Q. I have three horses, and just recently it started getting cold here. I started bringing my horses into their stalls at night. Prior to this, I would bring them in during the hot hours of the day and let them stay outside for the rest of the day. We had a pretty mild summer,…
Q. I am a new breeder of mini horses, and I was wondering if it would be safe to put the mares after they foal together on the pasture with the babies. I don’t want to cause fights. I have four mares ready to foal in May. They are all under 33 inches tall. Any…
Q. The horse I ride doesn’t like to be ridden and doesn’t respond to my signals. I have to have someone hold his head while I sneak up with a halter behind my back to be able to catch him! He takes off trotting before I tell him to. He neck reins but doesn’t respond….
Q. I’ve got a horse whose back leg stiffens up when he’s outside in a cold rain. I’ve been keeping him in his stall on rainy days, but he seems to love water. In the spring, there’s a pond that forms in the field from the run-off snow and rain. He swims in it. I’ll…
Q. I ride a horse whose hooves are kind of cracking and really long. Does the farrier need to come to trim his hooves? A. All horses’ feet should be trimmed every 6-8 weeks year-round and shod if necessary. If your horse’s feet are long and cracking from the bottom up, it sounds like he’s…
Q. Baring accidents or congenital difficulties, how long do horses live if they’re healthy & well-cared for? Can you continue to ride a horse when he/she becomes quite elderly? A. Most horses, if reasonably healthy and taken proper care of throughout their entire lives (not just the last few years), should be able to live well into…
Q. We spend as much time with our animals as possible because we love them, and they are our friends and companions. Occasionally jobs, duties, and school interfere with exercise time. What would be the minimum amount of time a person should plan on exercising one’s horse per week to keep it in reasonable condition?…
Q. Do you know of any kind of horse toy you can put in a stall that’s hard for them to break? My gelding keeps popping or tearing every ball off the wall that I hang in his stall. A. The only toy I’ve ever given one of my horses was an old broom handle…
