Coincidentally, I just saw this thread after a nice hour in the ring and up in the woods on my 23-yo Quarter Horse. He's got some old arthritis and can occasionally stiffen up in one hind leg if he's stuck in his stall overnight because of the weather, but he's the most fun of all my horses. He's the one I can count on to do whatever i ask without an argument whether it's a quick turn around the barrels and poles or a little light dressage, and we always follow up with a tour

That's fantastic! I've been a clicker-training advocate for years and have written articles about it. As far as I'm concerned, there's no faster or more efficient way of teaching a horse (or most animals) how to learn from a human. Focused learning isn't really part of a horse's natural lifestyle, but they just love it when they figure it out. I use whatever small treats I've got on hand, but my horses' clicker-treat-of-choice is mini frosted shredded wheat. When possible

If you haven't had a vet look at the lumps yet, I highly recommend it. You may only be dealing with the little fibrous bumps some h/j horses tend to develop in the saddle area. If that's the case, a shot of cortizone into each one will completely eliminate them, and she'll be right again in no time. We had this with a TB mare. The lumps never returned after the single treatment. It's worth the call! No new saddle was required, just a change of pad. She's been happily eventing

Sure! Buy mine! But I also highly recommend anything by Buck Brannaman and any decent vet manual.

Hi, Squeaksmom. I'm sure she's got more energy if you've increased her feed, but that's not the best way to put weight on in the cold weather. The added energy will be burned off running around and the added weight along with it. You might consider supplementing with a bagged, fortified chopped forage like the one that Triple Crown makes. If she can handle alfalfa, that's also higher in calories than most grass hay. Or you can supplement with corn oil for extra fat. Even though

Hi, Maggie! And good luck in your search. There's nothing more fun than horse-shopping, is there? I bought my last two horses online, and have been completely happy with the experience. I'm an equine appraiser, and I can tell you that online shopping has definitely leveled the field in terms of prices and opportunities to see horses you might otherwise never make contact with. Go to it! But do follow the sage advice to shop locally. I have seen a couple of really bad situations arise when

Scout's Mom, maintain a healthy skepticism. I do. Despite a long list of good experiences and my own training, I've also managed to hook up with a well-known AC who missed all of my mare's obvious health issues but came up with a list of "nutritional deficiencies" that could be easily corrected by the addition of a large quanitity of supplements that just happened to be available only through a friend of hers. And there was the one who said the mare's big issue was her name

Babe, you reminded me of another incident. I bought a gorgeous Appy gelding for my SO, but naturally he wound up being mine. I rode him for a month, then I got sick for several months. When I finally got a chance to work with the horse again, he wouldn't let me pet him or fuss with his head or comb his forelock. Not head-shy--no problem bitting or bridling--just would pull away when I tried the usual fun bonding stuff. Since he was the new guy, I called the AC and asked her how he was doing.

Updated update: Leo is fine. No swelling whatsoever. I mentioned the situation to an RN friend, and she said what my vet was describing was lymphedema. She said there's really no cure. It either goes away on its own or it doesn't (at least in humans). That's pretty much what I experienced. I haven't done anything for Leo in a couple of weeks now, and there's no sign of the swelling.

I used to have a supplier. If I can find the name/address, I'll post them, but it was a loooong time ago, so the information may no longer be accurate. Otherwise, try going to www.horseshoes.com and ask there. Henry Haymering was the one who recommended the fellow. The supplier was a horse nutritionist. But you have to be VERY careful administering Vitamin A. It can be highly toxic in high enough quantities.