse that is suitable to a variety of uses: as pets, show animals, and a form of therapy for disabled people and guides for the blind or people with other physical difficulties.

Did you know Miniature horses can live well into their late 30's even 40's?

Life Expectancy:

Mini horses are exceptionally hardy, with an average lifespan exceeding that seen in full-sized breeds. Expect a healthy miniature horse to enjoy a lifespan of about 30 years. The oldest horse on record was actually a dwarf mini, which lived to be more than 50 years old.

Locating Miniature Horses for Sale

Deal only with reputable breeders when seeking mini horses for sale. Contacting equine registries and local breeder associations will help you locate a suitable vendor in your area. There are also minis that need good homes because people outgrow them.

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Why do Girls/ Women Love horses so much ?

7 TOP REASONS

There is just no denying that lots of girls develop a lifelong horse crazy- obsession. We are giving you the obvious and not-so-obvious

7 reasons for women's horse obsession.

1. Horseback riding makes you feel at one with nature while working with a majestic animal.

2. They are beautiful animals. From their flowing manes and big innocent eyes to their elegant strides, horses are beautiful to look at.

3. Horses have an air of adventure. Horseback riding is the ultimate escapism. Horses also fuel the imagination.

4. Women tend to be better at picking up nonverbal cues than men, making them more likely to work well with horses.

5. Girls are attracted to the role of caring nurturer, which horses require. Many women consider their interaction with their horse a profound relationship. In turn a horse can act as a protector.

6. Horseback riding is romantic. We all grew up with the fantasy of the prince on a white horse sweeping us away from our mediocre existences.

7. Horses are powerful and being able to control a horse makes women feel powerful and more in control of their life. Horses appeal to women's desire for dominance.

From time to time, we all want to run the show and, when seated on a horse under our control, we get to feel like the powerhouses we really are!

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Let’s Talk Minis!

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Is it Safe to Exercise Your Horse in the Cold Winter Months?

Exercising your horse during the cold winter months can be beneficial and important to help keep them in shape. The goal should be to keep your horse’s fitness level maintained and refine their skills, not to necessarily improve on their fitness level when the air is cold outside as you don’t want to damage your horse’s respiratory tract or cause pain and inflammation.

RESPIRATORY TRACT INJURY

Just like you, your horse has trouble breathing in the cold, wintery air. If it hurts for you to breathe, then you shouldn’t exercise your horse as it probably is painful for them too, and can cause stress to the airways. When your horse is out in cold air, normally their upper respiratory tract takes in that cold air and warms and humidifies it to their body temperature before the air goes down into the lower respiratory tract. As they exercise and their heart rate goes up, their breaths get deeper and the intake of air that is going down increases, and the body doesn’t have enough time to warm up the air before it goes down into the lower respiratory tract. This causes the lungs, bronchi, and trachea to dry out and get cold. This cold air can cause an influx of white blood cells and inflammation, and since it dries out the lower respiratory tract, bronchoconstriction may occur shortly after exercise, which can lead to the horse underperforming.  This can ultimately cause cell injury, possibly pulmonary bleeding, or even Exercise Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhaging if the horse is exercised too strenuously in cold air.

SAFELY EXERCISING IN THE WINTER

You can safely exercise your horse in the winter though by following several precautions and ensuring a proper warm up, cool down, and not overworking your horse. Always be aware of your horse’s current fitness level before planning an exercise and be aware of the footing to make sure it’s safe so that your horse won’t slip and get injured.

GROOMING

It’s important to always groom your horse before riding, as this gives you time to check over your horse for any injuries. In the winter, when you groom you have the chance to check your horse’s feet for packed snow and ice balls, which can be dangerous if you ride without cleaning that out. You also stimulate circulation, which warms up the horse and can help unclog any pores.

WARMUP

In cold weather horses are tighter than they normally are, so you must make sure to slowly warm up to give their muscles more time to adjust, usually at least 10-20 minutes depending on the temperature and your horse. Horses that have been in a stall will probably require a longer warm-up than horses that have been turned out.  Always make sure you go both directions so the muscles are evenly worked. When your horse feels more limber his muscles are probably warmed up and circulation going and you can start trotting or jogging.  Ensuring you give your horse an adequate warm-up in cold weather helps prevent injuries from muscles working while they are too stiff to do what you ask.

REGULAR WORK

Once your horse is adequately warmed up you can get down to the main part of the ride. What you do for this depends on what your goals are and whether you are riding for fun or to stay in training for competitions. You should not plan on anything harder than what your horse is currently used to while the air is cold outside. The harder the workout and more the horse sweats, the more time that is needed to cool down. Depending on your goals, you can include bending and flexion exercises, side passes, hacking, gymnastics, and at least one serious lesson a week. Vets say that a horse needs active exercise of 15-25 minutes at least a day in order to maintain their fitness level. If you have a jumper, it has been recommended to jump at least once or twice a month over the cold months to help keep your horse focused. If you jump though, make sure the footing is safe or have an indoor arena that you can go ride in. Hill work is some of the best work you can do with your horse, because you can even just walk and trot hills for your horse to use and work their muscles. For competition horses, it may also be a good idea to enter a few small schooling shows during the winter season if they are used to traveling and competing regularly.

COOL DOWN

Cool down is very important in the winter, as you want to ensure your horse isn’t turned out while still sweaty, wet, and breathing hard. Make sure you have at least 15 minutes to spend walking out your horse, longer if they had a harder workout. Horses that have been clipped won’t take as long to cool down, but just make sure they are covered with a sheet. If possible, ride during the day when the sun can help speed up the horse cooling down and drying. If your horse is sweaty, put a cooler on them in cooler weather so they won’t get a chill while they are cooling down. Coolers are great as they will keep your horse warm while helping wick away the sweat and helping the horse dry faster. It’s a good idea to even have multiple coolers, so when one gets wet from absorbing the sweat, you can switch it out with a dry one while you continue walking out. Check to make sure your horse is dry behind the elbows, between the front legs, in the chest area, the belly, and the flank area. Also, make sure your horse isn’t still breathing hard or has veins popping out. Once dry, you can brush to fluff up his coat which warms them up even more and helps protect them from the cold. Always make sure you leave your horse in a dry blanket after you have ensured that he is completely cooled off and dry.

CONCLUSION

You can safely ride your horse in cold weather as long as it’s not painful to breathe, just make sure to follow the basic guidelines for your horse’s health and safety. Don’t overwork him and plan rides to just maintain his fitness level and keep his mind focused when the weather is too cold to push hard. Ensure that you give your horse a proper warm-up and cool-down and keep an eye on your surroundings, and you will have a great winter season of keeping your horse in shape.