The nights are getting cooler, the crops are being harvested, and foxhunters throughout Virginia are donning their tattersall and tweeds as cubbing begins. For those of you unfamiliar with Foxhunting, cubbing takes place before the formal (official) season begins. During these first few weekends, the young foxhounds, or entry, are taken out with veteran foxhounds to start … [Read more...]
The other winter grooming
Spending the winter working in Ocala has transformed how I manage and care for horses. Unlike cold winter weather care, Florida horse care involves constant and precise grooming. Sand is my worst enemy-closely followed by magic cushion and saran wrap… Sand gets in turn-out boots, towels, and worst of all the horses skin. Imagine that itchy feeling you have after a fun day at the shore. Now imagine … [Read more...]
Horse care in the cold and dark
For those of us not headed south to paddocks with palm trees, those who cannot avoid the chapped skin and frozen toes that winter barn work and riding bring, we sympathize, and offer practical solutions. Number one: Day light savings time. Okay, so we gain an hour up front, but after that, we still have to cope with sunsets that encroach on saddle time, and that somehow doesn’t seem fair. While … [Read more...]
