My boarder recently brought in a rescue horse who had been rescued about 4 yrs ago. He has been in fairly well cared for the last four years. He was still pathetic looking when he came here and apparently has a very hard time putting on weight which he desparately needs to do. He's a QH/Arab and in his late teens possibly early 20's. He is fed like a king and is gaining a little weight, etc. However, he has always dragged his hind feet, especially in his stall while moving around. He's

My 5-yr-old daughter has a 13h Welsh pony and her saddle is this little tiny cheap thing that was given to me years ago. the saddle doesn't really fit the pony well nor does it put my daughter in a good position. She'll be showing lead line this coming season. The saddle's pommel sits up higher than the cantel, therefore my daughter's legs are too far in front of her, but don't really touch the knee rolls. SO, my friend has a children's saddle, looks nice, good saddle, great

Now that it's the humid summer here in SW FL, the flies are here in full force. I have a 3 stall barn - 2 paint ponies and 1 Thoroughbred. I walk in my TB's stall and the flies are swarming!! I walk in the other 2 stalls and nothing. This is even when he's not in there. Yes, the flies bother him much more than the other two. They are relentless. I go through tons of fly spray, to no avail. Does anyone have a suggestion for me? I've heard about using apple cider vinegar and garlic

What is ACV??? I've also heard good things about the fly predators. Aren't those quite expensive? I'm working on a budget right now and thinking they may be a little too pricey. :( I use Citronella, Skin so Soft, and apple cider vinegar as fly spray. Any fly spray I've used doesn't last long enough to keep him sane.

Something always annoys me the way my legs hang in the saddle. I ride hunter/jumper. Love my Prestige saddle, so I know it's not the saddle. My right leg is nice and secure and stays in place and feels like the perfect position. However, my left leg feels different. It doesn't hug around the saddle/horse nicely, always feels more dangly/not secure. So upon inspection, I've learned that my right (secure) leg is shorter than the left (unsecure) leg. I wonder if I should lower my left stirrup

Same here - I KNOW one leg is longer than the other. When I sit on the floor with legs together out in front of me, it's very obvious. There are other ways I tested this as well. So, the bottom line is, I have one leg longer than the other as a lot of people do, however, I notice it when in the saddle. I'd love to see a chiropractor to make me become a believer, but pockets aren't too deep right now. I think I'll try lowering the left stirrup and try that one.

Hmmm, Remmer, very interesting. I don't have any low back pain, but my shoulder muscles seem to be tight a lot of the time except after riding. Yes, I lose the stirrup of my longer leg a lot. I agree that we use one side more than the other, ex - resting on the dominant leg. I just don't know what kind of exercises to do to help this issue. It really bothers me! Maybe look into some yoga for the equestrian? Thanks for all the input here. I'm listening to all pointers!!

We took down all the jumps to level out my riding area and cut grass, etc., and now I can't remember how far apart they should be! I have a 17h Thoroughbred and a 13h Welsh Pony who I work over the jumps. Could someone help me with the distances so I can set up my courses again?? thx!

Ok, I bought a pony from a friend and she let me know the little stallion on property got loose for a couple hours where my pony was. My friend said if the mare is pregnant, then she will take care of all vet bills, feed, etc. Now, I'm wondering how soon everyone gets their mares checked to see if they're in foal for sure. I'm also wondering at what point in the pregnancy should the mare start receiving special grain/supplements. I'm trying to figure out what the right thing to do

I'm not adverse to trying a bitless bridle, however I believe it is not acceptable in the hunter ring and I think they are quite expensive. Am I right?