Horses in the wild can and often do repel predators by lashing out with their hooves. This response is instinctive so, depending on the situation, you may see it with even the most placid and agreeable horses. You can recognize a fear kick by what precedes it. A horse who Read more…
After riding, your horse needs cleaning to remove sweat and accumulated dirt. Though it’s common for horses to hate this process, there are some things you can do to groom them without as much fuss. Should you bathe a horse after riding? If the horse is sweaty, you can sponge Read more…
Equine massage sessions last 1 hour and 15 minutes with the exception of the initial session which lasts approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes (at no extra charge.) A thorough health history and gait assessment are completed during the initial session. How often should you massage a horse? How often Read more…
The horse has a large heart and a slow resting heart rate. When you listen you will hear a “lub” and then a “dub” sound followed by a pause. The “lub” and the “dub” together count as one beat. What does a galloping heartbeat mean? Causes of galloping rhythms A Read more…
Oftentimes, a horse that paws when tied up does so because he knows he’s going to get attention. What usually happens is that when the horse paws, someone comes out to stop him, or even untie him. Why do horses paw the ground when tied up? Anger or Frustration – Read more…
An easy way to feel a horse’s pulse is by placing your fingers (not thumbs!) under the bottom jawbone, toward the neck and under the cheek (see Figure 3). You should feel a large vein-like structure that moves around—the vein will feel like a small pencil or string under the Read more…
The pulse comes from the blood flowing through the artery to the hoof. The artery will pulse with each beat of your horse’s heart. There are four places you can check the digital pulse in your horse’s lower leg. If you know the anatomy of the lower leg, it helps. Read more…
Have you ever seen a horse person grab a horse’s ear tightly and twist it, grab a horse’s muzzle and hold it tightly, or grab a fold of skin at the horse’s shoulder, hold it tightly, and twist it back? This action is meant to stop unwanted behavior in your Read more…
A spook is usually a startled jump sideways, or a quick change of direction with the intention to flee. The horse may or may not want to keep their eyes on the object that frightens them. In the wild, this quick reaction is a response that would allow a horse Read more…
Though we may conclude that a lip twitch might initially subdue horses through a calming, possibly analgesic effect (at least in the first 5 minutes), an ear twitch clearly evokes a stressed response, immobilizing horses through fear and/or pain. Is using a twitch on a horse cruel? The vets concluded Read more…