Photo courtesy of Stateline Tack.
Dear horses, why do you have to be doing so many midnight hijinks? Is it spring fever? Are you just feeling fitter after the winter break? Or are you trying to give me some form of sleep deprivation anxiety? Because it’s working, and now you can stop. Specifically, I would love it if my horses stopped showing off their athleticism by jumping out of their fields in the middle of the night to graze on my yard. I know the grass is great, but you have grass in your field that is just as good.
U.S. Weekend Preview:
Ocala Winter II H.T. (Ocala, Fl.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]
Pine Top Spring H.T. (Thomson, Ga.): [Website] [Entry Status] [Ride Times] [Volunteer]
News From Around the Globe:
One thing that eventing and parenthood share in common is the amount of dedication required to get it right. Aiming for excellence in horse showing and child-rearing is taxing enough on its own, but combining the two and things can get a little more challenging. For many, eventing truly can be a family affair. We have some first-hand advice from USEA members sharing some of their favorite eventing parenting tips, tricks, and hacks to make juggling all of the pieces just a little easier the next time you head out to the barn to ride or make your way to the start box. [Balancing Barn & Baby Time]
Best of Blogs: A Turd In Your Feed Tub
Just how fit do event riders, at the lower levels, and their horses have to be? In this article with Craig Barrett, he discusses how to organize your horse’s fitness and yours for lower level competency. Depending on your horse’s age, breed, and experience, the answer can be different, and the same goes for riders! [Fit to Event]
As air vests have become more popular, especially in other disciplines, it stands to reason that we would also begin to see turnover in the products as people upgrade to new technology or find a better fitting vest. This means that we’re starting to see more air vests available for purchase in used condition. But is it safe to buy a used air vest? [Buying A Used Air Vest]
Experts from the University of Nottingham have found that the sex of a jockey doesn’t influence any aspect of racehorse physiology and performance. Shocking, I know. The findings of the study, published at Research Square, offer a new perspective on the possible balance of elite male and female jockeys on the start line of races. Studies assessing the effect of the sex of a rider on racehorse performance and physiology during training have not been reported, mostly due to the lack of available data for female participants within the sport. [Hot on Horse Nation]
Diet balancers aren’t just for the easy keepers anymore. In today’s world of high hay prices and various hay shortages, making sure your horse’s diet is balanced can be a challenge. Hay alone will not supply 100% of the nutrient needs of any horse. All forage types will be short in critical vitamins, minerals and trace minerals. Most forages, even the best alfalfa hays, will fall short in meeting a horse’s needs for essential amino acids that impact their topline, performance and growth. This is where a diet balancer comes in—it supplies the essential nutrition not found in forages, and allows for very specific feeding rates to meet those needs – even by forage type. [Using Diet Balancer for Essential Nutrition]
