Rhinopneumonia – Update
I have written a slightly more detailed update on the Dutch pages because the virus is currently in the news in the Netherlands. Here I shall just give a short update: Since rhinopneumonia (EHV) can only be passed on by direct contact with nasal mucus, it is safe to say that the chances of catching […]
The Horse | Long Toes in Horses: A Pain in the Butt?
Although I am not always favourable about publications on TheHorse.com, this one actually does give correct information about long toes – one of the necessary evils of shoeing horses: The Horse | Long Toes in Horses: A Pain in the Butt?.
Dutch Christian Democrats call for obligatory reporting of Rhinopneumonia
Horses.nl – CDA wil meldplicht voor rhino – Nieuws – Gezondheid. This article is in Dutch.
Jackets – part 3
I’ve just been to what can only be described as a well run, well kept, tidy riding stable. It’s not big – only a dozen horses or so – which obviously helps keep the neat appearance, but the buildings are in excellent condition and the whole accomodation is well protected against the elements. Imagine then, […]
Oh dear…!
Having posted the photo yesterday of three horses well wrapped up against the warmth cold I thought no more of the article – until I was confronted by this sight this afternoon: Just what use this jacket is, I don’t know – it certainly doesn’t do what it is “intended” to do. But even more […]
What’s wrong here?
So, what is wrong with these pictures? It seems a perfectly normal scene – horses grazing in a field, jackets on to protect against the cold. To all intents and purposes, the horses are doing alright – but the temperature is nearly 10˚C. Why then, do these horses need jackets? They have a perfectly natural […]
A Healthy Diet
These days there is so much attention paid to the “healthy diet” – cutting down on this, eating plenty of that, avoiding something else. And yet the attention we pay to what our horses are being fed, is minimal. True we buy the best muesli and bricks and goodness knows what – but if we […]
Heel First?
The natural tendency for shod horses, is to land on the toes first. According to a farrier I spoke to recently, the correct way for horses to place their feet is completely flat – all in one go, as it were! Although the first situation is a fact, the second is sadly nothing more than […]
Unnatural Horsemanship
Yesterday was another session in Hippotherapy at the Poedertoren in Herselt, Belgium. And I wish to immediately point out that the title has nothing to do with hippotherapy nor with the Poedertoren! It has everything to do with travelling some 80km into Belgium and seeing sights which should have long been banished out of our […]
Hippica v. Nature
Once again I am very grateful to Pierre Enoff for an evocative piece of filmwork. This movie can be found on YouTube but is not playable in certain regions because YouTube, like iTunes and other America-based services (and some Europe-based ones), does not seem to realise that European legislation requires that services available in one […]