Common semi-permanent identifiers include microchips, tattoos, and brands. (Keep in mind that lip tattoos fade and are often difficult to read.) The paperwork that matches these identifiers should go with your important papers. If your horse doesn’t have any of these, keep photographs: front, rear, either side, and special markings [More]

Cleaning tack. It’s a dirty job, but we all have to do it. Saddles, bridles, and all the other bits of leather that we use on our horses can cost a fortune. Luckily, with proper care and storage, tack can last, if not forever, a very, very long time. Climate control: Leather is just like you: it hates humidity. Saddles in humid, sub-tropical climates like the Southeast are always at risk ... [More]

Book Review: Falling for Eli How I Lost Heart, Then Gained Hope Through the Love of a Singular Horse By Nancy Shulins,  258 pages, 2012 Da Capo Press The author, an accomplished correspondent for the Associated Press, fills an unfulfilled need for children she is not biologically able to have, with of all things, a horse.  The story follows her angst from making peace with what... [More]

Is your farm muddy? Summer mud. Winter mud. Spring mud. Fall mud. No matter what the season, mud is a part of a horseman’s life. Whether you live in a part of the country with a rainy season that makes mud a daily nuisance, or you just don’t have the best drainage in the world, mud happens. And mud is more than just a tedious mess that ends up all over your boots. Mud can cause a hos... [More]